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Bohj, a hidden Indian gem in Elmwood Park

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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When I walked up to Bohj, an Indian restaurant in Elmwood Park, I wasn’t expecting much. The restaurant was in a tiny strip mall on a lackluster street. A bright open sign shone in the window of the tiny corner store that houses Bohj. We almost got back in our car to head to more familiar restaurants, but it was 8 and I was hungry, so we decided to check it out.

The minute we stepped through the door, I knew we were in good hands. The air was redolent with the delicious exotic smells of curry and coriander. The tiny restaurant was packed with Indian families crowded around tables overflowing with stews in bright copper dishes. I overheard a table of diners just sitting down to dinner commenting on how long it took them to drive in from Queens. I was certain that we had stumbled upon a gem, a place known by locals and destination diners alike.

We waited for about fifteen minutes in a tight little hallway near the bathroom for our table. Our host was incredibly apologetic but I didn’t mind. I was too busy eyeing the food on everyone’s plates.

Once we sat down, we were quickly served fragrant chutneys with some papadams for dipping. Although many items on the menu intrigued us, we decided to stay very traditional for our first visit. For appetizers, we started with Aloo Tikki with Channa ($6.50), breaded and deep fried mashed potatoes in a rich tomato sauce with chick peas, which had a mild yet exhilarating spicy heat. As I write, my mouth waters, craving another helping. We also tried the Lamb Samosas ($6.95), and were pleasantly surprised to discover that they were crispy, not overly fried, and the lamb was tasty and moist.

We knew we would be pretty full for main courses, and we wanted to leave enough room to try both the Naan ($2.50)and the Poori ($2.50), so we just ordered Chicken Tikka Massala ($15.95). At that point, we had already committed to returning to Bohj soon to place ourselves in our hosts’ hands to find more adventurous dishes, so we didn’t feel too badly about ordering such a touristy dish. Having resolved our guilt, we were able to really enjoy the rich and creamy Chicken Tikka Massala with the incredibly light Naan. The Poori was the only disappointment as it was too greasy.

We were definitely too full for dessert, but our waiter surprised us with a small bowl of cardamom infused rice pudding that proved to be the perfect way to finish this meal which still had my senses dancing the next morning.

Bohj

430 Market Street

Elmwood Park, NJ 07407

201-797-6800

Open seven days a week.

Weekday luncheon buffet $9.95 and special weekend buffet lunch ($11.95).

Mastercard and Visa accepted. Reservations recommended.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Vanessa Druckman aka Chefdruck, is our North Jersey contributor. Chefdruck is not a chef, as her online name suggests, just a huge food aficionado. She loves to cook and to eat out, and then to write about her experiences. Vanessa is a transplant from the big city. She is half-French and spent a big part of her childhood in France, so as a result, there’s no fear of cream and butter for Chefdruck. Read more from Vanessa at: http://www.chefdruck.blogspot.com/http://www.chefdruckwrites.blogspot.com/



Coupon Clipping, Week 2 Over $35 in Savings

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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It’s week two of my coupon clipping campaign using CouponMom.com‘s savings system. Presidents’ Day unfortunately put a minor wrench in the works this week since the newspapers don’t include coupon circulars on Holiday weekends. Who knew? I found this out from the helpful members of the CouponMom forum. If you are a crazed coupon clipper like me or are just starting to develop the disease, you may want to bookmark this link circular calendar for the year.

Big bargains this week: This week my shampoo and conditioner are on sale at Shoprite for $4.99 a bottle. If you buy two bottles you receive a $5 off coupon toward your next purchase. In addition, I had a $1.00 off coupon. So, end result; 2 (25 oz.) bottles of Pantene Shampoo and Conditioner for $3.99.

Another great deal is on Bounty Basic Paper Towels.
Shoprite has the 8 packs on sale 2 for $10. CouponMom alerted me to the Bounty $1.00 off coupon in the February 8th circulars. In addition, if you buy 4 P & G products within a certain group of items, you receive a $5 coupon toward your next shopping order and a free Shoprite Bag worth .99 cents. Within this group of items, I purchased Cascade gel on sale for 4.99 with a $1.00 off coupon.

