Oded, under influence from the restaurant (The Olive Leaf) at which he waits, cooked up the following menu:
Truffle and Porcini Mushroom Soup;
Corbina & Tuna Patties, served on a bed of Green Tehini with Tomato/Onion salad;
Rolled Chicken Breast, wrapped in Smoked Turkey Pastrami, and served over Grilled Dough Rafts, and creamed Eggplant Zaalouk (google it).
The main course was accompanied with "Potato-Carrot Kugel" (Mom and Odelia) and Grilled Antipasti Veggies (Sis).
Dessert was cut up fruit!
We started off the meal with my home-baked raisen Challah. For some reason, this year it turned out absolutely perfect! I used a combination of about 1-1/2 c whole wheat flour, and the rest regular white flour, but I sifted the flour. Perhaps that was the secret. I also added real anise. Also, I used a bit more yeast thean I usually do. Whatever the reason, as I was kneading the dough, I knew it would be just great. I usually find that my dough "spreads" during baking, but this time it kept its height. I divided my recipe into 2 loafs, creating a long braid for each, and then spiraling it to make a round loaf.
We had the traditional "symbols:" honey, apples, pomegranates, green beans, pumpkin, and carrots (I made a pumpkin and carrot "tzimmes," which was served cold).
The "soup" was amazing. He used an entire jar of "canned" truffles, a good number of fresh Porcini mushrooms, and a basket of regular "champignions," all of which he sauteed away, then blended into a fine paste, which was thinned down a bit with some "parve" cream. It was served as a "smear" on the soup bowl, looked like sewer sludge, but tasted absolutely sublime!
For the fish patties, he used a frozen Corbina that I had in the freezer. It was a whole fish, so mom (i.e. me!) taught him how to skin and filet a fish! He made up a mash, including lots of parsley, and fried them just before serving. The plate looked so beautiful, as he first spread a dollop of green tehina, then scattered on that a mixture of tomato slices and onion rings, and place two of the little patties on top. So GOURMET!
The chicken portion was somewhat influenced by me, as I had already purchased 12 chicken shnitzels and some smoked turkey breast, not knowing, then, if dd would actually be cooking, or what, and I intended to make chicken rolls, stuffed with something or other. So he used these ingredients, but added the Zallouk idea, and also used up some leftover pizza dough that was on hand since Friday, to make "rafts" for the concoction.
Everything looked amazing...sorry I didn't photograph the meal!
