Extra Meaty Turkey-Cabbage Soup

Did you know Israelis eat more turkey per capita than anywhere else in the world?  Turkey shawarma accounts for much of this, but about half the poultry sold in the grocery store is also turkey.  And yet its practically impossible to procure a whole turkey, like the type us Americans like to feast on every November.  I usually grab a package of chicken when I'm shopping, unless I go to the meat counter and see how much cheaper the turkey is.  It's hard to resist the savings.

This week I bought three big ole turkey legs to make for Shabbat.  Unfortunately, we had a crazy Friday and I didn't get them in on time, so I was stuck on Friday night with three only mostly cooked giant drum sticks.  (Thanks to my good friend Hannah of Cooking Manager, I still had a DELICIOUS challah and potato kugel to make our Shabbat special.  Thank you, Hannah!)

Today I used my pressure cooker to make a delicious, meaty soup from the turkey and some vegetables that had over stayed their welcome in my fridge.  Into the pressure cooker went:

Libyan Meatballs - Simplified "Mafrum"

There is a lovely tradition in many communities that after a women has a baby, people bring her family meals for a week or so.  One of the meals I received after our little guy was born included the most amazing turkey meat balls.  Below is the recipe from my friend with my notes and pictures.  Note there are two cooking options.

In "non-recipe" style, this dish is modified from Tripolitanian "Mafrum," a more complicated dish made with minced beef sandwiched in potatoes.  It is the traditional Erev Shabbat (Friday night) meal of the Libyan Jewish community.  It is usually served with couscous, but for a lower glycemic option, I recommend whole wheat couscous, bulgur wheat, or barley.

Buying Beef in Israel - Guest Post

Sign behind the meat counter at my grocery chain
showing meat cuts by number.

I don't eat much beef and I can't remember the last time I did a cow justice in the kitchen.  To help, I invited professional caterer Rochelle Shalet to share her expertise.  Rochelle runs Tastes of the World catering and produces a free newsletter publication, with interesting and useful information and recipes.  The information and chart below are from a previous Tastes of the World Newsletter.  If this interests you, I strongly recommend you email Rochelle to subscribe to her monthly newsletter.  

Meat may take a long time to cook, but in the winter you have the dual benefit of heating the house and cooking dinner at the same time.  My first meat shopping experience in Israel was quite bewildering. If you have recently made Aliyah or been here for years but never quite got to grips with all the cuts and names, this newsletter aims to provide a guide for when you are next standing at the meat counter.

Chicken Fingers

For the second episode of "Family Friendly Friday," we're making low fat chicken fingers!

I had four very large boneless skinless breasts.  You can use any boneless, skinless fowl.  Martha Stewart says kosher is the best, just rinse it... but then make sure to clean your sink.

 Beat 2 eggs (less for less meat) in a bowl or large measuring cup.

In a shallow bowl or plate mix bread matzoh meal or bread crumbs with your favorite herbs and spices.  Or, mix in a zip-top bag.  This time I used a generous amount of "Philadelphia fish and chicken seasoning."  I've also done this with Italian herb mix.  Salt and pepper, optional, to taste.

Rinse chicken breasts and cut into strips with meat shears.  I did four strips per breast.  Submerge strips in egg, shake of excess, then dredge in topping on both sides.  Alternatively, toss chicken strips into the zip-top bag with topping, and let the kids mix it up, like shake-n-bake!

Lay breaded strips in a single layer in a lightly greased pan and bake until golden brown.

Chicken with Pears and Prunes

Yes, I heard, the term "prunes" is out, "dried plums" is in. Either way, I finally made yummy moist and tasty chicken in Israel! I've been in a little chicken rut since moving to Israel. It might be the chicken or it might be me, but it keeps coming out tough and not very tasty. I went a little overboard this time. But it was delicious and pretty easy.

I think a lot about food.  I think about an ingredient I have at home or a delicious dish I once had (in this case Hannah's "Chicken with Tomatoes and Black Olives") and let my mind wander and string together ingredients I have available or am in the mood for.  I woke up in the mood to do some real cooking.  I was in the mood for something sweet and I've been wanting to try cooking with some prunes I bought.  This is how it goes:

1. Mix flour with spices like salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and a little curry.
2. Coat chicken pieces in flour.  In this case I used 6 skin-on thighs and legs.

3. Lightly brown chicken pieces in a large pot.  (I did this in two rounds.) Then remove chicken and lower heat until you get the onions in the pan.

4. Use wine or other liquid to "de-glaze" the pot:  Add enough wine to barely cover the pan, then scrape up all the tasty brown chicken flavor stuck in the pot.

5. Add to the pot chunks of 2 onions (I used one red and one yellow/sweet onion) followed by 4 quartered pears.  You can dip the pears in flour if you have extra flour mixture.

6. Raise the heat and add olives, chicken, 14 prunes, and about 1 liter or 4 cups of a liquid of your choice, or enough to almost cover the ingredients.  (Fresh or canned tomatoes - optional.)  I used liquid I had drained from canned tomatoes last week, plus water.  I also added 4 "baby bella" mushrooms I had left from making lentil soup.

 

7. Continue cooking on the stove or for 1.5-2 hours in the oven at 175 C or 350 F.

8. Serve over rice or in a bowl with crusty bread.

I took the chicken off to bone before serving and we ate it on top of brown rice with fresh basil and sun dried tomatoes:

I also froze a two-person portion for a future lunch:

Easy Prep Chicken

This was an easy and tasty chicken dish I made as I was rushing to get dinner in the oven and shower in the time before sunset on Friday night.  But mostly I want to show off my new silicone brush.  I really wanted a green one, but my daughter was with me and she felt the pink would be a more prudent choice.

I covered the bottom of the pan with frozen green beans, then put on "fresh" chicken drum sticks and topped it with chopped onions and tomato paste.  I covered it and cooked it for quite some time.  The onions were sweet and juicy and the green beans were tasty... if you don't mind them limp.

Kid tip - When I use tomato paste, I call it ketchup and my kids are more likely to eat it.  My son insists he hates tomatoes, though he loves sun-dried tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ketchup.

New Year Chicken & Rice

This dish looked so celebratory, it seems like it would be appropriate for whichever New Year you celebrate.  I  really just wanted to experiment with some new things.   I was going for a sweet and spicy Mediterranean/Spanish feel.  Now that I have a better idea how long things take to cook, I might be able to combine some of the things I cooked separately.

I used my Ethiopian chick peas (you could use canned), brown rice (undercooked), fried onions, carrots, green and red peppers, cumin, smoked paprika, cinnamon... I think it would also be good with raisins and peas.  My husband bought chicken already in those little strips.  I rinsed, drained, and covered the chicken with honey (remember my 1.5 kilograms of honey?) and some pepper and then lightly fried them in oil.

I topped it with pistachios.  I actually got that idea because I needed a job for my son, who badly wants to help and watch everything I do.  I had just enough to top one dish.  Then I drizzled a tiny stream of honey over the chicken and rice.  I covered the whole dish with foil and put everything in the oven to finish cooking.  Some veggie of chicken broth would have been a nice addition, as would even a single fresh herb.  The smaller pan went in the freezer for a future dinner.

Update: The smaller pan was successfully rewarmed.  It love eating food after I forget the work that went into it.  I really don't get more pleasure from the fruits of my labor.  The chicken was juicy and the vegetables were just as tasty after their 2.5 week suspended animation.