The Rembrandt Connection

The Netherlands and The Rembrandt Connection was our delightful and unique experience for those lucky folks attending Beyond Our Shore in the month of March. 

For those who have yet to find this wonderful event, which takes place every month always featuring a different country, please try to join your friends next time Right Next Door . . . you will experience Fun, Food and Friends.  You will make new friends.  Beyond Our Shore is designed for retired Ladies and Gentlemen on the North Shore and the very reasonable cost is only $10 per person. 

At this March event, our delightful Mayor of the City of Lynn, Judith Flanagan Kennedy, personally came to the dinner to announce yet another year’s funding has been approved so LaRabinessa can continue with her astounding educational, epicurean and entertaining monthly delights.

For those of you who don’t know LaRabinessa, the Rabbi’s wife, she is Liora Kelman. She is the dynamite gal who is behind the monthly Beyond Our Shore events.  She does the majority of cooking and when you see the feast you will come to appreciate the enormous amount of work that goes into this function.   Not only is there delicious food, but prizes, education and crafts are offered for those who wish to participate.  There is always a raffle with several prizes and with one big prize.  LaRabinessa, truly gets into the mood and at every one of these occasions she dresses as if she were a representative of the country we are ‘visiting’.  For example, while we were attending the Netherlands dinner, Liora was dressed in a typical costume of the country of Holland including yellow braids peeking out from under her white cap and very uncomfortable looking wooden shoes.  Her dress was long, colorful, and red and white with an apron such as you would see in pictures of Dutch ladies.  I think her feet must have felt really nice when those shoes came off! 

 Our craft this month was watercolor painting taught by the well known artist, Tamara Wolfson.  Some of her students turned out remarkable pieces of art.

This March, as mentioned, the Netherlands was featured and we were shown a very interesting and informative film.  During the function there is always music appropriate to the region or theme to get you in the mood or even perhaps to get up and dance.  We always have FUN!!! 

R E C I P E S

Bon Appetite !

CUCUMBER SALAD

Ingredients:

2-3                  large cucumbers, peeled & sliced  

8 -10 ounces   white vinegar                               

3 – 5 T            sugar

1 – 2               onions, thinly

Directions:  Mix all ingredients.  Chill and serve.

ASPARAGUS SALAD WITH GOUDA CHEESE

Ingredients:

3 ½ cups fresh asparagus                     salt & pepper

2 oranges                                             ¾ cup Gouda cheese

1 dollop whipping cream                                    ½ cup fresh spinach leaves or rucola

honey                                                   2 t pine nuts

dash of lemon juice

Directions: 

Cut an inch off the asparagus stems and place in a pan of cold water for ½ hour.  Drain, cut at angles in 1" pieces.  Boil water, add salt, cook asparagus for 9 minutes.  Drain, set aside until completely cooled.

Grate 1 T orange rind. Peel oranges and cut segments in ½. Collect any juice.

Beat the cream; add salt & pepper & 3 T of honey.  Fold in 1 T Orange juice and the grated rind.  Add a dash of lemon juice.

Wash the spinach or rucola leaves and cut off some stems.  Place leaves on large platter.  Mix this asparagus, orange, and sauce, and spoon over the bed of spinach or ricola.

Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the salad and sauce.  Serve with toasted white bread & butter.

FAVA BEANS WITH BEETS

Ingredients:

8 oz fava beans                                       2 T extra virgin olive oil

4 medium cooked beets cubed                 Black pepper

Directions: 

Cook the beans in boiling water until almost tender.  Add the beets and continue cooking for 5 more minutes.  Drain, drizzle with olive oil and serve hot with freshly ground black pepper.

Alternatively:  can be served cold with a dressing made up of: 6 T mayonnaise flavored with one or more of the following:  1 T capers, 2 chopped gherkins, 2 T chopped herbs of your choice, 1 t Dijon mustard, chopped scallions.

SPLIT PEA WITH DUMPLINGS

Ingredients:

1 onion                                                    1 carrot cubed

¼ stick margarine                                    1 ¼ T flour

4 T oil                                                     10 C boiling water

¾ lb. dried split peas, washed & drained              1 T chicken flavored powder

1 potato, cubed                                        salt & pepper to taste

Directions: 

Sauté onion in margarine and oil until golden.  Add potato & carrots, sprinkle with flour & stir.  Add water and seasonings.  Cook on low for 1 ¼ hours, stirring occasionally.  Blend in blender.  Return to pot and bring to a boil.

DUMPLINGS:  mix together 1 egg, 2 T flour, pinch of salt.  Drop with spoon into boiling soup and cook for 10 minutes.

Serves 10.

