Around the Shabbat Table (15 page)

³
⁄
₄
cup finely chopped fresh dill

¹
⁄
₂
cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 tablespoons matzoh meal

3 tablespoons shredded Cheddar or grated Parmesan cheese

3 to 4 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted (optional)

IF
using fresh spinach, wash it thoroughly to remove all traces of sand. Cut off any tough stems and discard them. Place the spinach with just the water that clings to its leaves in a large saucepan. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 8 minutes.

PLACE
the cooked fresh or the thawed frozen spinach in a colander and, with your hands or the back of a spoon, press out as much liquid as possible. It should be rather dry. Chop the spinach fine.

MELT
the butter in a large skillet. Add the shallots or onion and sauté until softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the spinach and cook, stirring, until the spinach is tender and the butter is absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with salt (just a bit—remember that the cheeses can be rather salty) and pepper. Set aside to cool.

PREHEAT
the oven to 350°F.

COMBINE
the cream cheese, feta, and farmer cheese in a food processor and blend well. Break the eggs into a glass measuring cup with a pouring spout. With the machine running, add the eggs, one at a time, through the feed tube, and process until smooth. Crumble in the oregano or mint. Add the spinach mixture, dill, and parsley, and pulse about 15 seconds to combine well; do not puree.

GREASE
a 13 by 9-inch baking pan and sprinkle the bottom and sides with the matzoh meal. Pour the spinach batter into the pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle with the Cheddar or Parmesan, scatter the pine nuts over evenly, if using, and bake for about 40 minutes, until lightly golden and the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan. It should feel slightly firm, but it will not set until it has cooled for at least 20 minutes. Serve warm (reheat if necessary) or at room temperature, cut into squares.

COOK'S NOTE:
Beautifully fresh Swiss chard is increasingly available in markets these days. It is much easier to clean than spinach, and I find its sweet yet distinctively earthy green leaves make an excellent substitute in this recipe.

I also vary the cheeses; experiment with some of your favorites, using a mixture of mild (Jarlsberg, Gruyère, Muenster, cottage cheese) and sharp (Kasseri, kashkaval, Cheddar, Parmesan).

  
  

KASHA VARNISHKES WITH FRIED EGGPLANT, MUSHROOMS, AND ONION MARMALADE

yield:
6 TO 8 SERVINGS

Properly cooked so it remains dry and fluffy, kasha, when mixed with noodles, could swallow up butter or chicken fat by the cupful. I remove the temptation to slather on lots of fat by moistening this hearty grain with plenty of caramelized onions and mushrooms. I also add sautéed eggplant for the same reason: fried cubes of it, like mushrooms, bring a melting butteriness to foods.

Though most American recipes for
kasha varnishkes
call for bow tie noodles, I find them too thick and starchy here, requiring, like the kasha, a lot of additional moisture. I break wide noodles in half to resemble the square noodles originally used—and best suited—for this dish.

The eggplant, mushrooms, and onions enrich and lighten the kasha varnishkes at the same time. You don't really need all three (and if pressed for time, you could eliminate either the mushrooms or the eggplant—or the noodles), but cooked together this is a very satisfying dish, substantial enough to serve as centerpiece for a delicious vegetarian meal (or near-vegetarian, if using chicken broth). To simplify preparations, make it in advance, up to the point of heating the ingredients in the oven. And you need to use only one skillet for all the vegetables.

1 large eggplant (1 to 1
¹
⁄
₄
pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

Coarse kosher salt

About
¹
⁄
₂
cup olive oil

1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds onions, coarsely chopped (6 cups)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh thyme or marjoram leaves

About
¹
⁄
₂
pound mushrooms, wiped clean, trimmed, and sliced (2 cups)

1 tablespoon chopped garlic

1 large egg

1 cup kasha, preferably coarse-grind

2 cups chicken broth, preferably
homemade
,
Vegetable Stock
, or good-quality, low-sodium
purchased

4 ounces broad (wide) egg noodles (broken in half, if desired)

Olive Oil Schmaltz
,
Poultry Schmaltz
, margarine, or if using vegetable broth, butter (optional)

¹
⁄
₄
cup finely minced scallions or 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh chives, for garnish

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

PUT
the eggplant in a colander, and sprinkle evenly with 2 teaspoons salt. Weight the eggplant down (I use a plate or bowl with a large can of tomatoes on top), and let drain for about 1 hour, stirring the pieces around after 30 minutes. Rinse the eggplant and press it very dry with paper towels.

WHILE
the eggplant is draining, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and salt and pepper them lightly. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring so they are thoroughly coated with oil. Cover, turn the heat down to the lowest simmer, and cook slowly until the onions are meltingly tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Stir from time to time to make sure the onions don't burn. When they are very soft, remove the lid, raise the heat to high, and brown them to a rich caramel gold. Stir frequently with a wooden spoon to redistribute the syrupy juices. If necessary, turn the heat down a bit to prevent the onions from sticking and burning. When the onions are thick and jam-like, stir in the thyme or marjoram. Adjust the seasoning and transfer the mixture to a very large bowl.

LIGHTLY
rinse out the skillet and dry it. Add 2 tablespoons fresh oil and turn the heat to high. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, until they release some juice, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, add the garlic, and continue sautéing, lifting and turning often until all the liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden brown, about 7 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the onions.

WIPE
out the skillet and in it heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the eggplant in batches, if necessary, and fry until tender and lightly browned on both sides. Add more oil to the skillet, if needed, but always make sure the oil is very hot before adding the eggplant—this will prevent the eggplant from absorbing too much oil. Transfer the eggplant to the onions and mushrooms in the bowl.

PREHEAT
the oven to 350°F.

PREPARE
the kasha: in a medium bowl, beat the egg with a fork. Stir in the kasha and mix until each grain is thoroughly coated with egg. Heat the broth to simmering. In a heavy medium skillet with high sides or a wide heavy saucepan, toast the kasha over medium heat, turning and breaking up the kasha constantly until the egg begins to dry and the grains separate, about 3 minutes. Add the hot broth and salt and pepper to taste, then cover and simmer over very low heat until tender and all the liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes.

MEANWHILE,
bring 2 quarts water and 1
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoons salt to a rolling boil. Add the noodles, and cook until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain and stir into the vegetables.

IN
a lightly greased 3-quart shallow casserole, combine the kasha with the other ingredients. Adjust the seasoning to taste. If the mixture seems dry, add schmaltz or dot with margarine or butter as needed. Bake just until heated through. Sprinkle with the scallions or chives and the parsley and serve hot.

ONION-CRUSTED LIGHT POTATO KUGEL

yield:
8 TO 10 SERVINGS

Some people tear off long ribbons of crisp skin from freshly roasted birds. Others will pick off the nuts or steal the chocolate curls from picture-perfect cakes.

This kugel is made for the onion snatchers: a lavish, meltingly tender layer of sweet, bronze-edged onions, aromatic with rosemary, beckons from atop the crisp crust. I add mashed potatoes to the grated raw ones for an especially light and creamy interior.

1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds onions, very thinly sliced (6 cups)

Kosher salt

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Freshly ground black pepper

6 large or 8 medium russet (baking) potatoes, peeled

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

Best-quality extra virgin oil, for drizzling

SEPARATE
the onion into rings. To extract moisture, toss in a large bowl with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside for about 20 minutes. Stir the onions around from time to time. Dry the onions between sheets of paper towels or cotton kitchen towels, pressing down to soak up as much of the exuded liquid as you can.