Get your tickets to Philadelphia’s first kosher barbecue event

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Organizers of the event are (from left) Howard Elgart, Stuart Gordon, and Allan Horowitz.

HavaNaGrilla, Philly’s first kosher barbecue, will be held on the grounds of Temple Beth Hillel-Beth El Aug. 27 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. And you don’t have to be Jewish to come and have fun. It’s a carnival with wildly popular attractions for everyone – teens and toddlers, millennials, young and not so young.

Tickets and information go to www.phillykosherbbq.org. Prices are $10 for a single ticket, $20 for a family. Free Parking is at the Kaiserman Jewish Community Center on City Line Avenue and Haverford Road. Shuttle busses will run between the JCC and Temple Beth Hillel Beth El.

You can stroll from booths featuring face painting, animal balloons, a Beer Garden featuring local brews, a professional golf pro, animal and zoo experiments for kids – and a Mechanical Bull. There’s more. How about the pickle eating contest limited to 20 participants? Sign up ahead of time online. Barrels of pickles have been donated by The Pickle Guys of New York’s Lower East Side. How many of Pickle Guys’ finest can you eat in 4 minutes? The pickles are so good, the company ships throughout New York. And for the whisky and bourbon buffs among us , nips of the best aged Scotch and Bourbon are available for tasting.

If you just want to wander and let the kids have their own fun, browse and buy from 30 vendors. Philadelphia and Canadian artists will have a wide selection of unique crafts for sale. The temple’s sisterhood booth will offer a limited number of aprons printed with recipes and signed by celebrity chef Alon Shaya, as well as bamboo cutting boards branded with the HavaNaGrilla logo.

Food celebrities from every aspect of the kosher food arena will be on hand to help. While 20 competing teams are preparing the brisket, chicken and ribs in expectation of winning the coveted Dr. Walter Hofman Cup, rousing rock and roll will be provided by four rabbi rock bands. Gabriel Boxer, the Kosher Guru, is the MC.

Celebrity chefs will judge the food bonanza; Steven Cook from Philly’s Zahav, a restaurant constantly winning rave reviews, Alon Shaya, chef owner of award winning Restaurant Shaya, New Orleans and Abe Fisher restaurant’s Executive Chef, Yehuda Sichel, who creates Jewish dishes inspired by the foods and flavors of the Diaspora.

Besides barbecue and smoked beef sausages there will be grilled Jersey corn, local fruits and for vegetarians, Nana’s Kitchen will offer Israeli salads and Texas vegetarian chili.

Some contestants like Jeff Klein, weren’t always barbecue enthusiasts. A “sort of retired” pharmacist, Jeff is no slouch when it comes to smoking meats and fish. He explains “thirty years ago I smoked the fish I caught at the shore – and it was good.” Word spread. Now he’s sought after to cater barbecue events in the New York area. But his priority is Jakes Kosher Smoked Meats. From a Philadelphia storefront, from Thursday till Friday afternoon, smoked brisket, ribs, chicken and duck are snapped up by a classy clientele. Ari White, the nationally famous Wandering Que, will be cooking up a storm with 70 briskets, dozens of turkey legs, lamb ribs and chicken. Philadelphia’s kosher personal chef, event caterer and cooking teacher, Chef Daniel Israel, creates mouthwatering dishes for his clients. He hates waste as in the appetizer he will be demonstrating. “I’ll show how to transform leftover challah into a delicious Middle Eastern appetizer, Babaganoush …and they’ll go home and make it.”

Included in the dozens of raffle prizes: a Green Egg ceramic smoker, valued at $1,200, golf lessons and membership to the Jewish Community Center.

Proceeds from HavaNaGrilla will benefit the Jewish Federation Mitzvah Food Bank and the Narberth Food Bank.

Recipe: Cast-Iron Seared Venison with Maple and Jalapeno Marinade

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By Krissie Mason   –   Outdoorhub

Time to make some room in the freezer for the 2017 fall hunting season? Here’s a scrumptious maple marinade recipe for a cast-iron seared venison, elk or other big game steak that produces a caramelized crust on a plush, butter-tender, eye-popping, sub-primal cut of meat.

Are you hungry yet? Use it on a freezer steak, or save this one for a fresh cut from deer camp.  Either way, start off with super sharp knives so you can carve juicy, succulent slices of tender, tantalizing medium-rare meat for any steak sandwich you want to create. That is, if you don’t gobble them up hot off the grill first!

Maybe you are thinking a VBLT (venison, bacon, lettuce and tomato) as shown in the photo above, or maybe elk sliders? In the past, I’ve combined the tongue wagging slabs from this recipe with thick-cut bacon, heirloom tomatoes, griddle grilled sweet potato, lettuce, and a peppered wild plum aioli spread for a VBLT.

