SUSTAIN: A Root to Stem Jewish Cooking Experience LIVE with Chef Michael Solomonov

Join Israeli chef and restaurateur Michael Solomonov for a live “root to stem” cooking show honoring Jewish cuisine, seasonal ingredients, and sustainability. Recipes will be provided in advance.

All programs and events for JFest: An Arts Festival for the JCC Movement are made possible through funds granted by The Covenant Foundation, with additional support from The Pertzik Fund for Arts and Culture.

Below are the recipes we'll be cooking with Chef Michael. Directions will be posted AFTER the live stream. Cook with us during the stream as Chef will be directing us live.

5-MINUTE HUMMUS WITH QUICK TEHINA SAUCE

Makes about 4 cups (4 servings)

QUICK TEHINA SAUCE

1 garlic clove

Juice of 1 lemon

1 (16-ounce) jar tehina

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 to 1½ cups ice water

HUMMUS

2 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• MAKE THE TEHINA SAUCE: Nick off a piece of the garlic (about a quarter of the clove) and drop it into a food processor
• Squeeze the lemon juice into the food processor. Pour the tehina on top, making sure to scrape it all out of the container, and add the salt and cumin
• Process until the mixture looks like peanut butter, about one minute.
• Stream in the ice water, a little at a time, with the motor running. Process just until the mixture is smooth and creamy and lightens to the color of dry sand. Now you have Quick Tehina Sauce!
• MAKE THE HUMMUS: Add the chickpeas to the tehina sauce and process for about three minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl as you go, until the chickpeas are completely blended 

BRUSSELS SPROUTS TWO WAYS

Ingredients

Brussels Sprouts

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, root removed and halved

¼ cup white wine vinegar

3 tablespoons salt

2-3 cups canola oil

1/3 cup prepared tehina

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

Vinaigrette

¼ cup white anchovies, minced

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

¼ cup chopped parsley

¼ cup chopped dill

Salt to taste

Topping

1 ½ cup hazelnuts

2-3 tablespoons harissa

½ cup feta cheese, dried and crumbled

To Prepare:

• Toss Brussels sprouts with canola oil and salt. Reserve one cup for baba ganoush. Sear sprouts, cut side down in a sauté pan until blackened. Deglaze pan with white wine vinegar, take the sprouts out and set aside. Repeat until all sprouts are roasted. 
• For the baba ganoush, place sprouts in pan and char heavily. Once charred, take the sprouts out and cool. Place sprouts in a food processor with tehina, lemon juice, and one teaspoon salt, and mix. Add very cold water if necessary to reach desired consistency.
• To make vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk. Season to taste with salt and vinegar.
• For topping, toss hazelnuts with a small amount of water and harissa.
• Make a reservoir of baba ganoush on the plate with the back of a spoon. Toss the sprouts with vinaigrette, and place in an even layer across the baba ganoush. Top with crumbled feta and toasted hazelnuts. Garnish with additional chopped parsley if desired.

Fried Cauliflower with Herbed Labneh

Serves 4

Herbed Labneh

¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

¼ cup chopped fresh dill

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

¼ cup chopped fresh mint

½ garlic clove, grated on a microplane

1 cup labneh

Kosher salt

Fried Cauliflower

Canola oil, for frying

1 head cauliflower, broken into florets

Kosher salt

• For the labneh: Combine the herbs, garlic, and labneh in a food processor and puree until bright green and smooth. Season well with salt.
  

• For the cauliflower: Heat about 2 inches of oil in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. (You can tell when the oil is hot enough to fry by sticking the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil; if bubbles form around it, the oil is ready. Or heat until the oil reaches 375ºF on a candy thermometer.) Fry the cauliflower until the exterior is dark golden brown and crisp, 5 to 8 minutes, then drain briefly on paper towels. Salt well and serve with the herbed labneh.

Israeli Pickles

Makes 6 cups

4 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch chunks

½ head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups)

3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups)

2 cups white vinegar

¼ cup kosher salt

¼ cup sugar

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon schug (a hot sauce made with jalapeno peppers and seasonings; part of Yemeni cuisine)

• Arrange the celery, cauliflower, and carrots in a deep baking dish.

• Combine 1 cup water, the vinegar, salt, and sugar in a saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring, until the salt and sugar are dissolved, about 1 minute. Stir in the turmeric and schug. Pour the liquid over the vegetables and let cool.

• Transfer the cooled vegetables in their brine to containers, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for at least two days before serving. They’ll keep for another several days refrigerated in the brine.