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Cauliflower Gratin
Cauliflower Gratin
Caulifower gratin is a great side dish to substitute for starchy potatoes gratin. The cauliflower gets steamed, then mixed into a cheesy cream sauce. It is topped off by a mix of breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese, and parsley; then baked for 25 minutes. This dish is so tasty, you’ll consider this the main course over the protein you serve it with.
Servings: 4
Equipment
- steamer basket
Ingredients
- 1 head cauliflower cut into florets
- 1 cup whole milk
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
Breadcrumb Topping
- 1 cup breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Bring a steamer pot to a boil with 2” of water. Add in the cauliflower. Cover and steam for 6 minutes. Drain a set aside.
- Bring 3/4 cup of milk to a slight boil.
- Whisk the remaining milk with the flour and pour in the hot milk. Reduce the temperature to low and whisk until a thickened cream sauce appears. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Whisk in the cream cheese and parmesan. Turn off the heat.
- Stir in the steamed cauliflower.
- Place in a lightly greased baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the breadcrumb topping ingredients.
- Place the breadcrumbs over the cauliflower. Put in a 400° preheated oven for 25 minutes.
Matzah Ball Soup
Matzah Ball Soup
Matzah ball soup is the quintessential soup of Jewish cuisine; eaten all year round, especially during Passover. The matzah represents the unleavened bread the Jews ate while fleeing Egypt in the time of Moses. The balls are made from matzah meal, eggs, and fat: either oil or rendered chicken fat called smaltz. The matzah balls are simmered in chicken soup until they double in size, becoming light and fluffy.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken skinned; cut into 8 pieces
- 3 quarts water
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 large carrots sliced
- 2 ribs celery chopped
- 1 small onion quartered
- salt to taste
- 1 box matzah ball mix
- 4 large eggs beaten
- 4 tbsp olive oil or smaltz
- 3 tbsp dill chopped
Instructions
- Place the chicken pieces, bay leaves, carrots, celery, and onion in a large stock pot. Cover with 3 quarts of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 90 minutes.
- Turn off the heat. Scoop out the chicken, carrots, celery, onion, and bay leaves. Take the meat off the chicken and chop. Save the carrots and celery. Discard the bay leaves and onion. Season the chicken stock with salt to taste.
- In a bowl, mix together the matzah meal, eggs, and oil or smaltz.
- Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
- Using a cookie dropper, scoop the matzah dough and roll into balls.
- Turn the heat on the stock to medium low. Add the chicken, carrots, and celery back into the pot.
- Add the matzah balls into the pot.
- Simmer for 20 minutes until the matzah balls more than double in size. Turn off the heat and stir in the dill.
Kālua Pork
Kalua Pork
Kālua pork is a popular staple of Hawaiian cuisine. Traditionally, a whole pig is wrapped in banana leaves and buried underground with a fire; left to roast for an entire day. While that’s going to be a problem doing it in your backyard, you can still make Kālua pork on a smaller scale in your oven. You can find banana leaves at any asian market, usually in the frozen section. Pork shoulder will work the best for this recipe. All you have to do is line a dutch oven with banana leaves, place chunks of pork in the leaves with garlic, liquid smoke, and pink sea salt, wrap it up in the leaves, and bake. The banana leaves give the pork an earthy flavor that you can’t duplicate anywhere else. The pork s traditionally served with shredded cabbage or can be used as pork sliders on Hawaiian rolls.
Equipment
- Dutch oven
Ingredients
- banana leaves
- 3 lbs boneless pork shoulder cut into 2” chunks
- 8 garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tbsp liquid smoke
- Hawaiian pink salt
- water
Instructions
- Line a dutch oven with banana leaves.
- Place the chunks of pork shoulder in the center of the leaves. Add in the garlic and liquid smoke. Season with pink sea salt.
- Fold over and cover the pork with the banana leaves. Fill the dutch oven with 1” of water. Place the lid on and bake in a 300° preheated oven for 3 hours.
- Remove the lid and open up the banana leaves. Shred the pork with a fork and serve.
