Mushroom Barley Risotto

Yesterday I didn't have any ideas of what to cook, I had some baby portobello mushrooms so I decided to do something with them.  I came across This recipe for Mushroom Barley Risotto and since I had all of the ingredients I decided to make it.


Recipe

2 Tbsp oil
1 Medium onion, chopped
8 oz baby portobello mushrooms, chopped
4 oz white mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 cup pearl barley
5 3/4 cups water
1/4 cup white wine

In a deep pan over medium heat, heat up the oil and saute the onion until it just begins to brown.
Add the mushrooms and allow the water to evaporate.  Add the garlic, parsley and thyme and cook for about a minute.  Add the barley and 4 cups of water, bring to a boil and allow to simmer while mixing constantly. 
When the water has been absorbed, add the rest of the water (and wine) 1/2 cup at a time allowing it to absorb each time until the barley is cooked.

Cheese Tortellini with Porcini Sauce and Garlic Bread

See the heart shaped one in the middle?

Today was my second wedding anniversary and I wanted to make something special so I decided to make my own tortellini.  I always thought that making pasta was really difficult and complicated but today I learned that it wasn't so bad!  I used two websites to help me with the recipe for the pasta, The Barefoot Kitchen Witch had a great recipe for tortellini and Coquinaria had a good pasta guide in general. 

all I did to make the pasta dough was make a mound of 1 cup of flour on the counter, make a hole in the middle  of the flour and put 2 eggs in it. 
I started mixing the eggs with the flour with a fork, added about 1 tbsp of milk and continued to mix and knead the dough until it was soft and elastic!
I admit I put it in the food processor for about
30 seconds to help me in the kneading but mostly I did the kneading by hand for about 10-15 minutes.

When the dough was ready I put a drop of oil all over it and put it in a tightly seated ziplock bag in the fridge until I was ready to  form the pasta (about 5 hours).

The filling had:

1 cup ricotta
1/4 cup mozzarella, grated
1/8 cup parmesan
pinch of salt
pinch of pepper

When I was ready to form the pasta I cut the ball of dough in half and started rolling it out with a rolling pin until it was thin enough to go in the pasta machine which flattened it to the thickness (or should I say thinness that I wanted).  I used a glass to cut the dough into circles, put in a little filling, folded them in half, pinched the edge and then folded them over.  It took a few tries to make the shape I liked and get it right but I got the hang of it.

The recipe made 47 tortellini including 2 bigger than average.

I adapted the sauce recipe from Closet Cooking.

1 oz dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
1 tbsp butter
1/4 onion, finely diced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup cooking cream
1 vine tomato, peeled and diced

Soak the mushrooms in water for 20 minutes, drain (reserving the water) and chop finely.  Melt butter in a pan and saute the mushrooms for a couple of minutes.  Add the onion, garlic and thyme and saute a few more minutes.   Add the reserved water and allow to reduce about 10 minutes. Add the cream and let simmer a few minutes until combined.  Add the tomato and simmer a few more minutes.

Just before serving, boil a pot of water, drop the tortellini in a few at a time.  they will sink to the bottom of the pot and then rise to the top when they are ready, remove them with a slotted spoon and toss with sauce.
I served my husband, Shlomo the porcini sauce and I ate it with a simple garlicky tomato sauce like this one, minus the vegetables.  I also served this with garlic bread:

 1 Baguette, sliced lengthwise
6 tbsp butter melted
6 garlic cloves minced
3 tbsp Italian parsley chopped

Mix butter, garlic and parsley, spread on baguette (I had extra butter leftover). Grill the bread under the broiler, make sure not to burn it!
(I burned mine which is why I won't post any pictures of the finished product).

Beef, Lentil and Vegetable Soup

I've never cooked with lentils before but during the summer I bought some to put in a soup.  That was my zucchini soup and as you may have seen it did not contain any lentils, I chickened out and never used them!  I decided that I wanted to make something with them so I searched a few recipes.  I was also inspired by my friend Erica to make a soup out of the lentils.  Unlike her, I wanted beef in mine.  I searched on foodgawker and found this recipe, I adapted it a little and the soup came out delicious and very hearty!

