Spinach and Lentil Casserole

While I'm not a casserole person, this seemed like a good idea.  I couldn't find exactly what I wanted and struck out on my own.  Halfway through making it, realized it's basically spanakopita filling with lentils.  It avoids the fuss of dealing with phyllo dough.  Add one more egg, and it could go in a quiche shell or be baked as a frittata.

I really enjoyed this, and will definitely make it again.  Maybe as a side dish for a holiday dinner.  If you aren't vegetarian, it would work as a side with fish or chicken.  You would get more like six servings out of it.

Random side note, this finished off the container of white pepper I inherited from my mom.  No, I don't use it much.  Still went out and bought more.  I season my food a lot more than I used to.  This one probably won't take 16 years to go through.

3/4 C lentils
1 Tb olive oil
*1 C diced red onion
*2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz frozen chopped spinach
salt and white pepper to taste
2 eggs
*2 Tb half and half
4 oz crumbled goat cheese or feta

1.  Check lentils for stones and rinse.  In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil with 2-3 cups of water and a pinch of salt.  Lower heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until they split, about 30-40 minutes.  Drain and set aside to cool.

2.  Add oil to the saucepan and heat on medium.  Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add in garlic and spinach and cook until everything is heated through, about 5 more minutes.

3.  Spray or oil an 8x8 casserole.  Preheat oven to 350º

4.  In a bowl, beat together the eggs, half and half, and salt and pepper as your heart decides.  Remember, the cheese will have salt in it.

5.  Add lentils and spinach to the bowl and stir to distribute.  Add crumbled cheese and fold in.  Pour mixture into casserole dish and spread evenly.

6.  Bake 40-50 minutes, until bubbly and eggs have thickened.  Cool 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 6-8 as a side

Difficulty rating  :)

Parmesan & Garlic Risotto

Techie Smurf and his family are "Sephardic for Passover", which means they eat rice and corn.  I'm not a huge rice person, but I needed this after hearing what they ate during the holiday.

Even a basic risotto is a bit of a time commitment.  You're stuck by the stove for a minimum of half an hour.  More realistically, 45 minutes.  It's worth it.  Put in your earbuds in case someone calls.

1 Tb unsalted butter
*1/2 C diced onion
*4 cloves garlic, minced
*1 C arborio rice
1/4 C dry wine, optional
4 C unsalted chicken or vegetable broth
Salt and white pepper to taste
*1/2 C grated Parmesan, plus more to garnish
*Chopped or dried parsley for garnish, optional

1.  In a small saucepan, bring broth to a simmer.  Keep it warm with a ladle in it.

2.  In a larger saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook gently until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.

3.  Add the risotto to the onion mixture.  Cook until slightly toasted, about 5 minutes.  If using wine, add now and stir into the mix until absorbed and/or cooked off.  If not, start the first ladle of broth.

4.  Add hot broth about 1/2 C at a time, stirring in after each addition and waiting until it is absorbed, about 5 minutes.  Stir frequently to avoid scorching the bottom.  Continue until all of the broth is absorbed, stirring frequently, and the rice is al dente.  You may not need all of the broth.  If it still looks soupy after five minutes of stirring, that isn't the consistency you're going for.  Let that thicken and call it a day.

5.  Stir in the Parmesan and allow to melt.  Taste, then add salt and white pepper as needed.

6.  Spoon onto plates or into a serving bowl.  Garnish with more cheese and parsley.

Difficulty rating  :)

Easy Bananas Foster Pie

As soon as Passover was finished, I wanted pie.  There was a box of sugar-free vanilla pudding mix in the pantry, and I usually have a stray graham cracker crust on the baking shelf.  In case I ever want a spur of the moment pie.

I have an older, from-scratch Banana Rum Pie recipe.  Nothing wrong with it.  I should make it again sometime.  This one was about using items on hand, including half a bottle of whipping cream.  I only bought the bananas.

And unlike the original recipe, I'm using rum extract.  Bananas Foster is often brandy, but we're going with what I already have.  I'm so proud of using up the liquor cabinet, and don't want to buy a bottle for one recipe.  I feel weird about getting those little bottles.

I knocked this out in less than ten minutes, then it set up while I worked on the schlissel batch of challah.  I have bread again!

*1 4-serving box vanilla pudding mix (or banana for extra banananess)
*milk as suggested on box (probably 2C)
*1/2 tsp rum extract
dash nutmeg
*1 9" graham cracker crust
2 ripe bananas
*1 C whipping cream 
1 Tb sugar

1.  Thinly slice the bananas and have them ready to go.  If you want to garnish with them, use a third banana.  Bear in mind, they will start to turn brown within a few hours.  Don't slice that one until ready to serve.

2.  Beat the pudding mix and milk as directed on the box.  I got out my grandma's hand-crank beater, and it was the perfect speed for this project.  Easier than whisking or stirring, and not so fast that it splattered.  Before it gets too thick, beat in the extract and a few sprinkles of nutmeg to enhance the flavor.

3.  Line the bottom of the crust with banana slices.  Pour in the pudding, then dot with the remaining slices.  Cover with plastic wrap to prevent pudding skin and banana browning, then chill until firm, at least 2 hours.

4.  Whip cream and sugar to firm peaks.  For this one, I got out the electric whisk.  I added more nutmeg to my whip, and it was quite nice.  Remove film from pie and cover with the whipped cream.  I should have gone to the effort to make a cute design with a piping bag.  At that point, I had three recipes going simultaneously and not enough coordination for a last minute step.

5.  Chill until ready to serve.  If desired, add additional banana slices as garnish.

Serves 6-8

Difficulty rating  π

Blooming Lettuce

Before I ripped them out, I thought I'd show everyone what happens when lettuce goes to seed.  It isn't something that most people are aware of.

Seeds result after flowers are pollinated.  Doesn't matter if that flower is an ornamental or edible.  If you buy a plant seed, its parent had to flower.  Blooming broccoli is quite pretty.  Just doesn't taste good.

Everything is blooming early, after the heat waves we've been having in this La Niña year.  I got an enormous first artichoke out of Artie.  The stevia is already bolting and needs frequent trimming.  The celery, parsley, and oregano are holding their own.  I thought one kale was going to go, but it was just having trouble in the heat.

I'm planting my spring seeds and hoping it stays cool enough for them to do well.  I'm supposed to have three more months of temperate weather before summer sets in.  Instead, I'm already getting cherry tomatoes.  Just one volunteer in the box.  I'm not putting much in the Pond this year, so the calendula can finish killing the nematodes.

One last shot of the Pond before I got around to weeding and pulling out the watercress.  It was also going to seed and tough from the heat.  The planter box was refilled for turnips.  Without competition, the calendula are finally starting to flower.

Matzoh Arayes

I saw this idea on a YouTube short.  Can't remember the name of the channel.  I'm making these a little different than she did.  Triangles were unnecessarily hard to fold.

I know I said before that I wasn't sure if it was safe to make arayes with ground poultry.  I decided it was worth a try with matzoh, since it was going to take a long time for the bread to crisp back up after being made soft enough to fold in half.  I cooked them a long time, probably longer than I needed to.  The meat wasn't tough, so I guess I did it right.

As with the original arayes recipe, it looks like you're putting in too many spices, but you aren't.  I added more this time.  The sage was poultry-specific, and could be omitted if you're using red meat or changed to thyme or rosemary.

1 lb ground turkey (or other lean ground meat)
*4 green onions, finely chopped
*2 cloves garlic, minced
*1 tsp celery salt
*2 Tb dried parsley
2 tsp ground coriander seed
1 Tb cumin
2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp allspice
*1/2 tsp sage (optional)
*4 sheets matzoh
olive oil for cooking

1.  Combine ground turkey, onions, garlic, spices, and dried herbs.  Mix until evenly distributed.  Form into four balls and chill for an hour, for flavors to meld.

2.  When ready to cook, run matzoh under water briefly on both sides.  Set aside to soften for about 5 minutes.  They should be pliable but not so soggy that they fall apart.

3.  Lightly grease a griddle with oil and preheat on medium-high.

4.  On a work surface, set one of the softened matzoh flat.  Spread a meatball over one half, all the way to the edge.  Gently fold the clean side over the meat and press lightly, to make sure the meat is of even thickness.

5.  Gently transfer arayes to the hot skillet.  Brush top with more oil.  Cook until matzoh is crisp underneath and meat is partially cooked, about 5 minutes.  Flip and cook other side until the meat reaches 165º.  It's hard to get a thermometer in there, but worth it.

