Playing with Challah Dough

For this month's challah bake, I did something different with two of the loaves.  I filled the ropes and baked them in loaf pans, just to see what would happen.

For the most part, yeast dough can be shaped any way you want.  Laminated dough (croissants, Danishes) has a few rules to it, but a blob of dough can be turned into pretty much anything.  It doesn't have to be shaped a particular way or in a certain size.  After all, I routinely make 4 half-pound loaves out of a recipe that is intended to be two one-pound loaves.  Those variations simply change the time in the oven.

For this "recipe", start with a batch of challah dough.  After the first rise, punch down and divide into evenly weighted balls the size you want your ropes.  Allow to rest 10 minutes.

Press down each ball and roll it into a log.  Roll the log about half as long as you want it to be, then flatten it into an oblong.  Fill the center with a small amount of filling.  I did sunflower seed and currants, but you can use anything small.  Chopped nuts, raisins, mini chocolate chips, even fresh herbs or chopped garlic.  I would recommend you put something dry in there, though.  I had pre-soaked the currants, and the moisture kept the ropes from staying shut.

Pinch the oblongs closed to encase the filling, then roll them out to desired length.  Hopefully, they will keep the filling inside.  Braid as usual and set on a parchment-lined baking sheet or in a baking dish of some sort.  Side note, I had lined my loaf pans with parchment and really liked how easy it was to remove the finished breads.  I need to do that in the future.

Egg wash loaves and sprinkle with more of the filling on top as a decoration.  Allow to rise in a warm place about 30 minutes, until almost doubled.  Bake 20-30 minutes, depending on size.  Remove to a cooling rack, then serve.

Difficulty rating  :)

Beef Cholent

So as long as I have a slow cooker, it's time to tackle cholent for real.  I found a recipe I liked as a starting point on Fit Slow Cooker Queen.  It was heavier on the beans than I prefer in a stew, and did not include chickpeas.  I made a few other adjustments and went shopping.

When it came time to put everything in the Crockpot, I realized just how tiny mine is.  I got in half the veggies I had bought, and it was almost half full.  The meat brought it to 3/4, and I still had two cans of beans plus barley to go.  This was when I was glad to be starting it at 5:30am.  It gave me plenty of time to rearrange priorities.  The chickpeas were from dry, so they went in the crock.  I cooked the barley separate.  The kidney beans were canned and could go in after everything was cooked.  So, even for this half-recipe, you're going to need a 3 quart or larger crock.

You don't actually need a slow cooker to make this.  It can go in the oven at 225º or on the stove at the lowest simmer.  But it's going to take the same amount of time, a minimum of 8 hours.  That's how I made things like this pre-Crockpot.  It just always felt silly to have the oven all day for such a small casserole.

I have to say, the best part of this for me was the potatoes cooked in the broth.  I'm not a huge potato person, but I really loved the taste.  I added water, not beef broth, and it still had just the right amount of beefiness in it.  The soy and tomato paste accent the umami of the beef, so you don't really need the broth.

1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 lb potatoes, cut in bite-sized chunks
1 medium carrot, peeled and sliced in rounds
*1 lb beef stew meat, such as brisket or chuck roast
*1 Tb tomato paste
*1/4 C soy sauce
1 can chickpeas
1 can red kidney beans
1/2 C barley
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
water or low-sodium beef broth as needed

1.  Place onion, potatoes, and carrots in bottom of slow cooker or pot.  Cut beef into 2" cubes and add as the next layer.  Rinse chickpeas, kidney beans, and barley and add next.

2.  Sprinkle on pepper, tomato paste, paprika, and cumin.  Pour soy sauce over, then add water or broth to cover everything by about 1/2".  The barley is going to suck up a lot of it.

3.  Set cooker on low, or simmer on lowest stove heat or in oven at 225º.  Stir every couple of hours, and add water if necessary.  Cook 8-12 hours.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  :)

Parmesan Herb Croissants

I decided to make some kind of bread for a cold dinner of mostly pickled vegetables.  At some point, I decided on savory croissants.  Getting butter for $2/lb may have been part of the decision.

If I made croissants more often, they wouldn't seem so daunting as a concept.  Yes, they take an extra hour compared to other yeast breads, but I started to like the laminating process on the second turn.  It's the waiting that's the hard part.

This recipe as written uses half whole wheat flour.  If you want to use all white flour, that's fine, but you will need a little more than I did.  The wheat changes the hydration level of the dough.

These came out crisp and flaky on the outer layer, with a tender, pull-apart middle.  They aren't greasy, but definitely buttery.  It was a really nice dinner.

