A secret weapon for the common cold—a delicious prescription I always add dried shiitake mushrooms to the broth, I have added astragalus root pieces (a folk remedy for colds and upper respiratory infections) and ginger. The secret here is in the broth. I freeze all my mushroom stems and leek greens from previous meals. When I'm ambitious, I add a whole chicken, but that takes longer, so lately I've been adding chicken pieces. For this soup, I add a whole leg (breast is fine) and three chicken wings.
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Here I am sitting in the middle seat of an airplane for almost 11 hours flying to see my 91-year-old mother in Germany. Originally, I was going with my husband to Paris for week. We had rented an apartment and we were going to have fun in this beautiful city that we both love. Paris is our personal Disneyland. We go for the food, the arts, the parks—and the city. Instead of strolling through the Tuileries gardens and recovering from jet leg by soaking in the sun on a bench, I am taking a solo trip to Germany to care of my mother who fell and is in the hospital. My heart did not allow me to do otherwise. Both my husband and I are very sad and disappointed. Could I really admire my favorite paintings and sculptures while my mom was being restrained? I could not. Could I savor the culinary delight that Paris offers while my mom was confused and needed help? I could not. When I moved to the United States many years ago, I had no idea of the complications that would arise years later. I love my new home and country. It has brought many joys and a wonderful life. I am grateful and thankful for that. Thankfully, I have a brother who made sure my mother in Germany was well taken care of. I help, and visit as much as I can. At this point in life, my mother needs more help and support. Until now, she has survived with the help of many people she lived with on the farm where she was born—both fortunate and lucky. But now it is getting complicated. This year, spring has come early to northern Germany. Looking out of my mother’s hospital room, there is a huge tree covered with pink blossoms. White asparagus is being harvested and sold, which is usually a May event. When I was here last year, it snowed the entire month of April. While in Germany, I ate in the cafeteria at the clinic and rehab center my mom was . I was thankful for the often decent food. I was also lucky enough to have a Tegut grocery store (similar to Whole Foods) on the way to the hospital. My girlfriend, Monika, not only provided me with support and help in the German medical world (which is excellent by the way), but also cooked some delicious meals for me. Bless her kind and gentle heart, a true friend. There were no gourmet meals, but I managed to find some great cheese, bread, and of baked goods (of course). Those little bakeries in Germany are my favorite. Here are some of my favorites:
The last meal I prepared for my mom was white asparagus, which is in season right now and being sold at the local farmer’s market. My mom loves her asparagus with boiled potatoes, melted butter or hollandaise sauce, and ham.The local butcher shop had some great ham and packaged hollandaise sauce that was excellent. She enjoyed her meal.
Should you be so lucky and find fresh white asparagus, make sure you peel it correctly. Some people peel the asparagus twice just to make sure the woody outside is gone. So, don’t skimp on peeling away the outside. There are asparagus peelers in Germany that work beautifully. I did not peel away enough this time at is was annoying when I ate the asparagus. My blog has a recipe for white asparagus soup. While in Germany, I had a beautiful salad with an oil and vinegar vinaigrette, asparagus, strawberries and goat cheese. After six weeks in Germany and a glorious trip to Marrakech, I’m back home in Santa Cruz. It feels good and I’m getting used to my normal life and enjoying it. A sorbet that tastes like rich ice-cream with a refreshing flavor This is the easiest ice cream you will ever make. And the best you will ever taste. It has been one of my old standbys for years. However, you do need an ice cream maker. This recipe takes minutes to assemble, a few hours in the fridge for the flavors to develop, and then it is ready to go into the ice cream maker. What comes out is a rich and creamy sorbet. The buttermilk gives it a refreshing flavor and taste, yet you won’t know it’s buttermilk. Granted, ice cream made with cream has a richer flavor, but I prefer the lighter version. I often serve this with fruit sauce, fresh fruit or with cake. It is especially refreshing after a heavy meal.
