Just got myself an Instant Pot and have been too intimidated to use it. This recipe might just get me to pull it out of the cupboard.
Soup! My all-time favorite meal. You can mix and meat and/or veg into a bowl with broth and it’s always delicious. Don’t believe me? Try any number of my 30 soups I’ve made (recipes here)! This one is no exception. I used the leftover stock from Thanksgiving that I made and it made it that […]
This recipe was completely improvised at the last minute to use up some excess ground beef I had after making meatballs for a friend. I looked at my pantry and refrigerator and ten minutes later these kebabs were born. Everyone who ate them loved them. My mother used the recipe to make them for Thanksgiving with ground lamb instead of beef and grilled them on a outdoor grill, but I prefer the ones with beef and the kebabs hold up better on an indoor grill pan. So, here’s the recipe with beef. Feel free to try out with other meats like chicken or turkey too.
Za’atar is an herb & spice blend found in Middle Eastern markets containing thyme, marjoram, oregano, sumac, toasted sesame seeds and other ingredients.
Harissa is a Moroccan chili paste found in Middle Eastern markets as well as many grocery stores
Serve the kebabs with a yogurt sauce by mixing Greek yogurt, 1 clove of grated garlic, chopped mint, salt & pepper.
Thanksgiving is an all day affair in our family. We start with appetizers and cocktails at 1pm and end the evening with a game of Taboo late into the evening. In between, there is lots of food, wine, football, ping pong and fun. And of course, there is always the traditional turkey.
My son and I are not fans of turkey. There, I admitted it. I love Thanksgiving and most of the traditional meal, but have just never warmed up to turkey. It is the only day in the year that I will eat this fowl. I do not order turkey burgers or use ground turkey for meatballs. If I’m going the healthy route, I will always choose chicken instead. So, as you can imagine, I rarely bring home turkey leftovers. This year, I must have had one too many glasses of wine because my leftovers bag had lots of turkey in it. Not quite sure what to do with it, I decided to experiment a bit. Since one the appetizers served each year is an assortment of fresh empanadas ordered from a restaurant which makes really great ones, I decided it would appropriate to try my hand at making some from scratch and give the leftover turkey some new life.
And that is how this recipe came about. The experiment was more successful than I imagined and I hope you will try them also as they were really easy to make. These went really fast so you might want to make an extra batch.
Flaky pastry filled with a spicy turkey filling
Mustard greens may be substituted with kale, spinach or Swiss chard
In a large sauté pan, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 2 mins until they have softened and have started to brown. Add the chopped chipotle, thyme sprigs, and cumin. Stir and cook for one minute. Add the adobo sauce and stir. Then add the chopped greens and stir until all leaves are wilted. Then add the cooked turkey, salt and pepper and stir. Add 1 Tbsp cold water, cover and cook until turkey is thoroughly heated through – approximately 5 minutes. Allow to cool for 20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Divide the prepared and refrigerated empanada dough into 12 equal portions and keep covered under a damp towel. Take one portion of dough and roll out into a 5 inch circle on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fill with 2 Tbsps of prepared turkey filling in the center. Fold the dough over to form the empanada, and press to seal. Then use the tines of a fork to crimp the edges for a decorative touch. Place on a cookie sheet and cover with a damp towel. Continue until all empanadas are finished. You will need two cookie sheets for 12 empanadas. Brush each empanada with the egg wash. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown in upper & lower thirds of the oven switching the sheets halfway through baking. Serve with a sauce made by blending garlic, parsley, cilantro, lime juice and olive oil. I served mine with an Indian cilantro chutney.
Having grown up primarily in the Northeast, I grew up with New York bagels. The dense, chewy, bready, delicious rounds smeared with smooth cream cheese could be a wonderful start to any Sunday morning. Add some lox & capers and a Bloody Mary and you have a breakfast fit for royalty – ok, that might be pushing it a bit.
