Jewish Cranberry Holiday Chutney

When I lived in Northern Virginia, one of my absolute favorite  places to eat was Chutzpah (HOOTZ pah) Deli in Fairfax.  It is a delicious New York-style Jewish deli owned by former New Yorkers who just love cooking and serving up great food.  The food is hearty, and tastes like someone's grandma is cooking in the kitchen, portions are huge, and quality is great.  It's the type of food that you'd be proud to serve your family. 

Well, one of my favorite dishes from Chutzpah was their open-faced brisket and gravy sandwich with mashed potatoes and cranberry chutney.  Talk about gooooood!  Inspired by Chutzpah and a recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks, New Kosher Cuisine, by Mollie Katzen, this recipe is a real hit with everyone who is fortunate enough to try it.  It's fresh, it's healthy, and it has just the right touch of cinnamon to make you feel warm and cozy, and loved by someone special.  Try it for yourself, and it's sure to be a real hit!  This recipe alone is the reason why I stock up on fresh cranberries to freeze so that I can enjoy this deliciousness year round.

"How do I eat it?" and "what do I eat it with?" you might ask.  Well, you can eat it with your turkey if you feel so inclined, but I love it by itself as a snack or an after-dinner treat.  I love it on my holiday plate as a side, and I love it as a healthy snack with lunch.  In the Jewish deli, it's sold alongside hearty sandwiches.  You can enjoy this dish sweet or savory, and even with your morning oatmeal or yogurt.  I am not a cranberry sauce person, even when it's good cranberry sauce, but this is just a dream-of-a-dish.  It's a simple way to wow anyone at your next family gathering.  It is truly fabulous on a plate and, for me, the only reason to stockpile those bags of fresh holiday cranberries in your freezer to enjoy a taste of this dish all year round.  If you can't cook, you will shock them and prove them all wrong if you show up with this very special treat.  Well, enough talking...get cooking!

Jewish Cranberry Chutney

1 bag of cranberries (fresh or frozen)

about 2 c sugar (taste it as you add.  It should still be tart.)

Scant ½ c combo of tangerine, orange or fresh pineapple juice* (I find just 2-3 TB works better)

1 cinnamon stick

1c coarsely chopped walnuts

About 1-1/2 c chopped fresh pineapple

Segments from 3 tangerines (you will use their juice above)

Procedure

1. Place first 4 ingredients in a pot over low to medium -low heat.  Be sure to add sugar in portions, as you may need less, depending on sweetness of fruit.  You want the end result to be tangy, not flat and all sweet only. 

2. Allow to simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until cranberries burst.  Don't rush the process by turning up the heat, or your cranberries will be tough and bitter.

3. Remove the cinnamon stick.
4. Stir in pineapple, tangerine, and walnuts.

5. Refrigerate until cool and serve or freeze for later use.

Note: This has great shelf life if you can keep yourself from eating it!

This is a great recipe to play around with.  Substitute pecans for the walnuts.  Use pineapple or orange juice instead of tangerine.  Use canned mandarins instead of fresh citrus.  Use cloves or allspice in place of cinnamon stick.  This is a super versatile and forgiving recipe.  Have fun with it!

Enjoy!

Hearty Ground Beef and Veggie Chili

Hearty Ground Beef and Veggie Chili

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef

1 handful baby carrots and 1 stalk celery, sautéed until softened and pureed with a couple TB water

1 medium onion, chopped

1 medium bell pepper, chopped

 3 red serrano peppers, thinly sliced

3-4 cloves garlic, smashed

3 fresh tomatoes, chopped                         

2 heaping TB tomato paste

½ TB cumin

½ tsp cinnamon

1 pinch oregano

1 tsp chilli pepper

¼ tsp Mexican style hot chili powder

A few dashed Hungarian hot paprika

2tsp cocoa powder

2  maggi chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in ½-1c water

2 TB maseca

1 cup chopped portabello mushroom

Lots of salt

Few Dashes of pepper

Procedure:

1. In a small pan, sautee the onions, bell pepper, and serrano peppers in a TB lard or vegetable oil until translucent.  Stir in garlic and sautee until fragrant.

