Soba Dashi from "Tampopo"

Entered in this week's Whole Foods Market contest "Your Best Broccoli Recipe": our recipe for Soba Dashi, from Cooking with the Movies: Meals on Reels. This is from our chapter on the film Tampopo (a real classic of a movie, highly recommended).


http://rockville.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/recipes/12061_soba_dashi

P.S. Here is our recipe for Soba noodles, which are pretty difficult for those not used to Japanese cooking.

5 c. light buckwheat flour
2¾ c. unbleached white flour
2 Tbsp. salt
2 egg yolks
2 c. hot water

Blend the flours and the salt together in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs and 1⅓ cups water, then mix well. (Try to keep lumps from forming.) Continue working the flour until a smooth dough is formed, adding the remaining water as needed. Divide the dough into 6 equal portions and form into balls. Place in a bowl and allow to sit, covered, for 2 hours.

Sprinkle a work surface with some buckwheat flour and roll out a ball of dough, about ⅛" thick, making the length about twice as long as the width. Continue this process until all balls have been rolled out. Slice the dough in halves, and stack them. Using a very sharp knife, and with one long and continuous stroke, cut the dough into noodles about ⅛" wide. Try to keep them as uniform as possible. Allow the noodles to dry about 20 minutes. They are now ready to add to the Soba Dashi.

Vegetable Cholent

Entered in Whole Foods Market Cooking contest "Your Best Broccoli Recipe"--our "Vegetable Cholent" from Cooking with the Bible: Recipes for Biblical Meals.

http://rockville.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/recipes/12060_vegetable_cholent

"Cooking with the Bible" now in Russian

Just received today: our copies of the Russian edition of Cooking with the Bible: Biblical Food, Feasts, and Lore.

Thanksgiving Dinner, Part 3

On to the best part of the meal: dessert! We had 3 choices: apple torte, carrot cake, and chocolate-covered coconut macaroons.

Pike’s Apple Torte
(This recipe recreates a dessert from the film Big Eden. Although there was not enough room for this movie in Cooking with the Movies, it's a wonderful film with delicious food.)

7 Tbsp. butter
2 c. Red Delicious apples, skinned, cored, and sliced
4 eggs, well beaten
1 ½ c. sugar
¾ c. all-purpose flour, sifted
2 8-oz. packages cream cheese
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. lemon zest
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. baking soda
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ c. chopped walnuts

Topping
1 c. Granny Smith apples, cored, pared, and thinly sliced
½ c. brown sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a small frying pan, melt half the butter and fry the apples in it until soft, about 3-4 minutes on each side. (Do not allow to burn.) Pour out into a large bowl, and mix together with the remaining butter and all other ingredients.

Generously butter a 9” round funnel cake pan. Pour the mixture into it.

In a large bowl, combine the topping ingredients. Individually place each apple slice on top of the cake mixture, in a fan shape, or some other clever way.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until the center is set. Allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.

Yield: 8-12 servings

Carrot Cake
(from the film Gosford Park; our guest Judy Baker lovingly prepared this luscious cake for our repast)

4 eggs
1 c. vegetable oil
1 c. buttermilk
1 c. white granulated sugar
1 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
3 c. carrots, peeled and grated
1 c. canned crushed pineapple (without the juice)
1 c. slivered almonds
1 c. flaked coconut
½ c. raisins

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, buttermilk, sugars, and vanilla. Combine the dry ingredients and sift into the batter. Stir in the carrots, pineapple, almonds, coconut, and raisins until well blended. Pour into three 9" round pans that have been lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 50–60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow to settle for 10 minutes, then remove from pans and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. When completely cooled, remove parchment paper.

Ice the top of each cake with a vanilla buttercream frosting (see next), then ice the sides until the entire cake is covered.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

½ c. butter, room temperature
1 lb. confectioner’s sugar
½ c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Cream the butter, then add the sugar a little at a time until the mixture begins to resemble crumbs. Slowly add the milk, beating all the while, then pour in the extract. Continue to beat until wispy. If the icing appears to be too runny, add more sugar.

Yield: 12–16 servings

King David's Chocolate-Covered Coconut Macaroons
(This is a recipe that we used in our book Cooking with the Bible: Recipes for Biblical Meals. It is a hit every time.)

3 ½ cups unsweetened shredded coconut
¼ cup matzoh cake meal
1 ¼ cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs, separated, plus 1 egg white
6 oz. imported bittersweet chocolate
¼ cup water
1 tsp. almond extract

Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 325°F.

