Roasted Eggplant Pate

Roasted Eggplant Pate

3 medium-sized eggplants, 4 medium size tomatoes,chopped; 1 medium size white onion, shopped; 2 garlic clove minced; 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; salt, sour salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Slice eggplants in half lengthwise and roast in 400 degree oven for approximately 45 minutes, or until very soft and creamy. Allow to cool slightly, then scoop out inside of eggplants.
While the eggplants are baking, drain liquid from tomatoes. Mix together tomatoes and onions. In a blender, pulse eggplants, tomatoes, and onionsuntil they turn into small chunks or, if preferred, into a smooth paste. Transfer to a bowl. Stir well and season with salt, black pepper and sour salt to taste. Chill before serving (can be made a day in advance).

Sour salt (Citric Acid) - "A salt substance derived from acidic citrus fruits, such as lemon and limes, that is dried and formed into a powder or crystal. When used as an ingredient to flavor foods, it provides a distinctively sour or tart taste to the food dish. It is a common substance used in sausage making or canning to keep the color of fruits from darkening. It is commonly used as a substitute for lemon juice, providing a tart flavor with only a few grains of the salt. Since the flavor can overpower some recipes, it is best if used with sugar to arrive at an enjoyable blend between the sweet and sour taste. This type of salt, which may also be referred to as citric salt or citric acid is often used in recipes for Borscht, a cold beet soup, or lemon cheese cake." from Recipe Tips

I publish this recipe only on English because Russian women know the recipe very well.

Green Borscht

Green Borscht

Makes 4 sides-dish servings.

2 cups fresh spinach; 1 tablespoons cooking oil; 2 small chopped carrots (2/3 cups); 1 small chopped onion (1/2 cup); 4 cups vegetable stock or broth; 2 medium size potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced (optional); 4 tablespoons sour cream; salt and pepper by taste

Tear off stems from the spinach leaves and chop them small (the smaller the better. You can use food processor. Place spinach leaves into food processor and pulse several times.)

In a large saucepan, heat the cooking oil over the medium high heat, Add the chopped carrots and onion, cook and stir until tender. Add chicken stock or broth and the cubed potatoes. Bring to boiling, reduce the heat, Simmer, covered, about 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir in the spinach and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper. Simmer on medium heat more 10-15 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls, garnish with sliced hard-cooked eggs and sour cream.

Marinated Eggplant salad

4 cups water, 2 tablespoons salt, 1 eggplant, about 1.5 pounds, sliced lengthwise into 4-5 pieces, 1 small red onion, thinly sliced, 1 cup chopped cilantro, 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 garlic chopped cloves.
Marinade: 1/3 cup vinegar, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon boiling water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 2 teaspoons salt


Bring 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Add eggplant slices and boil for 10 minutes. Remove the eggplant, let it cool and then slice across into bite size pieces.

Prepare marinade. Mix together vinegar, olive oil, water, sugar, and salt. Taste it and adjust the level of salt if you need.

In a bowl combine the eggplant and marinade.

Refrigerate the dish for at least one day.

Салат из маринованного баклажана

4 чашки воды, 2 столовые ложки соли, 1 большой баклажан, нарезанный по длине на 4-5 кусков, 1 небольщая локовица красного лука, 1 чашка мелко нарезанной петрушки, 1 сладкий красный перец, 3 зубчика чеснока.

Маринад: 1/3 чашки уксуса, 1/4 чашки оливкового масла, 1 столовая ложка кипяченной воды, 1 столовая ложка сахара, 2 чайные ложки соли.

Закипятить 4 чашки воды с 2 столовыми ложками соли. Полозить в кипящую воды баклажан и кипатить 10 минут. Вынуть баклажан, дать остыть и разрезать куски баклажана на порционные.
Приготовить маринад. Смещать вместе оливковое масло, уксус, воду, соль и сахар. Попробoвать маринад на соль. Если нужно добавить еще. Перемешать баклажан, перец, лук, чеснок, петрушку и маринад. Поставить в холодильник на 1-2 дня.

