Quickie Hors D'oeuvre

Warmer weather means more company. At least at our house. Whether it’s Passover or Memorial Day or just a nice, sunny afternoon or balmy evening, there’s more entertaining to do.

And that means more food. Including hors d’oeuvre. Quickies. The kind you can make when you weren’t even expecting company. The kind you can whip up with a few household staples.

Like Temp Tee Whipped Cream cheese, which you can mix with all sorts of ingredients to create almost instant spreads and dips for crudites, chips, crackers, matzo. Whatever. 

I confess that Temp Tee hooked up with JoyofKosher.com and several food bloggers, asking us to create recipes using their product. It was amazingly easy for me to do though because I had been a fan for ages. I recently mentioned it in a post about when my mom “discovered” this product, and gave recipes for Inside Out Strawberries Romanoff and Baked Stuffed Potatoes.

For hors d’oeuvre it couldn’t be easier. Here’s how: place some of the cream cheese in a food processor (blender, hand mixer and bowl), add some flavoring ingredients and mix away until the spread is more or less uniform. To make a spread into a dip, mix in dairy sour cream or plain yogurt until it becomes the consistency you need.

Most of the time I use smoked or cooked salmon as the primary flavoring ingredient. (btw, you can buy the MUCH cheaper smoked salmon pieces that some stores sell rather than the expensive, hand sliced slices). But any smoked fish will do: trout, mackerel, bluefish. Because the smokey taste and the cream cheese richness are perfect together.

I always add some sort of onion: scallion, shallot, cooked leeks, red onion, plus citrus juice to give the spread a fresh zip of taste.

The other ingredients? You really don’t need any, but I always have horseradish or mustard in the house and frequently have dill or parsley in the fridge, so I add some for extra flavor. Or use freshly ground black pepper or a chili pepper.

It all works so well. You taste a little, add an ingredient, taste again and you make the spread the way you want it.

You don’t actually need fish. Deli items will do too: olives, marinated artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, capers, pickles, and so on.

Same process: place the cream cheese plus deli item(s) in the food processor, add something oniony plus citrus juice and whirl away.

And there you have it.

Make entertaining easy on yourself with these recipes for Smoked Salmon and Dill Spread and Herbed Cheese Spread. You can use either spread as is or stuff into hollowed out vegetables like cherry or grape tomatoes, cucumber rounds, zucchini and so on.

Roasted Turkey

Roasted Turkey carved by Gillian

This is Gillian, my daughter and our family’s master carver.

We are not that traditional family who always gives the task to the man of the house.

Gillian is so good at this that no one else ever offers anymore, although my son-in-law Greg does a good job on other meats.

We are a turkey-loving family, so Gillian gets lots of practice. 

It’s turkey for Passover, that’s for sure. It’s the family tradition, dating as far back as my grandmother, then my mother and now me. (though I would guess that my grandmother’s mother, who lived in the “old country” (Iasi, Romania) probably didn’t make a turkey on Passover.

I make turkey parts (breasts, thighs and so on) when it’s just a few of us for dinner. But when the whole family gets together, I prefer a whole, roasted bird. Fortunately some of us like dark meat, some white. We even eat the neck and giblets (that I roast right along with the bird).

Although I season the turkey lots of different ways, depending on the occasion, for Passover I use the family standard: a few sprinkles of salt, pepper, garlic and paprika; baste with orange juice (or mango, apple, pineapple juice).

It’s simple and easy. The juices make wonderful gravy too.

I never put a foil tent over the bird when it’s roasting. It makes the meat too wet and steamy. I have found that by roasting the bird backside up for about half the time, then turning it over, the skin doesn’t scorch, so there’s no need for a tent.

Be sure to use a meat thermometer. It’s the best way to be sure that you don’t overcook the turkey. I don’t trust the “pop-up” devices. They are programmed for too high a temperature and by the time they pop up the turkey is overcooked and dry.

