Another Moroccan Shabbat (sorta)

Last week was a last-minute Shabbat special.

After picking up the Craisin challah from Jeff at What A Bagel York Mills, Meredith e-mailed me the menu for the evening:

pickle tray
beans and onions with crackers
Asian salad
chicken tajine with with honeyed tomatoes and chickpeas

After looking at the original recipe for the tajine (from Bonnie Stern's Friday Night Dinners), I switched up the method a bit (I wanted a one-pot solution, instead of going from the pot to the oven) and make things a bit more to my taste.

Hello Dolly Squares With No Nuts

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/4 cup toffee bits
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.
   
   
2. Melt butter, add graham cracker crumbs and press evenly into an eight-inch square pan.
   
   
3. Sprinkle on coconut, chocolate chips and toffee bits, and then pour the can of sweetened condensed milk evenly over the pan.
   
   
4. Bake for 30 minutes until the top is set and lightly browned.
   
   
5. Cool and cut into small squares.

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen

A sweet evening with friends and family

Last weekend I made the lemon chicken tajine for my mother-in-law and some friends. Since Jacob was with us as well, he decided to make (with Meredith's help one of his favorites for dessert: Hello Dolly squares "with Meredith's special ingredient: no nuts." Meredith actually substitutes toffee bits for the nuts which make them taste a bit like a Skor bar.

Turkey Kofta Curry

meatballs:

• 1/2 kilo ground turkey
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger powder
• 1 tbsp garam masala
•  salt
• 1-1/2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro

masala:

• 3-4 tbsp canola oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp garlic, finely chopped
• 2 tsp corriander
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp tumeric
• 1 can diced tomatoes, including liquid
• 1 cup water

1. Combine the ingredients for the meatballs and mix evenly; form into equal-sized balls and set aside.
   
   
2. Heat oil on medium and fry onions for 5-8 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and fry for an additional 2-3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, stirring occasionally and fry until oil begins to separate.
   
   
3. Add water and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and gently add meatballs.
   
   
4. Cover and let simmer for 5-7 minutes, then gently stir mixture. Continue to let mixture simmer, uncovered until the sauce reduces and the meatballs are fully cooked.
   

Serve with basmati rice.

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen

Recipe writing

My career as a civil servant has me constantly reviewing documents for spelling, grammar, logical flow, and format. Finding a good recipe also requires the instructions to be clear and complete -- so that your reader can easily follow the instructions.

A couple of weekends ago, Meredith asked me to make her a curry for supper. Since there weren't any boneless-skinless chicken breasts at the grocery store, I decided to buy some ground turkey and look up a meatball curry recipe. What I found looked good at first, but was lacking.

The ingredients weren't in the correct order or separated for different parts of the recipe, and some ingredients in the instructions were missing from the ingredients list altogether. In addition, the recipe called for a kilo of beef, and I had 1/2 kilo of turkey (much leaner).

I re-wrote the recipe, adjusting quantities and other things to make it my own. For all the editing I've been doing at work, this gave me the bigger sense of accomplishment.

Maybe I should re-visit some earlier posts and make sure those recipes flow.

Pimenton

Last Saturday, Meredith and I were walking down Mt. Pleasant and I noticed a new storefront, Pimenton: Spanish and Mediterranean Fine Foods. When we walked in, we found Chef Lola Csullog-Fernández behind the counter and Chef Laura Gildemeester walking out of the kitchen. Chef Lola taught both the Mediterranean and Spanish Regional Cuisine courses I attended at George Brown College.

At Pimenton, Meredith and I sampled some flatbreads and a feta and walnut dip. After picking a dip for the road an a ball of fried bulger wheat with bleu cheese, Lola handed us some traditional spanish cookies wrapped in paper -- exactly how my grandmother used to make them.

Pimenton opened its doors in January and is now serving take-away meals, and offering catering and classes.

Blondies

• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 2/3 cup (10 2/3 tbsp) butter
• 2 eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate pieces
• 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 13x9 baking pan; set aside.
   
   
2. In a medium saucepan heat brwon sugar and butter over mudium heat until butter melts and the mixture is smooth, stirring constantly. Cool slightly.
   
   
3. Stir in eggs one at a time; stir in vanilla. Stir in flour, abking powder and baking soda.
   
   
4. Spread batter in prepared baking pan. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and nuts.
   
   
5. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (avoid chocolate chips).
   
   
6. Cool slightly on wire rack. Cut into bars while warm.

(source: Better Homes and Gardens 75th Anniversary Cookbook)

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen

Double double

Friday night dinner at Penny and Dan's was laid back, but a bit confusing. Attending (without repeating myself) were Dan, Meredith, Penny, Meredith and Dan.

An offbeat Shabbat dinner included beans and onions, hummus, some of Penny's awesome bread and pizza. Meredith finished things off with some Blondies for dessert from the Better Homes and Gardens. She'll be posting that recipe shortly.

Dan, Dan's Meredith (the other Dan's Meredith, not my Meredith) and I watched some movie trailers on Apple's website. Most notably: The Hangover (from the makers of Old School), $9.99 (a stop-motion animation), and the new Harry Potter film.

Best poster ever

Okay, I'll plug the event too since I'm sure they'll change the poster as soon as they realize the error.

Sweet and Hot Moroccan Soup

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 onions chopped
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 5 tomatoes, chopped
• 1/3 cup raisins
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 4 cups water
• pinch saffron threads

1. Heat onions, salt and cinnamon in oil for 3-5 minutes, then add garlic and heat for another 3-5 minutes.
   
   
2. Add carrots, zucchini, tomatoes, raisins, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and lemon juice and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until vegetables are soft.
   
   
3. Add water and saffron, bring to a boil and heat on low for 30-40 minutes.
   
   
4. Puree and serve with couscous.

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen