Matzo Chicken Stuffing #lastdayThanksgivukkah

I love stuffing, dressing or whatever you call the savory bread pudding. It is always one of the best parts of the Thanksgiving meal and one of the more simple dishes to make…at least in theory. We’ve all had that greasy, oily tasting stuffing. Or maybe the pre-chopped bread cubes were undercooked and dry. 

Honestly I was a little afraid of the latter when making stuffing with the classic Jewish Matzos crackers. 

I used Manischewitz, THE brand for boxed matzo, and luckily found in the West Texas grocery store.  I did find a recipe for homemade matzos which I still may try, but if you are going crush them up for stuffing, it seems a little silly to go through all that work just for the stuffing. But hey….I bet it would be amazing.

I originally planned to post this recipe on Friday, rounding off the week and posting my Thanksgivukkah wrap-up today. Though I decided I wanted to tweak this recipe a little more, making it easier.

On first try I used a recipe from The New Jewish Table by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray, which stuffed their bread pudding into Cornish hens or 5 lb. chickens. There were two problems I had with this recipe:

First, they used chicken livers to keep the stuffing from crumbling while remaining moist. I don’t like livers, so I used an egg as many stuffing call for. It’s still Parve, so it’s okay. My problem was they stuffing felt apart and wasn’t as moist as I wanted it to.

Second, all the experts say-DON’T STUFF YOUR TURKEY! Why? Because when you stuff the cavity with the bread pudding, you create a breeding ground for salmonella unless you cook it long enough. Unfortunately doing that will over cook your bird. That’s why those turkeys of the 80’s and 90’s were so dry. 

Instead, I made this stuffing on the stove-top in a medium sauce pan. This was the best solution in my opinion. The stuffing got soft and moist and stayed together instead of crumbling, or falling apart. And of course….no salmonella!

If you really miss oven stuffing, I added an optional step to transfer the stuffing to casserole dish to crisp the top before serving. It is prettier.

While photographing this stuffing, I ran into one problem: It’s hard to make stuffing on a plate look sexy. What do you think of my stuffing?

Matzo Chicken Stuffing

(Inspired by The New Jewish Table by Todd Gray and Ellen Kassoff Gray)

Makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients:

5 matzo crackers, (1 sleeve) crushed unto small pieces

3 celery stalks, chopped into a ¼ inch dice

1 large yellow onion, finely minced

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

2-3 cups chicken broth

¼ cup white wine

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground pepper

½ tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. chopped fresh sage or thyme (not both)

1 tbsp. unsalted butter 

1 tbsp. olive oil

For Parve version: omit butter
Note: If you chose to bake stuffing, you can brush top with one beaten egg yolk with 1 tbsp. water for a golden crust.

Directions:

In a medium pot bring olive oil over medium heat. Begin to sauté onions until translucent. Add garlic, celery, and sprinkle of salt. Sauté until beginning to soften.

Add crushed matzo crackers and coat in mixture. Add 2 cups of broth, white wine, 1/2 tsp. salt, pepper, garlic powder, chosen herb, and butter. Stir and bring mixture to a boil. Cover with lid and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 20 minutes. If crackers are still hard add more broth, 1/2 cup at a time until stuffing is soft and slightly wet. Adjust seasonings to taste if necessary.

Optional: Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Scoop stuffing into a lightly greased casserole dish, drizzle top with olive oil. Bake stuffing until top is crispy and golden brown. This should only take 5-10 minutes so watch stuffing closely due to high temperature. 

Serve with turkey and all the fixings.

Enjoy!

The Cuisiner

The Eight Days of Thanksgivukkah wrap-up coming tomorrow! Stay tuned for lots of ideas for your Thanksgiving and Hanukkah alike!

Israeli Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs: #5thdayThanksgivukkah

For me, Thanksgiving is the Turkey. Well...at least the most important part of the meal. It can make or break the best or worst sides and desserts. If the turkey was bad, you're having an extra helping of grandma's potato filling. But if it was good, people in my family will be talking about it for years to come, and bring it up unrelated conversations.

