alternative passover recipes

Good people,

Just saw this in the SF Chronicle.

I have clipped the recipes. The source of the recipes is the article below.

Cooking good!
Mero Cocinero Karimi

clipped from www.sfgate.com

Tangy Chopped Liver

Makes about 2 cups

Adapted from Shira Levine. Jewish dietary laws forbid the consumption of bloody meat. Because livers are so bloody, they must be koshered with both salt and fire. Sauteing the livers, as in the recipe below, is not enough. So if you or any of your guests keep kosher, add the following step: Heat the broiler to high and cover a baking sheet with foil. Rinse and dry the livers thoroughly, sprinkle them with salt and spread them on the prepared pan. Broil them until they change color, 1-2 minutes per side. Then add them to the softened onions, and follow the rest of the recipe, making sure the livers are completely cooked through before you chop them.

2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 large onion, chopped
Kosher salt
Pinch or more red pepper flakes
1 pound chicken livers, rinsed and dried (see Note)
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 additional tablespoon wine or water
3 hard-boiled eggs, cut in quarters
Sea salt (optional)

Instructions: In a large (10- or 12-inch) skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Add the onion, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes, lower the heat to medium, and cook until the onions are soft and have a little color, about 12 minutes.

Open a window and/or turn on the oven fan.

Raise the heat to high, and add the livers to the pan with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Spread the livers in a single layer and brown them, about 2 minutes per side. Take the pan off the heat and add the wine. Turn the heat to medium, and return the pan to the burner; scrape the bottom of the pan to release the brown bits. Simmer until the livers are cooked through, turning once, about 20 minutes (10 minutes or less if you broiled them first; see introduction). If the pan dries out, add another tablespoon of wine or water and again scrape up the brown bits.

Transfer the livers and onions to a food processor with two of the hard-boiled eggs and two or three grinds of black pepper. With the motor running, pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and mix until coarsely chopped (stop before you get a paste). Taste, and add more salt, pepper or red pepper flakes if the liver seems bland.

Chopped liver isn't an attractive food, so presentation is important: Transfer the liver to a shallow serving bowl. Push the remaining hard-boiled egg through a fine-mesh sieve, and sprinkle the sieved egg over the bowl, leaving a 1/2- to 1-inch ring of liver showing at the edge. Serve as an hors d'oeuvre with matzo crackers and, if you like, a little bowl of sea salt on the side: Its large granules and crisp saltiness contrast deliciously with the rich liver.

Note: Well-stocked supermarkets and butchers like Guerra's (490 Taraval St., at 15th Avenue, San Francisco; 415-564-0585) and Drewes Bros. (1706 Church St., at 29th Street, San Francisco; 415-821-0515) stock chicken livers, but it's always best to call a day or two ahead

To make ahead: Make the chopped liver up to one day ahead.

Per 2 tablespoons: 100 calories, 6 g protein, 2 g carbohydrate, 7 g fat (1 g saturated), 164 mg cholesterol, 201 mg sodium, 0 fiber.

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Roasted Carrot Soup

Serves 4-6

Because this soup is richer than the chicken broth traditionally served with matzo balls, serve it in small bowls.

1 1/2 pounds carrots (about 5 or 6 large), peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon olive oil
-- Kosher or sea salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (see Note)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large rib celery, thinly sliced
1/4 cup Madeira
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
-- Freshly ground black pepper
-- Matzo Balls (see recipe)

Instructions: Preheat oven to 450°.

Toss the carrots with the olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Spread the carrots, cut side down, on a baking sheet so that none are touching (you may need to use two pans). Roast, turning once halfway through, until the carrots are browned and slightly blistered, about 20 minutes.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottom pot. When the butter starts to foam, add the onions, celery and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring every 2 minutes or so, until the onions are soft and starting to color, about 10 minutes.

Add the roasted carrots and stir to coat with the butter and onions. Raise the heat to high, add the Madeira, and let it reduce for a minute. Add 4 cups of the stock, bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until the carrots are very tender, but not mushy, about 10 minutes.

Strain the solids from the liquids and puree the solids with 1 cup of the strained stock in a food processor (or with an immersion blender) until very smooth. Return the puree to the pot and thin it, adding a 1/2 cup of stock at a time. It should pour, not plop, from a wooden spoon, but should leave a thick film on the spoon. Season with a few grinds of black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon salt or more (if you use no-sodium chicken stock, you might need as much as a teaspoon of salt).

Serve hot with two matzo balls per person, or refrigerate overnight to let the flavors develop. The soup will thicken with time; thin it with the rest of the stock (or water), adding a 1/2 cup at a time.

Note: To make this soup kosher for a meat meal, substitute 4 tablespoons of olive oil for the butter.

To make ahead: Like many soups, this is better the next day. Make it up to two days in advance but do not salt fully. Reheat when ready to serve and adjust seasonings.

Per serving: 195 calories, 5 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 12 g fat (5 g saturated), 22 mg cholesterol, 581 mg sodium, 4 g fiber.

