Big Game, Hunting, Cowboys & Rugged Stuff…………..

Cowboy Jim, Togatee Pass, Wyoming

Every once in awhile we meet someone on our journey’s through this world that remind us of how rigid we can become as humans and so often these people seem a little on the “insane” side or “out there” but in actual reality, they are living truly as the deem and that for me is admirable.  It takes a lot of internal power not to be affected by what others think, what others see as important and it takes great security in ones self to live within their own skin peacefully.  I admire those people and take it as a blessing every time I get to meet one.   There is a plethora of knowledge in these people and often times if you really look and spend enough time with them a treasure map leading to this very peace and security within themselves that they exude. 

Cowboy Bill, as he called himself and as we happily called him was unique and rare.  I couldn’t tell at first glance if he was for real of if it was an act, playing with the tourists so to speak on top of the mountains in Wyoming.  It dawned on me very quickly that we weren’t in a tourist town and he was for real and after I got passed my initial uncomfortable-ness (rather quickly) with him I got to witness the great beauty this man possessed and was delivering to all of us.   Stories upon  stories that seemed like they were straight out of an old western.  Indian tales and what seemed like privy information sometimes that only the insiders would know and understand about the Indian connections that the cowboys and Indians both had toward the land and the animals.  I learned a large mount about eating wild game, a subject that peaked my interested while in Wyoming.  I learned about the severe hatred of the wolves, well I should say about the decision to place all those wolves in that area.  I learned about eating wolf and bear and had long in depth discussions about the modern day teenager and his/her lack of knowledge in anything wild and rugged.   And finally after a few days of discussions and over some beers I got a recipe, well kind of recipe and now I share it with all of you and what I really share is the experience once again of meeting these people who seem outlandish at fist but are true teachers of peace and happiness, next time you run accorss folks like this whether it be in your own backyard or in another country, stop and really soak it all in, its worth it, taking a walk on the wild side that is!

 Cowboy Beans

Serves: Depending on the size of your cowboy, between 6-8

This recipe is truly unique to the many cowboy beans you see out there, I highly recommend trying it and I think you will find some amazing tips in this recipe for making your own flavor pot of beans just the way you like it.  I altered his recipe slightly to incorporate some fresh herbs or course!

Ingredients

 3 bottles of moose drool brown ale

2 pounds dry beans or 3 pounds fresh (cranberry, navy, yellow, eye, heirlooms in general are best)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
Olive oil
3 cloves fresh garlic
2 medium yellow onion, chopped2 medium carrots, chopped fine2 fresh chili peppers, chopped seeds and all1 pound elk, bear or wolf meat, cubed and dredged in flour
2 teaspoons salt2 teaspoons black pepper, cracked
½ cup molasses
½ cup spicy stone ground mustard
1 cup fresh tomatoes, chopped
½ cup fresh chives, chopped fine
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped fine

 Directions

If using dry beans, clean and soak the beans overnight submerged in the amber beer.

In a large dutch oven pot or heavy bottom pot, with a little olive oil sauté the garlic and yellow, red, and carrots until a little translucent.  Add the meat and continue to sauté until it is browned.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the molasses, mustard, tomatoes and mix well.  Add the bean and the bean liquid, stir and bring to a boil.  Reduce the temp and cook for about 30 minutes or until beans are tender.

Preheat the oven to about 375 degrees F. Place the pot covered in the oven and bake for about 4-5 hours, making sure to place more moose drool in the pot as it evaporates, mixing as you do this as well. The mixture will start to get thicker and darker. When the beans are very tender for the last hour uncover the beans and turn the heat up to 425 degrees F, stirring every 15 minutes. Taste the mixture at this stage making sure it’s sweet and spicy enough to your taste, then add the fresh herbs and mix well. The final product should be dark, the beans super tender and the juice thick!  Sprinkle the fresh herbs in when the dish is complete and stir well.

*Please note real cowboys make these beans on a fire!

When Even A Whisk Can’t Fix it……………..

