Chiles Rellenos

Click on the link to view my newest video recipe for delicious Chiles Rellenos.

It is said that actions speak louder than words, but in my case inaction has spoken even louder.  For  the last four months I have neglected this incredible blog due to a lack of spirit, for it was drained from me when I endured the loss of my mother.

But a little bit like a boxer who has momentarily had the wind knocked out of her, I am back.  Gradually, I have regained my spirit and with it, the energy and desire to start blogging once more, and I so appreciate the patience of all of you, my incredible readers and subscribers.  I truly am excited because I am filled with ideas for many delicious recipes for you.

I start here, with Chiles Rellenos, one of my all time favorite Mexican recipes.  Chiles Rellenos are Pasilla (also known as Poblano) chili peppers, which can be stuffed with either cheese or ground beef or as in this recipe, vegan shredded cheese.

Chiles Rellenos

• 4 Pasilla (AKA Poblano) chili peppers
• 3 eggs, separated
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• Canola oil

Sauce

• 2 large tomatoes quartered
• 1/4 white onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• Additional 1/4 onion sliced
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Method

Broil chili peppers for 7 minutes or until skin is blackened, turn over and broil on opposite side for seven more minutes.  Allow the peppers to cool a bit and then gently remove the skin.  You will notice a small slit (if there isn’t one, then make one),  remove the seeds and any excess skin under gently running water and set aside, (using gloves is optional).

Take about 1/4 cup shredded vegan cheese or regular cheese and stuff each pepper, then secure the pepper with a long toothpick to keep the stuffing from falling out during the frying process.

Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until peaks form.  Add the yolks into the egg whites and mix thoroughly with mixer.

Spread the flour on a plate, then lightly and evenly coat each pepper with flour.

Heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil over medium heat, dip a stuffed chili pepper into the egg batter and place in the pan with the hot oil,  fry two peppers at a time, allowing the edges to turn golden brown before gently turning the peppers over.  When each pepper is evenly golden all over, remove to drain on paper towels, and pat the peppers with additional paper towel to absorb excess oil.  Place the peppers on a nice serving plate, and REMOVE toothpicks.

The Sauce

Place water, tomatoes, quarter onion, garlic cloves and the optional chili pepper in a blender, and liquefy thoroughly.

Heat the tablespoon of canola oil on high heat, then add the additional sliced onion and mix constantly until it begins to turn golden.   Add the sauce from the blender, bring it to a boil and allow it to boil for three minutes.  Add the oregano, salt and pepper, mix in and allow to boil 2 more minutes.  Sauce is ready.  With a large spoon bathe each chili pepper with the sauce.

Serve hot, accompany with sliced avocado or a full meal and enjoy!

Thoughts Of My Mom At Passover

It’s Passover.  It’s been three months since I last saw you Mom.

There are days when I say, “Alright already, enough of this Ma, I want to see your face, I want to hear your voice, I want to feel your love”.  I still can’t conceive that I never will again.

And so it’s time to clean the mud off of the heels I wore the day I bade you goodbye.  I kept that mud on those heels because somehow it kept me closer to a time when I still had you.

You are so far away from me now, you are eons away.  Time takes on a different texture now, it is heavier than before.

My heart is a trunk full of gratitude for all that I have, and for all that you gave me.  I go on, I move on in life, I know what to do because you taught me so well, but I miss you.

It’s Passover and as I make the Matzoh balls for the soup, I hear you telling me that I make the best soup, that there is nothing like my soup.

We sit down for the Seder, it is a fine Seder, we sing, we laugh, we tell the story and have our four cups of wine.  But you’re not sitting next to me Mom, and I miss you.

Succulent Spicy Cauliflower

This recipe has 3 key things going for it:  It’s Passover friendly, it’s vegetarian, and it’s a delicious way to spice up any meal. Since we’re so limited at Passover, when we get tired of the typical starches and kugels, this is a very refreshing taste. It’s a unique recipe that neither I nor my family has seen in any restaurant. I learned it from Doña Tere, a beloved housekeeper who had a place in both my and my mother’s home for over 20 years.

