Kiko, New Meat Restaurant in Armon Hanatziv near Arnona

Kiko Meat Restaurant, 

15 Daniel Yanovsky St, Armon Hanatziv, Jerusalem, 

Tel: 0778836883 Kashrut: Rabbanut Yerushalayim Mehadrin

Last week my friend and I decided to eat out, and she had recently read Eluna email and noticed a write-up about a new meat restaurant not far from where where we were. Yes, Kiko is the restaurant. It's right next to the Armon Hanatziv Promenade (the Tayelet), a major tourist destination in Jerusalem.

As we walked over, we decided that if it didn't look acceptable, then we'd go someplace else.

Lucky for all, Kiko seemed clean and comfortable, plus the prices were reasonable.

We went over the menu, Hebrew only, though the guy working here insisted that he could explain it in English if needed. 

 

There's a nice variety and choice of foods and presentations, sandwiches in different breads, platters and salads. 

We both ordered salads with meat. Mine was the kabob salad. After ordering, our meat portions were put up to cook. 

We were very pleasantly surprised to discover that we could have our bowl filled with whichever salad ingredients and dressings we wanted, like at a salad bar. All we had to do was to indicate to the young man working there what we wanted.

Once the salad bowls were full, we waited for our meat to finish cooking, and then we were called to get our dinners. We brought them to the table and ate. Both meals were perfect. We weren't offered any pittot or bread, which was fine with us.  Yes, we look forward to returning.

Sauerkraut Beef Stew

 

We somehow found ourselves with a can of sauerkraut, and I'd been trying to figure out what to do with it. For some strange reason, I began to imagine it with beef. Just to make sure I wasn't totally crazy, I did some google searches to see if such recipes exist, not that I actually follow recipes...

The recipes I found, and there are many, weren't at all kosher. They also required "slow-cookers" which I don't have. But at last I got some reassurance that people do cook beef with canned sauerkraut. Then I asked in a facebook group that prides itself on "real world" recipes, not those awfully complicated ones. Some nice people answered. They gave recipes/cooking ideas that also use "slow-cookers" or "cover well and bake in the oven," which I didn't feel like doing. I generally simmer beef on the stove for a few hours.

Now, to be honest, we haven't eaten it yet, but it looks and smells delicious. 

Ingredients:

kilo plus of the least expensive frozen beef in the store, onion, celeriac, a few carrots, a couple of tomatoes, a can of sauerkraut, a bit of oil, coarse ground black pepper and a couple cups of water. 

Directions:

1. thaw beef
2. soak beef or awhile in water, and then throw out the water
3. put beef in pot with some oil, high heat
4. add the onions, and then turn the beef over so it browns a bit all around
5. add vegetables, sauerkraut, water and pepper, then cover
6. as soon as it starts to boil, turn down heat to slow simmer
7. simmer for at least two hours

That's it!

I plan on serving it with potatoes, cooked vegetables and salad.

Super Easy Way to Add Flavor to Meat/Fish/Poultry

There are two condiments that almost everyone has in their kitchens, catsup and mustard. Adding them to your cooking is the simplest, easiest way to add flavor to meat, fish, poultry and other foods.

I know that they all have additives, salt and sugar, but most recipes ask you to add those evils separately. There are times when even the most "natural health" cooks, like yours truly, need to cheat.

The other day when I was in a big rush to cook a couple of meals before leaving home, I put a couple of spoons of mustard and squirts of catsup on this chicken breast vegetable dish before putting it in the oven (covered) for baking. The result was stupendous, delicious, just perfect.

Sometimes we all need shortcuts. I draw the line at powdered soup mixes, jam and straight sugar. Even salt is rarely used for cooking in my kitchen. And when I use salt in soup and kugels, it's coarse, not table salt. What are your little cooking "cheats?" Please let me know in the comments, thanks.

Suddenly Cooking Again

For the past couple of years, I barely cooked and didn't bake at all. When I didn't have a functioning kitchen I became very lazy. A few times I baked at my daughter's in Ofra and at a neighbor's, but that was it. If it couldn't be easily cooked in a pot on an eccentric electric burner or two, it just didn't get cooked at all. That had been my kitchen for the past year. And for quite awhile before that, when my old mini-ovens still worked, even before we retired the old stove top, which smelled of gas, no more than two burners were strong and reliable enough for cooking.

