Apple Crumble

If you get a chance to do your own apple picking- do it! Driving right to the orchard, where you can set up a family picnic is an idyllic way to spend the day. Wander through the orchard with a basket in tow and breath the crisp fall air.

Apple picking is one of those familiar autumn traditions and with its bounty calls for an old-fashioned apple crumble. Easy to make and a perfect dessert to beckon the Fall season with warm baked apples.  An oat crust, that cracks audibly when you press it with your fork, sandwiches a moist apple filling in a cinnamon spiced syrupy juice.  Can be served warm with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats

¾ cup vegan butter or 1 ½ sticks vegan butter

4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin (fugi or cameo)

1/2 cup brown sugar

¼ cup water

1-teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ cup crushed walnuts

1 Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9-inch pie pan.

2 In a bowl, combine rolled oats,  and ½ cup butter. Knead the crumble until all ingredients are mixed well.

3 Combine sliced apples with sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

4 Firmly pat three quarters of the dough into the pan. With finger, spread the dough out into a thin layer. The balance of the dough will be used for the crumble topping.

5 Pour apples on top of the oat crust and then the water. Cut remaining butter into pats and place over the apples. This helps to emulsify the apples when cooking. Add remaining crumble on top of the apples, firmly patting into place. It will not completely cover the apples, but that is fine. Sprinkle walnuts over the crumble and in between the gaps.

6 Bake covered for 50 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 10 minutes.

7 Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Kale and Roasted Potato Salad

Kale is considered one of the oldest forms of cabbage, and native to the eastern Mediterranean, researchers believe it may have been grown as a food crop as early as 2000 B. C. 

Slice potatoes for roasting

Season potatoes with salt and pepper and layer with sliced onions. Drizzle with olive oil.

In order to properly prepare kale, make sure to remove the tough stem.  To do so, run your knife down either side of the center stem, pull to remove, and discard.  Then, coarsely chop the leaves into ribbons or pieces. Secondly, be sure to cook your kale until tender, but not overcooked.  This can take a little bit of getting used to, because kale takes a lot longer to cook than most greens due to it's thickness. When it's tender and turns a bright green, it's usually done.

Saute Kale

Now to this salad - which is more like a meal with the potatoes gently tossed in olive oil and roasted with sliced red onions, giving it a sweet tinge. A perfect light lunch as the weather turns colder and you need the nutrients of kale to keep your immunity strong. The kale is tossed with the potatoes, forming hefty servings once portioned out onto your plate. I like how the potatoes are a little crisp on the outside, yet not hard like a potato chip - the insides were still moist and a bit fluffy. Mixing it with tender greens coated in that tangy lemon dressing is a nice way to round out the dish. Simple, clean and a fantastic way to get in utilize my CSA share.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds potatoes, sliced 1/4" thick
1 red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 pound kale
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon fresh grated lemon zest
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 large clove of garlic, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, toss together potatoes, onion slices and 1 tablespoon oil - season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Spread mixture in a single layer between two baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Place into the oven and roast, flipping the potatoes and onions over halfway through, until the potatoes are brown and crisp, about 40 to 45 minutes.
3. Trim kale and slice leaves into large pieces - rinse well and drain, leaving some water clinging to the leaves.
4. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, lemon zest and mustard.
5. In a large skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high. Add garlic - cook, stirring constantly, until lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Add kale and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 4 to 6 minutes. Stir in mustard mixture, tossing well to coat - cook just until heated though. Season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. Remove from the heat and toss with the roasted potato mixture to serve.

Gluten Free Autumn Honey Cake

This past week was the beginning of the Jewish New Year, known as Rosh Hashana. The holiday signifies the creation of the human world some 5772 years ago. 

A traditional way to bring on the New Year is to celebrate with sweet edible things on the table, to symbolically express their wishes for a Sweet New Year. It's still not too late to make a honey cake for the New Year, since we are supposed to be eating sweet foods until Yom Kippur- this coming Friday. This recipe for Honey cake has been passed down through the generations with tones of cinnamon, allspice and clove, which are very grounding and homey during the New Year, when family gets together for the festival.

This honey cake is moist, soft and plush with a little crisp edge topped with almond slivers for an extra crunch. Another bonus with this cake is that it can be made up to a week in advance as it preserves really well. In fact, honey is a preserving agent and allows the spices to fully develop, so actually tastes better with time.


I find it so interesting that so many Jewish communities around the world have created their own signature sweet dishes for the Sweet New year. Among Askenazi Jews there is the custom to make a sweet noodle kugel and a sweet stuffed cabbage- just to name a few. So what are your traditional dishes that you make on Rosh Hashana?

