Neighborhood restaurants: the little cafe in New Jersey

BAYONNE, NJ (WABC) – In this edition of Neighborhood Eats, we’ve got a recipe you’ll want to save for when you have some leftover Thanksgiving.

It comes from the Little Food Cafe, located at 330 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in Bayonne, New Jersey.

Cynthia van Decker loves her daughter’s cooking. Lisa Kushnir went to culinary school, and in 2001 the two decided to go into business together. So they opened the Little Food Cafe in the town where Kushnir lives.

“We are not a restaurant, we are not a cafe, we are not a delicatessen,” she said. “We just filled a niche here.”

She describes it as a comfort food, ranging from a turkey wrap, to daily soups for lunch, to more hearty dishes for dinner. Turkey pie is on the menu for fall.

Kushnir begins by adding roasted vegetables to a chicken broth that has been thickened with flour, butter, and onions. She adds the freshly roasted turkey, lets it simmer, then puts it in a baking dish. A puff pastry goes on top.

It goes in the oven for 30 minutes, then it is golden brown. You’ll want to get started in this pastry shop, but save room for the desserts from their French pastry chef.

There are plenty of take out orders, but some customers also stay, much to the delight of the mother / daughter team behind the Little Food Café.

Homemade turkey pie (4 people)

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups coin-shaped roasted carrots
1 1/2 cups cubed roasted butternut squash
1 1/2 cups cubed roasted sweet potatoes
1 1/2 cups roasted red potatoes

Preparation – Coat these vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast at 350 degrees until tender.

1 cup sliced ​​mushrooms
3/4 cup peas
1 cup chopped onions, finely diced
4 cups of chicken broth
2 tablespoons of butter
2 tablespoons of flour

Prepare puff pastry sheets by cutting the puff pastry 1 inch more in circumference to the size of the container.

Instructions
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add the onion and cook for 4 minutes. Then add the mushrooms, incorporate the flour and cook for 2 min. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Then add the roasted vegetables, grated turkey, peas, salt and pepper to taste.

Distribute evenly into individual ovenproof containers. Cover with puff pastry (do not roll) and place on top. Crimped edges. Brush the dough with beaten egg. Bake at 350 degrees until browned, about 30 minutes.