Mayor González's Casserole of Carrots and Eggs

If I had come across this recipe just from looking through a cookbook, I don't think it would have caught my eye. But luckily, I had the dish when a guest at the Carlin-Metz household, and it was delicious. Liz also made a gift to me of the book the recipe came from, and I now happily make it for myself. When I made it recently I included both raisins and kalamata olives. I think next time I'd do one or the other, probably the raisins. Note that the dish needs to be refrigerated for 6 hours before serving.

The recipes in this book have a disturbing origin—they all come from recipes mentioned in the trial records of the Spanish Inquisition, when particular food practices were offered as evidence that a converso family was secretly practicing Judaism.  (Conversos were Jews whose families had converted to Christianity, under the threat of expulsion or death.)  This particular recipe was offered as evidence of Mayor González making a Sabbath dish for her family on a Friday. Mayor had also been observed slaughtering a goose in the Jewish fashion by cutting its throat. She was sentenced in 1483 to life imprisonment and confiscation of property, a sentence that was later reduced to certain penances, and then eventually commuted. She got off very lightly compared to others whose stories are told in this book. . .

MAYOR GONZALEZ'S CASSEROLE OF CARROTS AND EGGS
lightly adapted from David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson, 
A Drizzle of Honey: The Lives and Recipes of Spain's Secret Jews

2 cups baby carrots (or regular carrots, cut into sticks about the size of baby carrots)

2 cups vegetable broth

2 hard-boiled eggs, coarsely diced

2 eggs, beaten

2 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup raisins (optional)

1/4 cup sliced olives (optional)

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

1/2 t. ground dried cardamom

1/8 t. ground cloves (optional)

1/2 t. salt

1/2 t. pepper

1 T. bread crumbs or matzoh meal

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease an 8" square ovenproof baking pan (glass if you have it), or a similar-sized casserole dish. 

Boil the carrots in the vegetable broth for 10 minutes, or until fork tender. Drain, reserving 2 T. of the liquid. Cool. Slice baby carrots lengthwise in half.

In a bowl, combine the carrots, hard-boiled eggs, green onions, and the 2 T. of reserved broth. Add the beaten eggs, and also the raisins and/or olives, if using.

In another bowl, mix the cheese and spices. Add the bread crumbs and stir. Pour the dry mixture into the carrot mixture and combine.

Place the mixture in the baking pan and level it out. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until the bottom just begins to brown. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. You can then serve it cold, or reheat it before serving (which is what I did.)  

Margaret Lagan's Chocolate Roll

Margaret often brought this chocolate roll to family gatherings. It was always highly anticipated! I don't often make a recipe that needs some special manipulation (like rolling the cake), but this is definitely worth it, and not difficult, though I do recommend having a second person on hand to help with that part. 

MARGARET LAGAN'S CHOCOLATE ROLL

serves 8

cake

7 eggs, separated—put whites in large bowl and yolks in medium bowl

1/2 c. confectioners sugar

1/4 c. cocoa (plus more to sprinkle on towel)

1 t. vanilla

1 to 1-1/2 T. butter, margarine, or Crisco 

filling

1/2 pint (8 oz) whipping cream

1 T. confectioners sugar

chocolate sauce topping

1/2 c. sugar

1-1/2 T. cornstarch (or potato starch, if making during Passover)

1 oz. square of unsweetened chocolate

1-1/2 T. butter

1/2 t. vanilla

1/2 c. water

dash salt

Preparation:  Preheat oven to 350.  Prepare a jelly-roll pan. (I use a quarter sheet pan, about 10 x 14-1/2.")  Butter the bottom and sides of the pan. Put a rectangle of parchment paper in the bottom and smear that with lots of butter. (The goal is to make it very easy for the cake to come out of the pan.

[Can do this step when the cake is in the oven.] Lay out an ironed dish towel, sprinkled with some cocoa powder. (The cake will be turned out on this.)

Cake:  Beat egg whites until stiff.  In separate bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar, cocoa, and vanilla.  Fold yolk mixture into the whites.

Put batter in pan, smoothing out to be flat.  Bake for 13-15 minutes, until knife comes out clean.  Without letting the cake cool first, turn it out onto the dish towel. Peel the parchment paper off the top, using a knife to help peel off the paper.  (Don't worry if some cake sticks on the paper; this side will be inside the roll.)

Filling: When cake is cool, whip up the cream, adding confectioner's sugar at end.  Spread on top of the cake.  Roll up, starting at a short end, and turn onto a serving dish at the end. I find the easiest way to do the rolling and transfer is to have two people do it, each with a spatula to nudge the roll. 

Topping: Combine sugar and corn/potato starch.  Add chocolate, salt and water.  Cook and stir until thick and bubbly.  Remove from heat.  Add butter and vanilla, and stir until the butter is melted.  Frost the cake while the sauce is hot.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.