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Do you listen to music in the kitchen? Do you like to bop while you chop? Sing as you sear? Hit the high notes while you make toast? (Sorry, I’ll stop now.)
I am far more likely to listen to a podcast than music while cooking. But every so often I switch things up and put on a record or a Spotify playlist. And recently, I have been listening to Sandcatchers’ gorgeous new album, The Lines, on repeat.
Longtime readers of The Jewish Table have probably heard me mention my husband, Yoshie, before. He’s the tall, bearded guy who shows up in the family photos I share. The one who co-wrangles our two kids, Max and Bea. And the kind and talented fella I have been together with for 18 years now. (Will someone please explain to me how 2006 is 18 years ago?)
Yoshie is *also* the founder and bandleader of Sandcatchers—a band that blends Middle Eastern and Americana sounds and styles to gorgeous effect. The band features Yoshie on the oud (a pear-shaped stringed instrument from the Middle East/North Africa) and Myk Freedman on the lap steel (a steel guitar that sits across the player’s lap and is popular across a wide swath of American musical styles from Hawaiian to honky tonk). Oud and lap steel may not seem like the most obvious match up, but they are truly a beautiful combo. The band’s sound is expertly rounded out by Michael Bates on the upright and electric bass, and Shai Wetzer on drums and percussion.
One thing Yoshie is famously bad at is talking about or drawing attention to himself. In fact, this newsletter will probably embarrass the living daylights out of him. But I think his music is too special not to shout about from the rooftops. So before we get to today’s recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Bourekas, here’s a little more about Yoshie and Sandcatchers.
Yoshie grew up steeped in a world of Jewish music. His grandfather, Rabbi Alfred Fruchter, listened to Yossele Rosenblatt, Moishe Oysher and other cantorial greats of the early 20th century. Yoshie’s family is Modern Orthodox, and his parents (my wonderful in-laws) always prioritized singing together as a family—harmonizing to niggunim around the Shabbat table on Friday night, and jamming to Peter, Paul, and Mary and Carole King hits during the week. Yoshie’s father, Chaim, is also a Jewish rockstar in his own right.
During college, Yoshie majored in music (with a focus on jazz guitar) and has been making his living as a composer, performer, and music educator for the last two decades. Watching him succeed at being a professional freelancer gave me the confidence to quit my own non-profit job and embark as a freelance writer.
His band Sandcatchers was born inside the restaurant Cheryl’s Global Soul, two blocks from our first shared apartment in Brooklyn. As a musical polymath who never met a stringed instrument he didn’t like, Yoshie had recently started playing the oud. (He was introduced to it by a Moroccan-Jewish friend who is an oud and saxophone player and ethnomusicologist.) Yoshie got a bit obsessed, started taking oud lessons, and was looking for any and every chance to practice. So he approached Cheryl about setting up a weekly, laid-back gig at her restaurant—and she was into it! (By the way, if you are ever in Brooklyn on a weekend and looking for a great brunch, Cheryl’s buttermilk pancakes with bananas and Chantilly cream are *legendary*.)
Before long, Yoshie invited a few local musicians to join him for the weekly Cheryl’s hang, and before long Sandcatcher’s was born. Here’s a video of a song from Sandcatcher’s first album, appropriately filmed at Cheryl’s:
Sandcatcher’s new album, The Lines, showcases how the band has evolved over the past several years. The songs are rich and personally meaningful. The music offers the perfect mix of intricate and catchy melodies with a deeply soulful backbone. And whereas their first album was purely instrumental, The Lines features Yoshie’s voice in harmony with guest vocalist Jean Rohe, and a treasure trove of excellent guest musicians. The oud and lap steel combo are joined at times by harp, trombone, violin, and cello to create a musical landscape that is at once dreamy and grounded.
If you are in the listening mood, check out Sandcatchers’ The Lines on Spotify. Or better yet, buy the album virtually (or on 100% recycled vinyl). I also recommend watching this video for Morning Song—a tune that Yoshie and I wrote for our son Max when he was first born, and then Sandcatchers transformed into magic.
