Marge Perry's A Sweet and Savory Life

Noodle Kugel with Cornflake Crust

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Noodle Kugel with Cornflake Crust

It is a basic tenet that noodle kugels are made with love. It is what binds the eggs, cream cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese together. The food processor is also essential: it supplies the brawn to make fast work of all the smoothing and pureeing.

This year, my Beloved asked for cornflake topping on the kugel. For the man who kept a constant flow of ice tea on my desk these last few months when crutches precluded me from carrying liquids; who did my grocery shopping for six solid months (not to mention much of my cooking for work), who came running each and every time he heard the ominous crash when I’d bopped around too carelessly on those crutches; who brought ice packs and Tylenol time after time… yes, I will make you cornflake topping. And together we will savor the start of a new year, and together we will toss the remnants of last year’s hardships and heartbreaks in the Hudson River.

I will make you kugel with crunchy, sweet cornflake topping, and not just because you brought me ice tea. I will make it for you the way you make me just the right blend of green and chamomile ice tea– not as a quid pro quo, but with love and caring and in celebration of the 12th anniversary of our wedding day.

Wedding Day

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Noodle Kugel with Graham Cracker Crust (from Bubbe #1)

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This is the noodle kugel your Bubbe made, if your history is thusly inclined. (And if it is not then the combination of the words kugel and Bubbe in one sentence may have sounded quite peculiar to you). Suffice it to say this is the stuff of Jewish grandmothers: a noodle “pudding” that is really a baked noodle casserole, bound by as much dairy and love as you could possibly whirl together and pack between noodles in your baking dish.

There are three types of Bubbes in this world: the ones who top their kugel with sweet graham crackers, those who make a crunchy cornflake crust and then those (few) who do not make kugel at all. (I do not judge the non-makers harshly, though: perhaps they take their little ones on great imaginary mathematical adventures, or teach them to handily whomp opponents at gin rummy.)

Someday I will be both Bubbe #1 and Bubbe #2. The third type of Bubbe is out of my realm: I will never see math as a wonderful adventure and I will certainly not ever recover from the ease and speed with which my mother and grandmother ended our card games.

This recipe is for my inner Bubbe #1. To be clear, I have no intention of becoming a grandmother any time soon– for one thing, I (and my children) are far too young. For another, I had to say that, because my kids are reading this. No, I am offering this recipe for all those Bubbes-in-training, ranging in age from 12 to 95, both male and female, who would like to be able to throw together a killer noodle kugel.

Make this to break-the-fast, or to serve at a brunch Or a shower! (I did not just say that, kids.) To some it is a side dish, perfectly at home with fried chicken or at a barbecue, and to others it is dessert. However and whenever you serve it, this is sweet, rich, creamy noodles, and that’s plenty good enough for me.

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How to Know What Fish to Buy

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Tilapia in Crazy Water

One fish, two fish; bad fish, good fish.

You’re standing at the fish counter, trying to decide what to make for dinner. You want to eat more fish– after all, it’s good for you, right? Except when it isn’t, because of mercury and other contaminants. So– some fish is good for you. But which ones?? It’s like a bad Dr. Seuss rhyme, and it’s too hard, so maybe you should just have chicken. Again.

Actually, while there is no hard and fast rule– some farmed fish is better than some wild, and visa versa– the best way to know which fish to buy and eat is to let the experts guide you. For years, when I wrote stories on fish, nutrition and sustainability, I interviewed the experts at Seafood Watch, a group that is part of Monterey Bay Aquarium. Now I keep their app on my phone, and pull it up at the store whenever I have a question.

Some fish suffer from an undeserved bad reputation. Tilapia, a low calorie, easily affordable, good source of protein has been unfairly maligned: despite some sensationalist headlines, it is good for you and is generally responsibly farmed. The mild, flaky fish is adaptable to all sorts of preparations, but on a busy weeknight, this fast, tasty dish is one of my favorites.

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Zucchini Pesto Stacks (A Now-and-Later Recipe)

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Zucchini Pesto Stacks

Whether you are cooking from your garden, the farmers’ market or the grocery store shelves, these stacks make use of the end-of-summer abundance of zucchini, ripe tomatoes and basil.

But this recipe is about more than just immediate gratification. It makes enough pesto to stash away for colder months: spoon it into ice cube trays to freeze, then transfer to a freezer bag. (Use the pesto on pasta or rice, of course, but also: throw a cube into soup or stew, smear it on bread or pizza dough, slide it under the skin of chicken, or crust fish with it.)…

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Black Chickpea Hummus

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Black Chickpea Hummus

While working on a story for Fine Cooking magazine* we “called in” product from some growers. (That means we called the growers and asked them to send us product for testing and developing). Tucked in the box from Timeless Food, having nothing to do with the story, was a bag of black chickpeas.

