Recipes

Martha's Vineyard Catering, Culinary & Agricultural Experiences

Is Paleo Kosher?

roast turkeyI am often asked for recipes. Although I dream of one day only creating recipes and writing them up to share with friends, this is still far from reality. However, I did receive an email recently that I had to respond to.I was recently asked for a recipe for a Shabbat paleo dinner. Now, I cannot claim to be kosher or paleo, but as a family we do often come together around the table on Fridays evenings, light the candles, reflect on the week and share our thoughts and ideas. For us, this is a sacred rest and reflection.Shabbat is primarily a day of rest and spiritual enrichment. The word "Shabbat" comes from the Shin-Beit-Tav, meaning to cease, to end, or to rest. Shabbat dinner is Friday night before the day of rest. While Saturday at my house is dedicated to work around the house, or at the Farmer’s Market in the Summer, we attempt  for peaceful Friday evenings on a fairly regular basis.It is my philosophy to cook simply with what is available. I use whatever is coming out of the garden or what is fresh from Beetlebung Farm or Mermaid Farm (because they are my closest neighbors!) This time of year I stay away from the grocery store and eat what is coming off the farms. Right now that means spring onions and pea shoots, kale, and lettuce, radishes and bok choy. So what if we eat a LOT of pea shoots this month? Soon it will be too hot for radishes and pea shoots and I will miss them.Sometimes, I sauté a few spring onions in a little oil and fill the pan with pea shoots. It takes about one minute for them to cook down and I sprinkle them with salt and voilà! Greens for dinner! My whole family loves them at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.So I was inspired to produce a paleo, seasonal, Friday Shabbat menu. Without getting too into the details of the ritual surrounding Shabbat dinner, it is a time to enjoy a cooked family meal, as in strict Jewish tradition it is prohibited to cook on Shabbat. It is also a time to make plenty of leftovers to eat the next day! You can find my Paleo Shabbat Dinner here:I have included a few recipes as well - enjoy! Paleo Shabbat Dinner

  • Roasted Chicken
  • Pea Shoots sautéed with Butter and Spring Onions - or - Kale and Chard - or - Fennel Sweet Potato Croutons
  • Chopped Salad with Radishes and Bok Choy
  • Strawberry Sorbet

 Roasted Chicken

  • one pastured chicken
  • one whole organic lemon sliced thin into circles- remove seeds
  • 1 tablespoon Berber - or substitute paprika or smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons za’atar

Preheat oven to  375 F.Remove the spine of the chicken and cut in half. Cut the bird in half again so you have 4 pieces.Rub the entire chicken in olive oil and sprinkle with the paprika or smokey paprika or berber. Once the chicken is well seasoned, lightly sprinkled with za’atar, sea salt and pepper.Place sliced lemon (not the preserved lemon) on the bottom of a roasting pan and place chicken on top. Place the pan in oven and cook for 40 minutes.  Use a thermometer to register the bird at 155 degrees F. Pull the chicken out at 155 as it will continue to cook  and the temperature will continue to rise. Preserved Lemon Sauce

  • 1 whole preserved lemon
  • 2 medium shallots cut into small pieces
  • ½ cup white wine
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons chopped chives and parsley
  • Juice and zest of one lemon

Finely chop whole preserved lemon (if you have to - some preserved come chopped, other cut into quarters.)To make the sauce, heat the olive oil in a small pan. Add the shallot and cook until soft. Add the white wine and juice of lemon and reduce to half. Add the preserved lemon and mix well. add chives and parsley and  spoon over chicken. Pea ShootsPea shoots are easy to grow. Soak peas overnight and then rinse each day following until the peas have sprouted. Once the peas IMG_1604sprout, sprinkle them over a flat of dirt and water the dirt twice a day until the peas take root, then water once per day for the following week. After one week, the peas are ready to cut. You can add these to smoothies or sauté them in a skillet and serve with lightly sautéed onions or plain. Chopped SaladChopped salads are super simple to make and are so versatile because you can chop anything with crunch. Use a good, sharp chef’s knife and chop away! This is a good salad for kids to make and for them to practice their knife skills.The sky’s the limit when it comes to the different ingredients for your salad. Use what is fresh and available locally! I USUALLY include greens ( but not always!) If you do use greens toss them in just before serving as they will get soggy if you add them too far ahead of time.Try out different fresh vegetables, use lots of herbs and blanch certain vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, bean or asparagus as they simply do not serve well raw. I love to mince in mint with loads of lemon zest or a special surprise freshness!For crunch, I love to add  our dukkah which is a mix of nuts and seeds. So if you do not have our dukkah, you can add any combinations for nuts and seeds.My Early Summer Chopped Salad

  • 1 # Steamed asparagus chopped into 1 inch pieces cut on the  diagonal
  • 1# radishes sliced and cut into half
  • 1# sugar snap peas blanched and sliced on the diagonal (6 slices per pea)
  • 1 head medium Bok Chok chopped into tiny pieces
  • 2 cucumber chopped fine
  • 1 half grated sweet potato (raw)
  • 2 cups Greens or chopped watercress
  • 4 Tablespoons mint chopped fine
  • 4 Tablespoons Parsley
  • 2 Tablespoons thyme

Dressing

  • 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
  • ¼ cup fresh squeezed grapefruit or orange juice
  • 1 Tablespoons honey mustard
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt

Mix well with a whisk or blender, pour over vegetables and toss.