Oops, I did it again…

Remember the cognac/whiskey-soaked chocolate cake?
Well, my mother-in-law baked that cake and sent me photos. And then, I just had to make it again. I had to!



However… since Valentine’s Day was approaching, I thought I’ll try to make it CUTE. Hmmm…

About a week ago, when I was looking all over the place for mini cupcakes pans for my little girl’s birthday party (that’s her cake here), I found this pan.

Doesn’t it look cute?
So I really really wanted to use it for something and soon. Valentines’ sounded like an appropriate opportunity.

So take the original cognac -soaked chocolate cake + a cute pan with small indentations, and try it.
The result – wonderful!

Mini Cognac-Soaked Chocolate Cakes
Adaptation to the new variation:

1. It looked like the cognac bottle had 1 cup in it, but after measuring it, it turned out to be only ½ a cup, so I added ¼ cup cherry kirsch and ¼ cup water.
The flavor turned out to be great. Less alcoholic and intoxicating than when using all cognac, with a milder flavor, and the texture was great.

2. I used the pan with 12 mini cakes and the rest of the batter was baked in a long loaf cake (12 by 4.5 inch, measured at the top).

3. Baking times:
For the mini cakes it took 25 minutes.*
For the loaf cake it took 50 minutes.*
* Baking times may vary as I opened the door a couple of times to check if the cakes were done, so of course, heat escaped from the oven. It might take less time when you don’t open the oven


Now. If I was not dieting, I would have topped each little cutie with some Nutella or a chocolate ganache, filled the cute little hole with whipped cream, AND garnished it with a little berry.
But I won’t. Should I?
Maybe next year?

Related posts:

The Original Cognac-Soaked Chocolate Cake
Chocolate Roulade Birthday Cake

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Flaky and Creamy

No, I am not going to give you another decadent chocolate dessert recipe for Valentine’s Day. They seem to be all over the place as it is. You don’t really need another one. Do you? On the other hand, what are you going to have for dinner before the dessert? Or is it going to be just dessert on your Valentine’s dinner? Have you thought about that? Do you have anything planned yet? If not, I got a lovely butternut squash galette for you.

Flaky, buttery, delicate crust and a savory-sweet and creamy filling. Do I need to say more? It’s so light and satisfying that you will have room for that decadent chocolaty dessert. Although I think vanilla might work better…

Now, a word about the dough. Ohhhh, and what a dough it is! So flavorful. I have already mentioned flaky, right?!
I always thought that the bottom of the pie/galette/crostata doesn’t get as much attention as it should have. See for example your typical cardboard tasting graham cracker crust for cheesecake. Don’t you think that cheesecakes deserve a better crust than that boring thing?! I really should do something about it. The dough’s potential is not stretched to the maximum. In this recipe, however, the dough gets an extra oomph from sage. I’m sure that thyme, oregano, and/or parsley, or any other herby friend will work excellent too in this recipe. You really really should try this.


Butternut Squash Galette
Slightly adapted (in *) from a recipe in Gourmet magazine, February 2009

For pastry:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
4 to 6 tablespoons ice-cold water
1 large egg, lightly beaten

For filling:
1 (2-pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 2- by 1/4-inch slices (4 cups)
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 leeks (white and pale green parts only), thinly sliced crosswise
6 ounces soft mild goat cheese, crumbled
A few sprigs of thyme, leaves picked*
Pine nuts, partially toasted*

Make dough:
Pulse flour, butter, sage, and sea salt in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse meal. Drizzle ice water evenly over mixture and pulse until it just forms a ball. (Do not overwork dough, or pastry will be tough.) Gently press dough into a 5-inch disk and chill, wrapped in plastic wrap, until firm, at least 1 hour.

Make filling while dough chills:
Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle. (I roasted it in a 425 F*).
Toss squash with sea salt and 1 Tbsp oil and arrange in 1 layer in a 17-by 12-inch shallow baking pan. Roast until golden brown on edges and undersides, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove squash from oven and reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

Meanwhile, wash leeks, then cook in remaining 2 tablespoons oil with a pinch of sea salt in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly. Add squash, goat cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper and toss gently.