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Matzo Balls with Parsley & Sage

Makes 12-14 matzo balls

Adapted from Lindsay Braunig. This recipe makes light matzo balls. For heavier dumplings, use 3/4 cup of matzo meal. The denser batter only needs to chill for 1 hour, but might take longer to cook.

2 cold large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons neutral tasting vegetable oil like grapeseed or peanut
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon chopped sage
1/2 cup matzo meal
2 tablespoons chicken stock or cold water

Instructions: Whisk together the eggs, oil, 1 teaspoon salt, two or three grinds black pepper and the herbs. Stir in the matzo meal until well combined. Stir in the stock or water. Cover and refrigerate until the mixture can hold its shape, about 2 hours.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and lower to a simmer. Wet a tablespoon and your hands to minimize stickiness. Measure out tablespoons of batter. Roll the batter between your palms to form balls. You might be tempted to make the matzo balls bigger; don't. They expand when cooked.

Gently slide the dumplings into the simmering water. Cover the pot, and simmer the matzo balls until they're almost cooked through, about 1 1/2 hours. Cut one open to check: The dumplings should be the same light color almost to the core.

Strain and serve two per person in a bowl of roasted carrot soup, chicken broth or vegetable broth.

To make ahead: Cool the matzo balls at room temperature, then refrigerate for up to two days, stored in a single layer. Matzo balls also keep well: Freeze them on a tray, transfer to a freezer bag, and store for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge and reheat in simmering water.

Per serving: 45 calories, 3 g protein, 5 g carbohydrate, 2 g fat (0 saturated), 61 mg cholesterol, 326 mg sodium, 0 fiber.

clipped from www.sfgate.com

Not your grandma's Passover

Bay Area cooks create new holiday traditions by adding fresh California twists

Melissa Wagenberg Lasher, Special to The Chronicle

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

Standing over the stove in her Castro neighborhood home, San Franciscan Lindsay Braunig, 31, lifts the lid to check on a big pot of bobbing matzo balls. Beside her, husband and sous chef Warren, 33, stirs a Dutch oven full of simmering soup.

At first glance, the scene would warm any Jewish grandmother's heart, but a second glance might break it. Instead of the traditional white matzo balls and clear golden chicken broth of Passover, the Jewish holiday that begins at sundown Saturday, the soup, a carrot puree, boasts an intense orange color. Parsley and sage dapple the dumplings with vibrant green.

By Bay Area standards, tossing chopped herbs into a dish might seem blase, but for Warren's relatives it's akin to sacrilege.

COMMUNITY SUPPORTED agriCULTURE!

Good people,

I am in San Francisco, getting prepared for our show in May.

And someone asked me if there are CSAs, Community Supported Agriculture, here in California.

For those of you that don't know, there's a definition below.

And if you need to know where a CSA is near you, I found this site, from the Good People of Local Harvest.



Eat slow and with some friends tonight!

In solidarity,
Mero Cocinero

clipped from en.wikipedia.org

Community-supported agriculture (CSA) is a relatively new socio-economic model of food production, sales, and distribution aimed at both increasing the quality of food and the quality of care given the land, plants and animals – while substantially reducing potential food losses and financial risks for the producers. It is also a method for small-scale commercial farmers and gardeners to have a successful, small-scale closed market. CSA’s focus is usually on a system of weekly delivery or pick-up of vegetables, sometimes also flowers, fruits, herbs and even milk or meat products in some cases. A variety of similar production and economic sub-systems are in use worldwide:

food, clothes, AND SHELTER

I was making oatmeal today.

Quick recipe:
Quick Oats.
Water.
Brown Sugar.

And read this on the web. Would really like to get the opinion of the Good People. Destroying homes rather than rebuild, that sounds silly. That's like throwing away my oatmeal, rather than eating it.

clipped from www.blackagendareport.com

Tear Down the Ghetto: The Price is Wrong

by BAR executive editor
Glen Ford

The global capitalist system is way past recession,
beyond old definitions of depression; it has lost all cohesion and is,
essentially, beyond salvaging. Unable to produce anything but horrific and
perfectly predictable bubbles, incapable of tallying up its collective assets
to within any order of magnitude, the defeated organism turns on itself. The
latest scheme to redeem the system would bulldoze overpriced bubble housing -
destroy much of the inventory - in order to produce scarcity and eventual price
stability. Capitalist health through amputation - a solution that can only be
attempted a few times.

FOOD, Clothes, and Shelter

That's right good people.

My political hip hop brothers Dead Prez said it best; it's about FOOD, clothes and shelter. That's what it's about! Clinton might be arguing with Obama about who is more elite, but both of them have enough money to buy groceries. Can't say that about the rest of the world. And it's getting tougher.

Read below.

Mero Cocinero Karimi

clipped from www.nytimes.com

Finance Ministers Emphasize Food Crisis Over Credit Crisis

By STEVEN R. WEISMAN

Published: April 14, 2008

WASHINGTON — The world’s economic ministers declared on Sunday that shortages and skyrocketing prices for food posed a potentially greater threat to economic and political stability than the turmoil in capital markets.