I had never seen them before. When raw, they are like tiny gleaming onyx stones with a little peak on top, like the kiss of a chocolate morsel. A couple of cracked peas revealed an interior similar in color, though more yellow, than ordinary chickpeas. I soaked them overnight, as I would any chickpea, and in the morning they were slightly expanded and, thanks to the glistening surface of the water, looked even more jewel-like.

After simmering the soaked beans for nearly 2 hours (longer than most chickpeas), they were tender inside, although the skins are someone chewier, and don’t easily slip off the way they do on other chickpeas. I wondered if they would add an unpleasant texture to hummus.

They did not.

Black Chickpea Hummus is decidedly different from regular hummus: it is nuttier, earthier, and more coarse. It somehow seems a little heartier. As you can see from the photo above, the hummus is not dark black like the exterior of the pea; the color is more like a milk chocolate shake with little bits of shaved chocolate mixed in.

We are smitten.

* Here’s a story I wrote in the April ’16 issue of Fine Cooking about a real passion of mine, Israeli Style Hummus

* Here is my basic recipe for really good, Authentic Hummus

Print Recipe
 Black Chickpea Hummus
Servings 3 cups
Servings 3 cups
  1. Place the chickpeas in a bowl with enough water to cover them by two to three inches and allow to soak 8 hours.
  2. Drain off the soaking liquid, transfer the chickpeas to a pot and cover with enough cold water to cover by at least three inches. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a gentle simmer. Continue simmering until the chickpeas are tender, about 2 hours. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the cooking liquid. (You won’t need all of it.)
  3. Combine the chickpeas in a food processor with the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt and 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Run the machine until the mixture is fully pureed, stopping several times to scrape down the sides.
  4. Place a spoon in the tahini and lift it straight up. The mixture should be thick enough to take time to fall off the spoon, and not so thick that it falls in one big clump. It should ribbon slightly. If it is too thick, add more of the cooking liquid, one tablespoon at a time, testing between additions.
  5. Place the hummus in a shallow bowl and draw a concentric spiral in the surface with a spoon. Drizzle the well with the extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Nutrition per serving:
153 calories 2g carbohydrates 1g fiber 11g fat 2g saturated fat

Tomato Peach and Feta Salad

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Tomato, Peach, Feta Salad

This is the salad to serve and eat this weekend, while you are not arguing about the election; not bemoaning how fast the season sped by; and certainly not thinking about long pants and boots. We are still in the glorious thick of it, despite what the school year says. As long as the sun is scorching or the air thick, hot and damp, we can eat and cook like summer.

Print Recipe
 Tomato, Peach and Feta Salad
Servings 4
Servings 4
  1. Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, honey, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the tomatoes, peaches, feta, onion and basil and toss gently but thoroughly.
Nutrition per serving:
204 calories 5g protein 22g carbohydrates 4g fiber 12g fat 4g saturated fat 363mg sodium

Turmeric-Zucchini Quick Refrigerator Pickles

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Zucchini Turmeric Refrigerator Pickles

Quick refrigerator pickles are summer’s perfect snack food. Nibble on these salty, slightly crisp zucchini pickles with a glass of wine in the late afternoon, after a long day outside. Snack on them as the sun goes down, and take note of how the color matches the waning daylight sky.

Their golden color comes from turmeric, the spice on everyone’s mind because of it’s anti-inflammatory properties. As a cook, I also love the golden color it gives to dishes. It has a slightly bitter flavor and a pleasant ginger-citrus aroma. But these pickles…well, they just taste like summer.

Print Recipe
 Turmeric-Zucchini Quick Refrigerator Pickles
Servings 16
Servings 16
  1. Combine the vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, garlic, salt, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, celery seeds and turmeric in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Continue to boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar, 1 minute. remove from the heat and combine with the zucchini. Allow to cool to room temperature with the zucchini fully submerged in the liquid.
  2. Cover tightly and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Big Bad Dad Cherry Poppin’ Ribs

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Cherry Glazed Spareribs

 

If your Daddy is the Baddest (aka the goodest), and he likes things just a little sweet and a little spicy and a lot rich and meaty, then here you are. Cherry Poppin’ Ribs will pop his eyeballs out of their sockets, blow his socks right off his feet– and show him you appreciate all he has ever done.

