Yearly Archives: 2010

Ham & cheese pancakes for dinner

Hame & cheese pancakes

Han & Cheese Pancakes

When Steve and I were in Amsterdam, we had savory pancakes at a place near the Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht.  Since that time, I’ve made my own version at home.  I even served them in cooking school as a lunch special, and they were a big hit, being something a little different but highly comforting.

We are not pancake and waffle people, and nothing is worse to me than all those plates you see these days piled high with pancakes, whipped cream, chocolate chips, fruit sauces, nuts and whatever else they load on there.  When I have a pancake I want it with a little butter and real maple syrup, or savory, as I’m covering in this post.

For a basic ham and cheese pancake you need a decent pancake batter.  Any plain version will do, but make sure it’s not sweet.  Feel free to use my recipe, which I’ll provide.

I usually make my pancake batter by feel.  I always have a batch of the dry part of the recipe on hand – like a home-made version of packaged baking mix, but better, because it doesn’t have any garbage, like anti-clumping agents or trans fat – and then I add the liquids of my choice.

To make the dry mix, whisk together:  6 cups all-pupose flour; 7-1/2 teaspoons baking powder; 3 teaspoons salt; 3 tablespoons white sugar.  Make sure you check the expiration date on the baking powder.  Store this in an air-tight container, and make only what you’ll use up in 4 months.

You can make all kinds of pancakes using this dry mix.  My basic pancake is more like a thick crepe, so I tend to produce an eggy batter for that.  I may use buttermilk or yogurt in place of the milk.  It depends what I feel like, but the bottom line is that I use a blend of milk, eggs, fat and the dry mix.

For the savory pancake batter, I use:  1 egg, 1/8 cup of Canola oil and 3/4 cup of milk for every cup of dry mix.  Whisk the egg, oil and milk, and then whisk in the dry mix until you get rid of most of the lumps.  If you want it runnier, add more milk.  Dryer, add more mix.*

Note:  Serve all pancakes, including these, with a little real maple syrup.  Please!  Don’t use the stuff that’s nothing but sugar and high fructose corn syrup, which is most of what’s out there.  Real maple syrup is worth the money.  Finally, please don’t drown good pancakes in syrup.  If you’re doing this there must be something wrong with the pancakes.

What they should look like after you ladle on the extra batter

What they should look like after you ladle on the extra batter

Ham & Cheese Pancakes
     Serves 2 – 3, or my husband, Steve

*1 batch pancake batter, as indicated above, or equivalent
1 cup sharp Cheddar cheese, in small cubes (more, if you want)
1 cup good cooked ham, in small cubes  (more, if you want)
Canola oil for frying
Cast iron or other heavy pan or stove top griddle (this is important; don’t use a thin pan because the pancakes will burn)
If you are not going to serve them right out of the pan, which is what you should do because they are best this way, you’ll need:
Large, oven-proof dish to hold pancakes
Oven heated to 200 deg. F.

1).  Heat a decent amount of Canola oil in pan over medium heat; turn heat down slightly when oil is hot.  Check heat throughout cooking process.
2).  Ladle batter into pan so you wind up with something like 5-inch pancakes.  Bigger or smaller is OK, too.
3).  Immediately sprinkle some cheese on top of each pancake, and then some ham.
4).  Drizzle a little batter over the ham and cheese – not too much.
5).  When you see bubbles on the surface of the pancakes, turn each over quickly.  The cheese will really melt now and some will ooze out and go crispy in the pan, which is a good thing, but don’t let anything burn.
6).  When pancakes are cooked through, which will not take very long, remove to oven-proof dish and place in oven.
7).  Repeat until you’ve used up your batter.
8).  Serve will a little real maple syrup on the side.

Gathering food for the Jewish holiday season in the East Bay

Whole smoked whitefish from the acme smoked fish corporation

Each year I try to purchase a few things that Steve, my husband, would have been eating during certain holidays as a kid.  Since I’m from the same place and have been eating most of that stuff my whole life, I’m happy to do it.

Note that the idea here is to have some traditional Jewish foods available.  I’m not doing anything “official” or Kosher.

Like a broken record, let me again mention Costco.

