Category: Tasty Recipes

Kasha Varnishkes

Kasha Varnishkes
Kasha & Bows

One cup of kasha (granulated roasted whole grain buckwheat) is toasted in a dry non-stick pan for a few minutes, then cooled. A beaten egg is added, stir to coat all the grains. Cook briefly over medium heat until the egg has dried. Add 2 c. seasoned hot chicken stock plus 1 T. vegetable oil, stir, cover and cook on low heat until the liquid is absorbed.
Meanwhile sauté a chopped yellow onion in  2 T. vegetable oil, or in schmaltz (rendered chicken fat), as my Aunt Edythe did. When the onion is nice and browned, toss with al dente bowtie pasta and then add the kasha. This is usually served as a side dish but along with a salad, makes a tasty weeknight meal as well.

Yesterday was the anniversary of my father’s passing, 38 years ago. I always light a Yahrzeit candle in his memory on this day, say a personal prayer, and spend a few moments “in conversation” with my Dad.

This year I made Kasha Varnishkes, like my Aunt Edythe (his sister) used to make and served it on my parents’ old china, Franciscan Apple. Also known as Kasha & Bows, this is a traditional Russian Jewish dish, one no doubt taught to my Aunt by my Nana, who was from Kiev.
I find the annual act of lighting the Yahrzeit candle on this anniversary very comforting, and along with the cooking of traditional Jewish foods, it helps to keep the memory of my Dad, Aunt, Nana and Papa alive.
Now, Passover is just around the corner, starting at sundown on April 8. And like last year, I am excited to host a Round-up of Passover Photos. If you are participating in a Seder this year, I hope you will join in. Please send me a photo of your Seder plate, Passover dish(es), or your Passover table. If you would like to use my Passover Round-up badge in your blog post, please feel free. There are no rules to take part, just email your photo to tastewiththeeyes AT cox DOT net, and tell me a little about you and your Seder photo. I am hoping that those readers without a blog will participate as well. Let’s share! I will post the round-up after the eighth day of Passover. Wishing you and your family a wonderful Pesach.

Deconstructed Chicken Parmesan

Chicken Parmesan
Egg Noodles, Micro Greens

A little after 3 PM today there was a knock on my office door. It was first-grader Myles. He came to thank me for a “really good” dinner last night. He told me he ate “a lot.”
Myles’ dad is my colleague and his wife just had a baby. To help out, we all signed up for days where we fix dinner for their family. We bring the packaged dinner to work in the morning and my colleague takes it home with him at the end of the day. My day was yesterday. I thought of preparing something green for St. Patrick’s Day, but um, Myles and his little brother, a pre-schooler, might not be too impressed.

So I called my sister-in-law, Kristy, to get her recommendation as she and my brother have two boys just about the same ages of Myles and his brother. I told her I was thinking about turkey meatloaf, and she nixed that right away, my nephews would not be impressed with any kind of meat loaf. She recommended Chicken Parmesan.

Upon further consideration, this was a brilliant idea. I would fix all the components separately. Mom and Dad could put it all together and heat it up in the oven as a casserole. Perhaps Myles would like just the chicken, with the melted cheese, cut into strips, like gourmet chicken fingers. And the little one, he could eat noodles with butter? Right? And it turns out, that is how it went down. Myles told me they added more Parmesan cheese too, perfect!

Procedure:
Chicken – Organic chicken breasts were pounded thin, seasoned with salt and pepper, dusted with flour, dipped in egg, coated with a mixture of panko bread crumbs and Parmesan, sautéed in olive oil. Transferred to a platter then topped with a slice of Provolone.
Marinara Sauce – Finely chopped onions and garlic are sautéed in olive oil with red pepper flakes, add a little dried basil and oregano, then crushed peeled tomatoes, simmer for about 30 minutes, salt and pepper to taste.
Noodles – Curly egg noodles cooked al dente.
And Micro Greens – my new favorite garnish.
Congratulations to the new big brother for a second time, Myles, and his family on the arrival of their beautiful new baby! And a big thanks to Kristy for the awesome idea!

Farmers Market Tamale

Handmade Chicken Tamale
Pico de Gallo
Micro Greens

Farmers Market in San Pedro
Fridays 9 AM to 2 PM
San Pedro is a community that is part of the City of Los Angeles

Baby Bouquet $3.00

Berries!

Pico de Gallo
Cherry tomatoes, quartered
Garlic, minced
Onion, finely chopped
Serrano Chile , finely chopped
Cilantro leaves
Olive Oil
Fresh Lime Juice
Salt

Ranunculus $4.00

One of my favorite stalls at the Farmers Market is the tamale stand. You can enjoy a hot steaming tamale with salsa roja there, or take some home and serve with the fresh vegetables picked up at the market: micro greens drizzled with olive oil and sea salt, and my fresh pico de gallo.
What is your favorite item at your Farmers Market?

Pi Day Math for Cooks


First of all – Happy Pi Day!
If you are a math nerd, this is a fun day!
March 14 or 3.14…and I did not just admit to being a nerd?!?

What is pi?
It is the ratio of the circle’s circumference to its diameter.

So here, my lovely Le Creuset Enameled Cast-Iron Tarte Tatin pan has a diameter of 9 1/2 inches. What is the circumference you ask?
That is where my handy little mysterious irrational number comes in! The circumference is the diameter (as measured by my whimsical tape measure) multiplied by pi.
The circumference of my Le Creuset pan:
pi d = C
3.141592653589793238462643383279502884+ X 9.5 = 29.845130209+
About 30″ around.
OK, I am off to bake a 30″ circumference apple tarte tatin!
Did you enjoy some pie on Pi Day?

(Portions of this post were written for Pi Day 2008, as some things never change, and pi is one of them).

Salade des Haricots Verts et Pâté

A Salad of Haricots Verts and Chicken Port Pâté
Over Butter Lettuce
With Shallots and Parsley
Drizzled with Dijon Vinaigrette

As you may have read in a previous post, we are hosting another themed dinner party soon, this one honoring Jackie. So I am researching my cookbooks for the party’s menu. First I came across the fabulous green risotto in Cooking for Madam, and now I am inspired by Marta’s Salade D’Haricots Verts. This is no ordinary green bean salad! It is paired with pâté! Marta prepares hers with foie gras. It would be excellent with a salmon, or seafood, or vegetable pâté as well.

Here, tender butter lettuce leaves are arranged on a plate with lots of chopped fresh parsley, add haricots verts and similar sized slices of chicken port pâté. Drizzle with Dijon vinaigrette and garnish with thinly sliced shallots.
The haricots verts were pre-cooked until just tender, shocked in ice water to preserve color. Serve all the ingredients at room-temperature for full flavor. The textures are luxurious and the cut of the pâté mirroring the beans makes a lovely presentation.
Great for a luncheon with crusty French bread and a glass of Grüner Veltliner, or as a smaller portion for a start to an elegant dinner.

We continue to be in love with Grüner Veltliner. This darling Austrian white wine pairs so well with many luncheon salads. I suspect it has something to do with the time of day as well as the wine’s character: Fresh. Juicy. Complex. Bright. Balanced. Intriguing.
If you have any ideas for our upcoming Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis dinner party please leave a comment!