The Lederman Kitchen

I love making breakfast on the weekends for Michelle and I.  Typically I make a simple scramble with mushrooms and onions with a side of home fries.  This is basically the same thing except all mixed together in a frittata.   The thing that I love about eggs is that you can add anything to them.  These are just some of our favorite ingredients that we almost always have on hand, but you can add whatever you want once you know the technique.   For a tasty breakfast you will need: 1 medium potato (I actually used 2 small red potatoes) 1/2 red onion 8 ounces of crimini mushrooms 4 cups of baby spinach 1/2 cup shredded cheese (I used white cheddar) 4 eggs a drop of milk salt and pepper Preheat the oven to 400 degrees before you forget.  I decided to use a mandolin to slice the potatoes thin, but it's not necessary.  You can chop the potatoes along with the mushrooms and onions if you don't have a mandolin. This ...

Two of my favorite things: soup and Chinese food...  I am continuing my mission to expand my Asian cooking skills.  Wonton soup is one of my favorite comfort foods and perfect for this time of year.  While it's easy to get delivery or take out, I was surprised at how easy it was to make at home.   You can actually follow this wonton recipe to make pot stickers.  Just fry them up at the end instead of boiling in the broth for delicious homemade pot stickers. For the soup (at least 4 servings) you will need: 1/2 lb of ground pork 1/4 lb of shrimp 1 teaspoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar 1 tablespoon light soy sauce 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce 1 green onion stalk 1 teaspoon chopped ginger wonton wrappers 8 cups of chicken broth You can make Wor Wonton Soup if you want by adding some noodles, meat, veggies, and so on. Again, this is super simple.  Chop the ginger, shrimp, and green onions.  Then...

It's been cold here in the City.  After a long holiday weekend in Portland with the in laws, I didn't feel like fussing over a big dinner.  Beef stew was a great one pot option.  It's comfort food at it's finest and perfect for a cold winter day. For some serious stew, enough for 4 people: 2 lbs of steak (I used stew meat, it's readily available at the butcher counter this time of year) 2 onions I also used cippolini onions, but they're optional. Just peal and leave whole, they get super soft and sweet. 5 carrots (about 1 lb) 1lb of fingerling potatoes 1 lb of crimini mushrooms 1 bottle of red wine 3 cloves of garlic 2 cups (or more) of stock -  Beef is traditional, but I had homemade turkey stock on hand that I used. 2 tablespoons of flour 4 tablespoons of butter  1 tablespoon of thyme Olive oil Salt and Pepper This is a great Sunday dinner.  It's simple to make, but like most soups or braises, it just takes a wh...

We finally found a home for our dried fettuccine  in this creamy and delicious mushroom pasta.  The base for this recipe is a super simple bechamel sauce .  It's a great base sauce to have in your repertoire.  Trust me, it's easy, and a bit healthier than making white sauces with heavy cream.  There is of course butter though... For a delicious dinner for 4 you will need:  1lb of pasta  2 lbs of mixed mushrooms 1/2 lb of sausage (casings removed) 1/2 onion 2 cloves of garlic 4 cups of baby spinach 1/2 stick of butter 4 tablespoons of flour 2 cups of milk pinch of nutmeg olive oil salt and pepper Parmesan cheese You are of course welcome to use any types of mushrooms that you like.  I used crimini, portabello, and oyster mushrooms.   Portabellos have dark gills on the bottom that will turn everything brown.   I suggest scraping them off with a spoon to avoid any discol...

A few years ago Michelle and I had the best stuffed calamari dish at Boulevard .  I have been seriously craving it ever since.  After making the stuffed game hens last month I thought "what else can I stuff?"  (feel free to insert your own joke here...).  While it was not the same as Boulevard, it was delicious nonetheless.  I paired the calamari with some super simple sauteed veggies to round out the meal. For a delicious dinner for 2, you will need: For the stuffing:  2/3 cup wild rice 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 small red onion 1/3 cup drained dried tomatoes packed in oil (about 2 1/2 ounces) 1 shallot 1/2 cup packed fresh parsley leaves 8 ounces of sausage (I used bulk pork sausage from the Whole Foods meat counter) For the rest: 8 calamari 3 cups of spinach 1/2 red onion 1 clove of garlic 3 cups of sliced mushrooms 1 drop of dry white wine (maybe 1/4 cup) juice of 1/2 a lemon olive oil salt and pepper ...