The last big bargain of the day was on Hot Pockets. My boys love Hot Pockets. I love that they’ll eat the ham, egg and cheese ones for breakfast instead of sugary cereals or pastries. Yes, I realize they’re full of preservatives and there are better alternatives, but my kids won’t eat the better alternative yet, so for now, getting a little protein in them in the morning is a good thing. Hot Pockets are on sale this week 5 for $10. If you buy 10 boxes of either Hot Pockets or Stouffer’s Red Box meals, you receive a $5 off coupon toward your next order. In addition, I had a $1.00 off coupon. End result, 10 boxes of Hot Pockets for $14.00. That’s $1.40 a box. Now, I am fortunate enough to have a stand up freezer in my kitchen. I realize not everyone could buy 10 boxes at a time.

The end result of my shopping trip was a coupon savings of $17.61 with $13.00 off my next shopping trip. Total savings: $30.61. In looking over the circular for this article I realized that I did not receive one of my $5.00 off coupons. So, the true total saving should have been $35.61. Oh, and two free shopping bags. Not bad for my second week using the system and only one week of coupons. There were so many other great bargains that I would have loved to take advantage of, but I don’t have the corresponding circulars. In one month, I should be up to speed. (Tip: Write down all the coupons you should receive at checkout and compare your coupons to your list before leaving the store. I obviously didn’t do this.)

As a final note: In the spirit of saving, I decided to give Restaurant.com a try yesterday. I bought a $25 gift certificate to Viva’s in Belmar for $4. Today I learned that Restaurant.com is having a new special that’s an even better bargain, a $25 Gift Certificate for 70% off, only $3. If you have a favorite restaurant that is in their database or you’ve been meaning to try a new restaurant, check Restaurant.com before you go. You could end up saving $22 off your next meal.
Take 70% Off with every order of $25 Gift Certificates. Use code PREZ and pay $3 thru 2/19/09.

Southwestern Steak Salad

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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Here’s a simple salad that is great for the winter when ripe tomatoes are no where to be found. It’s also a great way to stretch a steak. You can use whatever steak is on sale or that you prefer. This time around we used Shell Steaks. Flank steak would be great, even London Broil sliced nice and thin. And of course, you can switch out the beef for chicken if you’re looking to cut the fat.

I served this the other night to my friends during our little blogging class at my house. Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe up on Jersey Bites, so here you go. This recipe served 5 with nothing left for seconds.

INGREDIENTS

Medium Red Onion, sliced thin
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 and 1/2 bags of pre-washed salad (your favorite or whatever is on sale)
1 cup of frozen corn, cooked
1 cup black beans rinsed
1/2 cup crumbled Feta Cheese
2 ripe Avocados sliced into 1 inch cubes
The juice of one lime
1 small jar of Roasted Red Peppers cut into bite size pieces
2 pieces Frozen Texas Toast, cooked and cut into cubes
2 Shell Steaks, 1 small flank steak or other steak of choice
McCormick Steak Seasoning
Good Seasons Italian Dressing made with Balsamic Vinegar and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

DIRECTIONS

Bring steaks to room temperature.

Caramelize Red onion (see instructions below) in Butter, approximately 20 minutes. While onion is cooking, chop red peppers and add to large salad bowl with lettuce, corn, black beans, and Feta. Cube avocado and drizzle with lime juice to keep from browning. Add to salad mixture.

Season both sides of steaks with McCormick Steak Seasoning and grill to your liking. While steaks are grilling cook Texas Toast according to package directions.

Toss salad with dressing. Slice steaks after they have rested for 10 minutes. Plate each salad and top with sliced steak, croutons and caramelized onions and enjoy.

Directions for Caramelized Onions.

Heat 3 tablespoons of the butter and 1 Tbs. olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Saute onions on med-low until caramelized. (To do this right, the temp needs to be low, you are not trying to fry the onions, and it can take up to a half an hour depending on how many onions you are cooking but the payoff is so worth it. You’ll know when they’re done because they will have a caramel color. Caramelized onions are my favorite thing in the whole world. I add them to salads, on top of steaks, burgers, you name it.)

Southwestern Steak Salad

Here’s a simple salad that is great for the …

See Southwestern Steak Salad on Key Ingredient.

A Love Story

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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Now for something completely different. That young girl in the picture there is yours truly at 15 kissing my hunk of a boyfriend, Peter. Yesterday was the anniversary of the day he asked me out 28 years ago. It was a Friday the 13th as well. We often joke that we should have known our life together was going to be a roller coaster ride given the whole Friday the 13th launch to our relationship.