Serves 2 (9-inch) loaf pans

Ingredients

3 ½ cups All-Purpose Gluten Free Flour

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1-teaspoon baking powder

1-teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground allspice

½ teaspoon ground cloves

4 eggs

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

1-cup vegetable oil

1-cup honey

1-cup strong brewed coffee

1 cup orange juice

¼ cup lemon juice

1-teaspoon vanilla extract

Zest of one lemon

1-cup raisins

½ cup almonds, slivered

¼ cup almonds, slivered for topping

               1    Preheat oven to 350°F

               2    In a medium size bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, allspice and clove.

               3    In a separate large bowl with an electric mixer, beat the eggs, gradually adding the sugar. Beat until thick and light in color, about 5 minutes. Beat in the oil, honey, coffee, orange juice, lemon juice, vanilla extract and lemon zest. The batter will be light and fluffy. Stir flour mixture slowly into batter. Fold in raisins and then mix in ½ cup almonds.

       4       4 Oil the two loaf pans and line bottom with waxed paper. Oil again and fill each pan with batter up to one inch from the top. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

      4   

Korean Scallion Pancakes ~ Pa Jun

Photo by Jennifer Jagusak

Korea is not officially part of the Silk Road, but East-West trade extended there, and as a result, Korea’s cuisine influenced and was influenced by the travelers on the Silk Road. Pa Jun is a Korean pancake that can be served as a snack, appetizer, or side dish and is commonly found in Korean street markets. It’s a crispy scallion pancake that is chewy and moist on the inside, with fillings of carrots, mung beans and seafood. Today you can find it made in many different variations in most Korean restaurants, where it is served as a starter with a dipping sauce. Though Pa Jun is typically made with a pancake like batter, my Pa Jun is gluten free, made with rice flour. It’s speckled with zucchini and carrots and served with a ginger-soy dipping sauce--all together, a sure recipe for no leftovers. These pancakes can be eaten alone without the dipping sauce, just make sure to add some salt to taste to the batter.

Serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

Pancakes

1/4 cup rice flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/4 cup water
5 scallions, green parts only, cut into 3-inch lengths on the bias
1 medium carrot, grated
1 small zucchini, trimmed and grated

Dipping Sauce
3 tablespoons gluten-free or regular soy sauce

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

Directions

       1  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the flour, eggs and 1 tablespoon of the oil with the water until a smooth batter is formed. Stir in the scallions, carrot, and zucchini and mix to combine. Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to allow the rice flour to swell.

                       2   Coat the bottom of an 8-inch nonstick skillet with the remaining oil. Set over medium heat. When the pan is hot, ladle in about a quarter of the batter and spread it out into a circle, tilting the pan slightly to spread it evenly. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until the bottom is browned and you see holes in the pancake. With a spatula, flip the pancake and press firmly on the top to squeeze out any remaining batter that is not cooked.

                      3      Cook for another 8 minutes, or until the batter is cooked thoroughly and the pancake is browned. Repeat with the remaining batter.

                      4      In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, vinegar, ginger, red pepper flakes and sugar.

           5      Cut the pancakes into small triangles and serve with the dipping sauce.

Purple Cabbage and Clementine Salad

Purple Cabbage salad courtesy of Devlyn's Photostream (www.SomethingClever.net)

Just as the waning days of summer are winding down, my CSA delivered a cute little red cabbage. Raw and shredded and dressed with sweet clementines and currants makes for a perfect summer salad that is perfect for large crowds.   

The peppy dressing does not cover up the beautiful bold colors of this salad. If you have a food processor with a shredding and slicing disc, this really couldn’t be easier to make. Without it it’s pretty east too, so don’t worry - as a sharp knife will suffice.

A colorful, crunchy purple cabbage salad that is accented with cranberries (or currants of your choice) and clementines, both of which are loaded with the disease-fighting antioxidants. It has a zesty, fresh personality and the citrusy dressing is quite a peppy blend, as well. This is one of my special occasion salads for large crowds; they always ask for more. 

Serves 8

Ingredients

Salad

3 clementines

1 medium purple cabbage, shredded (about 6 cups) or 2 (16 ounce) package shredded purple cabbage

⅓ cup pine nuts

2 carrots, shredded

1 to 2 handfuls of dried cranberries, or to taste

⅓ cup chopped scallions

Clementine Dressing

4 tablespoons brown sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

4 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Reserved clementine juice

2 cloves garlic, crushed

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

   1   Working over a bowl, peel the clementines, separate the segments and remove any white pith. Reserve any juice that falls into the bowl. Place the clementine segments, cabbage, pine nuts, carrots, cranberries, and scallions in a large salad bowl. Set aside.

   2   To make the dressing: in a cruet or jar with a lid, mix the brown sugar, oil, vinegar, juice, crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Close tightly and shake until all the ingredients are thoroughly combined.
3   3 Pour the dressing over the salad, seal and toss to coat. Refrigerate For up to 1 hour before serving.