In bowl, mix together coconut, matzoh cake meal, and 1 cup of the sugar. Add eggs and extra egg white and mix with fingers until well blended. Gently shape about 2 tablespoons dough into a pyramid and set on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving about 2″ between cookies. Bake for about 25 minutes or until golden on top. Cool completely.

In saucepan, melt chocolate with the water, almond extract, and remaining Vacup sugar. Bring to boil; then simmer slowly for a few minutes until mixture starts to thicken. Cool slightly. Holding each macaroon with 2 fingers, dip half the cookie into the chocolate so that it is half black and half white. Allow to dry for a few seconds while tilted over a dish, then place on wax paper. Repeat with remaining cookies. Cool completely.

Yield: 16 macaroons

Source: King David's Chocolate-Covered Coconut Macaroons recipe reprinted by permission of Recipe Gold Mine (www.recipegoldmine.com ).

Thanksgiving Dinner, Part 2

The meal continued with some wonderful vegetable dishes: sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, and "wilted" lettuce.


Candied Sweet Potatoes with Walnuts, Cranberries, and Marshmallowettes
(also from the film What's Cooking?)

8 med. sweet potatoes
4 Tbsp. butter
1 c. dark brown sugar
¾ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. nutmeg
½ c. white grape juice
½ c. walnuts
½ c. whole cranberries
½ c. mini marshmallows

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 2" disks. Place them in a large pot with enough water to cover and cook until boiling; reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or so, until the potatoes are fork tender. Drain, and place in a large oven-proof casserole dish.

Melt the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan, and stir in the salt, pepper, nutmeg, and grape juice. Pour the mixture over the potatoes. Arrange a walnut, a cranberry or two, and a marshmallow in and around each potato for decorative effect. Bake for 50 – 60 minutes. Remove from oven and serve immediately.

Yield: 10 –12 servings


Brussels Sprouts with Hazelnuts
(from the movie Gosford Park)

1 lb. fresh Brussels sprouts (try to buy them fresh the day they are to be used)
salted water
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
½ c. light brown sugar
1 tsp. Balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp. black pepper
½ c. hazelnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Wash the sprouts and pull off any yellowed leaves. Parboil them in just enough salted water to cover for no more than 5 minutes, then drain.

In a small bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar with the Balsamic vinegar and pepper, then stir
in the hazelnuts. Transfer the mixture to cover the bottom of a small baking dish. Place the sprouts on top of the nut mix, close enough together so that they don’t tip over. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Serve piping hot as an accompaniment.

Yield: 6–8 servings



Wilted Lettuce with Peas and Pearl Onions
(also from the film Gosford Park)

1 head iceberg lettuce, shredded
1 bag frozen peas, or 2 small cans
1 bag frozen pearl onions
2 c. water
1 lb. bacon, well done and cut into bits
1 Tbsp. bacon grease

In a medium pot, combine the lettuce, peas, and pearl onions with the water and cook until the lettuce is quite wilted and the peas and onions are cooked through. Drain. Add the bacon bits and grease, toss, and serve.

Yield: 6 servings

Although a dish featuring “wilted” lettuce might lack a certain “title” appeal, this recipe is quickly prepared, colorful, and quite tasty.

Thanksgiving Dinner, Part 1

For this year's Thanksgiving feast, Rusty prepared a luscious organic turkey with oyster and shiitake mushroom stuffing. This is one of the turkeys shown in the film What's Cooking?, directed by Gurinder Chadha, and is featured in our chapter on the movie in our book Cooking with the Movies: Meals on Reels.


For those who would like to enjoy the meal vicariously--and, next year, perhaps in actuality--here's the recipe:


Organic Turkey

1 20–24 lb. fresh organic turkey
½ c. melted butter
½ c. dried sage
½ c. dried tarragon
¼ c. paprika
2 Tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. lime pepper
1 tsp. salt
mushroom stuffing (see next)
½ c. water
1 pkg. fresh spinach leaves

Preheat oven to 325°F.

