Sunday With Marlena Spieler

You either love cabbage or you hate it. Can you tell we love it? We cooked braised cabbage with apples in class yesterday and that was one of my favorites.  We had white and red cabbage at home. With one we made coleslaw and the other this salad. Coincidentally, the Jewish also love their cabbage and was almost the vegetable the Ashkenazim says Marlena. Garam masala gives it a kick we liked, it gives it a little bit of heat and the tanginess from the vinegar balances the dish very well.

Red Cabbage – 2 cups, thinly shredded

Red Bell Pepper – ½ , finely chopped

Red wine Vinegar – 1 T

Sugar – 1 T

Greek God Yogurt (plain) – ½ cup

Garam Masala – 1/8^th tsp

Raisins – 1 to 2 T

Salt & pepper to taste

Optional

Mayonnaise – ½ cup

Red onion – ¼ cup, thinly sliced

• Place the cabbage and bell pepper in a salad bowl
• In a small pan heat the vinegar and sugar until the sugar melts completely
• Pour over the salad and allow it to cool
• In a small bowl, whisk rest of the ingredients and combine well with the salad
• Chill the salad and serve cold.
• Before you serve strain the excess liquid.

You can make a sandwich or a wrap using this salad too!

Mel & Eileen have some tasty delights for you.

Sunday with Marlena Spieler

Marlena calls this Fish balls, but I call it cutlets. By whatever name you call it, this is a must try dish. While Rajesh loves fish, I did not eat fish until two years  ago. When we were in Goa, India, Rajesh ordered fish for himself. Being a coastal town, the fish was fresh and did not stink. I tasted it and was surprised how much I liked it. We later found out that the Sacramento Co-op sells some of the best fish in the country. We have very slowly started cooking with fish and for now eat fish only if we buy @ the Co-op.

This recipe is a popular among Moroccon Jews. We tweeked the recipe a bit. The books says to cook in in the tomato sauce, but we shallow fried the fish first and served it on a bed of tomato sauce. We liked it so much that we just started eating them as is without the sauce. The crunchiness on the outside with a burst of flavors on the inside, you will ask for more. The recipe is a keeper, thanks Marlena!

Bread slice – 1

Cod Fish – 1/2 lb

Shallots /onions – 1 cup, finely chopped

Garlic – 4, minced

Turmeric – 1/2 tsp

Garam Masala – 1/2 tsp

Ginger – 1/2 tsp, minced

Cilantro – 1/2 cup, chopped

Cayenne – a small pinch

Egg – 1, well beaten

Panko bread crumbs – 1/2 cup

Oil – 6 -8 T

Tomato – 4 ripe

Preserved or fresh lemon – 1

Paprika – 1/4 tsp

Salt & pepper – to taste

Lemon wedges – for garnish

• Sprinkle some water over the bread, just to moist the bread a little and crumble it in a bowl
• Mince the fish and it to the bowl with  half of the onions, ginger, half of the garlic, half of garam masala, turmeric , cayenne and salt
• Mix well or you can pulse in a food processor until they are well combined.
• In separate plates  place the well beaten egg and bread crumbs
• While the fish is resting, make the tomato sauce
• Heat a tablespoon of oil in a pan and add the rest of the onions.
• When the onions turn translucent, add rest of the garam masala, garlic, some salt and preserved or fresh lemon finely chopped
• Add the tomatoes and let it simmer on low heat for 15 minutes
• In another saute pan, heat the rest of the oil.
• Take a tablespoon of the fish mixture and make small balls and then flatten it gently.
• Dip it in egg and then the bread crumbs and cook until they turn golden brown on each side.
• Serve  hot with the tomato sauce.

Variation: You can completely skip the bread crumbs part and add egg to the fish mixture, make them into balls and add to the tomato sauce to cook.

Eileen also has a fish dish to make that is super easy. Take a peek into Mel’s kitchen and see what she cooked today!

Sundays with Marlena Spieler

When we started on this culinary journey, We knew we had Marlena Spieler’s blessings, but did not imagine her aunt to also be a part of this wonderful project. Estelle Opper is a fun lady to hang out with. What was going to be a day with Estelle, ended up being a day with Estelle Opper, Marlena Spieler, Chris Macias and Autumn Cruz from the Sacramento Bee along and of course Mel, Dave, his parents, Eileen , Jen, Phil & us. Yes, it was a party with all of us cooking a few dishes from Marlena’s cookbook and to learn the matzo ball making from the pro!

We got to the meet the author in person for the first time. Marlena can talk food for hours and can give you a hundred variations for each recipe. And Estelle advised us on the right kind of ingredients to buy to make the soup. She uses the Matzo Ball Mix by Manischewitz Company.

Matzo Ball recipe that Estelle follows

Chris and Autumn patiently watched all of us go from the matzo ball making to talking to Marlena and sharing our cooking stories. Thanks guys!

Mel made Holishkes, Dave baked some kickass challah and pumpernickel bread, Eileen made Pepper salad and Polish apple cake, we made Vegetarian chopped liver, Mandelbrot and Sephardi Chicken rice. Mel & Dave played the perfect host with a whole lot of other sides . All in all a fun party. Like this was not enough we partied again the next week in the pretext an Indian Potluck at our home. Everyone dressed up in sarees and it was just a blast. Such warm memories and all this thanks to food that brings people of different
cultures together.

Thanks Mel for starting this project and a  big thanks to Marlena & Estelle for coming over and making it more fun than we could have ever imagined. Go on read what Mel and Eileen have to say. Don’t forget to read the food & wine section of the Sacramento Bee! as well. Thanks to all you for your friendship and support.

Sundays with Marlena Spieler

We know what you are thinking, how does liver and vegetarian even come in the same sentence?  Marlena has made this wonderful appetizer just for vegetarians. Let’s be  honest here, We may have not been adventurous enough to try this if we were glancing through a cookbook.  This project is indeed a blessing! In her cookbook, Marlena mentions that vegetarian versions of chopped liver is very popular in Ashkenazi kitchens.

This appetizer can easily be a conversation piece at a dinner table once the hosts says what it is and a neat to have your kids have some veggies too

We made a few changes to the recipe, we noticed that the chicken liver recipe had dill and scallion to it, so we decided to add that to the vegetarian version as well. We also changed some of the proportions.

Vegetable oil- 3 T

Onions – 2 cups, roughly chopped

Peas- 2 cups

Green Beans- 2.5 cups, roughly chopped

Walnuts- 1 cup

Hard boiled eggs- 3

Dill- 2 T, finely chopped

Scallions-  2 T, thinly Sliced

Salt & pepper to taste

Matzo crackers or Rye bread to serve.

• Heat oil in a pan and when the oil is hot, saute the onions until till they turn slightly golden brown.
• Add the peas, beans and season with salt and pepper.
• Continue to cook until the beans are tender.
• Switch off the stove and allow it to cool.
• Transfer to a food processor, add the walnuts and eggs and process until it becomes a thick paste.
• Transfer to a bowl and garnish with dill and scallions.
• Serve with toasted rye bread or matzo crackers.

If you are a vegetarian who does not consume eggs, omit the eggs and try dried tofu instead. We can also try adding different fresh herbs for garnish. A dash of lime juice might also give it an added kick!

Watch Mel’s space for some Fragrant Beetroot and Veggie Soup with Lamb Kubbeh & Eileen’s for Roasted chicken with grapes and fresh ginger. Come back on Wednesday for another heart warming soup.

Happy Thanksgiving Everybody!!