Recipes Blog

Mother's Day Recipes

Mother's Day falls at a truly wonderful time of year. Spring is here, the flowers are blooming, everyone seems to be out and about and enjoying themselves. It's really a lovely time to celebrate and thank the Moms in our lives. We've compiled a grouping of simple, delicious brunch ideas any mom would enjoy. Maybe try breakfast in bed this year!

 

Mother’s Day Stuffed French Toast
"I hate going out on Mother’s Day – it’s crowded, expensive and you never really get a chance to sit and visit with your family and friends. Since Zabar’s has always been a part of my life Sunday brunch usually involves Bagels, Cream Cheese and Nova.  But on Mother’s Day I love to make French Toast and serve it with hot real maple syrup and fresh strawberries.  

This is one of my favorite Sunday Brunch treats. 

It is easy to make and really yummy. Prepare it the night before – and refrigerate. In the morning bake and enjoy!"

 

Our (new) Favorite Banana Bread
"Banana Bread is my go to treat when company pays a surprise visit, as a simple hostess gift or when we just need something delicious to snack on. Recently we held a bake-off in my house. My husband swears by his mom’s recipe so we compared her recipe to a new one I’ve been working on to an old standard from a tried-and-true cook book. 

And here is the one that won across the board. We all favored it, even my mother-in-law! ..."

 

Spinach and Goat Cheese Quiche
"Here is a recipe for the easiest, most adaptable quiche ever. I have made this for dinner parties, afternoon luncheons, breakfasts and brunches and it always meets rave reviews. What’s so great about preparing a quiche is you can fill it with whatever ingredients and cheeses you have on hand, making it the perfect dish for last minute meals. And this time of year, it’s just wonderful to make because it’s absolutely appropriate to serve quiche at room temperature. So cook one up while the morning is still cool and have a terrific brunch later that day."

 

Hazelnut and Orange Blossom Shortbread with Dried Cherries
"Last year on Mother’s Day, I made these light, pillow-y hazelnut shortbread cookies (well, sans Orange Blossom Water or dried cherries) and brought them to my Moroccan sister-in-law as a small token for her always put-me-to-shame, ridiculously generous hospitality.  Upon tasting them, she was absolutely certain that I had somehow gotten the family recipe from one of her sisters, and then proceeded to describe to me the almond cookies her mother used to make.  They were apparently quite similar in style to mine, but were enhanced with the essence of Orange Blossom Water, an ingredient, along with Rose Water, that she herself often uses in her amazing Moroccan repertoire of everything from salads to tagines and couscous to desserts..."

Happy Mother's Day!

Braised Brisket with Ginger and Coriander

(Poitrine de Boeuf Braisée au Gingembre et Coriandre)
From French Classics Made Easy By Richard Grausman, 
Founder & Chairman, C-CAP
Prepared by Carla Contreras

This recipe is a wonderful example of how ingredients not normally associated with classic French cooking can be used to bring new life to a traditional dish.

I really should call this recipe Boeuf Braisé Deborah, for it was created on the evening my wife gave birth to our second daughter, Deborah. One of the nurses who attended to my wife was from the British West Indies and a food enthusiast. When she found out my profession, she asked me for my chocolate mousse recipe. In return she gave me her favorite recipe, chicken cooked with fresh ginger, garlic, tomatoes, cilantro, and hot pepper.

When I returned home, I took out the brisket of beef I had in the refrigerator and started to prepare a classic braised beef. Finding a piece of ginger in the vegetable drawer, I thought of the nurse’s chicken recipe. Although I did not have cilantro (fresh coriander), I did have ground coriander (the seeds of the coriander plant) and dried hot peppers. My older daughter, Jennifer, and my gourmet mother-in-law were both so pleased with the results that I have been cooking this recipe ever since. As it turned out Deborah was born a “super taster” like her mother, so both find this dish too spicy. Jennifer and I still love it.

From French Classics Made Easy. Buy the book. 

Andrea’s Overnight Turkey Recipe

By Andrea Watman

The very best part of Thanksgiving is sitting down at a table crowded with my family and friends - the worst part is having to cook a big meal in my apartment size oven. 

There were many years that I would get up at 6 in the morning to start the turkey – and I would be exhausted by the time we sat to dinner. I began to dread the holiday.

I am a night person and had to come up with a solution. One year my father, Nathan, recommended that I stay up all night and cook. I knew he was joking – but why not cook and sleep at the same time!

So be brave and try my overnight turkey – you will awake to a house that smells divine, an oven that is perfectly warm and ready to be filled with stuffing, yams and pies.

This recipe works best with a large bird.  I prefer a turkey that is 20 – 22 Lbs. You will also need an instant read thermometer so that you can be totally convinced that the turkey is fully cooked.  I start at 11:00 pm – so that by midnight the kitchen is cleaned and the turkey is cooking all by itself. When I awake I have a fully cooked turkey and empty oven.  