1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter
*2 tsp parsley flakes, or mixed herbs of choice
*1 Tb grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
1 C 100º milk
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp yeast
*1 C whole wheat flour
1 C all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
more parsley and parmesan for sprinkling

1.  Let butter sit to come to room temperature.  Beat until fluffy.  Add parsley, parmesan, and 1/2 tsp salt.  I added less than a teaspoon of chopped chives as well, since I happened to have some.  Beat until uniform.  Spread on wax paper or plastic wrap into a 7" x12" rectangle.  Refrigerate or freeze until needed.

2.  Stir sugar and yeast into warm milk.  Let proof until foamy, about 5-10 minutes.  In stand mixer with paddle, combine milk with wheat flour.  Beat into a thick batter, about 2 minutes.  Add 1 C white flour and remaining 1/4 tsp salt and beat into a sticky dough.

3.  Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, about 5 minutes, adding white flour as necessary.  Shape into a ball. Turn over in an oiled bowl to coat all sides and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about one hour.

4.  Punch down dough and let rest 10 minutes.  Roll out into a rectangle about 8" x 18".  Yes, it's big.  Lay the sheet of chilled herb butter over 2/3 of the dough.  Fold up the clean end over part of the butter, then the other 1/3 over that, into a tri-fold.  Roll that rectangle back out to 8x18 without rotating, which will be the other direction, and fold again.  This is your first turn.  Chill 20 minutes in the fridge.

5.  Roll out your new rectangle again, and fold again.  Chill another 20 minutes.  Do one more turn and let that rest in the fridge 20 minutes, or overnight.

6.  Roll out your finished dough 1/4" thick.  Divide into whatever size croissants you want.  I made six rectangles, which is 12 croissants.  I've made this same amount of dough into 8 before, as a large breakfast croissant.  These were for bread at dinner, so I went smaller.  Cut each rectangle diagonally to get triangles.

7.  Pull at the wide end a little, then roll up to the point.  Pinch the ends together to get a tighter shape, if desired.  Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, point side down.  If desired, brush with melted butter or egg wash. Sprinkle with more herbs and cheese and let proof until doubled, 45 minutes to an hour.

8.  Bake at 375º about 20 minutes, until crisp.  I used an egg wash, so mine turned dark.  If you use butter or leave them naked, they will stay fairly light.

Makes about one dozen, depending on size

Difficulty rating $@%!

Pickled Fennel

 

All the cool weather vegetables in the garden threatened to bolt the second it got kind of warm.  I should have worse problems than having to harvest peas, radishes, fennel, and artichokes.  It was disappointing to lose the lettuces, though.  You forget how much they cost in the store when you've had an endless supply for months.

It was time to do another cold tapas dinner with my harvest.  I decided to make it a pickled theme, to contrast the cheese and gefilte I was having as the protein.  Because yeah, I still had a loaf of gefilte in the freezer.

I found some opinions on how to pickle the fennel, since I had never done that vegetable before, and settled on this one as a starting point.  My little bulb was barely going to make a pint, and who really needs a quart of pickled fennel, plus I changed several of the seasonings.  And while I was at it, I pickled the rest of the radishes.  Same brine, different spices.

*1 fennel bulb, with fronds if possible
1/2 C white wine vinegar
1/2 C water
1 Tb kosher salt
1/2 Tb sugar
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 tsp each *fennel seed, mustard seed, and whole peppercorns
*1/8 tsp celery seed

1.  Trim off fennel tops, saving a few of the more tender fronds.  Wash bulb well and slice thinly, about 1/8 inch thick.  You can either do it the long way or crosswise, like I did.  Either way, do not use the hard core. I popped them out of each slice and put them in the compost.

2.  Stir together water, vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small saucepan.  Bring to a low boil for two minutes, to dissolve the salt and sugar, then set aside.

3.  Pack fennel slices, fronds, garlic, and whole spices into a pint jar, slightly larger if necessary.  Glass is the recommended material when pickling.  Metal may rust and plastic will take on odors and flavors.

4.  Pour the hot brine over fennel and spices.  Press down and shake the jar a bit to get out any large air bubbles.  If there isn't enough brine, top off with water.  Allow to sit until room temperature.  Top with a lid and refrigerate two days before using.  Lasts about 2 weeks in the fridge.

Makes about 2-3 cups

Difficulty rating  π

Passover Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ok, and I'm still not done with Passover recipes.  I took the week off to avoid being in a bakery, so I was eating every meal and snack at home.  Plus, you aren't supposed to go grocery shopping during the holiday.  I did, just for bananas and a leg of lamb that was on sale for only $5/lb.  I'll figure out when to cook it another time.

This started with the recipe on the back of the bag of Glick's chocolate chips.  Their recipe was gluten-free.  I spent a lot of money on that KLP baking powder and wanted to use it for something, so I subbed part of the almond flour with matzoh cake meal.  And cut the recipe in half, because that's a lot of cookies.