A note from Alex, the eager cooking student:

There are a few key parts to this recipe, and they’re all about frying. First, pat the florets very dry. This is to make sure the batter sticks. Second, be ready to start frying the florets as soon as possible after the batter is made. And third, keep the temperature of the oil right while frying.

Having the pan with hot oil ready before you start dipping the florets in batter is the best way to do this. That way, you just drop each floret in the pan as you go (the longer you let the batter sit, the more it loses its consistency). As far as temperature, while I was making the recipe, my Mom would constantly adjust the stove up, then down, then up, then down. I couldn’t understand what she was after – then it clicked: the flame has to go up and down to keep the oil at the temperature it should be, just lightly popping the entire time. Using wooden spoons with soft edges helped me keep the texture uniform on the florets, with the perfect mix of golden color and fluffy consistency.

Succulent Spicy Cauliflower

• 1 large cauliflower washed and cut into florets
• 8 cups of water
• 1 tablespoon salt for water
• 5 large or 6 small eggs – separated
• 1/8 teaspoon salt for egg batter
• 3/4 cup of Canola oil for frying
• 1 cup onion finely chopped
• 3 large tomatoes finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

Cut the cauliflower in half, separate the florets cutting the large ones in half or even in thirds (See video demonstration).  Discard the stem.  In a medium pot bring the salted water to a boil.  Add the florets and boil for 6-8 minutes…until tender, but not too soft.  Do not over boil! Remove from heat to a strainer, rinse under gently running cold water, and set aside.

Place egg whites, and 1/8 teaspoon of salt into a bowl and beat with hand mixer until firm.  Gradually add the egg yolks into the beaten egg whites,  and continue to beat with mixer until mixture is fully incorporated .  Heat 3 tablespoons of oil.  Place 1 cup of the batter into a separate smaller bowl and dip one floret at a time in the egg batter (from smaller bowl), placing each coated floret into pan with hot oil.  Make  two – three batches…one batch  will contain 5-7 florets.  As soon as the lower edges of the florets begin to brown,   turn them over.   You will  need a pair of tongs to fry the sides of each piece.  When golden on all sides, remove each floret and place on a paper towel to absorb extra oil.   You will have to add oil to pan between batches.

Sauce preparation:
In the same saucepan where you have finished frying florets, place diced onions and allow them to fry until they glisten.  Add the diced tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then add water.  Mix continuously with a spatula allowing mixture to simmer for about 3 more minutes.  Add  crushed red pepper and salt and stir for another 2 minutes, until you get a somewhat thick consistency.
Place battered cauliflower in serving dish and spoon sauce mixture evenly on top of florets.  Serve hot and enjoy!
Serves  10-12

Bobe’s Passover Gefilte Fish

Click on the link to see behind the scenes, raucous kitchen outtakes of our experience preparing Bobe’s Passover Gefilte Fish.  Follow our written recipe for full instructions.

Writing recipes is not something that you just know how to do. As we’ve tried to document both our recipes and those of other home cooks, it’s been a learning curve to figure the whole thing out.

Last spring, we had a professional recipe consultant, Margaret Ferrazzi, come to our home to give us a little guidance in our recipe writing undertaking. While most of our videos show recipes in a neat little succession, what happens behind the scenes (measuring, discussing, timing, writing everything down) is quite different. The video above is a fun, blooper-type look, filmed by Alex, of my Mother-in-Law Dora cooking gefilte fish from scratch before Passover, me writing down her recipe, and Margaret guiding us through it all. We had a lot of fun in the kitchen and the finished product was amazing.

Bobe’s Passover Gefilte Fish

Fish broth

1/2 large onion sliced thinly
3 medium carrots sliced into rounds
3 celery ribs whole
Fish bones from 4 pounds of carp

Place all of the broth ingredients in an eight to ten quart saucepan, and bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Remove from heat and then remove the bones from the broth, keeping the broth hot on low heat, while you make the fish mixture.