I’ve also used them to make elk sliders that will knock you silly. Build this sandwich on mini pretzel buns with a double soft cream cheese, slaw, and an onion ring for garnish. This maple marinade is well suited for venison, elk, pronghorn, mountain goat, moose, bison or any other large game animal.

How to Make the Marinade:

Ingredients for Vermont Maple Seasonings Marinade (for approximately 1.5 pounds of meat)

2 tablespoons brown sugar­­

1/8 teaspoon fennel

1/8 teaspoon ginger

1/8 teaspoon sage

1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon paprika

1 pinch cayenne

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

5 teaspoons olive oil

1 tablespoon maple syrup

2 jalapenos quartered lengthwise

Mix all ingredients into a paste. If desired, add more seasoning according to what your taste buds are telling you. Halve the mixture and then massage into meat tissue on each side. Wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate 2 to 24 hours.

When you are ready, heat the griddle to medium high. You don’t want it too high or your brown sugar and maple syrup components will burn. When the griddle is hot, drizzle some olive oil on the pan and lay on the steak, searing the first side. Don’t flip flop the meat from one side to the other. Leave it alone.

After 5-7 minutes, turn the meat and allow to char for another 3-5 minutes. The absolute best way to serve this cut is medium-rare to rare, so take care of that steak you worked so hard to harvest!

Throw on the jalapenos, seeds and all, and char. A bite of one of these along with a jigger of whiskey, or Kentucky bourbon, will warm you like nothing else when you come in from your deer stand or down off the mountain.

Remove steak and jalapenos and let rest for about 5 minutes. Slice thin and devour. Or, prepare this succulent bite as the hero ingredient in a steak sandwich of choice.

 

 

4 generations of women keep secret pickle recipe in the family

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By Jordan Grice   –   Southside Daily

Four generations of women run the Prissy Pickle Company in Virginia Beach, keeping the recipe all in the family. From left to right are Francine Stanley, Agnes Elder, Grace Sawyer, and Dena Sawyer. (Jordan Grice/Southside Daily)

VIRGINIA BEACH — For Dena Sawyer, making pickles has always been a way to bring her family together.

Using a family recipe that dates back to the early 1900s, Sawyer said the family hobby always yielded great gifts for their neighbors to enjoy during the summer and the holidays.

According to Sawyer, one neighbor enjoyed the pickles so much that he sparked the idea that grew into a new business for the Virginia Beach residents.

“He loved them and he said ‘y’all should do this. Ya’ll should start a company,’ and I said ‘I don’t know,” Sawyer recalled. “A couple years later here we are, and we are trying our hand at it.”

With the help of her daughter, 12-year old Grace, her mother Francine Stanley, 70, and her great-grandmother, Agnes Elder, 90, Sawyer founded The Prissy Pickle Company in 2015.

They have been selling their Bread & Butter and Sweet Southern Pickles at the Old Beach, King’s Grant, and Shockley’s farmers markets since June 2016.

Although the recipe is a closely-guarded secret, Stanley said she enjoys providing the public with a treat that she’s loved making for years.

“We’re sharing something that we’ve always taken advantage of, and we want to make everyone aware that it’s a healthy product,” Stanley said. “It doesn’t have preservatives, it’s all natural … It’s purely vinegar, sugar, and spices.”

Making their pickles is a nine-day process, according to Dena Sawyer.

From the moment they get their cucumbers chopped and set in the brine to when they jar the final product, each family member knows the schedule by heart.

On the ninth day, they gather at Admirals Choice Sauce Company on Virginia Beach Boulevard to jar the pickles as a family.

“It’s beautiful,” Elder said. “That’s what family is all about.”

Grace Sawyer echoed similar feelings, adding that she enjoys getting to spend time with her parents, grandparents, and great grandmother doing something they all love.

According to Grace, she is often asked whether she wants to spend her summer working in farmers markets.

“Of course I want to be here,” Grace Sawyer said. “You get to sell at the farmers markets. You get to interact with people. You get to see people’s reactions … I think it’s really cool that we get to sell something that we’ve always done and that we all love doing, so I think it’s great that we are getting to the point where we can sell them.”

Each woman felt that being with each other throughout the process and running the business together was the most important aspect of the Prissy Pickle Company.

Since starting their business, Dena Sawyer said customers continue to enjoy their family recipe which is an added bonus to creating a brand around their pickles.

“I love it when people taste it, and they are excited, and they come back,” Dena Sawyer said. “We actually have repeat customers this year. It’s exciting, and we actually have something to pass down to Grace hopefully.”

