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This Is the Cake of Our Affliction (and it’s awesome)

For being the “Bread of Our Affliction,” matzah sure is delicious! Here in the northeast (and probably in other areas with a large Jewish population), matzah is beloved by Jews and Gentile’s alike. Really.

Matzah, or ulevened bread is basically a giant delicious cracker that’s good on its own, but it also a great vehicle for almost anything else. I love matzah pizza, for dinner the other night I had matzah brei which is like a matzah and egg scramble and one of my favorite guilty pleasure snacks is honey drizzled on lightly buttered matzah.

This week, like almost every Passover of my life, I’m enjoying a different and unusual matzah treat; Chocolate Covered Matzah Cake.

My good friend Hans actually has a “favorite cakes” list. It’s one of the many things I love about him, but I’m not nearly as dedicated to cake as Hans so I possess no such list. If I had a favorite cakes list though, this would be on it (and probably that Brazilian carrot cake I made a few weeks ago too).

A dear friend of my mother’s, who sadly passed away, was an avid baker who came up with this recipe and it’s been a staple in my family ever since. The original recipe calls for margarine to keep this pareve for those who keep kosher so if that’s a concern for you feel free to substitute the butter. Also, the egg in this recipe doesn’t really get cooked so make sure you’re using fresh, organic, free range eggs.

Chocolate Covered Matzah Cake

  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 7 to 8 oz chocolate chips
  • 1 stick of butter softened
  • 1 egg (or 1/4 cup egg beaters)
  • 6 sheets of matzah

  • Manichewitz wine (or grape juice) for dipping

    Using a shallow baking dish is the easiest way to dip the matzah in wine.

In small sauce pan on medium high heat or microwave melt together sugar, water and chocolate chips. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.

Add butter and egg and stir until smooth.

Dip one sheet of matzah in the wine for about 10 seconds, place on plate or cake platter and pour some of the chocolate mixture to coat.

Repeat with all remaining matzah until cake is completely covered with chocolate.

Refrigerate over night.

The next day the matzah will have softened and the chocolate should have a frosting like consistency.

Slice of Chocolate Covered Matzah Cake. Yum!

ENJOY!

My One and Only Family Recipe

I do not come from a long line of cooks. My mom is an awesome cook. My grandmother is a pretty good cook  which is amazing considering that both her mother and grandmother were terrible cooks with no love of the culinary arts which means we don’t really have family recipes except for our matzah balls. It is the only recipe that generations of Juettner/Bendit/Buchanan/Lander women share and it’s one of my all time favorite foods.

Traditionally matzah balls are made by using only matzah meal, matzah ground fine to mimic flour, but my family recipe is uniques because it also uses actual matzah. This recipe has been handed down by word of mouth so no actual recipe exists and few ingredients are actually measured. As I watch my mom making them, something I haven’t been brave enough to do myself yet, I’ll say things like, “So you add a tablespoon of sugar?” To which she responds, “Um I don’t know, that sounds like it’s probably right.”

I took pictures of my mom making them this year and I’m going to do my best to put an actual recipe together. It’s really hard to get an accurate measurement of the salt and sugar since my mom won’t be in your kitchen saying, “Yea that looks about right,” but start conservatively and give the mixture a taste as you go. The mixture should taste like a slightly sweeter version of the matzah itself.

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Buchanan* Family Matzah Balls

  • 6 sheets of matzah broken in to pieces
  • Water to cover matzah pieces
  • 3 eggs separated
  • 1 Tablespoon sugar (give or take)
  • 1 teaspoon salt (give or take)
  • 2/3 cup matzah meal (we think)

Break up matzah sheets in a bowl and cover pieces with warm water for about 20 second.

Drain matzah and mush together softened pieces with your hands to break up.

Beat egg yolks with fork. Mix egg yolks, salt and sugar in to mushed up matzah.

With electric beater, beat egg whites to soft peaks.

Gently fold egg whites in to matzah mixture.

Stir in matzah meal until mix begins to bind together. Do not overmix.

Form in to balls (larger than golf, smaller than tennis) with wet hands.

Refrigerate for a few hours.

Boil for 20 minutes in salted water.

Serve in chicken soup.

Yield 12-14 matzah balls

*In case you’re wondering how the most Scottish name of all time “Buchanan” got in to a Jewish family’s history, after my grandfather got out of Germany he made his way to England and joined the army there where his name was changed from Buchbinder to Buchanan

Ancient Holidays, New Traditions

Tonight is the start of Passover which just happens to be my favorite holiday. How could I not love a holiday that combines singing, food and emphasizes social justice.

I’m a big believer that rules are meant to be broken while traditions are meant to be kept. If this blog was about life and not food, I’d explain that further, but for now just go with it, k?