Fish Mixture

4 pounds ground carp
2 pounds ground red snapper
3 medium carrots – peeled and ground
½ large onion – peeled and ground
4 large eggs
¾ cup matzoh meal
1-½ tablespoons fine sea salt
1-½ teaspoons white pepper

Place all of the ground fish, carrot and onion in a large bowl and mix.
Add matzoh meal, eggs, salt and pepper and with hands mix gently but thoroughly, until fish is light in texture and holds its shape.

Using damp hands take about 1/3-1/2 cup quantities of the fish mixture, shape into oval patties, and gently drop into the fish broth, which is hot but not boiling. When you have dropped the last fish patty into the broth, raise the heat and simmer for 1 -1/2 hours.

After the Gefilte Fish has simmered for 1-1/2 hours in the fish broth, remove from heat and allow to cool.  When room temperature, transfer the fish loaves to a serving dish, and Retain the carrots from the fish broth for garnish.  Arrange the fish patties on a serving platter, and garnish with the cooked carrots and fresh parsley.

Serve as an appetizer accompanied by red or white horseradish.

Recipe may be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.

Recipe serves 24 and may easily be cut in half.

Enjoy!

Bobe’s Delicious Passover Apple Cake

This Passover our family is fortunate to have my dear mother-in-law, Dora Schmidt, visiting from Mexico City.  In Mexico  Bubbies are called Bobe, (pronounced - baubeh), and that is what  my kids have always lovingly called her.  Many years ago, Dora taught me to make this wonderful Passover apple cake.   It is easy  to make and the truth is that it is great for dessert any time of year.  When my friend Irene invited us over for Shabbat dinner last Friday, she requested that we bring this cake.  It was a big hit!

Bobe’s Passover Apple Cake

Apple Filling

• 6 Large Rome Beauty Apples (or any good baking apples), peeled, cored and quartered
• Juice of one lemon
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Batter

• 1 cup matzoh meal
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon potato starch
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon water

Topping

• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.                                                                                                                                                                                 Thinly slice the apples in a food processor, and place them in a large bowl.  Add the lemon juice and the sugar, mix well, and set aside.  In a separate bowl mix all of the batter  ingredients with a hand mixer.  When thoroughly mixed, spread a little more than one-third of the batter over the bottom (it will be a very thin layer) of a deep baking dish (We used an aluminum foil pan as shown in the photo).  Gently add all of the sliced apple mix over the batter, and evenly spread the remaining two-thirds of batter over the apple filling.  Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and bake for 1 hour. 

Serves 16

Enjoy!

Madame Ilonka and the Hairdresser

There was nothing worse than having to go to posture classes with Madame Ilonka.  Her studio was in a building next to where my mother had her hair done.  My mother had beautiful hair and she took very good care of it.  While my mother’s hair was being washed, then rinsed with beer, rinsed again, conditioned, and then styled, I would have to go see Madame Ilonka.

You see, my mother had scoliosis as did both  her parents,  and although she knew that scoliosis was an inherited trait, she hoped that by sending me to posture class it would increase the chances of preventing scoliosis in me.

I felt even smaller than my 9-year-old self,  when the redheaded Madame Ilonka would come to the door in  her black leotard top and black pedal pusher pants.  I hated going to posture class and had to keep from rolling my eyes when she would say “ it’s now time for us to do the camel.”   She would make me get down on all fours on a thick rubber mat, and say in Spanish accented with her heavy Hungarian accent, “uno dos y tres, espalda abajo, uno dos y tres, espalda arriba como un camello.”  This all meant “one two and three back down and arched, one two and three back up like a camel.”

Looking radiant and beautiful, 

my mother would come knocking at the door as I was on the verge of running  out of there before class was over.  My mother with her fresh hairdo would pay Madame Ilonka, and would mix Hungarian with Spanish and say  “visontlatash, hasta la proxima.”  Goodbye, until next time…and I would be thinking oy vey,  HELP!

