Grandma's Stewed Fruit

Many of us over a certain age remember Grandma’s stewed fruit!

I call this Grandma’s Stewed Fruit even though it is way different than my grandma’s version, but I’m the grandma now……. and this is one of the many ways my grandkids have tasted this iconic dish.

It is one of the dishes I cooked for my Tu B’shevat class last week at Temple Beth El in Stamford, CT. I’ve made this so many times and keep changing the fruit, depending on what I actually have in my cupboard. The poaching liquid too — sometimes I use a different juice or add some white wine (I particularly love a German sweet wine). And of course — the seasonings. Cinnamon is always good but there’s also cloves, cardamom, dried coriander, mace, etc. to consider.

It’s always delicious, no matter how you cook it.

Eat some with yogurt for breakfast. Use it for dessert! Remember this for Passover. Or Break-the-fast. It’s versatile, attractive, useful, make-ahead! No wonder this is such an icon of Jewish cuisine.

Grandma’s Stewed Fruit 

• 2 cups orange or orange/pineapple juice

• 1-1/2 cups water

• 1/4 cup maple syrup

• 1 3” cinnamon stick

• 2 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

• 1 teaspoon cloves

• 6-8 whole dried figs

• 6-8 pitted Medjool dates

• 1 cup dried apricot halves

• 8-10 prunes

• 1/2 cup golden raisins

Place the water, juice, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, ginger and cloves in a saucepan large enough to hold all the fruit. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the figs, dates, apricots, prunes and raisins and simmer another 15-20 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Let the fruit cool in the pan. Discard the cinnamon stick and cloves. Let cool. Serve with the poaching liquid.

Makes 8 servings

Borscht with Cauliflower

Borscht with Cauliflower

Like most everyone I know, I overindulged over the December holidays. So, it’s time for some austerity — caloriewise, healthwise — with the menu.

But I like good food. Tasty food. Filling, satisfying food that looks good enough to please.

This soup has it all. It’s a riff on classic Borscht — cabbage is the foundation of Borscht but I didn’t have any! So I used cauliflower. It’s in the cabbage family after all. Mishpocha maybe.

It was perfect.

Borscht with Cauliflower

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, chopped

• 2 medium-large beets, peeled and shredded

• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped

• 1 parsnip, peeled and shredded

• 2 cups cut up cauliflower

• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• 6 cups vegetable stock

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 teaspoon salt or to taste

• freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 large Yukon gold potato, peeled and diced

• 3 tablespoons white vinegar, approximately

• 1-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• dairy sour cream or plain Greek style yogurt, optional

Heat the vegetable oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, beets, tomatoes, parsnip, cauliflower and parsley and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the liquid to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, partially covered, one hour. Add the potato and cook for 45-60 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Stir in the vinegar and dill and cook for 12-15 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt, pepper or vinegar to taste. Remove the bay leaf. If the soup is cooked using vegetable stock, serve it garnished with a dollop of sour cream if desired. 

Makes 6-8 servings

Pot Roast for the Win

It’s cold outside.

Also, the world is terrifyingly unstable.

I’m not in my usual mood of experimenting with new recipes — at least not for dinner — so we’ve been eating foods that are easy, familiar and comforting.

Like this chuck roast.

CHUCK POT ROAST

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 3-4 pound chuck roast

• 4-6 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks

• 12-16 baby potatoes

• 2 medium onions, sliced

• 6-8 plum tomatoes, cut up

• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

• 1 cup red wine

• 1 cup beef broth

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme

Preheat the oven to 250F. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof casserole. Sear the meat surface on both sides (about 2-3 minutes per side) using heat heat on a cooktop. Remove the pan from the cooktop. Scatter the carrots, potatoes, onions, tomatoes and garlic over and around the meat. Pour in the wine and broth. Sprinkle the ingredients with salt and pepper. Place the thyme sprigs on top. Cover the casserole. Place in the oven. Cook for about 4 hours or until the meat is tender.

Makes 4-6 servings

Applesauce Cake with Lemon Frosting

I decided to turn off the news today. I’m finding the world overly distressing and I realize that shutting my ears doesn’t really solve anything or make the news go away, but I need a temporary respite.

