Lokshen Kugel

Today's recipe is for lokshen kugel, Yiddish for noodle pudding. I made it for the English as a Second Language class graduation potluck at my library on Tuesday, in honor of last week's Jewish holiday of Shavuot.  Among other customs related to Shavuot, it is traditional for Ashkenazi Jews to eat dairy foods.

 Ashkenazi means someone of Eastern European heritage.  In my case, my roots are in Poland.  My father was from Poland.  My mother's father was born in England, but his parents were from Poland as well.  This will be important in a minute.

Back to the lokshen kugel.  A kugel is a sweet or savory pudding, usually with eggs and mostly with noodles.  Savory kugels, such as onion or potato or broccoli, are made without dairy products in order to be served as a side to a meat main dish.  Sweet kugels can be made with or without dairy products, and served for dessert.   If you plan to serve a sweet kugel cold, I strongly suggest dusting with the optional cinnamon-sugar mixture since cold tends to dull the sweetness a bit.

The traditional Jewish-Polish-style sweet kugel, like today's version, is traditionally made with raisins, cinnamon and cottage cheese.  The cardamom isn't a traditional Jewish spice, but I tossed some in because it is a sweet spice that enhances the taste of the apples. 

Diced apple, not tofu.  Shoulda made tinier dice.

Sometimes a sweet kugel also contains fruit.  Mine has diced apple mixed in to make it healthy.  It also contains sour cream, because the cottage cheese and stick o'butter didn't make it rich enough.  But if you cut the kugel into 16 tiny squares, it magically becomes diet food and you can eat 3 or 4 servings without any guilt.

Lokshen Kugel
Yield: 8 hearty dessert or 16 polite party-size servings

Cooking spray
1 (12-16 ounce) bag wide egg noodles  (curly or flat)
16 oz. small curd cottage cheese
1 cup (1/2 pt.) sour cream
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (optional)
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla
2 apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped or diced
1/2 cup dark or golden seedless raisins
optional topping:  1 tsp. cinnamon mixed with 1 Tbl. granulated sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large (up to 13x9-inch) baking pan with cooking spray. Set aside.

Cook noodles according to package directions for a soup or casserole (about 7 minutes; do not overcook).  Drain over sink; run cold water over noodles for a few seconds to stop the cooking, then drain again.  Transfer noodles to prepared baking pan and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl stir together the cottage cheese, sour cream and melted butter with a wooden spoon.  In a small mixing bowl lightly whisk eggs, then whisk in sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom (if using), salt and vanilla.  Stir egg mixture into the cheese mixture with the wooden spoon, then stir egg-cheese mixture into noodles.

Add in the diced apples and raisins; gently mix with the wooden spoon until noodles are completely coated with the egg-cheese mixture and fruit is evenly distributed.

Cover pan loosely with foil.  Bake for about 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serve kugel hot, or cold evenly sprinkled with cinnamon sugar topping if desired. 

Blitz Pizza with Swiss and Red Onion

I really like pizza   I'll eat pizza on regular-ol' pizza crust, or on an English muffin or those thin sandwich thingies.  But the toppings are always tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese, and maybe a little Parmesan cheese if I remember, because theHubby only likes tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese (and Parmesan cheese if I remember) on his pizza.

But tonight I lived on the edge and made an edge-y pizza. With swiss cheese!  And red onions! 

What caused this break with tradition?  Was it because I found this recipe from King Arthur, which is supposed to be so fast to throw together that it can be made on a weeknight?  Because it didn't require massive kneading ... or any kneading for that matter?

Or perhaps it was because theHubby was in NYC tonight and I could toss any freakin' thing I wanted on my pizza.  I always wanted to try a red onion pizza, ever since I saw it in some magazine someplace, but never bothered before because I didn't want to make two different dinners (what, do I look like a restaurant?).  So this was my chance to be totally selfish ... the fact that it was just me was totally irrelevant.

I promise not to skip prebake next time.

The original recipe says to let the dough rise for an hour, bake the dough for 15 minutes, then add the toppings.  I was starving, so I skipped both steps, which is why the dough in the photos looks so thin and pale.  Still tasted good.  But next time I'll still skip the rise and leave in the prebake step, while stuffing a snack in my face to keep from keeling over.

I made a couple of minor tweaks to the original recipe, including the use of all unbleached flour (never gotten around to replenishing the whole wheat flour after Passover) and omitting the Pizza Dough Flavor (whatever that is).

