Simply Southern With a Dash of Kosher Soul

Are you ready for some new ideas for Passover?

03/18/2010

Suggested Seder Menu

Eggs and Caramelized Onion Salad page 13
Mini Matzo Ball Gumbo Soup page 50

Orange Almond Chicken *substitute matzo meal for all-purpose flour page 135
Finger Lickin’ Sweet and Sour Short Ribs page 122
Homemade Apple Sauce page 186
Roasted Potatoes page 188
Gingered carrots and parsnips page 184
Broccoli Raisin Salad page 59 *substitute almonds for sunflower seeds

Rainbow sherbet page 217

Simply Southern Passover Recipes

Passover is on its way and we are sure your family is ready for some new recipes ! There are many you can find in Simply Southern With a Dash Kosher Soul.

The following is a list of recipes! The ones with stars have minor substitutions (see below), that we feel will not alter the finished dish! The majority f the recipes suggested are made with ingredients that are all Kosher for Passover.

Appetizers:

Eggs and Caramelized Onion Salad page 13

Far Fresh Roasted Tomatoes with Fresh Herbs page 14

Simple Pate Tuna Appetizer page 24

Cheddar Ring page 25

Vidalia onion dip page 26

Marinated Cheese Cubes page 31

Citrus Salted Sweet Potato Chips page 54

Soups:

Arugula, Leek and Potato Soup page 37

Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup page 38 *leave out ¼ cup soymilk

Butternut Squash Soup page 39

Cauliflower White Winter Soup page 40

Mini Matzo Ball Gumbo Soup page 50

Salads:

Waldorf salad page 57

Broccoli Raisin Salad page 59 *substitute almonds for sunflower seeds

Peaches and Tomatoes Salad page 60

SimpleTomato Dill Salad page 61

Tomato and Watermelon Medley page 63

Egg and Olive Potato Salad page 65

Memphis Favorite Cole Slaw page 66

Superfoods Salad page 75 * omit chickpeas

Hodge Podge Salad page 76 * raisins for Dried Cranberries

Warm Salmon Salad page 77

Ladies Luncheon Salad page 77 *omit dried cranberries

Spinach, Arugula, Belgian Endive Salad topped with warm Goat Cheese page 79

Brunch and Dairy

Crustless Spinach Quiche *use cake flour for all-purpose flour page 91

Fruit with Sour Cream Sauce page 96

Meats

Slow-cooked Tender Roast*omit Dijon mustard from sauce and omit soy sauce from meat page 116

Grandma’s Sweet and Sour Brisket *omit flour for dusting page 118

Finger Lickin’ Sweet and Sour Short Ribs page 122

Simple Veal Scaloppini page 123

Veal Brisket page 123

Southern Smothered Burgers *substitute matzo meal for bread crumbs page 125

The South’s Scrumptious Meatloaf *substitute matzo meal for bread crumbs, omit soy milk page130

Veal Stew *substitute cake meal for all-purpose flour page 131

Poultry:

Chicken Fricassee page 135

Orange Almond Chicken *substitute matzo meal for all-purpose flour page 135

Harvest Chicken page 139

Tomato Fennel Chicken page 147

Orange Basil Roast Chicken page 149

Vegetables and Side Dishes:

Brandied Fall Fruit *omit all-purpose flour page 178

Gingered carrots and parsnips page 184

Carrot Souffle *substitute non-dairy creamer for soymilk and cake meal for all-purpose four page 184

Baby Carrots with Rosemary and Fennel page 185

Homemade Apple Sauce page 186

Southern Gravy Potato Bake substitute matzo meal for all-purpose flour and omit soy sauce page 187

Roasted Potatoes page 188

Zucchini with Basil and Almonds page 190

Desserts:

Rainbow sherbet page 217

Chocolate Sorbet page 222

Add Comment

Timing is everything

02/04/2010

3 Comments

How do you have a meal on the table for a party or just for your family when they are starving? Here are some “timing-oriented” tips...

Cooking ahead

Look at your recipes and see if you can break them down into stages that can be performed early. Sometimes just having your vegetables chopped makes it easier to throw a recipe together.

Be sure that any steps you do early do not compromise on the taste of the final dish. Also, make sure food is properly stored – not only for health reasons, but also to maintain the best taste and flavor for the dish!