Prissy Pickles can be purchased every Saturday at the Old Beach Farmers Market from 9 a.m. to noon and King’s Grant Farmers Market every other Thursday.

Like the article? Reach out to Jordan on Twitter at @JordanEGrice, or send him story ideas at Jordan@localvoicemedia.com.

These Fried Pickles Sliders Are Going To Make Your Tastebuds Sing

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By Pierce Abernathy (BuzzFeed Contributor) rachelgaewski (BuzzFeed Staff) Tasty (BuzzFeed Staff)

Fried Pickle Sliders

Servings: 12

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon thyme

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

24 pickle slices

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup bread crumbs

Oil, for frying

Ranch Dressing

½ cup buttermilk

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup sour cream

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon dried parsley

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

12 frozen meatballs, prepared

Toppings

¼ cup shredded lettuce

6 grape tomatoes, halved

PREPARATION

1. In a small mixing bowl combine flour, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper, and mix until evenly distributed.

2. Place the sliced pickles in the flour, then egg wash, and then bread crumbs.

3. Preheat oil to 350˚F(120˚C) in a pot.

4. Fry the pickles for 3-5 minutes, or until browned and crispy on the outside.

5. For the ranch dressing, combine buttermilk, mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder, garlic powder, dill, parsley, salt, and pepper in a small mixing bowl and stir until well combined.

6. Use a toothpick to assemble the sliders with fried pickles, the ranch dressing, a meatball, lettuce, tomato, and one more pickle.

7. Enjoy!

Inspired by:

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Fried Pickles Recipe

Crispy Fried Dill Pickles

http://www.mamalovesfood.com/2011/08/easy-fried-pickles.html

Ranch:

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Inspired by the recipes here:

Fried Pickles:

Copycat Texas Roadhouse Fried Pickles Recipe

Crispy Fried Dill Pickles

http://www.mamalovesfood.com/2011/08/easy-fried-pickles.html

Ranch:

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Homemade Ranch Dressing

Bacon Wrapped Stuffed Smoked Turkey

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by Randy Shannon   –   WTVB

It’s a mouthful to say, and a savory mouthful to eat.  Smoked turkey, stuffed with cheddar and jalapenos, wrapped in bacon and smoked to perfection!

Jalapeno and cheddar stuffed turkey

Here’s what you’ll need:

  • Turkey tenderloins, or cutlets
  • 1 jalapeno, diced
  • shredded cheddar cheese
  • thin cut bacon
  • your favorite rub ( or mine )

Take the tenderloins and flatten them slightly with a meat mallet.  Then prepare the brine.  Poultry has a tendency to dry out in the smoker, so a brine is always a good idea.  I only needed about 4 cups total, so here is the brine I used.

  • 4 cups water
  • 1/4 cup salt
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp Serrano pepper sauce (which I get at  Oneida Market )

Mix together and pour into a resealable bag.  Add the turkey tenderloins, seal the bag and place back in the refrigerator for 2-4 hours.

When ready to prepare, get your smoker up to temp (240°).  Take the tenderloins out of the brine and rinse well with cold water to remove any excess salt.  Pat dry with paper towel and place on a sheet of wax paper.

Add a layer of rub to both sides of the turkey.  For ease of wrapping, I place two pieces of bacon in an X pattern under the turkey.  Sprinkle the jalapenos on one half of the turkey, then cover with the cheddar cheese.  Fold the turkey over on itself and wrap tightly with the bacon, using toothpicks to hold it in place if necessary.  Add another layer of rub to the outside of the bacon wrapped turkey.

Place in the smoker on full smoke for approximately 2 hours, or until the turkey has reached a safe eating temp of 165°.  I used mesquite wood in my smoker and made sure the water basin was full.  For a little variation, I filled it with some wheat beer I had on hand.

**Full disclosure: My daughter was complaining that it was taking too long, so I smoked it for an hour, then finished it on the grill for about 10 minutes.  I thought it might crisp up the bacon… it did not.

Let the meat sit for 15-20 minutes and serve.

Jersey Freshcipes Crab Dip Stuffed Jalapenos Wrapped in Bacon

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Crab Stuffed Jalapenos

6 Jersey Fresh jalapenos
8 ounces of cream cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp of paprika
1/2 tsp of onion powder
dash of parsley
old bay, to taste
3/4 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. or 1 cup of lump crab meat
lemon juice, to taste
12 pieces of thick cut, uncured, applewood smoked bacon

    1. Slice off the top of the jalapeno leaving the stem area intact and dig out seeds. NOTE: protect skin by wearing plastic gloves or avoid touching the seeds with your hands.
    1. Create filling by mixing together cream cheese, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, parsley, old bay, cheese, lemon juice and crab in a large mixing bowl.
    1. Roll crab dip into a log shape and place it into the jalapeno peppers
    1. Spiral one slice of bacon around each stuffed jalapeno finishing at the thin end of the jalapeno, secure with toothpick if needed.
    1. Cook at 425 degrees for 30 minutes.
    1. Broil on high for an additional 5-8 minutes to crisp up.