I had used only about a half a red onion because that's what I had left in the fridge ... which wasn't nearly enough.  The quantity in the recipe below was increased to a much more better entire whole onion.   The amount of cheese, however, was just right IMHO, since Swiss has a more pronounced flavor.  But feel free to add more if you like.  The quantities, just like the shape, can be adjusted to personal preference.  Just remember the Parmesan cheese.

Blitz Pizza with Red Onions and Swiss Cheese
Adapted from King Arthur
Makes about 6 slices

3 Tbl. olive oil, plus additional for greasing
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 pkg. instant yeast
1 1/2 cups warm (110F to 115F) water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
6 slices Swiss cheese (about 6-8 ozs.)
1 medium-size red onion, cut in half stem to root, then thinly sliced into half-rings (about 2 cups)

Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil and set aside.

Combine remaining olive oil with flour, salt, yeast and water in a small mixing bowl.  Beat at low speed with an electric mixer (with beaters attached, not a dough hook) until all the flour is moistened. Increase speed to high for 1 minute. Stop mixer, then use a spatula to scrape sticky dough up from the bottom of the bowl.  Beat at high speed for an additional minute.

Scrape dough onto prepared pan. With oiled hands, press dough towards edges of the pan.  It will fight you, going part way, then shrinking back. Let dough rest for 15 minutes, then press dough to the edges of the pan (or as close as dough will let you).

Cover the dough and allow to rise for 1 hour for a thick crust (skip this step for a thinner crust and instead just let rise while oven preheats).

Preheat oven to 425°F at the 30-45 minute mark, depending upon how long it takes to preheat your oven.

Remove cover from the dough.  Bake crust for 15 minutes, until it's set, but not browned.

NOT pre-baked (see narrative above)

Remove from oven.  Quickly sprinkle with Parmesan cheese then cover with Swiss cheese.  Scatter onion evenly over cheese.

Pale, but delicious.

Return pizza to the oven and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until cheese is bubbling.  Watch to avoid burning cheese and/or onions.

Remove the pizza from the oven and place on heatproof surface.  Let sit for 5 minutes (to firm up cheese), then slice and serve immediately.

Thai-Style Basil Chicken with Rice Noodles

Did I mention I won boneless chicken a few weeks ago from Sarah of Food, Words & Photos, courtesy of KOL foods? 

Not the Far Side  kind, Silly-Billy!  Three large packages of skinless, boneless chicken!

Despite the heat wave we had that week, a prize package appeared on my doorstep extremely frozen and in perfect condition (protected by a reusable Styrofoam cooler). I picked up the first package labeled "Boneless Breast Fillet" and put it in the freezer. I picked up the second package labeled "Boneless Breast Fillet" and put it in the freezer. I didn't read the third and just tossed it into the fridge meat drawer to defrost.

 NOT Thai Basil Chicken

A couple days later, I made my ever-popular Chicken Marsala for dinner, a little disappointed that the breasts looked as if I did the deboning, but the flavor more than made up for it.  TheHubby, on the other hand, ate his serving, complaining between bites that he doesn't like dark meat.

No, all three packages were white meat, I said.

No, this is dark meat, theHubby responded.

Oopsies.  I had forgotten until that very moment that the prize package was supposed to be 2 packages of white meat and 1 of dark.  Also explains why dinner looked like it did ... dark meat doesn't neatly come off the bone. 

Fast forward to the end of last week, when I defrosted gen-u-ine breast fillet.  Which exactly what professionally boneless chicken breasts should look like.  They were larger and filleted even better than those I purchase locally, with very little fat to remove as well.

Decided to make something a little more different this time ... Thai Basil Chicken.  Unlike many recipes that use a few basil leaves for a little flavor, this one puts basil front and center.   Thai basil has purple stems, and the leaves have a slightly stronger hint of anise flavor.  If you don't have an Oriental grocer nearby, you can use Italian basil instead, just as I did (I don't care much for anise).

Sambal Oelek is ground up chili paste.  It packs a lot of flavor in those 2 teaspoonfuls, but also packs a bit of a wallop, so if you are the type who thinks ketchup is spicy, use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon instead.  Or sub with a 1/4 teaspoon of pepper (coarsely ground preferred).

