Weekend Hospitality

What was I going to do with the horseradish root that I used for the pesach seder?  5 inches of spicy goodness.  Then I found this recipe for Zupa Chrzanowa,  Horseradish soup. I tried to keep close to the version in the link.  I made my vegetable stock from kitchen leftovers, carrot peels, onion skins, the green parts of leeks, celery and artichoke trimmings.  All parts that I would usually just throw in the trash.  They too contributed to my cooking today. Ingredients 1 carrot diced 1 stalk celery diced 1 onion diced 5 inches of horseradish (2 in diameter) grated 1 large potato diced 8+ cups of Vegetable stock 2 Tbsp olive oil Instructions Saute the carrot, celery and onion in hot olive oil until soft Add the diced potato, grated horseradish and vegetable stock (or water) simmer for 1-2 hours puree using an immersion blender or food processor Serve hot Update: Major failure.  The soup came out very very bitter and I'm pretty su...

It is Pesach during the Covid-19 lockdown.  I have stage V kidney chronic kidney failure, so I'm on a very low protein diet.  In practice, I'm close to a vegan but my doctor says to each two eggs a day to avoid malnutrition. But, I still love to cook, so here are a few posts about unusual recipes that I've dug up and modified for pesach and for my diet. Let's start with Colcannon .  This is a traditional Irish dish of potatoes, cabbage and leaks.  Usually, this is made with milk and butter.  My version is totally vegan and low protein. Ingredients 5 large potatoes diced 1 small head of cabbage, diced 2 leeks, cleaned and chopped 1 can coconut milk (not cream) salt and coarse ground pepper Instructions boil the potatoes in salt water until soft and mash. I put them through a sieve, but any method will work.  DO NOT USE A FOOD PROCESSOR.  My first attempt was a dismal failure as a food processor turns the potato starch gummy. boil the ca...

I'm back in Israel with an apartment, appliances, dishes and a plan.  I am now living in Raanana.  If you are in the area, and/or just want to come for a shabbat, let me know. This weekend, I have two of my boys and their families.  It should be a nice start to my new place.  I am very much looking forward to hosting them and to bringing out my new board games. Dinner: Wine Challot Garlic Soup w/ croutons Roast Chicken Pasta and Sauce +Meatballs Salad Rice Dessert Lunch: Challot Jumbalaya Salad Slow Roast Tomatoes Potatoes Sweet Potatoes Pargiot w/ Ras Al Hanut rub Tchina Dessert Seudat Shishit: (because it feels like we never stop eating) Salad Avacado Egg Salad Tuna Salad Pita

I'm moving back to Israel next week.  To celebrate, my brother and his family will be spending Shabbat with me.  We are 8 people for the weekend.  I'm trying to empty my freezer since I can't take any food stuffs with me on the plane or shipment. Dinner: Chicken soup w/ Ginger and Garlic and Matza balls Spaghetti and Meatballs two ways (beef and chicken/turkey) Pastrami Pickles Salad Brussels Sprouts Lunch: Salt Cod fritters Roast Chicken Thighs Vegetarian Cholent and Kishka Salad Broccoli Kugel Sauteed Kale and Garlic

I'm moving back to Israel in a few weeks.  Its been 4.5 years since I left and I'm ready to come home again.  I don't know yet where I will re-settle, but I am sure that wherever it is, I will be hosting Shabbat dinners and lunches. As a taste of things to come, here is a recipe that I have been making in the USA.  My current diet is a bit on the strange side, low protein and low carbs, so finding interesting recipies has been a challenge.  This one is a winner. Cauliflower soup with Kale 2 Tbsp canola oil 2 Tbsp flour 6 cups vegetable broth 4 cups water 3 stalks celery - chopped 1 large onion - chopped 1 head cauliflower - chopped 4-6 cups chopped Kale 3-4 cloves garlic - finely choppped 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt Heat the canola oil in a soup pot.  Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes to make a roux.  Add the water, broth, celery, onion and cauliflower.  Simmer for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.   U...

My travels continue and I now find myself living in the Bronx and working in Manhattan.  For the purposes of this blog, I'm once again working on inviting guests and building on weekend hospitality. This past weekend, I hosted four relatives.  I only cooked one meal, as we were invited out for the second meal. We had lots of fun and the food and conversation were great. Friday night dinner for 5 Challah Chumus Green Salad Chicken soup (plain, with vegetables) Roast Chicken  - best roast chicken thighs I've made in some time Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl)  in a Dutch oven Roast Asparagus Fun food.  The bibimbap was very nice.  Fun to make and to eat.  I didn't use the suggested hot sauce because by guests were not interested in spicy food.  Next time, I'll try to find some kosher alternative to gochujang. The roast chicken took a total of 40 minutes from start to finish.  I could make this any day, assuming that I had people a...

Long time, no post. I'm sitting here in Dublin, Ireland thinking about having my first family over for dinner since I arrived. I'm planning on making Chicken Soup , Tas Kebab , Snitzel and rice.  They are going to bring a vegetable side dish and desert. Its better to start small than to overreach from day one. Here is to more regular posts.