Always a crowd pleaser These days, you rarely find my kitchen without avocados. The creamy texture and delicious taste make them irresistible and so healthy. I eat them whenever I can—on sandwiches, in salads, by themselves, as a snack or guacamole (which my husband makes). When I want to show off a little bit, I make stuffed avocados. I usually stuff my avocados with bay shrimp, some celery, small tomatoes and fresh herbs with a light dressing. It's delicious, easy to make and people always like it. It makes a nice lunch or appetizer. So, if you want a tasty dish with great presentation, check out this recipe. Feel free to substitute different ingredients or leave out the things you don't like. I have added chopped apple pieces instead of tomatoes, and used Greek yogurt instead of crême fraiche. Deb, who has a beautiful blog called "eastofedencooking", helped me take pictures for this recipe. I use the avocado shells to serve the salad. You can also put the mixture on a bed of lettuce. recipe for stuffed avacadoes This recipe will make 6 appetizers . You can turn this recipe into a salad by serving the stuffing on top of a bed of greens.
Take a break in the afternoon, have a piece of this tasty cake with a cup of tea. This time of year, my lemon trees are producing gorgeous fruit. I flavor my water with them, I give them to friends, and I use them in as many recipes as I can. This recipe comes from my friend, Linda, who is an excellent cook. She helped me find my passion for cooking. However, I changed the recipe somewhat. This simple bread is compact and infused with lemon juice, is easy to make and tastes great by itself. But it also makes a stunning dessert when served with ice cream and fruit sauce or compote. In Germany, this kind of cake is called Topfkuchen, meaning a cake in a pot. It is a dry rectangular cake (mimicking bread), not fancy but meant to be dipped in coffee or tea. There are different variations.
A vegan soup loaded with nutritious healthy ingredients, digestive spices and great taste This soup has it all. The ingredients and spices are good for you and it tastes great—even to carnivores. Children (and the young at heart) will love it, because it is flavored with peanut butter. Each ingredient and spice is loaded with fiber, protein and antioxidants. The different flavors—ginger, curry and peanut butter—are pleasing to the palate. Whenever I make this soup, everyone loves it and wants the recipe. When I was a vegan years ago, I cut this recipe out of the local paper. It originally comes from: Stop the Clock! Cooking: Defy Aging-Eat The Foods You Love by Cheryl Forberg . This soup tastes great the next day. You can always substitute almond butter for peanut butter.
A marmalade that is great on toast, but will also enhance your cooking I love really love the taste of citrus. One of my favorite snacks is candied orange peel. So it is no surprise that I also love orange marmalade. It is not just ordinary orange marmalade—it is blood orange marmalade, which has a more intensive orange flavor. There are different kinds of blood oranges. This year, I have been buying organic Moro oranges at our local farmers market, which are the most colorful blood oranges of them all. The juice of a Moro orange is rich in anthocyanin, which may help prevent a fatty liver (according to wikipedia). I make this marmalade not only for my buttered toast, but to use in sauces, fruit compotes, cakes and crepes. However you use it, it adds flavor and richness. I used this marmalade to make the ganache for my chocolate tart. The recipe comes from a beautiful calendar that a friend sends me every year from Germany. He took over this tradition when my father passed away many years ago. He is so sweet and I appreciate it so much. Thank you, Ekkerhard Lindner and family.