The chicken was delicious, tender and juicy.  And, as opposed to the marsala, this time theHubby had seconds.  He said the chicken was nice (translation:  WOW!  This chicken is a keeper!).

Thank you, Sarah, and KOL Foods!

A copy of this recipe, along with a slightly different rant commentary, is available at Food, Words & Photos.

Thai-Style Basil Chicken with Rice Noodles
Yield: 6 servings

2 Tbl. vegetable oil
1 tsp. chopped garlic (bottled okay)
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch or so pieces
1 Tbl. soy sauce (regular or low sodium)
1/2 cup sherry (or chicken broth)
2 tsp. powdered ginger
2 tsp. Sambal Oelek (chili paste)
1 loosely packed cup basil leaves (Thai or Italian), coarsely chopped
juice from 1 lime (about 2 Tbl.)
coarsely chopped salted peanuts, for garnish (optional)

Start up a 3 or 4 quart saucepan with water and bring to a boil.

Almost done = proceed to next step

Meanwhile, heat large skillet over medium heat.  When hot, add oil, wait 10 seconds, then add garlic.  stir continuously for 30 seconds, then add chicken.  Let sear for a minute or two, then stir until chicken is mostly cooked on the outside, with little spots of pink remaining. 

Stir in soy sauce, sherry (or broth), ginger and Sambal Oelek.  Reduce heat and let simmer a few minutes until chicken is completely cooked through (no pink if pierced).

Three minutes is all it takes ... do not overcook!

The water should be boiling by now.  Add rice noodles and let boil for 3 minutes.  Drain well, then add to chicken.   Stir sauce up from the bottom to distribute evenly over noodles.  Taste and add more soy sauce and/or spices if necessary.

Stir in basil leaves just until they start to wilt, which will happen quickly.  Divide chicken and noodles among 6 dinner plates or pasta bowls.  Squeeze lime juice over each serving and garnish with salted peanuts, if desired, before serving.

No-Bake Mini Chocolate Pudding Tarts

For the Secret Recipe Club this month, I was assigned Natural Noshing.   Nora, who thought she was lactose-intolerant, discovered years later that her health issues were actually due to gluten-intolerance.  So after taking recipes and tweaking this and "putting a healthy spin" on that, Nora created healthy, easy-to-make, delicious gluten-free recipes.

You really should check them all out!  One is a chocolate pudding with the secret ingredient of avocados.  By an interesting coincidence, I had purchased a couple of avocados with the idea of making someone else's version of a chocolate-avocado pudding.  What convinced me to try Nora's was her extra step of serving the pudding in cute little nut tart shells. Nora is so very creative! Just about every ingredient has several options.  You could almost make this pudding every week for a year and never make the same exact recipe twice! Visit her site for all the options.

My accidental tweak was to omit the coconut because my eyes *blipped* over the ingredients list and totally missed it.   My on-purpose tweak  was to garnish with chopped peanuts.  I think Norah doesn't list it as an option, but I could have *blipped* on that as well.

There's only a little honey in the pudding, because theHubby doesn't care for a strong honey flavor in anything except honey cake.  BTW leave out the honey in this recipe for a vegan version.

Next time I'll layer pudding & peanuts better.

Instead, I added (relatively) quite a lot of extra sugar in order to reduce the avocado-y taste.  But it worked, because when I shoved a shooter in front of him, he ate it all, proclaiming it a "keeper."

No-Bake Mini Chocolate Pudding Tarts
Adapted from Natural Noshing
Yield: 12 mini-tarts plus 6 shooters (or double the tart ingredients to make 24 mini-tarts)

2/3 cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
4 pitted large dates (such as medjool),  or 6 smaller ones
2 tsp. of hot water, plus more as needed
2 ripe avocados
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 Tbl. honey
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
1 pinch kosher salt
finely chopped salted peanuts, for garnish


Line a 12 mini-cup muffin pan with plastic wrap.  For ease of handling, cut a piece of plastic wrap twice at long as you think you need, then use it to line half the muffin pan because it still wasn't long enough.  Repeat for the other half.

Combine peanuts, dates and hot water in a food processor; process for 30 seconds or until the mixture forms into a ball. If necessary, add an additional teaspoonful of hot water and process for another 10 seconds.  Repeat as necessary until the mixture holds together.

Divide mixture into 12 balls and place in prepared mini-muffin pan.   Using yet another sheet of plastic wrap, press balls gently along bottom and sides to create shells.  Note--wax paper will not work.  Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to firm up the shells.

