Broadway Bites. May 23, 2018.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/1/6/3916068/champagne_orig.jpg)
Food, glorious food! For May's theme, Diva A chose foods that were mentioned in, or inspired by, a Broadway show. Being theater fans, the Divas were excited about this theme (and surprised no one had thought of it before)! Accompanied by a Broadway soundtrack, the Divas dined on delicious dishes that deserved a curtain call.
Pasta with Meatless Balls (a.k.a. Pasta Salad with Falafel Balls)
WAITER
So that's five miso soup, four seaweed salad
Three soy burger dinner, two tofu dog platter
And one pasta with meatless balls
ROGER
Eww
COLLINS
It tastes the same
MIMI
If you close your eyes
WAITER
And thirteen orders of fries
Is that it here?
ALL
Wine and beer!
Having seen Rent live about 20 times, pasta with meatless balls from La Vie Boheme was the first thing that popped in to my head when Diva A told me the theme. That song mentions lots of foods, actually - in addition to the above, there's huevos rancheros, yogurt, rice and beans and cheese, curry vindaloo... - but pasta with meatless balls seemed like a fun challenge that I could mold as a side dish to go with our entree (oh! and it was a yogurt dressing. bonus!). I'd never made falafel before, so I consulted a few recipes, but came closest to following Mark Bittman's. Below is a close approximation of what I did. Enjoy!
-N
Baked Falafel
1 15-oz. can chickpeas
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, quartered
1 T cumin
Scant teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 T lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup panko style breadcrumbs, as needed
olive oil
Heat the oven to 375°F.
Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a food processor with the garlic, onion, cumin, cayenne, parsley/cilantro, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, baking soda, and lemon juice. Pulse until everything is minced but not pureed, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides if necessary; add water by the teaspoon if necessary to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture as dry as possible. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or cayenne as needed.
Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Roll the bean mixture into balls, about 1½ inches each (makes 15-20). Put the falafel on the prepared pan and brush the tops with olive oil. Bake until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes on each side.
WAITER
So that's five miso soup, four seaweed salad
Three soy burger dinner, two tofu dog platter
And one pasta with meatless balls
ROGER
Eww
COLLINS
It tastes the same
MIMI
If you close your eyes
WAITER
And thirteen orders of fries
Is that it here?
ALL
Wine and beer!
Having seen Rent live about 20 times, pasta with meatless balls from La Vie Boheme was the first thing that popped in to my head when Diva A told me the theme. That song mentions lots of foods, actually - in addition to the above, there's huevos rancheros, yogurt, rice and beans and cheese, curry vindaloo... - but pasta with meatless balls seemed like a fun challenge that I could mold as a side dish to go with our entree (oh! and it was a yogurt dressing. bonus!). I'd never made falafel before, so I consulted a few recipes, but came closest to following Mark Bittman's. Below is a close approximation of what I did. Enjoy!
-N
Baked Falafel
1 15-oz. can chickpeas
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 small onion, quartered
1 T cumin
Scant teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, plus more to taste
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 T lemon juice
1/4-1/2 cup panko style breadcrumbs, as needed
olive oil
Heat the oven to 375°F.
Drain the chickpeas and transfer them to a food processor with the garlic, onion, cumin, cayenne, parsley/cilantro, 1 teaspoon of salt, pepper, baking soda, and lemon juice. Pulse until everything is minced but not pureed, stopping the machine and scraping down the sides if necessary; add water by the teaspoon if necessary to allow the machine to do its work, but keep the mixture as dry as possible. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or cayenne as needed.
Grease a large rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Roll the bean mixture into balls, about 1½ inches each (makes 15-20). Put the falafel on the prepared pan and brush the tops with olive oil. Bake until golden all over, 10 to 15 minutes on each side.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/1/6/3916068/meat-pie_orig.jpg)
,Mrs. Lovett's Meat Pies, from Sweeny Todd
There you’ll sample Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies, savory and sweet pies, as you’ll see, Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies conjure up the treat pies used to be!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 5 meat pies
Ingredients
Hot Water Crust
Filling
Instructions
Crust
Filling
There you’ll sample Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies, savory and sweet pies, as you’ll see, Mrs. Lovett’s meat pies conjure up the treat pies used to be!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time 45 minutes
Servings 5 meat pies
Ingredients
Hot Water Crust
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour 12oz / 340g
- 3/4 cup hot water 200ml
- 5 tbsp unsalted butter 4.5oz / 75g
- 1/2 tsp salt
Filling
- 1/2 pound ground pork
- 1/4 pound ground beef
- 1/2 large yellow onion small dice
- 1 medium carrot peeled and diced small
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup beef stock
- 1 tsp dried ground sage
- 1/2 tsp dried ground thyme
- salt and pepper as needed
- 1 egg lightly whisked
Instructions
Crust
- In a mixing bowl, stir the flour and salt together until combined. Heat the butter and water together until very hot. Stir the hot water into the flour mixture and stir until it comes together as a ball of dough.
- Divide the dough into 5 balls of dough, weighing about 130g each. Divide the fifth ball into four smaller balls, these will be for the lid.
- Take a round glass jar or wooden mold with straight edges (I just used glass jam jars) and lightly grease it with vegetable oil. Press the mold or the bottom of the jar onto one of the larger ball of dough to flatten it. With your hands, start to mold and pull the dough up the sides of the jar until it's about 3 inches tall. Turn the jar upside down and refrigerate it for 30 minutes or until firm and dry. Gently remove it from the jar. The crust should now stand up straight on it's own.
Filling
- While the crust is drying, heat a saucepan on medium heat with a bit of oil. Once hot, add the onions and cook for 3 minutes until translucent. Add the diced carrots and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the ground pork and beef and start breaking it up into small pieces with a spatula.
- Add the dried sage and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and cook until it starts to bubble. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.
- Preheat the oven 350F.
- Fill each standing crust with the meat filling. Roll out the tops and place it on top. Place a bit of egg wash to help adhere the two pieces. Place it on a baking tray and egg wash. Cut a few small slits on top for ventilation.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool before serving.
![Picture](/uploads/3/9/1/6/3916068/apple.jpg?250)
Crisp Apple Strudel
INGREDIENTS
DIRECTIONS
INGREDIENTS
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 Granny Smith apples
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (80 grams) raisins
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) dark rum
- 1/2 cup dried fine breadcrumbs
- 6 sheets phyllo dough (roughly 13 by 16 inches), thawed if frozen
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
- Lightly sweetened whipped cream, for serving
DIRECTIONS
- Prepare the raisins: The day before, combine the raisins and the rum in a small bowl and cover; set aside for 24 hours.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl; set aside 3 tablespoons mixture. Peel and core apples; cut into quarters, then cut crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces. Toss with lemon juice; stir into sugar mixture with apricots and breadcrumbs.
- Brush 1 sheet phyllo with butter, and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon reserved sugar mixture. Top with remaining 5 sheets phyllo, layering with butter and sugar mixture. Scatter filling on phyllo, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Starting with a long end, roll up to enclose filling; place strudel, seam side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush top with remaining butter; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Cut into slices; serve warm with whipped cream.