Palak Patel, NYC

When I asked Palak (pronounced pollock), if she wanted to be featured on my “what my friends are cooking” section of my blog, she got excited, then I said, ” the thing is it’s all about failure this time so you would essentially be featured in regards to something that you failed at and what that has taught you.  She pondered, and we began to have discussion about failures in the kitchen.  This lady is a wizard in in the kitchen and certainly has a sense of confidence that is quite rare, not only as she cooks but as she moves through life.  I really like this quality about her, as much as she is confident she is also quick to acknowledge failures and the many occurrences  of failure that are a part of life.  she is also the first to understand the lessons of failure and how challenging oneself is a necessity in life in the kitchen.

When we spoke about foods that were challenging or that we fail as I was surprised to find out  that the one food that  this little Indian godess said she failed at most was green curry!  I guess I was surprised because her Indian cooking skills are sharp as heck (like her wit) .   She teaches at Ger-Nis one of our most popular series, Palak’s Indian Kitchen, and the students not only love her, but always talk about how they are able to recreate everything on their own.  So the idea or her struggling with green curry was crazy for me but at the same time I think a perfect example of this months blog topic.  She is challenged by it, and failed at it but it doesn’t defeat her.  Now I usually post recipes in this section, after all it is a food blog.  But this time I’m going to do something different.  I am going to get Palak in the  Ger-Nis kitchen for a night of green curry and we are going to play with green curry recipes until we find her perfect Indian style green curry.  So…………… stay tuned and know that even the best have failures!

My New Favorite Tool in the Kitchen & In Life!

Danielle Mkali, Minneapolis, MN

She is patient in life and certainly with me…………

Danielle at first thought for me wouldn’t be described as patient, however as I began to think about which of my friends exudes patience (for the purpose of my blog) I couldn’t get thoughts of her out of my head. I have known Danielle for over 17 years now and it’s safe to say we have been through some heavy stuff together and been there for each other’s heavy stuff as well.  As I began to really think more about Danielle and patience I started to connect new found traits in my own patience, to what I used to think was Danielle’s laid back attitude which I realize now was her path to patience.  As I began to compare and look way back into the years, through Danielle’s youth, (she is five years younger-which today is nothing but me at 23 and she at 18 is something else) the way she handle many of the things thrown at her and how she still does it similarly, but with more grace and tact than anyone I know, I realized she is and exudes patience.  I also began to realize through thinking about Danielle and patience that this patience thing is a very feminine quality.  I see that through Danielle especially as she has grown in the size of her own family since I have known her from herself, to a family of 5 kids.  When I look at how I handle things that require patience and over the years this has been one of my largest failures, I am inspired by Danielle and her ability to be calm in moments that require that calm for the advancement needed.  We always wish we knew then what we know now and I certainly have been thinking a lot about that lately.  Danielle has been teaching me patience for 17 years now and in addition she is teaching her children this graceful gift and thank her for being patient, in life and with me.

 Danielle in the kitchen is a goddess, especially with the sweets. We have bonded in the kitchen many of times and her fun spirit in the kitchen made endless tasks seem to be instant.  I remember a day where Cubanismo was raging loudly, we got some little outfits on and salsa’d our way through cooking a meal!  Thankfully video phones were not around then!  She is despite her busy hectic family and professional life, always taking the time needed to cook, for her and for her family and this takes an element of patience as well and for that I again, both commend and am inspired by.  One a recent cold day this fall, she reached out to me to tell me about this amazing recipe, “that had lots of steps, took a good deal of time, but was worth it in flavor and the act itself”.  She had to plan ahead, map out the many steps and be patient in-between, all of which I am currently learning and sharing with Danielle. She said to me, as we spoke of patience, this is a perfect recipe for your new patience Nissa! 

 So we are all fans of Smitten Kitchen and Danielle is one of their biggest fans, this recipe I did make as well and for sure it is amazing and sweet and savory like I love!  So thanks Danielle for the friendship, teaching and the recipe! 

 Enjoy!

Butternut -Squash & Carmelized Onion Galette

Discovery of the Unexpected & It’s Growth

 Melody Meyer, Soquel, California

Fellow World Traveler!