From The Taco Stands of Mexico City To Canter’s Deli On Fairfax

“Susie” my mom said to me, “Vamos a taquear. Let’s go get some great tacos, who knows when we’ll be able to get a good taco next?”  I was always my mom’s willing companion, so we happily went off to eat the best meal in the world — the fresh tacos at the stands by the university (we didn’t keep kosher in those days).  We happily smothered our tacos in spicy sauces and topped them off with mountains of cilantro and onions.

That was on the eve of December 4, 1964, the day my mother and I caught the last flight of the day from Mexico City to Los Angeles.  The only places I had ever been outside of Mexico City were Acapulco and Cuernavaca.  I didn’t want to leave Mexico, but I was only eleven and a half and I had no say in where I was to live.

I carried with me my most precious possessions.  In one hand I had the real looking baby doll on whom I had once performed surgery to see exactly how she made that crying sound.  After the surgery, she never cried again and still bore the old scar.  In my other hand I held my favorite stuffed animal — a small, light brown squirrel.  My squirrel held a bouquet of flowers in its paw.  The flowers were really miniature colorful light bulbs that lit up when you squeezed the squirrel’s tail.  Every night after my mother tucked me in and turned off the light, I would pull the covers up over my head and light up my little squirrel.  It was cozy and safe under there.

On the plane, I felt so lucky to be sitting by the window.  Once we were high in the air, I asked my mother if I could open the window;  I really thought you could.  The excitement of being on an airplane and the prospect that our family would soon be together again made me forget, for a while, that I was leaving my home forever.  The place where I was born would now be far away from me.

The L. A. Airport was so big and clean. Even the air had a different scent.  The buzzing sound of English all around me was new and strange.  I did speak some English because my father was born in New York, and had spoken it to us as we were growing up, but I wasn’t used to it being spoken all around me.

“There they are,” I screamed as I spotted my father and two brothers.  We all hugged each other, we cried and cried, then we laughed and cried again.  As we walked to the exit we all clung to each other, never again wanting to let go. We had been separated so long.

Six months before, after loading his and my brothers’ suitcases into the car, my father filled the rest of the small black Renault Dauphine with the ladies’ leather handbags he had left over after closing his factory.  I cried as I stood there with my mother, watching my father slowly back out, and sadly wave goodbye.  He drove away and headed north for the border, and a new life in Los Angeles.

Back at the airport, we all said we were starving.   My father said he knew of a great delicatessen.  I had never heard the word before.  He took us straight to Canter’s on Fairfax Avenue.  I saw things on the menu that were considered gourmet because there were very few, if any places in Mexico that served lox, bagels and cream cheese, chopped liver, gefilte fish or herring, or pastrami or corned beef sandwiches.  My family loved these foods just as much as we loved a great taco, albeit in a completely different and unique category.

I was amazed when our server spoke to us in English.  As she walked away after taking our order, I turned to my mother and said, “Hasta las meseras hablan ingles?” Even the waitresses speak English?  My parents lovingly chuckled at my innocence.

This was my Mexican-Jewish cultural crash landing when I first arrived in L.A.  47 years ago.  I was in for a long adjustment period…about 3 years.

My Mother

There is no storm or blizzard, just a steady, slow, and unceasing snowfall that quietly blankets my heart and my being.  That is how it feels without my mother.

I lost my Mother on January 13, 2012.  Time compounds on itself, and each day the weight of her absence grows heavier.  The emptiness of that quiet white tundra, is vast.

She was my teacher and guide for everything in life,  she was the stencil after which I was drawn. From the moment I was born until the moment my mother passed away, all she did was give me love.

My precious Mother and I were a team.  She was my constant guide, I was her faithful follower.

In the past few years, late in her life, my mother craved the foods from her youth.  She wanted to once again taste her mother’s yellow string bean soup, or  Palacsinta, the Hungarian crepes her mother prepared for dessert. She craved any and all of her mother’s cooking.

Please stay tuned, as the next several blog posts and recipes will be dedicated to the memory of  my beloved  mother.