It took us 25 years to get back together after we broke up at 16. For much of those 25 years we remained close friends. (He’ll tell you that was because he had ulterior motives.) And I’ll tell you, this was no secret to anyone. Peter has been in my life for what seems like all of my life. He remembers me when I had big Jersey hair and a really great butt. There’s a lot to be said for that.

He does not let a day go by without telling me that he’s the luckiest man in the world. That makes me the luckiest woman in the world. Oh, and PS, he still makes that face when I kiss him. And, he still thinks I have a great butt. Now that’s love for you. Happy Valentine’s Day Sweetheart.

Romance? Me? A Valentine’s Day Dinner

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m not much of a romantic and I’ve never required a lot in the way of romantic gestures from the opposite sex. That being said, there is one gesture that never fails to get me all warm and tingly; my man cooking in the kitchen. I think it’s the effort more than the actual food that curls my toes. You know, the whole Choreplay factor.

Choreplay:

When a woman is turned on by the sight of her husband/boyfriend/partner doing regular household chores, that she would normally be doing.

God I love that term. More men need to learn the power of choreplay. I tried to explain this concept to a certain someone who now pays me child support. Trust me, it’s important.

Since I cook the majority of meals in our house, it’s always a thrill to see my boyfriend chopping and sauteing while I’m relaxing with a glass of wine. (How’s that for a hint and a half. I wonder if he’ll read this post in time.) To also give him props, he does all the clean up when I cook. Now there’s a man who understands the power of choreplay.

So, for those of you contemplating the idea of cooking for your sweetie tomorrow, here’s JerseyBites’ suggestions for a romantic meal. Good luck Fellas. Oh, and you might want to try firing up the vacuum for some extra credit. Folding laundry is sexy too. Just trying to help here.

A VALENTINE’S DAY MENU

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup. Just look at that. It looks like someone shot cupid. How romantic. Actually, it’s so creamy and quite sinful. Serve this to your hunny and watch her melt.

Moroccan Glazed Lamb Chops with Butternut Squash Risotto.
The lamb chops are finger licking food. Oh yeah. Serve them with the hot, steamy, creamy, cheesy Risotto and you’re in like flynn.

I have never made this Risotto but it sounds like a romantic dish, doesn’t it? And perfect with the lamb. I found the recipe on The Blog that Ate Manhattan. If you try it, please leave a comment on Peggy’s blog.

Moroccan Glazed Lamb Chops
24 rib lamb chops (about 5 pounds) frenched
4 Tbsp. olive oil
4 Tbsp. honey
2 teaspoons frshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons coarse salt
3 cloves finely chopped garlic
Pepper Jelly or spicy chutney

Up to 24 hours before serving, place the lamb chops in a large nonreactive baking dish. In a small bowl, combine remaining ingredients except for jelly. Pour marinade over chops to cover all over. Refrigerate until one hour before serving.

Preheat broiler. Place the lamb chops in one layer on baking sheets. For medium rare, broil 4 inches from the heat for four minutes. Turn chops and broil for two more minutes. These are best served warm but are still good at room temperature.

Serve with Pepper Jelly or chutney on the side.

For desert, Apple Charlotte. She will be so impressed.

Happy Valentine’s Day Everyone. I’m sending out a big “Mmmmwaaaaaah” kiss to all of my loyal readers. Tomorrow I will be doing a special post for my special guy. If you like mush, come back for a bite.

Pizza Hut Lasagna Winners

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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This week’s Win it Wednesday winners are…….

Brenda said…

love their pizza, never tried the lasagna! thank you!

Jackie said…

Way to go Pizza Hut! I’d love to try the Lasagna! Thanks for the review and giveaway!

Congratulations ladies. You will both receive gift certificates for Pizza Hut’s New Lasagna. I hope you enjoy it and will come back and give us your feedback.

Apple Charlottes

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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Here’s a special recipe for your favorite Valentine. The original recipe comes from Tyler Florence and calls for Brioche. Since I live in a culinary wasteland that is South Jersey, there is no Brioche to be found. Heck, it’s hard to find a bakery. I’m not saying a decent bakery, I’m saying a bakery, period.