 It’s not to often I run across people who are similar in nature to me with my love and devotion to world travel. I mean let’s face it, we all certainly love to travel but as we get older it’s not without great sacrifice either financially, time wise or to one’s own personal life.  So the reality is as we age, there are less people (our age J) traveling around the globe. So I was delighted to really feel this comradery with Melody during our recent work trip to Israel and our social jaunt to Petra.  I have known Melody for about 6-8 years maybe, I can’t exactly remember!  And what I did know of her is that she was a woman like me, out spoken with a very strong work ethic and an amazingly sharp mind but a wonderfully lovely and humor filled spirit.  I was always intrigued with her as I did not run across many women in this business that had any level of power and Melody was for me an perfect example of what I wanted to be in my career.  Accomplished yet not at sacrificing her own person and her own style.  So this luxury of getting to spend 11 days with her was a pleasure for me and with this new work gig I think it was a very unexpected growth impetus that I really needed, especially as I had been so down on produce and the overall business because of what I sacrificed of my own personal life in the past.  I learned a lot from her for sure and more than that I enjoyed traveling with her as she is very much like me, willing to experience it all and going to great lengths and sacrifice to do so.  Again this combination is pretty rare and I encourage all of you to learn a bit about discovery and the unexpected, but the first rule of thumb is you have to actually get up and move towards something! I hope that life brings me more travels with Melody and I can only assume my newly formed produce gig working alongside her will only bring me great growth! 

 I am pleased to also have shown her my food talents and share many a good meal with her and hope for many more.  We both upon return started cooking up a storm the foods we ate and I shared with her my recipes and she has been cooking up a storm lately with her newly influenced Israeli kitchen style! 

And please everyone out there, let her know it’s normal to take photographs of your food everywhere, we all do it!!

Here are the recipes she’s been cooking up!

 Israeli Hummus

Makes 3 cups

 Ingredients

2 cups of chick peas, soaked overnight and cooked (reserve ½ cup cooking liquid)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
⅓ cup tahini
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cup extra-virgin olive oil
⅓ cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon lemon zest
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
1 tablespoon zahtar (optional)

Directions

In the bowl of a food processor, add chick peas, garlic, tahini, salt, , extra-virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest and puree until smooth. Add more of the chickpea liquid to attain a thinner texture. Place the hummus on a flat bowl and using the back of a large spoon make a well in the middle, not too deep.  Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the hummus making sure to get a good portion in the center well, but also all over it.  Throw the parsley leaves over the top and sprinkle a little zahtar over the top of that! Enjoy with fresh pita!

 Israeli Chopped Salad

Serves 4

 The secret to success of this recipe is small/tiny uniform pieces.  They catch the flavors better and ensure the exceptional fresh taste with the perfect ratio of flavors!

Ingredients

4 small Israeli cucumbers or 2 euro cucumbers, peeled and chopped fine (tiny cubes)
2 medium sized roma tomatoes, chopped fine (tiny cubes)
½ medium red onion, chopped fine (tiny cubes)
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped super fine
3 tablespoons lemon juice (more if you like it tangy)
3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sumac (dried leaves in a powder) (optional but defiantly a strong component)
1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon of peppers (more to taste)

Directions

Combine the cucumbers, romas, red onions and parsley in a large bowl and toss together to mix well.  Add the lemon juice, olive oil and spices and toss again.  Let stand about 5 minutes before serving.  Serve cool but not cold!

Smokey Eggplant Mousse

Makes 3-4 cups

Ingredients

2 large eggplants
1 bulb of garlic, to use 4 cloves
Olive oil
Sea salt
1 teaspoon sumac
½ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons smoky Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
¼ cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped fine
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped fine
Zest of one lemon, grated super fine
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt

Directions

Prepare a Charcoal grill or pre heat a gas grill (charcoal grill gives a much smokier flavor). Cut the eggplants in half and brush with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and sumac. Place eggplant side down first and grill for a few minutes turning once until eggplant is tender. Place garlic right on grill to cook until tender. Allow to cool and scoop out inside of eggplant and place in a blender. Place 4-5 cloves of garlic in the blender as well (remove skins first). Pour in olive oil and blend until light and fluffy or mousse consistency. Transfer to a bowl and gently mix in spices and herbs.

