Warms your soul -- and clears out your sinuses!

I blew the dust off of my Israeli cookbook the other day and was thrilled to discover this recipe for a hot, spicy bean soup that could not be more perfect for this nonstop frigid weather.

It's got kick, it's hearty -- and it's the simplest soup I've ever made.

Bean Soup
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur

Ingredients
2 cups dry white beans, soaked in water overnight and drained (Note: I was naughty and used canned beans. I have a rough time finding dry white beans. The soup still tastes delicious)
1 1/2 quarts chicken, beef or vegetable stock (Note: I went with chicken)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon crushed garlic
Salt to taste
Fresh chopped parsley or coriander to serve (Note: I didn't bother with this. Totally not necessary)

1. Rinse the beans, put in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Cook for 30 minutes until partly softened, and drain. Return the beans to the saucepan, add the stock and tomato paste and season with pepper, cumin, cayenne pepper and garlic.

2. Cook for about one hour, stirring occasionally. Add stock or water if necessary.

3. When the beans have softened, mash slightly to thicken the soup. Season with salt, add the chopped parsley or coriander and serve with large helpings of white bread or over steamed rice (Note: I did the latter).

This one definitely takes the cake...

Apple cake has always been a popular dessert in my extended family. It's one of my sister's favorite desserts, and we all look forward to my aunt's apple cake every Rosh Hashanah.

Sorry, ladies, but I've trumped you all with the apple cake featured in my cookbook :-)

Now, interestingly enough, I've never been a huge apple cake fan. Apple pie, yes, but not so much apple cake. But it was the introduction of ingredients such as brandy, walnuts and a healthy portion of cinnamon in this particular recipe that made me rethink my whole take on this dessert.

I made Janna Gur's Apple, Cinnamon and Walnut Cake this past Sunday night as part of a post-Rosh Hashanah dinner for A and a couple of friends. Due to a hectic workweek, I was unable to cook or bake anything for Rosh Hashanah proper, so I was happy to at least have the opportunity to try out this recipe a couple of days later.

Once again, I was quite pleased with the end results -- and for me, that was a surprise because I'm not a fan of parve cakes. Personally, I don't think a cake is really a cake without butter ;-) But, Ms. Gur has indeed proven me wrong, because this cake was sweet, moist and fluffy!

Apple, Cinnamon and Walnut Cake
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur

Ingredients (for a 10-inch diameter springform pan)
5 large baking apples, peeled and cored (Note: I like to use Granny Smith apples. Also, four apples will do. Three go into the cake, whereas you use one to two apples for the top)
Juice of half a lemon
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup oil (Note: I used vegetable oil)
5 tablespoons brandy or calvados (Note: I used brandy)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

For dusting
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cut three apples into 1/2 inch dice. Slice the remaining two apples into eight wedges each, sprinkle with lemon juice and set aside.
3. Sift the flour with cinnamon, baking soda and salt.
4. Using an electric mixer beat the eggs, sugar, brandy and vanilla extract until pale and thick, about eight minutes.
5. Lower the speed and gradually add the oil and then the flour mixture.
6. Fold in the diced apples and chopped walnuts and pour the batter into a well-greased baking pan. Arrange the apple wedges in the center of the cake in a flower pattern. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.
7. Bake for 60-70 minutes until the cake is golden and a toothpick comes out dry with a few crumbs adhering.
8. Cool for 10 minutes, release from pan and cool completely on a rack.

I'm back! I'm back!

Yes, yes, I know, I disappeared for a period of time longer than the length of the kitchen re-do. I'm bad. I'm naughty. I have no real excuse other than my usual one of getting caught up in life.

But, tonight I finally pulled Ms. Gur's cookbook back out from the depths of obscurity (well, technically that's not true -- I made shakshuka and pita again last weekend for a delicious brunch with my friend E) and not only tried a new recipe, but I broke the cardinal rule of cooking by making a new dish for dinner guests =-O!

Luckily for me, A, my friend M and her husband, M (LOL!) were more than happy to be my test eaters -- and they were not disappointed!

Tonight's dish was Chicken Albondigas in Tomato Sauce, which I served with a side of couscous and broiled zucchini. Albondiga is basically a Spanish word for meatballs, and according to the cookbook, this recipe comes from Jerusalem Sephardic cuisine. Judging from the spices used, I'm inclined to agree with the cookbook's theory.

Now, I mean no disrespect to my Ashkenazi heritage, but the Sephardim have the Ashkenazis beaten when it comes to flavorful recipes that don't make you feel like you've eaten a heavy sack of starch. I've never been a fan of kugel, kreplach, etc. But give me a recipe that contains tomatoes, spices and chicken and I'm a happy woman!

So the albondigas came out great, which I chalk up to the tasty mixture of spices such as turmeric, garlic, onion and paprika -- and the addition of soy sauce and cumin gave the sauce an extra kick. Plus the recipe itself is in on the simple side. The only really time-consuming element is chopping up/shredding the onion, garlic and potato. I was frustrated that the chicken was burnt a little bit, but no one semed to mind. It still tasted delicious, but I think I have to still work out the best heat setting for the pan. Plus the meatballs themselves didn't really hold together well -- perhaps you need to use more than six tablespoons of breadcrumbs to make everything bind.

Chicken Albondigas in Tomato Sauce
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur

Ingredients (serves 4)
The Chicken Dumplings
10 1/2 oz ground chicken (breast or deboned thighs)
1 potato, finely grated and squeezed (Note: The food processor was a big help here)
1 onion, grated (Note: Again, use a food processor if you can)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
6 tablespoons breadcrumbs (Note: I may try more next time)
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and coarsely ground black peppers

The Sauce
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons paprika
1 level teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1. Prepare the chicken dumplings: Mix all the ingredients, knead thoroughly and roll into balls the size of walnuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: Saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, soy sauce, spices, sugar and 1 cup water and bring to a boil.

3. Add the dumplings to the sauce and cook covered over a low heat for 30 minutes. Gently shake the pan form time to time but do not stir. Serve with white rice, mashed potatoes or lots of bread. (Note: I went with couscous and veggies -- no complaints!)

It's DONE!!!!!

The stove finally arrived yesterday, the contractor connected it today, and once A braved its dark innards to light the pilot light (still wondering why the contractor didn't do that himself), we can officially announce that we have a fully functional kitchen!

I promise I'll get back into trying out new Israeli recipes soon. Tonight I couldn't handle much more than store-bought tortellini with Ragu sauce, Brussels sprouts and ready-to-bake Toll House cookie dough ;-)

The stove definitely needs to be broken in...

Kitchen Renovation: Phase 5: Oh, New Stove, New Stove, Wherefore Art Thou, New Stove?

We are SO close! No joke, all that's left is the elusive stove...

Everything is so sparkly! I'm afraid to start using the kitchen again -- all of its new lustre will vanish!

Oh, stove, my sweet stove, don't keep me waiting much longer...

Kitchen Renovation: Phase 4: Just a Few More Steps

As with most kitchen renovations, we had a minor setback toward the end of last week -- four days went by without any work being done.

Luckily, our contractor made up for lost time today, and we came home tonight to find these gorgeous cabinets fully installed:

The contractor also began installing the sparkling new granite counters today! He's only partially done with those, but, damn those are nice :-)

Here's hoping that the following days bring a new sink, a new stove -- and completion!

Kitchen Renovation: Phase 3: It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like a Kitchen!

I don't need to say much here -- the pictures speak for themselves!

The contractor told us he hopes to be finished by Saturday. Hooray!!! I can start cooking again soon!

Provided I get a sink and a stove, LOL!