This year at Kosherfest I had the
privilege of meeting Levana Kirshenbaum.
Dynamic, emphatic, and a true food expert, she was one of the expert panelists
at the Kosherfest food panel session (I got to be part of the
audience). I was immediately drawn to
Levana – how could I not be...she’s a passionate foodie! A successful restaurateur, Levana really
knows food! I was able to speak with Levana after the presentation and was
extremely impressed by how warm, welcoming and enthusiastic she was. I purchased her original (beta) copy of her
latest cookbook, The Whole Foods Cookbook, and parted with a
promise to keep in touch.
It turns out that many years ago,
while living in New York as a cash-strapped engineering graduate student, I had the privilege of being taken to Levana’s
restaurant on a date. The food was
amazing (the date…not so much – not dear husband so I guess it all
worked out for the best) and I still remember how good the meal was after all
these years. I was really looking forward to my new (beta version) cookbook,
and was eagerly anticipating going through it.
I found it a little hard to read, so when I saw online that Levana had
re-done the book, I eagerly requested a copy. I love the new updated version!! Levana’s new and improved The Whole Foods
Cookbook is a gorgeous cookbook with a gajillion recipes. It’s nearly 400
pages long! You can tell that this is
truly one of Levana’s life’s works, written straight from the heart with love. You
can hear Levana talking to you throughout the book. It’s
written as if she’s sitting across the kitchen
table from you, giving advice and encouragement while you cook.
As I stated in my last blog, I
have been spending the time between Mincha and Maariv the past few weeks going
through Levana’s new release of The Whole Foods Cookbook. It’s such an impressive work that I wanted to
make sure that I was sufficiently diligent. The introduction is really
long. To sum up Levana’s philosophy: 1. Make everything from scratch with fresh,
healthy ingredients. And... 2. Store
bought products and mixes are insipid (Levana’s word…she uses it twice!).
That being said, the recipes are
outstanding. Each recipe comes with
multiple variations – so if you like a recipe, you can make it again…but a
little differently. I liked so many
recipes in the book that I had trouble deciding which
ones to make and review. I had
originally planned on writing this review last week but I wanted to make more
recipes to write about! I also love the
fact that each recipe indicates whether it is kosher for Passover or gluten
free (great for the GFE – Gluten Free Eater!) and has a specific index in the
back of the book for each.
 |
| YUM!!! |
I ended up making three recipes
from the book, Chicken and Mushrooms (how could I not…we love
mushrooms here in the Matten house!!), Herb
Roasted Salmon Medallions, and Preserved Lemons. I made the chicken for Shabbat dinner last
week. It was fantastic!!! It was amazingly easy to make and the taste
was incredible. I loved that it was
fresh, healthy, and only needed a few ingredients which I already had in the
house. To quote Levana – YUM!! The reality
is that Levana has around two dozen quick variations of the Chicken and
Mushrooms recipe – Chicken and fill in the blank. Really –
Chicken and (pick one): celery, potatoes, mushrooms, fennel, potatoes, swiss
chard, sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, plantains, tomatoes, olives, garlic,
artichokes, corn….you get the idea.
Levana also describes the benefit of each of the ingredients – I learned
SO much.
 |
How pretty is this?
(And delicious too!!!) |
I made the Herb Roasted Salmon
Medallions for dinner on Thursday night.
I figured that with Shavuot quickly approaching, having another delicious
fish recipe in my pocket was just good planning. I have started growing my summer herbs, so conveniently
had basil, rosemary and parsley on hand.
The salmon rolls were delicious!
Fresh and very lemony, I was thrilled to have some leftover to
eat for lunch Friday – and they were great cold. The idea of “butterflying” salmon (splitting
it open to make a wider thinner piece of fish – just like you do with beef or
chicken) was new to me, and it opened up a whole new way to make salmon. These would be great for a pretty and
refreshing Shabbat or Yom Tov (think Shavuot!) appetizer.
 |
| I told you I had a lot of lemons! |
With life being incredibly
overwhelming and crazy lately, I haven’t been doing my usual pantry and
refrigerator inventory checking before doing my weekly shopping. As a result, I have somehow accumulated an
incredibly large stock of lemons (really…”Oh look, lemons are on sale! Do I have lemons in the house? I don’t think I do…I had better buy half a
dozen to make sure….”). So, when going
through Levana’s book I came across a recipe for Preserved Lemons and a
bunch of delicious sounding recipes using them, I knew I had found a partial
solution to the lemons overtaking my house!
Conveniently, my kids had just finished a jar of pickles so I had the
perfect jar on hand. I didn’t have
enough sea salt, but I assumed that kosher salt would work just as well. It takes a while for the lemons to preserve,
a few weeks, so I’ll have to keep you posted.