Make galette:
Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Transfer to a baking sheet. Arrange filling in an even layer in center of dough, leaving a 2- to 3-inch border. Fold dough in on itself to cover outer rim of filling, pleating dough as necessary. Brush pastry with beaten egg and bake galette until crust is cooked through and golden on edges, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool on baking sheet on a rack 10 minutes before serving.

Cooks' note: Pastry dough can be chilled up to 1 day. Filling can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered.

Enjoy your Valentine’s Day!
Nurit

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Cranberry Cake to Celebrate the Beginning of a New Year

I want to dedicate a cake to you. To celebrate the end of a year and the beginning of a new one. You deserve it. It has been tough lately. But it will get better, right?! It has to.

I usually don’t fuss over a change of digit when a year ends, but this year it feels a bit different. I’ve been blogging since July and I Love it. The blog grew nicely thanks to you, so here is another reason to give you a cake! (As if I need an excuse to bake a cake). It is simple to make, inexpensive but festive, and makes a perfect cake for the holiday served with whipped cream, or for an after holiday or weekend brunch, served with whipped cream!

Speaking of whipped cream… We have beautiful snow outside. It’s been out there in the past week and our street looks like this.

Our backyard looks like this.

We’ve been kind of stuck at home in the past few days. It’s snowing here like never before. The snow is about 15 inches deep. Some roads are closed, some businesses are closed, schools are closed which means that the kids are at home and need to be entertained and fed 24/7, as well as Mr. Husband. We’ve been doing all kinds of cooking projects here to keep ourselves busy and happy. (All the recipes will be posted next year.)

Onion Quiche

Lamb shanks with Whole Wheat Couscous, Beans, and Garbanzo Beans

We made so many desserts and treats (Marshmallows, nut cookies, doughnuts, cheesecake) that my son suggested that I start a dessert blog.

Very cool idea, but, no, I’m not going to do that. I already have too many blogs on my hands (this one which is also published at the Seattle P-I, this one: Good Food & Bad Food, also published on the Seattle P-I, and at some point I thought of starting a salad blog, but I have to think about it. Would you be interested in a salad blog?)
So no, no dessert blog, but I do plan on buying a new camera and taking some photography classes, and I hope I can show you better photos. I’m so excited about that!!!

Cranberry Upside-Down Cake*
From Martha Stewart

8 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
(I also added orange zest - N.)

1 3/4 cups cranberries
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees with rack in center. Rub the bottom and sides of an 8-inch round cake pan with 2 tablespoons butter. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup sugar with the cinnamon and allspice (and orange zest, if using - N). Sprinkle mixture evenly over bottom of pan; arrange cranberries in a single layer on top.

With an electric mixer, cream remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until well combined. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. With mixer on low speed, add flour mixture to butter mixture in three batches, alternating with the milk, until well combined.

Spoon batter over cranberries in pan, and smooth top. Place pan on a baking sheet; bake cake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes (I added an extra 20 minutes to the baking time - N.). Let cool on a wire rack for 20minutes. Run a knife around edge of cake; invert onto a rimmed platter.

For the whipped cream, click strawberry shortcake.

*A warning: Your baked cake is not going to look that bright red! I expected it to look that bright red, like the photo in the book/link, so I was a bit disappointed when I saw that it is actually a bit brownish-red in real life. That’s just the color of cooked cranberries. But, it is a very good cake, easy to make, and festive enough. Don’t forget the whipped cream!

I wish you ALL a very wonderfully happy New Year!!!!!

I am going to spend some time with my family and will be back in January.

Nurit

Previous December posts:

11 Tips for Eating Out (with Kids) While on Vacation
More than a Weekly Meal Plan – December
Holiday (or Birthday) Party Food – Appetizers
Time to Tell You What It Is

Gingerbread houses at the Sheraton, Downtown Seattle

11 Tips for Eating Out (with Kids) While on Vacation

Eating out while on a trip or vacation, with or without kids, can become a stressful event. Going out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and maybe snacks too, every day throughout your vacation, can be tiring. Choosing a restaurant, driving, parking, waiting to be seated, reading the menu, consulting, deciding, ordering, waiting, paying, waiting… add kids to that... Oh, it makes me tired just to think about it.