1 tbsp oil
2 lbs beef spare ribs
salt and black pepper to taste
1 onion, chopped
1 8oz package of mushrooms,chopped
3 stalks of celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
10 baby potatoes, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups fresh vine tomatoes, diced
14 cups water
1 1/2 cup dried lentils
1/2 cup barley
1 tsp dried thyme

Start by heating some oil in a soup pot and searing the beef on all sides.  Once the beef has browned, add the onion and allow it to cook a little.  Once it has become translucent, add the mushrooms, celery, carrot and potatoes, stir to combine and allow to cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook until aromatic, about 1 minute.  Add the tomatoes and water and bring to a boil.  Now is a good time to add the salt, pepper and thyme.  Once the soup has come to a boil, lower the heat and allow it to simmer for about an hour so the beef gets tender.  Add the lentils and barley and simmer for another 45 minutes to an hour.  I originally only used 8 cups of water but the soup seemed very thick so I added another 2 cups and then 4 more cups.  The soup is still pretty thick even with the extra water. 

Yum!

Vanilla Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting

This summer I worked as an assistant coordinator at a day camp, as the summer was coming to an end, we decided that homemade cupcakes would be a nice way to thank the staff for a wonderful summer and to show our appreciation for a job well done. After all, isn't food always the best way to show appreciation?   My go to cupcake recipe comes from my mother in law (it is the same recipe I used when I made 300 cupcakes for the school I work at, more on that later) and the frosting recipe comes from a blog that I really enjoy reading called Annie's Eats.  I adapted Annie's frosting recipe because I wanted the cupcakes to be non dairy.
 Cupcakes
2 1/2 cups flour
4 eggs
2 heaping teaspoons baking powder
1 1/4  cup sugar
1 cup orange juice
2 packets vanilla sugar
1/2 cup oil

Combine all ingredients in the stand mixer (my mother in law uses the food processor for this), mix until combined.  Divide into cupcake pans and bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center if a cupcake comes out clean.  I doubled the recipe and it made about 36 cupcakes. 

Weird texture, keep mixing!

 Frosting

5 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 lb. (4 sticks) non dairy margarine
2 tsp vanilla extract

Creamy

Combine egg whites and sugar in a heat safe bowl (preferably the bowl of a stand mixer) and set over simmering water.  Mix together with a fork until the sugar has dissolved.  Set the bowl in the stand mixer and whisk until it forms stiff peaks.  With the mixer running, start adding the margarine 1 tablespoon at a time until all of the margarine has been added.  At first it will have a weird texture, but keep mixing until it becomes creamy.  Add the vanilla and mix to combine.

This frosting holds its shape really well so it is a great frosting to use for decorations of all sorts!

Each staff got their initials on their cupcake

 This past June, Hebrew Academy put on an amazing production of The Lion King.  I baked cupcakes to sell during the intermission, it was a big job and I got help from my friends Daniel, Estee and Joey.  The cupcakes and frosting were the same recipe as the ones I made for camp.  Here are some pictures of those:

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie for Mikey

Have you ever gone on the website foodgawker?  It is one of my favorite websites.
It is a collection of beautiful photos of food which are links to various food blogs with amazing photos
and usually incredible recipes too.

Last night when I went on foodgawker I noticed a trend, many of the blogs had some variation of peanut butter pie.  I finally got really curious and clicked on one of them.  I was led to a blog called In Jennie's Kitchen, Jennie lost her husband, Mike, to a sudden heart attack last week.  When fellow bloggers asked what they could do to help, she asked them to make Mike's favorite pie on Friday and share it with loved ones, she asked everyone to remember that life can be short and we have to make the most of the time we have.  I wasn't able to make the pie on Friday but I wanted to contribute too so I made the pie today.  I made a similar pie a couple of times before so I will share my version.  I hope that you will make it and share it people that you love too.