Print Recipe
 Cherry Poppin' Ribs
Servings 8
Servings 8
  1. Combine the sugar, cumin, salt, paprika and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning over the entire surface of the ribs.
  2. Light the grill for indirect low heat, about 300°
  3. Place the rack, bone side down, over indirect heat. Close the lid and grill for 1 hour. Brush both sides of the rack with half of the preserves. Continue grilling for 1 hour more.
  4. Brush the ribs with the remaining preserves and grill until, when you lift the rack at one end with tongs, it bends enough in the middle that the meat begins to tear easily, about 20-30 minutes more.
  5. Remove the meat from the grill and allow it to rest 5 minutes before cutting between the bones into individual ribs.
Nutrition per serving:
392 calories 31g protein 17g carbohydrates 23g fat 8g saturated fat 564mg sodium

Making the Best of It: Buddha Bowl

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Buddha Bowl

 

We’ve been cooking together for a long time now– over 19 years, I think. But he’s still the new guy to me, and as much as we can finish each other sentences, sometimes we surprise each other.

I am not surprised that after I had ankle surgery last month, he took such good care of me. I knew he would. I am a little surprised that I don’t mind it more– in fact, he better be careful or I will start feigning all kinds of disability just to get waited on like this. But I don’t have to fake anything right now: I truly can’t make myself lunch or get a glass of iced tea. Crutches make that impossible, but fortunately, there is bottled water, which can be transported without splashing.

I can’t cook. It’s like an itch I can’t scratch. But the really cool thing about having cooked with someone for nearly two decades, day in and day out, is that when he cooks a dish I have conceptualized, it’s just what I envision– and often better. When I told him my idea for my weekly Newsday column was a Buddha bowl with seared cubes of tofu and asparagus, spinach, quick cooking brown rice, and red peppers with a simple soy and rice vinegar sauce, I knew he would get it. But then he made it even better, adding radishes (because he knows how much I love them) and scallions, and giving my simple sauce character and depth with just enough honey and sesame oil.

He breathed life into my idea and turned it in something tangible, nourishing, and better than I could have done on my own. And all the while, he made sure I was sitting with my leg elevated.

Print Recipe
 Buddha Bowl
Servings 4
Servings 4
  1. Whisk the soy sauce, vinegar, honey and sesame oil until the honey is dissolved. Place the tofu in a separate bowl and toss with 1 tablespoon of the soy mixture; let stand 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, cook the rice according to package directions.
  3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the canola oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Add the tofu and cook until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a bowl and reserve. Return the skillet to the heat: add the asparagus, cook 1 minute and add 2 tablespoons water. Continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until bright green, about another 1 1/2 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon of the canola oil in the skillet: add the bell pepper; cook 2 minutes and transfer to a small bowl. Heat 1 teaspoon canola and add the radishes, cook 1 minute and transfer to a small bowl. Heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil, add the scallions and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes; transfer to a small bowl. Return skillet to the heat and add the spinach: cook, tossing, until wilted, 1 1/2-2 minutes.
  4. To assemble: divide rice among 4 bowls. Arrange remaining ingredients in piles and then drizzle with remaining soy sauce mixture.
Nutrition per serving:
422 calories 18g protein 56g carbohydrates 7g fiber 14g fat 1g saturated fat 528mg sodium

Mother’s Day Mash Up: Cinnamon Glazed Doughfins

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Cinnamon Glazed Doughfins

My children and husband are the greatest source of joy in my life: Mother’s Day is not. I love that because of the holiday, I am likely to spend time with at least one and sometimes both of my kids. I love that it is a day, some what like my birthday, on which I feel a tiny bit entitled.

But from the first signs of the holiday– a poster at the mall, an ad on television, an email from a restaurant– an achey hollow place starts to form some where inside. Is that my gut? My soul? It grows like a shallow empty crater until the day is actually here. It is the hole where, like so many motherless children, I miss my mother.

I especially longed for her just a few weeks ago when I had surgery and she was not there to make that wonderful “Ooooh, honey” coo of compassion. I missed her when my son got engaged and we couldn’t gush and giggle together. I miss being able to dissect every pleasurable detail of my niece’s upcoming wedding, or my last niece’s graduation. (Look, Mom, all the grandkids finished now!)

I think back to the times when I swore I wouldn’t be like her, and those years when I just knew I would never, ever, ever parent the way she was. And yet here we are, my sisters and I, each of us following in her footsteps in our own ways.

When my imperious, difficult grandmother died at the age of 109, the rabbi came to us before the funeral and asked us for our fondest memories; to tell her something wonderful that our grandmother had done for us. There was her legendary sense of humor and style, of course– but really, her greatest legacy was that she was such an unsupportive, undemonstrative, self-involved mother that in rebellion her daughter became the complete opposite. What my grandmother did was create a daughter who would become a completely supportive, wholly loving mother.

