I have been participating in a weekly program on Israeli culture and cuisine, hosted by Michael Solomonov, one of my favorite chefs. As I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, one of my favorite soups is the Yemenite beef soup I first had in Israel and, coincidentally, his focus on the night I made my soup was Yemenite Soup!! His version was with chicken and needless to say I had to make it.
The traditional accompaniments are: 1) Hilbeh, fenugreek thickener mixed with dill and scallions. Fenugreek has a distinctive flavor described as pungent maple syrup. It is used as a thickener by people who keep kosher as it can be added to meat dishes when dairy products are restricted. I am not sure I am a fan; 2) Schug (or zhoug, or one of several other spellings) is a condiment made with chiles, parsley, cilantro and various spices. I usually buy TJ’s but made my own this time, and will continue to make my own going forward; and 3) Lachuch, a spongy, pancake-like bread similar to injera. I followed the recipes in Solomonov’s book Zahav, his flagship restaurant in Philadelphia.
Since we dined out on Valentine’s Day, Mrs. P prepared a decadent post Valentine’s Day dinner of lobster Thermidor. We bought 4 nice lobster tails at Costco. We also had some crab stuffed mushrooms purchased from my Chef friend. It all went great with an awesome French red blend. It wasn’t easy, but I only ate half, and saved some for another dinner. The crispy cheese topping was amazing.
We’ve been going to the Asian market for dumplings the last couple of months. Hardly any English on the bags. A truly great variety of all kinds (love the pork/leek and shrimp/asparagus). They get ~$7.99 a bag which yield about 20. Still a good value especially with the different fillings to choose from.
The Costco ones are probably more “Americanized” for lack of a better term, but they were really good and just cannot beat that value. Even when we order Chinese takeout (which is once a week) we skip dumplings from them and fry our own.
@MsBean - your soup looks fantastic, and how fun to participate in that! Tell me, does he have the recipe for this in either of his cookbooks? Oops - never mind, I saw the rest of the post. In any case, thanks for posting & the rec to make your own zhoug.
After a truly crappy, disappointing delivery lunch I was pleased with a homey dinner that really hit the spot. garlic and rosemary roasted chicken breasts (bone in), a big sheet pan of roasted veggies – baby new potatoes, rainbow carrots and cauliflower; and some sheet pan gnocchi with shallots and roasted broccoli. that was a riff on a NYT recipe involving leeks and asparagus, neither of which i had. and subbed cauliflower gnocchi. it wasn’t a smash hit, but i’ll chalk that up to all of the alterations.
Chinese takeout? Not tonight! BF continued his string of excellent Asian cooking with the Chinese-American classic chicken and broccoli (in garlic sauce). The broccoli was toasted on high heat in a dry pan before being removed and added back in again at the end with the sauce. This brought out its flavor, gave it a slight crispness, and ensured it did not turn to mush. The sauce contained light and dark soy sauces, oyster sauce, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, white pepper, chicken stock, and a couple of crushed dried red chilis for a little heat. Once again it was thickened with arrowroot instead of corn starch-- a big difference.
Made Turkish eggs yet again, this time for dinner so the BF could try them. He loved them! of course, had to add some sausage for him to make it a “complete” meal. This time, with roasted shrooms, red peppers, spring onions, and cherry tomatoes.
i did exactly the same - bought TJ’s zhoug once, fell in love, and I’ve been making my own ever since. it’s so good, so easy, and keeps for weeks and weeks!
Since there was no real dinner cooking, I made a batch of kababs for the freezer, using ground turkey. Two flavors, my grandmother’s recipe and seekh kabab.
Recipe called for Gochugaru chili Flakes, but I don’t have any (they’re sitting on the list ) so I used Ground Aleppo Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper & a dab of Gochujang. Also, I would definitely double the sauce next time. But it’s a good recipe and turned out pretty well. Hubs loved it.
I know. Fenugreek has such an interesting flavor. I’m not exactly sure why I had it - I think it must have been for some Indian recipes. It’s going to be one of those spices that has to be judiciously as I’m guessing even a touch too much will be way to much. I’m going to have to do a better job at really measuring.
The class is called Bringing Israel Home. The first half has been Solomonov talking about something Israeli with a guest. This can be a little bland but I’m usually cleaning up after dinner during this part. The second half is focused on an Israeli food, with him cooking in his home kitchen. It’s a free program if anyone is interested. This week’s focus is on Israeli breakfasts.
) so I used Ground Aleppo Pepper, Crushed Red Pepper & a dab of Gochujang. Also, I would definitely double the sauce next time. But it’s a good recipe and turned out pretty well. Hubs loved it.