But, it occurred to me that some people celebrate small thanksgivings for one, two, or three people and don’t want to cook a huge turkey. And there are even people who don't like turkey! Zooey Deschanel I'm talking about you.

So for those people, I decided to include a recipe from the fabulous Jerusalem: A Cookbook, which has inspired me a lot throughout my Thanksgivukkah series. When browsing through the “meat recipes” section of this beautiful book, I only saw one turkey recipe: Turkey and Zucchini Burgers/meatballs. These babies are deliciously seasoned with cumin and spices, so they have enough flavor to be the star, but without competing with your impressive side dishes. It is Thanksgiving after all.

Courtesy of annkoffsky.com

This makes sense as Chicken and lamb are much more popular and available in Israel. Chicken recipes are found all over Jewish traditions for good reason. I’m sure many households will either adapt a family recipe for a turkey or just serve a roast chicken instead.

Well, I did neither. Ground turkey and turkey sausage, are two of my most used ingredients, so why not do something with those instead? If not, this a great recipe for say, the 4^th or 5^th day of Hanukkah, once Thanksgiving is over. 

I used turkey sausage for these meatballs, making them super moist and flavorful. Because of that I used less salt than in the original recipe. Also, watch carefully for doneness in this recipe as the meatballs will remain soft on the outside, even once done inside. If you use ground turkey instead, increase salt to 1 tsp. and reduce time in the oven to only 5-8 minutes. A mix of the two meats would also be delicious.

This recipe makes roughly 18 meatballs, perfect for a small Thanksgivukkah up to 4-5 people. If you are going larger and still substituting a main, simply double this recipe.

I served these meatballs with my Israeli couscous salad. A perfect match if I do say myself. But hey, I wouldn't be upset if you put these in a pita or on top of latkes either.

Israeli Turkey and Zucchini Meatballs

(Adapted from Jerusalem: A Cookbook by Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi)

makes roughly 18 small meatballs

Ingredients:

1 lb. turkey sausage, such as bratwurst, removed from casing

1 large zucchini, coarsely grated over box grater

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large free-range egg

1 tbsp. olive oil

¼ cup crushed matzo crackers or breadcrumbs

¼ cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

1 tbsp. fresh thyme, snipped

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. ground roasted coriander

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

½ tsp. red pepper flakes

6-7 tbsp. oil, vegetable, canola, or sunflower for frying

Directions:

Preheat over to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the meatballs except frying oil. Gently mix together, then using your hands, shape roughly 18 meatballs. If too wet, add more breadcrumbs.

In a large frying pan, over medium heat, add oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Once oil is hot, working in batches, sear the meatballs on all sides. Cooking each once for about for minutes until golden brown and crispy. Add more oil if needed between batches.

Once seared, carefully transfer meatballs onto a baking sheet lined with foil and lightly greased. Bake in oven for 15-20 minutes, or until meatballs are just cooked through. Check after 10 minutes. Because the meatballs are made with sausage, they will be soft. They will be cooked when no longer pink and slightly firm. Check with thermometer if necessary.

Serve warm with chilled couscous salad,  or in pitas.

Enjoy!

What's your favorite thing about Thanksgiving or Hanukkah food?

French Lentil Salad with Tuna Steak

I must say, as much as I love Fall and Winter with their hearty meals and root vegetables, when it is 100+ outside, mashed potatoes just don't do it for me.

That's why I when I get to experiment with them, I really do love Summer meals with fresh vegetables, light dressings, and grilled meats. That's why when I finally got to experiment with green lentils, I chose this light green lentil salad with tuna steak.

I was really happy with the results of my little experiment, adapted from Whole Living.com. You can choose to eat these lentils warm or cold. They honestly taste good either way. I wouldn't suggest piping hot though, as this is most flavorful when slightly warm.

But don't worry! This makes great leftovers for the next day's lunch as the salad lasts up to three days when refrigerated.