Jeremiah Peterson, Brooklyn (Straight off the Boat from Stillwater, MN)

Pondering the Meaning of Family, Earthquakes, Hurricanes & Gratitude

I awoke one day after hearing that one of my best friends little brother was having some difficulties in life, knowing I would help and that I could help.  It was not the best time for me to help as financially, I’ve seen freer flowing cash times for sure, but when one is in need I figure I can help somehow someway.   Sometimes life in the thick of it can be overwhelming and I knew that what I could offer him was a sanctuary of sorts.  So I got our my points from all my world travels bought him a ticket to NYC from Minneapolis and here he is.  He has a sanctuary of sorts and I think Brooklyn and my fellow New Yorkers have embraced him and we have a way of reminding the world that no matter how many troubles we have, with about 11 million people here, there are others who are worse off.  Now its not like I am really doing much for Jeremiah per say a place to get away, some work and some radical dinners for sure, but mainly what I give him is my unconditional support and non judgmental demeanor.  I think life works this way we give, we get back it works out, but the giving has to be genuine and meaningful, to touch the lives of those we know makes an incredible difference, which is why I guess I’m against the whole give money to charity as opposed to getting off your ass and making REAL commitments to those things you wish to help, but that’s just me I guess, I feel we all need to get off our asses more and do some good stuff for those we care about.  Needless to say Jeremiah has found a home in Brooklyn to and is set to move out here for good and seems to have a safe and healthy shelter for his positive growth.  One thing I know is he gets to  heal and grow around good food and that for me is the best medicine outside unconditional support both mentally and financially!  I don’t know if I did much for him, but I know I would do what is needed for my family.  He is not my blood but he is my family.

Jeremiah’s Boozy Banana Bread with Vanilla Rum Butter

Makes 1 loaf

 Ingredients

4 ripe bananas
¼ cup vanilla and cinnamon infused rum
¼ cup melted butter
2 tablespoons almond oil
1 cup turbinado sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups all purpose flour

 Directions

 Preheat oven to 350° F.  Smash together bananas, rum, vanilla, melted butter, almond oil and sugar until well mixed, add the beaten egg and mix.  Add the salt and baking soda and mix.  Fold in the flour a little bit at a time mixing until all flour is incorporated and a smooth batter is created.  Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan and cook for 50 minutes or until inserted stick come sout clean.  Allow to partially cool, remove from pan and serve with rum butter. (1 tablespoon infused vanilla, cinnamon rum  with 3 tablespoons butter.)

Chris Glibertson, Lucca Italy

A Quest for Food Purity Which Lead to the Discovery of Lardo &  Ducati’s

with Chris Gilbertson………..

 I have known Chris for many years, I guess about 17 or so…..wow, many years!  As I moved from Minnesota where I knew him from, I lost touch as I lost touch with many folks.  Such is life I guess and I am a strong believer that people come and go into your life and the ones that spring back are usually important, Chris is one of those folks for me.  Like many stories that begin with, we lost touch as friends and got back in touch through Facebook!  I was living in Tel Aviv at the time and Chris in Lucca, Italy, this was about two three years ago I guess and since each of us were basically lollygagging around the Mediterranean for work, we began to take interest in each other’s lives. I am sure he like me noticed that not many of our friends and acquaintances were spending a lot of time traveling and by traveling I mean living aboard, even for short periods of time like Chris and I had been doing, he in Italy and I in Israel.  Now I cannot say the same for him, but I suspect he like me has often felt the loneliness of being this kind of person, one who loves witnessing firsthand what the world is offering and experiencing it all in the flesh by actually submersing ourselves in it. Because not many do this, we tend to not have too many friends or family members who want to or can do this with us, so people like us, just go alone. But it gets lonely despite the great experience.  I believe this is one of the main reasons Chris and I began to communicate and share our experiences with each other.  We felt a comradery of sorts in the people we were allowing ourselves to be.  Through this communication I live vicariously through Chris when it came to the Tuscan  region of Italy.  I learned a great deal and got to witness from his photos and descriptions how amazing Italy was.  I had never had the drive to visit Italy until seeing Chris’ photos and hearing about it from him, seeing his life in Italy.  I had told him repeatedly I was going to come visit but since work was not related to Italy, it was not so simple.  Then this summer I decided as I was risking everything, by trying my luck full time with my culinary center and being in debt and having a new career ahead of me, I would go to Italy and I would have Chris show me his world.  Of course Chris who is in Italy for his love of motorcycles really, is working with Red Bike Tours, a company specializing in tours of Tuscany for those who love the thrill of motorcycles, namely Ducati’s, and didn’t have a lot of free time, which is why I had decided to go to the coast for the first portion of my trip, which worked out nicely as the film crew we are working with for the TV show came along too!  But I arranged to spend a few days in Lucca to see Chris, experience his world and know a little bit about Tuscany.   I will get to the food part soon, but first I have to say that I had no idea what an amazing city Lucca was/is.  This amazing old cobblestone and brick town, built with walls around it was quaint and delightful by all means. In retrospect I wished I could have spent more time there for sure! 