One of the coolest thing about Passover is that it steeped heavily in age-old traditions and still leaves room to begin new traditions. On the first two nights of Passover we have a Seder where we retell the story of our enslavement and coming out of Egypt, sing songs and eat a big delicious meal. In the center of the table is a Seder plate and on the Seder plate are certain foods that have symbolic meanings behind them. These foods have appeared on our Seder plates for centuries, but in modern times families often add new foods as symbols.

A few years ago my family started adding an orange to our Seder plates. There are a few interpretations of what the orange symbolizes, but I’ll tell you what it means to us. To my family the orange represents the inclusion of ALL people in our traditions and most especially the inclusion of Gays and Lesbians. See the orange isn’t something that’s been a traditional part of the Seder, but that’s no reason not to welcome it.

This year will be adding another symbol too, a tomato. No, the tomato doesn’t represent that we’re from New Jersey and are very proud of our tomatoes (though that is true), instead the tomato is there to remind us that, while we celebrate our own freedom from slavery , slavery still exists. Unfortunately much of this slavery exists in the supply chain of our food system and some of the most egregious examples are from the tomato growers in Florida.

The tomato on our Seder plate serves as a reminder that we may be free, but our fight is far from over. Our fight will not be over until all slaves are free, until all workers are guaranteed fair wages and safe conditions.

I hope you have a wonderful Passover, Easter or just a great weekend! Enjoy time with your family and friends, but please try to fill your table with only good quality, fair trade, sustainable food. And if this holiday weekend involves prayer for you, take a minute to pray that we will one day live in a world where all people are free.

Simple Suppers: Jamie Knows Best

I’m always shocked when people tell me that they rely on take out or convenience foods because they just can’t find the time to make dinner. I know that everyone’s life is different and has its own set of stresses, but even if you only know the very basics of cooking, it’s really easy to throw together a quick dinner. So, for a little inspiration, I’ve decided to post the occasional “Simple Supper.”

This was my dinner on Sunday night, a spinach, Kalamata olive and feta omelette with a slice of whole wheat toast. It was awesome.

I didn't let the pan cool down enough after I made the spinach so I got a tad too much color.

Omelettes are super quick to make, nutritious and yummy. Eggs are a great vehicle for just about anything so omelettes or egg scrambles are also a great way to use leftovers.

I tried to cut it open in the middle to show the filling.

Omelettes can be one of those foods that you can never get quit as good (read light and fluffy) at home as you do in a restaurant, but after watching this video from one of my favorite celebrity chefs, Jamie Oliver, I must say my omelettes are pretty damn awesome.

PS- I’m calling this “Simple Suppers” because it’s alliterative and I ♥ alliteration, but I don’t think anyone in the New York metropolitan area would ever actually refer to dinner as supper!

Otto Enoteca Pizzeria

Full disclosure, this is probably the 15th time I’ve eaten at Otto so I already knew what to expect.

Otto is owned by my number one most favorite celebrity chef, Mario Batali. I mean I really love Mario Batali, like I’d say I love him like I love a Kardashian and, trust me, that is the truest form I love  thatI have to offer. In case you’re wondering how Mario Batali feels about me (and really how could you not be wondering that), sadly we haven’t met yet, but I feel 100% certain that if we did he would love me as much as I love him and invite me over to his place to share a delicious meal with his family. Obv.

I’ve had the pleasure of eating at two of Mario Batali’s very expensive restaurants, Babbo and Del Posto, as well as two of the more moderately restaurants inside his fabulous Italian food market, Eataly. Otto, however, is my favorite go-to spot and I was back there again this past Friday.

The food at Otto is always great, they are fabulous with food allergies and the prices are super reasonable.  Otto was the first restaurant that started keeping my allergies on file in their computer system. These days many restaurants do that, but I’ll still never forgot that second time I ever made a reservation at Otto 3 or 4 years ago and, after typing in my last name,  the reservationist calmly said, “and I see you have the following allergies,” and proceeded to read all of my allergies back to me! Now whenever I walk in my server and the kitchen have already been prepped. How awesome is that!?

I often start out a meal at Otto by sharing a cheese plate with my dinner companions. Since there were 5 of us on Friday we went with 5 cheeses. Unfortunately I forgot to take a picture of it, but I assure you it was great. The best part of the cheese plate though is that you get the most awesome bonus accompaniment of truffle honey. Nope you didn’t read that wrong; Truffle Freaking Honey!

I make you want to lick the plate, but you can't because you're in public and you're mother raised you better than that.

The main menu at Otto consists of pizza and pasta only and I have to sheepishly admit that I’ve gotten the same pizza all but two of the times I’ve eaten there. Both times I’ve strayed my choices have been delicious and I’ve taken enough bites of other people’s dishes to know that the Otto kitchen rarely misses, but I still hate to stray from my Romana pizza.

