Week's worth of food

Since my business is a bit out of the ordinary, I thought I would explain in a bit more detail how it works. Each family I cook for has a regular day in which I bring them the next week’s food. Each week, around two days before the set day, I email my suggestion for the next week’s menu. In creating the menu I take many things into consideration – the first, obviously, is the family’s likes and dislikes. It is important that everyone will have something they like. The second is that the dishes can be mixed and matched, so it won't seem like you're eating the same thing over and over again. So I would normally have at least 2 protein (meat, chicken, tofu, etc) dishes, two vegetable dishes and two carbohydrates (rice, potatoes, noodles, etc.). "Last but not least, the dishes should keep in the fridge for a whole week, and should stand being microwaved."
Here is one family’s week as an example:
This is a great family of four (two adults, two kids).The mother is vegetarian and they all really love flavorful, spicy food, so although I have to be mindful of creating vegetarian dishes, I can really go wild with spices and flavors. This week's menu:

• A fish and potato casserole (I made a small vegetarian version for mom)
• Bolognese sauce (Since there is only an incremental difference between making a regular batch and making a large batch, I made enough to last the week and some to go directly in the freezer)
• Brussels spouts baked in béchamel sauce (yes – those kids really eat almost anything)
• Broccoli slaw with a sweet chili dressing
• Chick peas with sautéed onions and sage
• Brown rice with onions and red peppers
• Yam and potato puree

Israeli Affair

I catered an event for the local Conservative Synagogue. Since Linda, who organized the event, knew I was an Israeli chef, and the group has an affinity to Israel, they asked the event have an Israeli theme.
This was not an easy task, since there is no real Israeli food – Food in Israel is a mix of dishes from many different cultures, none of them can really be called "Israeli Food".
The first dishes that came to mind were hummus and falafel. These are dishes that most people think of as Israeli, and are available locally but I never feel like the offering available at supermarkets and Mediterranean restaurant really capture the flavors I grew up with.
I make my hummus with lots of cumin and other classic flavors, and grind it to a smooth paste that is very close to the best hummus available in the Galilee. For the falafel, I played around a little and made two kinds: one was the classic green falafel – full of parsley and coriander, and the other red, from paprika mixed into the chick pea base mixture. I fried the falafel balls on the spot, so people would be able to enjoy them while hot.
The rest of the dishes were very typically Israeli, though you might not naturally associate them as such:
Cabbage Salad – a Mediterranean version of coleslaw, that is very typical at any sort of street food stand. Naturally, it does not have any mayonnaise in it (that would not make much sense in a warm country like Israel), but rather the right combination of good olive oil, vinegar, lemon and spices that bring a certain tanginess and freshness to any meal.
Carrot salad - a dish I developed to suit local ingredients that combines flavors of a tradition Turkish tomato dip with a Moroccan carrot salad, to a sweet and spice carrot salad.
Fresh green salad with walnuts, pears, and goat cheese with a creamy goat cheese dressing.
Crust less onion and leek quiche – This, as well as other crust less quiches were a staple at any dinner party in the 1980’s. It might be a bit outdated now, but it went really well with the coat cheese green salad, so I decided to go retro and bring this dish back.
Last but not least, I grilled some Salmon skewers. This, like the falafel, was also prepared a la cart on an indoor grill.
The menu, entirely kosher- dairy, provided for a light dinner that was appropriate for the occasion. It was served buffet style so people could sit, talk, and eat as they pleased.
No desert? No way!
I made three plays on chocolate – Starting with...a simple chocolate cake, a coconut cake with think milk chocolate glaze and the ultimate triple chocolate brownie.
Linda, the very gracious host also made wonderful berry compote and a noodle kigel, since she likes to bake as well.

Family Style Comfort

It took me a long time to perfect my lasagna recipe. I started out from my Bolognaise, which I cook at least 3 hours so the beef will be moist and flavorful. Initially I layered pasta, sauce and cheeses – it was nice, I mean – you put good things in, so what could be wrong? But it wasn’t perfect. Then I tried using a béchamel sauce instead of the cheeses. Perfection! A moist, creamy lasagna that is indulging in every bite.

The ultimate comfort dessert for me is a crumble - apple, berry, rhubarb-peach, what ever is in season really. It's everything I look for in a dessert in one dish - warm sweet fruit contrasted by a little lemon zest and crunchy topping. MMM...

While on the Subject of Freshness

Each time I make fresh pasta I am amazed at how much better the pasta actually is. Then I promise myself that I’ll do it more, it last about a week and then I go back to the regular dry spaghetti, usually with some kind of very basic tomato sauce. Dry pasta has a nostalgic comfort to it that I can’t resist. Plus, you really can’t argue with the convenience of a great side dish that can be made at the beginning of the week and then reheated until it’s all done.

Sushi From Scratch

I learned how to make sushi at home a few years ago. I really love it, I can create any combination I want, put my favorite things in my roll, and not compromise on anything. The only thing is that it's makes any restaurant sushi really disappointing, so I'm sort of a party-pooper when people want to go out for a little bite of sushi.

Mid-Eastern Feast

Middle Eastern food is great for those who want a light meal. The warm weather of the area means that local cuisine is light on the stomach; it uses a lot of fresh vegetables, and local spices like sumac, cumin and more.

Staple salads include - Hummus, Babaganush (Roasted Eggplant Salad), Thahini and Tabule and Couscous. One more common dish that is not as known in the USA is Red Onions with Sumac and Olive Oil. The Sumac, a spice often used in Persian food, has a bit of a sour taste, that combines with the spicy-sweetness of the red onion for a refreshing relish type salad. In a recent meal I made, I also added to mix a fresh red-bean salad with roasted red peppers. The beans were cooked to perfection to be al dente - cooked through, but still have a bit of a bite, to hold their own in the salad.

A bit about traditional Moroccan Couscous soup – This is a great dish for any time of year. Plain couscous is cooked in water or in chicken stock, along with a hearty vegetable soup. To serve – the couscous is placed in a shallow bowl, and topped with a lot of vegetables from the soup and a bit of the soup’s liquids, which hydrate the otherwise dry couscous.

Thanksgiving Challenge

My first Thanksgiving in the USA posed a culinary challenge. How could I call myself a cook and not make a Turkey?

So I went for it – and made a huge bird. It came out golden brown and juicy, the crowd was pleased. For the sides, I stayed traditional: green beans and ham, mashed sweet potato and a braised Savoy cabbage. I also played it up with an onion and balsamic vinegar tart-tatin. I love how roasted onions become sweet, and the same can be said about balsamic – when reduced, the richness and sweetness of the balsamic really come out.

For dessert, I went with cookies – melt in your mouth butter pecan cookies, brown sugar cookies that I love for their deep rich brown sugar flavor and, last but not least, indulgent and intense triple chocolate cookies.

I also enjoyed the leftovers; I made a great turkey salad, with celery and red onion, mayonnaise and some secret ingredients that, together with the bread made for great sandwiches.