 Now in my What My Friends Are Cooking Now feature of my blog I showcase recipes or ideas that my friends are cooking, but as many of you know me, I tend to not box myself in too much and that is why I am so excited to tell you about how Chris decided to feed me in Italy.  He didn’t cook for me but he took me to one of the best restaurants of my life.  I’m not sure if it was the food, the atmosphere, the party of like 30 people next to us cheering salute all night long or if it was the wine or the company I kept that night. Certainly the quaintness of the place, the lovely staff and owners and the lardo didn’t hurt a damn bit.

 The restaurant is Rusticanella Trattoria, and the owner Luca a lovely typical Italian guy refuses to give us any recipes, and honestly I am okay iwht that because despite the recipes, the real taste is actually being there, experiencing the local produce, spices and herbs, meats and cheeses first hands.  The recipe is irrelevant if you don’t have the quality of goods that they use there.  The restaurant features local traditional dishes prepared with traditional methods and showcases the quality of ingredients with actually little cooking. The menu is simple and isn’t bogged down by a multitude of choices.  Their real contribution is in their consistency of bringing you dishes that are cooked simply and perfectly every single time, offering up the most fun loving service anyone can offer and the best part is that it is always a fair price.  Not jacked up prices here which can exist in Lucca for sure.  The owner of Red Bike Tours, Joe Charity, brings a lot of people from his tour to this place and he also happens to live across the street, so we were treated to a pretty elaborate but still typical meal with some really amazing house wine which I felt like went on and on forever!

 Here is the scoop on What My Friend Chris is Cooking Now! (And by cooking I mean showing us this magical place!) It was truly one of the most exquisite e and memorable meals of my life, I often dream of the lardo T-Bone, the beans, the cheese and all of it, wishing I could have more!  Thanks profusely Chris for the meal and the inspiration to be out there in the world regardless if we are alone of not, as we both can attests we are never really alone are we!!

 The meal!

Tagliere di salumi – (a mix of sliced hams) prosciutto toscano salami toscano, finnochiona (a salami with fennel) and malpressato

 Selection of local Pecorino Cheese these differed according to the period of maturing from fresco (fresh) to stagionato (aged), plus a few cheeses that are wrapped as they age with various flavorings: (vine leaves, pepper corns, flowers etc) The cheese was served with local honey and mostarda, which is like an Italian chutney, with preserved fruits like figs and apricots and flavored with mustard for a kick and honey and wine and citrus!

Focaccia Vuota which is a basic thin, crispy focaccia bread (flour, olive oil, water, salt, a small amount of yeast)

Tagliata di Manzo literally “sliced meat”. This is of course a grilled, thick cut, T-bone – traditionally from ‘Chianina’ cattle – cattle reared on the Chiana plain south of Arrezzo. The meat is grilled on a open flame with seasonings and then served with various toppings such as ‘pepper and rosemary’, ‘grana (parmesan like cheese) and arugula, or the local version which is ‘lardo’ – basiccally the cured fat from prosciutto, we had the version with fresh rosemary and one with lardo, both had lemon wedges for granish and both were truly and I do mean truly UNBELIEVEABLE!