And HEY NYC PEOPLE! If you’re around this Sunday night (January 28), come celebrate Sandcatchers’ release party at Jalopy Theater at 7:30pm. That way, you can enjoy the music live and in person. Plus, the show is doubling as Yoshie’s birthday party, so it will be extra festive. (Info + Tix)
Chicken Pot Pie Bourekas
Okay, I’ve embarrassed poor Yoshie enough. On to the bourekas! Yoshie and I often joke that we do the same thing professionally, just using two different mediums. We both explore global/diaspora Jewish cultures and attempt to breathe fresh life into tradition—him with music and me with food. This recipe captures that tradition-meets-innovation spirit. It combines an iconic Sephardi savory pastry (bourekas) with an American comfort food classic (chicken pot pie).
The puff pastry crust is crisp and airy, and the filling inside is rich and flavorful. Gluten-free friends, you can try them with gluten free puff pastry or check out the serving variation below the recipe.
I like to use rotisserie chicken breast for this recipe—what a stellar use of leftovers, right? But any pan-fried or oven baked chicken breast will work. Poached chicken breast works too, but wont offer as much flavor.
Enough reading, go make some chicken pot pie bourekas! And if you need the perfect kitchen soundtrack to cook along to, I know a guy.
Makes 18 bourekas
For the filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
1 cup (130 g) thawed, frozen mixed vegetables (i.e. peas, carrots, corn)
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
A tiny pinch of nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 cup (240 ml) chicken broth
1 cooked chicken breast, finely chopped (think 1/4-1/2-inch pieces)
To Assemble:
All-purpose flour, for dusting
2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 egg, beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Sesame seeds, optional
Make the filling: Heat the oil in a medium frying pan set over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the mixed vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, nutmeg, salt, and pepper and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Scoop the cornstarch into a small bowl, cover with a couple of tablespoons of the chicken broth, and whisk to dissolve. Add the cornstarch slurry and the remaining chicken broth to the frying pan at the same time and stir until the mixture is bubbly and thickened, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chopped chicken, taste and add more salt or pepper if needed. (If the mixture tastes bland, you need a little more salt.) Remove from the heat and let the mixture cool slightly.
Assemble and bake the bourekas: Preheat the oven to 350ËšF (180ËšC) and line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
On a lightly floured surface, gently roll out 1 of sheet of puff pastry into a 12-inch square, trimming ragged edges. Cut the large square into nine 4-inch squares. Working with one square at a time, spoon about a tablespoon of the filling into the center, using the back of the spoon to flatten it slightly. Fold one corner of the pastry over to meet the opposite corner, making a triangle and locking the filling inside. Use the tines of a fork to gently press along the edges to seal, then place the filled boureka on the baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining pastry and filling.
Brush the tops of the bourekas with the beaten egg mixture (you will not use all of it), and sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired. Bake, rotating the baking sheets back-to-front and top-to-bottom once halfway through baking, until they are puffed and golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Set the baking sheets on wire racks to cool slightly. Serve warm.
Gluten free variation: Scrap the puff pastry part of the recipe. Instead, serve the chicken and vegetable mixture over mashed potatoes or brown rice for a cozy weeknight meal for 1-2 people. It’s not bourekas, but it sure is tasty!
Bonus: Tu Bishvat Recipes
Tu Bishvat starts tonight at sundown, so I thought I’d round up some of my favorite Jewish tree holiday-friendly recipes from The Jewish Table archives. Which ones have you already made? Which ones might you make this year?
Pear, Fig, and Onion Flatbread
Sweet Cherry Ice Cream with Almond Crisps
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I’m eager to make these! Can you estimate the volume/weight of chicken breast? How do you feel about using thigh meat?
1- definitely going to make these. 2- I’ve been listening to The Sandcatchers new album and it’s SO GOOD.