Chicken Tortilla Kugel

Recently, as part of a World Hunger Fundraiser, my daughter Amy recruited me  to teach a cooking class to a small group of U.S.C. (University of Southern California) students in the university’s Hillel kitchen  (see short video below).  I opted for a simple recipe, which would be quick, easy and delicious, and which would allow for several short cuts if desired.

Many cultures have some version of a casserole — chilaquiles are Mexican one, while kugel is Jewish from Eastern Europe. Chilaquiles are layers of crunchy tortilla chips covered in a spicy (usually green) sauce, and then smothered in cheese and cream.  Kugel is layers of noodles, often sweet. Guess there’s something universal about putting a bunch of stuff in a deep pan and baking!

My version here is made with chicken, so it doesn’t include any dairy products.  Instead of using chicken, you do have the option of using cheese where you would the chicken.  My guests always rave about this dish…but little do they know how simple it is to make. Now I am giving all of my secrets away.  It calls for either freshly made tortilla chips (by frying your own) or store-bought chips.  Also, it calls for tomato sauce, which you can make fresh, or you may use the canned stuff if you are short on time.  I don’t know about you,  but I have a lot of tortilla chips left over from New Year’s Eve and other recent celebrations.  So this Friday night, before the chips go stale,  I am going to use them to make a delicious Chicken Tortilla Kugel.

Chicken Tortilla Kugel

Ingredients and process for Step I

• One bone-in whole chicken breast
• a small piece of onion
• 1 whole garlic clove
• Salt and pepper to taste

As if you were going to make a simple chicken soup, boil the chicken breast along with onion and garlic, and season with salt and pepper.   When it is tender and well cooked remove it from the broth, allow it to cool, and then shred it. It should provide about 2 cups of shredded chicken. Set it aside, and preserve the broth for the sauce.

Ingredients and process for Step II

• 18 corn tortillas or store-bought tostadas or tortilla chips
• ¼ – 1/2 cup canola oil, if you are using the fresh tortillas

Warm the oil in a small frying pan, over medium heat.
Fry each tortilla one at a time until it becomes golden and crisp.
As you remove each fried tortilla from the oil (which is now a tostada), place on a paper towel and wipe off excess oil with another paper towel.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

Ingredients and process for Step III

• 15 oz. can tomato sauce or 4 small ripe tomatoes
• 2 cups chicken broth chicken broth
• ¼ of a small white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 jalapeno pepper (or more if you want a spicier sauce)
• 1 tablespoon of fresh cilantro
• ½ teaspoon salt

Place all of the above ingredients in a blender and liquefy until very smooth.
Place 1 tablespoon of canola oil into a small saucepan and heat very well until oil begins to smoke a bit, add the sauce from the blender and bring it to a boil. Allow the sauce to boil for 2 minutes and then lower the heat so that sauce continues to simmer and stays hot. When the tostadas have cooled, break up 6 of them (each tostada should make about 4-5 pieces) in a rectangular oven safe baking dish, and spread them out evenly.  Sprinkle about 1/3 of the shredded chicken evenly over the tostada pieces or chips.  With a ladle, spoon the sauce evenly over the first layer of tostada pieces and shredded chicken. Repeat the process and form a second layer, or even a third layer, ending with a layer of the shredded chicken.  Cover tightly with foil and place in hot oven for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and garnish with diced onion, cilantro and avocado pieces if desired.

Serves 8-12
Enjoy!

Chicken Paprikash and Nokedli

My Grandfather, Bertsi (Bertolon) Schlesinger declared one day to My Grandmother Lily, that he was going to set out for America.  They were in  Budapest, Hungary, and they had two little girls, my mother Martha, (Marto-Lenke), and my Aunt Edith, (Editke).  The growing Anti-Semitism in Hungary in the late 1920′s had become too much for him.