I'm pretty sure the reason my cookies didn't spread out was because I wasn't paying attention and put in 1/3 C oil instead of 1/2 C.  You wouldn't think 2 Tbs would make such a huge difference, but it does.  They also came out a bit crunchy, more like dunkers, which is probably because I baked them quite a bit longer than the 12 minutes on the package, waiting for them to brown.  But the flavor is very nice, and not overblown with almond, which is what I was trying to avoid.  As soon as I dipped them in tea, coffee, or warm milk, they softened right up.

1 C sugar
1 egg, room temperature
1/2 C oil
1 Tb vanilla sugar
*1 C almond flour
*1/2 C + 2 Tb matzoh cake meal
*1/2 C potato starch
*1 tsp baking powder
*1/2 C chocolate chips

1.  Cream together sugar, oil, and egg until fluffy.  Add vanilla sugar (or KLP vanilla extract, if you have it), almond flour, cake meal, potato starch, and baking powder.  Beat until it forms a dough.  Stir in chips.

2.  Put the bowl in the freezer while you preheat the oven to 350º.  Form into small balls, about a generous tablespoon, and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Do not flatten the balls; they will spread out on their own.  Bake 12-14 minutes, until browned.  Allow to cool about 3 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

Makes 24-28

Difficulty rating  π

Asparagus Matzoh Casserole

 

Ok, that wasn't the last Passover recipe this year.  It just wasn't part of Seder.

Actually, I made this once the holiday was over, as a way to use up a couple of sheets of matzoh.  The matzoh is basically taking the place of panko breadcrumbs.  Without the addition of lentils, this does count as a Passover dish, so it's getting that label.

You could also use the mix, minus the matzoh/panko, as quiche filling.  I probably would have done that if the point wasn't to use the matzoh in the first place.

*2 sheets matzoh or stale bread, or 1 C Panko breadcrumbs
*1 lb asparagus
*6 oz shredded Swiss cheese
*2/3 C cream or whole milk
2 eggs
*1 tsp dried tarragon
1/8 tsp white pepper
butter for pan

1. Generously grease an 8x8 casserole with butter (or pan spray).  Preheat oven to 350º.

2.  Bring a medium pot of water to a simmer.  Trim tough ends off asparagus and chop into 1 to 2" pieces. Add to water and blanch until slightly tender and color turns bright, about 3 minutes.  Drain.

3.  In a medium bowl, beat together eggs, cream, tarragon, and white pepper.  Stir in asparagus and shredded cheese.  Crumble matzoh into bowl in bite-sized pieces and stir to distribute.

4.  Pour mixture into casserole.  Bake until set and lightly browned, about 20 minutes.  Allow to stop bubbling before cutting, about 10 minutes.

Difficulty rating  π

I Got a FoodSaver

 

Techie Smurf almost forgot my birthday again.  What I really wanted was a Home Depot gift card because I was doing some painting, but he wanted me to ask for something he could Amazon Prime.  I had been considering getting myself a vacuum sealer as a birthday present, so I sent him a link to the basic model.

I used to have a FoodSaver.  My mom had gotten it for me.  Eventually, they do wear out.  My sealing strip had stopped working well.  In the 8 or more years since I gave up on it, I've just been careful not to let things sit in the freezer long enough to develop freezer burn, but it definitely is a useful tool for longer storage and better food quality.

I used it the day I opened it.  There was too much broccoli and cauliflower left over from Seder.  It was already blanched.  I just needed to pre-freeze it and seal.  And now I have it for whenever I need some.

My recommendation for anyone getting a vacuum sealer for the first time is to read the manual.  It's short and largely intuitive.  There are a couple of important warnings, like not vacuum-sealing anything that can often harbor botulism, like garlic.  Not in the manual, but equally important, is to use the labeling area on the bags.  I'm going to end up with many baggies of sealed chicken, and it will be nice to know which is older.

In the long run, this is going to help me to keep an organized freezer with less loss.  And it still fit in the place I used to keep the old one, so it isn't a new appliance cluttering up the kitchen.

Carrot and Cabbage Soup

I think this is the last Passover recipe.  Probably.  And unless you're making your own broth, it isn't much to do.

I googled "cabbage matzoh ball soup" and found one with caramelized cabbage in it.  There was a whole lot more going on with it than I'm doing here.  This is a simple soup that could also be made as a chicken one.  It was designed as a light appetizer.  I only put the matzoh balls in because they're a holiday tradition.

I doubled this for the party, then realized I have no way to serve a soup in the dining room.  Ended up using the punch bowl, which was hilarious, but it was more attractive than the stockpot.  A couple of days later, a guest gave me her old tureen that she never uses as a thank you/birthday gift.  I'm very grateful, and now need to plan another party menu with soup in it.

