In my home supper during the cold days of winter is not complete without a few bowls of hot soup. On Sundays and for Shabbos a pot sits on the back burner simmering for hours and filling the house with the wonderful smell of vegetables, peas and sometimes chicken or meat. However, during the week with work and errands it’s not always easy to make a pot of soup. For gourmet tasting soup with easy preparation, look no further than the grocer’s shelf and Fantastic Foods (HomeGrown Natural Foods, KSA parve or dairy). A few weeks ago we sampled their Hearty Split Pea soup and it was delicious. The prep was simple – just add water to the container and let sit for five minutes. The soup was rich with all natural ingredients and though parve, was as flavorful as any fleishige split pea soup I have ever tasted. The soups are also available in Cha Cha Chili, Jumpin’ Black Bean and Vegetable Barley. All Fantastic Foods products are available in health food and specialty stores.
Another great winter treat is home made pizza, but who has time to prepare dough? Once again look no further than your grocer’s freezer for a delicious pizza treat that tastes home made. Queen of Napoli (Palmatfoods, OK cholov yisrael dairy) pizza is made with all natural ingredients like wheat flour, beer yeast, sunflower oil and mozzarella cheese. The pizza serves four with generously-sized slices and has a really cool (thanks Raizy) taste. We also had the opportunity to sample their Empanadas. Empanadas are small pirogen like pastries that can be found in a variety of cultures. These are filled with mozzarella cheese, tomato and basil. You simply pop into the oven, bake and then enjoy a delicious treat. All of the Queen of Napoli products can be found in the freezer section of your local kosher grocery.
Mochi (Grainaissance, KSA parve) is a traditional Japanese food made from sweet brown rice. We received a package in our office a couple of months ago and I was very unsure what to do with it. Unbaked it’s a large square shaped dough. Using a sharp knife you cut the dough into squares and then bake for 8-10 minutes. By then the pieces of dough have puffed up and are a nice brown color. The night we tried it my daughter Bracha had a number of friends over, they became my taste testers. We tried the mochi with a thin layer of cream cheese and were surprised at how delicious it was. There was a yummy smell of cinnamon and raisin filling the house and the dough was soft and sweet. The only downside is that you need to eat them warm – once they get cold the taste is not quite the same. Mochi can be used as a breakfast treats – like scones, or for a quick snack anytime of day. You can find all Grainaissance products in health food and specialty stores.
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