Since this turkey is going to be cooked slowly at a fairly low temperature, do not stuff the turkey cavity.  Cook your stuffing separately. 

Ligurian Pasta Trenette

By Tori Avey, The Shiksa in the Kitchen

When I was on a culinary trip in Italy back in 2009, we visited a small village called Taormina. Perched on a mountainside about 45 minutes from the Mt. Etna volcano, Taormina is a place of jaw-dropping beauty. From the ancient Greco-Roman theater to the Saracen castle, time seems to stand still in this little village, so removed from the world. Walking down the street, you’re greeted by stores that sell colorful local pottery and crafts. Bakeries tempt you with lovely window displays of cookies and candies. Sweet shops offer gelato in a rainbow of colors. Taormina is a feast for the eyes.

Of course, it’s also a feast for the stomach. I found that out when we started exploring off the beaten path. Down a long narrow alleyway, the smell of home-cooked Italian wafted to our noses. Following the heavenly aroma, we found ourselves in front of a tiny restaurant. An old woman was serving a bowl of pasta to the only customer sitting inside. We walked in, hungry for whatever we were smelling. The old woman greeted us in Italian, and soon it became clear that she didn’t speak any English. Unfortunately I only knew a couple words in Italian (spaghetti? gnocchi?… la bella luna?). But when I pointed to the bowl of pasta she’d just served, she smiled—she knew exactly what I wanted. Food is the international language!

To this day, I dream about that bowl of pasta. I was so impressed that I wrote down the name in a little notebook I carry with me when I travel. “Pasta Trenette.”

When I got back home, I made it my mission to find out how to make authentic Pasta Trenette. The dish has roots in Liguria, Italy. It’s made with pesto and parmesan cheese… and it’s every bit as delicious as I remember it.

Here’s the recipe. It’s really easy to make and so, so tasty. The Italians make it with a pasta called trenette, which is very similar to linguini or tagliatelle. I’ve had trouble tracking down trenette pasta, so I usually use linguini. If you’re feeling ambitious, you can make the pasta yourself using the Leilo Electric Pastamaker sold by Zabar’s.

The cheese really makes this pasta sing. Cheese in the basil pesto melts into the pasta. More salty parmesan or pecorino is added to the dish just prior to serving, which gives texture and delicious flavor. If you’re keeping kosher, you might have found that kosher parmesan cheese is tough to find. Zabar’s sells a wonderful Kosher Parmigiano-Reggiano that can actually be ordered online and shipped within the U.S. Or, if you’re lactose intolerant or vegetarian, you can make a vegan version using my Dairy Free Basil Pesto.

But I really recommend the cheese. Really, really.

Moroccan Lemon Chicken with Olives

by Tori Avey, The Shiksa in the Kitchen

I have quite a few Moroccan Jewish friends, so it’s no surprise that one of the first Jewish dishes I learned to cook is kosher Moroccan Lemon Chicken. This slowly simmered, tender chicken dish is infused with complex flavors… exotic spices, lemon essence, and salty olives. When I make it, I feel like I’m taking a trip into the heart of Morocco. It’s a flavor journey.

The Jewish version of this dish is almost identical to traditional Moroccan Lemon Chicken, but it omits an ingredient called smen—Moroccan preserved butter. Butter and meat don’t mix in a kosher diet, so olive oil is used as a pareve (neutral) substitute. This is typical of many regional Jewish dishes; creative substitutions and “tweaks” are made in order to make these types of dishes kosher. If you’re not keeping kosher and you can track down smen, feel free to use it instead of the olive oil.

Also traditional to this dish are preserved lemons, which are simply lemons that have been preserved in brine made from salt and their own juice. Preserved lemons are really easy to make at home; there are many websites online that will walk you through the process. Local gourmet markets sometimes stock them, too. If you can’t find preserved lemons and don’t want to make them yourself, you can use fresh lemon peel. The flavor won’t be as complex, and you’ll need to salt the dish a bit more to compensate. But don’t worry, even with fresh lemon peels this is a very tasty dish.

Choose firm, good quality green olives for the sauce. Zabar’s carries two excellent varieties: Cerignola Green Olives and Picholine Olives. It can be tough to find quality green olives that are pre-pitted, so you may need to pit them yourself.

Traditionally this dish is made in a tagine, which is a ceramic Moroccan cooking dish. Since most of us don’t have a tagine lying around, I’ve given instructions for cooking this dish in a saucier or sauté-style pan like the Cuisinart Chef’s Classic Everyday Pan sold by Zabar’s. Everyone should have a pan like this, they’re extremely versatile. I use mine for all kinds of dishes—sauces, simmered meats, even stuffed grape leaves!