So, I substituted Croissants and they worked great. The end result was absolutely delicious. If you’re stuck with Croissants, slice them thin. You’ll see a picture below. Save the top for the top of your Charlottes. Tyler serves his Apple Charlotte with a Cinnamon Sabayon. I didn’t have the apple liquor and since I was serving it to my kids, I opted for vanilla Ice Cream. Oh yeah!!

My friends at Marx Foods sent me some complimentary Tahitian Vanilla Beans since we’ll be giving away three bags of them in tomorrow’s Win It Wednesday. Now, I am not a baker and rarely, if ever, cook desert. Consequently, this was my first time using fresh vanilla beans. Not a problem, I’ve seen it done a thousand times, split the bean long ways down the center and scrape the vanilla out with the tip of your knife. Easy! I hope you’ll enter to win the Vanilla beans tomorrow and give this recipe a try. Even if you don’t win the beans, this recipe is a must try.

Ingredients

For the filling:

  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 4 medium Granny Smith apples
  • 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the batter:

  • 2 large eggs
  • 1/4 cup whole milk
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for greasing ramekins
  • 2 tablespoons sugar, for ramekins, plus extra for top
  • 20 slices brioche bread, crust removed (or 4 Croissants)
  • Cinnamon sabayon, recipe follows

Directions

Begin by making the filling. Set a large saute pan or roasting pan over medium heat and add butter. Peel and cut cheeks off apples then cut into 1/2-inch chunks. Once butter has melted and just starting to foam, add apples, scraped vanilla bean and pod, lemon juice, and brown sugar and cinnamon. Toss to coat well and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until apples are just tender and liquid has evaporated. The sauce will caramelize slightly and should be a nice, rich dark color.

In a shallow dish, make the batter by combining eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk until fully combined.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F and generously butter and sugar 4 (1-cup) ramekins.

Invert a ramekin, or use a round cutter, on half of the bread slices to use as a guide to cut out circles. These will be the bases and top of the charlottes – you should have 8 in total. Cut the other slices of bread in half lengthwise.

Working with the circles. lightly coat in the batter and place in the bottom of each ramekin. Lightly dip the other rectangles of bread in batter as well, then use them to line the walls of each ramekin – standing them upright around the perimeter leaving an overhang that you will later use to fold over and seal the charlotte. It should take about 6 strips per ramekin.

Fill each mold with apples and some of the caramel from the pan. Fold over the edges to seal it up completely and sprinkle the tops with a little sugar.

Bake in the center of the oven for 20 to 25 minutes. If the tops

brown too quickly, cover loosely with foil. When done, the bread will have puffed up slightly, the edges will be brown and the sugar on top will have caramelized. Allow to cool slightly, then run a knife around the edges and invert onto individual plates. Serve with cinnamon sabayon or Vanilla Ice Cream.


Coupon Clipping On the Rise

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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Yesterday, the the Press ran an article on the upswing of Coupon use since the downswing in the economy. I am pretty sure this wasn’t shocking news to anyone. Back when my babies were babies, I was a pretty skilled clipper. On a good day, I could count on saving about $30 off of my grocery bill. I’m not sure when or how my clipping habit fell away, but I haven’t given coupons much thought in probably 8 or so years.

So, yesterday’s article may not have been shocking news, but it did give me the needed nudge to get back in the savings saddle. I started with a little research on Google and stumbled on a fabulous website called CouponMom.com. You may have seen the founder of Couponmom, Stephanie Nelson, on any number of television shows. She’s made quite a name for herself in the penny pinching department.

To me, the most valuable feature of her website is the “Grocery Deals by State.” This is an incredibly powerful tool because as any competent clipper knows, the way to save real bucks is by using your coupons on items that are also on sale. The only trick is keeping your coupons organized properly so that you can easily match a coupon with a sale item. Trust me, it’s not easy and those little pocket size file folders cannot compare to CouponMom’s System.

The way it works is sheer genius. Save the coupon circulars each week. (No clipping and filing every single coupon half of which you won’t use.) Write the date on the front page of each booklet. Register on Couponmom.com and select your supermarket from the database list. Then the database will tell you that week’s sale items and in what week a coupon appeared in your newspaper. Just locate the circular for that date and clip your coupon. This is heaven. I am going to be one of those women who gets $200 worth of groceries for $45, just wait.

