Good morning, GUShardyfolks! Welp, just when you think that Spring has arrived due to the fact that the temperatures are above 60 and that yellow orb is visible in a blue sky, old man winter returns for a last (hopefully) laugh. Rainy here today but going down into the 20s with snow and sleet for tonight. What the futtha?
I'm at least prepared this time with mushroom barley soup and whole wheat Irish soda bread I made over the weekend. Yummy and I'll have to make another soup tomorrow.
Well, we are into Passover and heading for Easter. Both signs of renewal and celebration. And if you don't practice any religion -- you have "it's not real winter anymore" to celebrate.
I find this is a good time of year to take stock of things. What have I survived? What have I done right? What have I done wrong but can change? It goes along with cleaning out the old and downsizing problems. This is a great time of year to cut down on or quit smoking. Opening up the windows and airing our spaces out is great incentive. I washed the robe my buddy wears when he is up here. It is a heavy, ratty, terry cloth number. I had to put it through the wash 3 times until the cigarette residue disappeared! Yikes! He's still quit so he's allowed to wear the robe again.
Think about one change you'd like to make this week. It doesn't have to be difficult. Then try it on for size and see how it feels. We're never too old for new things and waving goodbye to old things.
GUS (Gave Up Smoking) is a community support diary for Kossacks in the midst of quitting smoking. Any supportive comments, suggestions or positive distractions are appreciated. If you are quitting or thinking of quitting, please -- join us! We kindly ask that politics be left out.
You can also click the GUS tag to view all diary posts, or access the GUS Library at dKosopedia for a great list of stop-smoking links. Check it out! GUS library.
A message to ALL quitters. You don't have to avoid GUS if you have a failed quit. We won't give you a bad time and we consider the failed quits as "practice" for the real quit.
Quit Keeper widget which is an outstanding aid for those beginning the difficult path to quitting. It lets you know how long you haven't smoked, how many cigs you haven't smoked, how much money you've saved.
Quit Smoking Counter h/tGDbot. For those of you who have had a problem with Quit Keeper or want a different counter!
Potato Kugel with Fried Challots from Food & Wine
1 cup vegetable oil
4 large shallots, thinly sliced
5 pounds Idaho potatoes, peeled and coarsely shredded
1 large yellow onion, coarsely grated
1/3 cup potato starch
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
5 large eggs, beaten
2 large egg yolks, beaten
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup boiling water
Preheat the oven to 450°. In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the shallots and cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden and crisp, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the shallots to a plate. Reserve the shallot oil.
Working in batches, squeeze out as much of the liquid as possible from the potatoes and transfer them to a large bowl as you go. Add the grated onion, potato starch, salt, black pepper and grated nutmeg and stir well. Stir in the whole eggs, egg yolks, olive oil and boiling water, then stir in the fried shallots.
Heat two 8-by-11 1/2-inch flameproof or enameled cast-iron baking dishes over high heat until they are very hot to the touch. Add 2 tablespoons of the shallot oil to each baking dish and heat until smoking. Carefully spread the potato mixture in the sizzling baking dishes.
Transfer the potato kugels to the oven and bake them for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375° and bake the kugels for 40 minutes longer, until golden and crisp on the sides.
Preheat the broiler. Broil the potato kugels as close to the heat as possible for about 2 minutes, until they are browned and crisp on top. Let the potato kugels stand for 20 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.
MAKE AHEAD The baked potato kugels can be refrigerated overnight and reheated in a 375° oven.
