E125: Cooking for the Holidays with Chef Jack Kravitz

#SpanningtheNeed takes its holiday episode into the kitchen with Chef Jack Kravitz for Cooking for the Holidays. Learn how to make Red Cabbage Strudel, Chicken and Leek (or Spinach) Strudel and Chicken Soup-Instant Pot this Holiday Season.

Tune in to learn more:

• How Chef Kravitz got his start with Kravitz Deli
• Food prepping and recipes for the Holiday Parties and Christmas
• and much more.

All recipes and ingredients can be found at: https://spanningtheneed.com/2022/12/01/e125-cooking-for-the-holidays-with-chef-jack-kravitz/

More at: https://spanningtheneed.com/podcast/

Recipes in this Show

Red Cabbage Strudel

INGREDIENTS:
Cup red cabbage
2 tsp sugar (add extra sugar if you like it sweeter)
1/2 tsp ground caraway seed
1 tsp salt (to taste)
½ tsp pepper
½ bar butter-melted
3 sheets Refrigerated or frozen thawed Phyllo Dough

INSTRUCTIONS: 

1. In a sauce pan, sauté the red cabbage in the butter until soft.
2. Add the remaining ingredients.  Stir to combine. Remove from pan and place in a bowl to cool
3. Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough and brush lightly with butter, toss about 1 tbl of bread crumbs over the dough.
4. Place another piece of phyllo and repeat step 3.
5. Place a third piece of phyllo dough over the other 2 and butter lightly
6. Place about 2/3 cup of filling into the bottom center of the phyllo (don’t overfill or it will break open in the oven).
7. Roll up the phyllo like a Jelly roll folding in the sides.
8. Brush the roll liberally with butter.

Bake in a 350 oven until brown. About 40 minutes or until brown. (May be frozen for later by covering the unbaked roll with plastic wrap and foil and then freezing.  Take right from freezer and bake (add extra time to the baking)).

Tid-Bit: Make appetizers by cutting the phyllo dough into thirds, follow the other directions using about 2 tbl filling.  Bake about 10-15 minutes until brown.

Chicken and Leek (or Spinach) Strudel

INGREDIENTS:
2 left over chicken breast (or the breast from a grocery store roast chicken or that leftover holiday turkey breast)
1 large leek, soaked, cleaned and chopped into ½ inch pieces or fresh or frozen spinach (well drained)
½# havarti cheese grated or other melting cheeses
Bread crumbs
Olive oil
Butter- melted
3 sheets Refrigerated or frozen thawed Phyllo Dough

INSTRUCTIONS: (preheat oven to 350)

1. Shred cooked chicken or turkey (hint: buy a roasted chicken at the grocery store or use that leftover holiday turkey)
2. Clean the Leeks by soaking. Cut into ½” pieces. Sauté the leeks in olive oil until soft. Set aside to cool (if using frozen spinach defrost and drain thoroughly.  Fresh can be either sauteed or just used raw)
3. Combine all the above with the cheese
4. Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough and brush lightly with butter, toss about 1 tbl of bread crumbs over the dough.
5. Place another piece of phyllo and repeat step 3.
6. Place a third piece of phyllo dough over the other 2 and butter lightly
7. Place about 2/3 cup of filling into the bottom center of the phyllo (don’t overfill or it will break open in the oven).
8. Roll up the phyllo like a Jelly roll folding in the sides.
9. Brush the roll liberally with butter.

Tid-Bit: You can substitute mozarella, swiss, or cheddar for the Havarti.

Chicken Soup-Instant Pot

INGREDIENTS:
3-4# chicken parts must have bones
8 cups water
10 whole black peppercorns
2 tbl salt or to taste
2 carrots or 4 oz baby carrot
2 celery stalks-cut into pieces
1 yellow onion, halved, leave whole
1 parsnip (optional)
¼ cabbage with stem (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Place all ingredients in Instant Pot style pressure cooker that is set to high pressure and close valve to seal.
2. Set for High Pressure for 60 minutes or more.
3. After the cycle is completed, let naturally release for 15 minutes or more and then relieve any pressure left by opening the pressure relief valve.
4. Strain stock and cool and store for later.  Can be used immediately.
5. Of course, you can debone the cooked chicken for later use, but it will be drained of most flavor as it has been extracted into the stock
6. Adjust salt and pepper to taste
7. If a richer flavor is desired, add in chicken base from the paste version.  Try to avoid granular bases as they are loaded with salt.

Tid-Bit: Buy any type of chicken that is on sales, freeze in 4# packages.  Then use the chicken right from freezer- note it will take longer to come up to full pressure