osem passover

April, 2011

Chicken Balls

Sunday, April 10th, 2011 Print This Post Print This Post USer rating

These are a nice alternative to matzo balls.

1 large potato, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 pound ground chicken
2 eggs
1 carrot, grated, optional
½ teaspoon salt
Liquid for cooking – either chicken soup or water

Put potato in a pot and cover with water and sprinkle of salt. Cook until cooked through but not soft. Drain water.

In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, blend together the potato, 1 egg, chicken, and salt. The mixture should be soft. Add 1 more egg. Blend until mixed.

Wet hands and form the mixture into balls (I make golf ball size because they puff up a bit). Drop into boiling chicken soup. Turn down the heat, cover and simmer until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Alternatively, you can cook these in boiling salted water. The liquid becomes a mild chicken stock and can be used later where chicken stock or flavored liquid is needed.

Potato and Porcini Mushroom Gnocchi

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By Chef Todd Aarons, Tierra Sur

3 cups of baked potato, peeled, fed through a potato ricer
¾ cup of matzah cake flour (matzah cake meal), plus 3 Tablespoons for dusting the table
3 tablespoons dried ground porcini (cèpes) mushrooms
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil

On a flat tabletop sprinkle some of the matzah cake meal and place the potatoes on top. While potatoes are still warm, make a well in the middle of them. Pour in matzah flour, porcini dust, eggs and salt. With a fork slowly mix eggs with the matzah flour and work into the potatoes. With your hands, fold mixture until it is homogenous. The dough should be slightly sticky, if it is too wet sprinkle additional matzah flour over and work it in. The dough should be firm but do not overworked. Roll the dough into a three-inch cylinder. With a knife cut a 1-inch slice and on a well dusted part of the table roll into a 1-inch thick cylinder. At every 1-inch intervals cut and slightly pinch gnocchi with thumb and forefinger. Roll pieces into some matzah flour and bring a pot of water to a boil. Salt the water to taste and place gnocchi into the boiling water. Once gnocchi rise to the top and have cooked for approximately 5 minutes, strain from pot with a slotted spoon into a flat plate. Drizzle a little olive oil over in order that they do not stick to each other. To serve: Heat up a sauté pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and place 10-12 gnocchi into the hot pan. Brown on each side approximately 2 minutes. Serve on each plate with the braised beef.

Featured Giveaway: Matzel Toff

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Remember Matzel Toff from last year’s post? We ate it all year round and now have it to buy now or to give to one lucky GKC winner. Matzel Toff! is a scrumptious Toffee-Chocolate-Matzah treat that brings a new and unexpected gourmet twist to matzah. So delicious, you won’t believe it’s pareve and kosher for Passover. This makes the perfect gift, seder dessert or Passover midnight snack! All natural, with no artificial flavors or preservatives. Hurry its almost sold out and you haven’t even tried it yet. Certified Kof-K.

GKC loves companies with a story. Matzel Toff has its own. Phillip, founder of Matzel Toff, grew up enjoying his Bubbie Edith’s toffee-chocolate-matzah. Inspired by her recipe, he eventually honed his own recipe as a graduate student in New York City, where it became his beloved staple for potlucks and dinner parties. One bite into this scrumptious treat and his friend Abby was immediately hooked. She realized that matzah needed a gourmet makeover, and that toffee-chocolate was the perfect fit. Phillip and Abby teamed up to make Matzel Toff! available to everyone.

In 2011 Matzel Toff! will introduce new gourmet products for other Jewish holidays and for year-round enjoyment – GKC can’t wait to tell you all about them, so stay tuned for details.

Comment to win a family box of Kosher for Passover, Pareve Dark Chocolate, Matzel Toff. Or get some, either a gift box of 2 for $9.25 or a family box of 8 for $29.00 at www.matzeltoff.com

Blueberry Sorbet

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photo: slimpaley.com

Makes 3 cups

1 ½ pounds frozen blueberries
¾ cup sugar or more if desired
¼ cup Cabernet Sauvignon

Combine all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and add more sugar if the mixture seems too tart. Place the sorbet in an airtight container and freeze until firm, at least two hours before serving.