A special treat for friends and family Cioppino is a quintessential San Francisco dish. Legend has it that the term evolved from the expression "chip in." It was created by Italian and Portuguese fishermen, who "chipped in" seafood from their daily catch and cooked it in a savory tomato-based broth. Today you can find it on many menus in restaurants. It is one of my favorite dishes and I serve it to my friends and family when our Dungeness crab is in season. I have cooked this for years and each time it is a little different. The essential question for me is whether to use red or white wine. Traditionally, it was cooked in red wine which gives the stew a deeper, richer flavor. Lately I've been leaning towards the lighter version using white wine. Whatever you choose, it it will be a delicious meal. In our house, we serve it with garlic bread that my husband prepares, add a salad and you have a special meal for a cold winter evening that you can share with your friends and family. Use whatever seafood looks best at the store, as the success of your cioppino will depend on the freshness of your selection. If local crab is not available, use King crab legs from Alaska. If you want a stronger tomato taste in your soup, add another tablespoon of tomato paste. Add less red pepper if you want it to be less spicy. I have also served this with fennel and celery added. In my opinion, the mussels and clams are a must. I figure about 2-3 prawns per person, depending on their size. If you don't have a Trader Joe's store nearby, use ½ pound of calamari instead of the seafood mix. You can prepare the stew (without the seafood) ahead of time. Make sure to have extra napkins, little tools to get the crab out of the shell (I use little forks) and bowls to discard the shells. Do not use your best tablecloth, as you will have stains.
These buttery vanilla nut cookies are irresistibly delicious The city of Vienna has a wonderful coffeehouse culture. Here you will find plates with scrumptious little sweet morsels made with the fruit of the season on a delicate crust topped with Schlag (whipped cream), rich pieces of cake, layers upon layers of nuts and chocolate, cream and caramel. The Kipferl is a crescent-shaped pastry, an ancestor of the croissant going back to the 13th century. The Vanillakipferl in this recipe is a nutty, crunchy, buttery cookie that will melt in your mouth. Shaped into small crescent moons and rolled in powdered sugar (flavored with vanilla), they make an irresistible treat. My friend Inga has baked these cookies for years and shared them with my family. They are so good that I decided to put the recipe on my blog to share with all of you. Let me know if you like them as much as I do. These cookies have a rich buttery, nutty flavor I used regular powdered sugar mixed with a store bought package of vanilla sugar for the dusting of the cookies . You can just use powdered sugar or you can make your own vanilla sugar by placing 1and1/2 to 2 cups of sugar in a pint jar. Split a vanilla bean in half lengthwise and with a tip of a sharp knife, scrape the seeds into the jar with the sugar. Add the vanilla pod to the jar and shake well. Let stand for a few days, shaking the jar occasionally. You now have vanilla flavored sugar. Grind the sugar mixture in a food processor to make powdered sugar.
A cookie you can't resist My friend, Tory, introduced me to these bars years ago. The recipe came from a 1976 Cuisine magazine and it has been in my Christmas folder for many years. The crust is buttery and has only one teaspoon of sugar which combines well with the chocolate and nutty topping. These bars are rich, so I cut them into small pieces. It's a yummy treat throughout the year. I've taken them to many events and they always have been a hit. They are easy to make and will last up to a week. I don't have a chance to freeze them because my family just eats them as fast as I can make them. But the original recipe suggests that they can be frozen for up to 6 months. Instead, I keep them in a covered container and hide them from my family.
A wonderful tasty treat for special events Every year in Santa Cruz, we have the Lighted Boat Parade the first Saturday in December to kickstart the Christmas holiday season. We are always invited to a party to watch this delightful show. Last year, I promised the host that I would bring pâté. Did I tell you that I love pâté—I mean I love that stuff! Whenever I'm in France, I buy several varieties in a charcuterie and have a picnic. There are many different kinds of pâté, some are very delicate and fine and others like the country pâté have a rustic texture. I needed an easy recipe without much fuss. Most of the recipes call for grinding your own meat and will take several days to complete. I found a recipe at epicurious.com that I liked. It is easy to make and tasted fantastic. If you can make meatloaf, you can make this pâté. I reduced the amount of bacon used in the original recipe and added small red and orange petite peppers for a little kick and color. I use less bacon than the original recipe calls for and it is fine. I look for bacon that is thinly sliced. The next time I make this, I will add chopped pistachio nuts. This is great for a large gathering. Wrapped up, it will last for a week in the fridge. I have used it on several occasions as an appetizer. I slice my pâté very thin and sprinkle it with French truffled sea salt that my friend brought from Provence. Any coarse sea salt will do. I served it with Bavarian-style coarse mustard (but Dijon is fine), cornichons (small pickles) and crispy rye crackers. I also serve it with a baguette.