Here’s an example of my savings today. Muir Glen soups are on sale at Shoprite this week for $2.50. In the Sunday circulars there was a coupon for 75 cents off of Muir Glen soups. Shoprite doubles all coupons under $100. So, the final price of the soup was $1.00. Here is what this item looks like when it appears on CouponMom.

02-08 S Muir Glen Soup 18.7-oz. – charity! $1.50 1 $2.50 $1.00 67%

The date at the beginning of the line is the date of the circular you need to locate. The $1.50 is the coupon value, $2.50 sale price, $1.00 final cost and the 67% is the total savings. Pretty cool huh? “Charity” appears next to products that would make good donations to your local food pantry. Love That!!!

My real savings potential will come about 4 weeks from now when I have a healthy library of circulars to draw from. I have a 2 drawer file cabinet in my kitchen which will come in handy for keeping the circulars organized.

Here’s another example of my savings today. Ziploc Freezer Bags are on sale at Shoprite. Originally 2.19. The sale price is $1.79. I had a 40 cent coupon that was doubled. The end price? $. 99. God I love that. Stickin’ it to the Grocery Man.

Today’s total savings was $18.24. Not exactly putting the hurt on the Grocery Man yet, but check back with me next month and we’ll see how Ms. Nelson’s system is working. If you have experience with CouponMom.com or other coupon sites that you recommend, I would love to hear your feedback. I’m still poking around CouponMom. I’m sure there are many more handy tools I have yet to discover.

Sausage, Escarole & White Bean Soup

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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This recipe comes from my friends at MarxFoods who I am excited to introduce to you as a new contributor to Jersey Bites.

Until 2007, Marxfood’s only customers were about 400 of the top restaurant chefs in the country. Now, their gourmet products are available to everyone.

A family owned business located in Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey, Marxfoods was founded in 1895. Frank, Justin, Keith and Garrett Marx and their small staff work with the foragers, farmers, fishermen and artisans to supply the best this planet has to offer. You’re in for some unique ingredients and some surprises in their recipes. Wild Boar sausage for example, I didn’t even know their was such a thing. No worries, if the local store is out of Wild Boar today, substitute sweet or hot Italian Sausage.

Ingredients

1 lb. Great Northern Beans (or other white beans)
12 oz. wild boar sausage, cut in ½ inch slices
3 cloves garlic, minced.
2 heads escarole (substitutes: endive, Treviso, raddichio)
3 quarts chicken stock (if using store-bought, look for the lowest salt content)
1 quart water
1 can (24 oz) crushed tomatoes
½ cup fresh parsley leaves
½ cup grated parmigiano reggiano or pecorino romano
1 bay leaf
½ tablespoon whole peppercorns
3 whole cloves
5 parsley stems
3 sprigs of thyme
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
olive oil for saute and garnish

Cooking the Beans

  1. Rinse beans. Put in container with fresh water, cover and put in your fridge for at least 8 hours, but no longer than 24 hours. Rinse beans once more after they have been soaked.
  2. To a pot, add the beans, cold water to cover by 2 inches and a bouquet garni of 1 bay leaf, ½ tablespoon peppercorn, 3 whole cloves, 5 parsley stems and 3 sprigs of thyme.
  3. Bring to a simmer. Simmer for about 45 minutes or until the beans are tender.
  4. Drain beans and discard the bouquet garni.

For the Soup

  1. Bring a sauté pan to medium heat. Add two tablespoons of olive oil. Brown the sausage on all sides. Remove the sausage from pan.
  2. Add the minced garlic and red pepper flakes to the pan. Saute until the aroma is released.
  3. Add chopped escarole. Saute until wilted.
  4. Add beans, browned game sausage, stock and 1 quart water.
  5. Simmer for 20 minutes.
  6. Add whole parsley leaves, crushed (and drained) tomatoes and cheese.
  7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  8. Serve. Garnish with a drizzle of a nice extra virgin olive oil and some more grated cheese.

Check out MarxFoods.com for wild boar sausage or a variety of game meat sausages.

Sausage, Escarole and White Bean Soup

A hearty one pot dinner.

See Sausage, Escarole and White Bean Soup on Key Ingredient.

This Week’s Winners: Jersey Girl Chocolates

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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And the lucky winners of the Jersey Girl Chocolates are….

