Recipes from “Perfect Flavors” A New Cookbook from Naomi Nachman

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04 Dec 2018
Food

Once again, the “Aussie Gourmet” takes kosher cuisine to the next level with her latest cookbook, Perfect Flavors. Complete with stunning photos to accompany each recipe, you’ll find many incredible options that are sure to grace you dinner table. Below please find a couple mouth-watering sample recipes.

You can purchase the book from Artscroll

Crockpot Onion and Flanken Soup
meat — yields 8 servings — freezer friendly

Who doesn’t love a big bowl of onion soup? However, making it can be time-consuming, as you have to sauté the onions for a long time while stirring them. This recipe allows you to skip the sautéing, as your crock pot does all the work for you.

Ingredients
12 onions sliced into half-moons
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup canola oil
2 pounds bone-in flanken
4 cups beef, chicken, or vegetable broth
¾ cup red wine
¼ cup red miso paste

Method
1. Combine onions, salt, pepper, and oil in a crockpot; stir to combine.
2. Add flanken to the crockpot; cover with onion mixture. Cover; cook on high for 4-5 hours, until onions are golden brown.
3. Add broth, wine, and miso paste; stir to combine. Cook on high for an additional hour.

Cook’s Tip
Miso paste is a paste made from fermented bean curd. Used primarily in Japanese cooking, it adds umami, depth of flavor, to the dishes. Miso paste is available in a variety of colors; the darker the color, the stronger the flavor. I use them interchangeably.

Turducken Capons
meat — yields 8 servings — freezer friendly

Thanksgiving has always had a special meaning to me. I came to America on Thanksgiving and met my husband exactly a year later on Thanksgiving. This recipe is a twist on a turducken, which is a deboned chicken stuffed into a deboned duck, stuffed into a deboned turkey, with layers of stuffing between each bird. This is a dark meat chicken capon stuffed with turkey and wrapped in duck fry. It’s a whole new take on turkey.

Ingredients

Stuffing
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 cup frozen spinach thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup (tightly packed) cubes day-old challah or bread
1-pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 Tablespoon pure maple syrup

8 chicken capons (dark meat chicken cutlets)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 (3-ounce) packages duck fry or pastrami
2 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Method

4. Prepare the stuffing: Heat oil over medium heat in a large frying pan. Add onion; sauté, stirring occasionally, until translucent, 5-7 minutes.
5. Add garlic and spinach; cook for an additional 5 minutes. Add bread cubes; cook for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
6. Add turkey, salt, thyme, chili powder, and maple syrup to the spinach mixture. Stir until combined.
7. Assemble the capons: Preheat oven to 350°F.
8. Place about ¼ cup turkey stuffing onto the center of each capon; then roll up. Place capons seam-side down in a large baking pan. (Do not overcrowd the pan; use 2 pans if necessary.)
9. Sprinkle salt, paprika, and onion powder over the tops of the capons, then drape duck fry over each one.
10. Combine maple syrup and balsamic vinegar; brush mixture over the top of each capon, reserving some of the mixture for Step 8.
11. Cover tightly; bake for 1 hour. Uncover, brush again with maple syrup mixture, and bake for an additional 10 minutes, uncovered. Slice and serve.

Cook’s Tip
For a unique side dish, bake any remaining stuffing in muffin tins at 350°F for 30 minutes.

Recipe(s) reprinted with permission from Perfect Flavors by Naomi Nachman
Photos by Miriam Pascal
Mesorah Publications/November 2018

The words of this author reflect his/her own opinions and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Orthodox Union.