Braised Beef Shoulder

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By Chef Todd Aarons, Tierra Sur

Pair this meal with a bottle of 2007 Herzog Special Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Alexander Valley and enjoy the memories. Happy Passover!

4-5 pounds piece of boneless beef shoulder, tied with butcher string to make it a more uniform shape

Marinade:
4 cups red wine, such as Baron Herzog Merlot
8 crushed black peppercorns
4 shallots, sliced
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot
¼ cup brandy

Aromatics:
4 carrots, peeled and cut into ¼ inch rounds
2 celery stalks cut into ¼ inch pieces
2 medium Spanish onions, julienned
3 cloves garlic sliced
¼ cup tomato concasse or 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Bouquet garnish of thyme sprigs, parsley, bay leaf, and outer leek leaf tied into a bundle
3 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and coarsely ground black peppercorns

Liquid:
Strained cooked marinade plus 3 cups red wine
Broth to cover 1/3 of beef roast
¼ cup red wine vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325̊̊ degrees. Add all marinade ingredients to a pot and bring to a boil. Simmer to reduce by a quarter. Let cool and place roast inside marinade, refrigerate for at least 24 hours, turning at 12 hours. Dry the meat from marinade and liberally season with sea salt and black peppercorn. Reserve the marinade. Inside your roasting pot heat up the olive oil and add the beef. Sear all sides of the roast until you reach a deep rich brown color. Remove roast to a separate plate. Add your aromatics to the render beef fat left in the pot and sauté until lightly browned and translucent. Add the tomato paste and continue to cook until the tomato turns a rich brown color. Nestle roast back into the vegetables. Strain reserved marinade over the roast while pot is on a medium flame. Add the new wine and simmer until all alcohol has dissipated. Pour in broth to cover at least 1/3 the roast. Add your bouquet garni bundle and cover with a piece of parchment paper then place lid over pot. Place pot into preheated oven and continue to cook for approximately 2 hours. Check doneness with a wooden skewer. You should be able to pierce meat and easily pull out skewer. If it is not ready continue to cook and check at 45-minute intervals. Serves 6.

Never Enough Sparkly Frogs on Pesach!

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I enjoy the frog décor for the Passover Seder table, did you see the Great Product post last week? This week we have more gorgeous frogs; this time from The Quest Collection. These are decorative, perfect for Passover, and really elegant (Is that possible with a frog? With The Quest Collection it is.) The frog napkin rings are a combination of gold and silver with Swarovski crystals that add a more decorative and dressy look with any napkin. Cute and adorable and fancy enough for every table.

Find them at the www.inspirationgallery.com $48 for a set of 4.

Apricot Chicken with Quinoa- Almond Pilaf

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photo:recipes-for-chicken.info

Chicken
1 cup apricot preserves
4 tablespoons kosher for Passover mustard
4 tablespoons red wine
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 chickens cut up in 1/8’s

Pilaf
1 box (12 ounces) quinoa* (about 2 cups)
2 cups chicken broth
1 onion, chopped
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
½ cup craisins
½ cup basil, finely chopped
½ cup sliced almonds, toasted

Chicken: Whisk the preserves, mustard, red wine, salt, cayenne, and garlic powder together in a baking dish. Add the chicken and turn to coat in the marinade. Cover and refrigerate for a least 1 hour or preferably overnight, turning occasionally.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Uncover the chicken and the marinade and place in the oven and bake until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 50 – 75 minutes.

For the Pilaf:

Wash the quinoa in a colander or a sieve with cold water and drain off all the liquid. Place the washed quinoa, chicken broth, and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered until the quinoa is tender and has absorbed the liquid, 12 to 15 minutes. Move the quinoa into a large bowl. In a medium skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cook the onion until translucent. Add the sugar and cook until the onion is slightly browned and caramelized. Turn off the heat. In a separate bowl, whisk the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper together in a medium bowl. Pour over the quinoa. Add the cranberries, onions, basil and toss to coast.

To serve:
Place the quinoa on a plate. Top with the chicken, extra cooking liquids from the chicken pan and sliced, toasted almonds.

* The cRc approves the use of whole grain quinoa for Pesach on the following conditions:

The quinoa is imported exclusively from Bolivia and packed by companies that pack whole grain quinoa exclusively. While there may be others,Ancient Harvest and Trader Joe’s are two brands that only import quinoa from Bolivia and only pack whole grain quinoa.

