Something Refreshing & Light

Winter fruits are sometimes the most refreshing and sweet. They give your metabolism a kick start and help break up the heavy cold winter style foods like casseroles, and stews. 

 Winter Fruits

1 pomegranate

2 oranges

2 grapefruits

2 crisp apples (such as fuji or honeycrisp)

1 ripe yet firm pear

1 tablespoon sugar

Slice the pomegranate almost in half, from the crown halfway to the bottom. Use your fingers to break the two halves apart, then squeeze the halves over a large bowl to release the seeds and juices. Don't worry about getting all the seeds out; just get as many as you can without pulling out the membrane. Squeeze out as much juice as possible. Remove any bits of membrane from the bowl.

For each orange and grapefruit, slice a little off the top and bottom. Using a serrated knife, go around the fruit and cut off the skin and white pith. Holding the fruit in one hand and working over the fruit bowl, carefully cut the segments out from between the membranes. Be sure to cut only until you reach the middle of the fruit. Squeeze the remaining membrane over the bowl to release all the juice. Cut the apples and pear into slices and toss with other fruits. Add sugar and toss well, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chickpea Fritters with Yogurt Sauce

Sometimes we think fritters are kind of heavy and depending on the ingredients put in the mix they can sit hard in your belly. These chickpea fritters are light and airy because of the baking powder and a perfect meal served up top a salad or alongside your fruit salad from the recipe above. Remember that chickpeas are one of the most versatile ingredients, cumin, coriander, paprika, garlic and lemon give them a new flavor that can liven up any side dish. 

Fritters

1 15-ounce can of chickpeas*
1/2 of 1 jarred roasted pepper, finely chopped

1/2 shredded zucchini (squeezed)

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon tahini 

zest of 1 lemon

pinch of cumin
Kosher salt
Vegetable oil for frying OR lightly saute them in a pan with lite olive oil. (I also have baked them and they are just as good and even crispier. 

Add all ingredients into your food processor except for the baking powder and flour. Sift the flour and baking powder together and set it aside. Mix up in food processor until they are incorporated, but not mealy. Remove from container and mix in the flour and baking powder mixture with a spatula. Don't over work the flour to much or it will become glutenous and gummy. 

*For more flavor, soak a small bag of chickpeas in 1/2 cup of lemon and lime juice, spiced with 1/2 tsp celery salt, 1 crushed glove of garlic and a pinch of ground coriander. they make your chickpeas have an amazing flavor, if you have the time. 

Yogurt Sauce:
1/2 large cucumber, shredded on the large holes of a box grater. 

1 small shallot grated or a white onion

1/4 cup greek yogurt (or sour cream) 

small splash of white vinegar

Lemon juice

Kosher salt and cracked black pepper

And to make things a little sweeter. This isn't lite by any means, but maybe if you only have a spoonful it wont feel too heavy. I bet you couldn't just have one bite though. 

Nutella and Banana Bread Pudding

1 tablespoon butter
12 ounces mini croissants (about 4 to 6 croissants)
2 bananas, sliced into 1/2-inch disks
1/2 cup Nutella spread
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cream
1/4 cup sugar + 2 Tbsp. brown sugar

4 eggs, beaten

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat to 350°. Butter and 8- by 8-inch
baking pan and set aside. Slice croissants in half lengthwise and arrange half of
them along the bottom of the buttered dish. Scatter sliced bananas over halved
croissants, then dollop Nutella on top of bananas. Whisk together milk, cream,
sugar, and eggs and pour half of milk mixture over croissants. Place remaining
halved croissants on top, then pour over remaining milk mixture. Allow bread
pudding to sit for an hour, or up to overnight. Place in oven and bake until egg is
set and puffy, about 30 minutes. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

Tradition...Tradition!

What kind of food traditions do you have? We have many traditions, but some of the most important traditions revolve around food. Every culture or group or individual has a memory or taste or smell that evokes pangs of nostalgia and a loving memory. Food has such an amazing role to play in our lives. It's not just for survival. We use it for pleasure and comfort and it brings people together. For many cultures food is a symbol of hospitality and religious significance. How we eat, what we choose to make, how we serve it and how we eat it plays a profound role for our heritage and individual culture. With every birth, birthday celebration, holiday and death, we eat, we celebrate, we gather and enjoy.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner what food traditions are we going to experience? Is there always a turkey? Do you cook it traditionally in the oven and painstakingly baste it until it's picture perfect? How about sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, brown and serve rolls and sausage stuffing, oh and pumpkin pie for dessert? Do you ever try to add a new dish or experiment with a cooking method.

Each year I try to do something new or I try to discover a new way of cooking a particular dish. I have my set of traditional dishes that rarely change, but as the years go by, there is nothing wrong with improvement.

At Christmas time, Italians have sweet Spumetti that is a chocolate hazelnut meringue. In Italy it's a tradition to have the small children make the Spumetti or their version of gingerbread "Panforte" with their Nonna's (grandmother).