Another tip: let the turkey rest for at least 15 minutes before you carve it. This lets the juices stay inside to keep the meat moist. Also, it’s easier to carve. The temperature will go up a couple of degrees during this resting period.

Roasted Turkey

• 1 turkey, 12-15 pounds

• 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil

• salt, freshly ground black pepper, garlic powder and paprika

• 1 cup orange juice, apple juice, white wine or chicken stock

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Remove the plastic bag of giblets from inside the turkey. Wash the giblets and set them aside. Wash the inside of the turkey thoroughly. Wash the skin and remove any obvious hairs and pinfeathers. Wipe the surface of the turkey with paper towels and brush the skin with the olive oil. Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, garlic powder and paprika (you don’t need to measure these spices, just dust the surface with them). Turn over the turkey and sprinkle the back with the seasonings. Keep the turkey breast-side down. Roast the turkey for 45-50 minutes. Baste with pan juices and pour the orange juice (or other liquid) over the bird. Roast for another 45-50 minutes. Baste the turkey and turn it breast-side up. Roast the turkey until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees (or a meat thermometer in the breast reads 160 degrees), or when the juices run clear when the thigh (or breast) is pricked with the tip of a sharp knife (12-15 pound turkey should take 3-3-1/2 hours). After you turn the turkey breast-side up, baste it every 15-20 minutes, stopping about 1/2 hour before you expect the turkey to be done.

Yield: general rule is one pound of whole turkey weight per person (a 12-15-pound turkey will feed 12-15 people, for example)

Broiled Salmon with Horseradish Crust

Several years ago Ed and I traveled to Ireland, a most wonderful and almost magical place with interesting things to see, friendly people and the most gorgeous green countryside that makes it truly the emerald isle. It rains practically every day, but only for an hour or so and then the sun comes out and everything is beautiful.

I’ve heard people complain about Irish food. My friends who are Jewish and Italian and Polish are always talking about their grandmother’s this and their mother’s that recipe. There’s always more than a tinge of pride as they mention the matzo balls or marinara sauce or pierogies. But when I mentioned the delicious food in Ireland to an Irish friend she said “Impossible. There’s no such thing as Irish cuisine.”

I beg to differ.

In Ireland we had the most wonderful, fresh-from-the-water salmon. It was so good we ate it practically every day. And the potato dishes are awesome. Also the breads, the salads and desserts.

So, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day coming up in a few days, here’s a really simple recipe for Broiled Salmon. To paraphrase an old Levy’s Jewish Rye Bread ad, you don’t have to be Irish to love it. In fact, this recipe, with its matzo meal crust, is perfect for Passover.

Broiled Salmon with Horseradish Crust

6 salmon filets, 5-6 ounces each

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 tablespoons finely grated fresh horseradish (or use bottled white horseradish, press out the juice)

3-4 chopped scallions (or 3 tablespoons chopped chives)

2 tablespoons matzo meal (or bread crumbs)

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat the oven broiler. Lightly grease a cookie sheet and put the filets on top. Mix the vegetable oil, horseradish and scallions and brush the salmon with this mixture. Sprinkle with the matzo meal. Broil the salmon for about 8 minutes or until the fish is nearly cooked through and the crust is lightly golden brown. NOTE: If you prefer, you can roast the salmon in a preheated 475 degree oven for about 18 minutes. Makes 6 servings

Bitter Greens Salad with Orange

Bitter Greens Salad with Orange 

There’s always so much food on Thanksgiving that everyone I know complains, including me.

Before: there’s going to be too much food. Day of: there’s too much food. Day after: there was too much food.

The complaining is a necessary part of the routine IMHO, maybe in a way to forgive ourselves the plenty. And for overeating of course. 

But the whole idea of Thanksgiving IS the plenty. Isn’t that symbolic of all the things we are thankful for?

Well, I don’t want to get any more philosophical. So I’ll just say I like serving lots of food, even if everyone groans “there’s too much!” and then eats everything and then complains. Call it the Jewish mother in me.

