1,000 Jewish Recipes (207 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
3.
Add onion to pan and sauté over medium heat about 10 minutes or until golden. Add walnuts and stir a few seconds over heat. Mix
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â
3
cup pomegranate paste with water. Add to pan and bring to a simmer. Add chicken and any juices on plate, allspice, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, turn- ing over occasionally, about 35 minutes or until chicken is tender. Sauce will not be smooth. Stir in tomato paste, if using. Taste; if you like, add another 1 to 3 tablespoons pomegranate paste mixed with
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â
4
cup water and simmer 1 or 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Add sugar and/or lemon juice, if using, to enhance the sweetness or tartness. Serve chicken topped with sauce.
Note:
If you prefer, remove chicken skin before cooking; instead of browning chicken, sauté it over medium heat only until meat changes color.
When you poach chicken breasts, add them to hot liquid to keep in their flavor, unlike chicken for soup, which you start in cold water to slowly draw out its flavor into the liquid. Poach chicken breasts on the bone so the meat will be more moist and flavorful. Chicken cooked this way makes delicious salads and sandwiches. You can also serve it hot with homemade tomato sauce or
Mediterranean Green Sauce for Vegetables
, which also happens to be wonderful with chicken.
Although the poaching liquid will not be concentrated, you can save it to use as a light stock or soup. If you want a more flavorful soup, return the chicken bones to the liquid after you remove the meat, and cook them 1 more hour.
1 onion, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
2 ribs celery with leaves, sliced (optional)
2 bay leaves
1 large sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1
â
2
cup dry white wine (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 to 6 cups water
7 or 8 chicken breast halves, with skin and bones
1.
Combine onion, carrot, celery if using, bay leaves, thyme, wine if using, salt, and pepper in a sauté pan with 4 cups water. Bring to a simmer. Add chicken and more water if needed so chicken is just covered with liquid. Return to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat about 25 minutes or until chicken is tender.
2.
Remove skin before serving chicken. If using for salad or sandwiches, also remove bones and any visible fat. Reserve poaching liquid for other uses.
CHICKEN LIVERS AND GIZZARDS
Chicken livers are broiled or grilled over an open flame to kosher them. The process cooks the livers completely. Then they are ready to be used to make chopped liver or other appetizers or main courses.
1
â
2
to 1 pound chicken livers
Kosher salt
Preheat broiler with rack about 3 inches from flame. Rinse livers and pat dry on paper towels; cut livers in half. Cut off any green spots. Put livers on foil-lined broiler rack and sprinkle with kosher salt. Broil 3 minutes or until they are light brown on top. Turn livers over, sprinkle second side with kosher salt, and broil 3 or 4 more minutes or until cooked through; check to be sure their color has changed inside. Discard juices from foil.
Foie Gras, An Israeli Specialty
Many people will be surprised to learn that France, a country famous for its fine produce and ingredients, imports produce from Israel. Even more surprising is that one of the signature foods served at top French restaurantsâfoie grasâoften comes from Israel.
For some years, Israel has been specializing in producing foie gras (fattened goose or duck liver). It used to be reserved just for export, but it has become a restaurant specialty in certain Mediterranean-style restaurants in Israel, too. It is prepared differently than in France. In Israel, it's grilledâa real treat, and kosher too.
Foie gras is not easy to obtain for home cooking. For those who like foie gras, in these Israeli restaurants it is a good value for its price, as it is not as expensive as in Europe and the United States.
Sautéed livers with browned onions are a favorite among Jews of all origins, and they're even better with mushrooms. Following the rules of
kashrut
, the livers are first broiled, then only briefly sautéed to heat them through and blend them with the onions and mushrooms.
If you prefer a kebab-style presentation, you can thread the livers on skewers and grill or broil them until done and skip the step of sautéing. Serve the skewered livers on a bed of rice and accompany them with the mushroom mixture.
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
12 ounces small mushrooms, quartered
1
1
â
2
teaspoons sweet paprika
1 pound chicken livers
Kosher salt
1
â
2
cup canned tomato puree (optional)
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â
4
teaspoon hot paprika or cayenne pepper
3 to 4 cups hot cooked rice
1.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add onions, salt, and pepper and sauté 2 minutes over medium heat. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, occasionally, about 10 minutes or until tender but not brown. Add garlic and mushrooms and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon sweet paprika. Sauté over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 3 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and onions begin to brown.
2.
Preheat broiler with rack about 3 inches from flame. Rinse livers and pat dry on paper towels; cut off any green spots. Put livers on foil in broiler and sprinkle with kosher salt. Broil 3 minutes or until top is light brown. Turn livers over, sprinkle second side with salt, and broil 3 or 4 more minutes or until brown. Discard juices from foil. Cut livers in half.
3.
Reheat mushroom mixture in skillet over medium heat. If you would like mixture to be more sauce-like, stir in tomato puree and bring to a boil. Adjust seasoning. Cover and keep warm.
4.
In another skillet heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add livers and sprinkle with remaining sweet paprika and hot paprika. Toss over heat about 1 minute or until heated through.
5.
To serve, mound rice on plates, spoon mushroom mixture over rice, and top with livers.
This seemingly surprising combination is inspired by a modern Tel Aviv specialtyâgrilled foie gras that is served with a soft bread resembling fresh lavosh that Israelis call Iraqi pita. Israel is now a major producer of foie gras, or livers of fattened geese or ducks, and exports it to France. At restaurants in the Hatikvah Market district of Tel Aviv, the foie gras is served on skewers. The diners scoop the rich cubes into the pita bread and roll it up, for a melt-in-your-mouth delight.
For this recipe, broiled chicken livers are heated with browned onions and spices, then rolled in lavosh. If you don't have fresh lavosh, you can use thin flour tortillas.
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound chicken livers
Kosher salt
1
1
â
2
teaspoons ground cumin
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â
2
teaspoon dried oregano
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4
teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 sheets fresh lavosh, about 8- or 9-inch square
1.
Heat oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add onions, salt, and pepper and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, about 10 minutes or until tender and browned.
2.
Cut livers in half. Cut out any green spots and discard. Rinse and pat livers dry with paper towels.
3.
Preheat broiler with rack about 3 inches from flame. Put livers on foil-lined broiler rack and sprinkle with kosher salt. Broil 3 minutes or until they are light brown on top. Turn livers over, sprinkle second side with kosher salt, and broil 3 or 4 more minutes or until cooked through; check to be sure their color has changed inside. Discard juices from foil. Cut each liver into 2 to 4 pieces.
4.
Reheat onions in skillet. Add livers and sprinkle with cumin, oregano, cayenne, and freshly ground pepper. Sauté over medium heat, stirring, 1 or 2 minutes or until mixture is hot and spices are blended in.
5.
Serve livers immediately, with lavosh. Roll up and enjoy!
Both Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews make good use of all parts of the chicken. Those who have tasted slowly cooked, tender chicken gizzards prize them and the flavorful sauce they create as they simmer. Serve these with rice, egg barley, or pareve polenta.
