Hazelnut Bites & Coconut Cookies

 

200g ground hazelnuts 

200g caster sugar 

2 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 170C and line a baking tray with baking parchment. 

In a bowl mix the sugar, and ground hazelnuts. 

In a separate bowl beat the egg whites with electric beaters until very stiff. 

Gently fold the nut and sugar mixture into the egg whites until you have a smooth sticky paste. 

Use a teaspoon to place spoonfuls of mixture in circles on the baking tray approximately 2.5 cm apart. 

If you want to decorate and add extra flavor, place a flaked almond on top of each biscuit. 

Bake for 18- 20 minutes until light brown. 

Store in an air tight container in a cool room.

Coconut Cookies

4 egg whites 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

1 cup sugar 

1 and 1/2 cups shredded coconut 

Preheat oven to 120C. Line and grease a baking sheet. 

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat egg whites until stiff. Gradually add sugar and salt. 

Fold in the coconut. 

Drop tablespoon-size amount onto prepared baking sheets. 

Place baking sheet on top rack in oven and bake for one hour.

Israeli Matza Balls and Vegetable Soup

by David Guedj

Recipe for Kneidelach with an eastern touch. 

For the Kneidelach mix: 

A cup and a quarter of matza meal - 130gm

A teaspoon of salt. 

A spoonful of oil 

A spoonful of baking powder 

A glass and a half of boiling water (360 mm) 

2 eggs 

For the soup: 

2 potatoes, cubed

2 carrots, sliced

2 zucchini, thickly sliced

One peeled sweet potato cubed

Two stalks of celery thickly sliced

Pumpkin cubes 

1 sliced leek

1 onion in large cubes

5 whole dill stalks

7 whole parsley stalks

Half a teaspoon of black pepper. 

Two tablespoons of salt. 

Half a teaspoon of turmeric. 

Boiling water 

The preparation method: 

1. We will prepare the mixture of Kneidlach: Put in a bowl the matza meal salt, oil, baking powder and the boiling water - mix and put in the refrigerator for 10 minutes. 

During this time we will whisk two eggs for an  airy texture. About 10 minutes after the mixture has cooled down a little we will take it out of the refrigerator and combine between the eggs to the folded mixture until we get a uniform mixture.

Put back into the fridge for an hour to stabilize. 

2. We'll prepare the soup: In a large pot we will put all the soup ingredients listed above, including the spices. We will add water to the end of the pot, cover with the lid half open half closed and cook on a high flame for about 45 minutes. 

3. After 45 minutes, we will boil a pot of water next to the soup pot, and when the water has boiled, we will remove the kneidelach mixture from the refrigerator, and with wet hands we will make meatballs the size of a ping-pong ball and put them one by one in the pot. We will cook until the meatballs are floating and with a net spoon we will transfer them to the soup pot. 

4. We'll cook the soup with the kneidlach together for 15 minutes.

Plum Cake

 

3/4 cup (150 grams) plus 1 to 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

1/2 cup (115 grams or 8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened 

2 large eggs (room temperature) 

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract 

1 cup (130 grams) SR flour 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

12-14 smallish purple Italian purple plums, halved and pitted 

2 teaspoons (10 grams) fresh lemon juice 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Heat oven to 350°F/180°C. 

Coat a 9-inch springform pan with butter. For even easier removal, line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

In a large bowl, beat butter and 3/4 cup (150 grams) of the sugar together with an electric mixer until fluffy and lighter in colour. 

Add the eggs, one at a time, and scraping down the bowl. add flour and salt over batter, and mix until just combined. 

Spoon batter into prepared cake pan and smooth the top. Arrange the plums tightly in the pan, skin side up, all over the batter, covering it. 

Sprinkle the top with lemon juice, cinnamon, then remaining 1-2 tablespoons sugar. 

Bake until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into cake comes out free of batter about 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool before releasing the cake from the springform pan or turning out onto a cake dish.

Poppy Seed Cake

 

1/3 cup (50g) poppy seeds 

1 cup milk 

180 gram butter, softened 

2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1 cup (220g) caster sugar 

3 eggs

2 cup (300g) self-raising flour 

Mix all ingredients in electric mixer.

Pour mixture into prepared pan; bake 45 mins. 

Salmon and Mushroom Pie

 

220gm skinless salmon fillet, cut into 1-inch cubes 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh dill 

1 small onion, thinly sliced 

120gm white mushrooms, sliced 

1 1/2 tablespoons butter 

1/8 cup flour 

3/4 cup milk 

Salt and pepper 

Puff Pastry

Salmon and mushroom filling 

In a bowl, combine the salmon, lemon juice and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. 

Meanwhile, brown the onion and mushrooms in the butter. 

Season with salt and pepper. 

Sprinkle the flour on the vegetables and stir to combine. 

Slowly stir in the milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. 

Lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Adjust the seasoning. 

Add the salmon to the mushroom sauce. 

Pour into a mini sized foil tray - [double this mixture makes for a 9" pie]. 

Cover with the pastry dough and crimp or press the dough to the edge of the plate. 

Make a hole in the centre to allow steam to escape. 

Bake until the crust is lightly browned and filling is hot, about 20 minutes.

Cinnamon Coffee Cake

160gm  butter 

1½ cups granulated sugar 

3 large eggs 

1½ tsp vanilla extract 

1¼ cups Greek yogurt 

2½ cups SR flour 

½ tsp salt 

CINNAMON STREUSEL 

1/3 cup light brown sugar, packed 

2/3 cup all-purpose flour 

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

1/4 tsp salt 

50gm cold butter, cubed

In a large bowl, mix together room temperature butter and sugar. It should be light and fluffy; do not over whip. 

Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl. 

Now add in 1 egg at a time, mixing in between each addition. Stop and scrape down the sides and bottom of bowl. 

Combine the vanilla extract and Greek yogurt. 

In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Add ⅓ of the flour mixture to the egg mixture, followed by ⅓ of the yogurt mixture. Repeat 2 more times until all the ingredients are incorporated. 

Combine all cinnamon streusel ingredients with a fork until they reach a crumbly consistency, do not over mix into paste. 

Fill ⅓ of a greased muffin tin or mini loaf pan with batter, sprinkle thin layer of cinnamon streusel mixture on top of batter, then repeat process one more time so that muffin tin or loaf pan is ⅔ filled with streusel on top. 

Bake for 12–15 minutes, let cool, then serve

Mushroom Zucchini Risotto

 

1 tbsp vegetable oil 

1 small onion — , chopped 

2 medium zucchini halved and sliced into 1/2 inch pieces 

2 cups mushrooms — , cleaned and sliced 

1 cup Arborio rice — , rinsed 

2 cups water 

2 cups chicken or vegetable stock — 

Salt and black pepper to taste 

1/2 - 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

In a large deep skillet heat vegetable oil on medium heat and cook onion for 2-3 minutes until fragrant. Add zucchini and mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring frequently. Add rice, stir to combine.  Adjust heat to medium-high. Add 1/4 cup chicken stock and stir. Cook until stock is absorbed, stirring frequently. Continue adding stock and water, alternating, about 1/4 cups each time and cooking until the liquid is absorbed. Make sure you stir the risotto frequently. Test if the rice is cooked to the desired doneness, if not, continue adding a little bit of water/stock, cooking and stirring so the rice gets fully cooked. Add Parmesan cheese and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Broccoli and Parmesan Cheese Quiche

 

9-inch deep dish frozen pie shell 

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 

1 medium onion, diced

2 cups broccoli florets, sliced into small bite-sized pieces (make sure they are small pieces) 

5 large eggs 

3/4 cup milk 

3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook the pie shell for around 11-14 minutes until slightly golden (or follow instructions on the package for the specific brand of pie shell you have purchased). Take pie shell out of the oven and let cool to room temperature. Lower the temperature of the oven to 325°F. 

In a medium sized pan over medium heat, add olive oil and onion and cook until just starting to brown. Cook broccoli in salted water for about 4 minutes until tender.  Allow to cool to room temperature. 

In a large mixing bowl, whisk eggs and milk – and stir in grated parmesan cheese. Stir in onions and broccoli and season with salt and pepper. Pour into the deep dish pie crust. You may have a little extra filling left over which can be used to make a crustless quiche in separate foil tray.

Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes (or more, if needed). Stick a toothpick in the middle of the quiche. If it comes out clean, the quiche is ready to eat. Otherwise continue to bake until fully cooked.

Caramel Apple Cake

 

Topping 

1/4 cup butter 

2/3 cup packed brown sugar 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

2 medium apples, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch wedges 

Cake 

1 1/3 cups self raising flour 

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

1 cup sugar 

1/2 cup butter, softened 

2 eggs 

1/2 teaspoon vanilla 

1/4 cup milk 

1 cup whipping cream 

Heat oven to 325°F. Line 8-9 inch cake tin with baking paper.

 

Melt 1/4 cup butter over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in brown sugar. Heat to boiling; remove from heat. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour into pan; spread evenly. 

Arrange apple wedges over brown sugar mixture, overlapping tightly and making 2 layers if necessary. 

In medium bowl, mix flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt; set aside. 

In large bowl, beat 1 cup sugar and 1/2 cup butter with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl occasionally, until fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, until smooth. Add vanilla. Gradually beat in flour mixture alternately with milk, beating after each addition until smooth. 

Spread batter over apple wedges in brown sugar mixture. 

Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. 

Cool on cooling rack 15 minutes. 

Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Place heatproof serving plate upside down over pan; turn plate and pan over. Remove pan. 

Serve warm cake with whipped cream. Store cake loosely covered.

Pickled Cabbage and Carrots

 

1 cabbage (medium head) 

3 cloves garlic (crushed) 

2 carrots (grated) 

Marinade: 

2 cups water 

1/2 cup oil 

1/2 cup sugar 

 2/3 cup vinegar 

1 1/2 tbsp salt 

Instructions 

Finely shred the cabbage into a large bowl. Grate the carrots and add to the cabbage. Toss all together.

Meanwhile, bring the marinade ingredients to a boil. Pour over the cabbage mixture and stir to combine. Add 3 cloves of crushed garlic. 

Pack mixture into 4 quart-sized jars. Make sure the marinade covers the cabbage. 

Refrigerate for up to one month.

Salisbury Steak Garlic Mash Potatoes Mushroom & Onion Gravy

 

For the Steaks: 

1/3 cup breadcrumbs 

1 egg 

1 small brown onion grated 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/2 teaspoon black pepper 

500g ground beef  

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 

For the Mushroom Gravy: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

250gm sliced mushrooms 

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 

2 cups beef stock

Salt and pepper

In a mixing bowl, place the ground beef and the onion. Then, add the egg, breadcrumbs, 1 tsp salt, and ½ tsp pepper, and knead with your hands until completely combined.

Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat on the stove. 

Form the meat into four even patties and place into the heated pan. Saute until browned on both sides and cooked through. Remove the patties from the skillet and place them on the side for later.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the oil and mushrooms and garlic to thepan. Saute until the mushrooms become tender. 

Stir in the flour and saute another minute.

Whisk in the beef broth and saute until the gravy thickens. 

Return the patties to the skillet, and toss to coat in the gravy. 

Serve over mashed potatoes.