6.  If desired, cut finished arayes in half to make squares, or smaller pieces as an appetizer.  Serve as is, or with a pareve sauce.  I used some of the leftover Green Goddess dressing from Seder.

Serves 4 as a main, 8 as an appetizer

Difficulty rating  :)

Artichoke and Yogurt Soup

I'm starting to get artichokes, and there was still one bag of them left in the freezer from last year.  Time to use them up.

Frozen artichokes are often overlooked at the supermarket.  They are much cheaper than a whole one if you're just chopping it up for a recipe.  Canned in water is also an affordable option.  These are generally the smaller side buds that no one would buy at $4 each.  You only need to buy the fresh ones if they're being served whole.

Variations of this soup are attributed to Greek and Turkish cuisines.  I'm leaning Greek with this one, pulling from several recipes online, and thickening it with potato flakes.  You could use leftover mashed potatoes, or cook up and mash a small potato in the broth if you wish.  This was far easier, and I have the end of a box to use up.

It was way too hot to still be called winter when I made this a couple of weeks ago, so I had it chilled, like an artichoke vichyssoise.  Every recipe I read had it served hot, which is why you don't add the yogurt until it's in the serving bowl.

It isn't specifically a Passover recipe, but I'm giving it the label because it is KLP and we're still in the holiday.  I made my matzah lasagna once the Seder leftovers were gone, so there's nothing new to post.

1 Tb olive oil
1 C diced onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
*12 oz artichoke hearts, can be frozen or canned
1/2 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp celery salt
1 qt no sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 tsp dill weed
1 Tb lemon juice
1/2 C potato flakes or 1 C mashed potato (1 small)
*1/2 C Greek yogurt

1.  Heat the oil in a soup pot.  Add the onion and cook over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, another 2 minutes.

2.  While that's cooking, chop the artichoke - and potato, if working from raw.  If you plan to purée the soup, any size will do.  I was keeping it chunky and simply chopped the hearts about the same as the onion.

3.  Add artichoke (and potato) to the pot.  Season with celery salt and dill weed.  Once heated, add broth.  Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.

4.  Once soup has simmered, taste for saltiness and adjust with kosher salt if necessary.  Bear in mind that the potato will cut the saltiness a little, and if you're serving it chilled, that will further dull the flavors.

5.  If puréeing, do that now.  It can be done with an immersion blender or in batches in the blender, carefully.

6.  Return soup to a simmer.  Add potato flakes and lemon juice.  Allow the flakes to hydrate for five minutes, stirring occasionally.

7.  If serving hot, ladle out into bowls and add a dollop of yogurt to each.  You can garnish with fresh dill if desired.  Or, chill for at least 4 hours.  I whisked the yogurt with a bit of broth to smooth it out before adding to the bowl.  It will melt on its own if you're serving the soup hot.

Serves 4-6

Difficulty rating  :)

Seder 2026

I did all that elaborate cooking for Purim, and now Seder is reruns.  I decided to go easy on my guests (and myself) this year and keep it basic.  The only item close to an experiment was the sumac onions, and that was more of a condiment.  So was the green goddess dressing, which ended up being mostly parsley because the plant is now a bush.  I was skeptical about paying $4 for a start at Home Depot, but it has definitely earned its keep.

I didn't even make the latkes from scratch.  I started with a box mix, then added the last of some potato flakes, a couple of mashed leftover sweet potatoes, extra chopped green onion, and enough water and an extra egg to make it work.  They did not taste at all like my own recipe, but didn't taste quite like the mix either.

Good news, I was living in the moment.  Bad for the blog, the only photos I took were of the platter set-ups and extra sticky tabs on the cabinet so I wouldn't forget to serve something.  Still forgot to set out the charoses until we got to that point.  I added a few chopped dates to it this year on a whim, and it went over very well.

I was also proud of myself that everything was cleaned up the next day.  I'll do the laundry part once I have a full load, but the dining room is back to normal.

Roast Leg of Lamb

Potato Latkes with Applesauce

Roasted Carrots

Roasted Brussels Sprouts 

Salad with Green Goddess dressing

Sumac Onions

Torta Caprese