![]() These are not your usual meringue cookies. They are delicate, dense, frothy and chewy, more like a macaroon. My French girlfriend calls them macaroons. Over the years, I have reduced the amount of sugar in them, so do not put less sugar than is in this recipe. I played with the topping and this time I added chocolate chips. A whole hazelnut is another option. The ground hazelnuts provide a distinctive nutty flavor. You could also substitute ground almond meal, available at Trader Joe's. Since I have never made them with ground almonds, let me know how they taste. These cookies are easy to make and will last for a week—and they are gluten free!
The beautiful sights of Rome Recently, I was fortunate to spend seven beautiful days in Rome when my husband and I decided to skip Thanksgiving and go to Rome instead. Rome is an amazing city, a feast for the eyes, the soul—and the stomach. Around every corner there is a piazza with old stucco buildings, churches, ruins that date back hundreds, possibly thousands of years. It is a city made for walking until you have to cross a busy street—then stop dreaming and watch out! You can spend an entire week rushing from any given church, museum or site to another. But be careful in trying to do it all, because if you do so you will never take in the essence and beauty that this town has to offer. Rome is made for walking, so take your most comfortable walking shoes for the cobblestones. When the walking is too much, just take a taxi or public transportation to your next destination, sit down for a cappuccino, have a gelato or an afternoon lunch. My husband and I would pick one tourist destination a day, and for the rest of the day just wander around with a general idea of where we wanted to go. We found some beautiful places when we got lost—and ate some fantastic food. Rome's center is relatively small and easy to navigate. One day, we took a taxi to the piazza Campo de' Fiori. This place transports you back to a different time were it not for the cars and scooters. In the morning, there is a market where you can explore the sites by walking the small streets full of wonderful shops and buildings. Before Campo de' Fiori (across the Tiber River) is the Jewish ghetto with plenty to see and eat. This time of the year, fried artichokes were served at many of the restaurants. When it comes to local restaurants, I just follow my nose and look at what's going on. I also got some names from internet sites like "Rachel Eats" as well as guide books. However, it was difficult to follow the walks because there are few street signs which makes things are a bit confusing. By wandering around, we found some bakeries, gelato places and eateries. From the piazza de Fiori, we walked along small streets to the piazza Navona, a beautiful oblong square with the Four River Fountain built in Baroque style by Gian Lorenzo Bernini. We got to the piazza just as the last light of the day was shining through the open bell tower, a breath-taking scene. There is a small store selling beautiful decorated notebooks—and don't forget the ice cream! Continue walking and you arrive at the Pantheon, an astonishing building with huge columns and an indoor room with an open ceiling that will take your breath away. This room inspired later domes, including Michelangelo's St. Peter. Around the corner, you will find a restaurant called "Armando al Pantheon,” a family-run trattoria that serves fantastic seasonal Roman food in a warm atmosphere. We had lunch there and the food was outstanding. Another restaurant we liked was "Target.” This restaurant was near our hotel on the Via Torino. I loved their octopus soup, a rich tomato-base soup. In other places, we ate pasta with freshly picked porcini mushrooms. We found as delicatessen where we bought fresh bread, Parma ham and wonderful local cheeses, so we had a picnic. For dessert, we had sweets and gelato. All that walking, I felt that this caloric intake was fully justified.
A healthy satisfying vegan dish This is by far my favorite way to prepare winter greens. The raisins and sugar add a touch of sweetness to the vegetables. The vinegar gives it a bite, and the nuts add a bit of crunch. I have used kale with this recipe and it works well. I'm always happy when I bring home a big bunch from the farmer's market. I prepare the greens for dinner and then have a leftover for lunch the next day. By the way, it tastes great with a fried egg on top—the perfect lunch. This a straightforward recipe that is easy to prepare and makes a great leftover. Substitute any winter green you like for Swiss chard. Adjust the sugar and vinegar to your taste.