My recipe is adapted from In Jennie's Kitchen and from the Gatherings cookbook.
My version of the pie is non-dairy, to make the dairy version use butter, heavy cream and cream cheese.

The crust

Crust
1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (I make my own in the food processor)
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, melted
2 tbsp sugar
1 pinch of salt
5 oz semisweet chocolate
handful of peanuts

Filling
1 cup non dairy cream like Nutriwhip
1 cup peanut butter
1 8oz package Toffuti cream cheese (make sure to use the plain flavor)
1 cup confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla


Garnish
semisweet chocolate
chopped peanuts

To prepare the crust, combine graham cracker crumbs, melted margarine, sugar and salt and mix.
Press into a 9 inch pie pan with your fingers.  Cake 1t 325 for 8 minutes.
Meanwhile melt the chocolate in a saucepan or double broiler.  Pour it over the crust and turn the pan to spread the chocolate evenly all over.  Sprinkle peanuts over the chocolate and put in the freezer while you make the filling.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat the whipped topping until stiff.  Set aside.
Beat the peanut butter with the toffuti cream cheese until smoothly combined.  fold in the whipped topping and add conectioners sugar and vanilla.  beat until smoothly combined.
Pour the topping into the prepared crust and garnish with chocolate and peanuts and way you like.
I put a few squares of chocolate in a ziplock bag and melted it in the microwave.  I then cut off the corner of the bag and used it to decorate the cake in a cross cross pattern.  I sprinkled the chopped peanuts all around the edges of the pie but you could decorate it any way you like.
Refrigerate for at least a few hours before serving.

I shared the pie with my family after dinner tonight, share this pie with your loved ones and enjoy it!

The finished pie

Brisket with Red Wine Sauce

To live up to my blog's name,
I decided to make Brisket!

The first thing I did was go to my butcher, Avi, he is absolutely the best kosher butcher in Montreal.
Avi's store is on Westminster near the corner of Cote Saint Luc rd, the phone number is 514-481-4094.
Avi has every kind of meat you might like, delicious aged steaks, fresh chicken, he gives great recipes and the store also has ready made food and they deliver!

The recipe I chose was from a cookbook called Cooking with Love, it was sold as a fundraiser for the Maimonides Geriatric Hospital.

Here is the recipe:

2 tbsp flour
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly group black pepper
3 tbsp oil
1 4lb brisket (mine was 3 lb)
2 onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
1 tsp tried thyme
1 lemon, peel on, thinly sliced
1/2 cup boiling water
1/2 cup red wine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Combine the flour, paprika, salt and pepper and rub them into the brisket.
In a Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the brisket and brown 4-5 minutes per side.  Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion, garlic and sesame seeds and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the parsley, thyme and lemon and continue cooking for a couple more minutes.
Stir in water, wine, salt and cayenne pepper.  Return the brisket to the pot, cover and cook in the oven at 325 for 3 1/2 to 4 hours (Avi told me that 2 1/2 hours would be enough for my, smaller, brisket).
Uncover and allow it to cool before slicing against the grain.
When ready to serve heat the brisket in the sauce.

This brisket came out incredible, everyone told me that it was the best one they had ever tasted,
I will absolutely make it again!

Another big thank you to Shlomo for this amazing picture!

Zucchini Soup

I had a few zucchini an yellow squash so I decided to make them into soup.
I tried looking for a recipe and I found one for Zucchini and Lentil soup so the soup I made was loosely based on that recipe from Kosher By design Lightens up by Susie Fishbein.

1 onion, chopped
1 tbsp oil
2 zucchinis, skin on, chopped
3 yellow squash, skin on, chopped
12 cups chicken stock (I used Osem brand)
1 can corn niblets
juice of one lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

I started by heating the oil and sauteing the onion in a large pot until it was soft and translucent.

I then added the zucchini and yellow squash and sauteed for about 10 minutes.
Next I added the chicken stock and allowed the soup to simmer for about 30-45 minutes.
When the zucchini and squash were soft I added a can of corn, lemon juice, salt and pepper.


