Recipes from lunches at the Park Slope Food Coop, 1/19-2/5
Menus, Recipes and Tips
I have been happily preparing boxed lunches for all 90 or so grocery workers at the food coop during the Covid-19 stay-at-home order and onward as we slowly re-open.
In all my years cheffing, I have rarely had the opportunity to cook for a more grateful, kind, complementary and supportive crew of eaters.
Below are lists of my menus by date; exact recipes when I actually use them; and some cooking recommendations and tips when I don’t have recipes. Email me if you have questions or comments.
MENU BY DATE (RECIPES AND NOTES FOLLOW WHEN MENU ITEM IS ITALICIZED)
January 19th, 2021
Squash, Sweet Potato and LIme Leaf Soup — (V, GF) Squash, sweet potato, lime leaf, ginger, dark sugar, veg. stock, coconut milk, garlic
Roasted Brussel Sprouts
Cheddar and Chive Scones — Vegan and Dairy versions
Soup Kitchen Coleslaw — cabbage, fennel, onions, carrots, cucumber, pepper, red wine vinegar, salt, herbs
January 20th, 2021
Green Split Pea, Chick Pea, Sweet Potato Curry — (V, GF) split peas, chickpeas, roasted sweet potato, turmeric, ginger, garlic, tomato, spices
Cilantro Cashew Finger Lime (Pesto - Green Sauce (XV, Vegan, GF) — Parsley, cilantro, cashews, garlic, finger limes, spices, olive oil
Soup Kitchen Artichoke Salad — Quartered artichokes, kale, endive, radicchio, beets, fennel, purple daikon
January 22nd, 2021
Mushroom Barley and Squash Soup — Vegetable stock, roasted Squash, mushrooms, barley, black garlic, kombu, onions, carrots, celery
Rosemary Cheese Focaccia — Focaccia dough stuffed with goat cheese and soft, aged sheep cheese
Chocolate, Almond, Citrus Cookies — Omni and V, GF versions
January 26th, 2021
Creamy Cauliflower and Bacon Soup — (OMNI, GF) roasted broccoli garnish, bacon, cauliflower, pork stock, fennel, goat butter, onions, celery, cream, garlic, anchovy
Creamy Cauliflower and Lima Bean Soup - (V, GF) roasted broccoli garnish, cauliflower, lima beans, veg. stock, celery onions, veg, stock, kombu, garlic, fennel
Soup Kitchen Napa Cabbage Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing (Omni and Vegan versions) —Kale, napa cabbage, lettuce, almonds, pepitas, purple radish, cucumber and carrot
Baba Tamar — Date-Sesame-Cardamom Biscuits — Purim cookie from Iraq. Sweet, yeasted, spiced dough filled with a date-cardamom filling and coated with sesame seeds
January 27th, 2021
Baked Chickpea Polenta with Tomato Sauce, Cheese(Vegan version also) — Chickpea polenta with baked with cheese, eggplant and topped with roasted okra
Cabbage-Carrot Soup-Kitchen Salad
January 29th, 2021
Black Bean, Pinto Bean, Kidney Bean Chili with Ground Beef and Pork Jowl — beans, tomatoes, roasted spices, garlic, meat, stock, dark sugar
Black Bean, Pinto Bean, Kidney Bean Chili (Vegan) — beans, tomatoes, roasted spices, garlic, tofu, stock, dark sugar
Cucumber and Cauliflower Pickles — vinegar pickles with some dill
Hot Sauce — roasted chilis, tomatoes, cumin, red wine vinegar
Cornbread
February 2nd, 2021
Creamy Celery Root, Potato, Leek, Lime Leaf Soup — Veg. stock, potatoes, leek, lime leaf, coconut milk, celery, fennel
Kale Salad with Buttermilk Dressing — Kale, beets, carrots, radish, apples
Horseradish Havarti, Chive, Cheddar Scones
February 3rd, 2021
Saag Chana Paneer (Omni) — Kale, chickpeas, seared paneer, spices, turmeric, garlic, ginger, leeks and coconut milk
Saag Chana (Vegans) — Kale, chickpeas, mushrooms, spices, turmeric, garlic, ginger, leeks, and coconut milk
Roasted Eggplant
Basmati Rice — with cumin seed and mustard seeds
Beet Raita - Yogurt assortment with beets, spices, lemon juice and garlic
Vegan Beet Raita
February 5th, 2021
Middle Eastern Bento Box
Tahina — lemon, tahini, olive oil, garlic
Lima Beans with Herbs and Olive Oil— Marjoram, Oregano, and thyme
