With quality ingredients, I can whip up a good meal with a sharp knife, cutting board and decent cooking pans. But I also enjoy the convenience of electric appliances.
My food processor makes fast work of pureed vegetables, cookie dough and grated carrots. The mixer comes out for cakes, especially those with whipped egg whites.
My food processor makes fast work of pureed vegetables, cookie dough and grated carrots. The mixer comes out for cakes, especially those with whipped egg whites.
I use the microwave for re-heating leftovers, making a quick white sauce, gently melting chocolate and cooking winter squash and eggplant. Chocolate pudding, one of our favorite treats, (see the recipe below) takes five minutes to make in the microwave.
I also rely on three specialized kitchen appliances: a bread machine, rice-cooker, and an immersion blender.
With a bread machine it’s easy to make whole-wheat challah, artisan-style semolina and multi-grained loaves, pizza and focaccia. Just put all of the ingredients into the pan, check for proper consistency and let the machine run. I often make challah dough on Thursday and refrigerate it overnight in a plastic bag. First thing Friday morning, I braid the dough, let it rise and then bake it.
An electric rice-cooker cooks more than just rice. Wheat berries, bulgur, barley, kasha, quinoa, millet, couscous and polenta turn out perfect in the rice cooker. Some grains require a pre-soak, but for most, just measure the grain and water into the pan, turn on the machine and walk away. It’s a no-fuss way to prepare nutritious whole grains.
We eat a lot of soup, and our hand-held immersion blender is especially helpful for pureeing it. Before discovering this handy device, I would pour hot soup into the food processor, only to watch it overflow into a big mess. With an immersion blender, you can puree the soup while it’s still hot in the pot. And if you like creamy soup without the cream, this is the way to make it.
Here are two "appliance" recipes – paella in the rice cooker and soup pureed with an immersion blender.
Vegetable Paella in the Rice Cooker (Parve)
I’ve adapted this recipe from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook (Hensperger & Kaufmann, Harvard Common Press.) Although many of the recipes in the book are not kosher or use dairy products, I still find it a very useful cookbook.
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup diced onion
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika (sweet, hot or smoked)
1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into small cubes
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or ½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained)
1 ¼ cups Arborio (medium-grain Italian rice)
1 ¾ cups vegetable broth
½ teaspoon salt
A few threads of saffron, crushed (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
½ frozen petite peas
Turn the rice cooker on to the quick or regular cycle) and put the oil into the cooking pan. When it’s hot, add the onion and red pepper. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, oregano, paprika, zucchini and tomatoes. Close the cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice, broth, salt, saffron and a few grinds of pepper. Close the cover and reset the machine for the regular cycle.
When the cycle is finished, scatter the peas on top of the rice. Cover the machine and let sit for 15 minutes to steam the peas. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Serves 4
Butternut Squash Soup (Parve)
This is a very basic soup, so dress it up to your liking. Add grated fresh ginger, curry powder or baharat spice when you’re sautéing the vegetables. Or keep it basic and garnish each bowl with flavored croutons or toasted pumpkin seeds.
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
4 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup diced carrot
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the squash, carrot and onion and cook until the vegetables are soft and just starting to brown. Stir in the broth and season with pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are completely soft, 30-45 minutes.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender and taste for salt.
Serves 6-8
I also rely on three specialized kitchen appliances: a bread machine, rice-cooker, and an immersion blender.
With a bread machine it’s easy to make whole-wheat challah, artisan-style semolina and multi-grained loaves, pizza and focaccia. Just put all of the ingredients into the pan, check for proper consistency and let the machine run. I often make challah dough on Thursday and refrigerate it overnight in a plastic bag. First thing Friday morning, I braid the dough, let it rise and then bake it.
An electric rice-cooker cooks more than just rice. Wheat berries, bulgur, barley, kasha, quinoa, millet, couscous and polenta turn out perfect in the rice cooker. Some grains require a pre-soak, but for most, just measure the grain and water into the pan, turn on the machine and walk away. It’s a no-fuss way to prepare nutritious whole grains.
We eat a lot of soup, and our hand-held immersion blender is especially helpful for pureeing it. Before discovering this handy device, I would pour hot soup into the food processor, only to watch it overflow into a big mess. With an immersion blender, you can puree the soup while it’s still hot in the pot. And if you like creamy soup without the cream, this is the way to make it.
Here are two "appliance" recipes – paella in the rice cooker and soup pureed with an immersion blender.
Vegetable Paella in the Rice Cooker (Parve)
I’ve adapted this recipe from The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook (Hensperger & Kaufmann, Harvard Common Press.) Although many of the recipes in the book are not kosher or use dairy products, I still find it a very useful cookbook.
2 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup diced onion
1 red pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon paprika (sweet, hot or smoked)
1 medium-sized zucchini, cut into small cubes
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped (or ½ cup canned diced tomatoes, drained)
1 ¼ cups Arborio (medium-grain Italian rice)
1 ¾ cups vegetable broth
½ teaspoon salt
A few threads of saffron, crushed (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper
½ frozen petite peas
Turn the rice cooker on to the quick or regular cycle) and put the oil into the cooking pan. When it’s hot, add the onion and red pepper. Cook until soft, stirring occasionally.
Add the garlic, oregano, paprika, zucchini and tomatoes. Close the cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Stir in the rice, broth, salt, saffron and a few grinds of pepper. Close the cover and reset the machine for the regular cycle.
When the cycle is finished, scatter the peas on top of the rice. Cover the machine and let sit for 15 minutes to steam the peas. Fluff with a fork and serve.
Serves 4
Butternut Squash Soup (Parve)
This is a very basic soup, so dress it up to your liking. Add grated fresh ginger, curry powder or baharat spice when you’re sautéing the vegetables. Or keep it basic and garnish each bowl with flavored croutons or toasted pumpkin seeds.
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
4 cups cubed butternut squash
1 cup diced carrot
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
Freshly ground pepper and salt to taste
Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the squash, carrot and onion and cook until the vegetables are soft and just starting to brown. Stir in the broth and season with pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the vegetables are completely soft, 30-45 minutes.
Puree the soup with an immersion blender and taste for salt.
Serves 6-8
Butternut Squash Soup is amazing, I have never tried with canola oil though, what is that?
ReplyDeleteCanola oil is a mild oil commonly used in cooking and baking in Israel and North America. It may also be referred to as rapeseed oil, although canola is a hybrid that has been modified from rapeseed to reduce the toxic erusic acid present in the rapeseed.
ReplyDelete