Rock'n Moroccan Passover Casserole!



Before baking.
(Once baked it looks exactly the same except for browner.)



I know once upon a time I told you I'd stay away from making untested main dishes for holidays, but turns out I can't help myself. Finding Passover-friendly meals from what I had in my cupboard/fridge was a fun challenge. And I'm glad I went ahead with it, otherwise I wouldn't have served this dish. Plus, it amuses me that my previous main-dish-for-holiday-fiasco and this sucessful dish are both Moroccan-style.

The cookbook says this casserole is "popular Moroccan Passover fare," and I can see why. Delicious! Go, Morocco!

Moroccan Mashed Potato Casserole (Batata bil Firan)

from Olive Trees and Honey

• 2 lbs unpeeled baking (russet) potatoes, scrubbed
• 2 tsp table salt or 4 tsp kosher salt
• 3 Tbls vegetable oil
• 3 onions, chopped
• 1-2 cloves garlic, mashed (optional)
• 6 large eggs
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp ground tumeric
• 1 carrot, diced and cooked until tender
• 1 cup green peas or 4 scallions, sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley or cilantro

1. Put the potatoes in a large pot and add cold water to cover by 1 inch and 1 teaspoon of the table salt or 2 teaspoons of the kosher salt. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until fork-tender, about 25 mins. Drain. Peel the potatoes while still warm, run them through a food mill or ricer or mash with a potato masher.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
3. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until lightly golden, about 15 mins. If using, add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
4. Beat the eggs into the potatoes, one at a time. Stir in the remaining salt, the pepper, and tumeric. Add the onions, cooked carrot, peas, and parsley.
5. Generously oil a shallow 8-cup baking dish, such as an 8-inch square or 7-by-11-inch dish, then heat in the oven until hot, about 3 mins. Carefully spoon the potato mixture into hte baking dish. Bake until golden and set, about 50 mins. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variation~ 

Dairy Potato Casserole: Reduce the eggs t o2 adn add 1 cup cream cheese or 1 cup sour cream, or 3/4 cup cream chees and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese. Bake the casserole for about 40 mins, sprinkle with 1/2 cup grated Parmesan or shredded Cheddar cheese, and continue baking for about 10 mins.

I made the straight recipe, omitting the peas because I didn't have any on-hand. I'm glad I caught that the carrot was to be added already-cooked (zapped it in the microwave). And it was great.

I'd make this again in a flash. More satisfying than plain mashed potatoes so a big serving can be served as a main dish or a smaller scoop could be a side.

Baked Apples

ready for the baking

I made an attempt at a Passover meal this year and was pleased with the results. Also, it was a fantastic opportunity to use my cookbooks!

Starting with the last first, here is the evening's dessert:  a delicious and simple recipe from my current go-to, Laurel's Kitchen.

Baked Apples

from The New Laurel's Kitchen

4 large flavorful apples

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup chopped walnuts or filberts

zest of 1/2 lemon

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 Tbls brown sugar

pinch salt

1 tsp flour

3/4 cup apple juice [I actually used lemonade]

Preheat oven to 350. Core apples and place in a greased baking dish with a cover. It's good if the apples are a snug fit: if not, cut up a fifth apple and tuck it around.

Mix the wheat germ, raisins, nuts, lemon zest, cinnamon, sugar, and salt and press lightly into the apple cores. Mix the flour and juice and pour over the apples.

Bake 40 minutes or until the apples are very soft. Let cool slightly before serving for best flavor.

Serves 4.

Variation:

Substitute 2 Tbls toasted sesame seeds for the nuts and use 6 Tbls of raisins.

I used the straight recipe (though I like the sound of the variation), substituting matzo meal for the germ/flour and lemonade for the apple juice (used what I had).

Imagine I'll make this many times in the years to come---apples are a favorite (inexpensive) fruit and for a dessert this is high fiber and includes protein. Can't ask for much more!

Carrot & Parsley Salad

Once upon a time I made this before. This weekend I made it again. So there you have it. 

Yes, it counts.

Carrot and Parsley Salad
from Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home

• 3 1/2 cups grated carrots

• 1 bunch parsley, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

• 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed

• 3 Tbls fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 1/2 tsp salt 

• freshly ground pepper, to taste

Combine the carrots, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper in a serving bowl and toss well. 

Variations

• Add 1 Tbls of chopped fresh mint
• Add 1 Tbls of chopped fresh chives
• Add 1 tsp of ground cumin

We enjoyed it the first time and we enjoyed it again. Nice way to use extra parsley for those times you buy an enormous bunch of parsley but have no idea why you did it. Crazy person.

BBQ Sauce

My husband was grilling for the first time this year and felt inspired to make homemade barbecue sauce. He kindly let me whip it together so I could claim it for this blog. Hurray! Another sauce toward this year's goal (3rd of 24)!

From the Joy of Cooking:

Barbecue Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 1 cup cider vinegar or red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 Tbls dry mustard
• 4 Tbls chili powder, or to taste
• 1 Tbls grated, peeled fresh ginger, or 1 tsp ground
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbls vegetable oil
• 3 sliced lemon

Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring often, until the sauce comes to a simmer.  

Simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the lemon slices if desired.  

This sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

Makes about 2 cups.

Our verdict:  It was much thinner than what you expect from a commercially-bottled sauce, but it was tasty. I don't know if I'd rush to make this exact recipe again;  I would probably try out a few different BBQ sauce versions from my other cookbooks, to compare to this one. But certainly it was fine. Had a zest to it. Easy to make. All-in-all to be considered a successful receipe.

Yogurt Sauce

Faced with a rapidly expiring (already past date, but still good) container of plain yogurt, I turned to Laurel's Kitchen for inspiration.

from The New Laurel's Kitchen:

Yogurt Sauce

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 Tbls oil [I used EVOO]
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds [I only had about 1/8 cup. Just fine.]
• 1 Tbls lemon juice
• 1/8 tsp salt [I used a bit more. I like my salt!]
• pepper to taste [I also like my pepper!]
• 1/2 - 1 cup plain yogurt [I used a heaping cup]

Saute the onion in the oil. In a separate pan, toast the sesame seeds [takes just a few mins, constantly sturring the seeds]. Put all ingredients into the blender [food processor] and puree. Thin if desired with additional yogurt or buttermilk [I didn't need to thin].

The recipe intro had suggested this sauce as a nice accompanyment to boiled potatoes, for a potato salad. And, whatdoyaknow but I had rapidly expiring (but still hangin' in there!) red potatoes in the cupboard. Boiled them in their jackets and sliced them up. Combined the taters and the sauce. Perfect.

An excellent way to cook with plain yogurt. And another sauce for my Twenty-Four-New-Sauces-in-2012 self-challenge!

Pie for Dinner!

Do you love complements and enjoy savory pie? I've got the perfect recipe! This is one of those dishes I can remember my mother making. I think I enjoyed it back then (I hope I told her so?), and I know my family and I enjoy it now!

from Recipes for a Small Planet by Ellen Buchman Ewald:

Complementary Pie

• 3/4 cup raw brown rice (or barley), cooked
• 1/2 cup dry beans, cooked (use large colorful beans like kidneys or black)
• 1 Tbs butter
• 2 cups sliced onions
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp crushed dried tarragon
• 1/2 tsp worcestershire sauce

While the beans are rice are cooking, saute the sliced onions in the butter until they are very soft and just begin to turn golden. Set them aside. 

Beat the milk into the eggs; stir in the grated cheese, salt, tarragon, and worcestershire sauce. 

Then fold in the sauteed onions, cooked beans, and cooked rice.

Turn the mixture into an oiled 10-inch pie plate. 

Bake at 325 F for 25 to 30 mins, until the custard has set and the edges are browned. Let stand for 10 mins before serving, then slice into wedges.

Variation--Complementary Pie with Crust: Prepare any whole wheat pie crust for a more elegant pie. Use a larger pie pan, press the crust in, pour in the custard, and bake as above.

Of course, much of the Small Planet premise (that ingredients must be combined in carefully-considered amounts so that the dishes contain "complete proteins") has since been largely debunked; it's not nearly so difficult to eat well as a vegetarian. But that in no way means that Ewald's recipes shouldn't be made and enjoyed. Reading through the cookbook is a pleasure (for me); it's interesting, even if its concern for amino acids is unnecessary, and the recipes themselves are well-described, delicious-sounding, and hearty. Plus, I appreciate her suggestions for sides, breads, and salads. Makes planning an entire meal simple. This cookbook is staying on my shelf, and this dish will continue to be a favorite for years to come.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

We made these a while ago but I'd troubles uploading the picture. (I know, I know. In the absolute oppositeness of usual food blogging, I usually don't worry about such nonsense as having a picture to go with my posts. But in this case, I knew it was there;  it felt wrong to continue on without it.)

          Chocolate Chip Cookies from Joy of Cooking

Position a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 375 F. Grease cookie sheets. Mix together thoroughly:

1 cup plus 2 Tbls all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda

Beat on medium speed until very fluffy and well blended:
8 Tbls (1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

Add and beat until well combined:
1 large egg
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Stir the flour mixture into the butter mixture until well blended and smooth. Stir in:
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Drop the dough by heaping measuring teaspoonfuls onto hte sheets, spacing about 2" aprt. Bake, 1 sheet at a time, until the cookies are just slightly colored on tiop and rimmed with brown at the edges, 8 to 10 mins. Rotate the sheet halfway through baking for even browning. Remove the sheet to a rack and let stand until the cookies firm slightly, about 2 mins. Transfer the cookies to racks to cool.

Our review:  As much as it pains me to say it, we ate these cookies because they were cookies--Hello, cookies!--not because they were good. We made two batches (separate days, different head bakers) just to be certain the first wasn't a fluke of disappointingness. But no. They're just okay cookies. I mean, yes, we totally ate all of them. But we didn't relish the experience. We just stuffed our faces with mediocre cookies and then felt guilty for not holding out for better. But, after all, a cookie in the hand...