Vacation is fun. Eating out is fun. But when it is done a 3-5 times a day, every day, for a week or so, it can turn into a not-so-much-fun experience. Here are a few tips and things to consider that we have learned on our last trip to Whistler, BC, last summer (a great place for a family vacation in the summer and winter, by the way).

Lessons learned and tips to share:

1. Book a hotel that serves breakfast. This will save you time and money and will make your morning more relaxed as you don’t have to go anywhere or drive to another location. You can go back to your room after you had your coffee and your belly is full to finish getting ready for the rest of the day.

2. Choose a room with a kitchenette or at least a mini refrigerator. This is great when you want to have a light and peaceful meal in the room, or a snack, as well as store leftovers from a restaurant meal. We usually buy some food at a local grocery store (like cheeses, deli meat, fruits and vegetables, bread, yogurt, and milk) and eat in the room at least once a day. We find it is much easier to do this when we are with the kids than to drag them to restaurants all day long. It cost less too.

3. The “kids menu”. We have fallen in the “kids menu” trap before and no need to say that we hated it. The selection of food from the “kids menu” can be frustrating. However, if you do order from the kids menu, check for quality. Taste a bite to make sure the food is fresh. If your child if fussy or picky and don’t’ want to eat their food, maybe it’s because is not cooked right or taste good. Also, read my post: Kids’ menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?

4. Buy food to go. Young kids have a hard time sitting for long periods of time all nice and quiet. In the summer, you can buy sandwiches or a lunch basket and have a picnic by the lake. Any ideas for winter time?

5. Split and share. In most restaurants the serving size per person is huge and can feed 2-4 people. To save money, and extra pounds, you can order 2 entrées or a few appetizers for the whole family and share. I once overheard a waitress asking another customer if they have been to the restaurant before and know that the portions are large. She asked if they would like smaller portions. I asked her for smaller portions of what we ordered and it was perfect. Lesson learned –always ask.

6. Do you let your kids choose from the menu for themselves? On one hand, everyone gets to choose what they like at the restaurant, right?! On the other hand, if your child can’t read, you can skip those items you don’t want them to eat (for example, I tend to skip the PBJ sandwich, grilled cheese sandwich, Mac and cheese, pizza, etc). I admit, I lied in the past to my son and told him that the restaurant we were dining at doesn’t serve Mac and cheese. I read to him the items I want him to eat. He is a good reader now, so this strategy in no longer applicable. This is where our authority as parents and new strategies come to play in setting boundaries.

7. The Mac and cheese episode. Do you have a kid that will be happy if s/he can eat Mac and cheese all day long? Theoretically, we have one of those (“Theoretically” because we don’t want to test it to find out). Now we limit M&C to once a week while on a trip and chicken strips with fries now and then. If you prefer to avoid these battles altogether, at least order something along the cheesy pasta like vegetables, or chicken, or fish to balance the cheese-carbs ratio.



8. Kids don’t have to know about ALL the ingredients in the dish, right?! My son likes pesto but the restaurant served spinach pesto. I knew he wouldn’t eat it if he knew about the spinach so I “forgot” to mention it to him. Oops. He enjoyed his pasta with spinach pesto, goat cheese and nuts, and asked for it again the next day. What would you do – tell or not?

9. If you want to go to a fancy restaurant with your kids, check with them ahead if it would be OK for the kids to sit at the table and do a coloring book. We usually bring an activity book and colors with us because not every restaurant has them.

10. Don’t forget to eat your veggies. You will find out that the most popular vegetable side dish is made with potatoes: fries, mashed, baked, and all other forms. Of course we love them in all shapes and sizes, but after a couple of lunches and dinners, it’s time for some veggies, no?!

11. Juice comes only with dessert, not before the entrée. We usually don’t drink juice at home but while on vacation we loosen up on this. But we prefer that our son drinks juice only if he eats most of his meal.