So I’ve been cooking and baking and I have some good news: this Applesauce Cake with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting is one of the best cakes I have tasted in a long, long time.

No need to tell me that eating cake and sweets won’t cure the world or that it is unhealthy. I know. But it’s good for the moment. Do try this.

Applesauce Cake with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 

• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda 

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 

• 1/2 teaspoon salt 

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

• 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg

• 1-1/2 cups sugar 

• 1-1/2 cups applesauce 

• 1/2 cup butter, slightly softened

• 2 large eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

• Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 13”x9” baking pan. Place the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix until the ingredients are blended. Set aside. Place the sugar, applesauce, butter, eggs and vanilla extract in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes, or until ingredients are moistened. Turn the mixer to medium-high and beat for 3-4 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, or until the batter is smooth and uniform. Add the flour mixture and beat at low speed to roughly combine the ingredients, then beat at medium for 2-3 minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and thoroughly blended. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 35 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely. Frost with Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting.

Makes 9-12 servings

Lemon-Cream Cheese Frosting

• 12 ounces cream cheese at room temperature

• 6 tablespoons butter at room temperature

• 1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

• 2 teaspoons lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon zest

Beat the cream cheese, butter, confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon zest together at low-medium speed until smooth, creamy and well blended.

Apple Pie is Therapy

Peel, core and slice the apples for pie

Roll the pie dough

Fill bottom crust with fruit

Place second crust on top of fruit

Add a dab of milk here and there to the top crust

For me, my October pie baking fest is like therapy. It’s always a good way to spend the day and work out frustrations, anger and sadness. The kind I am feeling these days because of the war and devastation in Israel.

It was difficult to find the kind of apples I like this year. Because there was an early frost, none of the orchards I usually go to had Rhode Island Greening apples, the best pie apples on earth. After some delays and some connections from someone who knew someone who knew someone else who knew someone who had an orchard in Rhode Island, I got a bushel of them!

I’m grateful and happy for that at least.

Here are some photos showing the steps to my pie baking: peel-core-slice; roll the dough; place the filling inside the bottom crust; cover the pies (one of mine had a streusel top); place second piece of rolled dough on top of fruit; add a dab or two of milk (makes the crust brown in spots) and bake.

Voila! PIE!

If you prefer a streusel top, look here.

Lily Vail’s (My Mom’s) Apple Pie

crust:

• 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh lemon peel, optional

• 1/2 cup cold butter

• 1/3 cup cold vegetable shortening

• 1/4 cup cold milk, juice, water or melted ice cream, approximately (add more as needed)

• apple filling

To make the crust: Combine the flour, sugar, salt and lemon peel, if used, in a large bowl. Cut the butter and shortening into chunks and add the chunks to the flour mixture. Work the fat into the flour mixture until the ingredients resemble crumbs (use your hands, a pastry blender or the pulse feature of a food processor). Add the liquid, using only enough to gather pastry into a soft ball of dough (start with 1/4 cup). Cut the dough in half and flatten each half to make a disk shape. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it stand at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly flour a pastry board or clean work surface. With a rolling pin, roll one half of the dough on the floured surface into a circle about 1/8-inch thick, making sure the circle is larger than the pie pan by about 1 inch. Place the dough in a 9” or 10” pie pan. Pour the apple filling into the pastry-lined pan. Cut the butter into small pieces and place on top of the filling. Roll out the remaining dough and place it over the filling. Gently press the bottom and top crusts together along the flared edge of the pie pan. For a fluted rim, press your thumb and index finger against the outside of the rim, or crimp it with the tines of a fork or the blunt side of a knife. Cut steam vents in the top crust with the tip of a sharp knife or the tines of a fork. Bake the pie for about an hour or until golden brown.

Apple Filling:

3 pounds pie apples (Rhode Island Greenings, Granny Smith, Gravenstein, Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, Idared, Stayman, Winesap, Baldwin, Jonagold)

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon butter

Peel and core the apples then cut them into slices. Place the slices in a bowl. Add the 1/2 cup sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and flour and toss the ingredients to coat the apple slices evenly.