Local Beans Roasted with rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil, cooked in the oven

Wes Schuck

When we speak about those who are on the quest beyond the limits of extraordinary, there is really no better example in my own life than my friend Wes Schuck.  Now when we automatically think of extraordinary, we want to prove it by rattling off a list of accomplishments, awards and general cheers of kudos, and in Wes’ case we certainly can do this, veteran musician, music producer extraordinaire, documentary film maker, videographer and now television producer among a few of his “extraordinary” accomplishments.  But the real stuff, the stuff of true “extrodinarity”, is his ability to continue to be on the path beyond the limits of ordinary each and every day.  It’s his extraordinary passion and true inquisitiveness that shines through everything he does.  I have known Wes for about eighteen years now and he has always remained an inspiration to me and a perfect example of the idea of extraordinary is not about accomplishments, achievements or as Charlie Sheen would say, winning, its about the journey, the ups and downs of the journey, the jagged cliffs of the journey and the white sand beaches and majestic views of the journey.  It’s about the mind meeting the body in perfect harmony sometimes along the way.  It’s about what we learn and how it inspires us to move ahead, its how we handle the pressure of it all and above all its about never loosing the will to be excited and intrigued by life, no matter what.  The journey is what fulfills Wes, and it shows in his work and also in his family.  Which I think if we want to speak about accomplishments, that is his greatest, being a loving husband and father proving to all his girls each and every day that questing beyond the limits of ordinary are in their blood!  So thanks to Wes for inspiring me at a time again when examples of those on this journey are somewhat rare, I look forward to my journey with Wes in the future and to Kristi and their kids be prepared, we are about to see the world!!!

Now Wes is the kind of cook that likes to cook out of the refrigerator and I think that right there makes him a good cook, learning to use what you have, that is also in his nature!  Among his main refrigerator meals are curry with a starter form a can using fresh vegetables that they have on hand, smoothies with flax seed and soy milk and salads.  He apparently loves to figure out the balance in salad, how much of each of the ingredients to use!  Wes had mentioned to us that he would love to learn to make curry from scratch so this time around in our What My Friends Are Cooking Now, we are going to veer off and feature a recipe for him.  We are going to show Wes how easy it is to make fresh from scratch curries, that are easy and simple and not time consuming so that he can move beyond ordinary in the kitchen too! So here you go Wes, not sure if Kristi & the girls will love it but, we know you will, we tried to make this version  child and Kristi friendly but you can add more fresh chilies for spice!!  And for the record there is an amazing mix of curries that I use, organic to boot , Arora Creations, The Gobi Spice blend is my favorite!

Enjoy!

Curried  Cauliflower Yogurt Chicken
Serves 4-6

The yogurt in this curry creates a mild and cool flavor, very herbaceous and not too spicy!

Ingredients

Olive Oil
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon coconut oil
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 tablespoon ginger, chopped fine
1 serrano chili peppers, deseeded and chopped  (optional)
1 medium red onion, chopped coarsely
1 red bell pepper, chopped coarsely
1 ½  cup cauliflower florets
3 medium chicken breasts, sliced in strips
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup snap peas
2 tablespoon of Ger-Nis Mild Curry  (recipe follows)
Juice of 4 limes & zest
¾ cup yogurt
¼  cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine
¼ cup fresh mint, chopped fine

Directions

Heat oils in a large skillet on medium high, add garlic, ginger and chili pepper. Sauté approximately  2 minutes, then add red onion and red bell pepper. Sauté until just tender, approx 2 more minutes. Add chicken and sauté until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly still on medium high heat. Add the cauliflower florets. Reduce heat to simmer and add tomatoes and curry seasoning as well as lime juice and zest, mix well and cook on low heat for about 3-4 minutes stirring constantly until tomatoes fall apart. Add the snap peas and mix in.  Reduce heat again to simmer and add yogurt and mint and cilantro and mix until all yogurt is blended in.  Take off heat & Serve over rice or with Indian Naan bread.

Ger-Nis Mild Curry Seasoning
Makes 1 cup

A delicious yet mild curry seasoning that can be made and stored for up to six months in a glass jar for future use!

Ingredients

4 tablespoons ground cumin
4 tablespoons ground coriander
5 tablespoons ground turmeric
2 teaspoons ground mild mustard powder
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground mace
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground mace
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper

Directions

In a mixing bowl mix together all ingredients place in a jar and store for up to six months!