If you have more ideas or tips add a comment below. Thanks!
Nurit

More about this topic:

Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?
Stuffed peppers – a picky eater's nightmare?
Encourage good eating
NY Times: Picky Eaters? They Get It From You
Some thoughts about parents and picky eaters
Sometimes it’s Pizza for Dinner

More than a Weekly Meal Plan – December

The last weekly menu plan for 2008. Posted recipe for December were…

Party times – Holiday (or Birthday) Party Food – Appetizers

Entrées:

Breadcrumbly Pumpkin Ravioli – Sometimes Life Gives You Breadcrumbs
Upgraded/dressed-up Pizza – Sometimes it’s Pizza for Dinner
Surprise – Time to Tell You What It Is
Amazing, but simple, Chicken Wrap
Linguine with Shrimp Scampi
Orange-Colored Soup

Side dishes:

Zucchini Pancakes Addiction
Mashed Potatoes with Cheesy Crunchy Topping

On the sweet side:

Babbo Modenese Crumbly Cake
Apple, Cinnamon and Walnuts Cake
Cookie #3: Jam Thumbprint Cookies
Warm Winter Herbal Tea
If you’re still baking, I got some cookie recipes here.

Miscellaneous:

Last minute gift shopping? You don’t need to go to the store… Click the link, Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids Who Cook

Fun event in Seattle – Gingerbread houses at the Sheraton, Downtown Seattle

Previous weekly meal plan:

Weekly Meal Plan – November
Weekly meal plan - October
Weekly Menu Plan - September

Have a wonderful time in the season to be jolly…
Nurit

Holiday (or Birthday) Party Food – Appetizers

Holidays season means… party time, and if you’re lucky, then it’s parties. Here are a few ideas to make your party stress free.
What you see in the pictures is what I served for my birthday party in August. That was outside in the backyard… But, regardless of the weather, all the ingredients I used then are available year round. This menu was easy to make, quick, and offered different types of food to serve every guest’s taste.

First, a nice platter of cheeses with seasonal fruits and nuts is classic, as it is elegant and casual at the same time. Served with different types of crackers it is loved by most people.


For the cheese platter:
Start with a nice platter, of course
Buy different kinds of cheese: yellow, white, blue, soft, hard, cubes, log, rounds, simple, sophisticated, etc
Add seasonal fruits and toasted nuts
Decorate with fresh herbs or edible flowers. Mint is a beautiful herb and always available, and you can also use it to make Warm Winter Herbal Tea, which I’m sure your guests will appreciate in this weather.
Accompany the cheese platter with some nice olives and more crackers with sesame, poppy, spices, etc, or small slices of bread.

Next, open-faced sandwich/crostini/bruschetta/tartine/whatever you want to name it, is a perfect finger food for a cocktail party, or any party.
The idea it to take bread and slice it thinly, then toast or grill it, usually brushed with olive oil, or butter. If you are short on time and your bread is fresh, just serve it as is without toasting.
Slice a baguette crosswise on a bias. Brush slices with olive oil or spread some butter, if you want. Toast it in a 350 F oven or grill it if you dare go outside in this weather (see Grilling in the Rain), until it is crispy or lightly browned (but not totally dry and don’t burn it like my husband did.) I prepared two kinds:

Eggplant Crostini – with eggplant marinated in herbs (recipe here), with feta/goat cheese, cherry tomatoes, and basil on top.

Blue cheese, walnuts and honey Crostini – spread the bread with fig jam and top with crumbled blue cheese, toasted and chopped nuts (smoosh/press those firmly onto the bread with your hands),and a drizzle of honey (add the honey just before serving, if you can. If not ,don’t worry about it and do it ahead.)

For the guests who like simple or more familiar food, I served Guacamole and corn chips and Hummus with sliced veggies, like cucumber, peppers, with pita triangles (warm those in the oven).
I also served assorted nuts and more types of crackers, fruit and vegetables.

As for drinks, those depend on your crowd, do they like a nice wine, a cocktail, hot coffee, tea or spiced cider?

For additional ideas, visit my World Flavor web site and check out the “What’s cooking?” page for more menus I have catered to different parties and events.

Have a great party!
Nurit

More holiday food ideas:

Easy dinner party - Work & Cook: How to cook a dinner party for 6+5+2 on a conference day?
Season flavors - Thanksgiving-y Chicken Dinner

Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids Who Cook

When my son was 3 years old, he got a Home depot tool box from Toys R Us for his birthday. That was one of the best gifts ever. He played with it a lot, by himself or when he was “helping” his dad build things. It was a wonderful imaginary toy as well as a “useful” one with context to real world activities.

