The Kitchen Guru

  Perfect Hot Salt Beef Sandwich When I was twenty I was lucky enough to work a stall in the world famous   Petticoat Lane market   on   Sunday   mornings, Back in the day the market was mainly Jewish market traders   we were part of the very special history of the East End of London, The excitement, hustle and bustle, comradeship between the stall holders was second to none, we worked all weathers , and shared each other’s joys and sorrows.   but the icing on the cake was visiting Blooms on Whitechapel Road after trading had finished for a succulent hot salt beef sandwich, nothing can erase these memories from my mind even though its over half a century ago. When Danny Brummer  “Z"L”  was running the Deli in Hove Street, I use to cook with him, back in the day we use to pickle our own beef but nowadays you can buy it ready pickled from Gilberts, this is the recipe we used to serve hot salt beef sandwiches to the Brighton and Hove Jewish...

  French Onion Soup     serves 4 When I was 14, I spent time in Paris, this was the  favorite soup  of  the family I lived with this recipe is tweaked from their family recipie , going back generations. I was talking to a friend the other day about the cold, and she reminded me of the wonders of French onion soup and how it makes a wonderful lunch or a light evening meal, then asked me for my recipe, you can adapt this recipe for people (like myself) who are dairy and gluten intolerant, as there are tons of vegan cheeses out there nowadays. You need ·        50g  plant based margarine ·        1 tbsp  olive oil ·        1kg  onions,  halved and thinly sliced ·        1/2 tsp  sugar ·        4  garlic cloves,  thinly sliced ·        ½ teaspoon dr...

Food for family and friends  I try not to watch daytime television, but the other day when at my mothers, “Lose Women” was on in the background. Someone was discussing being invited to a friend for dinner and was presented with a supermarket microwave meal complete with microwavable dish. This got me thinking about simple family meals that you could share with friends. One meal that is a popular family meal and with little effort can be dressed up for friends is Spaghetti and meatballs, you can easily convert this recipe if your guests are gluten free, so no one has to miss out. This meal can be prepared and cooked from scratch within 45 minutes. This recipe serves 6-8 people and freezes well. For the meatballs 1 kilo minced meat, you can chose beef, turkey, chicken, or lamb. 1 very large onion peeled ½ cup parsley ½ cup coriander 2 cloves of garlic 2 eggs beaten ¾ cup of bread crumbs, I use gluten free bread, but you can use any bread crumbs, matzo meal, or cornflakes ground down....

 Beef Pot Roast for 4 Pot roast is the ultimate winter meal, that is so easy to prepare and full of flavor and satisfying, it is equally good for a family meal or to serve to guests. You can cook it the traditional method or in a slow cooker! The results are equally as good, but a slow cooker is more economical. The hardest thing about this recipe is gathering all the ingredients! Ingredients 1 kilo chuck roast, round roast, or briskets. Ask your butcher to roll it for you 2 cloves garlic peeled and chopped 2 bay leaf 2 red onions peeled and cut into ¼ 2 celery stalks cut into chunks 2 carrots cut into chunks 1 parsnip cut into chunks ½ swede cut into chunks I tin of chopped tomatoes 500ml red wine 250ml beef stock ½ teaspoon mixed herbs ½ cup fresh parsley ½ teaspoon brown sugar Salt and pepper to taste If cooking in the oven – Preheat oven 160C/Gas 3/fan oven 140C Place the meat in a large Dutch oven (casserole dish) Place the vegetables garlic, bay leaves and herbs around the be...

  Pumpkin  Season   I noticed Pumpkin in the supermarkets last week which reminded me of visiting my son who lives in Kansas in the Mid-West of America some years back in pumpkin season. I had heard about and seen in films, yet nothing prepared me for the sight, and smells of pumpkins everywhere. Every supermarket, farmers market and grocery store are awash with this wonderful golden orange colour, The highlight for me  was visiting the pumpkin farm, riding out in a tractor with my grandson to pick our own pumpkin. There are many recipes for pumpkin but the traditional and still my very favorite is all American traditional Pumpkin Pie.  Although not quick if made from scratch it is totally worth the effort. All American traditional Pumpkin Pie. Dairy free version ·        750g/1lb 10oz pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, and cut into chunks ·        350g sweet shortcrust pastry as below or you can buy ready...

    Luxury Fish Pie. Serves 4-6 depending on appetite Every now and then I get the urge to eat a fish pie but don’t make it off forgetting how simple this is to make This recipe is easy to follow, and only takes 15- 20 minutes preparation time, so within an hour you have a delicious, warming and satisfying meal although this is not a complicated meal to prepare it has the taste of pure luxury. You can, like me can substitute the dairy products for the lactose intolerant, and it is just as delicious or use dairy products. You need ·        1kg Maris Piper potatoes, peeled and halved ·        500 ml any kind of milk I use plant-based milk    ·        40g Tomer or Butter, plus a knob ·        25g plain Gluten free or ordinary flour ·        1 leek washed and finely sliced ·     ...

Food to take and break your fast Most families have a traditional meal they have for the Seudat HaMafseket (meal before the fast, a lot has been written about the importance of a simple menu that includes , high protein   slow burning   low-sodium foods to sustain one throughout the day,   My son and family favour my one pot Chicken dish that is delicious, nutritious filling but slow burning, to take the fast and this has become their tradition. ( My grandchildren tell me this dish also is delicious cold so the children who are not fasting can eat leftovers during Yom Kippur)     One pot chicken. Serve 4-6 One chicken portioned into 6-8 portions (I cut the breast in two and separate the legs and thighs) 250g/9oz basmati or  long-grain rice (I use whole rice, but you can choose what you prefer) 1 onion chopped I leek- washed and chopped 2 carrots peeled and 2 large potatoes 2 bay leaves 600ml/1 pint  chicken stock 1/2 cup ...

  Rosh Hashanah – Symbolic foods (Simanim) There is a tradition at Rosh Hashanah to eat symbolic foods ( simanim ) these are meant to help ensure us a good and sweet new year. Whereas the Ashkenazic custom would be to incorporate most of the foods into a menu, most Sephardic households hold a “seder” or mini service after Kiddush and Challah saying a blessing over each food. Over the years I have sat at both tables and love the creative ways each of the simanim are prepared. Here you have three simple and quick to prepare recipes to incorporate simanim into your Yom tov menus and below the recipes you can read about the simanim, and what they symbolise and their importance at Rosh Hashanah Rosh Hashanah Honey and Leek Roasted Chicken – serves 4 -6 I whole chicken portioned 1 leek washed, chopped very finely ½ cup of fresh parsley chopped 2 carrots peeled and finely chopped 1 clove of garlic chopped finely 4 fresh dates without stones chopped finely 1 table spoon runny honey 2 table...