Serve this Moroccan Lemon Chicken with sauce on a bed of couscous, basmati rice or mashed potatoes topped with fresh cilantro. It’s absolutely delicious. Enjoy!

Gluten Free Note: This dish can easily be made gluten free. Just make sure that your chicken stock is homemade or certified GF, and that your preserved lemons are from a GF source. Pair with a GF starch like mashed potatoes or rice.

For step-by-step photos of this recipe, click here.

Summer Grilled Pizza

from Allison Schraf

Grilling is one of summer's true pleasures, however truth be told, there are only so many burgers one can eat. Enter Grilled Pizza!

It's much easier than you might think, even if you've never made pizza in an oven, grilling it is easy. The dough won’t fall down between the grill grates, plus if you’re using hardwood charcoal the lovely smokiness mimics the flavors imparted by a wood-fired oven. For excellent pizza you want hot cooking temperatures, in the 500°F range, and while nobody wants to crank their oven that high in the summer, grills definitely get that hot. 

Pizza is a great appetizer for outdoor summer parties, too! You can mix flavorings like chopped rosemary, olives, sun dried tomatoes, etc. into the basic dough recipe and make tasty grilled focaccias.

Grandma Bertha’s Sunday Tuna Casserole

by Andrea Watman

With great sorrow and deepest affection, Zabar's announces the passing of our creative director, Andrea Watman. Read Andrea's obituary. We're republishing her wonderful and popular recipe and story for "Grandma Bertha's Sunda Tuna Casserole". We miss you Andrea.

My sister Joy and I spent summers with our grandparents in Long Beach, NY. We had a four bedroom bungalow on Georgia Avenue (four bedrooms, an indoor toilet, outside shower, no closets and just a few termites).

It was in that kitchen I learned to cook by watching my Grandma make dinner. Sunday’s were always exciting. Our relatives would journey out to “the beach” from the Bronx – actually they never went to the beach, but they did breath in the ocean air.

Now – most families would barbecue – but not at my house. My grandmother hated the barbecue – it was never clean enough, she hated the flavor or the charcoal and lighter fluid and yes, she knew sooner or later we would set the house on fire.

She would crack out the Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Dinner, in the trusted blue box, and make the best Tuna Casserole ever. She baked it in the afternoon so that the kitchen would cool before we ate. She would slice cucumbers and fresh tomatoes – and dinner was served.

I no longer use the blue box – but this is her recipe, just slightly updated.

Enjoy!

Curried Lamb Burgers with Raita Topping & Browned Shallots

From Allison Schraf

About 5 years ago I was living in a small New Hampshire town and, being both an avid home cook and also a bit competitive by nature, decided to enter a burger grill-off contest*.   When thinking about what kind of burger to enter, I wanted to do something different than beef or turkey, to hopefully stand apart from the competition.  “Lamb” immediately sprang to mind, and right after that, “Vindaloo”; the classic spicy, tangy Indian flavor combination.  Letting my past experience eating in Indian restaurants inspire me, it was then only a short distance to the topping, garnishes and naan bread and my recipe was born. 

 
This is the complete recipe I used in the competition, and is the one I serve to guests.  The “heat level” depends greatly on the brand of vindaloo paste you use and how much you put in.  I use a pretty fiery one and I would judge these at about a 4-5 on a hotness scale of 0-10.  I’ve included less spicy variations below.  Among my friends who love lamb (and big flavors) it is always a hit and I’ve given out the recipe many times.  There are several steps but most of them can be done ahead and none of them are difficult. Plus, you can do as I do and make the simplified version listed in the variations below for weekday dinners.  Lots and lots of flavor for minimal effort.  Enjoy!    

Cheese Souffle for Mother's Day

by Allison Schraf
Zabar's Housewares Web Coordinator 

I know what you're thinking. You're thinking, "Souffles? Aren't they really hard to make? There's no way I could do that, and certainly not for my Mom on Mother's Day!" 

I'm here to tell you that souffles are not difficult at all.  You just have to pay attention to a few details (which I mention below) and once you try this simple recipe, you'll think, "Oh. Is that all I have to do? That's not hard at all!". They are great for a special supper or brunch because they have a lot of visual "wow" (besides tasting pretty spectacular). But nobody except you and I need to know how simple they are. 

Souffles are a tour de force of taste and texture; they are somehow able to be fluffy, substantial, light and rich all at the same time. Show Mom how much you care with this unforgettable dish, lovely served with a crunchy, tart salad and multigrain muffins or a crusty bread!

Enjoy!  

A collection of our Passover Recipes

Enjoy these time-tested Passover favorites.

Passover Brittles Recipe

Passover Matzoh Brie (Fried Matzoh)

Passover Matzoh Balls

Passover Moroccan Charoset "Truffles"

Almond & Olive Oil Tuile Cookies