Now that he is 5 and he wants real tools.

I think that in general, if there’s no safety issue, real tools are better choices then toy tools. Kids know the difference. I believe they want to do the real thing. (But I’m no child education expert, so… maybe you know better. This is only my opinion).

When it comes to cooking, he got his own little toy kitchen and kitchen tools at about that same age (3 years). He plays with it from time to time. However, I think that he has more fun when we do actual cooking or baking together in the kitchen while using real kitchen equipment.

Corky Pollan from the online Gourmet magazine , November 2008 issue, (Photographs by Romulo Yanes) shows a few examples of really cool kitchen tools you can give to your kid/s who likes to cook. They are real but they are more colorful and fun looking then “adults” tools which are usually a boring black and white. So if you want to encourage your child/ren to play in the kitchen with you, this might be a cool gift to give for the holiday.
Most of the tools can be found at familiar stores like Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, Crate and Barrel, and others.

Another idea which costs nothing but some of your time is – give your child a cooking lesson!

Teaching them a life skill is the most precious gift. I think.

It doesn’t have to be complex. Keep it simple, depending on their level of skills and age and time available. A few examples: baking cookies, making a salad, setting the table, making soup, whatever will be fun for you.

Related posts:

Baking cookies

Cooking with kids

Simplest vegetable salad

Have fun. Play.
Nurit

Gingerbread houses at the Sheraton, Downtown Seattle

If you are looking for something fun to do for the holidays, go see the Gingerbread Village at the Sheraton Seattle Hotel. Local architects and chefs from the Sheraton Seattle team up to design, bake, and build gingerbread houses and creations with a superhero holiday theme.

Time: Mon-Thu, Sat 10am-6pm; Fri 10am-7pm; Sun 11am-5pm. Ongoing Daily 11/25/08 - 1/4/09; check with location for exceptions.

Cost: Free, with a suggested donation to JDRF Northwest raises critical funds for type 1 diabetes research and education at our special events in Washington and Montana throughout the year.

Sheraton Seattle Hotel

(Sixth and Union)
1400 Sixth Avenue

Seattle, WA 98101

More holiday “stuff”:

Holiday Gift Ideas for Kids Who Cook
Cooking with Kids: “Feast Lesson”
Cookies
Kids menu – Is it good for them? Is it good for you?

What fun holiday attractions do you have where you live?

Halloween Pumpkin Muffins

I made four batches of pumpkin muffins in the past 24 hours for all kinds of school fall festivals!
I was hoping to share a WOW recipe with you, but the one I used from Gourmet magazine was just OK, so I won’t post it here. I didn’t have a Plan B recipe and has already measured all the ingredients for all batches ahead of time, so it was too late to try something else.

But I do like the picture very much and don't want to bury it until next year.

Bottom line: if you have zero recipes for pumpkin muffins, you can certainly use this one. But if you have a winner recipe, do share with us and get credit for it.

Happy Halloween!
Don’t eat too many candies…

And what about those spiders anyway?

Nurit

Pumpkins Seeds Roasted With Curry Seasoning

Sarah, a mom I know from my son’s school, gave me a little bag with roasted fresh pumpkin seeds she baked at home. They were very very tasty.

Pumpkin seeds make a nutritious and tasty snack, and have an extra oomph during the holidays. They make a good treat to serve to your holiday dinner guests without them losing their appetite from eating a more filling appetizer/s and then not having room in their bellies for the main meal.

The recipe was taken from www.about.com.

Pumpkins Seeds Roasted With Curry Seasoning

2 cups fresh pumpkin seeds
2 teaspoons olive oil (or other cooking oil)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoons turmeric
1 teaspoons curry powder (Gharam Masala)
1/4 teaspoons black pepper
1/4 teaspoons cayenne pepper

Scoop the seeds out of the pumpkin shell using a spoon, scraper, or your hands. Place the seeds in a bowl. To clean the pumpkin seeds, remove and discard any strings or bits of clinging pulp.

Wash the pumpkin seeds in a strainer under running water to remove any remaining juices, or bits of pulp.