Reheating

To cover or not to cover, that is the question...here are the basics:

·       If you want something to stay moist and it is already fairly moist – cover it tightly to reheat

·       If you want it to be moist but are afraid it got a little dried out in the cooking process you may want to dab some butter over the top before you cover it.

·       If you want it to be crispy – reheat it uncovered!

Freezing

I really think my Mom is the expert here. It is a skill that was passed down through generations. My grandmother was the queen of dividing and wrapping things up. My father’s standard joke was that if we did not see my grandfather for a few days – check the freezer. He may be wrapped, sealed and dated.

Here are a few does and don’ts for freezing:

Zip-top plastic bags and foil and saran wrap.

The key is to get as much air as you can out! Suck the air of a baggie before resealing it. Everything doesn’t freeze well, but plenty does:

·       cooked foods like meats and chickens

·       most casseroles

·       Vegetables freeze well – vegetables can be frozen fresh or cooked!

·       Potatoes and Pasta don’t freeze well!

Don’t be afraid to experiment – you can usually figure out a way to salvage something that didn’t freeze well. I experimented once with roasted poblano peppers. When they are in season, they taste better.   So, I roasted a bunch and divided them into plastic bags and threw them in the freezer. Then, a few days went by and I tested them in my favorite Chile Con Queso dip page 27 in the Simply Southern With a Dash of Kosher Soul! It worked! Now when I want to make that dish I am able to cut out the step of charring the peppers!

It’s good planning to freeze something – canned soups, tomato paste – I usually divide them into measured amounts – ¼ cup of chicken soup/stock or tablespoons of tomato paste.

Take leftover bread – wrap it up, throw it in the freezer – after you accumulate a bunch, pull out the processer and make bread crumbs – keep them stored in a plastic baggie in the freezer. This helps keep them fresh, but I think it also helps with the consistency of the bread crumbs. There is a misconception about toasting bread or allowing bread to get stale to make bread crumbs – I have found neither to be necessary!

Anyone out there have some ideas to share???? Please do!

3 Comments

Family Friendly weeknight menus from the Simply Southern cookbook

12/13/2009

2 Comments

Are you looking for some great weeknight meals to put together for your family that will satisfy everyone’s requests? Here are some great ideas that are Simply Southern...

Nana’s Baked Spaghetti – Page 109
Salmon Tuna Loaf – page 167
Steamed Broccoli

Southern Smothered Burgers – Page 125
Roasted Potatoes – page 188

Italian style Chicken Schnitzel with
Italian Spinach – Page 139
Memphis Special Pasta - Page 102
Classic Garlic Bread – page 107

Caesar Salad with Challah y’all croutons – Page 83
Easy Breezy broccoli Quiche – Page 90 or
Crustless Spinach Quiche – Page 91

Chicken and Rice – Page 143
Memphis’ Favorite Cole Slaw – Page 66

2 Comments

First Post! Ideas, tips, and suggestions for planning a successful meal

11/02/2009

48 Comments

By: Tracy Rapp
There are many ways to plan menus. One way to plan a menu is to visualize the plate. A colorful plate is appetizing and pleasing to your diners - meat and/or chicken or fish, a brown/beige starch, a green vegetable, a red/orange side dish, a cold colorful side salad. When someone sees color popping off the plate in contrast with favorite dishes that are not necessarily colorful – it enhances the anticipation of the taste and flavors in store. I like to see a balance of color on a plate. There is nothing more unappetizing than a plate of brown, colorless dishes. The bad part is that often the dishes are delicious and tasty there is just no excitement in the visual part of the dish.

It is also nice to plan a menu by starting with a dish or two that one knows their guest likes. For example, if you are having adventurous eaters or traditional food eaters? Are there a lot of children or more sophisticated adult diners? And then from there either stay with that theme or go for contrasts.

My mom always starts with dessert! She is a great dessert maker and loves sweets! I always find this amusing and what makes us a good team – I usually run out of steam when I get to thinking about dessert! Not Mom – she thinks of a sweet treat that she is having a craving for! She even balances dessert – a chocolate and a fruit – something cold and some cake, a pickup cookie and a dessert treat.”

Other ideas to start a menu:

a spice
a seasonal ingredient
an ethnic dish
an exotic flavor
traditional for the time period

Most important aspect is balance! Wherever you begin – find balance and contrast either in the visual aspect, the ingredients, the textures or the favorites of your guests.