All the pizzas at Otto are thin crust roman style, topped with  variety of fresh, and often seasonal, ingredients. The Romana, aka my perfect pizza, is topped with tomato sauce, anchovies, capers, chilies and mozzarella. The chilies are nice and spicy which pairs perfectly with the tang of the capers and the brineyness of the anchovies while the creamy richness of the mozzarella cuts right through those strong flavors and keeps them right in check.

Table for five.

I am the perfect pizza and I'm drunk with power; all other pizzas must bow to me.

When dining at Otto for the first time, I always warn everyone that it’s imperative that they save room for dessert. Otto is famous for their gelato, especially their Olive Oil Gelato. I know that Olive Oil Gelato sounds weird at first, but once people try it they’re usually converted. Think about really good olive oil you’ve had in the past. I don’t mean the bottle of Filippo Berio you have in your pantry for every day use, I mean the kind they give you at a great restaurant to dip your bread in. The kind that is light, floral and a tiny bit sweet. At Otto they’re using the good stuff in their gelato.

I must admit though that the Olive Oil is only my second favorite flavor. My favorite gelato at Otto is the Caramel which is not overly sweet, but has more of a complex burnt sweetness to it, similar to the top of Creme Brule. Per a past suggestion from a waiter, I usually ask for a side of sea salt to sprinkle on top to make it Salted Caramel Gelato!

Of course I had already started eating by the time I remembered to take a picture.

As always the meal at Otto was great. We only had two glasses of wine between the five of us and the meal cost $40 each. $40 at a celebrity chef owned retaurant in Manhattan is like giving the food away.

One other awesome thing to note about Otto is that if you’re gluten free for any reason they can do all pizza and pasta’s gluten free.

The verdict:
Food rating: B+
Service/food allergy accommodations: A
Overall rating: Super Yummy

It’s As If Heaven Was Baked In To A Cookie and Left On My Desk

On Monday  my coworker, fellow food lover and baker extraordinaire, Julie, came in to my office and asked, “Would you be interested in trying my Lavender and Thyme Cookies?”

Umm really? Is that even a question? Let’s examine everything that is right with the words Lavender and Thyme Cookies. Lavender: right! Thyme: right! Cookies: so so right!

And so yesterday, after confirming they were allergy safe for me, Julie brought me two cookies. I have to say there was one major problem with them which was; SHE ONLY BROUGHT ME TWO!

If shared between historical adversaries, these cookies could bring about world peace.

Seriously, these cookies were “knock your socks off, I want to cry they’re so good, I can’t stop thinking about them, when can I get my next fix” good. They’re buttery and not overly sweet with that beautiful aromatic and earthy flavor of lavender and then this subtle herby kick from the thyme.

I’m going to try to get Julie to guest post because this is a recipe that needs to be shared with the world. We can argue about a socialized health care system or America’s involvement in foreign wars, but I think we can all agree that great cookie recipes should be shared.

Kumbaya my friends, Kumbaya.

The Glass Makes All The Difference

There are two things in the world I love almost as much as food; beer and wine! So how awesome is it that I have a good friend who works in the wine industry and invites me to cool events? The answer is, really freaking awesome.

Last night I attended a Riedel Vinum XL Tasting hosted by CEO Maxmillian Riedel. For those of you who don’t know, Riedel is the premier wine glass maker in the world. They are like the Rolls Royce of wine glasses and the goal of this event was to teach participants how different glasses effect the experience of different wines.

From left to right: Pinot Noir, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvingon

We compared three different wines in three different glasses; Pinot Noir, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. In each and every case the wine was clearly best in its corresponding glass. When drinking the wine in the “wrong” glass you noticed that the wine that had lost of fruit suddenly became flat or the wine with the rich aroma of oak and vanilla suddenly had an unpleasant bitterness.

One of the most interesting parts of the tasting was at the end when Maxmillian said, “as wine drinkers, I’m sure you’ve been to plenty of tastings where you meet the wine maker and they ask you to sample their wines.” We all nodded. “And what,” he asked, “do they serve you their wines in? A plastic cup.” Maxmillian then asked us to pour our wine in to one of the plastic cups in front of us and smell and taste it. The change was unbelievable. It was as if the wine lost every single characteristic, good or bad, in the plastic.

Riedel does these wine glass tasting all over the country so if you don’t believe me you should sign up for one yourself and see. If you can’t get to a tasting at least try this; buy a nice bottle of wine. There are a lot of really nice wines out there for under $15 so you don’t have to spend a lot of money. Then pour some in to a small “white wine” glass, a larger “red wine glass” and a plastic cup and sniff, swirl and sip. You’re results probably won’t be as dramatic as drinking out our beautiful Riedel glasses, but I guarantee you’ll notice a difference.