I don’t remember eating a bagel until well into adulthood while attending college in Brooklyn. That’s when I met friends who went to diners regularly and thus the bagel was introduced. Over the years, I’ve eaten countless bagels from many many establishments all over the perimeter of New York City & New Jersey. Some were wonderful, others not so much, but ask me to eat a bagel outside the New York/New Jersey area and I will most likely pass, unless it’s the only option and there’s a chance I will faint from hunger otherwise. I’ve always found bagels outside this general geographic area to be just plain bad, and I’m now convinced that it really is primarily about the water.
In the past few years, a good friend has been touting Montreal bagels to me and exclaiming that not only are they better, but “they’re the best”. Well, I just couldn’t fathom this concept. I have been to Montreal many times, have even had a bagel or two, but do not remember them leaving an impression on me. So, on a recent visit to that city, I decided to make a purposeful visit to the famous St Viateur bagel shop which my friend recommended. To keep it fair, I ordered what I always order at the bagel shop near my home – everything bagel with herb cream cheese.
Before I give you my verdict, I must first tell you that I don’t eat bagels very often these days. Too many carbs which seem to have an immediate impact on my middle aged middle. So when I eat a bagel, I want to enjoy the guilty pleasure thoroughly. Then I want to walk off the calories fairly immediately to minimize the damage. Since Montreal is a great walking city on a beautiful day, the stars were aligned for a perfect Sunday morning as I walked to the bagel shop and knew I’d have a two mile walk back.
I waited on the somewhat long line in anticipation, slowly making my way to the front. I placed my order to go and walked over to a park I had passed to sit down and eat what I had thought would be an equal to all the delicious bagels I had eaten in the past, but different. I trusted my friend who enjoys good food and loves to cook as much as I…….
In looks, the Montreal bagel is thinner, and smaller with a larger, more prominent hole in the middle. It smelled good. I took my first bite and was underwhelmed. Alas, I was disappointed. I didn’t like it. The texture was more tough on the outside and more airy on the inside than I’m used to in a New York bagel, and it was missing a certain yeasty characteristic. But these weren’t reasons to dislike this bagel. In fact, I could only forcibly eat half of the bagel and tossed the remaining half into the trash. It was not worth the extra calories and carbs I decided. I walked around afterwards for miles trying to think about why I didn’t like this famous bagel. Was it because I was just used to something different? Was it a stubbornness that made me want to not accept its good qualities? Were my expectations too high? None of these were accurate nor made any sense.
It came to me on my drive back home later that day – the Montreal bagel was too sweet. Yes, I said sweet. In addition to a lack of salt, there is a distinct sweetness to the bagel which I’d never experienced before, nor anticipated. Anyone who knows me knows I don’t like sweet foods that are meant to be savory. Don’t even get me started on raisins or dried fruit in my savory dishes. I’m ok with the addition of some sweet to balance heat, but it must be muted and barely noticeable. But there is was – the distinct sweet flavor. So much so that the cream cheese tasted salty which I originally thought was due to my recent switch to a low sodium diet for health reasons.
Mystery solved, I continued down the New York State Thruway to the place I call home and where my favorite bagels are still being made daily. The next weekend, I had to indulge in my regular order at the local favorite “bagelry” followed by a four mile walk on my favorite walking track. Life was good again!!
Recently, I was lucky enough to have to travel to Los Cabos Mexico for a business meeting. Unfortunately, it would be a very quick trip over a weekend with meetings all day Saturday. I had never been to Baja California before so I was excited nonetheless and vowed to have some fun.
Knowing someone locally who is as obsessed with food as I am, is always a welcome treat when traveling, and this was one of those destinations. Everything had been arranged for the weekend, which made it very efficient to pursue some foodie adventures in such a short time.
After a full day of flying through a connection in Houston, I landed at Los Cabos airport. A very long immigration line in a frigid airport later, I exited to sunshine and warmth and was greeted by my local collegue. When you exit the airport, you have the option of choosing the bar at the right or left for a little cerveza or tequila before heading to your destination. Since we had a short wait before another colleague landed, we chose the bar to the left for a bit of Don Julio. We were off to a good start.