Over the past 10 days, I've had the dubious pleasure of sitting in queues. For those of you who speak american, queues are lines. Standing in lines is a tradition that seems to be world wide. About 10 days ago, as I prepared to leave my home country, I needed to update by state registry data. Knowing what was coming, I went reasonably early, perhaps an hour after opening, got a number and went for coffee. I knew that my wait would be at least two hours, so while drinking coffee, I had breakfast and read a book. I was lucky enough to be near a window, so I could also watch the tourists walking back and forth along the main street. I was relaxed and prepared because I knew that the line was long and that patience was the only recourse. On entry to Dublin, I once again needed to register with the state. In Ireland, that's called a Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) card. I had the hope that Ireland was a first world country and was able to manage waiting times. ...

Dead readers and friends,   My last post was more than two years ago.  During that time, a lot of stuff happened, some good, some not so good.  Blogging and writing and home hospitality were unfortunate casualties of those years. I am now back and going to reboot this blog. I thought about starting a new blog, but I like the continuity and history that this blog embodies.  I also am very attached to the concept of hospitality and I want to maintain that thread. I plan on covering the following topics (listed in no particular order of importance). Hosting and entertaining guests and family Kidney Disease Cooking Dublin, Ireland Israel Family ties Education Hosting and entertaining I love to have guests and to throw dinner parties (or lunch parties).  Few things give me more joy than to prepare an event and have it go smoothly.  I enjoy meeting new people and making new friendships. Kidney Disease I have been gifted (sic) with kidney d...

Shabbat Chicken A recipe adapted from the  New Kosher Cuisine For all Seasons  cookbook by Linda Jacob. 2 Tbsp oil 1 onion sliced thinly 2 whole cloves 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt t tsp tumeric 1 tsp fresh ginger 1 tsp minced garlic 1 chicken cut up and skinned Saute the onion until it begins to brown.  Add the everything except the chicken and saute for a minute.  Add the chicken and brown lightly.  Reduce heat to low and cover for 30 minutes.  Transfer from the fire to the hot plate for shabbat.  This makes a wonderful sauce (I have no idea where it comes from since there are no liquid ingredients).

Sukkot (Fall 2011) Dinner (15 people attending, big eaters all!) California Garlic Soup Spaghetti and Meatballs Coca Cola Chicken Carrot salad Cucumber Salad Brussels Sprouts Lunch - 19 Grilled meats Grilled fresh Cajun Chicken Grilled peppers and zucchini Roast potatoes Israeli Salad Green Salad Breads and Condiments It is traditional in Israel to grill on holidays, even for the orthodox jews.  This is our first attempt at following this custom.  Wish us luck and a happy holiday to all!

Here are our menus for Rosh Hashana 5972 (2011).  All of our meals are booked and we look forward to spending time with our friends and family.  Counts after the meal are the number of people expected to attend. Wishing everyone a happy and healthy new year. Wednesday Night - 17 New year signs Trout Salmon + Sauce Leeks Beets Carrots Pumpkin Dates Black Eyes Peas Celery + Peanut Butter + Raisins Apples and Honey Hungarian Goulash Roast Chicken Noodles Cake Lemon Freeze Thursday Lunch (out at friends) Thursday Dinner - 17 Cold Cuts Cold Cajun Chicken Sesame Noodles Salads Honey Cake Ginger bread + Ice cream Friday Lunch - 15 Salmon Cheese Plater Lasagne Tofu Broccoli Kugel Cup Cakes Apple Cake Shabbat Dinner (out with friends) Shabbat Lunch - 20 Kebabs and Techina Cajun Jumbalaya Mushroom Chicken Broccoli Kugel Couscous Salads Apple Cake

The family is each doing their own thing this weekend.  There is a bar-mitzva in Jerusalem for the youngest and an event that the wife is running with the help of a few of the other boys. I'm off to visit an old college buddy (that's old college, not old, college) in Bet Shemesh. Have a great shabbat! I'm bringing along one of my favorite noodle dishes. Sesame Ginger Noodles Makes a lot of noodle Cook two pounds of spaghetti noodles, drain and set aside. Mix together the following ingredients: 3 Tbsp canola oil 3 Tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp crushed red pepper 2 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped or minced 3-4 scallions, chopped, whites and greens 1/2 cup soy sauce 3 Tbsp vinegar 2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar 3 Tbsp sugar Mix the ingredients until the sugar dissolves and pour over the cooked noodles.  Mix well to spread the sauce and chill the noodles for 4-5 hours.

Nice week.  I hit the triple 16 birthday.  Now I feel older.  Hard to believe I've been around this long, but I am reminded of it at work every day.  I'm definitely the grampa of the group. The other new of the week is that the Hebrew University finally agreed that I had fulfilled all of the requirements for a Phd.  It took them more than 10 months to review my thesis, which would have been painful if I hadn't been working already.  So with that past me, I am now recognized as a Doctor of Philosophy.  Of course, my diploma will not arrive until the graduation ceremony next May! I had fun in the kitchen today.  We are trying our one course meals for Friday night.  We usually have a smaller number of guests for dinner, so its nicer to have a simple meal.  I started out thinking about a soup and ended up making Yellow Curry Chicken (see recipe below).  Then a friend brought over some mushroom barley soup, so we'll use a s...