Wash the turkey inside and out, making sure to remove the neck and giblets that are usually stuffed inside the cavity of the bird. Pat dry. Place in a large roasting pan on sheets of aluminum foil set perpendicular to one another so that the pan is completely covered and there is enough foil left to lift the bird from the pan when holding all sides. Stuff the turkey just before placing it in the oven as per the instructions that follow. Pour the melted butter over the top of the turkey. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a small bowl, then spoon them over the bird, making sure to cover the legs as well as the breast. Pour the water around the sides of the turkey, and bake uncovered for 4 –5 hours, basting about every 20 –30 minutes with its own juices. (If desired, test with a meat thermometer to ensure that it is thoroughly cooked [165°F for inner breast, 180°F for the legs] and safe to serve.)


Remove turkey from the oven and let it stand for 20 –30 minutes before slicing. Place the
turkey on a large serving tray that has been completely laid out with spinach leaves as decoration (presentation is everything!).

Yield: 15–18 servings

Mrs. Williams’s Special Oyster and Shiitake Mushroom Stuffing

2 c. hot water
1 oz. dried porcini mushrooms
1¾ lb. bread, crust trimmed, cubed
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 leeks, chopped
1 c. shallots, chopped
1¼ lb. oyster mushrooms
½ lb. Shiitake mushrooms
2 c. celery, chopped
1 c. dry hazelnuts, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh sage
salt and pepper to taste
2 eggs, beaten
¾ c. chicken stock

Combine hot water and porcini mushrooms in a bowl. Let stand until mushrooms are soft,
about 30 minutes. Drain, reserving liquid. Chop porcini mushrooms. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Bake cubed bread on baking sheets until brown, about 15 minutes.
Cool, then transfer to a large bowl.

Melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add leeks, shallots, and oyster and Shiitake mushrooms. Sauté until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Mix in the celery and porcini mushrooms and sauté another 5 minutes. Transfer mixture to the bowl with the bread cubes. Mix in the hazelnuts and sage. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the eggs and chicken stock. Stuff into turkey.

Any stuffing that remains, spoon into a buttered baking dish, covered with buttered foil. Bake stuffing in dish alongside turkey until heated through, about 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is crisp, about 15 minutes.

Yield: 12 servings

The lusciousness of an organic turkey is a real treat for the taste buds. Cooking is the same as for any other turkey, but an organic bird will be a bit more costly. Still, it’s worth the extra expense.

"Bloody Mary" Fish

The other night, Rusty prepared a tilapia fish dinner using a variation of the "Spiced Baked Fish" recipe from Cooking with the Bible:
http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/?type=recipe&id=GR3410-1905&q=bloody mary

Here are the "before" and "after" photos:

Here's the original recipe from Cooking with the Bible (I wasn't taking notes to capture the variation he executed this time, but it was light and delicious, perfect for a warm summer evening!):

•½ tsp. cumin
•½ tsp. coriander
•½ tsp. caraway seeds
•½ tsp. dried dill
•½ tsp. tarragon
•½ tsp. cayenne pepper
•½ tsp. sumac
•½ tsp. salt
•3 cloves garlic, minced
•1 large onion, chopped very fine
•4 tomatoes, chopped into small pieces
•6 red or gray mullet fillets
•½ cup white wine vinegar
•1 cup Bloody Mary mix

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Mix all the spices in a small mortar and grind with a pestle until they are reduced to a powder. Combine the garlic, onion, and tomatoes in a bowl, and spoon half of the mixture across the bottom of a large, greased baking dish. Arrange the fillets close to one another on top of the mixture.

Measure out the vinegar, and stir the powdered spices into it. Pour over the fish and let stand for 10 minutes or so. Place the remaining tomato mixture on top of the fish, then cover as much as possible with Bloody Mary mix.

Bake for 20–25 minutes.

Yield: 6 servings

Your Best Chili Pepper Recipes

We entered 2 recipes in food52's weekly contest "Your Best Chili Pepper Recipe."

The first: Ensalada de Nopalitos:
http://www.food52.com/recipes/13578_ensalada_de_nopalitos

The second: Tamarind-Glazed Lamb on Cumin Cabbage with Tangerine Salsa
http://www.food52.com/recipes/13579_tamarindglazed_lamb_on_cumin_cabbage_with_tangerine_salsa

Both are from the film Tortilla Soup, as featured in Cooking with the Movies: Meals on Reels.