And of course, I love how healthy, easy, and satisfying this dish is as a whole meal. This is a great Summer meal that is full of protein and low-fat deliciousness. If you can, try grilling the tuna steak, gently in foil on the grill for the best flavors of summer.

This is also one of the most easy recipes to make vegetarian or vegan: simply omit the tuna steak and substitute water or vegetable broth for the chicken stock.

French Lentil Salad with Tuna Steak

(Adapted from Whole Living)

2-3 meal portions

 Ingredients:

1 cup green lentils (or any type except red which turn to mush)

2 cups chicken broth 

1 carrot diced

1 shallot diced

3 stalks of celery diced

2-3 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. olive oil

Dressing:

2 tablespoons herb de Provence oil

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon honey or agave nectar

5 leaves sage, chopped

Red pepper flakes to taste

1 tsp lemon zest

Juice half lemon

Pepper

Salt to taste

Optional:

6 kalamata olives, halved

1/4 cup red cabbage shredded

1/2 cup toasted almonds

Fresh basil or mint on top

Note: If you don't have herb de provence oil, try another infused olive oil such as garlic or truffle. If you don't have herb de provence oil, I recommend buying a bottle immediately!

Directions:

Heat the 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot or saucepan. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery, and sauté, stirring occasionally for 5-6 minutes, until tender and lightly browned.

Add lentils and cover mixture with with 2 inches of chicken broth (water or vegetable broth.)

This  is a difficult measurement to eye-ball, so after 20 minutes, if lentils are still crunchy, simply add ½ cup of broth or water at a time until tender.

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine all dressing ingredients, and whisk together. Set aside. 

Drain lentils if necessary, reserving liquid. Let mixture cool to preference.

In same saucepan, gently combine lentils and dressing, trying not to crush the cooked lentils. 

Mix in optional ingredients and herbs into the lentil mixture. Top with tuna steak.

Tuna steak:

1/4 lb. tuna steak for each serving 

2 leaves sage, torn 

Drizzle herb de Provence oil

1 tsp. salt

Generous sprinkling of ground black pepper

Sprinkle garlic powder

Directions: 

Dress tuna steak with sage, oil, salt and pepper then place in prepared, foil lined baking dish.

Bake in oven at 350 until no longer pink but sill tender. Check around 15-20 minutes, and then continue to bake, adjusting heat if necessary. Tuna steak is much heartier than other fish and should be cooked more like beef or chicken. Just don't over cook!

Shredd tuna with a fork into large pieces and use to top the lentil salad.

Eat and be merry.

Love,

The College Cuisiner

Have you experimented with lentils? What's your favorite lentil recipe?

Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage and Goat Cheese

I wanted to post the recipe before Valentine’s Day since it is slightly decadent and worth a special occasion. Alas, midterm papers, work, and a version of the flu kicked in and ruined my posting plans.

So enjoy this postponed special occasion meal:

I love orecchiette. Something about this handmade pasta seems more special then penne or spaghetti, and at an average $2.50-$3 a box, it should.

At least for the college student, or family on a budget—this is a special occasion meal with special occasion ingredients like orecchiette, goat cheese, and crème fraiche you probably don’t have lying around the house. We really don’t eat like this every night I promise!

I got pretty much all for my special ingredients at Trader Joe’s, at a fraction of the price goat cheese and crème fraiche cost at even your average grocery store. This meal cost me less than $10 to make 3 large dinner sized portions, which is still pretty good considering this meal would be $17-20+ at a restaurant.

 If you don’t have a Trader Joe’s—improvise. You can you a little full-fat sour cream instead of crème fraiche. Just make sure to stir it in last so it does not separate with the heat of the stove and acidity of the wine.

But, I must admit, the goat cheese tastes so heavenly on this dish, that if you can get it for $3.50 a log like me (and use only a third of it), DO IT!