The ministers, conferring in the shadow of a slumping American economy that threatens to pull down the economies of other countries, turned their attention to the food crisis and called on the wealthiest countries to fulfill pledges to help prevent starvation and disorder in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

“Throughout the weekend we have heard again and again from ministers in developing countries and emerging economies that this is a priority issue,” said Robert B. Zoellick, president of the World Bank. “We have to put our money where our mouth is now, so that we can put food into hungry mouths. It is as stark as that.”

the anniversary of MLK's passing and revolutionary meals

Yesterday was the 40th anniversary of the passing of the Martin Luther King. I listened to the radio while I was cooking dinner for my familia. While the falafels were baking, I heard how before he died, Rev. Lowery, a pastor in Memphis was having a dinner made for MLK. He got the best cooks of the church to cook a meal for Rev. King. I thought about that detail. Getting the best cooks to make a really good dinner for a revered leader.

I thought aloud: "What was that meal? What are the favorite foods of our favorite revolutionaries?" And I have been holding that thought for the whole day.

What did Ché love to eat? What about Rosa Parks, what was her comfort food? We know all these leaders speeches and deeds, but do we know what they love to eat?

What is it, good gente, what is the meal you favorite revolutionary ate? Send me your thoughts about your revolutionary. Be it Alice Waters or Whoopi Goldberg or your mother or even Pablo Neruda. Send me your favorite revolutionary and a story about their meal.

And for you, I give you:

Martin Luther King love Peace and Pecan Pie. A Peaceful Pecan Pie

So for him...I give you a pecan pie because a revolution without dessert is just not tasty.

Southern Bourbon Pecan Pie

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 1/2 cup pecans

1 cup sugar* see note

1 cup Karo Syrup (light corn syrup)

4 eggs

Pinch of salt

1 teaspoon good quality vanilla

2 TBL Bourbon (I use Jim Beam)

One 9" unbaked pie shell

Method

Preheat oven to 350

Melt butter in large skillet. I skim away any foam from the cream in the butter that rises to the top. Then toss the nuts into the butter and cook 1-2 minutes until nuts are coated with the butter and warmed. Remove from heat and cool slightly. In another large bowl, whisk together sugar, syrup, and salt. Whisk in eggs one at a time and stir in vanilla and bourbon. Stir in the butter/pecan mixture and pour into prepared unbaked pie shell and bake for 35-45 minutes until the center of the pie is set .

*You can use 1/2 a cup of brown sugar and 1/2 a cup of regular sugar for a more dense, rich pie

I got this from an incredible baker at the Half Baked blog. This sister's cooking is incredible.

Please use organic pecans and remember the struggle of sister Emma Tenayuca (another incredible revolutionaria!!) when you make this pie as well. For all my vegan brothers and sisters, you can try using Earth Balance when you make this dish. And there's a place for a vegan version at Vegan Vanguard!

And remember, find out your revolutionary's favorite meals and recipes. Send them to me at merococinero at gmail dot com or in the comments. Spread the love and the revolution

"I could never again raise my voice against the violence of the oppressed in the ghettos without having first spoken clearly to the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today -- my own government."
—Martin Luther King
(click here for the source of this quote)

slow food = high prices?

Good Gente,

I have just been out shopping again for food and was shocked to see avocadoes at $2.99 for one.

I am here in the The Cooking Show kitchen using a recipe from a cookbook that someone gave me. The cookbook is from a famous vegan restaurant in new york city.

And I am facing recipe sticker shock.

It cost me over $50 for one meal. Granted all the ingredients are not going to be used for the one meal, but if we follow a recipe to the T, especially some of these gourmet,slow food, or organic cookbooks, we will go broke from buying the ingredients for each recipe.

If a book has 20 main recipes, and I spend $50 on each one, that could be $1000 on food.

I wonder if some of these chefs, who buy in bulk, think about this when making a cookbook.

Again, I understand Michael Pollan's assertion that we are paying more now for good local and organic food, so we don't have to suffer later...

but in an economy where people are losing their jobs, and the price of food is rising, how do chefs of conscious counter this? how do The People get access to supplies so that they can lower their food costs?

I remember here in the Bay Area we used to have fruit stands on the highways and other thoroughfares. With the advent of supermarkets and dot com campuses (farmers sold their land for high profit to these dot commers because the sale of land in California makes more profit than farming off the land), there are less places to get fresh fruit and vegetables.

I remember going with my parents to the stand on Highway 237 on the McCarthy Ranch. Now, that's gone.

I wonder how high we will pay to eat healthy.

How low will we go in eating processed food?

And will the class division in our country continue to be created along healthy food choices? The White Castle eaters versus the organic beef burgers? The iceburg lettuce consumers versus the arugala gang?

Ay, ay, ay...I think I am going to go back to the kitchen and cook my tempeh. The recipe will be up after I am done cooking for everyone. And I'll include the prices.

In solidarity,
Mero Cocinero Karimi