Butter Borshch

Butter Borshch

My show closed on Saturday night and, after 3 weeks of wearing a corset, coming home late and barely cooking, I was really looking to make something restorative and nutritious for dinner last night. That always makes me think of soup. But so soon after Passover, the last thing I wanted was matzoh ball soup. I also knew I needed this soup to be chock full of vegetables, to make up for all the fried bar food I'd been eating late nights after performances. And I have a little jar of fresh bay leaves -- a gift from a cast member that I was eager to sample. Since spring produce isn't quite here yet, I started thinking about root vegetables. But I wanted a green as well. So I asked myself: what root vegetables have delicious edible greens? Beets, of course! Borshch it was, then.


But the vegetarian isn't such a fan of beets, so I wanted there to be enough other flavors in the borshch that it wouldn't taste overwhelmingly of beets (just clean and earthy). So we added in onions and carrots and sauteed all the earth vegetables in butter. Instead of cabbage, I used the beet greens and even half a package of diced tomatoes from Winter Sun Farms.


So did it work? Did the vegetarian learn to like beets? Yes and no. He loved the flavorful broth we created (and wasn't even turned off by the reddish color!) but found the texture of the beets off-putting. But that's fine; I had made enough side dishes for him to be satisfied with the broth stirred in and I was able to have extra soup for lunch today. Enjoy!


Butter Borshch
inspired by Cooking with PETA and Russian Cookbook

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 2 beets, grated
• 2 carrots, grated
• 3 cups broth (vegetable or chicken)
• 1 cup sauce tomatoes, diced
• 1 bay leaf (fresh, if possible)
• beet greens from 1 bunch beets, stems and leaves chopped and separated
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional garlic salt to taste
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground, plus additional red pepper flakes to taste

Melt butter in a pot over medium-low heat. Add onion, beets and carrots and saute until fragrant, about 15 minutes. Pour in broth, tomatoes and bay leaf and simmer 5 minutes. Add beet greens stems and simer another 5 minutes. Add beet green leaves, lemon juice, salt and pepper and simmer, stirring well, 5 minutes, until greens are tender and flavors are melded nicely. Remove bay leaf and serve. Makes 4 1/2 cups.


Make it a meal: If, like me, you're cooking for someone who may not be crazy about borshch, make side 

Make it a Meal

dishes that could qualify as a meal in themselves. Staying in Eastern Europe, buckwheat is great either on the side or stirred into the borshch. For some extra protein, how about some nutty black-eyed peas? And traveling back around the world, some sauteed bok choy brings in an extra dose of greens. A bottle of red wine to drink and for dessert, fresh blueberries. Bon appetit!


Links to other borshch noshes and thoughts:

• Borscht from Simply Recipes
• Vegetarian Borsch from nami-nami
• Borscht Soup with Garlic Bread from Christine' s Recipes
• Creamy Beet Borscht from Lisa's Kitchen
• Jennifer Wildeboer talked about vegan borshch in her interview on food52
• Borscht from Wandering Chopsticks
• Borsht from Jew And The Carrot
• Borscht from The Kitchn
• Azu, the Tatar meat stew from nami-nami
• Borscht keeps the cold at bay -- canned vs. homemade borscht from Slashfood
• Simply Borscht from Papawow
• part of The Omnivore's Hundred, as listed on Chocolate & Zucchini

Fast and Easy Passover Cooking: Asparagus with Parmesan Butter

Asparagus with Parmesan Butter, outside on our terrace

For those who celebrate, happy Easter! For us Jews, it's still Passover. And, at least here in New York, the weather is finally fully spring. Ozzy and I wandered about, playing in a park for a time, before coming home for lunch. Asparagus is one of the ultimate spring foods. And, lucky me, I had a bunch of it feeling neglected in my vegetable drawer. That decided lunch!


But what to do with it? For seders, we often roast asparagus with matzoh crumbs. But that was far more complicated than what I was after. Also, the vegetarian (who isn't especially fond of asparagus) is in Albany, having a third seder with his family (I couldn't go due to a performance last night) so I was only cooking for one. A quick internet search produced the idea to broil them with some old Parmigiano-Reggiano and butter. I had these alone, but they'd also be delicious alongside some chicken (if you're not kosher, of course). And, if you don't like (or don't have) any asparagus, the butter was like the richest, most delightful garlic butters I've ever tasted. It would be delightful on any other vegetable, matzoh or even pasta or bread. Enjoy!


