Sephardic Marbled Eggs

Holidays:  Courses:  /  Cuisines:  /  
My friend (and colleague) Rabbi Cory Weiss loves to cook as much as I do. Several years ago, we decided to co-host a pre-Passover program at his synagogue, Temple Har Zion (Thornhill, Ontario): Iron Chef Rabbi. We decided rather than make this an actual competition, we would each present our favorite Passover dishes. One of the dishes Cory cooked was this beautiful Sephardic Marbled Eggs. It is visually stunning! His version takes hours and hours to cook, and is imbued with the subtle flavor of onions. I adapted his recipe to suit my own taste. I decided that I am only interested in the "visual appeal" of the egg, and wasn't concerned with the slight onion taste. Because his eggs cooked for so long, the yolks became a deep gray color. I wanted to see if I could achieve the marble-affect while maintaining the yolk's yellow integrity. (My usual method of cooking hard-boiled eggs provides smooth and creamy yellow yolks always: cover a pot of eggs with cold water and cover the pot with a lid. Bring the pot to a boil and boil for exactly 2 minutes. Remove the covered pot from the heat source, keep covered and let the eggs sit for exactly 12 minutes. Then immediately shock them in cold water and ice cubes. Voila! Perfectly yellow creamy yolks every time!) With this recipe, however, the whites of the egg need to become dyed and colored. The color needs to permeate the membrane that lies underneath the shell. The eggs need to cook for a longer time than I would normally cook a hard-boiled egg. So it is impossible to get perfectly yellow yolks, but I was able to keep the layer of gray to only the outer edges. I usually make 1 egg per person, plus extras to have on hand during the week. You can either choose to serve with lemon wedges and salt (as is the traditional method) or I like it serve it as an appetizer with homemade guacamole (I make my guac by just mashing ripe avocados with lime juice, garlic, salt and pepper to taste) and crudites. Enjoy!

Bella’s Mini Date-Nut “Bites”

Holidays:  /  Courses:  Cuisines:  /  /  
Last night, some friends came for dinner and brought these delicious mini "cupcakes" (I'm calling them "bites".) As she handed them to me, Mona said, "I've observed that you hardly ever eat any bread, cake, or things like that, so I thought these would be perfect for you." (I'm on an anti-inflammatory grain-free diet for a neurological condition and follow it about 95% of the time). These yummy treats are absolutely divine! They are perfect for everyone (except for those who are allergic to nuts or eggs). They contain no added sugars, no flours of any kind, no added fats. The only ingredients are dried fruits, nuts and eggs! And they look gorgeous! Perfect for any occasion! I'm going to serve them for Rosh Hashanah and Passover! (from the Kitchen of Mona Saidens: Bella is Mona's mother)

Grain-Free Chocolate Chip “Blondies”

Courses:  Cuisines:  
This is a delicious and healthy alternative for those people who are on gluten-free and/or grain-free diets. You can whip it up quickly and it bakes in less than a half-hour. While they are not as dense as regular blondies, they are a nice substitute. And, if you don't tell anyone they are "grain-free" or "gluten-free" - they won't notice! An added bonus: since the main ingredient is almond butter, these would make a great post-workout snack! There are many versions of this recipe on all the "grain-free" websites online, but this one seems the simplest.

Pear Butter

Courses:  Cuisines:  /  /  /  
When the temperature drops below freezing, and the snow has been falling for hours (or days!), there's no better way to help make the house feel warm and cozy than having the sweet smells of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg waft through your home. Fruit butter (apple butter, pear butter and the like) takes hours of slow simmering on the stove. It also needs to be stirred every 15-20 minutes or so, so it doesn't get stuck on the bottom of the pot. So when you are staying at home on a snowy day, or just staying at home "because" - that is the time to make this deliciously fragrant and silky pear butter. The original recipe is from my brother, Ari M. Sobel. Ari is a Culinary Institute of America-trained chef extraordinaire! I have adapted the recipe and made some changes that suit my tastes. It's very flexible. You can use whatever fruit you like: apples, pears, a combination of the two. Or, in the summer, use plums, nectarines, peaches. You can add strawberries or blueberries. You can use all the spices I've added, or just cinnamon - or leave them out entirely. Use your imagination!