Russian Pie

                     This was my lunch special at Orange Coast College in 1986.

For crust:
2 1/4 cups flour
2 T sugar
8 ozs. cream cheese, room temperature
6 T Butter

For filling:
2 onions, sliced
3 cups cabbage, shredded
8 ozs. mushroom, cleaned and sliced
3 T butter
8 ozs cream cheese
8 ozs. swiss cheese
marjoram, oregano, salt, pepper to taste

Oatmeal ... The Other Breakfast

I surprised Maria Padilla on Saturday, showing up as she was having morning coffee at the Cuban eatery Zaza in Altamonte Springs.  "Check out the new item I just had from the menu!" she said. Creamy Cinnamon Oat Meal. Was she kidding?
Over the years, my go-to breakfast has been oatmeal. My friends at Cook's Country convinced me to forget about the quick oats and instead use steel cut oats. I love the crunchy texture and the grainy nature of the steel cut oats and I must have it each morning.
I like preparing the oats the night before. This lets the oats hydrate and soften.
First, toast oats with a small amount of butter to bring out the nutty flavor.
The oats are then cooked in water; you can also use milk or stock. Do not stir the oats while simmering since it gets mushy. Done correctly, the end result is a creamy textured product.
To put the finishing touch at breakfast, in a saucepan add 1/4 cup water or milk, 2/3 cup of the  prepared oat meal, cinnamon and apple and simmer for a 3-5 minutes on medium heat.

Surprisingly, oatmeal is trending across the nation – with spinach, ham, bacon, cheese and other unexpected ingredients. It can all be topped off with flakes of parmesan cheese, and drizzled with truffle oil that oozes deep into the oat grains.
I have always added fruits like apples, berries or raisins. Other exciting combinations are bananas, coconut, carrot spice, cranberry and  orange, or honey and banana.

                                     Basic Steel Cut Oatmeal
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil.
Stir in 1 cup of steel cut oats. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and let rest, covered for 25 minutes.
May be refrigerated and use as desired.

Makes 3-4 servings.

One Pot To An Easy Homey Soup

The problem with pots and pans is you have to put them to use ... especially for "Good Home Cooking."
This dish is another WSJ's "Slow Food Fast," and comes from a chef over in the mother country.
The Journal reports Chef Henderson is known for: "cooking that's both understated and immensely influential." And  her "Mediterranean inflicted dishes are firmly rooted in the soil seasons of Britain."
As tested, the chorizo added a smoky spicy intensity to the stock, and flavored the potatoes and cabbage.
Those ingredients make up the base of this dish. In the end, I added a little of mama's special touch, in this case, sofrito, .... to enhance the culinary flavors of the British.

                                                   
                   
Chorizo Soup with Potato and Cabbage

3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced in half moons
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons sofrito
6 ounces Spanish chorizo, sliced
2 bay leaves
3 Medium Russet potatoes, peeled and cut bite-size piece
1/4 medium green cabbage, cored and sliced
8 cups chicken stock
Sea salt and black to taste

 Heat oil in large heavy pot over medium heat.
Add onions, garlic and sofrito and sauté to soften, about 5 minutes.
Add chorizo and bay leaves to onions and cook about 5 minutes.
Add potatoes and continue cooking another 5 minutes.
Add cabbage, and season with salt and pepper.
Add chicken stock and to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until potatoes are tender but firm

Pescado en Escabeche

Pescado en escabeche 

My nephew from Trinidad, Nigel, and his brother, Leon, from Spring Hills, Florida, paid me a visit on Saturday. I was ready to make the tried and true chicken, rice and beans. Then, Nigel requested food with a fancy name but a Caribbean touch. Thinking of that request, the next day I made Escabeche, a first cousin to ceviche. It's bathed in lime juice, sautéed in olive oil and refrigerated in onions and olive oil. I used a base recipe from Carmen Aboy Valldejuli's classic book "Puerto Rican Cookery."  Here's my version.

                Pescado en Escabeche
2 cups olive oil
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoons mixed peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 bay leaves
2 large onions
6 King fish slices, 1 inch thick 
2 limes, zest and juiced. Save zest for other uses.
1/2 cup flour seasoned with salt and pepper 
Olive oil for frying
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

1. In a large pot, add 2 cups of olive oil, vinegar, peppercorn, bay leaves and onions, cook over low heat 45 minutes. Let cool and reserve. 
2. Clean and rinse fish. Throughly dry steaks
with paper towels. Sprinkle with lime juice.  
3. Heat 1 cup olive oil in large sauce pan and add the garlic. Remove garlic when brown.
4. Dust fish in seasoned flour. Add slices and brown on both sides, about 15 minutes.
5. In a deep glass dish, lay slices of fish in the bottom.
Pour oil/onion mixture over fish, cover and place in refrigerator for at least four hours. 
Serve cold.