A jar of lemons in salt is definitely a conversation starter though!
 |
The lemons preserving...
we'll see how they
turn out!! |
All in all, Levana’s book is
packed with terrific (mostly) healthy recipes (I had to raise one eyebrow
really
high when I came across the hot chocolate mix with
3 cups of sugar….LOL!) I’m really looking forward to making some of
the dressings, soups and desserts – they all look fabulous and I’m sure will
taste
delicious!! I highly
recommend
The Whole Foods Cookbook, it’s a great way to add healthy,
fast, dishes to your family’s meals – and it’s pretty to look at too!
You can find more information about Levana's book here:
http://www.levanacooks.com/category/whole-foods-cookbook/
Chicken and Mushrooms
16 pieces chicken with
skin on
2 teaspoons turmeric
2 pounds whole domestic
or crimini mushrooms, the smaller the better
3 cups water
Place all the ingredients in a
wide heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then
reduce the flame to medium and cook covered for about 1 hour. Transfer the chicken pieces onto a platter. If the sauce is not thick enough, reduce it
on a high flame, uncovered, just a few minutes until it reaches the consistency
of maple syrup. Pour the sauce over the
chicken. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings.
Herb Roasted Salmon Medallions
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice
and peel of 2 lemons
1 bunch
flat parsley
sea
salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
A
handful of fresh herbs of your choice: thyme, basil, rosemary, tarragon,
chervil, etc. (no more than 2 kinds), leaves only
6 cloves garlic
1 side salmon, skinless and
boneless, about 4 pounds trimmed
Place all but the last ingredient
in a food processor and grind until you obtain a smooth paste.
Preheat oven to 425° F. Cut he salmon into 10 strips, reserving the
tail end for another use. Cut each strip
through their thickness, leaving them attached at one end. You will get long thin strips. Rub each strip with the paste, then roll
tightly and secure with toothpicks. You
will get neat little cylinders (medallions).
Place the medallions in a pan
just large enough to contain them. Roast
20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped herbs.
Preserved Lemons
8 to 10 large thick-skinned
lemons
coarse
sea salt
Wash and dry the lemons
thoroughly. Remove any green points
attached to the ends of the lemons Cut
them in quarters lengthwise. Place 2 to
3 pieces in a clean wide-mouth quart-sized glass jar, top with a thick layer of
salt. Repeat: Lemon, salt, lemon, salt,
and so on, all the way to the top, pressing down hard as you go to draw out the
juice. Don’t worry if the juices don’t appear immediately; they soon, will,
with all that salt. The lemons should be
totally submerged by their own juice, and reach all the way to the top of the
jar. Top with an extra layer of salt to
enur that no lemon skin is exposed (or it will mold). You will need 2 jars. Place the jars in a dark cool place (I keep
mine under the sink). They will be ready
in two weeks, at which point they should be refrigerated. To use, take out a quarter of lemon at a
time. Discard the pulp, rinse the skin
thoroughly, and mince. Add to fish and
chicken dishes, bean soups, salads, and salsas.
Makes about 2 quarts. After the
two weeks of pickling at room temperature, store refrigerated.
Chicken with Mushrooms
So simple...all the ingredients in
a large pot...
Cook the sauce to reduce it...
it smells amazing!!
How gorgeous is this chicken!!
Mushroom heaven!
Herbed Salmon Medalions
The herbs are right on the
window sill!
All the ingredients!
Put them in the food processor....
Butterfly the salmon pieces....
Spread on the herbs...
Place them on the pan...
No toothpics for me - freestyle!
(The two pieces are for my herb phobic kids)
Baked & out of the oven!
SO pretty!!!
Preserved Lemons
All the ingredients...
(and a pickle jar too!)
Lemons and salt...
lemons and salt...
lemons and salt...
(you get the idea)
That's a LOT of salt and lemons....
Now we just have to wait....
for the lemons to preserve....
This years Mother's Day Omelet!
It was delicious! Made with the
fresh herbs from our window sill!
Way to go girls! Thanks...I LOVE you!!!
Kosher
Everyday is dedicated to the memory of my father
Dr.
Theodore Saltzberg - Tuvia Ben Nachum Z”L
May
his memory be for a blessing - Yihi zichro baruch.
aish.com, Mishpacha Magazine’s Kosher Inspired Magazine,
The Chicago Tribune Syndication,
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Experience by Sharon
Matten.
These recipes are for sole, personal use of visitors to Sharon
Matten -Edible Experience Kosher Everyday. Edible Experience Kosher
Everyday recipes are for your enjoyment but are not to be posted or reprinted
without express permission from Sharon Matten. Thank you!!
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