Meanwhile, if you don't have an extra processor work bowl, rinse out the "dirty" bowl and wipe dry (no need to wash).

Cut avocados in half, remove pit and scoop out flesh; discard pit and skin (you can check out this page on how to remove pit, but photos have inconveniently disappeared).  Place in work bowl. Add remaining ingredients except chopped peanuts.  Process until mixture is smooth, stopping and scraping down sides as necessary.  Set aside.

Carefully remove shells one at a time by gently pulling up on the plastic wrap.  Set shells on a serving plate.  Spoon or pipe pudding into prepared tart shells.   If desired, spoon or pipe excess pudding into shooter glasses or small dessert bowls.  Refrigerate at least one hour to chill. Garnish with chopped peanuts before serving.

Shells and filling may be prepared up to 3 days before.  Cover and store separately in the fridge.  Up to a few hours before serving, fill tarts with the pudding and store covered in the fridge until ready to serve.

 

Cujo on left, guarding shooters against bizarre light patterns.

 Disclaimer - because this recipe is part of an online cooking group, many of the linked recipes below might NOT be kosher.

Oven-Fried "Yogurt" Chicken - Easy

Oven-fried chicken is so delicious, I thought I'd try a variation of a recipe posted a few years back.

Last time it was "buttermilk" chicken, where soy milk plus lemon juice equals buttermilk substitute.  But it's not thick and creamy like the real thing.  So I figured ... why not try marinating with thick and creamy parve yogurt instead?

Except there didn't seem to be a true non-dairy yogurt available at my local supermarket.  The Try-n-Save carried only one brand that, while labeled non-dairy, also sported a dairy hechsher (certification).

Until last week, when I spotted a new (to me) yogurt that was truly free of dairy cooties.

Pretend that the container on the right also says peach.

I would have preferred plain, but beggars can't be choosy.  Back in my distant past when I was a wee child, my mom would occasionally purchase those new-fangled frozen fried chicken dinners, the ones that included a tiny cup of peaches.  Being a kid, I'd eat the fruit first, slopping its syrup over the chicken.  Which made the chicken taste awesome.  So I reasoned that peach-flavored yogurt would make the chicken taste just peachy. And maybe the flavoring might mask the very distinctive soy taste. Um, no.

I'll just be polite and say that I don't care much for soy yogurt (of any flavor) straight out of the container.  But to be fair, I can't stand drinking real dairy buttermilk straight either.  Some things are just better as one of many ingredients in a recipe. 

Speaking of one of many, schug is a middle-eastern mixture of many different spices (depending upon brand or homemade concoction), with more spicy flavor than spicy heat.  You can substitute with crushed red pepper, or omit completely if, to you, even cinnamon burns your tongue.

I think the chicken tastes better if marinated most of the day. But sometimes I don't have my act together in the morning (or in the afternoon, for that matter).   So on those days of the week (which usually end in a "y") I glop the yogurt marinade onto the chicken, then immediately continue with the rest of the recipe.


Oven-Fried "Yogurt" Chicken
Yield: 4 servings

2 (6 oz.) cartons peach soy (or any dairy-free) yogurt
2 Tbl. fresh lemon juice
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 whole chicken, cut into eighths
 1 cup panko crumbs
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbl. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. schug or crushed red pepper (optional)

Combine the yogurt, lemon juice paprika, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper in a 1 quart bowl and set aside.

Remove most, but not all the skin from the chicken (so you won't feel totally deprived) and place in a high-rimmed dish. Spread the yogurt mixture over the chicken, turning the pieces as necessary to make sure they are completely coated.  If not baking right away, cover and refrigerate 4 to 8 hours.

Preheat oven to 375F.  Lightly spray a large shallow-rimmed baking pan with cooking spray.  Line with parchment paper, then spray parchment; set aside.   In a medium bowl, combine panko crumbs, garlic powder, parsley and schug.

Remove chicken parts from marinade, one piece at a time, and coat with crumb mixture.  Place on prepared baking pan in a single layer.  Spritz chicken lightly with cooking spray.

Bake for 45 minutes or until coating is golden brown and juices run clear when one of the breast pieces is pierced with the tip of a knife.

Forgot the Cole slaw.  Still in the fridge as of today.

Serve with mashed potatoes and your favorite veggie.  Cole slaw optional.