Recipe from Olga Berman

Banana Bread

Best-Ever Banana Bread

Male 2 small loaves or 1 big one

1 1/4 cups sugar, 1/2 cup butter or margarine melted, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups mashed very ripe bananas (4 medium size), 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon soda, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350F. Grease bottoms only of 2 (8x4 inch) loaf pans or 1 (9x5 inch) loaf pan.
In large bowl, mix sugar and butter. Add eggs, bananas, buttermilk and vanilla; beat with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and nuts just until moistened. If desired, fold in walnuts. Pour batter into pans.

Bake 8-inch loaves for 1 hour, 9-inch loaf for 1 1/4 hours; or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool about 1 hour before slicing.

Кекс из бананов.

2 маленьких кекса или 1 большой.

1 1/4 чашки сахара, 1/2 чашки сливочного масла или маргарина, 2 яйца, 1 1/2 чашки бананового пюре (4 банана средней величины), 1/2 чашки кефира, 1 чайная ложка ванильного экстракта, 2 1/2 чашки муки, 1 чайная ложка соды, 1 чайная ложки соли, 1 чашка мелко нарубленных грецких орехов.

Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Приготовить 2 (8x4 дюймов) формочки или одну (9x5 дюймов) формочку. В большой посуде смешать сахар и масло. Добавить яйца, бананы и ванильный экстракт. Все хорошо взбить миксером. Добавить муку, соду и соль. Все хорошо перемешать. Добавить орехи. Тесто вылить в форму.

Если вы выбрали маленькие формочки, то печь кекс около 1 часа, если Вы выбрали большую формочку, то печь 1 1/4 часа. Проверить лучинкой на готовность. Вынуть из духовки и остудить в течении 1 часа перед тем, как начать нарезать.

Recipe comes from Gold Medal Flour

For Russian-speaking guests

Today I would like to present a new Russian-Jewish cooking online magazine. Several Russian women get together and created something new and exciting. To view magazine, please visit a site.
Actually we have to say thank you for their endless effort to improve our menu and involve us to something new and interesting. I hope you will enjoy the online magazine.

Apple Cake with Lemon Glaze

Apple Cake with Lemon Glaze
Makes one 9-inch cake
It makes a very elegant treat for tea party. Initially I found the recipe on Food and wine magazine website. I decided to tweak the recipe and come up with new apple cake. It was delicious and very good. Please, try it.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon salt, 3/4 teaspoon baking powder, 2 large eggs, 2/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup milk, 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, finely grated zest of 1 lemon, 2 large size coarsely chopped apples
Universal Lemon glaze: 1 tbsp melted butter or margarine, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 c icing(powered) sugar

Directions
Core and chopped fresh apples. Drizzle with some lemon juice. Put aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 9-inch springform pan. In a small bowl, whisk the flour with the salt and baking powder. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the granulated sugar until pale yellow. Whisk in the milk, olive oil, melted butter, lemon zest. Fold in the flour mixture. Scrape the half of batter into the prepared pan. Place apples over the batter and scrape the another half of batter

Bake the cake for about 50-55 minutes, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the cake to a rack, carefully remove the ring and let cool to room temperature.
Remove the cake from the base and transfer to a serving platter. Prepare the lemon glaze: mix together all ingredients until smooth and well blended. Pour over the cake. Let stand on a plate for couple hours. Cut the cake into wedges and serve with tea.


Яблочный торт с лимонной помадкой.
1 1/2 чашки муки, 1 чайная ложка соли, 3/4 чайной ложки разрыхлителя, 2 яйца, 2/3 чашки сахара, 1/3 чашки молока, 1/4 чашки оливкового масла, 4 столовых ложки растопленного сливочного масла, свежая цедра одного лимона, 2 больших яблока.
Лимонная помадка: 1 столовая ложка сливочного масла или маргарина, 1 столовая ложка лимонного сока, 1 чашка сахарной пудры.
Очистить яблоки и мелко нарезать. Побрызгать лимонным соком.
Нагреть духовку до 350Ф. Приготовить круглую 9-инчевую форму для выпечки тортов. В первой посуде смешать муку, соль и разрыхлитель. В другой посуде хорошо перемешать яйца и сахар. Добавить молоко, оливковое масло, растопленное сливочное масло и лимонную цедру. Всыпать смесь из первой посуды и хорошо перемешать. Тесто будет блинной консистенции. Выложить половину теста в форму, выложить яблоки и покрыть второй половиной теста.
Выпекать 50-55 минут. Вынуть пирог из духовки, переложить на тарелку. Приготовить помадку. Перемешать растопленное сливочное масло, лимонный сок и сахарную пудру. Залить торт и оставить осtывать на 2-3 часа.

