The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook (34 page)

Read The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook Online

Authors: Sharon Lebewohl

1. Melt 1 teaspoon butter in your largest skillet, and, on high heat, sauté apple slices until they're lightly browned on both sides. Do this in batches, so that you're browning only one layer of slices at a time (don't pile them up); use ½ teaspoon extra butter for each batch. Don't overdo it. You want the fruit to keep its integrity, not turn to mush. Remove with a slotted spoon to a large bowl. Add ½ teaspoon butter, and quickly brown almonds and raisins. Add to bowl with apples.
2. Add sugar and cinnamon to the bowl, and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Stuff and cook matzos as indicated above. When finished, remove to a serving dish, and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar. Serve with sour cream.

A
MAJOR STAR
in New York's culinary galaxy, the dynamic Bobby Flay has been garnering awards for Mesa Grill's sassy southwestern fare since 1991. In 1993, he opened Bolo, featuring innovative Spanish cuisine. The author of three cookbooks
—Bold American Food, From My Kitchen to Your Table,
and
Boy Meets Grill—
Flay also hosts a cooking show
(Hot off the Grill with Bobby Flay)
on the Food Network.
I think of the Second Avenue Deli as a comfort zone, especially during the cold winter months. When I'm very stressed—or feel the flu coming on—I jump into a taxi, race over to Tenth Street and Second Avenue, and make the driver wait outside with the meter running while I
order matzo ball soup, a turkey sandwich on rye with Russian dressing, and chopped liver to go. I take it all home and eat it in bed watching TV. Then I'm ready to face the world again. It's better than Prozac and TheraFlu combined.
Note:
Also check out Mesa Grill pastry chef
Wayne Harley Brachman's matzo farfel pancake
recipe.
Bobby Flay's Yellow Corn Pancakes with Smoked Salmon and Mango-Serrano Crème Fraîche
SERVES
4
½ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons honey
1 large egg, beaten
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
16 paper-thin slices smoked salmon
MANGO-SERRANO CRÈME FRAÎCHE
½ cup crème fraîche or sour cream
1 roasted serrano pepper, finely diced
½ ripe mango, peeled, seeded, and finely diced
½ medium red onion, finely diced
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1. In a mixing bowl, combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and honey. In a separate bowl, combine the egg, milk, and melted butter. Add the dry ingredients from the other bowl, and mix well.
2. Heat a griddle or cast-iron frying pan (use a nonstick pan if you don't have a cast-iron one) over high heat, and drop the batter by spoonfuls to
make 4- to 5-inch pancakes. Cook pancakes until brown on both sides, and set aside, stacked, and covered with foil.
3. Combine the crème fraîche, serrano pepper, mango, and red onion in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place a pancake on each plate, spoon 1 tablespoon crème fraîche over it, and place 4 slices of salmon on top. Roll the pancake as you would a crêpe, and garnish with remaining crème fraîche.

Potato Latkes
MAKES
20
Potato latkes are really just
potato kugel
in pancake form. For more about their Chanukah connection, see
cheese latkes
.
2½ pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 large onions (use 1½ cups grated; don't tamp down)
3 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup corn oil
1 cup flour
2½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
2 cups matzo meal
½ cup corn oil for frying
Applesauce
Sour cream
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a food processor, fine-grate potatoes (don't liquefy; leave some texture), and strain to eliminate excess liquid. Don't overdo it; just let the water drain out. Fine-grate onions, and mix in a large bowl with potatoes. (If you don't have a food processor, you can grind the potatoes and onions in a meat grinder.)
2. Add eggs, baking powder, ¾ cup corn oil (most of it cooks out), flour, salt, and pepper; mix well. Fold in matzo meal, making sure that everything is very well blended.
3. Heat ½ cup corn oil in a deep skillet. Spoon batter (use a large kitchen spoon) into the pan to create pancakes about 3½ inches in diameter. Fry on low heat for 3 to 4 minutes until underside is a deep golden brown, turn, and fry for another minute or two. Drain on paper towel. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.

Matzo Meal Latkes
MAKES
20
Without the grated onion, matzo meal latkes are a little on the bland side. However, you can always take a different, more Sephardic, approach: omit the onion; sprinkle the cooked latkes with a mixture of confectioners' sugar, cinnamon, and finely chopped nuts; and serve them with honey.
1 cup matzo meal
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons sugar
6 eggs
1½ cups water
¾ cup grated onion (optional)
¾ cup corn oil for frying
Applesauce
Sour cream
1. In a large bowl, combine matzo meal, salt, and sugar. Set aside.
2. Separate egg whites and yolks. Beat egg yolks, and combine with water. Add the yolk mixture to the matzo meal mixture, and let it stand for 30 minutes.
3. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they are stiff, and fold them into the matzo meal mixture. Add grated onion.
4. Heat corn oil until it sizzles in a deep skillet. Lower heat, and, using a cooking spoon, spoon batter into the pan, creating thin pancakes 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Fry for several minutes, turning when the pancake is firm and the bottom side is golden brown. Fry for another few minutes until the other side is done. Drain on paper towel. Serve with applesauce and/or sour cream.
Note:
Occasionally stir mixture left in the bowl during the process of spooning latkes into the pan.

Drunken Matzo Meal Latkes
MAKES ABOUT
20
Our rum-soaked latkes add sophisticated splash to holiday meals.
3 cups fresh fruit
½ cup dark rum
1 cup matzo meal
1 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons (⅜ cup) white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
6 eggs
½ cup water
¾ cup corn oil for frying
Confectioners' sugar
Cinnamon
1. Place fruit in a bowl, pour rum over it, mix, and let stand for 50 minutes.
2. In a large bowl, combine matzo meal, salt, and white and brown sugars. Set aside.
3. In medium bowls, separate the egg whites and yolks. Beat the yolks, add water, and mix well. Add the yolk-water mixture to the matzo meal mixture, stir, and let stand for 30 minutes.
4. Beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until they are stiff and form peaks. Fold them into the matzo meal mixture. Add rum-soaked chopped fruit, and stir in.
5. Heat the corn oil in a deep skillet. Lower heat a little bit, and, using a cooking spoon, spoon batter into the pan, creating thin pancakes 3 to 4 inches in diameter. Fry for several minutes, turning carefully with a spatula when the pancake is firm and the bottom side is golden brown. Fry until the other side is done. Drain on paper towel. (Occasionally stir mixture left in the bowl during the process of spooning latkes into the pan.)
6. In a small bowl, mix confectioners' sugar with a bit of cinnamon and, using a sieve or sifter, sprinkle on top of latkes just before serving.

Another version of the above:
Substitute Grand Marnier for rum, use blueberries or raspberries for the fruit, and add 1 tablespoon grated orange rind to your batter.

Note:
For the fresh fruit, you can use any
one
of the following: apples (peeled, pitted, cored, and finely chopped in a food processor or hand-grated), finely chopped pineapple, blueberries, peaches (peeled and very
finely chopped but not grated), or bananas (chopped into ½-inch pieces). Or experiment with other fresh fruits and berries.

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