Kosher Passover Irish Beef and Beer Stew

Impress the family next Passover with a "Guinness" stew. No kidding. I'm not much of a beer drinker, but I love using it as an ingredient. It does wonders for any kind of beef in a crockpot. All of Ramapo Valley Brewery's beers are kosher, but their award winning HB Brew is also kosher for Passover (and, incidentally, drinkable by people with celiac disease. Some days, I really love modernity.) The tricky part of this recipe is finding the kosher for passover spices. One alternative is to buy fresh, refrigerated spices. If you can't find anything more than salt and pepper, use them liberally and trust the beer to provide the rest of the flavor.

• 2 pounds stew beef
• 2 large onions
• 4 large carrots
• 4 medium potatoes
• 1 bottle kosher for passover beer
• 1/4 cup brown sugar (or honey)
• 1 tbsp dried thyme
• 1 tbsp dried parsley
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (or 2-3 cloves)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp fresh black pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes

Dice the onions, carrots, and potatoes into large chunks, at least two inches. Add them to the bottom of the crockpot. Next add the meat. On top of that, sprinkle all the sugar and spices. Top it all off with the bottle of beer.

Cook on "low" for six to eight hours. Don't worry about over cooking. If you throw this in the crockpot before leaving for work, it'll be fine if you get home nine or more hours later.

When ready to serve, add the cup of mashed potatoes. Without this, the liquid will be tasty, but the flavors won't stick as well. The potatoes thicken up the stew and bind the flavors together. Like most stews, this one is even tastier after sitting in the fridge overnight.

WARNING

Resist the urge to make this stew too busy. You'll see Guinness Beef Stew recipes with rosemary, basil, marjoram - pretty much any western European kitchen herb. Don't do it. The simpler you keep this recipe, the better it turns out.

FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR

You can substitute 1/4 cup cornstarch well blended with 1/2 cup cold water instead of mashed potatoes. Both perform the same function as thickening agents.

Kosher Meatballs

I've recently rediscovered the joy of meatballs. I can make a big batch one night then have all kinds of easy leftovers for the rest of the week - spaghetti, meatball sandwiches, crushed over rice - they're just so versatile!

• 1 pound of the leanest ground beef available
• 1/4 cup "Italian" style breadcrumbs (if the only spiced ones you can find are dairy, add 1 tsp "Italian" blend spices to plain breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced fine
• 1/4 cup bell pepper (red, yellow, or green), diced fine
• 1 tbsp worstechire sauce
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground mixed peppercorns

The real key to these meatballs is texture. If you like a meatball with a little interior crunch, dice the onions and peppers by hand. If you prefer a smooth texture in your meatball, dice the onions and peppers in a food processor until they're very, very fine. If you want a buttery smooth texture in your meatballs, use a food processor on the vegetables first, then once everything is thoroughly mixed together, put meat mix into the food processor again and process until smooth.

However you prefer to do it, thoroughly mix all ingredients until they're well blended. Once you have the texture you prefer, roll the dough into golfball sized balls.

Heat your largest skillet to medium/medium low. Do not add any oil. Arrange the meatballs in the skillet so you still have a little space for maneuvering room. Allow each side to brown, about five minutes, then use a tablespoon to turn. Mine usually need to be turned 3 - 4 times before they're finished.

These freeze very well. You can put 3 - 4 between a couple papertowels and microwave them from frozen in just a couple minutes (depending on your microwave.) They're great for fast, low-fat meals.

Kosher Persian Inspired Beef and Yellow Split Pea Stew

This is a dirt simple recipe, perfect for stuffing into the crockpot on your way out the door to work. It works equally well with beef or lamb, depending on your preference, but use a cheap, tough cut! Otherwise, the meat will fall completely apart after cooking for 8 hours. If you use cheap stewing meat, it'll be deliciously tender without falling to pieces.

• 1 pound inexpensive stew beef or lamb, cubed
• 1 cup yellow split peas
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 fourteen point five oz can stewed or diced tomatoes
• 3 (newly emptied stewed tomato) cans of water
• 3 tbsp tomato paste (about half a 6 oz can)
• 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 3 cloves)
• 1 tbsp tumeric powder
• 1 tsp paprika powder
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 lime, juiced

Mix everything BUT the time in your crockpot. Stir thoroughly. Leave the crockpot on low for at least 6 hours, preferably at least 8. Just before serving, juice 1/2 of the lime into the crockpot. Taste, and if it needs a little more lime, squeeze in the other half.

Don't put the lime in while cooking! The cirtus acids don't play nicely with the meat.

Serve with hot rice and/or pita bread.

Variations:

• If you can find them, use 2 - 3 dried persian sour limes instead of a single regular lime. Ethinic groceries might have them. If they're not available where you live, don't worry.
• Most versions of this recipe call for eggplant. I've never developed a taste for it, so I leave it out, but if you like eggplant, chop up a medium one and add it to the crockpot along with the rest of the ingredients. Eggplant lovers tell me it's a very tasty addition.
• A bay leaf added to the crockpot adds nicely to the flavor.

Kosher Sausage Balls - edited

It's college basketball season again, which in my household means high cholesterol snacks and an an inverse relationship between athletic prowess and viewer sloth. These sausage balls are a great alternative for either sports fans keeping kosher or lactose intolerant sports fans.

• 4 cups (about 1 pound) kosher ground beef sausage (the sort you turn into patties, not the sort you eat on a bun)
• 3 cups cheddar flavor soy cheese
• 2 cups parve biscuit mix, ala Bisquick (which is Kosher Dairy) or 2 cups "home made Bisquick" from below.

Mix the three ingredients into a hard dough. This will take some elbow work. Do not add any water. The fat in the sausage adds more than enough moisture.

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a dark cookie sheet with non-stick spray. Roll dough into walnut sized balls. Cook for 12 - 15 minutes (depending on how browned you like your balls).

* * * * * * * * * *

Edit:

If you've been to any restaurant in the south, you've probably had this conversation.

"What're you drinking, honey?" asks the waitress

You flip to the back of the menu, searching for beverages, then give up and say, "I'll have a Coke."

"What kind?"

You blink twice, then repeat slowly, "A Coke."

The waitress shrugs. "We've got Pepsi, Sierra Mist, and Sweet Tea."

"No Coke?" You start searching the back of the menu again. The deserts all look good.

The waitress sighs heavily. "I said we've got Pepsi, Sierra Mist, Sweet Tea - oh, I forgot. We've also got Dr. Pepper."

"I'll just have a water, thanks."

By the same token, when I say "Bisquick" I mean, "whatever biscuit mix is appropriate." I know better. Bisquick is an easily recognizable name brand product, and I should remember that people reading recipes take ingredients literally.

Folks who keep Kosher could tell that recipe wasn't written correctly (thanks for the quick comment) but those who are here because they're allergic to dairy or lactose intolerant might've been in some serious trouble if they took the first version of this recipe literally.

For those who don't live close to a grocery with a good kosher food section, here's a recipe for parve biscuit mix which works just as well as good old name brand "Bisquick."

Source: Budget Cooking-Elegant Dining, The Kosher Experience by Sue Epstein Yield: makes 15 cups

• 12 cups flour
• 1/4 cup baking powder
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1 pound vegetable shortening (soy "butter" works well. Olive oil does not.)

1. Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. 2. Add vegetable shortening and blend together with a pastry blender, two knives, or your fingertips, until mixture is the same texture as coarse cornmeal. 3. Store in a dry cool place.

Kosher 2nd Generation Chilli

Heirloom recipes are wonderful things. I want to send a big Thanks out to Margi, my wonderful Mother-in-Law, for this incredibly tasty Chilli. I've made a few modifications (mostly substituting my beloved chick peas for red beans and flavored tomatoes for plain ones) but this is her recipe. It's not cheap. I usually spend around $60 getting all the ingredients. However, I end up with a massive vat of chilli (around 5 gallons) which will feed me and my husband for a week...or a large group of our friends for a night. If you make your own modifications, please leave in the two kinds of meat. They add variation in the texture, which adds a wonderful mouth-feel to the richness of the chilli. (Unless you are a vegeterian, in which case you are excused.) I also urge you to cut fresh corn off the raw cob rather than use canned (or *shudder* frozen). Fresh corn stays amazingly crisp even after days in the fridge.

• 2 pound roast, defatted and cut into cubes
• 2 pounds ground beef
• 2 red bell peppers, chopped
• 2 yellow bell peppers, chopped
• 2 large yellow onions, chopped
• 2 jalepeno peppers, seeded and chopped
• 6 uncooked ears of corn, cut from cob (honest. Unlike canned, this will stay crisp)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 four oz can diced green chilli's
• 2 28 oz cans chopped tomatoes with juice ("Italian" seasoned or plain)
• 2 fifteen oz cans white kidney beans/great northern beans (with juice)
• 2 fifteen oz cans chick peas/garbanzo beans (with juice)
• 1 cup strong coffee
• 1 twelve oz bottle beer
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp paprika or chilli powder
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp oregano
• 2 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp marjoram
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp black pepper

Brown the ground beef, drain off the grease, and set it aside. Brown the cubed meat (I just put it in my George Forman grill while browning the hamburger), drain off the grease, and set aside.