Once again into the blogging fray.  Quiet weekend with everyone back in school or wherever they are  now spending their time.  This weekend, I decided to marinate my chicken breasts.  Its easy to do and adds flavor.  I used two different marinades: olive oil, lemon juice and herbs, and soy sauce, garlic, ginger, vinegar and dark sesame oil.  The trick here is to let is sit and not be in a hurry to cook it off.  I marinated them for about 4 hours, but overnight would work also. The other trick I used was to make roast chicken using a commercial salad dressing as a glaze.  In this case, honey mustard salad dressing on a split chicken.  I can't recall the last time I cooked a chicken without first removing the backbone and laying it flat.  My feeling is that by making it flat, the chicken cooks more evenly. We continue the experiment with simple one disk meals for dinner.  Some of my children are tired of chicken soup, so my wife m...

Holy readers, it's been almost three months since my last post.  I've been working at a new job and finding balance in my life.   Many thanks to a few readers for pestering me to keep writing.  I do appreciate the motivational help. My wife suggested that we try for a very simple meal on Friday night instead of the full blown orgies of epicurean wonders that I usually attempt.  We tried it last weekend and we will try it again tonight.  We are aiming at single bowl meal with soup, salad and a starch.  It is surprising how filling a few bowls of soup are and we really don't need all the fancy  calories twice on Shabbat. With the beginning of the school year, we also begin to invite families once again for Shabbat lunch.  This weekend, we have a reasonable size group of 18.  Four of them are below 10, but still, its a crowd. Both the chicken recipes come from a cookbook called "The Spicy Food Lover's Bible".  It has relativ...

Next week is Israeli Independence day!  I'm looking forward to celebrating with friends and family.  This weekend is rather quiet, with no guests for dinner and 7 guests for lunch (which is small for us). I'm trying out new dishes.  For the stir fry, I used Celery Root (celeriac).  Its different, but I hope it tastes great.  Here is a picture I took of the prep work.  The items are Red Bell Pepper, Carrots, Celery Root, Zucchini, Onions and Garlic.  I marinated the chicken in Dark Sesame Oil, stir fried it, removed it from the pan and then stir fried the vegetables.  Mix and serve with fresh green onions for tomorrow lunch. The other cool dish was Ground beef and Spinach.  Saute a minced onion, brown the beef with the onions until it is no longer pink.  Add a bad of thawed chopped spinach, garlic, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, a beef bullion cube and a cup or two of water.  Simmer until the water is mostly evaporated.  Looks gre...

This weekend marks a new beginning for me.  I've taken a new position as CTO of a young start-up. Sunday is my first day and I'm really excited about the opportunity.  Its like they said in the movie Full Metal Jacket: "Travel to exotic, distant lands (Tel-Aviv), meet exciting, unusual people, (my new cohorts and team members) and make the coolest, fastest product in the market!"  Ok, so I took a little liberty with the quote, but I'm still stoked! This weekend, we celebrate the passing of Passover.  Bring on the noodle, bread and flour based products. Shabbat Parshat Kedoshim Dinner - 7 Chicken Soup Spaghetti and Meatballs Zucchini Curry Green Beans Lunch - 11 Deli Roll Corned Beef Roasted Yams Israeli Salad Rice

Ah, more meat, more potatoes.  A real man's holiday and it lasts 7 days!  What could be better expect perhaps additional cholesterol medication. Not many guests for this weekend.  Dinner is 10 and lunch will be our basic 7.  I usually cook Atkin's friendly dishes, so passover is not a big deal.  On the other hand, I also serve starches as sides and that's much harder. Here's something fun to do. I use a real lamb shank for the seder plate.  We don't eat it that night, but we do present it as a remembrance of the holiday service more than 2000 years ago.  (That's a really long time).  So what do with the shank once the seder is over?  Today, I sliced the meat off the bone, cut zucchini and onions on a mandolin and stir fried it all together.  It smells wonderful and will taste great tonight. My wife has a tradition of making parve ice cream on Pessach.  We all enjoy it as dessert after our meals.  This year, she experiment...

This week has been cleaning week.  One of my responsibilities is the oven and stovetop.  It took me about 6 hours this years to get it clean, but I am very proud of how sparkling clean it is.  Amazing what good chemicals will do to stainless steel. Our house is ready for passover. This weekend we are each kosher for pesach food, but with the addition of kitniyot.  So, be prepared and awed by my pre-passover menu!  It a bit short because we are eating a friends for lunch. Here is the recipe for Meatballs and Zucchini the way I made it today. 2 kilo zucchini, cubed (1/2 inch cubes) 6 cloves garlic (halved) 1 large onion diced 1 kilo ground meat 3 eggs Parsley 1 tsp oregano ground pepper, salt Salt the cubed zucchini in a colander and let sit for at 30 minutes.  Wash the zucchini and let sit. In a pot, add 2-3 Tbsp oil, and brown the garlic.  Remove from the oil and add the onion.  Saute until soft.  Add the zucchini and cook cove...