Pizza with Garden Fresh Tomatoes

I’d never tasted pizza with fresh baby arugula before a recent trip to Rome, where my granddaughter ordered one for us for lunch. EUREKA! I have found it! I’ve now made this several times and it has become my go-to pizza. Here’s how:

Pizza with Baby Arugula: preheat the oven to 450F. If you have a pizza stone, preheat for an hour. Roll out pizza dough on parchment paper to 12” then spoon about 3/4 cup ricotta cheese evenly over the surface. Leave about 1/2-inch perimeter. Top with tomato slices, then some shredded mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with a few drops of olive oil. Slide the pizza on top of the pizza stone or use a baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown. While the pizza is baking, wash and dry some baby arugula, then toss with a small amount of olive oil. When the pizza is ready, top it with the arugula, slice and serve. Makes one pizza. #pizza #pizzalover #pizzawitharugula #arugulapizza #cheesepizza

Brisket Wings

I don’t wait for Superbowl to serve chicken-wings. They’re one of our favorite foods to eat and are a regular item for dinner.

I make wings in all sorts of ways, with all sorts of seasonings and all levels of sweetness and spiciness. I’ve made them Korean style and Jewish style and East India style.

Recently I made some “brisket wings.”

What?

Here’s what I mean — I recently made brisket, which I slow-cook to tenderness and then light up our outside grill to cook it Texas-style. I use any one of a number of BBQ sauces I’ve developed over the years. BBQ sauce helps the meat come out with those fabulous crispy edges and burnt ends. (During colder months I use the oven broiler.)

I had some of the brisket sauce leftover so I decided to use it for some wings.

PERFECT!

This is a universal sauce! I have since even slathered some on top of some hamburgers, for extra burger goodness.

Here’s the recipe. I cooked the wings on a medium grill (lightly coat them with vegetable oil first), and then, after about 12-15 minutes, coat them with some sauce and cook them until crispy and done.

These wings would be terrific for Father’s Day!

BARBECUE SAUCE FOR BRISKET, WINGS AND MORE

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 1 medium clove garlic, chopped

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped chili pepper

• 2 cups ketchup

• 1/2 cup orange marmalade

• 1/2 cup cold brewed coffee

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/2 cup Balsamic vinegar

• 1/2 cup brown sugar

• pinch of ground cloves

Pour the olive oil into a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 2 minutes or until slightly softened. Add the garlic and chili pepper and cook briefly. Add the ketchup, marmalade, coffee, honey, Balsamic vinegar, brown sugar and cloves and stir to blend them. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 12-15 minutes or until thick.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups

Potato Pancakes for all occasions

Is there anyone who doesn’t like potato pancakes?

Can’t be!

I make all sorts of versions: Ashkenazi Jewish, Irish, Peruvian, German ….. and more. I make some with raw, shredded potatoes and some with cooked, mashed potatoes ….. and more.

I love all of them.

Recently I tinkered with one of my recipes for Irish mashed potato pancakes, basically combining it with another fabulous Irish mashed potato dish called Colcannon, which includes chopped cabbage or kale.

The result was these wonderful, crispy outside, meltingly tender inside Mashed Potato and Cabbage Pancakes.

I’ve made them with both cabbage and kale. I’ve coated them with panko, breadcrumbs and matzo meal.

They all work!

So — the recipe below, which is dairy-free and has a matzo meal crust, is a winner for St. Patrick’s Day, which is fun and gastronomically wonderful even if you’re not Irish, AND is a great side dish for Passover.