Oh, and the best part, we got to keep the glasses!

“Penicillin cures, but wine makes people happy.”
Alexander Fleming

 

D is for… Denmark; A Taste of (my second) Home

Hej

Danish Flag

Fun fact: Restaurant Noma in Copenhagen is currently considered the number one restaurant in the world. Another fun fact: The renowned chef/owner of Noma, Rene Redzepi, is exactly one day younger than me.

I’m thinking of writing to him and asking if I can get a meal on the house. Since we’re practically twinsies not to mention the fact that I’m quite the Dankofile (yeah, I totally made that word up) I figure it’s the least he can do, right?

After graduating from college I spent six months living in Copenhagen and I fell absolutely in love with Denmark. I made great friends and have travelled back often to visit over the past decade. but surprisingly I’ve never made Danish food so the 26 Dishes project seems like a great place to start!

Today I’m making Frikadeller, Danish pork meatballs, which are a classic Danish dish. Keeping things traditional I’m serving them with potatoes, pickles and braised red cabbage, (though I’m using a red cabbage recipe I’ve made for years, but it’s very similar to Danish braised cabbage so whatevs).

I could write a novel before I get in to the recipe about why I love Denmark so much, but instead I’ll just show you in pictures that I’ve taken throughout the years. Enjoy!

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Frikadeller

  • 1/2 cup cracker crumbs
  • 1/4 cup whole milk, cream or half and half
  • 1 medium onion; grated
  • 1lb ground pork
  • 1 egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon cloves
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 4 tablespoons butter

Soak cracker crumbs in milk

Combine all ingredients except butter and mix well

Let mixture rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes

Form mixture in to approximately 2 inch meatballs, wetting hands in between to keep meat from sticking, and flatten slightly

Melt butter in large frying pan over medium high heat

Cook meatballs about 5 minutes a side until cooked through

Frikadeller can be cooked in batches

 

We are Danish meatballs. We are the happiest meatballs in the world.

FINAL VERDICT: B+

Like most traditional Danish food this meal isn’t fancy or nuanced, but it is hearty and tasty. I loved these because they tasted really authentic and reminded me of being back in Denmark. The pork is often mixed with veal, but I stopped eating vel when I was about 9 or 10, marking my first foray in to conscious eating. Even with just using pork and frying them in loads of butter, these frikadeller are surprisingly light.

Another reason to love Denmark is that they have some of the strictest food and agricultural standards in the world so, as with all my meat recipes, I really hope that you buy high quality, hormone and antibiotic free, ethically sourced pork such as Niman Ranch. And if you want to be truly Danish. make sure to wash down your frikadeller with lots and lots of beer!

 

Now that’s a Viking plate!

BONUS RECIPE:

My mom found this recipe in the NY Times about 300 years ago.

Braised Red Cabbage

  • 1 medium-size red cabbage, about 2 pounds
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
  • 2 whole cloves
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 cup orange juice

In large pot over medium high heat melt 2 Tablespoons butter

Stir in onions until and saute until soft

Add cabbage, cloves and salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes

Add orange juice.

Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 45 minutes

Stir in 1 Tablespoon butter and serve

Velbekomme!

Hunger is #NotAGame

Here are a few things I love; the Hunger Games, eradicating hunger worldwide and young people getting involved in Social Justice. If only someone would combine all of those things…

OMG they totally did!

The Imagine Better Project has partnered with Oxfam to encourage young people to take what they’ve learned from the themes of the Hunger Games books and apply them to the real world.

The Hunger is Not a Game campaign website has several ways for Hunger Games fans to get involved in global food justice. These include signing Oxfam’s GROW pledge or “sending a silver parachute” (something us die hard Hunger Games fans totally understand) by organizing a food drive. The campaign also asks that you tweet about the topic using the hashtag #notagame.

The Hunger Games movie is expected to do $90 million dollars in it’s opening weekend. That means a lot of people, including myself, will be going to the theater. Now imagine what we could do if every one of those people took action! 

So enjoy the movie, get involved in the actions and, in case you were wondering,…

Team Peeta!

What she said…

Kate's avatarSay Yes! Change Things.

… because we are hungry.

I care about sustainable food, access for the hungry and a viable future  for us all. I must, then, also care about water.

This year’s theme for World Water Day is: ” The World Is Thirsty Because We Are Hungry “.

  • It takes 10x the amount of water for the production of a 1 kg of beef, vs. a 1 kg of wheat.
  • By 2025, 2/3rds of the population could live in water stressed areas.
  • 90% of our total water consumption goes to the production of food.

 

 

Do you care? Then take action!

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