A SIMPLE ORANGE DESSERT, naturally wheat-and-gluten free

Shari Weinsheimer, Public Domain Pictures.net.

Even though oranges are a late-season fruit, have you noticed how beautiful they are in the stores now? Bright. Plump. Juicy.  The truth is that for all the fancy, sugared, complicated desserts there are, there is nothing more pleasing to an unjaded palate than simple fresh fruit. Orange slices with cinnamon is very Middle Eastern, very simple, and absolutely refreshing. Moreover, it's a dessert that's naturally gluten-free.

For four people, just peel and slice three oranges into rounds.  Arrange in an attractive pattern on a serving plate. Dust lightly with cinnamon and serve.

I'm just about to indulge in mine along with a cup of Sadaf tea, a wonderful Lebanese tea made from a blend of black teas and cardamom.  Add a little honey. More simple perfection . . . Highly recommended.

Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

CHOPPED LIVER, NY Deli Style

Jtmichcock under 
GNU Free Documentation License via Wikipedia

Carnegie Delicatessen established in 1937. Purveyors of traditional Jewish foods and other non-Jewish food, it's a popular go-to place for natives and tourists. 


What is the meaning and origin of the expression: "What am I? Chopped liver." According to Ask The Rabbi, Ohr Somayach, "As far as I know, the origins of the phrase are not Yiddish; I believe the phrase was originally coined in America. Being that chopped liver was always considered a side dish and not a main course, the phrase was used to express hurt and amazement when a person feels he has been overlooked and treated just like a 'side dish'."

Despite her Southwestern origins, my daughter-in-law, The Girl from New Mexico, likes a good Brooklyn nosh or two. So when we celebrated her birthday a week-ago this past Sunday, we made chopped liver as part of her birthday gift . . . a whole pound . . . made from mutant chicken livers purchased from the Whole Foods Market across the street. They were the biggest, purest, freshest chopped livers we've ever seen. Yum! I didn't know where to get schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) around here (California), so I substituted fresh, unsweetened butter. Definitely not kosher, but neither are we. And since Karen likes to go mostly wheat-and-gluten free, we substituted gluten-free crackers for the usual Jewish rye. The recipe we share, however, is the original, authentic version. The chopped liver itself is naturally wheat-and-gluten free and needs no modification for those with Celiac Disease or wheat-and-gluten sensitivity.

Chopped liver and  creamed herring. Photograph courtesy of stu_spivack under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license.

CHOPPED LIVER, NY DELI STYLE

The recipe

Serves four as an appetizer

(Unless you're from New Mexico. Then it's a party-in-a-bowl just for one.)

• 1 lb. of fresh chicken livers, rinse, pat dry with paper towels, and chop
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup of schmaltz
• 2 large omega-3 eggs, perfectly hard-boiled and chopped
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon freshly ground sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Gluten-free Crackers, or if you don't have to go gluten-free, the traditional matzoh or toasted rye (cut the slices into quarters).

Gently caramelize the onions in two-or-three tablespoons of schmaltz. That is sauté them until they are golden brown but not burned or crisp. Set the onions aside and add more schmaltz to the pan. Sauté the livers being careful not to overdo or they will be too dry.

Put the onions and the liver into a bowl and mash as you would potatoes. I do it with my hands actually, but you can use a food processor. You're essentially making a paté. Add 1/2 the chopped eggs and the seasoning and blend again. Put in a serving bowl and top with the remaining eggs. Serve with cracker or bread as a side or an appetizer.


Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

GF FROM P.F. CHANG'S, Eat-in or Take-out

What would Brooklyn be without its ubiquitous Chinese restaurants?  It just wouldn’t be the same. Once it seemed most of our Chinese immigrants came from Guangdong Province, so our Chinese food was generally Cantonese. It was always filling, sweet and spicy, and served with hot, hot oolong tea. There was egg drop soup or wonton, fried egg rolls, barbecued spare ribs, lobster Cantonese, chicken chow mein with crispy noodles, and white and pork-fried rice. 

Dinner was generally followed by a small bowl of lychee's or kumquats in syrup, a diminutive almond cookie, more tea, and a fortune cookie. It was all wonderful and memorable. Unfortunately, if you have Celiac disease, eating out in a Chinese restaurant is a thing of the past. Virtually everything Chinese is made with soy sauce, which has wheat in it. There are wheat-free soys or tamari but, with one exception, their use is not an adaption that is commonly made by restaurants. The one exception is the American restaurant chain: P.F. Chang’s.

P.F. Chang’s is the only Chinese restaurant that I know of that offers a gluten-free menu.  The restaurant is clean and nicely decorated. The food is fresh, delicately seasoned, fragrant, and presented beautifully. The wait-staff is just about as good as you can get. And -okay this is my own hang-up maybe - the restrooms are clean. Yesterday, in  recognition of Celiac Awareness Day, the company announced an expanded gluten-free menu of twenty-nine choices and a new gluten-free dessert, Triple Chocolate Mousse Mini Dessert. Link to their site for locations, menu, gluten-free recipes, and a Warrior Card. No kidding! Sign up for the Warrior Card for 10% off all year at P.F. Chang's. Such a deal! 


Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product. 

HOW TO MAKE LEBANESE COFFEE, Al-Qahwa

Photograph: Tulumba.com

Lebanese coffee is served demitasse style in cups such as the one pictured here.

Photograph: Tulumba.com

Dark-roasted coffee beans are finely ground in beautiful etched-brass coffee-grinders.

Photograph:  Tulumba.com

Lebanese coffee is prepared in a narrow, long-handled brass pot, called a rakweh.

Lebanese Coffee, Al- Qahway, is generally served sweet (mazbuhtah), moderately sweet (wahsat), very sweet(helwa) or, at funerals, bitter (murrrah). The difference between traditional Turkish coffee and traditional Lebanese coffee is that the Lebanese is flavored with cardamom. If you prefer to have traditional Turkish coffee, follow the recipe, but leave out the cardamom.

The equipment used to prepare and serve Lebanese coffee can be purchased on-line at Tulumba.com, in local Mediterranean groceries, and at some department stores. You will find the coffee pot in product listings as "Turkish Coffee Pot."  These pots come in several sizes from small enough to prepare coffee for just two people or large enough to prepare coffee for up to twelve people. Traditionally the pots were made of brass but you will also find them for sale in stainless steel, which may be easier to care for but which I find prosaic and unromantic.  I prefer old brass pots.

You must purchase dark-roasted coffee ground for Turkish coffee, which is so fine it's like a powder. I use Peet's Italian Roast or Espresso Forté. The Espresso Forté is the stronger of the two. Only purchase as much coffee as you will use the same day.   It's best when it's fresh.

This recipe is for two servings. Just multiply the ingredients to prepare the coffee for more people.  This is an easy prep process.  Don't be intimidated.

Recipe

The ingredients:

For two demitasse cups, medium sweet:

• water
• 2 tablespoons dark-roasted coffee, ground for Turkish Coffee
• 2 teaspoons organic sugar
• 2 cardamom pods

The preparation:

Pour two demitasse cupfuls of water into the rakweh. Bring the water to a boil, remove from heat, and add the coffee and sugar. Put the pot back on the heat.  The coffee will foam up.  Remove from heat and let the foam subside.  Add the cardamom pods. Put the pot back on the heat and let it foam again.  Remove from heat.  Let the foam subside.  Do the process once more. Pour into cups.  Drink hot, hot, hot.


Actual product ingredients may differ from than that which is shown or suggested on this blog. Please remember that you should not rely solely on the information presented here or anywhere online and that you always read labels, warnings, and directions before purchasing and consuming a product.