I know Purim and Passover are around the corner when those #10 cans of Rokeach* gefilte fish show up there.  The canned version may not the best, but it’s OK, and $7.99 for 14 pieces is nothing to kick out of bed.  While “gefilte fish” literally means “filled fish,” nowadays they are large, poached fish balls made from whitefish or pike, matzoh meal and onions.  Years ago, the fish mixture was stuffed into a fish skin before poaching whole.  This allowed people of limited means to enjoy a whole fish on the Sabbath, even if it was stretched with filler.  Gefilte fish is good chilled with a little horseradish, and I always buy an extra can to have on hand to serve during the summer.

Costco had Rokeach hamentashen, too, but they contained high fructose corn syrup, so I passed.  Hamentashen are pastries made with short dough that’s partially folded over fruit filling, and they can be great if made at home or by a neighborhood bakery.

The Richmond, CA, Costco is good for smoked salmon, both farmed and mild, and, wonder of wonders!, whole smoked whitefish from the Acme Smoked Fish Corporation in Brooklyn, NY.  These fish are sold tail, head and all, in shrink wrap, for $6.99 a pound.  This is an incredible bargain, and I’d buy a Costco membership just to keep us flush with reasonably-priced smoked whitefish.  They used to carry Acme’s whitefish salad at $7.99 for a two-pound tub, but, alas, I have not seen it for over a year.  Maybe the nice Costco blog spies will pass along my request to bring the whitefish salad back to Richmond.

Smoked whitefish is salty and rich, and you can mix the flesh with a little good mayo and serve it on bagels.  Alternatively,  cut the whole fish into sections and eat it just like that with rye bread.  Serve the smoked salmon (lox) with some sliced cucumbers, red onion and sour cream on the side if you want to go the non-bagel route.

I like to buy chocolate covered jelly rings and candied fruit slices, too.  I have yet to find these anywhere other than Saul’s Restaurant & Delicatessen (1475 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley), a place I don’t like to go .  I find them significantly overpriced – to the point of being laughable.  Their whitefish salad has celery and costs $15.75 a pound, and the sandwiches are skimpy for the price.  Whole smoked whitefish is $18.00 a pound – which is insane.  This is what happens when there’s no competition.  While I prefer to give my business to a local place, moral indignation prevents me from doing so here.

I always have high hopes for Cost Plus World Market in terms of the jelly rings and fruit slices, but no luck so far.  (That reminds me to get over there to buy what I can of the Cadbury chocolate before Kraft is involved in its production!)

There is no reason to buy cooked brisket, another popular food item this time of year.  Brisket is a primal cut of beef from the forequarter just below the chuck.  Many supermarkets have trimmed, whole briskets shrink-wrapped, and they run about 7 pounds.  Make sure you get one with the fat cap intact.  A good place to purchase brisket in the SF Bay Area is Smart & Final.  A long, boneless, flat, tough cut, it needs to be cooked for some time, after which it’ll be tender and flavorful.  Just rub with Kosher salt and pepper and roast (at a low temperature) or braise with aromatics and then slice against the grain after resting.  If you roast it, add some liquid to the pan and replenish it as it evaporates.  Whatever  your method, place it in your pan fat side up so the fat can run through and tenderize the meat during the cooking process.  Serve with potatoes or slice and pile high on good rye bread while warm.  Provide good mustard and horseradish.

I also make a small batch of chopped chicken liver, which Steve loves, having childhood memories of chopping the livers with a mezzaluna for his mother.  There are a million recipes for this on the Web, but the lowdown is that you’ll need rendered chicken fat for any reputable recipe.  This is why I tell you to freeze the bits of chicken fat you trim from whole chickens and thighs.  See my previous post about the chicken fat.  You’ll need chicken livers, of course, which should be trimmed of connective tissue, which feels like string; use kitchen shears or a paring knife against a cutting board.  Also, some finely chopped onion, hard-boiled egg that has been chopped, and salt and pepper.  This is bare-bones but very good, and I’ll give you the process, if not a full recipe:

Saute the livers in some rendered chicken fat until just done and set aside.  Do not overcook them!  Saute the onions in the same pan.  Chop the livers.  Put chopped livers, egg, onion, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix with enough extra hot rendered chicken fat to wind up with a moist spread.  Your ratio will be something like 1/2 cup of rendered chicken fat to each pound and a quarter of livers.  One egg and a very small yellow onion will be fine if you make the base quantity of livers.  Feel free to process the mass, but no need, really, unless you want it smooth.