This is a healthy and nourishing dish Once in while, you prepare food you usually don't eat. It's fall in northern California and the farmers’ markets sell every kind of pumpkin or squash you’ve ever dreamed of. There is a splendid variety of kale, spinach, mustard greens and Swiss chard. We still have some dry-farmed tomatoes in the market too. Although the skin is a little thicker, they are still delicious and I will miss them when they are gone. The peppers have a couple of weeks left. I discovered Padron (aka Shishito) peppers this year, small green peppers that are a bit on the hot side. I love to sauté them in olive oil, sprinkle with garlic salt and nibble on them all day long and they taste fabulous cold. Then there are the red and green cabbages. Ron, my strawberry farmer, is selling Spitzkohl, a cone-shaped white cabbage. So, it is at that time that my German DNA takes hold of me and my childhood memories come streaming back of all the ways to eat cabbage: as soup, as a cooked vegetable, stuffed cabbage, homemade sauerkraut, not to mention my aunt’s Weißkraut mit Kümmel (white cabbage with cumin seeds). That is what I'm cooking tonight with boiled potatoes (mashed potatoes would be good too) and a pig’s knuckle I got from the rotisserie wagon at the farmer's market. Personally I love the cabbage and potatoes, but not the knuckle. Let's not get too German...sometimes I wonder whatever happened to my French cooking? I will make up for it tomorrow night, when we will dine at Absinthe in San Francisco and I will eat the best onion soup on this side of the Pacific. My husband loves pork knuckles and will eat them whenever we are in Germany. This is the first time I have served it at home. After all, he is taking me to the opera in San Francisco tomorrow to see the “Barber of Seville,” so he deserves his favorite food. I ate a little of the knuckle meat and it was good smothered in mustard. The cabbage was a little overcooked and I’m not sure about adding the sour cream. Actually, I think it is better without it. Mashed potatoes would also complement this dish. This can also be turned into a great vegan meal using tofu for the protein. You see, my Californian environment has influenced me. Prepare this dish to your liking. I think cooking it for 15 to 20 minutes will leave some crunch in the cabbage. Adding the sour cream is a matter of taste, as I prefer it without. My aunt used to smother it in Schmand, a German version of sour cream, and she used lard instead of oil.
An easy to make elegant and light soup, perfect for a first course. When wandering through the Whole Foods produce department, I spotted white asparagus—my all time favorite vegetable—and it was fresh! In the past, the asparagus sold in this country was old and not worth the effort. Leave it to Whole Foods to make me happy. So, I decided to make Spargelsuppe (asparagus soup). This is a very delicate soup that brings out the wonderful flavor of the asparagus. Germans love their asparagus and when it is in season you will find asparagus on the menu of every restaurant. It is traditionally eaten with melted butter and boiled potatoes, and sometimes hollandaise sauce is substituted for the melted butter. It is also served with different kinds of hams or schnitzel (a breaded pork chop). To peel the asparagus, hold the tip and carefully peel of the woody part of the asparagus. Be careful, as the asparagus breaks easily. Unlike green asparagus, white asparagus has to be peeled. The peels and end pieces will produce a flavorful broth for the soup.
Juicy ginger-flavored pork chops These pork chops are absolutely delicious. The ginger and orange juice add a fusion twist, and my addition of apples adds an another layer of flavor and taste. The recipe was sent to me by my friend, Linda, who is one of the best cooks I have ever known. She and her husband inspired my interest in cooking years ago, and we have had a lot of fun cooking together. My husband had his first gourmet meal when I took him to their house to prepare "Caneton à l'Orange," the classic duck recipe from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Now back to the pork chops: Linda got the recipe from the Northern Exposure Cookbook, from the old TV show. The pork chops are named after Ruth Ann, a character in the show. Over the years, I have tweaked the recipe quite a bit. When buying pork, I'm extremely picky. These days I get pork loin center cuts with bones from Whole Foods. Most of the time, I use 2 pork chops, enough for my husband and myself. The recipe calls for 4 chops—one pork chop per person.