But honestly, one thing I find helpful when serving a meal of plenty that includes heavy dishes like stuffing and potatoes and gravy and vegetables with crusts or sauces, is to have a salad too. Not just as an extra, another side dish to put on the table, but because salad ingredients, especially if they have robust greens (arugula, endive, radicchio, watercress and so on) and acidic dressings (vinaigrette as opposed to Ranch or thick sour cream dressings) help balance and lighten up the meal. 

Here’s a salad made with three kinds of hardy greens, cut with chunks of orange, a little crunch of nuts (you can leave these out if you wish) and a light citrusy dressing. It’s pretty too, adding a bit of color to the meal.

Bitter Greens Salad with Orange

• 3 navel oranges

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

• 3 large Belgian endives

• 1 bunch watercress

• 1 small head radicchio

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 3-4 tablespoons toasted pignoli nuts, optional

Grate enough of the peel of one orange to equal one teaspoon. Place in a bowl and add the white wine vinegar, olive oil and mustard. Halve the orange that has been grated and squeeze the juice from one of the halves into the bowl. Mix to blend the ingredients completely and set aside. Reserve the other half of the orange for other purposes. Peel the remaining two oranges and remove all the white pith that surrounds the segments. Cut the orange flesh into thick slices, then cut the slices into chunks and set aside. Wash and dry the endive leaves and cut them in half. Place the endive in a bowl. Wash and dry the watercress, discard any thick stems and add to the bowl with the endive. Wash and dry the radicchio leaves, cut them if they are large, and add them to the bowl and toss the greens. Pour the dressing over the leaves and toss. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Scatter the nuts over the salad if desired.

Makes 8 servings

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Tomatoes and Zucchini

Quinoa may be au courant but I predict this is no fleeting trend. It is here to stay, an ingredient that will remain a staple in American kitchens.

First because it is so nutritious — a complete protein, so you can cut down on or cut out meat-eating. In poor countries in South America, where this grain comes from, pregnant mothers who can’t afford meat are encouraged to eat quinoa.

Second, because it is widely available, relatively cheap and easy to cook: you boil some water or stock, add the grain, cover the pan and let it simmer for about 15 minutes and you’re done.

It’s also versatile. You can make it into salad, casseroles, stuffings and so on.

It tastes good too. A must for food!

And, as if all this wasn’t enough, you can use quinoa during Passover. Even though it is a grain.

It is not one of the prohibited grains.

That’s big for all who want to have a little something “starchy” with dinner during Passover and don’t want potatoes every day and don’t like the taste or consistency of Passover pasta products or who like variety in their diet.

Yesterday I gave a cooking demo for the UJA Federation of Greenwich Women’s Philanthropy and JCC Greenwich and prepared two Passover dishes, including Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Zucchini and Tomatoes. It was a big hit, no leftovers and everyone was amazed that the whole recipe took 17 minutes and it would have been shorter but we had to wait for the grains to cook.

This recipe is wonderfully fresh and Passover friendly. But you can enjoy it any time. Here it is:

Quinoa Salad with Asparagus, Tomatoes and Zucchini

1 cup quinoa

1 cup cut up asparagus (1-inch pieces)

1 cup bite-size pieces of zucchini

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

2 scallions, chopped

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoon white wine vinegar or lemon juice

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the quinoa in a strainer and rinse for a few seconds under cold water. Drain. Bring 1-1/2 cups water to boil in a saucepan over high heat. Add the quinoa, lower the heat, cover the pan and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the grains have absorbed the liquid. Spoon the quinoa into a bowl. Bring some more water to a boil in the pan. Add the asparagus and cook for 15 seconds. Add the zucchini and cook for another 15 seconds. Strain the vegetables, rinse under cold water and add to the quinoa. Add the tomatoes, scallions, dill and mint and toss ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the olive oil and vinegar, toss and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving. Makes 6 servings