*1 qt vegetable broth
*1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced
1 Tb oil
1/2 lb carrots, peeled and cut in chunks
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Since this soup is flavored mainly by the broth, get a good one.  I emptied the broth bag and made half a gallon, adding in my reserved mushroom stems for a little umami.

2.  Heat the oil in a soup pot.  Over medium low, slowly cook the cabbage until lightly caramelized.  This will take about half an hour.

3.  Add broth and carrots.  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.  Cook until flavors have a chance to meld, about 1 hour.

4.  Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.  Serve hot.

Difficulty rating  π

Salmon with Date Syrup and Caramelized Onions

 

I'm still on Passover posts, a month later.  I might have made too many dishes.  After all the cleaning I did to prepare the house for the holiday, it didn't feel like that much cooking.

This one was a prep-ahead that worked wonderfully.  I caramelized the onions and got everything in the dish the day before, then popped it in the oven shortly before guests were expected.

Date syrup is a new ingredient to me.  It's just puréed dates.  It has a sweet, slightly burnt flavor like barbecue sauce, and goes well with all meats.  It would probably work as pancake syrup, in yogurt, and in oatmeal.  I haven't tried that yet, but there's a lot left in the jar.

I've never bought meat or fish at a kosher market before, but I couldn't find a piece of fish I liked at any of the regular markets.  It was about $3 more per pound, but was skinless, fresh, and just a beautiful piece of fish.  And cooking it at 325º because I didn't know how long it would be held was an excellent choice.  Even the leftovers were amazingly tender, moist, and flavorful.  It's probably the best fish I've ever cooked.

1-1/2 lbs salmon fillet
1 yellow onion
2 Tb olive oil, divided
1 Tb butter
salt and pepper
1/4 C date syrup

1.  To make the onions, heat butter and 1 Tb oil in a large skillet or medium saucepan.  Slice onion very thinly and add to the pot.  Sprinkle lightly with salt and cook over medium-low, stirring every 10 minutes, until somewhat caramelized.  They're going in the oven, so don't get them too dark.  Set aside to cool.

2.  Place salmon in baking dish.  Since I had skinless, I lined the casserole with parchment.  Brush with a little oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then smear with the date syrup.  Arrange onions around the edges.  Cover tightly with foil.  At this point, you can refrigerate for one day if not baking it immediately.

3.  Preheat oven to 325º.  Bake for 20 minutes, more if the fish is on the thick side.  Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.  I had it in the oven with the latkes at 140º while we were doing the Seder, about 45 minutes.  Since that's about the temperature fish is supposed to reach, I doubt it was doing much cooking during that time.  You can check after the original 20 minutes and see if the thickest parts are flaking.  Serve warm, with onions spooned on top.

Difficulty rating  :)

Beet and Orange Salad

 

Because I wasn’t serving meat at Seder, I panicked and overdid it on sides.  It’s supposed to be a feast, after all.  I figured I would make up for the low density foods by having a lot of them.

This one was super easy, and I really could have used a can of sliced beets instead of doing it the hard way.  But, then I had the beet greens to cook up for another night.

I chose fennel leaves as my chopped herbs because I have them growing in the garden.  Parsley would work, or another herb that isn't too overpowering.

1 bunch red or golden beets (or one can sliced beets)
*1 orange
1 Tb olive oil
pinch of salt
*2 tsp chopped fresh herb of choice

1.  If working from scratch, preheat the oven to 375º.  Scrub beets clean.  Trim off root and stem ends.  Wrap in foil.  Bake about 45 minutes, until tender and the skins rub off.  Actual time will vary with size of beet.  If the skins are stubborn, they should come off very easily with a vegetable peeler.

2.  Thinly slice the cooled beets and plate on serving dish.  Peel and segment orange and arrange around the beet slices.

3.  Lightly drizzle salad with oil.  Sprinkle with salt and chopped herbs.  Serve chilled.

Difficulty rating  :)

Batch Peeling Garlic

 

I made another batch of tomato and garlic confit, so this time I blogged the new peeling hack.

It isn't perfect, but was far easier than trying to peel the cloves while they're dry.  The skins get sticky and fly all over the kitchen.  It's still going to take you 10 minutes to peel three heads of garlic.

This method does par-cook the garlic, so it is not to be used for serving it raw.  If you're going to be cooking, baking, or frying the peeled cloves, this is not an issue.

1.  Separate the cloves from the base.  Cut off the root ends of the cloves and place them in a bowl.

2.  Pour boiling water over the cloves and let sit until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes.

3.  Peel garlic.  The water will have seeped under the skin and loosened it for you.

Difficulty rating  π