A Chocolate Delight This is definitely a pie for chocolate lovers and the crust tastes like a shortbread cookie. I found the recipe in a German magazine years ago, although the original recipe had twice the amount of butter. This recipe is a keeper and I am going to use this crust in other dessert recipes. Add the chocolate filling and the nutty egg white topping and you will have a dessert you can’t resist. The pie can be kept for several days, so you can bake it ahead of time (great for the upcoming holidays). I'm thinking of baking this recipe in individual pie tins for gifts. Being the hazelnut lover that I am, I'll try using hazelnuts instead of walnuts. And maybe I'll add caramel or Nutella too, although that might be going over the top. This is a straightforward recipe. Be careful not overwork the dough, and melt the chocolate in a double boiler or bowl over a pot of boiling water. Use the best chocolate you can afford. I used Lindt chocolate.
A healthy vegetable dish with a satisfying and rich flavor I have prepared this dish for many years—and it is a staple winter vegetable in my house. It goes well with any kind of potato, polenta, and the flavors improve with age. It is a great side dish for the holidays and any other meal. It is also an everyday vegetable that can be eaten any time of day. Personally, I love it on a buttered slice of bread. This is the first time I have written down the recipe and it always tastes a little different. There are guidelines that I follow that come from my godmother in Germany. For the sweetener, she uses sugar, but I use my homemade jams or jellies (red currant jelly is my favorite). I add some additional spices like peppercorns, whole cloves and a bay leaf. My godmother uses goose or duck fat to sauté the onions and cabbage, which gives it a wonderfully rich flavor. The amount of jam varies depending on it sweetness. Remove the bay leaf after the cabbage is cooked. I If you like to remove the spices after the cabbage has been cooked tie them into a cheese-clothes and remove them before you serve the cabbage. I chop the onions and the red cabbage into quarter inch pieces. My sister in law chops the cabbage very fine and her red cabbage tastes very good.
A crunchy, buttery almond cake that will melt in your mouth This is a German Blechkuchen (sheet cake), which is available in a wide variety of styles throughout Germany. My mom uses a recipe with custard on top, while some are made with custard and fruit, and others with just with sugar, butter and a yeast dough. This recipe is a rich version of a buttery, crunchy tasting almond cake. I made it for the first time last week for a movie night at home and it was devoured by my diet-conscious California friends. It is also a great dessert to take to the office or a party. I can't give credit to the cook, because I copied an old German magazine article years ago. Bring the butter and eggs up to room temperature. I have a Kitchen Aid, but a hand-held mixer will do just fine. However, it is important to beat the butter, sugar, and eggs until they are light and fluffy, while mixing the sour cream and flour mixture as little as possible.
This yummy desert is for rhubarb lovers This crisp is tart and sweet—and absolutely delicious. The strawberries add sweetness and the rhubarb gives it a wonderful tart flavor. Combining the flavors of these two fruits creates a delicious dessert that is easy to make. You can substitute your favorite nuts for hazelnuts. I am very partial to hazelnuts, but pecans or walnuts will be just as good. Serve it with ice cream and you have a winner. Toast the hazelnuts in a preheated oven at 375° for 10 to 15 minutes. Put the hot hazelnuts in a dish towel and rub vigorously to remove as much black skin as possible. Not all the skin will come off, so return those nuts to the oven and bake for a while longer. Rub them again in a towel. Leaving some skin is ok. Chop the hazelnuts coarsely.
A tasty delight with rich flavors that leaves everyone wanting more This is another well-used recipe from my cake folder that comes from cooks.com. Several of my friends asked for the recipe and I have used it many times. The cake takes 5 to 10 minutes to make and 50 minutes to bake. Getting Kirschwasser (you can always substitute with Triple Sec) and marzipan is the most difficult thing to find. I get my marzipan at Cost Plus World Market, but Safeway and other grocery stores carry it too. This cake is rich, sweet and moist. The raspberry sauce adds a flavorful contrast to the sweetness. The cake keeps for several days and can be baked ahead of time. The raspberry sauce keeps in the fridge for up to 5 days and is great over ice cream. In my recipe I use almond paste or extra fine baking marzipan .
