10-19-2011 Hoshana Raba in the Sukkah

Atlast! The never ending holidays are coming to a close. Even I, who loves copious menu planning and cooking, am happy to get back to normal.

Tonight starts Hoshana Raba, and then we have Shemini Artzeret, and lastly Simchat Torah, it's the final marathon of the holidays.

We eat dinner tonight in our sukkah for the last time. All I have to say is, King Hock better take our sukkah down as soon as possible, I'm cracking the whip. I swear last year (2010) he didn't get our sukkah down until March 2011. Ask our neighbors to verify.

My menu tonight is filled with recipes I got from one of my closest friends. She got the recipes from her shul in Baltimore's cookbook "America Cooks Kosher." 

Here is the menu:

1. Whole wheat challah
2. Maple Glazed Salmon, recipe below
3. Crunchy Romaine Toss, recipe below
4. Assorted Sushi (for my 4 year old sushi addict)
5. Chicken Matzah Ball Soup
6. Peachy Persian Chicken, recipe below
7. Boring Rice
8. Boring Asparagus
9. Hummingbird Bundt Cake, recipe below

Here are the recipes:

Crunchy Romaine Toss

Love, love, love this salad, and you will too.

1 C. walnuts, chopped
1 (3 oz) package Ramen noodles, uncooked, broken up, discard flavor packet
1 T. olive oil
1 T. dark brown sugar
1 bunch broccoli, coarsely chopped
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped in small pieces
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup Sweet and Sour Dressing (see recipe below)

Brown walnuts and noodles in olive oil over the stove. Cool on paper towels.
After sauteing, sprinkle on 1 tbsp of dark brown sugar to walnut-noodle mixture.

Combine noodles and walnuts with broccoli, romaine and green onions.

Pour dressing on top and toss to coat well.

Sweet and Sour Dressing

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp salt
Dash of black pepper

Whisk together all dressing ingredients. Can be made in advance and refrigerated.

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Salmon with Maple Balsamic Glaze

This delicious salmon goes well with anything. My friend serves it with horseradish mayo which is a great accompaniment.

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tsp minced garlic

2 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp pepper or to taste

1/2 tsp salt

1 pound salmon filets or steaks

In a small saucepan, mix maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and garlic together. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until mixture is reduced. Remove from heat and stir in oil. Chill. Divide marinade in half.

Marinate salmon for 10 minutes in half of the marinade. Remove from marinade and discard marinade. Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Liberally brush with remaining half of marinade.

Broil or grill 4 to 5 inches from heat on an uncovered grill directly over medium coals for 12 minutes per inch of thickness.

For filets, baste again halfway through cooking time. For steaks, turn halfway through cooking time and baste with marinade.

Serves 2-4

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Peachy Persian Chicken

I know first glance at this recipe, and you are probably thinking that it looks nasty. It is absolutely delicious, a bit out of the ordinary, and I think you will like it. King Hock devours it.

3 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
oil for sauteing
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup minced fresh celery
3/4 cup shredded carrots
8 ounces tomato sauce
16 ounces canned peaches, drained, reserve juice
2 T. brown sugar
1 tbsp dry tarragon leaves, crushed
1 1/2 tsp chili powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Combine flour, oregano, salt and pepper in a plastic bag. Shake flour mixture with chicken pieces in bag to thoroughly coat. Brown chicken on both sides in a pan with some oil. Pat dry and place in a single layer in a 13x9x2 inch baking dish; set aside.

Saute onions, garlic, celery, and carrots in oil for about 10 minutes until just soft. Turn the heat to low and add the tomato sauce, peach juice, brown sugar, tarragon and chili powder. Heat, stirring often to just boiling.  Pour over chicken.

Bake, uncovered, for 35 minutes. Add peaches, either thinly sliced or cut into chunks, baste with some sauce and bake 10 minutes longer.

Serves 4-6

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Hummingbird Bundt Cake

This phenomenal recipe is one that I adapted from the cookbook, The Cake Mix Doctor. I love making bundt cakes, they come out of the pan looking beautiful, and they don't require the extra step of icing. You can eat this cake the next day for breakfast, or have it with some coffee.

1 yellow cake mix, Duncan Hines
1 can (8 oz.) crushed pineapple
2 medium/large or 3 small/medium bananas, mashed
3 eggs
1/2 C. water
1/2 C. vegetable oil
1 t. vanilla
1 t. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan heavily with non stick spray.
Mix together all of the above ingredients in a large bowl with a hand mixer until moistened. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and then mix on medium for 2 minutes.
Pour batter into the prepared pan.
Bake for 50-60 minutes until done.
Let cool in pan for 15-20 minutes, and then remove from pan onto a cooling rack.

Optional:
Sprinkle the top with powdered sugar before serving. Can also spread icing (duncan hines white whipped) over the top and sprinkle with chopped pecans.

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Enjoy the remainder of the holidays. Have a nice weekend. Pin It