2. Meanwhile, over medium heat, sautee ground beef, being sure to break up the beef with a spatula, until it begins to brown.  Strain oil off.  Stir in onion mixture, tomato paste, and carrot mixture.  Sautee for a few minutes.

3. Stir in dry seasoning and continue cooking.  

4. Once beef is almost done, taste for salt and stir in chicken bouillon and maseca.

5. Once beef is done, stir in portabello and chopped tomatoes.  Continue cooking until veggies have softened a bit, but still have bite, and the beef is fully cooked.

The Easiest Dinner Ever AKA Smoky Chickpea and Tomato Soup

Ever wonder what in the world to do with all of that juice on the bottom of the roasting pan after baking a ham?  I say keep it and freeze it up!  It's one of the best things you could have on hand for the tastiest bean soups all season long.  We made ham last month and, since I was craving chickpeas, not to mention a super quick dinner after a stressful week of getting ready for the kids to come back to school, I decided to whip out my trusty ham broth.  Few things make a bigger flavor impact with minimal effort than leftover ham broth.  I say keep the bone and use it to make a stock or throw it into beans, cabbage, or greens too.  Works like a charm each and every time!  Since I also stock up on red, yellow, and orange bell peppers when they are on sale, quarter them, and freeze them too, this recipe was a breeze.  Cuban-inspired, but done to my tastes, you and your family are sure to enjoy this dish with my favorite legume--chickpeas!  So here it is, a quick and  easy, hearty recipe for protein-packed chickpea and tomato soup.  It's so easy, your kids can cook dinner for you for a change ;)!

Smoky Chickpea and Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

1/2c – 3/4 c dried chickpeas, soaked overnight with ½ tsp baking soda and drained

Mixed bell peppers (mixed red, orange, and yellow bell peppers, equiv. of 1 whole pepper), in quarters

½ large white onion, in quarters

1 can spicy red pepper diced tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, minced

About 1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp cumin

1 bay leaf

Black pepper to taste

1-1/2 c Seasoned homemade ham broth, already brought to a rolling boil in a separate pot (do not use packet, use a ham bone and water)*

**

*Add more or less broth to your taste for a thicker or thinner soup

**My ham broth was seasoned very well, so I didn't need any salt.

Spice Things Up!

If you want to switch it up a bit, try adding in bite-sized beef or lamb chunks, or even potatoes, yuuuuum!

Procedure:

1. Stir together all ingredients and allow to cook on low for about 5 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender, not mushy or falling apart.

2. Remove bay leaf.  You may wish to remove the onion and bell pepper as well, leave it in, or puree it and add it back to the soup.  Whatever you choose, serve with steamed white rice and enjoy!

Spicy Cameroonian-style Grilled Marinated Fish *Poisson braise alla camerounaise*

Ingredients
enough mildly flavored white fish for four people (I like to use swai)

3 TB vegetable oil
1/4 large onion
3 cloves garlic
1 small plum tomato
1 handful parsley (about 1/4, stems and all)
1 small piece of ginger (about a 1" piece)
about 1 tsp or so salt
2-3 tsp pebe (cameroonian homemade hot sauce) *

*If you don't have this, simply add in 1/4 habanero pepper.

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to high broil.  You will broil the fish uncovered for about 15 minutes.

2. Place all ingredients in blender until very smooth and uniform.  You do not want any chunks.

3. Oil pan well with vegetable oil.  Pat fish dry with paper towels.  Brush fish with marinade on one side.  Halfway through cooking, flip fish gently using two spatulas and brush other side with marinade.

4. Check fish for flakiness with a fork.  Once the flesh flakes easily, it is done.


References: http://blogauxpoils.over-blog.com/article-32100488.html