I met Rafi within the first year I moved to NYC.  It was an ironic meeting- we each had a mutual friend who met and wanted to date each other so one day they dragged us out with them out to dinner as dinner companions for them.  I was immediately drawn to this guy, his humor, his funny way of telling stories and his passion for food.  We have been friends ever since, eight years later.  His friendship has come to mean a great deal to me; he is one of the few friends that I never have trouble with. He has seen me go through life in the past eight years and watched me go through highs and lows.  Always critical yet accepting of who I am and what I chose.  He is the truest type of friend that requires not a whole lot of work to keep up.  We have had good times and plenty of good conversations to boot.  He has enlightened me time and time again over the many Israelis that had entered into my life throughout the past 8 years and there have been  A LOT!  Consoling me with matters of professional nature as well as matters of the heart, always lending his ear and more often lending his opinions, many of which were always hard to hear.  We have seen our businesses grow and we have seen our businesses go through hardships, always being there to support each other.  His Restaurant Miriam is one of my favorites around.  I try and have breakfast with him once a week if not every other week, to catch up and stay in touch.  His life these days is a bit hectic with a new baby, a new wife, the restaurant and a new bar coming.  I think the next stage of our friendship will be even more exciting!  He’s definitely unique and quite special, and I am happy to have him as my friend and fellow food frolliest!  He’s always trying to get me to eat more lamb since I’m not the biggest fan of it- always showing me new recipes and creations. This one is one of his staples, and one of my favorites at this time of year.  Passover is a time when families and friends come together, and food is an intricate part of the celebration. Rafi’s events whether for a religious holiday, birthday or just friends meeting up, always has a bounty of food and drink and lots and lots of good ole’ love!

Passover Roasted Leg of Lamb
Serves 10-12 

Ingredients

½ cup fresh rosemary leaves, chopped fine
1 tablespoon cloves, whole
1 tablespoon cardamom, seeds
2 tablespoons, coriander, whole
1 tablespoon cumin powder
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
6 pound leg of lamb, trimmed of fat
6 garlic cloves, chopped fine
2 medium yellow onions, divided into 12 wedges or cubes
2 bottles dry red wine
8 cups veal or chicken stock
1 pound or approximately 1 ½ cups dried prunes
Salt

Directions

Mix the rosemary and the spices together in a small mixing bowl.  Rub the mixture all over the leg of lamb, carefully coating each section.  Place the leg of lamb in a large bin or bowl and add the garlic and the onions and cover with the red wine.  Allow the leg of lamb to marinate for at least one day.

Preheat oven to 350° F.  In a large roasting pan, place the leg of lamb and the marinade.  Add the veal or chicken stock and the dried prunes.  Season the mixture with salt.  Cover with aluminum foil and roast for about4-6 hours or until the lamb is falling of the bone tender.

Maultaschen is a Swabian specialty food.  First I like you said, “Where the hell is Swabia”?  And the answer would be at the southern tip of Germany near Switzerland, which is where my dear friend Renato comes into the picture since he lives in Switzerland.  Renato was a financial intern here at Ger-Nis last summer and he brought us this dish and over the summer we, along with Renato made it our own while still keeping it traditional!

Maultaschen is basically a ravioli or dumpling, although we think its more like a ravioli, traditionally its filled with different chopped up meats, spinach, onions, bread crumbs and herbs and spices.  Maultaschen is also most commonly larger than ravioli sometimes they can even be up to the size of a small hand!  They can either be steamed or fried in a pan but typically served with butter and onions.

Last summer with Renato, we insisted that the little critters would have to be steamed and we also made him make them vegetarian for us.

Now the rumor is that in Swabia or southern Germany monks invented the Maultaschen as a way to eat meat during lent. They believed that it would be undetectable since the meat was concealed in pasta, we like this idea and as there is indeed a sneaky side to Renato, we feel this dish is fitting  for him!

Here is one of the recipes that arose from our summer kitchen play  with Renato, a lighter healthier version of his German/Swabian rooted dish!