I hadn’t eaten since early morning and needed food when we got to our hotel. Next to the hotel was El Mercato, a food hall with different vendors offering a variety of foods from pizza to gyros to Chinese. My philosophy of always eating local, took me to a small Mexican place called The Office where I enjoyed a delicious Vegetable Sope topped with mushrooms, squash blossoms, cabbage, and so much more.
A quick nap at the hotel later we took the scenic route to Metate in San Jose Del Cabo for dinner. Metate is a grinding stone used to grind things like corn for tortillas. The restaurant is off an unpaved road, and is primarily an outdoor space with a bar that has a screen behind it showing old movies, a water fountain and tables right on the ground. The tables are colorfully set with Mexican plates, runners and placemats. The menu is authentically Mexican. This is not your average American idea of Mexican with Burritos and Chimichangas. This is just incredibly good food prepared with a lot of pride and love. I started with a glass of mezcal which is always served with worm salt and orange wedges as I learned. One can also order their guacamole “crunchy” with insects and grasshoppers which our local colleagues indulged on while we watched without the nerve to try them. For my dinner, I opted for the Chicken Mole which was the best I’ve ever eaten. It was rich and flavorful made even better with the homemade corn tortillas which were incredible. I’ve eaten a lot of tortillas and none have compared to these made clearly with stone ground corn by hand. They were so good, I could have eaten them with the variety of salsas that were offered, as my meal and been very satisfied. A surprisingly good hibiscus margarita topped off the night.
The next day was spent in a conference room in meetings and by 5pm, we were all ready for a break from work. Our local hosts picked us up at 6:30 and drove us to Cabo San Lucas to a resort called Acre (pronounce AA-Kray in spanish) which is set amidst cactus and palm trees with paths that lead to individual guest rooms designed as tree houses. At the center is a restaurant, bar and swimming pool.
Upon arrival, we were asked if we were interested in a Mezcal tasting and we responded with an unanimous “yes”. In America, mezcal has a reputation of being a cheap tequila that doesn’t taste very good, but this is far from the truth. We tasted three different artisanal Mezcals, each very different from the other. I learned much including the various types of agave fruit used and how to actually taste the spirit without allowing the alcohol to overwhelm the tastebuds. I also learned that while all tequila is a type of mezcal, not all mezcal can be called tequila because tequila can only be made from the blue agave plant. The bowls used to taste are made of dried pomegranate skins and other similar fruits which allow the opening to be wide enough to allow for the aroma to penetrate properly. Orange slices dusted with a salt that is mixed with ground up worms are used to cleanse the palette between sips. What a fascinating experience!!
After our mezcal tasting, we were escorted to our dinner table. Our hosts know the owners and had requested a private table for our party. These tables are set in open spaces surrounded by greenery throughout the resort. It was a lovely setting and we felt pampered as the waiters took our order and the chef came out to greet us and make recommendations. We opted to share in a variety of foods including beet salad, grilled octopus, roasted suckling pig (Lechon) with warm tortillas, vegetables, green salad and hands down THE BEST cheddar biscuits I’ve ever eaten. We accompanied the meal with a delicious Mexican Nebbiolo. We lingered over conversation about food intermingled with talk of our earlier meeting, but felt very relaxed until we were ready to head back to the hotel for some sleep before our morning flights.
Everyone except me had early flights home the next day and so the day began with a dropoff to the airport. With a few more hours before my flight, we headed to brunch at Cabo Azul, a resort about 15 minutes from the airport. They serve a substantial buffet brunch on a terrace by the beach with live music for entertainment. The buffet consists of your usual fare of eggs & omelettes, baked goods, cheeses, fruit, cereal, etc., inside the restaurant, but outside there is a display of Mexican specialties like tamales, salsas, tortillas, beef roast. By the bar there is a variety of ceviches and seafood. I opted for a chicken tamal, mushroom quesadilla, lobster claw and a strawberry mimosa. I also went back for some mango and papaya that were incredibly ripe and sweet. I was quite content and later happy that I had indulged since I was unable to eat for the remainder of the day.
Brunch over and flight time drawing near, we made our way back to the airport. It had been a whirlwind weekend of 47 hours in Los Cabos, but we certainly made the best of it and did not starve.
The Persnickety Palate 