In a deep kettle, add olive oil and onions. Saute until translucent. Add hamburger, steak, brown sugar, garlic, coffee, chilies, jalapenos, and all spices. Mix very well, then simmer for about 10 minutes. It should smell very strong.

Add all remaining ingredients. Stir until thoroughly mixed, then bring to a boil.

Once boiling, turn heat to low and simmer for at least 2 hours - the longer the better. Stir every half an hour. You can leave it simmering on low all night and enjoy it for breakfast in the morning, or refridgerate it before bed.

Serve with chopped onions, grated soy cheese, and either cornbread or crusty French bread.

Variations:

• For more traditional chilli, substitute red kidney beans for the chick peas.
• For hotter chilli, double the chilli powder.
• For economical purposes, cut meats in half and double beans.
• For vegetarians, eliminate the meats and substitute 3 pounds of veggie ground meat substitute. Add the veggie ground round when adding the canned tomatoes.

Chilli is good in the fridge for up to 5 days. To preserve, refridgerate overnight, then ladle single bowl sized servings into freezer safe plastic bags and freeze. Chilli stays good in freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, empty the solid block of chilli into a microwave safe bowl, add 1 tbsp water, and microwave for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir well, let sit for 1 - 2 minutes, and enjoy.

Kosher Cajun Meatball Soup

It's time for my weekly soup experiment. Today, I had some leftover beef sausage in the freezer and some "cajun" flavored canned tomatoes I wasn't sure when I'd use. I decided to make them the basis for a new soup, and while I won't dare call the "cajun" flavors authentic, they sure are tasty. Kosher Cajun Meatball Soup

• 1/4 lb kosher beef sausage
• 4 medium onions, diced
• 2 fourteen oz cans "Cajun" seasoned tomatoes
• 1 fourteen oz can red beans
• 1 fourteen oz can white beans
• 1 10ish oz can condensed kosher beef broth
• 1 eight oz can tomato sauce
• 1 twelve oz bottle beer (like wine, cook with what you drink)
• 1 six oz cup black coffee (trust me, even if you hate coffee, you want the bitterness)
• 4 ears fresh corn, cut off cob (or 1 twelve oz can yellow corn)
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 2 heaping tsp "cajun" seasoning
• 1 tsp black pepper

Roll the sausage into small (nickel sized) meatballs. Brown meatballs in a large saucepan (if you don't, they'll fall apart). Drain fat and remove meatballs.

In the same pan, brown the onions until translucent.

Add meatballs, onions, and everything else to a large soup pot and stir until well mixed. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat tolow, cover, and simmer for at least 1 hour.

Variations:

• Don't like beans? Leave them out. While the soup is simmering, cook 1/2 pound of your favourite pasta (I find ditali works well) according to package directions. Five minutes before serving, mix in the pasta and let it simmer for a few minutes.
• This is a good "stone soup" recipe. If you've got a little leftover bell peppers, mushrooms, or potatoes from last night's dinner, go ahead and throw them in.

A note on beer and coffee

If you just mix beer and coffee, you have a horrid tasting mess. It's no wonder people raise their eyebrows when I recommend both in tomato based soups. Trust me. The combination works. Beer adds a wonderful sweetness to soup, which is balanced by the bitterness of coffee, resulting in a wonderfully rich flavor. Even if you hate both beer and coffee, try using both in the soup. The alcohol will burn off and the flavors will mingle with the spices and other ingredients until the whole truly is greater than the sum of its parts.

Kosher Pasta Fagioli

I love soup, but I hate spending half a day slaving over a hot pot. My soups tend to be simplified, something you can make in around an hour without messing up your entire kitchen. This is no exception - but keep in mind, all quick soups are better the next day, when the spices have a chance to mingle overnight. You find some version of Pasta Fagioli at most Italian restaurants these days, but most versions I see are both way too busy and full of two or more kinds of pork. My Pasta Fagioli is heavily inspired by the soup you find at The Olive Garden, but without any pork or celery (which I personally despise.)

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 large onion, diced
• 2 fourteen oz cans diced tomatoes
• 1 fourteen oz can chickpeas/garbanzo beans
• 1 fourteen oz can great northern beans/white beans
• 1 fifteen oz can tomato sauce
• 1 twelve oz can spicy V8 juice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced (or 1 tbsp canned minced garlic)
• 1 tbsp oregano
• 2 tsp basil
• 2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 lb ditali pasta

Brown meat and drain off fat. Set aside. In the same pan (which will still have some grease in it) saute onions until translucent. Return beef to pan.

Add everything but the pasta. Mix thoroughly and bring to a boil.

Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 1 hour to let flavors mingle.

In a separate pan, boil pasta according to package directions. Drain and add to soup. Simmer for an additional 5 - 10 minutes.

Serve with a light salad and hot, crusty bread.

Variations:

• Make this vegan by leaving out the beef and doubling the beans. No other changes are necessary.
• For people who want the Olive Garden Experience, switch the chick peas to kidney beans and add 1/2 cup julianned carrots (easiest from a bag) and 3 celery stalks, chopped. You shouldn't need to change the spices.
• If you prefer a less spicy soup, substitute regular V8 for the spicy V8.
• For a spicier soup, substitute more spicy V8 for the plain tomato sauce.

Keema with Fresh Spices

Like most Indian food, it's easy to turn it from treif to kosher by substituting soy yoghurt for milk yoghurt. Since the yoghurt forms the base of a sauce and is not the major flavoring ingredient, you're honestly not missing anything. The tang of soy and dairy are the same, as is the viscosity. Whole spices are a different matter entirely. Using whole spices rather than ground makes a world of flavor difference, but often takes a lot of extra time. If you want to make an impressive, flavorful dish, this is a great way to show off for friends and family. The smell will tantalize them the second they walk in the door and the taste will absolutely blow them away.

• 1 lb extra lean ground beef
• 2 onions, sliced
• 2 small tomatoes, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 6 whole cloves
• 6 whole black peppercorns
• 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 inch cinnamon stick
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 tbsp soy yoghurt

Chop all spices and veggies.

Brown meat in a medium saucepan over a medium heat. Drain off any fat.

Add everything but the yoghurt and stir until well mixed.

Cover saucepan, stirring every 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Cook until moisture is gone (15 - 20 minutes).

Add soy yoghurt and stir well. Cook another 5 minutes, or until keema is relatively dry.

Serve with hot naan or pita bread.

Variations:

• After everything but the yoghurt is mixed in, add 1/2 cup frozen peas. Follow the remaining directions.

Kosher Winter Lentil Soup

Most hearty brown lentil soups are made with pork. People insist there is no way to capture the flavor of a thick lentil soup without a ham bone in it. Ah, the naivete. In response, I submit this kosher lentil soup. I always think I'll have enough soup to provide my lunch for 3-4 days and always end up staring sadly into a fragrant yet empty pot by day 2.

This thick, hearty, Kosher soup is perfect comfort food for a cold winter day. It is inspired by the first course I enjoyed at a medieval themed bed and breakfast. Serve it with a hearty brown bread for mopping up the bowl. Like most soups, this one is even better as leftovers than it is the first day, so make it on a weekend and eat it for the rest of the week.

• 1 lb brown lentils
• 3 fourteen oz cans reduced sodium beef broth
• 1 fourteen oz can diced tomatoes
• 4 medium yellow onions, diced
• 4 large carrots, diced
• 3 tbsp chopped garlic (or 2 1/2 tbsp garlic paste, or 1 tbsp garlic powder)
• 2 tbsp coarse ground pepper (mixed peppercorns are best, but plain black will do)
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1/2 tsp coriander
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 tbsp olive oil

  Wash and rinse the lentils. If you don't, you'll find some stones in your soup.

  Brown the onions and carrots in the olive oil over a medium heat for about 10 minutes.

  When the onions start to turn translucent, add the beef broth. Stir well. Add all other ingredients, stir well.

  Bring the concoction to a boil, then reduce heat and let it simmer for the next 2 - 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Once the soup thickens from lentils in broth to a thick lentils in paste texture, it is ready to eat.

  The soup will be VERY thick, almost more like a beanpot. If you prefer a thinner soup, add an extra ½ can of beef broth and stir. If that is still too thick for your liking, add another ½ can of broth.

  
  
  Variations:
  
  * Vegetarians substitute veggie broth for beef broth and increase the thyme and basil by 1/2 tsp each. It won't taste exactly the same, but it will still be surprisingly good.

  * Beef lovers, when you add the broth, also add either 1/2 pound lean browned ground beef or 1/2 pound lean stew beef minced very small.

  * Instead of regular olive oil, use basil flavored olive oil. Do not reduce the basil.

  * Instead of plain diced tomatoes, use some of the pre-flavored tomatoes on the market these days, such as the garlic and oregano ones. Stick with European themed tomatoes. Cajun style, for example, wouldn't taste right alongside the other ingredients.

  * Rather than chop onions yourself, buy bagged frozen ones instead. 4 cups frozen onion works well.

  *If you're a good person who likes fresh veggies, rather than chop all the veggies by hand, cut the stems off the carrots and the outer skin off the onion then drop them all in a blender. The finer the veggies the better.