Spicy Smoky Ratatouille Casserole from the Shiksa in the Kitchen
SAUCE INGREDIENTS
2 lbs vine-ripened tomatoes, roughly chopped
1/2 lb button mushrooms, sliced
2 carrots, minced
2 ribs celery, minced
1 onion, minced
1 yellow bell pepper, roasted and chopped, skin, seeds and stem removed
1 red bell pepper, roasted and roughly chopped, skin, seeds and stem removed
1 anaheim or poblano pepper, roasted and roughly chopped, skin, seeds and stem removed
1 chile pepper, roasted and roughly chopped, skin, seeds and stem removed
8 basil leaves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
2 tsp crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp paprika (also known as sweet paprika)
1/2 tsp cayenne (if spice sensitive use 1/4 tsp)
1/2 tsp oregano
SLICED VEGETABLE TOPPING INGREDIENTS
4 Roma tomatoes (approx 10 oz), sliced very thin
2 small zucchini (about 8 oz), sliced very thin
2 small Japanese eggplant (about 5 oz), sliced very thin
2 small yellow squash (about 5 oz), sliced very thin
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp crushed garlic
Salt and pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tsp fresh chopped basil
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
tongs, large mixing bowl, plastic wrap, sharp knife (serrated preferable) or mandoline, food processor, 11-12 inch round sauteuse pan or heavy bottom skillet, parchment or lid
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 3 Hours 30 Minutes
Total Time: 4 Hours 30 Minutes
Servings: 8 - 10 servings
Kosher Key: Kosher for Passover, Pareve
It's important to have your vegetables chopped, sliced and fully prepared before you begin. There are a few different ways to roast the peppers - click here for options. With this dish I usually throw them directly on the burner of my gas stove and let them cook until the skin chars and blisters. With tongs, carefully turn the peppers so that they roast evenly on all sides. The peppers are done roasting when they are soft and starting to collapse.
Transfer the roasted peppers to a large mixing bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and allow the peppers to steam for 15 minutes. You can also steam them in a paper bag if you prefer.
While the peppers are steaming, prepare and chop the rest of your ingredients. The Roma tomatoes, zucchini, Japanese eggplant and yellow squash should be sliced very thin, about 1/16 in thickness. This is best done with a sharp serrated knife or a mandoline. It does take a bit of time, but the result is totally worth it.
Once your peppers have finished steaming, peel off the skin and remove the seeds and ribs under cool running water. Roughly chop the peeled peppers and set aside.
In a food processor, combine the chopped vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped peppers, basil, 2 tsp crushed garlic, salt, smoked paprika, cayenne, paprika and oregano and pulse until you have a rough puree with texture. Taste the mixture; add additional spices and salt to taste, if desired. Note that the flavors will develop more during cooking-- don't overdo the spice, you'll taste it more when the dish is completely cooked.
Heat 2 tbsp of olive oil in a sauteuse pan or heavy bottomed skillet over medium high until hot. Spread out the sliced mushrooms in a single layer in the pan. Let them stand without stirring for 2 minutes until they are golden brown on the bottom. Begin stirring the mushrooms; continue stirring for another 2-3 minutes till they are nicely browned throughout. Remove mushrooms from the skillet and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 tbsp of the olive oil to the pan and sauté the minced onions, carrots and celery, scraping up any brown bits as you stir. Cook until the largest pieces of carrot and celery are soft and the onions are caramelized.
Add the mushrooms back to the pan along with the tomato mixture and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat.
CLICK THE LINK TO LOOK AT THE PICTURES FOR THE LAYERING -- IT IS VERY PRETTY.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Start to layer on the sliced vegetables by first overlapping them in a circle around the outer edge. Layer them close to each other; don't worry, you should have plenty of veggies to cover the whole surface.
Continue the same pattern until all of the sliced vegetables have been used. If you have extra vegetables you may want to double the layer in the center circle.
In a small bowl, combine 2 tbsp of olive oil with 1 tsp crushed garlic, salt and pepper. Mix well and drizzle over the top of the sliced vegetables. Sprinkle the top lightly with salt and pepper, then sprinkle the fresh thyme over the top of the dish.
Cover the pan with a lid or a layer of parchment paper. Bake for 90 minutes. Remove the the lid or parchment and increase the heat to 350 degrees F. Cook for an additional 45 minutes. Garnish with fresh basil. Serve hot over cauliflower couscous, mashed potatoes or your favorite starch.
