60 | SEPTEMBER 17 • 2020 

flour. Place the breasts in the hot 
skillet (you may have to do this 
in batches), and brown lightly on 
both sides. 
 Place all the breasts back in 
the skillet and pour the wine over. 
Bring the wine to a boil, reduce 
heat and cook the chicken until 
the wine is reduced and the sauce 
is slightly thickened. Add the figs 
and raisins, salt and pepper to 
taste and lemon juice.
Sprinkle capers and cilantro or 
parsley over the chicken, turning 
the chicken occasionally so it’
s 
covered in sauce. Serve hot with 
sauce spooned over the chicken 
and lemon slices over the breasts. 
You can make this up to one day 
ahead of time and reheat, covered 
at 250ºF for one hour; you may 
need to add chicken broth or 
water to the sauce if necessary. 
Makes 8 servings.

FIVE-INGREDIENT NOODLE KUGEL
Don’
t be turned off by the few 
ingredients in this dairy kugel. It’
s 
delicious and has all the basics. If 
you want to add extras, go ahead. 
One cup of golden raisins, one cup of 
apricot preserves a little cinnamon on 
top or a well-drained can of crushed 
pineapple or a cup or two of minced 
apples wouldn’
t hurt.

 1 pound wide egg noodles dry, 
cooked al dente
 2 cups cottage cheese
 2 cups sour cream
 6 large eggs
 1 cup sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9 
x 13 baking dish with nonstick 
cooking spray. Set aside.
In a large bowl, combine all 
the kugel ingredients and pour 
the mixture into the prepared 
pan. Bake, uncovered for 45-60 
minutes, or until golden and the 
custard is set. Cut into squares and 
serve. Makes 20 servings.

BALSAMIC BRUSSELS SPROUTS 
WITH APPLES
 2 pounds fresh brussels sprouts, 
stem ends trimmed and halved if 
large
 2 large granny smith apples, 
peeled or unpeeled, cut into 
1-inch chunks
 2 cups peeled red or Bermuda 
onion chunks
 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, or 
as needed
 Salt and pepper to taste
 Balsamic glaze or vinegar, to 
taste

Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large 
rimmed baking dish with foil or 
parchment. Set aside.
Combine all ingredients in large 
bowl and toss well. 
Arrange in a single layer on the 
baking sheet.
Cook in the oven uncovered 
(roast) for about 30 minutes. 
Arrange on a serving dish and 
serve hot, warm or at room tem-
perature drizzled with balsamic 
vinegar or glaze. Makes 8 servings. 

PUREED CARROT SOUP
My mother made a version of this 
soup for as long as I can remem-
ber. This recipe is the first soup I 
made when I was in high school. 
It’
s basic and delicious because of 
the sweetness of both the cooked 
onions and carrots. Use this same 
recipe for any vegetable soup (use 
sweet potatoes, butternut squash, 
cauliflower or any combination of 
vegetables) and add your favorite 
spices, herbs or aromatics. Garlic, 
fresh ginger, curry powder, fresh 
dill, sage and basil are all excellent 
choices. Once you make this, you 
can make any pureed soup. 

 2 Tbsp. butter or olive oil
 1 cup chopped onions
 3 Tbsp. flour
 6 cups sliced carrots rings

 6 cups chicken broth, stock, veg-
etable broth or water

 Water
 1/8 tsp. cayenne pepper
 Salt and pepper to taste
 ½ cup half-and-half (optional)
 Fresh sage leaves, garnish (or 
bake for a crunchy texture)

Directions
Heat butter in a large saucepan or 
soup pot over medium heat until 
melted. Add the onion and cook 
until softened, about 10 minutes. 
Add the flour and cook, stirring, 
for 1 minute more.
Stir in carrots, broth, and 
enough water to cover the carrots 
by 1 inch, cayenne pepper and 1 
tsp. salt and ½-tsp. pepper. Raise 
heat to medium-high and bring to 
a boil. Reduce to simmer and cook 
until the carrots are very tender, 
about 30 minutes. (If the carrots 
are not tender, the soup will not be 
smooth.) 
Allow the soup to cool for 
about 10 minutes. Puree the soup 
with a food processor, blender or 
immersion blender. Heat until hot, 
add the half-and-half and adjust 
salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot, 
topped with fresh or baked sage 
leaves. Makes 8 servings.
 
LENTILS WITH VEGETABLES
AND MINT
 1½ cups dry green lentils
 5 cups water
 ¼ cup olive oil
 1 cup chopped red onions
 1 tsp. minced garlic
 1 cup ¼-inch diced red or yellow 
bell peppers
 1 cup ¼-inch diced carrots 
(peeled or unpeeled)
 ½ cup chopped parsley
 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint
 ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
 1 tsp. hot sauce (such as tabas-
co)
 Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Combine lentils and water to a 
medium saucepan over high heat. 
Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium 

heat and cook for 30-minutes or 
until lentils are tender, but not 
mushy. Drain well and transfer to a 
large bowl.
While the lentils are cooking, 
Heat olive oil in over medium heat. 
Add the onions, garlic, peppers 
and carrot. Saute until the onions 
are beginning to color. Remove 
from stove and allow to cool. Add 
to the lentils and add remaining 
ingredients and toss well. 
Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve 
warm or at room temperature. 
Makes 8 servings.

APPLES AND HONEY CAKE
 ½ cup brown sugar 
 1 cup vegetable oil
 2 large eggs
 ¾ cup honey
 2 ½ cups flour
 1 tsp. baking powder
 1 tsp. baking soda
 1 tsp. salt
 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
 ½ tsp. ground cloves
 3 cups ½-inch diced, peeled 
apples (your favorite variety)
 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray a tube 
pan (Bundt is one brand) well with 
nonstick cooking spray (be sure 
the spray the “
tube” well or the 
cake may not unmold well. 
Combine sugar and oil in a large 
bowl. Beat until smooth with an 
electric mixer. Add the eggs and 
mix well. Add honey and mix well.
In another, combine the flour, 
baking powder, baking soda, salt, 
cinnamon and cloves and whisk 
together. Slowly mix into the wet 
ingredients. Mix in the apples and 
nuts until just incorporated (do not 
over mix). Transfer batter to the 
prepared pan.
Bake for 50-60-minutes or until 
a toothpick inserted into the center 
comes out clean. Allow to cool for 
10-15 minutes before inverting 
onto a plate. Makes 16 or more 
servings. 

Arts&Life

dining in

continued from page 59

