Two Connecticut women make it to semi-finals in nationwide cook-off By Judie Jacobson Two Connecticut women were among 30 women nationwide selected as semi-finalists in The Simply Manischewitz Cook-Off held recently in New Jersey, and at least one of them has her husband to thank. “My husband is a vegetarian and therefore I make a lot of vegetable stock. Instead of throwing out the vegetables I use to make the stock, I mashed them up with some matzo meal, added some salt and pepper, and fried them up, much like potato pancakes,” says Randi Ferris of Bethel, explaining the genesis of her winning recipe for root vegetable pancakes. Her husband loves them. And so does her fussy young son. And so, when Ferris came across an ad for the contest in an issue of Cooking Light magazine, she she decided to give it a shot. “I had never entered anything like that before, but I love to cook and I thought I had a novel recipe, so why not?” she says. She e-mailed the recipe over to the folks at Manischewitz …and the next thing you know Ferris was chosen from among 1,000 entrants from all across the country to participate in one of three semi-finals being held in New Jersey, Florida and California. On October 29, Ferris headed down to Newark for the competition. So did Susan Asanovic of Wilton, who was also among the 10 New Jersey semi-finalists, thanks to her recipe for Balsamic Olive Peppery Panzanella. “We were each assigned our own station, with our own stove and all the ingredients we needed and we were asked to prepare, plate and present the recipe in under an hour,” recounts Ferris. The recipes were judged by a panel of food journalists, chefs and representatives from Manischewitz and GE, who based their decision on taste, ease of preparation, appearance and originality and creativity. Though neither Ferris nor Asanovic made it to the finals, Ferris would consider entering future contests…with one caveat. “I would absolutely enter another recipe in a contest. But I don’t want to participate in a cook-off,” she says. “It’s way too stressful. Root vegetable pancakes 1 large sweet potato, peeled and roughly chopped 5 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped 5 parsnips, peeled and roughly chopped 1 purple top turnip, peeled and roughly chopped 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped 1/2 cup matzo meal 2 eggs Canola oil for frying salt and pepper to taste Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add vegetables, garlic and onion and simmer until soft. Drain vegetables and mash in a large bowl. A food processor can also be used. Add matzo meal, eggs, salt and pepper and combine. Heat oil in a large frying pan. When oil is ready, form pancakes using hands and carefully place in the oil. When golden brown on one side, gently flip with a spatula. Drain pancakes on paper towels and serve.