Anya said…

Chocolate is always a great giveaway. Thanks.

janetfaye said…This Jersey girl would love to try Jersey Girl Chocolate!

taralazar said…

in my best homer simpson impression….mmmmm…caaaramellll millllk….

Each of you lucky ducks will get one of each of Jersey Girl Chocolate Bars: Milk, Dark, Peanut-Butter Milk, and Caramel-Milk. I am soooo jealous.

Be sure to check out JerseyGirlChocolate.com too. They offer fundraising options which might be a fun and different idea for your school or sports club.

Check back later for this week’s Win it Wednesday, sponsored by Pizza Hut. Yep, they’re back with another new product to share with Jersey Bites.

Share Our Strength’s A Tasteful Pursuit Dinner in New York

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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When I got the call last Monday at around noon from Foodbuzz informing me that they had selected me as their correspondent to attend the Share Our Strength‘s A Tasteful Pursuit Dinner in Manhattan, I was thrilled. I also had to get to Manhattan by 6 o’clock that night.

Since I am about two hours out of Manhattan, couldn’t remember the last time I had a manicure and had no idea what I was going to wear, I was a little panicked to say the least. But, by four o’clock, I had lined up my ride, slapped on some polish, dressed and was on my way into the city with all of my study material on Share Our Strength in hand.

Share Our Strength was founded by Bill Shore and his sister Debbie with a $2000 cash advance on Bill’s credit card in 1984. Their mission was to help end global hunger and poverty. They started by sending letters to restaurants across the country asking for donations. When Alice Waters sent in their first check, they knew they could make SOS a reality. Since that time Share Our Strength has raised more than$245 million and provided support to more than 1,000 nonprofits around the world who are working to end hunger.

A large part of their fundraising efforts rely on A Tasteful Pursuit Benefit dinners that take place all over the country. I was fortunate enough to attend this year’s kickoff event at Lever House on Park Avenue. Lever House’s Executive Chef, Bradford Thompson is also the National Spokeperson of the A Tasteful Pursuit dinner series. Chef Thompson along with fellow New York chefs, Alain Allegretti of Allegretti, Terrance Brennan of Artisanal and Picholine, Michael Laiskonis of Le Bernardin, Anita Lo of Annisa and Bar Q, Marc Murphy of Landmarc, Joe Ng of Chinatown Brasserie and Jacques Torres of Jacques Torres Chocolates prepared a seven course masterpiece for 120 eager guests.

The evening began with a cocktail reception and silent auction. On the menu for starters: Crab and Shrimp Dumplings, Fresh corn and Snow Leaf Potstickers and Beef with Lotus Root Pastry, Champaign and Kettle Citron Ginger Martinis.

After cocktails and the delicious hors d’oeuvres we were ushered into Lever House’s gorgeous dining room.

Our meal began with Salsify Panna Cotta: Taylor Bay Scallops, Crispy Oyster Root, and Ruby Grapefruit. Sadly, I am allergic to scallops, so this was the one dish I could not try. But, it was gorgeous, as you can see here. Sparkling wine with this dish was Reoderer Estate, “Brut.”

Next, Cobia Sashimi with Radishes and Spicy Cod Roe served with Domaines Schlumberger Riesling Grand Cru “Saering” 2006. (Sashimi pictured in slide show)

The final fish dish was a Steamed Black Sea Bass with Celeriac, Grape Chutney, Black Truffle, and Celery Tempura served with Domaine Laroche, Chablis 2007. (pictured in slide show)

One of my favorite dishes of the night and the heartiest dish was next, Chicken Liver, Sweet Onion and Bacon Cavatelli served with a lovely Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir 2006.

The entree courses ended with a fabulous Milk Fed Veal Rumsteak with Sweetbread and Taleggio Cheese Purse Prosciutto Wrapped Salsify, Tomato Marmalade served with a delicious French Bordeaux, Chateau Preuillac 2003.

Our desert courses started with Lemon Parfait, Pistachio Pain de Genes, Caramalized White Chocolate, Vanilla Sorbet and was served with Inniskillin “Vidal” Ice Wine 2006.

Our magical meal ended with an Assortment of Bon Bons, Chocolates and Petit Fours from Jacques Torres Chocolates.

What an evening.

