Bitter but Sweet

I arrived in Boston yesterday evening and woke up this morning to my mother cutting up horseradish root. The Michael/Brown family is all about tradition, and many members of my family do not take well to change. Even with all the stress that the beginning of this year brought, my family is still holding our annual Passover Seder. We are having 28 guests for dinner…that’s right, I typed 28, and I’m not joking. We will all be gathering on March 30 in my parents’ home in Brookline, MA, where my mother and I will have been food slaves for several days prior. In fact, she is already crying. The tears are not from stress or sadness but instead from the root that I mentioned earlier. The reason we eat this bitter herb that induces tears upon hitting our tongues is to remind us (Jews) of the bitterness of slavery, and all those who are not free in any way.

The recipe that we use is from my grandfather. It is written in his handwriting and something that he always used to prepare and bring for Passover night. He would make warning labels on the computer and print them out so that everybody would know how strong it is. If anyone didn’t listen (like his oldest son Bob and his granddaughter Wendy) they found out the hard way.

Horseradish is quite simple to make besides the crying and pain that one goes through when making it.

Add:

Peeled and chopped root to a food processor

Vinegar

Sugar

Let me warn you to only try a little. I have seen what happens when too much is taken, and it is not pretty.

For the next few days I will be blogging about all the food my mom and I are preparing for Passover. I will explain why we prepare each dish and so on.

Bowls or Mugs

Tonight over dinner we discussed eating ice cream out of a bowl verses a mug. People seemed to enjoy mugs more. So, I am asking you... bowl or mug?

SANDwiches

70 degrees and sunny in San Francisco. Who could say no to playing hooky? That’s what my roommates and I did. Last night we all came to the conclusion that going to the beach would be the best way to spend our Tuesday. Of course I decided to make sandwiches. This morning I went out and bought lovely Ciabatta bread freshly baked. My good friend Claire is a sandwich genius and every time I make one I try and channel what she would do. This is what I came up with.

I am sure Claire would have made it better I am still learning.

I spread olive tapenade and Saint Andrea cheese over the bread, then placed prosciutto, tomatoes, and basil on top. Finally, it is Drizzled with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Ready with a cooler packed full of sandwiches, grapes, and tangerines, we were ready for a spectacular day at Baker Beach.

The view was amazing, the sun was warm, and our lunch was perfect. All in all it was a wonderful day in San Francisco. I would suggest spending some time in the sun with a delicious lunch whenever possible. I hope you all enjoyed reading about my day and the lovely sandwiches I enjoyed with friends!

_________________________________________________

_________________________________________________

BTW, I won a game of Bocce Ball…another plus of the afternoon, considering I am very competitive!

Starting off with some family favorites

I am a firm believer in starting the week off with a delicious, comforting meal and a few glasses of wine, especially when it can be shared with friends and family. Lately I have been trying to cook new dishes and widen the array of food that I am comfortable preparing. But last night I wanted to make two dishes that I have been eating for as long as I can remember. My grandfather always used to grow rhubarb in the garden at my grandparents' house on Long Island. I remember him bringing in the pretty red stalks, which reminded me of celery, and giving them to my grandmother who would created fabulous deserts with the bitter vegetable. One of the things she would always make was strawberry rhubarb sauce. This is where I got my inspiration to make strawberry rhubarb pie yesterday afternoon.

I started with a simple pie crust and mixed together:

2 1/2 cups of chopped rhubarb

2 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries

1 tbsp. lemon zest tbsp

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. instant tapioca

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

After mixing together all of the ingredients I was ready to fill my pie crust.

After filling the crust, I broke up 2 tablespoons of butter and dropped them over the top. I was then ready to cover the pie with the second crust and pinch the sides, sealing in the delicious filling. I cut two slits in the middle of the top crust and brushed it with egg white.

I put the pie in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Then, I lowered the oven to 375 and baked it for another 40 minutes until the inside was bubbling.

By 4 o'clock on a Sunday afternoon I had finished baking a pie, almost won a game of Scrabble, and had marinated my mother's famous Chicken with Capers and Olives. It is a rendition on Chicken Marbella from the staple Silver Palate cook book. I have never even looked at the original recipe, I only know it from watching my mother prepare it at least once a month for many years. She doesn't measure a thing but simply mixes all the ingredients together and allows the chicken to marinate for several hours before baking. The ingredients that are mixed together with the chicken. They are as follows:

Olive Oil

Red wine vinegar

lots of Oregeno

Dry white wine

salt

pepper

Bay leaves

Pitted green Spanish olives (my family loves them so we use a ton)

Capers (my family also loves these so we put a lot in)

After the chicken marinated for a few hours, I arranged it in a roasting pan with all of the olives and marinade. I then added 1 cup of dry white wine and topped each piece of chicken with a spoonful of brown sugar. The dish was placed in a 375 degree oven for an hour and a half--until cooked through and browned on top.

___________________________________________________

___________________________________________________

I served this dish with some simple rice pilaf and a green salad for dinner. Then my guests and I had the strawberry rhubarb pie accompanied by vanilla ice cream! It was a very delicious way to end the weekend and prepare for the busy week ahead.

My first blog entry is now complete, which I am very proud of because the idea of having a blog scared me. I was able to write about dinner last night while eating the leftover chicken and pie for lunch today. I now see how easy it is for me to blog and I hope you all enjoy reading about my food adventures!