For immediate use, spread the seeds out on a shallow pan between paper towels and pat dry. To use the following day, spread the seeds out and allow to dry over night.

Place the dry seeds in a bowl and coat with 2 teaspoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and spices. Stir the seasonings with a spoon to evenly coat the seeds.

Spread the seasoned pumpkin seeds out on a baking sheet or shallow pan in a single layer. Bake in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes*. (Stir every 10 minutes.)

* After 30 minutes, check and stir the seeds every 5 minutes. They may begin to pop or crack and turn a delicate golden color when done. They will be crispy and crunchy when ready to eat. Let them cool for several minutes before tasting.

Thanks, Sarah!
Nurit

Will You Kill a Spider on Halloween?

I was at the grocery store this morning buying ingredients to make pumpkin cupcakes for all kinds of fall festivals.
As I was imagining how I will photograph the cupcakes, looking at all the Halloween stuff around me, a thought came to my mind – what if a real live big spider was crossing by the cupcakes as I was shooting the cupcakes.

And then I thought, and I ask you:

What do you do when you find a real live spider in your home on Halloween day?
1. You kill it
2. You let it live

If you kill it, how do you do it?
1. Smash it with a book
2. Pick it up gently with a fluffy Kleenex and flush it in the toilet
3. Step on it
4. Other, ________________


If you let it live, do you,
1. keep it in the house as a pet
2. keep it in the house as a guest
3. take it outside to live in the wild
4. other, __________________


???

Nurit

Beef Goulash

Rosh Ha-Shana (a Jewish holiday) is coming soon and people are looking for good recipes. Naturally, some are asking me, but regardless, I feel pressured to post something, and it must be good, and easy, of course. So here is a winner recipe for beef goulash by one of my favorite top chefs, Wolfgang Puck (you will find more recipes on his web site, click the link).

I make this Goulash very often.

Wolfgang's Beef Goulash
Serves 6

*see my comments in ( ). I hope you won’t find it confusing. This is just to show you that cooking is no science. It is magic ;-)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (or canola oil)

4 cups onion, thinly sliced (2 onions)

1 tablespoon sugar3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon caraway seeds, toasted and ground (I use 1 teaspoon ground cumin, no toasting)

1 1/2 – 3 tablespoons sweet paprika (3 tablespoons in the book)

1 teaspoon hot paprika (or regular paprika/Spanish)

1-2 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram leaves (I use oregano)

1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (I just put the whole thing with the stem)

1 bay leaf

3 tablespoons tomato paste

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

4 cups chicken stock (or 3 cups + ½ cup water)

2 1/2 pounds beef shank, cut into 2-inch cubes (I use beef chuck)

1-2 teaspoon kosher salt (2 in the book)

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions and sugar until caramelized. Add the garlic and caraway seed. Cook another minute.

2. Add the sweet and hot paprika, marjoram, thyme and bay leaf. Sauté another minute, until fragrant (1 minute).

3. (add all the other ingredients at the same time…) Add the tomato paste. Deglaze with the vinegar and the stock and add the pieces of beef shank, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and cook until very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

If there are any leftovers, I add them to soup. I’ll post a recipe for lentil soup where I use even just the sauce of the Goulash without the beef soon.

I highly recommend this book. It is one of my most favorite cookbooks. Many very easy recipes, and quick, perfect for a weekday cooking when we don’t have a lot of time to fix something good.

Other recipes I have cooked from this book:

Chinese five-spice spare ribs
Wine braised brisket of beef with caramelized pearl onions and dried apricots
Honey marinated beef satay
Pan-seared steaks with port-Dijon-cream sauce
Eggs en cocotte with smoked salmon and horseradish cream (it is much easier than it sounds)
Buttermilk-marinated chicken breasts
Whole roasted garlic chicken
Marjolaine cake
White and dark chocolate chunk cookies
Linzer cookies
Pizza
Minestrone soup
The list goes on and on…

Click to read more about the book: Wolfgang Puck Makes It Easy by Wolfgang Puck.

You might be interested to read other reviews:

Jewish Cooking For Dummies cookbook

jamie’s dinners by Jamie Oliver
Thanksgiving-y chicken dinner

Happy Holiday and happy New Year!

Nurit