Holiday Cherry Pie

Entered in this week's Whole Foods Market Cooking contest: our recipe for Holiday Cherry Pie, created for one of our meals from the film What's Cooking? in Cooking with the Movies: Meals on Reels.

http://rockville.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/recipes/11173_holiday_cherry_pie

Raspberry Torte

Entered in food52's weekly contest, our recipe for Raspberry Torte from the film What's Cooking?
http://www.food52.com/recipes/7593_raspberry_torte

Summer Meal

Rusty cooked a splendid "summer" meal the other night for a small gathering.

The evening started with Baked Goat Cheese with Herbs:
http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/?type=recipe&id=GR3410-357&q=baked goat goat cheese

Next we had Horseradish Deviled Eggs:
http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/?type=recipe&id=GR3410-830&q=deviled eggs

A lovely summer salad followed--delicious with raspberry vinaigrette:
http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/?type=recipe&id=GR3410-960&q=spinach salad

The main course was Rack of Lamb with Spicy Mint Sauce:
http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/?type=recipe&id=GR3410-3332&q=rack of of lamb

And Bathsheba's Crispy Baked Potatoes with Rosemary:
http://www.cookingwiththebible.com/reader/?type=recipe&id=GR3410-1785&q=bathsheba

Thanks, Rusty, for a delicious dining experience!

All of these recipes are from our book Cooking with the Bible: Recipes for Biblical Meals.

www.cookingwiththebible.com

A Note about Italian Food from "Goodfellas"

Italian Food and Family Life in Film

As with many films about Italian families, Goodfellas relies heavily upon food preparation and meals to further the storyline.

One of the most memorable scenes in the movie shows Paulie Cicero slicing garlic transparently thin with a razor blade for the pasta dinner the characters are preparing while in prison. And it’s quite a dinner: in addition to the garlic, the tomato sauce includes veal, beef, pork, peppers, and onions; there is salami, prosciutto, cheese, and Italian bread; red and white wine and J&B Scotch is plentiful; the men have even arranged to have fresh lobster smuggled in!

Another scene that many viewers recall so vividly is the midnight pasta dinner served by Mrs. DeVito to Tommy, Jimmy, and Henry. It’s not the food itself that makes the scene (it’s standard pasta with gravy and bread) but rather the dialogue: having just beaten (and presumably killed) Billy Batts, Tommy stops at home for a shovel on his way upstate to bury the body, but surprising him as he enters the house, his mother asks him when he’s going to find “a nice girl”—and Tommy replies, “I get a nice one almost every night, Ma.” When Mrs. DeVito wonders how Tommy got his shirt so bloody, he stutters, “We took a ride out to the country and we hit one of those deers….” As the three men are leaving, Tommy grabs his mother’s butcher knife and explains, “Ma, I need this knife…I just need it for a little while…. We hit the deer and his paw—what do you call it?—the hoof got caught in that grill. I got to, I got to hack it off.”

Toward the end of the film, Scorsese recreates Henry Hill’s final day before he is arrested for dealing cocaine, and much of that day centers on Henry’s preparation of a special meal for his brother Michael, whom Henry has picked up from the hospital for the day. In his own words, “I had to start braising the beef, pork butt, and veal shanks for the tomato sauce. It was Michael’s favorite. I was making ziti with the meat gravy, and I’m planning to roast some peppers over the flames, and I was gonna put on some string beans with some olive oil and garlic, and I had some beautiful cutlets that were cut just right, that I was going to fry up before dinner just as an appetizer. … Now my plan was to start the dinner early so Karen and I could unload the guns that Jimmy didn’t want, and then get the package [the drugs] for Lois to take to Atlanta for her trip later that night.” Again, the food serves as a reminder that for this family, selling contraband weapons and dealing drugs is all in a day’s work.

Other meals underscore the typicalness of this extended family: a barbecue of sausages during an office picnic, a table spread with sandwiches during a poker game, a dinner of lasagna and sausages and peppers to welcome the men home after an extended absence, a restaurant dinner with the wives. Yet it is a typicalness that is more than slightly atypical: the business discussed at the picnic or the poker game might include plans for a major heist or a murder; the dinner was to welcome the men back after they had completed their prison terms; the men spent Saturday evenings with their wives but Friday nights with their girlfriends. It’s not exactly the usual lifestyle of the American family in the ‘60s and ‘70s—but then, who’s to say?

Another Recipe from "Tampopo"

Here's another recipe we created for our chapter on the film Tampopo. Unfortunately, space limitations prevented us from including it in the book, but we present it for you here.

