ON THE TENTH DAY OF HANUKKAH, MY TRUE LOVE MADE FOR ME……

Okay, we know that Hanukkah is only eight days long, but this was a special occasion.  We had driven down to Tampa to visit with Marilyn and Jerry, who were staying with Jamie for New Year’s.  Jamie loves brisket and latkes, so Sherry brought all the proper cooking materials to make the meal.  Cooking in a strange kitchen is always a challenge, and although the kitchen was new and modern, having familiar surroundings helps.  Also helps that brisket is a staple of Southern cooking, so it's always available in the markets.   

The brisket took longer than usual, but slow cooking made it come out sweet, tender and with a very rich gravy.

BRISKET

1 6 lb flat beef brisket

2 onions, chopped

3 heads of garlic, peeled and separated into cloves (or a jar of pre-peeled garlic cloves)

4 jars Heinz Chili Sauce

24 oz RC Cola

1-2 Tbsp. paprika

1 lb. baby carrots

In a large ceramic baking dish with cover, add the onions, garlic, brisket, Chili Sauce, paprika and RC Cola.  Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours, then add the carrots and continue to cook 1 additional hour, or until the brisket is tender (may take longer). 

Take out the brisket, and slice into pieces against the grain.  Reduce the heat to 250 degrees, add the brisket back to the baking dish, and leave in oven for 30-45 minutes.  Then remove and serve.

LATKES

The recipe can be found in an earlier post.

THE BEST LATKES - BECAUSE SHERRY MADE THEM!

Ahh, latkes, the Hanukkah gift that keeps on giving!  We celebrated the holiday with Sherry’s Best of the Best latkes last night.  Easy to make, delicious to eat.  What a combination.

INGREDIENTS

8-10 russet potatoes, washed and cut into 2 inch chunks (unpeeled)

2-3 onions, roughly chopped into quarters

2 eggs

Kosher salt

Flour, to thicken

Canola oil, for frying

In a food processor, add the onions and potatoes in batches, then add the eggs, and run the processor until everything is fairly chopped, not pureed.  Once you are done, pour the mixture into a colander set over a large bowl, and let drain.

Once drained, in a bowl add the potato/onion/egg mixture, some kosher salt and flour, and mix until you have moist but thickened batter.  Heat the oil in the pan until hot, then add the batter in 2-3 inch spoonfuls, flattening down.  Fry until browned on one side, then turn over and cook until browned. Place latkes on 4-10 layers of paper towels to soak up any excess oil (of which there will be plenty).

Serve with applesauce and sour cream, or with sour cream and applesauce.

If you have an electric frying pan, that seems to make the latkes come out evenly cooked.  Otherwise, use a large frying pan.

CHICKEN IN GREEN SAUCE AND SPANISH-MEXICAN RICE

GREEN SAUCE AND SPANISH-MEXICAN RICE

Years ago, Sherry and I had dinner at Sol Azteca in Boston, and had the Shrimp in Green Sauce, which we loved.  Later, I would make up the sauce at home, so that we could eat it more regularly.  Some time later, we went back to the restaurant to have the Shrimp dish, and it tasted bland compared to our home-made version!

We hadn’t made the sauce for a while, and decided to have it over thinly sliced and grilled boneless chicken breast.  Sherry made up a Spanish-Mexican rice accompaniment, using peppers and caramelized onions.  Simply put, a yummy dish, with one caveat:  the garlic in the sauce will last twenty-four hours after eating!!  This is not necessarily a bad thing.

RICE

1 cup brown rice

2 cups water

1/2 onion, diced

1 red pepper, diced

1/2 Tsp. each cumin, oregano and paprika

Bring water and rice to a boil in saucepan, then reduce to simmer and cook, 30 minutes, or until all water is absorbed.

Meanwhile, sauté onion in olive oil until well browned, about 15-20 minutes.  Add pepper and cook until pepper is soft.  Mix in spices, then add mixture to cooked rice and stir well.

GREEN SAUCE

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

4 tomatillos, washed and quartered

4 garlic cloves, peeled and quartered

1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced

2 Tbsp. olive oil

Mix all in blender.  Let stand for 1 hour to allow flavors to develop.

Pour sauce over grilled chicken, shrimp or meat (we used chicken).  Breath Mints optional.

PIZZA PIZZA

We had a nice day on Sunday, hiking at the Latta Plantation Nature Preserve and Equestrian Center.  Because the Panthers were playing at home, no one except for a few horsepeople were out on the trails.  The trails meander through woods and by the river, and other than having to look down while walking most of the time, it’s a lovely place to explore.  They offer places to kayak, or to fish for large-mouthed bass, so we will probably go back and fish one day. 

After the hike, we decided to FINALLY make pizza at home.  We hadn’t had the chance to use our pizza stones before, but time was short so we cheated on the crust and purchased a whole wheat crust from Trader Joe’s.  It rolled out very nicely, and Sherry came up, as usual, with some creative toppings.

RECIPE

Whole wheat crust from Trader Joe’s

Tomato sauce on the crust

First Half

12 large shrimp, sautéed in olive oil with chopped garlic, then chopped

½ onion, grilled and cut into 1 inch pieces

Feta cheese, crumbled

Second Half

4 pieces grilled eggplant

Pesto

Shredded Monterey Jack cheese

4 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rub a light layer of olive oil over the stone.  Sprinkle with corn meal.
3. Roll out the crust per instructions, to fit the pizza stone.
4. Spread a layer of tomato sauce over the crust.
5. Add the toppings.

Bake 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Serve hot.