CAULIFLOWER & EDAM CHEESE

Ingredients:

1 cauliflower                             1 cup milk

3 eggs                                      salt, pepper

2 T condensed milk                   paprika powder

2 T flour                                   1 cup grated aged (Edam) cheese

 ½ C breadcrumbs

Directions: 

Cut the cauliflower into florets and wash them.  Boil florets for 10 minutes in 1 up of lightly-salted water.  Drain.

Beat eggs with the condensed milk and ½ of the grated cheese.  Add the flour, pepper and paprika to taste.

Place florets in a greased oven dish.  Pour the egg & cheese mix over it and sprinkle the remainder of the grated cheese on top.  Bake in a preheated oven at 395 F for about 35 minutes.  Serve with pan-fried sliced potatoes.

BRUSSELS SPROUTS & CHESTNUTS

Ingredients:

2 ¼ C chestnuts                                   2 T butter

4 C Brussel sprouts                              ½ C raisins

salt                                                       nutmeg

Directions: 

Put chestnuts in a pan of cold water & discard the bad ones that rise to the surface.  Cut a cross into the "flat" end of the remaining chestnuts.  Put them in a pan, cover with water, and boil for about 40 minutes.

Wash and pat the raisins dry.  Add them to the boiling chestnuts for the final 10 minutes.  Cut a slice off the bottoms of the sprouts and peel off the outer leaves.  Boil them for about 10 minutes in salted water then drain.

Drain the chestnuts & rinse them in cold water.  Peel and mix them with butter and raisins.  Add the sprouts to the chestnuts, add more butter and nutmeat.

PAN FRIED SLICED POTATOES

Ingredients:

8 medium Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and sliced          1/8 C oil

½ onion, chopped or sliced                                            Salt

¼ C butter                               

Directions: 

Place in frying pan over medium heat, cover and cook until brown.

DUTCH FISH CAKES

Ingredients:

1 onion, finely chopped              2 eggs

1 ¼ C butter or margarine         1 ¼ lb potatoes cooked & mashed

2 ¼ lb cod, cooked, flaked         1 oz chopped parsley

Directions:

Sauté the onion in butter or margarine and let it cool.  Mix with the rest of the ingredients & chill until firm.  Make small cakes and coate with matzo meal or breadcrumbs.  Shallow fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until brown.  Drain on paper towel and serve.

COOKIES NOORD-HOLLAND STYLE

Ingredients:

5 oz. soft butter                                     5 T beer

4 eggs                                                  6 oz. coarse sugar

2 lbs 2 oz brown sugar                          salt

2 lbs 6 oz flour                                      4 tsp mixed spices:  ½ t nutmeg or cardamom, ½ t clove, ½ t anise,

1 cachet baking powder                                       ½ t ginger, 2 t cinnamon, koekkruiden or speulaaskruiden

Directions: 

Stir butter 'til smooth and soft, mix in eggs one-by-one.  Add sugar, a pinch of salt and the spices – mix thoroughly.  Sift in the flour and baking powder and knead well to make the dough firm.  Wrap in plastic or foil and refrigerate for a few hours.

Sprinkle flour lightly on rolling surface.  Roll out the dough 'til it is about ¼" thick.  Cut out cookies, brush them with beer and sprinkle with coarse sugar.

Transfer cookies to a greased cookie sheet and bake them for 20 minutes, until the cookies are crisp and golden brown.  Remove from pan immediately and cool on wire rack.

RICE PUDDING

Ingredients:

1 Qt milk                      brown sugar

¾ C rice                       butter

Salt; lemon rind

Directions: 

Boil the milk.  Remove all the white from the rind and wash the remainder.  Wash the rice and add rice, rind and a pinch of salt into the milk.  Stir once, turn down the heat to the lowest setting and let the mixture cook for about 1 hour.  Stir the rice a few times while cooking.  Serve it with brown sugar and a dollop of butter.

RHUBARB COMPOTE & STEWED PEARS

Rhubarb Compote:

Ingredients:

8 rhubarb stalks                        2 Pinch sugar

1 ¾ C water                  1 T corn starch

Directions: 

Wash stalks and cut them into 3 to 4 cm pieces. Add the sugar to the boiling water and place the rhubarb in it.  Simmer the rhubarb gently and when they are softer, stir regularly to break up the pulp.  Add some corn starch or arrowroot to thicken the compote.  Taste to adjust sugar if necessary.

Stewed Pears:

Ingredients:

1 kilogram small, hard stewing pears     ½ liter water

75 grams sugar                                                4 T red currant juice or grenadine

Lemon peel                                           2 t corn flour

Directions: 

Peel, halve and core the pears.  Put them into a heavy pan, add the water, sugar, lemon peel and juice or grenadine.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer the pears for 2 hours or longer if the pears are not softened.  Do not let the fruit become mushy.  The juice or grenadine will add the needed color to the stewed pears.  Add sugar to taste and blend in the flour to thicken the juice.