shabbat shalom

I have gained a new found respect (not that I already didn't have an enormous amount already) for my mother as of well, yesterday. I have also gained new found confidence in myself as of yesterday likewise. Cooking an entire meal for 8 people is no simple task. It takes a lot of planning, time, skill, and most of all composure. The night before the big dinner I was up in bed lamenting the fact I had not prepared the Split Pea Soup that night and watched Nip/Tuck instead. Day of- felt the nerves a little. What if I overcook something, what if I am cooking when my guests arrive? I'm a perfectionist pure and simple- especially when it comes to cooking. I must read recipes over 5 times before even beginning. Of course some people disagree with this neurosis but I challenge them in a cook-off and we'll see who prevails.

So to explain the reason behind this dinner- last night I hosted a Shabbat Dinner for Shabbat 180, where 180 hosts around the city of Montreal were supposed to host Shabbat dinners in their own way with their own expression of what Shabbat is to them. For me it is a time to get together with family and friends to talk and to laugh, to meet new people and to eat well. And this is exactly what we did.

A few days ago I was reading Joy the Baker's blog and came across this wonderful salad recipe that she prepared for a dinner party she was invited to. I am NOT a salad person. I usually eat my veggies raw in bite size pieces that I can pick up with my two fingers and dip into hummus or peanut butter. But...this salad takes the cake or rather the pineapple. It is a great debut to the spring fruit and veggie season- fresh and juicy through and through. (Disclaimer: the dressing was quite an invasive task and I must have used 5 out of 7 of my kitchen appliances. See below.)

My mom was amazing enough to keep me company during the 1 and a half hours it took to complete this salad masterpiece. Don't be deterred, it's not really as hard as I thought I just wasn't expecting it. My mom especially laughed at the fact I spent 3 dollars on a bag of poppy seeds. Looks matter!!! I do not regret the purchase in the least. Here ya go...you won't regret it.

Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad with Pineapple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Makes: 12 small or 6 large servings… yea, big salad
8 cups raw Brussels sprouts ribbons (lay sprouts on their sides and sliced thin, creating green ribbons)
1/2 cup scallions, sliced from the white to the green
1/4 cup parsley, coarsely chopped (I left it out)
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks, sliced bite size
1 cup French Lentils, cooked (I attempted to use red lentils instead in the pressure cooker. Turns out they turn into mush when you do that. This is an additive.)
1 cup raw macadamia nuts, roasted in olive oil, salt, and pepper OR raw nuts like unsalted almonds
1 cup avocado chunks

The "how-to":

Optional: Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F. Toss raw macadamia nuts in 1 tablespoon olive oil and salt and pepper and roast for 12 to 14 minutes, until golden brown and fragrant. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Again, optional: Simmer one cup of French lentils in 3 cups of water. Simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, until just cooked through. Drain completely, drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper and set aside to cool completely.
Slice pineapple into bite size chunks
Prepare salad dressing.
Slice avocado.
Just before serving the salad, toss together Brussels sprouts, scallions, parsley, pineapple, lentils, macadamia nuts and avocado chunks. Drizzle in dressing and toss well. Serve immediately.

Pineapple Poppy Seed Vinaigrette

Makes: 2 cups
1 1/2 to 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoons chopped scallions (the white portion)
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoon canola oil
2 teaspoons poppy seeds
salt and pepper to taste

The "how-to": Place fresh pineapple chunks in a food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Blend pineapple into a mostly smooth, frothy pulp. Place a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl and press the pineapple puree through the strainer into the bowl. Scrape the bottom of the fine mesh strainer to get all the good bits. There will be just a bit of pineapple pulp in the fine mesh strainer when you’re done. You’ll have about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of juice/pulp.

Combine juice/pump, honey, rice wine vinegar, scallions, garlic, and mustard with a whisk. Pour the dressing into a medium bowl and stir in poppy seeds, salt and pepper.
Salad dressing should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Source: Joy the Baker (March 25, 2011)

Here it makes an appearance with the red curry red lentil soup from last week.

The rest of the meal consisted of split pea soup, rosemary citrus chicken in the oven and butternut squash pie with appetizers of hummus & "schug" aka swamp-fech. Of course the was Hallah bread and wine. This was a special wine which was given to be by a premier wine collector 2 years ago. I knew there would be a good time to open it. It aged well with time.

Chicken in the oven "how-to": Mix 5 cloves garlic (crushed) ; ½ cup orange juice; ½ tsp. mustard. ½ kosher salt; ¼ cup olive oil. Wash all pieces of chicken (I use chicken legs) remove some of the fat and dip each piece in the mixture and place in a baking dish skin side up. When finish pour rest of oil/juice mixture on top of chicken sprinkle paprika and cover with aluminum foil. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 min. remove aluminum foil (careful not get burned from steam) and continue cooking for another half hour. If you wish you can put some rosmary sprigs over the chicken or thyme.

Butternut squash pie "how-to":
1/2 butternut squash (the half without seeds), peeled and cut into small pieces
* 1/2 C. flour
* 1/2 C. sugar
* 1/2 stick pareve margarine
* 2 eggs
* 2/3 C. vanilla soy milk
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* 1 tsp. cinnamon
* 1 graham cracker pie crust

Boil squash in pot with water until soft (and you can easily pierce with a fork), about 8-10 minutes. In a bowl, mix together: flour, sugar, margarine, eggs, soy milk and vanilla. Pour into blender with cooked squash and blend until smooth. Pour mixture into graham cracker pie crust. Sprinkle cinnamon over the top. Bake at 350 degrees until firm, about 1 hour.

Bon Appétit!