1,000 Jewish Recipes (116 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
3 large cloves garlic, minced
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2
cup fresh basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1.
Cook zucchini whole in a saucepan of boiling salted water about 10 minutes or until they are tender enough to be easily pureed. Cut zucchini into 1-inch pieces and put them in a colander or large strainer. Crush them lightly with spoon. Let stand to drain 15 minutes.
2.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a medium skillet, add garlic, and sauté over low heat, stirring, 30 seconds. Add zucchini and cook over medium heat, stirring often, 5 minutes. Let cool slightly.
3.
Combine zucchini mixture and basil in a food processor and process until pureed. With motor running, slowly add remaining olive oil.
4.
Reheat puree gently in saucepan. If it is too thin, cook over medium heat, stirring, until thickened. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Serve hot.
This is a Mediterranean style gratin made with a tomato sauce rather than a cheesy one. Chard is a mild flavored tender green that is easy to find at the market. You can serve this hearty dish as a main course accompanied by a grain dish, such as the Romanian polenta dish called
Mamaliga
. It's also delicious with roasted or grilled chicken.
1
1
â
2
pounds Swiss chard, rinsed thoroughly
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1
3
â
4
pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped, or two 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes, drained well and finely chopped
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1
â
2
teaspoons fresh thyme or
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2
teaspoon dried
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 large red or yellow bell pepper, cut into
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4
-inch-wide strips
1 medium green bell pepper, cut into
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4
-inch-wide strips
3 tablespoons unseasoned bread crumbs
3 tablespoons slivered almonds, chopped
1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut chard leaves from stems. Peel stems if they are stringy. Pile chard leaves, cut them in half lengthwise and then crosswise in strips
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2
-inch wide. Keep them separate from stems. In a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook stems uncovered 5 minutes. Add leaves and cook about 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain thoroughly. Squeeze chard by handfuls to remove excess moisture.
2.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes or until soft but not brown. Stir in tomatoes. Cook over high heat, stirring very often, about 12 minutes or until mixture is dry. Stir in thyme and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.
3.
Heat 2 more tablespoons oil in large skillet. Add bell peppers, salt, and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, about 7 minutes or until tender.
4.
Lightly oil a heavy 5-cup gratin dish or other shallow baking dish. Spread chard in dish and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spoon tomato mixture over chard and spread it smooth. Spoon pepper mixture evenly over tomatoes.
5.
Sprinkle top with bread crumbs, then with almonds, and finally with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Bake about 15 minutes, or until gratin is hot and beginning to bubble at bottom of dish. If top is too light, broil about 1 minute, or just until lightly browned; check often and turn dish if necessary. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.
Green beans slow-cooked in tomato sauce is a favorite dish in the Sephardic kitchen and is a standard side dish on the Sukkot menus of my sister-in-law Etti Levy who lives in Givatayim, Israel. Here is a quicker version that makes use of diced fresh tomatoes. It's great for showcasing the flavor of good tomatoes from the season's harvest. You can use equal parts yellow beans (wax beans) and green beans for a more colorful dish. The beans keep their bright color best if you serve this dish as soon as it's cooked.
2 pounds green beans, ends removed, halved
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
1 pound tomatoes, diced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or
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â
2
teaspoon dried
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â
2
teaspoons fresh thyme or
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â
2
teaspoon dried
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
Add beans to a large saucepan of boiling salted water and boil 5 to 7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain in a colander or strainer. Transfer to a bowl and toss with oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne, if using. Add tomatoes and herbs and toss again. Serve hot or at room temperature.
For this simple but savory dish, sliced cooked potatoes are sautéed with onions in olive oil so the dish will be pareve and will be a good accompaniment for a simple Sukkot roast chicken. When I studied in France, we used to prepare a similar dish called potatoes Lyonnaise, so named because the area of Lyon is known for its onions. The French version used butter and was seasoned simply with salt and pepper.
1
1
â
2
pounds boiling potatoes
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
3 medium onions, sliced into thin rings
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika, plus more for sprinkling
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4
teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
1.
Put whole potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with water, and add salt. Cover, bring to a boil, and cook over medium heat about 25 minutes, or until just tender. Drain well. Peel potatoes if you wish. Cut them into fairly thin rounds. Set aside.
2.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add onions and sauté over medium-low heat until they are tender and lightly golden. Transfer onions to a plate.
3.
Heat another tablespoon oil in the skillet. Add potatoes and sauté, carefully turning them over occasionally, until lightly browned. Add more oil during sautéing if necessary. Add half the onions and mix gently with potatoes. Season with salt, pepper, paprika, and cayenne. Transfer mixture to a platter and top with remaining onions. Sprinkle lightly with more salt and paprika.
Stewing the cabbage over low heat is the secret to this old-fashioned dish that remains popular. The cabbage acquires a sweetness from the slow cooking. Some cooks enhance it with several spoonfuls of sugar, while others add a little or a lot of onions, which also turn sweet as they cook with the cabbage. I like to use plenty of onion and just a little sugar.
The pasta used is generally broad egg noodles, square noodles, or bow-ties. Hungarian cooks use a generous amount of chicken fat, goose fat, or butter to cook the cabbage; some American Jewish cooks use margarine, while Israeli cooks tend to favor vegetable oil. The choice is yours. In this recipe I have reduced the oil but the dish is still rich in flavor. Serve it as a side dish with chicken, beef, or fish.
2 pounds green cabbage (about
3
â
4
of a large head), cored and shredded
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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4
cup vegetable oil
2 large onions, diced
1 to 2 teaspoons sugar
8 ounces square noodles or broad noodles
1.
Put cabbage in a large bowl and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt. Toss to combine. Let stand 30 minutes. Squeeze cabbage by handfuls to remove excess liquid.
2.
Heat oil in a large skillet or stew pan. Add onion, cabbage, and pepper. Sauté over medium heat, 5 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon sugar. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring often, 30 minutes or until very tender. Check often; if vegetables brown too fast or pan becomes very dry, add a few tablespoons boiling water.
3.
When vegetables are tender, if they are not yet brown, uncover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until lightly browned. If you like, add another teaspoon sugar and cook vegetables another 2 or 3 minutes to blend it in.
4.
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water 7 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and add to cabbage. Toss over low heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Taste for seasoning; season generously with pepper. Serve hot.
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