1,000 Jewish Recipes (294 page)

BOOK: 1,000 Jewish Recipes
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Makes about
1
⁄
2
cup

This lively dressing is great with cooked potatoes, cauliflower, or green beans, or with mixed green salads. It's also delicious on fish or chicken.

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon drained capers, rinsed and chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives

Whisk vinegar with salt and pepper in a bowl. Whisk in oil. Stir in capers and chives. Adjust seasoning.

Lemon-Mint Vinaigrette
Makes about
1
⁄
2
cup

Serve this refreshing vinaigrette with fish, such as
Sole Salad for Shabbat
, with cucumbers, or with raw or cooked carrots.

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint

1
⁄
2
teaspoon grated lemon rind

Whisk vinegar with lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Whisk in oil. Stir in mint and lemon rind. Adjust seasoning. Whisk again before using.

Lemon-Herb Dressing
Makes about
1
⁄
2
cup

This Sephardic-style dressing is delicious with cooked fish, chickpeas, and cooked vegetables, as well as all sorts of salads. I like to keep it for only a few days so the flavor of the lemon juice remains fresh. You can blend the dressing with a whisk, or follow this easy shake-and-store jar method.

6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 to 4 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon fresh thyme or
1
⁄
4
teaspoon dried

2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or
1
⁄
2
teaspoon dried

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Combine ingredients in a screw-top jar. Close jar and shake to blend. Keep in the refrigerator. Before using, shake again. Adjust seasoning.

Fresh Tomato Vinaigrette
Makes about 1
1
⁄
2
cups sauce, 6 to 8 servings

This light, summery sauce is perfect with
French Gefilte Fish Loaf
. It's also delicious with hot or cold poached fish or vegetables and can perk up delicate types of gefilte fish from a jar, such as whitefish and pike or pure whitefish gefilte fish. Use very ripe, flavorful tomatoes that are red inside.

1 pound ripe large tomatoes

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

6 to 10 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, tarragon, or Italian parsley

1.
Peel and seed tomatoes (see
Peeling and Seeding Tomatoes
), reserving their juice for other uses. Finely chop tomatoes. Put them in a bowl.

2.
Add vinegar, salt, and pepper to tomatoes and whisk until smooth. Very gradually whisk in the olive oil; sauce should remain thick and emulsified. Add herbs and taste for seasoning.

3.
If you want sauce to stay thick, serve it immediately, at room temperature.

Lebanese Garlic Dressing
Makes about
1
⁄
2
cup, 4 to 6 servings

I have learned from Lebanese-Jewish friends how to make low-fat salads by seasoning vegetables with equal amounts of oil and lemon juice. This results in a dressing that is much lower in calories than the classic vinaigrette, which has 3 tablespoons oil for every tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar. The dressing tastes good on green vegetables like green beans, spinach, Swiss chard, and zucchini, as well as sweet vegetables like beets and carrots. It's also popular with potatoes.

It's very important to use fresh garlic. If the garlic is old and a little dry or beginning to sprout, it gives the dressing a bitter flavor.

3 small cloves garlic, peeled

Salt, to taste

1
⁄
4
cup strained fresh lemon juice

Freshly ground pepper (optional)

1
⁄
4
cup extra-virgin olive oil

Crush garlic, sprinkle with salt, and chop very fine, almost to a puree. Put garlic in a bowl and add lemon juice and pepper, if using. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Adjust seasoning. If you would like a more mellow garlic flavor, refrigerate 30 minutes before using.

Mustard-Caper Vinaigrette
Makes
3
⁄
4
cup dressing, 4 to 6 servings

Serve this dressing with salads containing meat or poultry, such as
Warm Corned Beef and Pasta Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette
. It's also delicious with potato salad and with salads of spicy greens.

5 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1
⁄
2
cup vegetable oil, plus 1 tablespoon if needed

3 tablespoons chopped green onion

1
⁄
4
cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

2 tablespoons finely chopped drained capers

1 large clove garlic, pressed or finely minced

Whisk mustard in a small bowl with vinegar, salt, and pepper. Whisk in
1
⁄
2
cup oil. Stir in green onion, parsley, capers, and garlic. Adjust seasoning. Add another tablespoon oil if needed.

Oregano–Red Onion Dressing
Makes about 1 cup, 4 to 6 servings

Use this dressing for chicken, turkey, and pasta salads.

1
⁄
4
cup strained fresh lemon juice

Cayenne pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2
⁄
3
cup extra-virgin olive oil

1
⁄
4
cup minced red onion

Whisk lemon juice with cayenne, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Gradually whisk in olive oil. Stir in onion. Adjust seasoning. If making ahead, keep in a covered jar in refrigerator.

STOCKS

Vegetable Stock
Makes about 1 quart

For making pareve soups, sauces, and stews, vegetable stock is useful to have on hand as it adds a delicious flavor. When you make your own, it's more naturally flavored, more delicious, and lower in sodium than the pareve chicken broth cubes or powder, or canned vegetable stocks. Besides, it's fat-free!

Vegetable stock is almost effortless and very economical to make, as it's made of inexpensive vegetables. You can use the ones in this recipe or whatever you have on hand. Resourceful cooks save parsley stems and trimmings of onions, leeks, carrots, mushrooms, and celery in the freezer to make stock. You can refrigerate the stock for 3 days or keep it in the freezer.

2 large onions, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 ribs celery with leafy tops, sliced

1 large, soft tomato, halved (optional)

Dark green part of 1 leek, rinsed thoroughly and sliced (optional)

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