This is a crowd-pleasing appetizer with great flavors In 1999, the "Friends of the UCSC Farm & Garden" published a sweet little cookbook about seasonal recipes by the great chefs of Santa Cruz with an introduction by Deborah Madison, an alumna of UCSC. This book is a gem. My favorite recipe is baked goat cheese with herbs, garlic and olives. It is divine and everyone who ever tastes it loves it. It is great snack or appetizer, and is perfect for the upcoming holidays. I love the leftovers on crackers or good bread the next day. A chef named Forest Cook gets credit for this wonderful dish. This dish can be varied according to taste. I omitted the rosemary from the recipe. I use a variety of olives, depending on what I have at the time. I also sprinkle some coarse sea salt over the dish. What I find important is a nice looking baking dish for presentation. It is important to let this dish cool down before serving. This spread is great the next day, sprinkled on salads, in sandwiches or with a cracker
I am crazy about fresh herbs and love to use them in my cooking whenever possible. This spread accents some of my favorite herbs. One of them is dill. The flavors are divine and it is always a party pleaser. It is easy to make and doesn't cost a fortune. If you want to be decadent you can add crême fraiche or sour cream. To make a dip with raw vegetables, increase the amount of yogurt or add some milk if you want it to be more liquid. The photo is an example of lavash bread, my cream cheese dip, salmon, avocados, and lettuce rolled and cut into slices that I'm taking to a party. The idea for this spread comes from Germany where you can buy this kind of cheese spread in all sorts of different variations. The Turkish vender at the farmers market makes them with nuts and exotic spices.
These rolls can be filled with any ingredients you choose. I often use hummus instead of a cream cheese spread—or I make them with egg salad—or cheese with salami or ham. Roasted peppers, grated carrots, and chopped olives go well with hummus—and mayonnaise (or any other spread) will keep the rolls together. My friends have requested these rolls for years and they are easy to transport. They always make a satisfying and filling appetizer. These rolls are not difficult and you can do them in no time. The rolling part is a little tricky but since they are being cut into slices a little goof up is fine. The trick is to roll them tightly making sure you incorporate the ingredients by pushing them into the bread as you roll it.
Years ago I used to be able to buy Armenian cracker bread at a local delicatessen. This bread is like a giant cracker. It is no longer available and I now use lavash bread which I buy at Trader Joe's. You can also find them at Whole Foods. There are six rectangular pieces to a package and it comes in a whole wheat version that I prefer. For this blog I used two rolls which makes about twenty 1/2 inch thick sandwiches. Spread the cream cheese evenly in a thin layer on the light side of the lavish bread. Put about four ounces of lox on top of the cheese spread. Add one half of an avocado thinly sliced over the salmon, add about 1/2 a cup of thinly sliced cucumbers and 1/4 a cup of thinly sliced red onions. Leaving 1/2 inch on the longer side of the bread with only the spread will make it easier to roll. Season with salt and pepper. Top with about 1 cup of lettuce and press everything down. Begin rolling the bread at the longer side (think sushi). Push the ingredients into the bread as you roll it. Wrap the roll in Saran wrap and store in the fridge for several hours. When ready to serve cut the roll into 1/2 inch pieces and arrange them on a platter. Decorate with cherry tomatoes and olives. I have made these many times using different ingredients. For an upcoming wedding I will make them with humus because the bride is lactose intolerant. |
WELCOME TO SUNNY COVE CHEFThank you for visiting my blog. My two passions are cooking and traveling. Traveling exposes me to a wide variety of food and experiences. I walk around cities looking for markets, restaurants, bakeries, shops, you name it, and if it is related to food you will find me there, tasting, smelling, talking to vendors, and having a great time. Categories
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