Recipe submitted by Caitlin Scharff of Cait Straight Up Cooking

Tex-Mex Chicken

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By    –   Bangor Daily News

Tex Mex Chicken with Jalapenos

Cumin, chili powder, onions, garlic, green chilies or jalapenos, all on something, topped with cheese makes it Tex-Mex, it seems. Tex-Mex bananas anyone? Or how about chicken instead? Now we are talking.

Quite a while ago, reader Josephine Belknap sent along a grand collection of Tex-Mex recipes. Every once in a while, when I feel bored with my cooking, I thumb through them, and have shared some with you already. The Tex-Mex Chicken with Chiles and Cheese appealed this time and I made it for supper to general household approbation.

Josephine had noted on the recipe that she likes to use chicken thighs in this recipe, but breasts work, too, and that is what I used. Boneless is better, and whether or not you leave the skin on is up to you. Mine were skinless and I thought the corn and peppers in this dish provided enough moisture that skins didn’t seem necessary. Speaking of peppers, I seldom have jalapenos on hand, so I used a small can of chopped green chilies. To add just a bit of heat, I sprinkled in some red pepper flakes. The corn, homegrown, came out of the freezer but before too long (next week) it will come out of the garden here.

I made Spanish rice to go with the chicken, but if you wanted to, you could roll the chicken and vegetables up in a flour tortilla, enchilada style.

This dish came together pretty quickly – about a half-hour’s time. It tasted like something that took longer to cook.

Print
Tex-Mex Chicken
Ingredients
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, each cut into two to three strips
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 small can of green chilies or a medium jalapeno finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 cup corn kernels
  • Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
  1. Toss together the flour, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper.
  2. Dredge the chicken strips in the spiced flour mix and shake off excess.
  3. Put the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat, and brown the chicken lightly on both sides, then set aside.
  4. Add the onion, garlic, chilies or jalapeno to the skillet and cook until the onion is softened. Add the oregano and corn, and heat through about three minutes.
  5. Put the chicken back in the skillet to rewarm.
  6. Grate cheese over the top and put under a broiler to brown lightly.

Pickle Classes Taking Place

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KINGSTON, N.Y. >> Join master food preserver, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ulster County nutrition educator, and professional cook Janie Greenwald as she hosts the Kitchen Class Series’ last class for the summer — Quick Pickles — from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 24 at Kingston Plaza.

The class fee is $35. Register by the Monday before the class to allow organizers to purchase supplies.

Participants will learn the boiling water bath method of preservation and the science behind safe, quick pickles and will take home a jar of what is made and canned in class.

To register, go to the website ulster.cce.cornell.edu and click on “Events.” Print the registration form for this event, and mail it with a check payable to CCEUC to Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County, Attn. Janie Greenwald, 232 Plaza Road, Kingston, N.Y. 12401. For more information, call Janie at (845) 340-3990, ext. 326.

Wednesday

Provisions Market Hall — Fifth Street Public Market, 296 E. Fifth Ave., 6 p.m. “Spanish Wines,” dig a little deeper into the unique offerings of Spain; will discuss how to read regions on wine labels, how to pair and taste our way to discovering new favorites. $20. 541-743-0660, provisionsmarkethall.com/events.

Saturday

Community of Christ Church — 1485 Gilham St., 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. OSU Extension Service Master Food Preservers will be offering a pickle-making class that will include tips and tricks for making both quick and fermented pickles, an overview of everything you need for successful pickle making, including equipment, ingredients, recipes and techniques; principles of fermentation; make a jar of quick dill pickles as well as some sauerkraut to ferment at home. $30. Register at rgne.ws/11kF8aH or at the Extension Service office, 990 Jefferson St.

Tuesday

Natural Grocers — 201 Coburg Road, 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. “Raw Vegan Soups, Chilled and Warm” with Alexandra Bwye. Free. 541-345-3300.