Now, I have a kitchen, bli eyin haraa-not to tempt the evil eye, and I must get used to making real meals again. No doubt that our food bills will go up, and I pray that my weight won't join them.

The first things I made in my new ovens were a supply of cake and challah. I couldn't make a super-sized supply, since we don't have much freezer space, just the fridge's freezer. Last week I also made us moussaka, one for Shabbat lunch and one for the freezer. Remember that we're only two people at home, versus the 7-9 we'd have at ordinary Shabbat meals a few decades ago, and don't do all the entertaining we once did. Nowadays, I'm overwhelmed when there are five to prepare for!

Yesterday I cooked the meat and poultry for Shabbat and Rosh Hashanah. I didn't make all that much, but it was more and more varied than I had made for a long time. Take a peek:

Cooking Lamb? Looking for No Fail Healthy Recipes

For the past few years just before Rosh Hashanah, my husband has been hinting for me to cook some lamb. So, maybe I'll take the plunge. Here are some giant frozen "things" labeled as "lamb" in Rami Levy, the discount supermarket I sometimes/frequently shop in, since it's next to Yafiz where I work.

These "things" are a bit large for my freezer and my oven, but I trust that they shrink when thawed out. The recipes I've seen aren't very appetizing. So, I'm asking my loyal, trusted and creative readers for help. And of course it must be kosher, meaning no adding dairy or fish products.

You should know that I'm not interested in adding a jar of jam or bottle of juice (especially not concentrate) or a cup of oil or things like that. I'm not that sort of cook...

So, please comment with your suggestions, guidelines and recipes. If you're a reader of this blog, you know that I'm not very good at following recipes and measuring, unless it's a cake. So, let's see if this request helps, thanks.

Low Calorie/Carb Eating Out- Just Ask for a Plate!

One of the big problems for us weight-watchers, dieters, diabetics etc. is that so many restaurant and fast food places have bread as an integral part of the meal. I have a friend who is determined and disciplined enough to just eat what's inside the pita or bread and not touch anything else. But most of us are made of weaker stuff.

That's why I was so happy to discover that in the little "food court," kiosk by the Sha'ar Binyamin Rami Levy, you can ask for your "chicken breast," mixed grill or whatever on a plate.

You get the same reasonably portioned, personally prepared (I always insist on no added salt) meat accompanied by salad and whatever dressings you want on a small plate, no bread, carbohydrates etc.

And did I tell you it only cost me ns15?

Beef in Beer, Great Success!

I admit that I haven't been posting many recipes of late. That's because I cook the same foods with little innovation. Most of the new things I've eaten have been in restaurants. It would be better for my budget if I cooked more and ate out less frequently.

As part of my pre-Passover "finishing what's in the freezer," I discovered a nice piece of beef. I must admit that I buy the "specials," the cheapest beef Rami Levy sells. I look carefully to find one with the least fat, and I'm pretty pleased with my cooking experiments.

Last Friday I tried something new.

After thawing and braising the beef in the usual soy oil, onion and garlic I quartered the softest tomato in the refrigerator and placed it on top. To that I added the last few drops of a sparkling wine that had lost its sparkle.

Then I searched the fridge for more goodies and discovered the beer, which had been sitting there unopened for months. To be perfectly honest, I had bought it in the summer, as part of a "six pack" when relatives were going to have dinner at my daughters. I took the unopened bottles home, brought them back to my daughter's for our Chanukah party and again returned (fewer) bottles to my refrigerator. This was the last one. Just to be safe, I googled "beef beer" to make sure I wasn't crazy. Yes, people do cook them together.

After that liquid addition, I added peppercorns and carrots and then covered it for a couple of hours of low heat cooking. I served it on Friday night. My husband and our guest were very happy with the flavor and texture. My husband who normally does not drink never drinks beer was only told of its addition after he had given is praise of the dish.

This Beef in Beer is easy to prepare and totally delicious.