Herbal Maultaschen In Onion Broth

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 recipe of Ger-Nis Pasta dough (click here for recipe)
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 small shallot, chopped fine
1 medium red onion, half of it sliced and the other half, chopped fine
½ pound ground chicken
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cracked pepper
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh dill,  chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh marjoram, chopped fine
½ tablespoon fresh thyme chopped fine
1 cup steamed spinach, chopped
1 egg
½ cup bread crumbs (preferably dark bread)
3 cups Ger-Nis Sweet Onion Broth

2 tablespoons herbs reserved for garnish

Directions

In a small sauté pan heat olive oil and sauté garlic, shallots and red onion for a few minutes until onions are translucent.  Take out the red onions and put aside the red onions that are cut in half to use for garnish.  Add the chicken and nutmeg and cayenne and cook until chicken is done, about 4 minutes.  Add the salt pepper and fresh herbs, cook a few more minutes, remove from heat and add in spinach.  Mix Well. Add the egg and mix well, then the bread crumbs.

Roll the dough out using the instructions and using the filling make about 12-18 raviolis, about 3inchs X 4 inches in size.  Seal the raviolis well.   In a soup pan heat the sweet onion broth to a low boil.  Gently add the raviolis and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until raviolis are floating.  Serve in a low bowl with the broth, garnish with fresh herbs and cooked onion slices.

For the sweet onion broth

In a large soup pan, add a bunch of red onions skins, shallot skins, carrot pieces, parsnip pieces, and 4½ cups of water. Add 2 tablespoons salt, ½ cup honey, and 1 tablespoon black pepper. Bring to a boil, and simmer for about 20 minutes. Strain, and set aside.

The Vegan Muffin Master

Lili Dagan is a lady of many talents, we know this first hand at Ger-Nis where she impresses us day in and day out with her strong organizational skills in the office and her artistic touch in our marketing department.  But what we are most impressed by is her vegan muffin mastery.  A long time vegetarian with bouts of veganism throughout her life, she has perfected many vegetarian and vegan masterpieces.  Here at Ger-Nis, we have been on a hunt for a long time for a great tasting, moist and texturally superb muffin and we are delighted to say we have finally found this through Lili’muffins.  Our mornings here at the fruit and vegetable side of things can be quite hectic and super faced paced.  We always eat healthy breakfasts but sometimes we are pressed for time, so Lili’s vegan muffins, sustain us in the healthiest and most delicious way!!

She is truly a vegan muffin master, and we are lucky that she is sharing her secrets with us!

Lili’s Vegan Banana Muffins with Pecans & Dark Rum

Makes 12-18 muffins

Ingredients

DRY

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice 

WET

4 overripe bananas, smashed
3/4 cup melted earth balance (or vegetable oil)
2 eggs-worth Ener-g brand egg replacer
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 dram dark rum 

TO FINISH
1/2 cup pecans, chopped fine

Directions

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. 

Smash bananas with a fork until smooth (little chunks are fine), then add rum and both extracts to the bananas. In a small sauce pan, melt the vegan margarine on medium heat, stopping as soon as it is fully melted while not allowing it to boil. In a small, separate bowl, prepare your egg replacement mixture, then incorporate into the rest of the wet ingredients. You’ve made the wet mix, HOORAY!

For the dry mix, it’s as simple as mixing everything under the “dry” banner together. Make sure you do so thoroughly and evenly, and you’ll be fine. Next, finely chop the pecans until they resemble tiny pebbles. Do not mix the nuts in with the dry, but reserve them for the final step. 

Slowly fold the dry mixture into the wet mixture in a scraping motion, making an effort not to just whip it all together, but instead, allowing for some unevenness. There should be a few tiny stripes of flour visible within the otherwise well-incorporated ingredients – this is how rough you can be, and how important it is not to over-mix. Then, evenly fold in the pecans, and as soon as they’re in there, let the mixture rest. Muffin mixture success!

Line a muffin tin with baking cups, and fill the cups to the very brim with your muffin mix with the biggest spoon in the house – it seems like too much, but it will be just right to get a nice top. Slap those beasts in the oven for 18 minutes, after which point a toothpick inserted into a sample muffin should come out perfectly clean. Sit back and admire you fine handiwork. Devour noisily.