MASHED POTATO and Cabbage PANCAKES 

• 2 large all-purpose or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks

• 1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped cabbage or kale

• 1 large egg

• 3 chopped fresh scallions

• 1/4 cup matzo meal (or bread crumbs)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1/2 cup matzo meal, approximately (or use bread crumbs or panko)

• vegetable oil

Place the potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water begins to boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for about 12 minutes or until the potatoes are barely tender. Add the cabbage and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Drain and return the potato-cabbage mixture to the saucepan. Mash the vegetables with a fork or mashing tool. Stir in the egg, scallions and 1/4 cup matzo meal. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Make flat cakes, about 1/4-inch thick out of the potato mixture. Press each side of the cake into the remaining matzo meal, to coat each side. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Heat about 1/4-inch vegetable oil in a cast iron skillet or heavy, heat retaining sautepan over moderately high heat. Fry for about 3 minutes per side or until the pancakes are golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Makes about 12

Airfried Fried Chicken vs. Traditional Fried Chicken

Airfried breaded chicken wings

Traditional fried breaded chicken wings

I’ve continued to experiment with my air fryer and have had great success, particularly with vegetables.

I don’t love it for everything and I’ve written about that (latkes were an absolute disaster). Also, you can only do a small amount in an air fryer, so whereas cooking for two can be a plus, for a family, not so much.

Recently I made breaded fried chicken wings again and tested it out on 6 people. I served one recipe of old fashioned fried chicken (fried in soybean oil), and one recipe of airfried chicken.

The score was 3-3! Half the people liked the regular, half liked the airfried!

And so my friends, here is the recipe I used for each: you choose!

Please note: this experiment was for breaded chicken. I have a different recipe and procedure for roasted and airfried UNbreaded chicken wings.

Fried BREADED Chicken Wings

• 12 chicken wings cut into sections

• 2/3 cup all purpose flour

• 3/4 teaspoon salt

• 3/4 teaspoon paprika

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

• vegetable shortening or vegetable oil

Wash and dry the chicken sections. Combine the flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper in a large dish. Coat the chicken pieces with the flour mixture. If possible, let the pieces airdry for at least 15 minutes. Heat enough shortening or vegetable oil in a deep cast iron or heavy skillet to reach halfway up the sides of the chicken. When the temperature reaches about 365 degrees (hot enough to sizzle a bread crumb quickly), add a few chicken pieces at a time — do not crowd the pan. Cook over medium heat, turning pieces occasionally, for about 10 minutes or until all pieces are well browned and cooked through. Drain the chicken on paper towels. 

To make this in an airfryer, coat the chicken with the flour mixture as above, then spray lightly with vegetable oil spray. Preheat the airfryer to 400 degrees. Place the wing parts in a single layer in the airfryer. Cook for 8 minutes, turn the pieces and cook for about 8 minutes or until nicely browned and crispy.

Makes 4 servings

Stewed Dried Fruit

I know some people think it’s too old fashioned, but I have always loved — still love — dried fruit compote.

Last year I wrote about it for The Nosher (My Jewish Learning) and got lots of responses! It’s the kind of dish that some people absolutely hate (until they try some updated version) but people like me love not just for the flavor but also the memories this dish conjures up.

I grew up in an Ashkenazi Jewish family so dried fruit compote was a given! My grandmother, who made it basically with prunes and the occasional dried apricot, called it kumput. The young kids, me included, hated it.

Years later I rediscovered the dish after trying something similar (Khoshaf) in Egypt and I’ve been tinkering with the recipe ever since. This is my latest version; a tasty and fitting dish anytime, but especially for the lovely holiday of Tu B’shevat (New Year of the Trees), which comes at the beginning of a new season in Israel when trees bring forth their first fruits of the year (this year the holiday starts at sundown on February 5th).

We eat compote with yogurt for breakfast but I’ve also served it with mascarpone cheese for dessert. It’s really good anytime.

Dried Fruit Compote

• 2 cups orange juice

• 1-1/2 cups water

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1 3” cinnamon stick

• 12 whole cloves

• 2 pieces of orange peel, each about 2-inches long

• 12 prunes

• 8-10 whole dried figs, cut in half

• 1 cup dried cherries, blueberries or cranberries

• 1 cup dried apricot halves

Place the juice, water, honey, cinnamon stick, cloves and orange peel in a saucepan large enough to hold all the dried fruit. Bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the fruit and simmer another 18-20 minutes or until the fruit is soft. Let the fruit cool in the pan. The sauce will thicken as the fruit absorbs some of it. Discard the cinnamon stick (you won’t find the cloves). Serve with the poaching liquid.

Makes 8 servings