Jewish Baltimore Eats:
Seven Can’t-Miss Recipes


The coronavirus has changed the way we now eat. With restaurants closing to sit-down business, we are cooking and baking more than ever. In fact, flour, vanilla and yeast are becoming some of the hottest commodities – often as hard to find as toilet paper.

While staying at home means less outings to the grocery store and much less spent at restaurants, it gives us an opportunity to show off our inner foodie. There are countless old recipes to recreate and even new ones to try.

Our staff and community members have been putting their culinary skills to good use. Here’s what we’re cooking up in our kitchens: 

 

Roasted Brussels Sprouts in Balsamic Glaze

By Eve Wachhaus: Deputy Director at Pearlstone

Food can be a great way to support our frontline healthcare workers. Check out Pearlstone’s partnership with LifeBridge Health and donate a farm-to-table meal to nourish these caregivers. See how you can help here.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. fresh brussels sprouts, washed
  • 2-3 Tbsp. coconut oil
  • 2-3 Tbsp. balsamic glaze
  • 5 oz. roasted chestnuts
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2 sprigs fresh thyme

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400.
  2. Trim bottom of brussels sprouts and cut: small ones in half and large ones in quarters.
  3. Spread onto a baking sheet and add coconut oil. Massage with hands to ensure that the baking sheet and brussels sprouts are coated.
  4. Bake for 20 minutes.
  5. Toss brussels sprouts so that more sides get brown and crispy. Bake for an additional 5 minutes or until caramelized.
  6. Transfer into serving bowl. Pour in balsamic glaze then mix.
  7. Add chestnuts then mix. Pinch off leaves of fresh herbs, add and mix.

 

Homemade Granola

By Amy Pollokoff: Incoming Women’s Campaign Chair

Dry Ingredients

  • 4 cups rolled oats
  • 1 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 cup raisins
  • 1 cup craisins
  • 1 cup currants
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon

Wet Ingredients

  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¾ cup maple syrup
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
  2. Mix together all dry ingredients in a large bowl. 
  3. Mix together wet ingredients in a separate bowl and then pour into dry ingredients and mix well. 
  4. Pour into an 11 x 17 jelly roll pan or large cookie sheet with sides. Spread out evenly in pan.
  5. Bake at 250 degrees for 2 hours. After 1 hour, take a spatula and insert it vertically every few inches and move it back and forth to create a little line. This will aerate it. Cook for one more hour. Remove and cool.

 

One-Pan Mediterranean Baked Halibut Recipe with Vegetables

By Wendy Miller: 2018 Women’s Campaign Chair

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

  • Zest of 2 lemons
  • Juice of 2 lemons
  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ Tbsp. freshly minced garlic
  • 2 tsp. dill weed
  • 1 tsp. seasoned salt, more for later
  • ½ tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1 tsp. dried oregano
  • ½ to ¾ tsp. ground coriander

For the Fish:

  • 1 lb. fresh green beans
  • 1 lb. cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large yellow onion sliced into half moons
  • 1 ½ lb. halibut fillet, slice into 1 ½ inch pieces

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients together. Add green beans, tomatoes and onions. Toss to coat with the sauce. With a large slotted spoon or spatula, transfer the vegetables to a large baking sheet (21 x 15 x 1 inch baking sheet, for example). Keep the vegetables to one side or one-half of the baking sheet and make sure they are spread out in one layer.
  3. Add the halibut fillet strips to the remaining sauce, toss to coat. Transfer to the baking sheet next to the vegetables. Pour remaining sauce on top.
  4. Lightly sprinkle the halibut and vegetables with a little more seasoned salt.
  5. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then transfer the baking sheet to the top oven rack and broil for another 3 minutes or so, watching carefully. The cherry tomatoes should begin to pop under the broiler.
  6. When ready, remove from the oven. Serve with your favorite grain, Lebanese rice or pasta.

 

The Heart-Healthiest Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World

By Elise Rubenstein: 2020 Women’s Campaign Chair

Ingredients

  • 2 cups walnuts
  • 3 Tbsp. canola oil
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 ½ cups oat flour
  • 1 tsp. baking soda
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 ½ cups vegan chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
  2. Blend walnuts in a food processor for 30 seconds or until ground into a fine meal. Add oil and blend 2 to 3 minutes or until texture has the consistency of natural peanut butter then transfer to a bowl.
  3. Whisk together brown sugar and ½ cup water in a saucepan, and bring to a boil. Pour brown sugar mixture over walnut butter, add vanilla extract and stir until no lumps remain.
  4. Whisk together oat flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl. Stir oat flour mixture into walnut mixture. Cool dough for 10 minutes.
  5. Fold oats, then chocolate chips into dough. Shape into 2-inch balls and place on prepared cookie sheets. Flatten cookies with the bottom of a drinking glass dipped in water. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until the cookies begin to brown. Cool for 3 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

 

London Broil

By Linda Elman: 2017 Women’s Campaign Chair and Associated Board Member

Ingredients

  • ½ cup olive oil
  • ½ cup low sodium soy sauce
  • ¼ cup honey
  • ¼ Tbsp. of pepper
  • 6 cloves of garlic, chopped

Directions

  1. Score the meat on both sides diagonally. Put it in a shallow pan.
  2. Mix together the olive oil, soy sauce, honey and pepper and pour over the meat.
  3. Spread garlic on top of meat.
  4. Refrigerate all day turning over and basting once or twice. Let meat get to almost to room temperature.
  5. Broil 10 to 13 minutes per side depending on thickness of meat.
  6. Cool a little before slicing.

 

Apricot Chicken

By Rebecca Brown: Development Associate, Women’s Philanthropy

Ingredients

  • 1 (3 ½ lb.) chicken (cut into eighths, rinsed and patted dry)
  • 2 Tbsp. paprika (more or less as needed to cover chicken)
  • ½ cup apricot jam
  • ½ cup mayonnaise
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. pepper

Directions

  1. Oil a 13 x 9 x 2 inch or similarly sized baking dish. Arrange the chicken pieces in a single layer and sprinkle generously with the paprika.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients. Pour the sauce evenly over the chicken.
  3. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, place in the refrigerator and let the chicken marinate for a few hours or overnight.
  4. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake the chicken for 45 minutes. Uncover the dish and bake for another 30 to 45 minutes or until the chicken is lightly browned and cooked through.

 

Banana Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins

By Daniela Levine: Director, Donor Development

Ingredients

  • 8 Tbsp. butter
  • ⅔ cup sugar
  • 3 mashed bananas
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 1 ½ tsp. baking powder
  • ½ tsp. baking soda
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease muffin cups.
  2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar till smooth.
  3. Beat in the mashed banana, then the egg, flavoring and milk.
  4. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt and flours, stirring till smooth; if the mixture has a lot of lumps, beat at a higher speed until they’ve nearly disappeared.
  5. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts.
  6. Heap the thick batter into the prepared muffin cups. Fill each cup to the top. Sprinkle the tops of the muffins with coarse white sparkling sugar, if desired.
  7. Bake the muffins for 20 to 22 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of one of the middle muffins in the pan comes out with a small amount of banana/batter.
  8. Remove the muffins from the oven, and tilt them in the pan to cool a bit; this will prevent their bottoms from becoming soggy. As soon as you can safely handle them, transfer the muffins to a rack to cool completely.

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