Not family, nor the Beautiful Danube, not the passionate Hungarian Csárdás Music, nor the food he was so accustomed to, could dissuade him.  One day, in 1927, he set out in search of a better life, and a more secure future for he and his family. He crossed the Atlantic on a big ship, and disembarked in the Port of  Tampico, in the State of Tamaulipas, on the Gulf Coast of Mexico.  My Grandfather got settled  in Tampico, and sent word to my grandmother that she and their little girls should join him as soon as possible.

One day, shortly after my grandfather sent for them, my grandmother and her two little girls boarded a ship and traversed the Atlantic for two weeks, heading for Tampico.  It broke my great-grandmother’s heart to see her daughter and little granddaughters leave their native Hungary.  She and her husband owned a beautiful restaurant in Budapest where my grandmother had learned to cook, and also where she entertained the clientele in highbrow style, for she was a concert pianist.

When she arrived in Tampico, my grandmother tried to adjust to life there, but could not.  She missed her mother terribly, and she couldn’t adjust to the language nor the food.  She didn’t like those round discs made out of corn flour, called tortillas.  She didn’t like beans, nor the spicy sauces and other typical foods in that new land.  She decided to take her little girls and go back to Hungary. She remained in Budapest for several weeks until my grandfather convinced her that their future lied in Mexico, and to give it another chance, and so she did, and she found herself again on a ship back to Tampico.

Gradually, my Grandmother adjusted to her new life.  She learned the language and the cooking, yet she continued making the same dishes that she had learned from her mother in Hungary.  She began to love tortillas and spices so much that she served them side by side with  her Hungarian dishes, and she found they made a good accompaniment.

My mother and her sister, and eventually their little brother, were raised in Tampico, Tamaulipas, practically the only Jewish kids in town, in the 1920′s, 1930′s and 1940′s.

I vividly remember my Grandmother Lily preparing this recipe for many of our Sunday afternoon meals in Mexico City.

Ingredients for my Chicken Paprikash

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 2 chickens cut in 10
• 1 onion diced
• 5 fresh red pimentos diced
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup roasted red pimentos from a jar, chopped
• 2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 tablespoon fine Hungarian Paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups water

Method

In a large saucepan heat the teaspoon of canola oil. Add the chicken pieces skin down, and allow them to brown for ten minutes.  Turn the pieces over and brown the opposite side for another 10 minutes.  I do this in two batches, removing the browned pieces to a large bowl, as they are ready.

When finished browning the chicken, remove some of the chicken fat which has been rendered during the browning process, and set it aside, (The fat may be discarded, refrigerated or frozen for other use, such as in my Kosher Tamale recipe).

Retain about 2 tablespoons of fat, and keep the saucepan over a high-medium heat.  Add the onion and mix for about 3 minutes.  Add the fresh red pimentos, mix in well with the onion, and then add the minced garlic, followed by the roasted pimento. Stir for three minutes and add the tomato sauce,  bringing the mixture to a boil. Add the paprika, salt and pepper, stir and add the water.   Remove the skin from the chicken pieces  and place them back into the saucepan, into the sauce to finish the cooking process.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat a bit, cover, and cook at a high simmer for one hour.

While the chicken is cooking prepare the Hungarian Dumplings or Nokedli.

Ingredients For Nokedli

• Large pot filled with boiling water
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• Just under 2 cups all-purpose flour

Method

Fill a large pot with water about 3/4 to the top. Place it over high heat and while it begins to boil, prepare the dough.

Combine the eggs, salt, and water and beat well with a whisk.  Add the flour a little bit at a time and mix well, until you have a soft but sticky dough.  With a teaspoon take very small amounts of dough and drop them one at a time into the boiling water.  If you stick the spoon into the boiling water, these slide right off.

When the dumplings rise to the surface they are ready.  Using a slotted spoon remove them to a large colander.  Make  batches of about 20 dumplings at a time, to avoid overcooking. Repeat the process until you have finished all of the dough.  Rinse the dumplings in gently running, cold water.

Plate the Chicken Paprikash in a large rectangular serving dish and cover it generously with the sauce.   Separately,  plate the dumplings, and top them with a generous amount of the sauce as well.

Serve hot and enjoy!