To be honest, my mother did not entirely escape the vector of her mother, any more than I can escape that of mine. (Just ask my kids. Actually, please don’t.) On this Mother’s Day I can say I was one of the lucky ones: my mother’s particular mishmash of daughter and mother sometimes drove me crazy; occasionally infuriated me; but mostly made me feel like a singular, special human being. Thanks, Mom. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have plans to fill my Mother’s Day, and some of that crater, celebrating and enjoying my treasures.

Print Recipe
 Cinnamon-Glazed Doughfins
Servings 36
Servings 36
  1. Preheat the oven to 350F. Coat two mini-muffin pans with cooking spray.
  2. Beat the butter with an electric mixer until soft; add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until incorporated.
  3. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a second bowl. Add about a third of it to the batter and beat on slow speed until just combined. Add about a third of the milk and the vanilla and beat again. Add the dry ingredients and milk in two more alternating batches, mixing on slow speed after each addition.
  4. Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups; bake, rotating the pans about halfway through cooking, until the doughfins are lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 14 minutes. Transfer to a rack placed over a sheet pan to cool and repeat with remaining batter. (You can line the sheet pan with parchment or foil to make cleanup easier.)
  5. While the doughfins bake, make the glaze: stir the cinnamon, confectioners sugar and water together until smooth. When the doughfins have cooled about 10 minutes, drizzle the glaze over them, allowing it to drip off. Allow the glaze to set 5 minutes before serving.
Nutrition per serving:
71 calories 1g protein 11g carbohydrates 0g fiber 3g fat 2g saturated fat 94mg sodium

Garlic, Rosemary and Orange Roast Chicken

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Garlic Orange Rosemary Chicken
Rosemary is the herb or romance and remembrance, which is one of the reasons I carried it in my wedding bouquet. Another reason is that the smell of rosemary never fails to flood me with a sense of well-being. I must not be alone in this– it is a popular herb in spas and spa treatments, and there are all kinds of soaps and bath salts scented with rosemary.

But nothing beats the real thing. And nothing says Sunday night at home with the ones you love like the aroma of a chicken roasting with rosemary and garlic. Your house will smell like comfort and peace and contentment. At dinner time, siblings who just moments ago were bickering will now be nearly cordial, and the annoying thing your spouse did will fade from memory.

Yes, rosemary roasted chicken is the all-powerful peacemaker and soother– and may be just the antidote for our current noisy political debacle.

Print Recipe
 Garlic, Rosemary and Orange Roast Chicken
Servings 8
Servings 8
  1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Coat a shallow baking sheet pan or roasting pan with cooking spray.
  2. Chop the rosemary and garlic finely together and combine in a bowl with the salt.
  3. Trim the excess fat from the bird. Starting at the neck, loosen the skin without pulling it off, and use your fingers to spread the rosemary mixture under the skin and on top of the meat. Place the orange quarters in the cavity of the bird.
  4. Tuck the tips of the wings under the back. Sprinkle the outside of the chicken with the salt and the pepper. Place the bird, breast side up, on the baking sheet and roast in the center of the oven until an instant read meat thermometer inserted deep in the thigh (not touching the bone) registers 170-175 degrees, about 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Allow to stand 10 minutes before carving.
Nutrition per serving:
356 calories 38g protein 2g carbohydrates 0g fiber 21g fat 7g saturated fat 696mg sodium

How Do I Love Thee? Like Nutella Mousse

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Nutella Mousse

 

We built a kitchen, you and I. First, years ago: a place of stolen kisses when the children weren’t looking. We blinked, and our kitchen became their school, their land of life lessons: this is how grown-ups live and work and love… and kiss. They giggled when we kissed. Then it was time, and they left.

We built a new kitchen. We kissed here, blatantly and with flourish. We laughed, got pissy, created, and fed each other. I made you hummus. We made spiced nuts. You made me dinner (so many times!). I made you crazy and you made me laugh.

I made you mousse with your favorite ingredient from our wedding cake. You make me love.

Kitchen Kiss

Print Recipe
 Nutella Mousse
Servings 4
Servings 4
  1. Combine the Nutella, sour cream and 2 tablespoons of the cream in a medium bowl; beat with an electric hand mixer until smooth and well combined.
  2. Beat the remaining ½ cup cream in a second bowl to the firm peak stage. Scoop out about ¼ cup of the whipped cream and stir it into the chocolate mixture. Gently fold the remaining whipped cream into the chocolate until it is well combined. Spoon into four small bowls or ramekins and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
  3. To serve, garnish each bowl with a cookie standing up in the mousse and/or strawberry slices if desired.
Nutrition per serving:
359 calories 4g protein 24g carbohydrates 1g fiber 27g fat 14g saturated fat 34mg sodium