Introducing my Food Photographer - Jennifer Jagusak

A few months ago I took a class at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC for a class on Food Styling and Photography. It was a weekend intensive course on the art of styling food with tips and tricks on how to make your food look mouth watering- when really, if you saw how food was made to look good, you would have to throw it away, unfortunately.


I met the creme de le creme of food photography Jamie Tiampo and James Peterson along with food stylist Laurie Knoop. With my Cannon digital Elph I muddled along to take quality photographs - well I tried to at least. Truth is after the class I am still struggling to take nice photos. Main problem is my digital Elph- I need to upgrade to a DSLR camera, the other issue is capturing natural lighting, and lastly props.


Since that weekend at ICE was so intense, I became friendly with the food stylist Laurie, who kindly suggested that I get a professional food photographer to take my photos for my cookbook. She probably saw there is little hope in my photo taking skills. She was fascinated by the concept of my cookbook- Silk Road Vegetarian Cooking made Modern.


Most of the recipes in my upcoming cookbook need to be photographed because very little is written- in the form of recipes about Central Asian Rice dishes. The rice dishes require prep time and planning and quite a number of steps, which is where a picture can help the home cook get an idea of what the end result should look like. Very important in a cookbook.

Asian Slaw on countertop

Laurie heard of a woman, Jennifer Jagusak who was looking to break into Food Photography. Lucky for me.... really lucky for me Jennifer lives in the next town over from me - Port Washington. I called her and she was enthusiastic to be a part of my cookbook on Vegetarian Silk Road Cooking. She never really heard much on that cuisine - let alone tasted it, so felt an interest to not only shoot the photos, but also learn about Silk Road cuisine.

Arranging a Beet Salad

A couple of months after that class at ICE, Jennifer came to my home on a Sunday morning with all her beautiful props that were perfect for the shoot. It was an assembly of bright vibrant color cloths, interesting shapes of bowls and plates all with a Asian vibe. It was perfect. Jennifer really understood what I was trying to get across. She also made sure to take photos of the inside of my home, which is an eclectic mix of African and Asian art objects and furniture.

Me and Flynn in my backyard. I know.... we both have so much hair, you can't even see us

On that Sunday, I prepared about 15 different dishes - focusing on the Appetizers and Salads. It was not an easy task at all! Although very exciting to see how Jennifer skillfully amped up the foods into cookbook quality photos.

Spinach Quiche

The photos presented here are the out takes and we don't intend to publish them in the cookbook. Wait till you see the mouth watering photos that will go into the cookbook. Stay tuned....

That's me

You will also find the link to the photos that we - the students at ICE took for our photography class. Take a look at the lineup of talent in my class.

Quinoa and Broccoli with Japanese Carrot-Ginger Dressing

I was in an epicurean culture shock when I first arrived in Tokyo at the age of nine to visit my grandfather, who had lived there for some twenty years as a rare pearl dealer. My parents wanted to expose me to Japanese culture, which included sushi, but I was not a fan of raw fish wrapped in lettuce of the ocean. I still remember looking down the street at rows and rows of restaurants in the Roppongi neighborhood, the epicenter of Tokyo nightlife, and spying not one Western eatery. Finally I succumbed to a Japanese restaurant and we ordered a carrot ginger salad. That was my first introduction to this delightful Japanese condiment. Years later, I discovered from Good Housekeeping magazine that this dressing, typically served on lettuce greens, fuses well with the South America grain, quinoa.

To save on time and pots, you can steam the broccoli in a steamer basket on top of the bubbling quinoa in a rice cooker. While you wait for those two to cook, a food processor or blender makes quick work for the warm orange colored dressing that clings so well to the quinoa. The sharp flavor of the ginger is rounded out by the toasted nutty sesame oil and soy sauce, and mellowed by the sweet ground carrot. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups quinoa

3 cups water

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 large head broccoli, cut into florets

2 carrots, chopped 

2 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into chunks

3-tablespoons vegetable oil

3-tablespoons rice vinegar

4-teaspoons gluten-free or regular soy sauce

3-teaspoons sesame oil

Directions

      1      Put the quinoa into a sieve and rinse it under cold running water. In a saucepan, combine the quinoa, 3 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce the heat to low; cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl.

      2      Meanwhile, fill a medium-sized saucepan with enough water to come 2 inches from the bottom and set over medium-high heat.  Place the broccoli in a steamer basket, and when the water boils, set the steamer on top of the saucepan. Alternatively, place the broccoli directly into the nearly boiling water. Cook, covered, until the broccoli turns bright green and is crisp-tender. Add the broccoli to the quinoa.

      3      In a food processor, combine the carrot, ginger, oil, vinegar, soy sauce and sesame oil and process until puréed. Add to the quinoa and broccoli and toss to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cook’s Note - Another alternative is to combine the quinoa with water and salt in a rice cooker and use the steam basket that comes with the rice cooker for the broccoli.