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!)

Squeezing one more in before the kitchen re-do...

Illness has claimed my time of late -- as well as a planned reconstruction of my kitchen. I hadn't even planned on posting for the next several weeks as cooking is about to be rendered impossible, but ever since my contractor postponed the start of the work another week I figured I might as well try one last recipe before my meals with A are provided by our local diner/Chinese/pizza/Thai/Indian/Insert-popular-ethnic-cuisine-here establishments.

I actually had wanted to try this chicken dish about a week ago for Easter lunch with A's family, but the aforementioned illness took me out of commission that weekend. No joke, as soon as I hung up with the contractor yesterday, my first thought was, "Now I can make that chicken with olives dish!"

It's a pretty simple recipe -- complete with my favorite Mediterranean flavors (tomatoes, olives, garlic). I like how the chicken is infused with the savory flavors of tomato and garlic by simmering everything together in a large saucepan. Even though the recipe says to cook the chicken for 30 minutes, next time I might even try cooking everything a little bit longer for a more intense flavor. The flavor was discernible, but I feel like it could be heightened even more.

Another observation I have about the dish is that I'd definitely save it for a special occasion with lots of people (there's always next Easter! Or even Rosh Hashanah). It felt a little much just for an ordinary weeknight dinner for two people.

Serve over couscous and a side of veggies and you have the makings of a fine holiday meal!

(I know, I know, my food presentation sucks. I promise I'm working on it!)

Chicken With Olives
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur

Ingredients (serves six)
6-8 chicken parts
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
4 tomatoes, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 lb green olives, washed thoroughly and pitted
Salt and finely crushed black pepper
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1. Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a wide saucepan. Add the garlic, saute for one minute and add the tomatoes. Cook for about three minutes, add the tomato paste and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

2. Arrange the chicken parts in the saucepan. Add the olives and pour in the remaining oil. Season, taking care not to use too much salt (Note: Good advice. The olives provide a lot of salt to begin with). Pour in the chicken soup, making sure the contents of the pan are covered with liquid, and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Add the parsely and cook for another five minutes.

3. Serve over a mound of couscous or steamed rice. Note: I used whole-wheat couscous purchased at Trader Joe's. Delicious!

So if all goes according to plan the gutting will begin in a little more than a week. I promise I'll be back posting as soon as we have a usable kitchen. Until then, happy cooking! Send me fun recipes in the meantime so I can have something to look forward to!