Events

Friday

Springfield Museum — 590 Main St. 5 p.m. “History & Hops, A Fundraiser for the Springfield Museum” will feature local beer and local history, food truck and live music. $10 in advance (rgne.ws/2uj7Us9), $12 at the door, $5 for younger than 12, ticket includes drink ticket and souvenir pint glass. springfield-museum.com

Nigel Slater’s sticky rice with courgettes and pickles recipe

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A Japanese-style dish that’s quick and easy

Savoury hit: sticky rice with courgettes and pickles. Photograph: Jonathan Lovekin for the Observer

The recipe

Wash 180g of sushi rice in a bowl filled with warm water, then pour off the water and repeat. Tip the rice into a medium-sized saucepan, pour in 300ml of water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat so that the water is simmering, add half a teaspoon of salt, then cover the saucepan with a lid and leave to cook for 15 minutes.

Wash and trim 150g of small courgettes, then, using a vegetable peeler, remove slices of each courgette in long, thin shavings. Toss them in a little sesame oil and season lightly with salt. Roughly chop 75g of assorted Japanese pickled vegetables. Shred 20g of pickled ginger. Roughly chop a handful of basil and coriander leaves.

When the rice is cooked, remove the saucepan from the heat and leave it to rest for 5 minutes, still covered by its lid. Then remove the lid and gently fold the chopped pickles, basil, coriander and raw courgettes into the rice with a fork. Stir in a tablespoon of dried seaweed flakes, a tablespoon of rice vinegar and season to taste. Serves 2.

The trick

If the rice has stuck to the bottom of the pan during cooking, empty out the rice, then pour a little water in to the pan, bring it to the boil and leave it for a minute or two. The rice will then be easy to remove from the pan.

The twist

The shavings of courgettes soften in the residual heat of the cooked rice. You could stir in a few other good ingredients instead. Try chopped tomatoes marinated briefly in olive oil and basil, French beans, lightly cooked and cut into short lengths, or, better still, thin batons of cucumber tossed in a little rice-wine vinegar and a few nigella seeds.

Email Nigel at nigel.slater@observer.co.uk or follow him on Twitter @NigelSlater

Anti-cholesterol agents extracted from wild plants

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By Snehlata Shrivastav  –   The Times of India

NAGPUR: Researcher from the Botany Department at Nagpur University has extracted and purified certain pharmacologically and bioactive phytosterols (plant-based cholesterols) from wild plants which can potentially counter the activity of animal cholesterol in human beings.

The researcher, Pradnya Anasane, has also identified edible seeds of certain vegetables and fruits, which too can control hyperlipidemia (excess of fats and lipids). The researcher claims that phytosterols can act as herbal medicines and replace the synthetic drugs used for reducing cholesterol.

Anasane carried out the research as part of her doctoral degree under guidance of Prof Alka Chaturvedi. “Of the 20 wild plants we screened, phytosterols could be extracted from eight plants. We not only isolated the phytosterols but also purified them, conducted structural analysis and tried them on rats. We got good results,” said Chaturvedi.

Chaturvedi further said, “Besides possessing anti-hyperlipidima property, the plant extracts were also found to have anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties.”

Anasane said phytosterols are naturally found in vegetable products like oils but they are also present in pulses and dried fruits. “The use of food containing phytosterols is a relatively recent development in human nutrition. Phytosterols play a major role in functional foods. Their ability to reduce serum cholesterol in humans has been widely proven. They also enhance the immune system and reduce risk of certain cancers,” she said.

Research has found that seeds of pomegranate, watermelon, flax, soyabean, sunflower, fenugreek (methi), sesame, cumin, parwal, Indian round gourd and pumpkin possess anti-cholesterol properties. These seeds can be used as food supplements.

The extracts from wild plants Cullen corylifolia (Babchi), Bombax ceiba (Shalmali), Ficus hispida (Kala umber), Nerium indicium (Kaner), Cascabella thevetia (Yellow oleander), Plumeria rubra (Chameli), Solanum virginianum (Kantakari) were found to have anti-hyperlilidimia properties.

Anasane said that these plants with many therapeutic properties can be claimed for novel drug formation with the advantages and applications of phytosterols. These plants are otherwise toxic for consumption directly but contain certain phytoconstituents, including phytosterols, can be isolated and employed to formulate drugs.  “The extracts of two plants Ficus hispida and Cascabella thevetia were selectively tried for anti-hyperlipidemic activity on rats. These rats were first fed with high fat diet to increase their cholesterol levels. Both plant extracts have shown a significant activity in doses (150 mg/kg and 300 mg/kg) when compared with the activity of standard drug Finofibrate,” said Anasane.

Chaturvedi told TOI that it was for the first time that a doctorate research in Nagpur University has been taken to such level. “There is scope for more work on the subject so that the molecules in the extracts having anti-cholesterol properties could be identified and herbal drugs could actually be prepared from the plants,” she said.