I promise to make my own gefilte fish next year, so if you have a good recipe, please email it to me.

*In case you didn’t know this, Manischewitz owns numerous brands, including Rokeach, Mother’s, Goodman’s and Mrs. Adler’s, so these names don’t mean what they used to.

gefilte fish 2010

Tofu breakfast scramble

Tofu breakfast scramble

This is a dish I like to make when we want something akin to eggs but not eggs.  The texture will be more like eggs if you use extra soft tofu, but I used firm in the batch in the photo.  Even if you don’t like tofu much, give this one a try.  There is a bit of potato in here to add some interest, as well as curry power and turmeric for flavor and color.

I suggest using a nonstick wok or curved pan.  Normally I avoid nonstick, but for a few things it comes in handy.  For this dish, you can get away with a minimum amount of oil and the potatoes won’t stick.

One word of caution:  your whole house will smell like curry for a good 24 hours, so don’t make this dish if you plan on showing your home to prospective buyers the next day.

Ingredients for tofu breakfast scramble

Ingredients for tofu breakfast scramble

Tofu Breakfast Scramble
 Serves 6 people, if you serve with toast or something else on the side; the portion shown in the photo is for my husband, who eats enough for two

4 tablespoons Canola oil
1 medium Russet potato, peeled and in small cubes (I think starchy potatoes work better here)
1 shallot, finely minced
1 teaspoon curry powder (basic Indian curry powder)
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
15 cranks of sea salt, or about 1 – 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt
2 pounds tofu, cut into small dice

1).  Fry potatoes in hot oil over relatively high flame until golden brown; keep them moving so they don’t stick together when they foam up (a heat-proof spatula works well)
2).  Turn down flame to medium, add the minced shallot and stir-fry for a minute or so
3).  Stir in spices, salt and pepper; stir-fry for about 30 seconds, making sure spices are incorporated
4).  Fold in tofu until it has a uniform color
5).  Turn down heat to medium-low and cover
6).  Cook for about 10 minutes, folding over every couple of minutes (you want the flavors to meld and the tofu to soften)
7).  Taste and add more salt, if needed
8).  Serve and enjoy!

Tofy breakfast scramble is done and looking quite yellow from the spices

Tofu breakfast scramble is done and looking quite yellow from the spices

West African Peanut Soup

West African Peanut Soup

West African Peanut Soup

I’ve said it many times and it’s worth repeating:  you can judge a cook by their soups and roast chicken, because they’re all about soul, and you can’t fake that.

My Mother puts down some serious soup.  She learned from my Grandmother, who had to stretch ingredients during hard times and coax flavor from small amounts, if any, of meat.

There is nothing more satisfying to my Mom – who had very little to eat for several years as a child in Dresden, particularly proteins and fats  – than having unlimited access to whole chickens, short ribs, bacon, marrow bones and the like.  As a result, her soups are rich and savory, and I don’t think I ever saw one that was not chock full of meat.  Even her split pea and bean soups are loaded with smoked ham hocks.

Since the heavy and hearty soup universe is covered by my Mother, who cooks Mondays for all of us, I tend toward quicker, lighter soups that don’t quality as a full meal.  I recently had an African peanut soup that was amazing, so I came up with a variant to serve to the boys, and they loved it.  It’s quick, easy, and frugal, so I hope you’ll give it a try.

The only pesky thing is that you’ll need an immersion (aka hand/stick) blender.  You could certainly use a regular blender, but it’d be a pain as you’d have to work in batches.  Invest the $20-odd in an immersion blender.

West African Peanut Soup

2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 pound Russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
10 ounces decent carrots, peeled, medium dice
1 large shallot, minced
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups water
1 tsp Kosher salt
1 tsp white pepper
1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (make it a heaping half-cup)
Garnish of your choosing.  Suggestions: chopped peanuts; a little crumbled Gorgonzola; browned sage butter; caramelized orange peel

1).  Put everything except peanut butter in large, heavy-gauge, pot and bring to a boil.
2).  Reduce heat, bring to low simmer and allow to cook for 40 mins.
3).  Turn off flame and puree (safely and carefully!) until veggies are broken up but not smooth.
4).  Add peanut butter and puree until as smooth as you like, but certainly until peanut butter is well incorporated.
5).  Adjust seasonings.
6).  Ladle into serving bowls and garnish.