This dish takes a long time to prep, but the good news is you can prepare pretty much the whole thing up to 2 days in advance. Slice the vegetables (a mandolin will speed up this process) and place them into plastic zipper bags. Roast the peppers and make the tomato-pepper sauce, then place in a sealed Tupperware. Mix the olive oil and garlic mixture and chop any herbs for garnish. Refrigerate all of the ingredients. That way, all you'll need to do is assemble and cook on the day you serve. You may want to extend the baking time at 300 degrees by 10-15 minutes if the sauce is cold when it goes into the oven. I don't recommend freezing this dish, as the vegetables will become very mushy when reheated.
If you aren't worried about keeping this dish dairy free/vegan, feel free to sprinkle on some grated parmesan for an even more delicious treat. And if you aren't worried about keeping it gluten free or kosher for Passover, serve it with challah or freshly baked brioche-- you can use the bread to soak up all the yummy juices from the pan!
Slow Roasted Salmon with Tarragon and Citrus from Food & Wine
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
4 garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
3 medium shallots, minced
2 tablespoons fennel seeds, coarsely ground in a spice grinder
Finely grated zest of 3 lemons, plus 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 orange
2 tablespoons chopped tarragon
1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
Extra-virgin olive oil, for the baking dish
One 2 1/2-pound whole fillet of skinned salmon
Kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
In a bowl, combine the melted butter with the garlic, shallots, ground fennel seeds, lemon zest, orange zest, tarragon, black pepper and thyme.
Preheat the oven to 300°. Brush a large glass or ceramic baking dish with olive oil. Lightly season the salmon fillet with kosher salt. Spread half of the seasoning mixture on the skinned side of the fish.
Place the salmon skinned side down in the baking dish and fold the thin tail end under itself to make the fillet an even thickness. Stir the cayenne pepper into the remaining seasoning mixture and spread it over the salmon. Let the salmon stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
Carefully pour the orange juice into the baking dish and cover the baking dish tightly with aluminum foil. Bake the salmon for about 35 minutes, until it is barely opaque in the center.
Sprinkle the salmon with the lemon juice and sea salt and serve.
MAKE AHEAD
The seasoning mixture can be refrigerated overnight.
Coffee Toffee Maztzo Crunch from the Shiksa in the Kitchen
INGREDIENTS
4-6 unsalted matzos (use gluten free matzo to make GF)
1 cup unsalted butter or margarine (butter recommended)
1 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups chopped semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (use dairy free chocolate for pareve/vegan)
2 tbsp chopped pistachios (or your favorite Passover-friendly nut - optional)
Sea salt
YOU WILL ALSO NEED
Sheet tray, parchment paper, foil, heavy bottom sauce pan, spatula
Kosher Key: Dairy or Pareve - use margarine and dairy-free chocolate for pareve
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a sheet tray with a layer of foil, then cover the foil with a sheet of parchment. Evenly cover the sheet tray with matzos. Break or cut the matzos into smaller pieces if necessary.
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, and a generous pinch of sea salt. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil (about 2 to 4 minutes). Boil for 3 additional minutes and continue stirring constantly.
Remove from the heat and pour the toffee mixture over the matzos.
se a spatula to spread evenly across the entire surface of the matzo. Make sure you spread it out fairly quickly or it will start to get sticky and become harder to smooth over.
Place the baking sheet in the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 degrees F. Bake for 15 minutes. Check frequently to be sure that the mixture is not burning. If it appears to browning too quickly, remove the tray from the oven and reduce the heat to 325 degrees F, then replace the tray when the temperature drops a bit.
Once 15 minutes have passed, remove the matzos from the oven and evenly sprinkle the chopped chocolate chips over the top.
Let stand for 5 minutes, then spread the melted chocolate over the matzo.
Sprinkle the chopped pistachios and a light sprinkle of sea salt over the top of the melted chocolate.
While the matzos are still warm, break them into smaller squares or pieces.
Place in the freezer until the topping has set. Serve straight from the freezer, chilled, or at room temperature (I prefer it chilled!).
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