1,000 Jewish Recipes (111 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
Bruschetta are trendy Italian appetizers often served at restaurants, but they're extemely easy to prepare at home. They're simply garlic toast with a fresh tomato-basil topping. I like to add the popular Israeli hot pepper chutney, zehug, to give it extra zip. Sometimes I substitute cilantro, which many Jews of Middle Eastern descent prefer to basil.
These hors d'oeuvres are terrific for serving in the Sukkah. You can bring them on a tray or simply bring a plate of toast and a bowl of topping, and your family and guests will make their own. If you prefer, you can skip the step of brushing the bread with oil and simply toast it in a toaster instead of in the broiler.
1
â
2
teaspoon
Zehug
, hot salsa, or hot sauce, or to taste
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
3 tablespoons thin strips fresh basil or chopped cilantro
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 slices Italian bread or 16 slices baguette or other slim crusty bread
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved
1.
Prepare Zehug.
2.
Mix tomatoes with Zehug, 2 tablespoons basil, and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
3.
Lightly brush bread with olive oil. Broil it until lightly toasted; turn over, brush with oil and lightly toast second side. Watch carefully; they burn easily. Rub both sides of toast with cut garlic while bread is still hot.
4.
Serve toast topped with tomato-basil mixture.
 or
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Celebrating the late summer harvest at the beginning of autumn has become a trend. Everyone who loves food seems to be in on itârestaurant chefs, farmers' market vendors, specialty nursery growers, and of course, home cooks and gardeners. It's a delightful way to entertain and a joyous reason to get together. Of course, this is not a completely new craze. Honoring the bounty of produce has long been a prominent theme in Sukkot menus.
Since this soup's cooking time is very briefâonly about 10 minutesâit's convenient not only for the holiday menu, but for those days when you're short on time. As a basis, I begin with Mexican tortilla soup, a chile-flavored tomato soup garnished with fried tortillas. To make it simpler, I use packaged tortilla strips or chips, usually the low-fat kind. I add plenty of colorful vegetables, including corn kernel, to echo the flavor of the corn tortillas. Cilantro is the traditional herb but if I still have fresh basil in my garden I add some in.
Instead of canned mild chiles, you can add 1 or 2 chopped fresh jalapeño peppers.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper (red, yellow, orange, or green) halved, cored, and diced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped (optional)
One 4-ounce can diced mild green chiles, drained (see Note)
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1
3
â
4
cups vegetable or chicken broth
2 cups hot water
3 medium zucchini or yellow crookneck squash, diced
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
2 cups diced fresh tomatoes, red, yellow, orange, or a mixture
1
â
4
cup coarsely chopped fresh basil or cilantro
Salt to taste (optional)
Pure chili powder or cayenne pepper, to taste
3 to 4 cups tortilla chips, regular, baked, or oil-free, lightly crushed
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté over medium heat 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, if using, and chiles, then canned tomatoes, broth, and water. Bring to a boil. Add zucchini and corn and return to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Add fresh tomatoes and 2 tablespoons basil. Season with salt, if using, and chili powder. Serve soup sprinkled with remaining basil. Sprinkle each bowl with tortilla chips or pass them separately.
Note:
In some markets canned mild chiles are labeled simply "green chiles." If you're not sure how hot they are, before you cook with them, taste a bit; if they seem hot, add only half while preparing the soup, then add more to the finished soup if you like.
With its wonderful delicate taste and lovely color, this soup is great comfort food and is a good choice for serving as a smooth, delicate first course before a traditional Sukkot meat casserole. Rice milk is great in carrot soup. It gives the soup a creamy feel without adding any dairy products. It adds a hint of sweetness that is perfect with the carrots. You can buy it in low-fat or nonfat versions. Before I discovered rice milk, I used to cook rice in my carrot soup and puree them together.
If you like your soups with a crunchy garnish, serve the soup with easy-to-make
Baked Croutons
.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1
1
â
4
pounds carrots, diced
2
1
â
4
cups vegetable broth or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
â
4
teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1 bay leaf
1 to 1
1
â
4
cups rice milk (nondairy rice beverage)
Pinch of sugar (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1.
Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add onion and carrots and sauté over medium-low heat, stirring often, 5 minutes. Add broth, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat about 20 minutes or until carrots are very tender. Remove bay leaf.
2.
Puree soup in a blender or food processor until very smooth. If using a food processor, use a slotted spoon to transfer vegetables from soup to processor, and puree them; with machine running, gradually pour in cooking liquid. Return puree to saucepan.
3.
Simmer soup over low heat 5 minutes, stirring often. Add 1 cup rice milk and bring to a boil, stirring. Add more milk if necessary to thin soup to desired consistency. Bring again to a boil, stirring. Adjust seasoning, adding sugar if needed. Serve garnished with parsley.
MAIN COURSES
Ground coriander seeds give a wonderful, delicate flavor to fish. For this simple but savory recipe, the fish is smeared with a quick spice rub and baked at high heat. I love it with fresh Chilean sea bass, as the spices subtly season but do not overpower the great taste of the fish, but other kinds of sea bass are good too.
It's a terrific entree for entertaining during Sukkot as its cooking time is very brief. As guests sit down to eat, have the oven preheated and the fish in its pan in the refrigerator. Then roast the fish just after you serve the first course. (For easier cleanup, line the roasting pan with foil.) If it's more convenient, you can even roast it just before the dinner and serve it at room temperature. Everyone will appreciate that this dish is low in fat and it's a good alternative entree when you want a main course that's less rich than many of the customary casseroles served during the holiday.
For accompaniments, I love
Zucchini in Israeli Tomato Sauce
and
Basmati Rice Pilaf with Sunflower Seeds and Vegetables
.
1
1
â
4
to 1
1
â
2
pounds sea bass fillet, about 1 inch thick
1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1
1
â
2
teaspoons ground coriander
1
â
2
teaspoon paprika
1
â
4
teaspoon dried thyme
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Lemon wedges
1.
Preheat oven to 450°F. Set fish in a heavy roasting pan. Sprinkle fish with lemon juice and oil and rub over fish. Mix coriander, paprika, thyme, and cayenne in a small bowl. Sprinkle the mixture over the fish on both sides and lightly rub in the spices. Then sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper.
2.
Roast fish in oven 10 to 12 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish becomes opaque inside; check with a sharp knife. Serve fish with lemon wedges.
Serving a cold fish in this savory tomato sauce is traditional on Sukkot for the Jews of Italy. The sauce is flavored with a few anchovies but you don't notice them in the finished dish; they simply contribute a pleasing accent.
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
3 ribs celery, cut into thin slices
4 anchovies, diced
1 cup or one 8-ounce can tomato sauce
1 cup water
1
1
â
2
pounds halibut fillets or steaks, about 1 inch thick