Natto with Eggs and Rice

1 package of natto (fermented beans)
1 fresh raw egg
1 tsp. karashi (Japanese mustard)
1 tsp. soy sauce
1 strip Korean seaweed, cut into small pieces
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 c. hot rice

Prepare the natto according to the directions on the package. Add the raw egg, karashi, soy sauce, and seaweed. Put everything into a frying pan in the sesame oil and fry for 2-3 minutes. Mix in the hot rice, and fry again for several minutes. Serve immediately.

Yield: 3 servings

Roast Lamb with Rosemary

Not just for Passover: lamb with fresh mint and rosemary is quite a tasty dish for any time of year. This recipe is featured in our book Cooking with the Bible: Recipes for Biblical Meals.

Entered in "Your Best Spring Lamb Recipe":
www.rockville.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/recipes/10981_roast_lamb_with_rosemary

Find more recipes at www.cookingwiththebible.com .

Your Best Spring Vegetable Recipe

Pea Timbales
http://www.food52.com/recipes/11686_pea_timbales
for Titanic, in Cooking with the Movies

Steamed Asparagus Rolled in Prosciutto:

http://www.food52.com/recipes/11687_steamed_asparagus_rolled_in_prosciutto

for Mostly Martha, in Cooking with the Movies

Pulpo a la Veracruzana

Entered in "Your Best Squid or Octopus Recipe" at food52 this week:
http://www.food52.com/recipes/11630_pulpo_a_la_veracruzana

We created this recipe for the film Tortilla Soup, in our book Cooking with the Movies: Meals on Reels.

Your Best Asparagus Recipe(s)

Here are 2 recipes we entered in "Your Best Asparagus Recipe" contest this week:

http://rockville.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/recipes/10958_steamed_asparagus_rolled_in_prosciutto



http://rockville.wholefoodsmarketcooking.com/recipes/10960_chocolatedipped_asparagus

Featured in FEAST

We just learned that Cooking with the Movies is featured in this month's issue of FEAST, the award-winning online magazine about books, art, food, film, and travel. Please stop by and take a look:

http://www.feastofbooks.com/food-2

The Recipe We Want to Be Remembered For

We entered this recipe for Carrot Cake in food52's weekly contest, "The Recipe You Want to Be Remembered For." It's from our chapter on the film Gosford Park in our book Cooking with the Movies.

Here's the link:
www.food52.com/recipes/9828_carrot_cake

A Galilean Breakfast--Jesus Appears to the Disciples at the Sea of Galilee

For those who are looking for the perfect meal to serve on Easter, here is our commemoration of what Jesus might have served to the disciples when he appeared to them at the Sea of Galilee after the Resurrection:
http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3387/meal/

Grilled Mackerel on a Stick:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3430/recipe/

Sweet Barbels:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3449/recipe/

St. Peter's Fish with Parsley Sauce:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3463/recipe/

Pistachio-Crusted Sunfish:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3479/recipe/

Eggplant and Cheese Casserole:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3488/recipe/

Israeli Breakfast Salad:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3504/recipe/

Manaish with Goat Cheese and Black Peppermint Tea:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3514/recipe/

Campfire Cinnamon Coffee Cake:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3524/recipe/

Galilean Sand Cake:

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-3532/recipe/

The Sea of Galilee is not much different now from 2000 years ago:

Lamb with Rosemary

Featured for Passover: our recipe for Lamb with Rosemary from Cooking with the Bible: Recipes for Biblical Meals:

http://www.betweenthetines.wordpress.com/

A Passover Meal

Passover begins tomorrow at sunset, so we wanted to share the recipes for a Passover meal from our book Cooking with the Bible: Recipes for Biblical Meals.

Horseradish Deviled Eggs

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-830/recipe/

Haroset a la Greque

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-845/recipe/

Matzoh Ball Soup

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-857/recipe/

Pesach Black Bread

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-878/recipe/

Roast Lamb with Rosemary

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-898/recipe/

Borscht (Beet Soup)

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-914/recipe/

Russet Mashed Potato Casserole

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-928/recipe/

Chilled Asparagus with Raspberry-Almond Vinaigrette

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-944/recipe/

Spinach Salad with Bitter Herbs

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-960/recipe/

Passover Rhubarb-Orange Cobbler with Lemon Sorbet

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-975/recipe/

Coconut Macaroons

http://cookingwiththebible.com/reader/Default.aspx/GR3410-1001/recipe/

Enjoy!