This can easily be adapted to a weekday meal especially with the mushrooms, spinach, and turkey sausage that taste so lovely with a pasta noodle and light wine crème sauce. Also, as you might have noticed, this has more dairy, (a.k.a. butter, than a normal night meal), so do yourself a favor and make this for a date-night-at-home, Valentine’s Day, or anniversary (especially if your babysitter is Grandma and you don’t have the luxury of going to a fancy restaurant!)

Either way, this is an easy meal to impress a love one or even a friend, while really no more effort than chopping and sautéing. And trust me, it’s worth the butter!

Orecchiette with Turkey Sausage

 and Goat Cheese

(Makes 2-3 dinner sized portions)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup dried Orecchiette
6 oz. mini portabella mushrooms, sliced
½ bag spinach (about 3-4 oz. uncooked)
1 small medium yellow onion (or 3 shallots), finely chopped
2-3 links of turkey sausage, (I used sundried tomato), roughly chopped into chunks
10 oz. dry white wine
2-3 tbsp. crème fraiche
Splash milk of your choice
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. butter
Olive oil
Salt
Garlic powder
1 tbsp. of flour of choice
2 oz. herbed goat cheese, crumbled with your fingers


Directions:

Boil orecchiette in pot of water according to package instructions. Drain, set aside.

Meanwhile in a large pan over medium heat brown onions and half of the garlic in 1 tbsp. olive oil. Stirring often, you want the onions to soften, and then lightly brown, not burn for about 1-2 minutes.
Add mushrooms 1 tbsp. butter, and of pinch salt, and allow them to brown nicely in the pan with the onions. Once mushrooms are browned add half of the white wine and allow the mushrooms to absorb most of the liquid.

Add turkey sausage chunks to the pan with a little more olive oil if needed and brown sausage until completely cooked through. Use spatula to make smaller pieces as desired.

Add spinach and sautéed until nicely wilted. Add a little garlic powder and pinch of salt and pepper to taste.

Once sausage is cooked and vegetables are nicely browned, add the rest of the garlic and white wine. Reduce to low-medium heat, allowing to simmer. Add splash of milk and half of flour to thicken sauce. Turn of the heat and stir in the crème fraiche. If the sauce is thin, stir in the rest of the flour. Season to taste.

Gently fold the orecchiette into the sauce, gently coating the pasta. Plate the pasta and top with equal crumbled of goat cheese and more black pepper.

Serve immediately with glass of white wine and enjoy a special meal at home!

Enjoy!

Love,

The College Cuisiner

Crockpot Curry Peach Chicken

I'm loving my new crockpot that my BFF Nicole gave me for my birthday. After the Chicken Chili I made I got excited to make a new recipe.

I looked around and saw a recipe for peachy curry chicken a few weeks ago. When I went to make this I couldn't find the recipe and all I remember is that it had chicken and peaches in it so this recipe is mine.

With the sweetness of the spice I wanted to add some spice to balance it out. I added some sriracha, chili powder, and pepper flakes to give it a little spiceness. I'm trying to be conscious of our salt intake so I recommend a low-sodium chicken both for this recipe since the spices and herbs give it so much flavor without the added salt.

I know I said my last peach recipe would be the final of the season but when I passed an old man with a farm stand in Maryland last weekend I gave in and bought up the last peaches and tomatoes. In retrospect he overcharged me big time but these chicken dish was worth it.

If you really like curry and have access to different types I recommend experimenting with different blends of yellow and red curry and spices. If not, a standard yellow curry will do. But as always, be creative! It's more fun that way!

 

And since we are coming into Autumn finally you could always replace the fresh peaches for sliced apples. Just remember to add a little more liquid to account for the water from the peaches. (A little more chicken broth will do just fine.)

As most of my recipes, this is for around two maybe three people for dinner. I like making small portions since it is just us and while I usually make a little more for leftovers we end up eating it right away! For a family sized portion, simply double the recipe. This is a great meal for any day of the week!


