1,000 Jewish Recipes (141 page)

BOOK: 1,000 Jewish Recipes
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Salt, to taste

One 8-ounce can whole water chestnuts, drained and quartered

1.
Cook carrots in a large saucepan of water to cover. Bring to a boil and simmer about 4 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain well.

2.
Bring a large saucepan of water to boil. Add salt and broccoli. Boil uncovered over high heat 3 to 5 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Drain in a colander and immediately rinse under cold water until completely cold.

3.
In a small bowl, mix grated ginger, 3 tablespoons soy sauce, vinegar, sugar, water, hot sauce, and 3 tablespoons oil. Whisk to blend. Adjust seasoning; add more soy sauce, hot sauce, or oil if you like.

4.
Combine water chestnuts in a bowl with carrot slices. Add about half the dressing and toss lightly. If not serving immediately, refrigerate broccoli, salad, and reserved dressing separately.

5.
A short time before serving, bring salad to room temperature, then add broccoli and remaining dressing to salad. Toss lightly and serve.

Light Eggplant Caponata
Makes 6 servings

A favorite of Italian Jews, this colorful, tangy salad is perfect as a Shabbat appetizer. It uses readily available ingredients, most of which are probably in your pantry. Make up a batch during a cool time of the day and have it on hand for a festive summer appetizer or sandwich. Caponata keeps for 4 or 5 days in the refrigerator.

In its simplest version, caponata is made of eggplant cooked in tomato sauce accented with onions, celery, wine vinegar, a touch of sugar, and capers. If you like, add 2 tablespoons raisins at the same time as the pine nuts that enhance this rendition.

Usually caponata contains a large amount of oil. This version is quite low in fat but if you prefer a richer caponata, use 4 or 5 tablespoons olive oil.

2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

2 ribs celery, thinly sliced

1
1
⁄
2
pounds eggplant, preferably small Italian or Japanese, unpeeled and cut into
1
⁄
4
-inch dice

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

One 8-ounce can tomato sauce

One 14
1
⁄
2
-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained

1 to 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar

1
⁄
3
to
1
⁄
2
cup pitted green olives, halved

2 tablespoons capers, rinsed

1 to 2 tablespoons pine nuts

Heat oil in a large, heavy nonstick skillet or sauté pan. Add onion and celery and sauté over medium heat 5 minutes. Add eggplant, salt, and pepper and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes. Add vinegar, 1 teaspoon sugar, olives, capers, and pine nuts. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring often, 10 minutes or until eggplant is tender. Adjust seasoning and add remaining sugar if needed. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Alphabet Chicken Soup
Makes about 6 servings

Whenever I see packages of alphabet noodles, they bring back fond memories of Shabbat from my childhood. My mother often made chicken soup with alphabet noodles to encourage us to eat soup. Naturally, my brother and I enjoyed finding the letters of our names in the soup. Sometimes we even had Hebrew alphabet noodles.

Recently I bought some alphabet noodles that came in soup mix with green and yellow split peas and barley. This combination is also attractive and tasty in chicken soup.

2
1
⁄
2
pounds chicken wings or legs

1 large onion, peeled

3 large carrots, cut into thick slices

3 ribs celery, with leafy tops

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

8 to 10 cups water

1
1
⁄
2
cups alphabet noodles

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

1.
Put chicken in a large casserole or pot. Add onion, carrots, celery, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cover ingredients with water. Bring to a boil. Skim foam from surface. Cover and cook over low heat 1
1
⁄
2
hours or until chicken and vegetables are tender.

2.
Cook noodles in a large pan of boiling salted water about 7 minutes or until just tender. Drain well. Reserve in a bowl.

3.
Discard onion, celery, and bay leaf. Thoroughly skim off fat. If preparing soup ahead, refrigerate, then skim fat. Reserve chicken for other uses; or remove meat from bones, shred enough meat to obtain about 1 cup, and return it to soup.

4.
Reheat soup before serving. Add noodles and parsley, if using. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Chicken Soup with Noodles, Leeks, and Winter Squash
Makes about 6 servings

When I lived in Israel, I learned that many cooks use large leeks to flavor their chicken soup. Often they add a piece of orange winter squash to their soup as well. These were new ideas to me, as I grew up with chicken soup flavored with onion, carrot, and celery. I now really enjoy the delicate tastes they contribute to the soup.

2 large leeks, split lengthwise and rinsed thoroughly

2
1
⁄
2
pounds chicken wings or legs

1 large onion, peeled

1 parsley root or parsnip (optional)

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1
⁄
2
teaspoon ground cumin

8 to 10 cups water

2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices

One
3
⁄
4
-pound piece winter squash, peeled and diced

1
1
⁄
2
cups very fine noodles (soup noodles)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)

1.
Leave 1 leek as is; slice second leek and reserve. Put chicken in a large casserole or pot. Add onion, parsley root if using, whole leek, bay leaf, salt, pepper, and cumin. Cover ingredients with water. Bring to a boil. Skim foam from surface. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour. Discard onion, parsley root, and whole leek. Add carrots, sliced leek, and squash. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook 30 minutes or until chicken and vegetables are tender.

2.
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water about 7 minutes or until just tender. Drain well. Reserve in a bowl.

3.
Discard bay leaf. Thoroughly skim off fat. If preparing soup ahead, refrigerate, then skim fat. Reserve chicken for other uses, or remove meat from bones and return to soup.

4.
Reheat soup before serving. Adjust seasoning. Serve soup with carrot and leek slices and squash pieces. Add noodles and parsley, if using, to each bowl of hot soup.

Meaty Bean Soup with Saffron and Cilantro
Makes 6 to 8 servings

Perfect for winter, this meaty soup in the Sephardic style is thick and satisfying. For a festive touch, some cooks add eggs in their shells to the soup during the last hour of simmering; the shelled eggs are served on top of each portion of soup.

1 pound dried white beans (about 2
1
⁄
2
cups), sorted

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

2 large onions, diced

1
1
⁄
2
pounds beef with bones, such as beef shank

3 large cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon paprika

1
⁄
4
teaspoon saffron

1
⁄
2
cup chopped fresh cilantro

6 to 8 cups water

One 14
1
⁄
2
-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juice

4 large eggs in shells, rinsed (optional)

Salt, to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

1.
Generously cover beans with cold water in a large bowl and soak overnight. Or, for a quicker method, cover beans with 2 quarts water in a large saucepan, bring to a boil, and boil 2 minutes; cover and let stand off heat 1 hour.

2.
Rinse beans and drain. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat, add onions and sauté about 10 minutes. Add beef, beans, garlic, paprika, saffron,
1
⁄
4
cup cilantro, and 6 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour. Stir tomatoes into soup and gently add eggs, if using. Cover and cook, adding hot water if soup becomes too thick, 1 hour more or until meat is very tender.

3.
Skim excess fat from soup. (If preparing soup ahead, refrigerate, then skim off fat.) Season with salt and cayenne. Remove beef. Dice any meat, discarding bones, and add meat to soup along with 2 tablespoons cilantro.

4.
Shell eggs and halve them lengthwise. Serve soup hot, topped with egg halves and sprinkled with remaining cilantro.

FISH COURSES

Traditional Gefilte Fish
Makes about 12 servings

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