The quinoa must be carefully inspected by hand before Pesach.
This is done by spreading quinoa, one layer at a time, on a board or plate, and check to be sure that there are no other grains or foreign matter mixed in with the quinoa. [This type of inspection would not help with Quinoa flour, pasta or any other version of quinoa which is not permitted on Pesach].

Chocolate Marble Cake with Chocolate Glaze

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1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup vegetable or safflower oil
6 eggs, separated
½ cup matzo cake meal
½ potato starch
½ cup apple juice or wine
¼ cup cocoa
¼ cup strong hot coffee

Chocolate Glaze:
8 ounces chocolate
1 tablespoon vegetable or safflower oil
1 stick margarine (1/4 pound), cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In the bowl on an electric mixer, blend ¼ cup of the sugar with the salt and oil. Add the egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating after each addition. Sift the matzo cake meal and potato starch together. Add them to the egg yolk mixture alternatively with the apple juice (I like to use wine).

In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff enough to hold a peak. Fold the beaten egg whites into he egg yolk mixture. Pour half of the batter into another bowl and serve.

Ina a small bowl, mix together the remaining ¼ cup sugar, cocoa, and coffee and fold this mixture into the reserved batter. Pour the two batters alternately (about 1 cup at a time) into 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 45 – 55 minutes, or until the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in it comes out dry. Remove the cake from the oven, immediately invert the pan and let it cool. Loosen the dies and center of the cake with a sharp knife and unmold it onto a cake plate. Drizzle the chocolate glaze over the cake.

Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over simmering water. Add the oil and margarine, blending until melted.

Glaze can be doubled.

Passover Ice Cream

Sunday, April 10th, 2011 Print This Post Print This Post USer rating

6 eggs, separated
¾ cup sugar
½ cup neutral oil
1 -2 cups pureed fruit mixed with 1 teaspoon lemon juice (Any kind of fruit, fresh or frozen, pureed in a blender of food processor. Try different combinations)

Beat the egg whites in a mixer with clean dry beaters until soft peaks form. Slowly add the sugar, tablespoon by tablespoon until the whites are stiff and glossy.

In a separate bowl, mix the yolks with the oil and mix until pale yellow and thick. Stir in a dollop of the whites, and then fold in the rest of the whites and the pureed fruit. Freeze for at least 7 hours before serving.

New Kosher Wines for Your Passover Seder – Part II

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Finding new wines for the wine lover is challenge number one. Finding new wines that taste great and are priced for every-day consumption is an even greater challenge. The Yogev line of Israeli wines has been providing wine lovers with quality wines that are priced for weeknight meals and not only special occasions. New from Yogev is their first single varietal wine – the Yogev Cabernet Sauvignon. The Yogev Cab is a medium bodied wine that is versatile enough to go well with pizza, a burger or even just for every day sipping.

An exciting development in Israeli wine is the introduction of a Reserve line for Gamla wines. Gamla wines have long stood for quality and the addition of a new Reserve line, under the supervision of Israeli wine pioneer Peter Stern is sure to put a smile on Israeli wine lover’s faces. The first two wines to be released from the Gamla Reserve series are the Gamla Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon & Gamla Reserve Merlot. Each of these wines is full-bodied and fruity, with the Cabernet showing slightly more black fruit characteristics while the merlot is a bit softer, showing red fruit characteristics.

Not to be left out of the New Wine Party, California wineries are also constantly looking to keep Cali wine lovers happy with new and exciting products. A recently released special is the Herzog Reserve “Oak Knoll” Cabernet Sauvignon, another in the line of single vineyard wines from Herzog Wine Cellars. This small batch wine was tasted and positively reviewed by Daniel Rogov in an online video – a great endorsement!

Whatever the country and no matter the grape, this Yom Tov season make sure to take advantage of the bounty of new wines available on the market. Your taste buds won’t be disappointed!

Gary Landsman, AKA the “Wine Tasting Guy”, makes, sells, writes about and of course tastes wine. Presently doing PR/Marketing work for Royal Wines, you can contact Gary with any wine related questions at gary@winetastingguy.com.

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