To Life!
F- O 0 D
Cocooning
Winter is a great time to cook.
I Annabel Cohen
l Special to the Jewish News
W
hen it's really cold and really
dark early, staying inside seems
like an awfully good idea. Just
yesterday, Dec. 21, was the shortest day of
the year.
Winter is the time of year when I'm most
productive in the kitchen. Cooking is sooth-
ing and with ovens and stoves at full flame,
the kitchen is the most toasty room in the
house.
It's usually at night when I break out my
cookbooks and look for ideas. Then I pre-
pare what I'm in the mood for at the
moment (something usually saucy and def-
initely hearty) and adapt the recipes to my
particular tastes.
This year, my favorites .include lamb
shanks, steamy and moist, salmon with a
sweet and tangy glaze over soba noodles
(another new obsession) and cheesecake
with perennial pleasers mini-chocolate
chips and gooey caramel sauce.
Follow these recipes as written, or vary
them. Use beef or veal instead of lamb,
turkey cutlets instead of chicken, apples
instead of pears, mahi mahi in place of
salmon.
Lamb Shanks With Tomatoes,
Mushrooms And Red Wine
You may make this dish with other mush-
room varieties — shitake and crimini are
good choices — or leave them out altogether.
Delicious served with mashed potatoes,
dumplings or pasta.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup flour
6 large or 12 small lamb shanks (about
5-6 pounds)
2 cups chopped
onion,
chopped
1 cup small diced carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 cups dry red wine
beef broth or water
1 can (28 oz.) Italian seasoned diced
tomatoes, with juices
8 oz. sliced button mushrooms
2 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
salt and pepper to taste
Place flour in a shallow dish. Dredge the
lamb shanks in the flour and pat to remove
excess flour. Set aside.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or soup pot over
medium-high heat. Add the lamb shanks to
skillet and cook until well browned on all
sides. Transfer the lamb to another dish and
set aside.
Add the onion, carrots, celery and garlic
to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for
about 5 minutes. Add the lamb and any col-
lected juices to the pot. Add the remaining
ingredients and add enough broth or water
to almost cover the ingredients. Bring to a
boil, reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook
the lamb until very tender, about 2 1/2
hours (you may also place the pan in a 300F
oven and cook, covered,for 2 1/2 to 3
hours). Makes 6 servings.
Winter Panzanella
Panzanella is an all-embracing name for an
Italian bread salad. This one is hearty
enough to be a simple entrée.
6 cups toasted French baguette cubes
(about 1/2-inch cubes)
1 can (about 15 oz.) chicken peas or gar-
banzo beans, drained
3 cups halved grape tomatoes
I yellow or green bell pepper, chopped
1 roasted red pepper (jarred or canned is
fine)
1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
1 cup chopped red or Bermuda onion
1 cup chopped scallions, white and green
parts
1 cup fresh shredded basil leaves (or 2
Tbsp. prepared pesto)
1 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts, optional
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
sea or kosher salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup dry cured or other good quality
olives, garnish
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl
and toss well. Adjust seasonings to taste and
serve immediately. Makes 8-12 servings.
Seared Coconut Salmon with
28
December 22 . 2005
Asian Glaze Over Soba Noodles
Soba noodles:
12 oz. package soba noodles, prepared
according to package directions
Glaze:
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup soy sauce
3 Tbsp. minced onions
3 Tbsp. oriental sesame oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 Tbsp. black or white sesame seeds
1 Tbsp. peeled finely chopped fresh gin-
ger
1 Tbsp. sugar or brown rice syrup
Salmon:
2 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil
4 6-oz. salmon fillet portions with or
without skin
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup sweetened flaked coconut, lightly
toasted
Make glaze: Combine glaze ingredients in a
small saucepan and bring to a boil over
medium-high heat. Turn heat off and set
aside.
Prepare salmon: Heat vegetable oil in a
large nonstick skillet over high heat until
very hot. Add the salmon portions, skin side
up, to the skillet. Sear until golden, about 3-
4 minutes. Turn the fish over and cook the
other side for about 4 minutes more, until
just done (do not overcook). Season to taste
with salt and pepper. Serve the salmon on a
bed of noodles, with the glaze drizzled over
the top and sprinkled with the coconut.
Pan Seared Chicked With Pear
Sauce And Balsamic Pears
Sauce:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup think sliced celery
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 cup sparkling pear juice (or sparkling
cider)
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1 teaspoon fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon
dried
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Chicken:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
4 skinless boneless chicken breast
halves, pounded slightly to flatten
kosher salt and pepper to taste
2 pears, any variety, cored and cut into
16 thin wedges each
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
4 sprigs (about 3 inches each) fresh rose-
mary, garnish
Make Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan
over medium-high heat. Add the onions,
garlic and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
Add remaining ingredients and bring to a
boil. Reduce heat slightly and cook until
reduced by half. Keep the sauce warm until
ready to use.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 275(F.
Make chicken: Heat oil in large skillet
over high heat until very hot. Season chick-
en with salt and pepper and cooked
through and golden on both sides. Remove
the chicken to a baking dish and keep in
warm oven.
Add the pears to the pan. Cook for about
3 minutes, turning gently. Add the balsamic
vinegar and cook until the vinegar is evapo-
rated. Place the chicken on 4 individual din-
ner plates and spoon the sauce over. Top
with the pears and serve. Makes 4 servings.
Pecan Crusted Caramel Topped
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake
Crust:
1 cup lightly toasted pecans
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbg
1/4 cup sugar.
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
Filling:
2 pounds cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
4 large eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Topping:
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream (not
whipped)
1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
Make crust: Preheat oven to 325E Combine
crust ingredients in the bowl of a food
processor and pulse until fine and crumbly.
Press the crust into the bottom of a 9-inch
springform pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
Remove from oven to cool.
Make filling: Using an electric mixer beat
cream cheese and sour cream until light.
Add the brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. at a time,
beating well after each addition. Beat in
remaining ingredients, one at a time until
the filling is uniform. Transfer the filling to
the prepared pan.
Bake for 1 hour, turn off heat and allow to
cool in the oven for 30 minutes more.
Remove from oven and cool completely.
Make topping: In a small saucepan over
medium heat, cook sugar, stirring constant-
ly, until it is a light golden color (it will
clump, then melt). Remove from heat and
slowly add the cream. Place the pan back on
the heat and stir until the mixture is
smooth, shiny and thickened.
Run a knife around the inside perimeter
of the springform pan before removing the
collar. Spread or drizzle the caramel over the
cheesecake and sprinkle with remaining
chocolate chips. Chill until ready to serve
and cut into thin wedges with a very thin
sharp knife or use dental floss, held tight
with two hands to slice the cake in half then
into wedges. Makes 12-16 or more
servings. Ell
More recipes are at JNOnline.com .