Mary had a little lamb, and I ate it

About a month ago I decided to take full advantage of the generosity that is the jews and throw a dinner party on the dollar of the Birthright federation. A free trip to the motherland is followed up with monthly Shabbat dinners that are paid for if you sign up in advance. It is good to be one of the chosen people.

I invited a few close friends and decided to go all out and buy a leg of lamb as the 'piece de resistance'. Wonton graciously offered to throw together some of the eggplant trifles she had learned how to make in Italia, and I decided to kick the meal off with some butternut squash soup.






The soup is a family classic. Always been a favorite of mine and fairly simple to make. The most time consuming part is baking the squash to the desired level of softness, but this can be avoided by microwaving I learned. Even though microwaving isn't my favorite way to cook, it can save a lot of time. Cut the squash in half and place in a glass dish with some water and put it in the oven for about 45minutes or wrap in seran wrap and cook in the microwave for about 10 minutes. The soup is best when you have a cuisinart at your disposal and can grind it up nice and thin, but I improvised and used a hand blender since I had no choice. Once the squash is cooked to a nice squish, mash it/blend it up and then add cream, a little chicken stalk, salt, pepper, cayenne, and I like to throw in some sherry for a little extra kick.

Next course was the oh so lovely lamb leg. I decided to improvise and rubbed her down with some cinamon, rosemary, salt, pepper, garlic and red wine. I then cut up some onions and prunes and placed them around the leg along with some more fresh spices and garlic. I popped her in the oven for about an hour and a half at 375 and lets just say, damn Mary, that is one tasty friend.



So I would like to give thanks to the wealthy jews out there who made this diner possible and to Duncan Hines for supplying us with a classic yellow cake with dark chocolate frosting for desert. Shabbat Shalom!

Latke and Wonton are back in the kitchen!

While it may have been a month since we wrote of the latest mouth watering treats, Latke and Wonton have remained hard at work in the kitchen.

Thanksgiving brought an array of delicious treats from friends all over Brooklyn. Everyone busted out the big guns at this year's feast. Matzo Ball with her delicious marshmallow covered yams, homemade cranberry sauce and almond pesto string beans. Her side kick Gumbo came out with an amazing cheesy potato casserole with broccoli. A shout out to Cheezy Mac G for his amazing Mac'n'Cheese. A crispy cheese topping mixed with thyme made for some of the best Mac'n'cheese I've ever had. The lovely hostess contributed some delicious Chard and Kale dishes preparing one with a light lemon vinaigrette, fresh croutons and chunks of grated fresh parmesan. The other with a creamy avocado dressing to ensure we got our vitamins and minerals.



Gefilte fish and Kosher Carrot Cake helped finish off the meal with the classic pumpkin pie, chocolate pecan pie and Famous Carrot Cake. All in all it was a glorious night of gluttony. While Wonton was off enjoying Italy with the wonton family Latke held up her family favorite dish:

The Stuffing.

A dish that is not hard to make, but when done right can be the best part of any thanksgiving meal. The process kicks off with a stick of unsalted butter melted in the bottom of a large pot. A couple diced onions are added. Once slightly carmelized the mushrooms and celery are added. I throw in about a cup of chopped up dried apricots and/or cranberries and let it all get nice and mushy together. Throw in some thyme and sage, salt and pepper. Once all the flavors are well blended you can add some more butter and a dash of olive oil and throw in a couple bags of stuffing. Stir well and add chicken stalk until in gets the consistency you're looking for. I like to throw in a little Port, sherry, or Madera for flavor and if you are a meat eater I recommend throwing in the very finely chopped turkey gizard or some bacon to add a little meat flavor (beware that the bacon will overpower the rest slightly if you choose this route, so don't over do it). Put the stuffing in a casserole and bake for about 45 minutes before you serve. Remove the lid about 35 minutes in to make the top get a little crispy. This is what mine loooked like:



Needless to say, thanksgiving was a great success.