Update: Jaden at Steamy Kitchen is hosting a Spring Fling whose theme is asparagus! So get your asparagus noshes over to her and celebrate the spring bounty!


Asparagus with Parmesan Butter
adapted from a recipe at Epicurious

• 1 bunch asparagus, ends snapped off
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano, grated
• leaves from 1 stalk fresh basil, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt, plus additional for salting water
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper, ground

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus and cook 3 minutes. Remove and drain very well.


Meanwhile, cream together (I did this in the food processor because I'm lazy) butter, Parmigian-Reggiano, basil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Turn broiler on high. Spread asparagus out on a broiler-safe pan and spread butter mixture over them as evenly as possible. Broil 3 minutes. Serve warm. Bon appetit!


Links to other asparagus parmesan butter noshes:

• Sauteed Asparagus with Butter and Parmesan from RecipeGirl
• Purple/Pink Asparagus with Butter & Parmesan from thepassionatecook
• Vermicelli with Butter, Parmesan, and Asparagus Tips from What Did You Eat?
• Slow Butter Braised Asparagus from Steamy Kitchen
• Creamy Orzo with Asparagus & Parmesan from Sugar & Spice by Celeste
• Asparagus with Fried Egg and Parmesan Cheese from Steamy Kitchen
• Asparagus with Garlic Butter and Parmesan from Dancing on My Table
• Asparagus Risotto from Simply Recipes
• Spring Asparagus and Pancetta Fettucine from Guilty Kitchen
• Pan Fried Asparagus with Parmesan, and Asparagus Ribbons from food52
• Rosemary & Parmesan Crusted Asparagus from eat make read

Easy Passover Recipe: Whole Baked Yams with Spicy Molasses Butter

Baked yam with spicy molasses butter

There are several things that keep me from blogging as often as I'd like. The most obvious, of course, is cooking. Truthfully, when the vegetarian and I are both working, we order in or eat prepared meals far more often than I'd care to admit. When I do cook, I make extra food and we reheat leftovers throughout the week. Or if I'm the one with the busier schedule, the vegetarian makes some variation of his signature baked ziti. None of these options are "worthy" of being written up.


When I'm the one making dinner, there are two routes I follow. One, which you see featured here, involves poking through several cookbooks and the internet, focusing heavily on what's local and seasonal, turning the recipe into a balanced meal and, of course, putting my own spin on things to keep you, readers, interested. The other, far less involved cooking, is based upon a perusal of the fridge and pantry and little to no advance planning or shopping. These recipes are rarely innovative or particularly interesting. However, they are tasty, fast and easy to pull together.


These days, I have two strikes against doing any interesting cooking. First, it's Passover, which usually requires more innovative cooking than usual but, when I'm tired and the majority of  the vegetarian's regular diet is made up of forbidden (to Ashkenazi me) kitniyos, it makes reheated leftovers seem ever-more appealing. And, really, how many matzoh brie variations can I give you? Secondly, I'm performing five nights a week in The Family Shakespeare, a fabulous new play (if I do  say so myself). So while I am often starving when I arrive home at night, there certainly isn't time to first start cooking then.


With all that said, I've decided to include a new feature on the blog: Fast and Easy recipes. These are often thrown together, based off of recipes I've found on the internet. They are primarily inspired by ingredients I already have at home, supplemented (to a greater or lesser degree) by any additional shopping the vegetarian or I have been able to complete. Since it is Passover, this one is Kosher for Passover. Though the butter is quite dark and not pretty, it's certainly delicious, especially alongside some matzoh meal polenta. This came about because I realized I had an obscene amount of butter in the fridge and the majority of a bottle of blackstrap molasses leftover from my chunky banana bran muffins. Enjoy!


Whole Baked Yams with Spicy Molasses Butter
adapted from Epicurious

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
• Tangerine zest, from 1 tangerine, grated
• 1 teaspoon chili powder (if you don't eat cumin on Passover, find a blend without or make your own)
• 1/4 teaspoon Himalayan salt
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 6 garnet yams

In a food processor, combine butter, molasses, cinnamon, zest, chili powder, salt and pepper until completely uniform. Let rest while you cook the yams.

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a large baking pan with aluminum foil. Cut a 1/2-inch deep slit lengthwise down the middle of each yam, stopping about 1 inch before each end. Place on baking sheet and bake 1 hour, 15 minutes.

When cooked, remove yams from pan and, using the slit for help, open up. Spoon 1 tablespoon molasses butter on top and mash well. Bon appetit!

Links to other molasses butter noshes:

• Cindy's Molasses Cookies from use real butter