YaDa Chef Private and Personal Chefs

(Cabbage Stuffed with Barley and Split Peas) Be sure your barley and split peas are cooked prior to beginning this recipe. To save time, you can cook your barley in a pressure cooker or use ‘quick barley’. Ingredients: 1 large head of cabbage 1/2 cup barley/118 ml/78g, cooked (other grains can be used such as farro) 1/2 tablespoon/30ml olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 carrots diced 1 1/2 cups/343 ml/300g cooked split peas, drained 4 cloves of garlic, sliced 1 teaspoon dried thyme 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (or other paprika if you have on hand) 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon allspice 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste 1 egg, beaten salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/2-1 cup/125-250ml  tomato sauce or juice Cabbage... In a large pot, large enough to submerge the whole cabbage, fill with water and bring to a boil. When boiling, add salt. Discard large outer leaves of the cabb

Roast Pheasant Most game is delicious on its own.  Nothing is added by smothering or drowning it in sauces or strong flavours.  Classics are classic for a reason.  Bacon, juniper berries, onion, leeks, cabbage and even sauerkraut seem to work best with most game. Roast Pheasant with Cabbage and Turkey Bacon Pheasant is still hunted with good results.  If you are not likely to head into the woods, process and “hang” one yourself, and most are not, find yourself a reputable butcher that keeps a variety of game in stock.  Free range birds are an excellent choice and much less work.  Be prepared game birds in the USA unlike in most countries is a bit expensive and therefore a treat, but we all deserve treats.  Pheasants have a surprising amount of meat.  A 4-5 pound/1.8-2.2kg bird will easily serve 4-6 people. Serves 4-6 1 onion cut into quarters 1 stalk celery cut into quarters 2 carrots sliced in half vertically and horizontally 1 4-5 pound/1.8-2.2kg pheasant 1 ta

It was not until I was an adult that the realisation came to me that most people bought their sausage from a grocery store.  All of our sausages both of the Italian andPolish varieties were made by the local butcher. Every time I have this simmering it brings me back to my childhood. Oddly enough this was always a big favourite even in the heat of summer. Serves 6-8 1 pound/450g kielbasa, cut into 1-2 inch/2.5-5cm pieces 1 large onion, diced (about 1 cup/225ml) 1 medium head cabbage, roughly chopped (2) 28 ounce/794g cans diced tomatoes 2 pounds/900g (4) baking potatoes, cut in 1 inch/2.5cm pieces 1 teaspoon/5ml salt (optional) 1 teaspoon/5ml black pepper 2 teaspoon/10ml caraway seeds (optional) 1 bay leaf 1-2 quarts/1-2 liters water/chicken or vegetable broth (enough to come just below top of ingredients) Combine kielbasa, onion, cabbage, tomatoes, potatoes, salt, pepper, caraway seeds bay leaf and water in a large sauce/stock pan.  Simmer ingredients o

Roast Pheasant Recipe Most game is delicious on its own.  Nothing is added by smothering or drowning it in sauces or strong flavours.  Classics are classic for a reason.  Bacon, juniper berries, onion, leeks, cabbage and even sauerkraut seem to work best with most game. Pheasant is still hunted with good results.  If you are not likely to head into the woods, process and “hang” one yourself, and most are not, find yourself a reputable butcher that keeps a variety of game in stock.  Free range birds are an excellent choice and much less work.  Be prepared game birds in the USA unlike in most countries are a bit expensive and therefore a treat, but we all deserve treats.  Pheasants have a surprising amount of meat.  A 4-5 pound/1.8-2.2kg bird will easily serve 4-6 people. Serves 4-6 1 onion cut into quarters 1 stalk celery cut into quarters 2 carrots sliced in half vertically and horizontally 1 4-5 pound/1.8-2.2kg pheasant 1 tablespoon/15ml YaDa Maya Natural Sea Sal

Here is a re-do of my Polish Babci’s Galumpki.  These can be done with or without meat, so they can be pareve. These are also rice free, so they can be eaten by both Sephardic and Ashkenazi sects, and goodness knows there are PLENTY of potatoes around during Pesach. Serves 4-6 Meat 1 medium head cabbage, cored 1 small onion, diced 1 pound/450 ground turkey 3 cups/450g shredded raw potato ½ teaspoon/2ml salt ¼ teaspoon/1ml black pepper 1 teaspoon/5ml dried dill 28 ounce/794g tomato puree or sauce (if you have leftover spaghetti sauce use that) Preheat oven to 350F/176C/GasMark 4 Using a sharp knife cut the core out of the cabbage bottom. Heat a large stock pot with salted water to a simmer.  Place the cabbage in the water. Cover and cook 2-3 minutes until you can pull off individual leaves. You should end up with 15-20 leaves that are big enough to use. Chop remaining cabbage. Place on a plate or kitchen towel to drain. Mix the onion, turkey, potatoes, sal