I was thrown a challenge. I had to make Rugelach (a jewish cookie) based on the description my friend Vidya gave me. She had eaten these amazing cookies in New York, and wanted me to reproduce them. I cheated a bit. I used Ina Garten’s Rugelach recipe. I love Ina’s recipe for sweets, and this one was no different.

Notes

- Rugelach dough has a lot of butter and cream cheese, so you must make sure the dough is very cold before rolling it out
- Make sure your work surface is well floured when rolling out the dough
- You can roll the dough into crescents like Ive done. Or simply roll it into a log and cut spiral discs
- Vary the filling according to taste and imagination. The basic combination is brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, raisins + jam or preserves + nuts. (Next time I want to try a fig and pine nut rugelach using fig preserves and pine nuts).
- I halved Ina’s recipe, and made each cookie larger. I also made two different flavored cookies (apricot walnut and raspberry pecan).

Rugelach with Raspberry Pecan and Apricot Walnut filling Recipe

adapted from Ina Garten’s Rugelach recipe
makes about 16 cookies

for the dough
4 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
1 stick butter, at room temperature
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all purpose flour

for the raisin filling
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup raisins

for raspberry pecan filling
1/4 cup chopped pecans
2 tablespoons raspberry preserves, microwaved for a few seconds

for apricot walnut filling
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons apricot preserves, microwaved for a few seconds

for eggwash
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon sugar + 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon for sprinkling

Place the cream cheese and butter in the bowl of an electric mixer. Use the paddle attachment and beat till creamy. Add sugar, salt and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and slowly add flour. Beat until just combined. Roll the dough into a ball. Divide the ball into two. Wrap both dough balls in cling wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Combine all ingredients for the raisin filling in a bowl.

Take out one ball from the fridge. On a well floured surface, roll it out into a 9 inch circle. Spread raspberry preserves all over the dough circle. Then sprinkle pecans. Then sprinkle half of the raisin-sugar filling. Cut the circle into 8 wedges, like you would a pizza. Now roll each wedge. Start at the base (wider end) and roll towards the pointed end. Turn the sides inwards to form a crescent. Repeat for all wedges, Place on a baking tray and return to the fridge for another 30 minutes.

Repeat the process for the second dough ball, this time using the apricot walnut filling.

Preheat oven to 350f

Once the cookies have been in the fridge for 30 minutes, brush them with eggwash (you will use only about half the egg wash). Sprinkle a little sugar cinnamon micture on top of each cookie. Bake in a 350 f oven for 15-20 minutes orr until light brown.

This recipe is a copycat version of the beet and orange dip at our local Wegmans grocery store. Wegmans don’t add walnuts to their dip. But I like the nutty, creamy muhammara-like flavor that the walnuts add to this dip. Its sweet, tart and great for dipping pita bread or in a vegetable crudite platter. I love the brilliant color of beets too. But if you don’t like beets, try this with carrots.

Dont throw away beet greens. They taste great chopped up and sauteed in some olive oil, garlic and a splash of balsamic vinegar.

I love the delightful earthiness of roasted beets. They take about an hour in a 400 degree oven to get fork tender. If you are in a hurry, use drained, canned beets. Once the beets are roasted, all you do is puree them with some toasted walnuts, balsamic vinegar, orange juice and garlic.

I served this dip with carrot and celery sticks and toasted mini whole grain pita bread.

Here are some other ways to use this dip:

• Use as a sandwich spread
• Mix it into hummous for a gorgeous light pink colored dip
• Serve as a platter with vegetable crudites, melba toast, olives, crackers, apple wedges

Dont have walnuts? Try these beet dip recipes

• Beet dip with tahini from Lovely Morning
• Yogurt and beet dip from Shabak’s Kitchen
• Cream cheese beet dip from Vegetarian Times

When we eat edamame, S and I usually have a contest. We see who does a neater job sucking the edamame out of their pods. I win. Always. Eating edamame in its shell is fun, but for making this amazing ravioli, shelled edamame is very convenient. All you have to do is open a bag and thaw. God bless whoever invented shelled edamame!

For the filling

1/4 scant cup walnuts
1 cup Edamame, shelled and frozen
1 small garlic clove
1 tbsp white wine
Salt and Pepper
2 tbsp fresh chives, chopped

18-20 wonton wrappers

Place the walnuts in a large pan. Toast the walnuts on medium heat until they are lightly browned. To the pan, add frozen, shelled edamame, garlic clove, white wine, salt and pepper. (Make sure you season the mixture well, it makes a big difference in the final result!)

Let the wine bubble away on medium heat, about 1 minute. When the wine has evaporated, transfer the walnut-edamame mixture to a food processor. Blend into a smooth paste.

Place about 18 to 20 wonton wrappers on a clean work surface. Place a teaspoon full of the walnut-edamame mixture in the center of the wonton wrapper. Then sprinkle some chopped chives on top of the mixture.

Dip your finger in water and coat all four sides of the wonton wrapper with water. This will help the edges to stick. Fold the wonton over to make a triangle. Make sure none of filling is leaking out. Press the edges together to seal. Repeat for all wonton wrappers.

In a large pot, bring plenty of water to a gentle boil. Place the ravioli a few at a time into the water. Boil them gently for about 1 minute. (A rapid boil may break apart the ravioli). Ravioli are done when they rise to the top. Remove the ravioli from the water and place on a towel and gently pat dry. You could spray them with a little olive oil to keep them from sticking.

For the Spinach Mushroom Saute

8 oz box of mushrooms
1 small garlic clove
3 tbsp white wine
4 cups fresh baby spinach tightly packed
2 tbsp fresh chives chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and Pepper

Chop the mushrooms. Rise spinach leaves, and finely mince the garlic clove. Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the chopped mushrooms in a single layer. Cook the mushrooms on medium high heat, moving them as little as possible, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes.

Then add the minced garlic, salt, pepper and white wine. Let the wine bubble and evaporate a little. Then add the spinach leaves and sauté till they are just wilted.

To serve the ravioli – place the spinach mushroom sauté in a serving dish. Place the ravioli on top. Garnish with chives.