Roasted Cauliflower — olive oil, salt
Pickled Kale, radish and carrots
Muhammara — lentils, walnuts, roasted peppers, beets, chilis, lime juice, pomegranate molasses, and roasted spices
BOXED MEALS, SALADS, SOUPS AND STEWS
WHAT WE BAKED
January 26th, 2021
Baba Tamar (Date filled biscuits with sesame seeds) — This is a recipe I researched for a Purim Cooking class and I tested it at the coop at two different lunches. This traditional cookie recipe comes from Iraqi Jews. And it is a great vegan dessert as the dough has yeast as a leavening agent (so you achieve a somewhat cakey, pastry like texture without eggs) and the fat called for is extra virgin coconut oil which blends really well with the dark sugar, and spices — cardamom, allspice and fennel. The filling ingredients are dried fruit and spices and the recipe is below. Keep in mind that you can make the date filling up to a week in advance. The finished cookies are posted in the photo block above this recipe — sesame coated half moons.
Make the dough 2 to 5 hrs. ahead:
4 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon dry yeast (1 packet should be fine)
1/2 cup dark sugar like palm/coconut sugar, jaggery, sucanat, or even brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup virgin coconut oil (6 oz, melted and room temperature) or plain safflower or canola
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup sesame seeds
1 egg (optional)
In a bowl, mix the water, yeast and 2 cups of flour together. Let it rest, covered, for an hour until the dough rises. Meanwhile melt the coconut oil (don’t let it get too hot). Grind the spices in a coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle. Add the remaining flour (2 cups), sugar, spices, salt, and tepid coconut oil to the dough. Mix by hand until the dough is mixed together. Let it rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Give the dough a stretch or two and fold it back into a ball. Rest it, covered, for an hour or two depending on the temperature of your house.
With a dough scraper or a knife, divide the dough into 24 even pieces. Shape each pieces into a ball by rolling it against the counter in the palm of your hands. Let these small circles of dough rest for 15 minutes, covered. Meanwhile, get a rolling pin ready. Have your date filling out with two spoons. Put the sesame seeds on a plate. Have a brush and some water handy.
Roll out each ball into a circle, 4-5” in diameter. Put a teaspoon full of filling in the middle or each circle. Fold the circles into half moons and pinch the open sides together. You can use a fork or a mini crimper. Brush them with water or even egg wash (if you eat eggs). Dip the brushed side down on a plate full of sesame seeds. And then place the cookie/half moon, sesame seed side up on a baking sheet, oiled, lined with parchment or a silicone baking pad. Poke each pastry with a fork to create air holes. (This prevents the pastries from steaming so much that you have a big air bubble in the finished cookie.) Let the half moons rest, covered for 15 minutes.
Bake the half moon pastries at 350 F in a convection oven or 375 in a regular oven for 15 minutes, rotating the pan at least once. Sesame biscuits should be golden brown and puffed when you remove them from the oven.
Date Filling
8 oz.cups dates (no pits), roughly 1.5 cups
1/2 cup water + 1-2 tablespoons more
lemon peel - 1long peel (preferably a meyer lemon), you can use tangerine peel also
1/8 teaspoon of fine salt
¼ teaspoon of ground cardamom
⅛ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 oz. virgin coconut oil (2 tablespoons)
Place all the ingredients in a pot and simmer them for 10-20 minutes. Blend the date mixture in a high speed blender or with a food processor.
WHAT WE PICKLED
