Really, you eat octopus? Yes, it’s yummy! They sell it frozen at our regular grocery store, but every time I ask for it, the people behind the counter act startled, like they can’t imagine why anyone would buy octopus. But the kids like it, it’s not expensive, and a little goes a long way. [Added …
Monthly Archives: September 2019
Oatmeal cakes
Yummy use for leftover oatmeal In Scotland, where people pretty much lived on oats, it used to be pretty common to let oatmeal get cold and solid and then slice it up to eat for lunch. These oatmeal cakes are another version of that idea. I serve them with salmon or lox because that’s another …
Noodle soufflé
Fancier Noodle Kugel My mother always made this noodle souffle on Christmas, as a brunch to keep us going until Christmas dinner, and get us away from the chocolate. It’s essentially a noodle kugel with beaten egg whites to make it a souffle, and a bunch of dairy added,s but it’s more exciting to eat …
Noodle kugel
The wonders of Pyrex My grandmother made this noodle kugel in a large Pyrex bowl, which had the advantage that she could mix it up and bake it in the same container. I don’t myself have a big Pyrex bowl, but I always remember hers fondly. She had this set of three; I suppose my …
Nachos from scratch
Why from scratch? I grew up on the East Coast, where I never had nachos or any other Mexican-type food, so I’m not like a native nachos-eater. I like nachos, but I find it disturbing that people say they “made nachos” when all the ingredients are foods that are already heavily processed like corn chips …
Moussaka
Good for company dinners One problem of eating mostly meatless dinners is what to serve when people are coming over, to make it seem like a party. For several years we just bit our tongues and served roast beef or salmon when people came to dinner, but around here we have people to dinner nearly every weekend …
Matzobrei
What is matzobrei? During Passover, if you’re following the rules, you can’t eat bread – and that includes pancakes and waffles and toast! People eat matzoh instead. And for a brunch, instead of pancakes, they mix matzoh with scrambled eggs, and that’s matzobrei. But at our house, we eat matzobrei for dinner too, because we just love …
Chicken soup with matzoh balls
First the soup: Put a chicken carcass (the bones of a roasted chicken with most of the meat off) in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover it. Bring the water to a boil and then lower the heat and simmer. Meanwhile, chop an onion, two or three peeled carrots (my grandma did …
Mac and cheese
Poor people’s food? When my partner was about ten, his family was really poor for a few years following his parents’ divorce, while his mom got back on her feet again. They ate a lot of macaroni and cheese, and he’s always disliked it since as poor people’s food. But this version certainly doesn’t taste …
Red Lentils/ Sweet Potatoes
Colorful, bright, delicious This is another stripped-down version of several recipes from the New York Times – everybody loved it, whether with rice or with the corn pakoras. It’s very colorful and pretty on the plate, good for company. But caution: this is a lot of recipe to do all at the same time without …