Closet Vegetarian Is Two For Two

In 1985, I remembered a Cordon Bleu chef in London saying, "... and don't chop your herbs as if you are going to feed cows like Mr. Constantine." Little did she know, I used herbs to cover up the bland tasting British culinary plate I was preparing.
Today, the Brits have come a long way. A variety of cookbooks stressing healthy eating, and appealing to the millennium generation is on the front burner.
The WSJ reported on some of the chefs leading the way. Two, Jamie Oliver in his book "Everyday Super Food" offers recipes that promotes healthier indulgences, and Nigel Slater, "A Year of Good Eating" that tells us to pause, smell the roses, and use ingredients that improves our quality of life.
I have tried two of these recipes and they are winners.
                                               Lentils with Couscous 
            ( I used millet, peanuts and mango instead of couscous, pine nuts and apricots)

2/3 cup Lentils, green or brown
1 cup millet, cooked in two cups of stock or water
2/3 cup peanuts, roasted until golden brown, chopped
1/2 cup mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup raisins, plumped in 1/4 cup brandy
1 bunch dill, fronds only, chopped
2 teaspoon lemon juice
2 tablespoon olive oil
A few dashes of hot sauce
Salt to taste
Grind, mixed peppercorn to taste

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add lentils, bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
Put two cups water in a sauce pan. Add millet and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until water has almost evaporated. Stir and cover until water has been absorbed.
In a large bowl, mix mango, dill and peanuts.
For dressing, mix lemon juice, oil, salt and peppercorn in a small bowl. Set aside.
Toss lentils with dressing and add to mango, herb and oil mixture. Stir in millet and hot sauce with a fork. Serve on a bed of spinach.

Tortilla de Patatas... Potato Omelet

Carbs are on the move, but who is counting! Problem is,
I purchase a 10 pound bag of potatoes for a Christmas dish.
Today, I have concluded, it was a wise buy. I am unto a third dish and enjoying it.
The ingredients to this Spanish potato omelet are similar to the Kugel.
Nowadays, one can add a variety ingredients to eggs: asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, or ham,  and call it an omelet.
This simple, Madrid-style version, I tried in Spain last year and was please.  My daughter  reminded me, "you didn't add onions!" I could have used some garlic and more olive oil.
                       
                                                Potato Omelet
1/2 cup olive oil
3  russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 t sea salt
1 t mixed peppercorns, grinned
3 eggs

1. Heat oil in a heavy cast-iron skillet. Add the potatoes,
    season with salt and 1 t peppercorns and stir to combine
Reduce heat and fry for 15 minutes turning often. Not necessary to brown. Drain and set aside.
Beat eggs with 1 t salt until they are frothy. Fold in drained potatoes.
Heat 2 T oil in 6-8 inch cast-iron skillet.
Add egg mixture to skillet on a medium low heat for 3-4 minutes,
should be golden brown in color.
Using an eight inch pot cover or plate, slide omelet onto it.
Then flip omelet and brown the other side
Serve hot or at room temperature



Left Potato Kugel. right Spanish omelet.

Open Your World To Something Jewish

One of my favorite places to tryout recipes is in the Sunday's NYT magazine.
Today, I struck gold with their version of a Potato Kugel, more like an oversize pancake.
The dish is adapted from Illa Wendger Roth, author of "Spice and Spirit."
When it comes to American cooking, it is really an adaptation that leaves its imprints on all cuisines, especially ones as global and hard to define as Jewish.
If you have a "Yiddish bubbe", she will proud of you for trying this savory dish: crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.

                                           Potato Kugel

6 russet potatoes
3 eggs
1 t sea salt
1/4 t mixed peppercorn, grinded
1 onion
6 T olive oil
1/2 c flour
1/4 t baking powder

 1. Preheat the oven to 350. Place a 10 inch cast-iron skillet inside

2. Peel potatoes and place in a bowl with water to cover
    In a large bowl, beat eggs with salt and peppercorn to combine well.

3. Grating by hand, ( i.e. the old fashion way) grate onion and potatoes into the egg mixture, stirring frequently

4. Remove skillet (hot) from oven and brush with oil. Add the potato mixture to skillet.
    Bake for 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. Center should be moist with a crunchy brown look on the outside.