Kung Pao Shrimp

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce, divided, 1 1/2 teaspoons dry sherry, divided,2 teaspoons cornstarch, 1 pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp, 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1/4 cup chopped dry-roasted peanuts, 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger, 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, 1 1/2 cups thinly sliced celery, 1 cup chopped red bell pepper, 1/4 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth, 1 teaspoon rice vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Preparation
1. Combine 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sherry, cornstarch, and shrimp.
2. Heat oil in a wok over high heat. Add peanuts and next 3 ingredients; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in celery and bell pepper; stir-fry 2 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add shrimp mixture; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add remaining 2 teaspoons soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon sherry, and broth. Bring to a simmer; cook 1 minute or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat; stir in vinegar and salt. Top with onions.

Recipe from Cooking Light DECEMBER 2009

Для русско-язычных читателей пищу отдельно. Это острое блюдо можно часто встретить в меню китайских ресторанов. Обычно его делают с креветками или с курицей. Я решилась сделать с креветками. Вообще мне нравится китайская кухня, потому пробую блюда из этой кухни. Вообще в Америке трудно оставаться любителем только одной кухни, нравится многое и из разных кухонь. Попробуйте, может и Вам понравится.

Zabar's Banana Bread

This recipe for those who likes really delicious piece of banana bread. It's not just a recipe, it's recipe from Zabar's blog. For many people Zabar's means a gold standard in cooking and baking. And these people is right. Zabar's deli is one of the best in US. It's a first recipe from their blog I tried and it's an instant hit. My coworkers and I really like it. Now I offer you to make really delish banana bread. Plus this recipe can be pareve.
Enjoy as much as we enjoyed.

I made 2 loaves because I want to entertain my coworkers with something new and tasty. I came out with similar recipe.

Zabar's Banana Bread (corrected version)
For 2 loaves

Ingredients
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 egg
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup strong coffee or espresso (can substitute with milk)
5 mashed ripe medium size bananas
1 cup chopped walnuts

Zabar's Banana Bread (original version).

Ingredients
2 cups white whole wheat flour or all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
½ cup butter, softened (see tip below)
2/3 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
¼ tsp orange blossom water (optional)
1/3 cup strong coffee or espresso (can substitute with milk)
2-3 mashed ripe bananas (see banana tips below)
¾ cup walnuts
Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F

1. In a medium bowl mix together the dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. I use white whole wheat flour for a little extra nutrition without having bread that seems “whole wheat-y”. Set this aside.
2. In a large bowl cream the softened butter until smooth and light. If you haven’t pre-softened your butter, here’s my trick: slice it into ½” slices and place in a microwave safe bowl and microwave it for 8 second increments. Slicing it before microwaving will soften the butter without melting it. Every microwave’s power settings are different so experiment to see what time works best for you.
3. Add the sugar and continue to mix it until it’s creamy.
4. Add the beaten egg, vanilla, orange blossom water, and espresso and mix until lemon colored and fluffy. You can use an electric mixer, but I don’t, especially for the following steps, your bread will turn out better if you mix it by hand with a wooden spoon.
5. Add the flour mixture slowly, stirring until just combined and add the mashed bananas and walnuts.
6. Transfer this to a greased 9 inch loaf pan. Smooth it to fit. Bake 50 – 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let it sit for 10 minutes in the pan before you transfer it to a wire rack to cool.
You can also bake this as muffins; just reduce the cooking time to around 25 minutes. It will make about 10 muffins, depending on how tall you want them to be.
A note about bananas. The perfect banana for this recipe is a very very ripe banana. It’s very yellow with a lot of brown spots on it. The more brown there is the sweeter the banana is. If you have ripe bananas on hand (but aren’t ready to bake with them) just peel them, wrap them well and freeze them. Then thaw them before adding them to your mixture.

Recipe from Zabar's Blog