Crockpot Curry Peach Chicken

Ingredients:

½ lb. chicken tenders
2 peaches, cut into chunks
½ yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
½ cup red wine
½ cup gluten-free, low sodium chicken broth
1 tbsp. decent yellow curry powder or curry mix
¼ tsp. onion powder
¼ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp cumin
½ tsp black pepper
A little garlic salt
Sprinkle of red pepper flakes
1 tsp. sriracha hot chili sauce
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Garnish: top each plate with a couple peach slices and a little extra fresh cilantro

Directions:

Add all ingredients into crockpot. Mix together well. Cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours or LOW 6-8 hours. For the most moist chicken in a hurry, try HIGH for 3 hours and LOW for 1 hour.

Once cooked, shred the chicken and mix together with the the sauce and peaches. Serve over your favorite grain.

Tip: You can leave the chicken unshredded as it gets melt-in-your-mouth tender when whole but you will have more sauce to account for.

I served this curry chicken over quinoa with sauteed asparagus.

Enjoy!

Love,

The College Cuisiner

P.S. This is your last chance to enter the contest for your own tea-infused chocolates or truffles made by Philadelphia Area chocolatier, Designs by Francine. All you have to do give your idea for a tea-infused chocolate creation. Contest ends this Tuesday, September 25th!!

Here's Francine's latest creation: Dark Chocolate Cranberry Orange Truffles made with cranberry tea infusion and orange zest so be creative!

GWA: Grilled Fish Tacos

This post is a little late as Aaron made these delicious grilled fish tacos awhile ago but that doesn’t mean they can’t be enjoyed today...or tomorrow…or the next day….

And since grilling season will have a dramatic finish over Labor Day weekend, we thought it would be now or never, and you don’t want to face never when dealing with these bad boys.

These are some serious fish tacos.

I learned a lot about Aaron’s cooking skills this summer as he continued to make me amazing meal after meal all grilled and delicious. This was definitely one of my favorite Grilling with Aaron meals so far.

This is also a great Sunday Lunch as it is something the whole family will enjoy!

Normally fish tacos are found breaded or floured but that means they are probably not grilled. That’s not how we do things though! While I wasn’t sure at first about the grilled fish you do not miss the breading at all.

Instead the fish is tender and the flavors blend perfectly together on a crispy tortilla. No matter what you will get a great flavor without the extra breading and will be left with a pretty healthy, low fat and low calorie dinner.

So enjoy this great summer recipe from Aaron, the master of grilling, and in my opinion everything Mexican!

Grilled Tilapia Tacos:

makes 5-6 tacos
 

 

Ingredients:

4 filets of tilapia or white fish
6 small tortillas or 3 large tortillas cut in half
Garlic infused olive oil
1 cup shredded savoy cabbage
1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup of chopped Cilantro
1 fresh mango, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped red onion
Homemade salsa or sour cream
Sea salt
Black pepper


Directions:

Preheat outside grill to 400-450 degrees.

Aaron’s tip: Every grill is different so the most important part is not regulating the temperature but rather watching the fish as it cooks.

Season tilapia filets with salt, pepper, and a little garlic olive oil. When grill is heated place filets on the bottom rack. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, 10 minutes total, always watching. Fish will become firm.

Make sure there is enough oil as fish sticks easily. You can also place on foil if you would like but you will not get the desired grill marks.

Once fish is cooking, lightly oil tortillas with garlic olive oil and place on the top rack of the grill. Flip each tortilla after 2 minutes and take off once a nice golden crisp appears.

Once fish and tortillas are cooked, begin to assemble toppings. Lay half of a filet of fish on each tortilla, top with a good amount of each cabbage, a few slices of mango and avocado and a pinch of chopped onions. Add chopped cilantro if desired to each taco.

Top with homemade salsa or herbed sour cream. Though you don’t even need it!

Enjoy your last bites of summer!

P.S. Stop back tomorrow for my great giveaway and review from GoPicnic Ready-to-Eat Meals!

Love,

The College Cuisiner