1 lb. hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
1 lb. confectioner's sugar
1 oz. cocoa (2tbls.)
2 tsps. cinnamon
5-6 egg whites

Preheat oven to 325 F. Cut baking pan liner paper or brown paper to fit 2 baking sheets and grease lightly. Put hazelnuts, confectioner's sugar, cocoa, and cinnamon in a large bowl; add egg whites and mix well until mixture is well blended--about 5 minutes. Wet hands with water and break off small pieces of mixture (about 1 tbl.) and shape into round balls. Place on baking sheets, 1 inch apart, and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Makes approx. 3 ½ dozen. Add some sprinkles...why not.

The Irish Barnbrack cake is traditionally served at Halloween time and it's similar to fruit cake here in the states. They hide a quarter, nickle, dime and penny, a button a piece of cloth, and a ring inside. Each object symbolizes some future event. When I was young my childhood best friend Kira would have a money cake for every birthday. All the kids invited to the party were so excited to discover a prize inside their slice of cake. I was lucky enough to be a nuisance in the kitchen and I would sometimes watch her Mom (who was my second Mom) bake the cake. It usually was a spice cake and she would slice a little hole in the cake and insert the coin or object inside, frost it and boy did it taste good.

Some of the oldest cook books are chiseled on stone tablets and come from the Middle East. Their food culture and traditions are so ingrained  in to their daily lives that they will never be separated. If you've ever had a dish at an Arab or Israeli home you'd know that each meal is treated with such care. Each dish is carefully prepared and represents some important symbol. Delicate and spicy, aromatic and fragrant, scented and syrupy-these are some of the words that come to mind.

Passover and Yom Kippur are beautiful Jewish holidays steeped in tradition. Even though the Jewish people are limited by dietary standards, their culture and life style have had the reverse of a restrictive effect on their cooking tradition. Matzo Balls Soup is a tasty dish that can be eaten all year long, but it's even more special when you make it with your "babba".

Homemade Matzo Ball Soup

1/3 C. vegetable oil + 4 eggs + 3 T. finely chopped basil, dill, parsley, rosemary and sage + 1 1/2 tsp. salt + 1/4 tsp. pepper + 1 C. matzo meal + 2 chicken breasts chopped + 2 small onions diced + 3 quarts water + 2 celery stalk, cut in to chunks + 3 large carrots, sliced + 1 bunch dill + 1 bay leaf

For matzo balls : combine, oil, eggs, herbs, salt and pepper. mix up well, stir in matzo meal, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Boil a pot of water at least 3 quarts with 1 tsp. salt. Shape matzo balls and drop them into the boiling water. Simmer for 20min. Transfer the matzo ball to plate to rest. Soup: Put all ingredients in a large pot including chicken and simmer on medium for 3 hrs or until carrots are tender. Before serving, put the matzo balls back in the soup and serve. 

Since our little boy came around we've started some new traditions in our own home. Each Christmas Eve, we make homemade soft pretzels and after opening presents on Christmas morning we all cook in the kitchen together with matching aprons, baking sticky, pull apart bread with pecans and fruit. It's the time you spend together that matter and why not learn with each other as you do it. Experiment, enjoy and taste and make your memories.

Homemade Soft Pretzels

1 tablespoon yeast

1 tablespoon sugar

2 cups warm water

1 cup flour

4 cups flour, mixed with

1 tablespoon salt, more flour if needed

1 egg

1 tablespoon water

coarse salt 

pcs. roll each piece into 14" ropes, shape the pretzel and place on greased cookie sheet (don't skip this step it really matters). Cover them and let them rise about 15 minutes. Simmer a stock pot full of water and drop each pretzel in to the water for 1 minute. Place back on oiled sheet. Brush each one with egg wash, sprinkle with course salt ( I use margarita salt which can be found by the margarita mix) bake at 450º for 12 minutes.

Whether it's a tradition from the old country, or if it's right here in our amazing American backyard, that is very culturally diverse we love it and we celebrate it with eating. Keep your traditions going strong in hopes that they will be passed down for generations to come.

 Pineapple Upside-down Bread Pudding
1 1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. white sugar
1 c. brown sugar
1 t. vanilla
2 T. coconut milk
1/2 c. pineapple juice (reserved from can)
1 1/2 c. pineapple tidbits (the amount of pineapple in a 20 oz. can)
Dash of salt
1 T. fresh lemon juice
6 eggs
1/2 c. shredded coconut

8-10 glace maraschino cherries halved

4 c. (packed) white bread, cubed

Spray 9×13 pan. Cube bread and place in the bottom of the pan. Mix together the milk, pineapple juice, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla, salt, eggs, and lemon juice. Whip together until smooth. Add the pineapple and coconut. Arrange your halved glace cherries inside the bread. Pour mixture over the bread pieces. Bake at 350 for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Caramel Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. pineapple juice
3 T. coconut milk
1 t. fresh lemon juice

In a sauce pan, melt the butter and brown sugar until the sugar begins to dissolve. Turn heat to medium high and add the pineapple juice and boil for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thickened. Once the sauce has begun to thicken, add the coconut milk and lemon juice. Remove from heat and set aside until pudding is done.
Heavy whipping cream
Whip until stiff peaks form. Add a few teaspoons sugar. You can put a maraschino cherry right on top too.

Pin It