A Tasteful Pursuit is just one initiative of many for Share Our Strength,
for more information about the organization and details on how you can get
involved, please visit involved/. You can buy
a ticket to one of Share Our Strength’s culinary events, volunteer for a
role on a event planning committee or host a bake sale for the organization.


Momma’s Egg Rolls, a.k.a., the Spring Roll Experiment

Deborah Smith, Executive Editor
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A few weeks ago, I was contacted by Connie Carpenter, a volunteer at The Puppy Place, an organization dedicated to supplying information about blind schools and guide dogs for the blind.

The volunteers at The Puppy Place have just published their first cookbook to raise money for guide dog schools and their guide dog programs for the blind. The cookbook contains 150 of their member’s most loved recipes.

I told Connie I would be happy to promote their mission and would try one of the recipes in their cookbook. She recommended “Momma’s Egg Rolls” which, according to Connie, is “the BEST egg roll recipe.” It was so good, a neighbor lady called her Mother at midnight to see if she had any frozen by chance. Well, if it’s good enough to rouse the neighbors, it’s good enough to get me to fire up the deep fryer. Actually, I need very little prodding to fire up the fryer.

Unfortunately, there were some obstacles on the road to my quest for the “Best Egg roll.” First, I’ve never made an egg roll or spring roll and really don’t know what the hell I’m doing. And second, my lame Grocery Store here in clam digger country didn’t have egg roll wrappers or the stir fry mix called for in the recipe. But, I was not to be deterred. I spotted spring roll wrappers on the bottom shelf of the Asian section and decided they were going to have to do. (Since then, I have found recipes for Egg Roll wrappers, so I will make them myself next time.) I decided to get the Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry mix keeping my fingers crossed that it would work okay with chicken.

INGREDIENTS

1 package of Dry Stir Fry Seasoning mix
1 bag of frozen Chinese Veggie Blend
4 to 6 Large Boneless Chicken Breasts
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup Teriyaki Sauce
1 package of egg roll wrappers
Egg wash or water
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot Add Chicken Breasts and salted water to cover. Cook on Medium Until juices run clear. Drain and cut into cubes add back to pot. Add in Stir Fry mix and bag of veggies along with 1/2 cup of water and cook for 10 minutes on medium heat. Drain any water left off and place everything in food processor along with soy and teriyaki sauce. Chop fine. Assemble your Egg rolls: Place about 1/4 C of filling down the center of each wrapper brush edges with egg wash and roll up making sure you do not over stuff and that they are sealed very well. Heat oil preferably in a deep fryer to 350 and fry in batches of 2 at a time until all are finished. Serve with sweet and sour sauce.

NOTES:

This recipe makes a ton of filling. If you are not planning on making egg rolls for a party, I would suggest you cut the recipe in half. I used 5 chicken breasts and found it to be a little too much. I couldn’t even fit it all in the food processor. I also think next time I will add another bag of veggies. I added chopped scallions and chopped napa cabbage into the mix before frying.

If you decide to use Spring Roll wrappers, just follow the directions on the package. They are really easy to use.

DIPPING SAUCE:

I make a very tasty dipping sauce out of Tomato preserves, teriyaki sauce and a little crushed red pepper. If you do not have tomato preserves, you could use pepper jelly. I’ve even read Grape Jelly works. Heat in a small pot over medium heat until preserves melt and blend into sauce.

TO GET YOUR COPY OF THE PUPPY PLACE COOKBOOK

You can find a list of the cookbooks recipes on their blog www.thepuppyplace-connie28705.blogspot.com

These cookbooks are not for sale but a donation per book is requested in the amount of $2.00 for the copy that is in your choice of WORD or PDF format or $10.00, which includes S&H for the physical hard copy. The hard copy can also be purchased through Amazon.com.

To reserve you’re physical copy of the cookbook(s) using PAYPAL for the $10.00 Donation or $2.00 for the WORD or PDF copy sent to your email address:

The paypal email address is [email protected]

Using Snail Mail (Hard Copy ONLY):

Send your name, address and how many cookbooks you want and the $10 donation per book (US Money Orders or a personal check) to:

The Puppy Place

C/O Connie Carpenter

3270 Snow Creek Road

Bakersville, NC 28705

Please even if you don’t need the cookbook consider donating any amount for this cause there are schools and programs closing everyday from lack of funding. All donations over $2.00 are tax deductible.


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