Lastly, I pureed the soup.  I did this in my food processor, this was a tedious process,
I had to strain the soup and puree the solids separately and then added part of the broth back to it to get the right consistency.  I froze the broth to use in future recipes.
I came to the conclusion that I should invest in an immersion blender in the near future!

Thank you to my husband Shlomo for this beautiful photo!

Penne Primavera with Arrabiata Sauce

There was an amazing Italian restaurant I used to go to all the time and every time I went, I ordered this dish.  Yesterday I tried making it myself and I was pretty impressed with the results.

I started by roasting a bunch of vegetables: 
2 cups broccoli florets
1 orange bell pepper, chopped
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 zucchini, skin on, chopped
1 yellow squash, skin on, chopped,
1 can of artichoke hearts, quartered
salt
freshly ground black pepper
non-stick spray

Preheat the oven to 400 and arrange the broccoli, pepper and mushrooms in a baking pan.   
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and spray with non stick spray.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the pan from the oven, mix and add the zucchini, squash and artichoke hearts. Bake for another 30-40 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the tomato sauce.  I made the same the same sauce that I used for my Healthy Eggplant Parmesan earlier this week except I omitted the mushrooms and added some cayenne pepper for an extra kick.  

Next, I boiled some Catelli Smart pasta which has the fiber and protein of whole wheat pasta but tastes more like white.  I used penne rigate  but this would be great with any kind of pasta that you may prefer.  
Lastly, I combined the vegetables, sauce and noodles and Voila! Here was my delicious dinner!

I sprinkled some freshly ground black pepper over the pasta when it was served to really give it that restaurant touch, my husband and I both thought that it was fantastic and really rivaled the restaurant version.

Enjoy!

Mushroom Soup

Throughout my life, I've had a love hate relationship with mushrooms.  I hated them ever since I could remember when I was a kid but my Grandmother assures me that I used to love them when I was very young.
Since I was a teenager, I have loved mushrooms again, lucky for me my Grandmother has an amazing mushroom soup recipe.  Like most recipes that I get from my grandmother, it doesn't really lend itself to precision, I'll do my best to give you the recipe so that you can recreate this delicious dish! 

(I'm posting the original recipe but I doubled it)

2 tbs barley
1 8 oz package of mushrooms (I usually use white ones but I used cremini this time), chopped
1 medium onion,diced
1 carrot, grated
2 medium potatoes, cut into elongated cubes
1 tbs Osem mushroom soup powder (or any brand)
Salt, to taste

Bring one liter of water to a boil and add the barley. Add some salt to the water (I often forget this step).
Allow it to simmer while you work on the rest of the soup.
Fry the mushrooms until the water evaporates, add the onion and carrot and cook until the onions are soft.
When it looks ready, add it to the water and barley.  Add the potatoes and soup powder and allow to  simmer so that the flavors combine. 

This soup tastes best on the second day. 
When you serve it, you can add a tablespoon of sour cream to the bowl.

Enjoy!

Healthy Eggplant Parmesan

We were so excited to eat it that we forgot to take a picture before serving ourselves!

I don't really like cheese so I was never attracted to eggplant parmesan but after seeing this recipe on The Svelte Gourmet and getting a similar version from my friend Estee, I decided to make it.

Here is my version:

2 eggplants
2 eggs
breadcrumbs
1 tsp garlic powder

8 ripe fresh vine tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp oil
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Sliced the eggplants into thin rounds, salt them and let them sit for about an hour.

 Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce:
Heat some oil in a frying pan and add the crushed garlic.  Cook until it is fragrant.  Add mushrooms and cook for about 5 minutes.  Add the diced tomatoes and simmer until they have a saucy consistency.

When the eggplants are ready, dry them with paper towel, coat them with egg and dip them in bread crumbs.
Arrange the eggplant on a pan and bake for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Layer sauce, eggplants and cheese in a baking dish, making sure that the last cheese layer is at the top.
Bake for about 10-15 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Enjoy!