1,000 Jewish Recipes (112 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Lemon wedges
1.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan or skillet. Add celery and sauté over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until celery begins to turn golden. Add anchovies and sauté 30 seconds. Add tomato sauce and the water and mix well. Bring to a simmer.
2.
Add fish in one layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Turn fish over carefully. Cook 5 more minutes or until thickest part of the fish becomes opaque inside; check with a sharp knife. With a slotted spatula, carefully transfer fish to a serving dish deep enough to hold the sauce.
3.
If sauce is too thin, cook it uncovered over medium heat, stirring often, for 2 or 3 minutes to thicken it. Stir in lemon juice and heat gently for 30 seconds. Adjust seasoning. Spoon sauce over fish. Serve fish cold, with lemon wedges.
Moroccan Jewish cooks have many wonderful fish recipes. This is one of my favorites. Salmon's flavor stands up well to the pesto-like marinade blend of cilantro, garlic, cumin, and olive oil. For this recipe, I like to reserve some of the marinade and use it as a savory topping for the fish.
This fish is delicious whether grilled on an outdoor barbecue or a stovetop grill pan, or simply cooked in the broiler. We love it during Sukkot week because the weather in Southern California is usually perfect for outdoor barbecuing, which we can do, conveniently, next to the Sukkah.
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 small salmon steaks, about 1 inch thick
Pinch of cayenne pepper
Lemon wedges
Fresh cilantro sprigs
1.
Prepare marinade.
2.
Spoon half the marinade into a bowl and season to taste with salt; cover and refrigerate to use as sauce. Pour remaining marinade over salmon steaks. Rub into both sides of fish. Marinate 30 minutes.
3.
Preheat barbecue, stovetop grill pan, or broiler. If using broiler, set rack about 4 inches from heat source. Line broiler pan with foil, if you like.
4.
Lightly oil barbecue, grill pan, or broiler pan. Remove extra marinade (sauce) from refrigerator to let it come to room temperature. Remove fish from marinade. Scrape off pieces of herbs and garlic adhering to fish. Sprinkle fish on both sides with salt and pepper. Sprinkle lightly with cayenne pepper.
5.
Set fish on grill or broiler rack and grill or broil 4 minutes. Turn over and grill or broil 4 to 5 more minutes. Fish is done when the thickest part of the fish becomes opaque inside; check with a sharp knife near bone.
6.
To serve, spoon a little of reserved sauce on each steak. Serve hot, with lemon wedges and cilantro sprigs.
Unlike many Indian dishes, the spicing in this layered casserole of fish, vegetables, and rice is subtle. It relies on fresh cilantro, onions, and garlic for its flavor. The casserole works well with salmon cooked any wayâpoached, broiled, grilled, or even microwaved. If you don't have fresh salmon, you can use canned. The casserole keeps hot for a while and is convenient to serve in the Sukkah. If you would like to double the recipe, bake it in 2 casseroles instead of 1 large one as the layers will bake more evenly.
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, sliced
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
6 cups water
1
1
â
3
cups long grain rice
1 large carrot, halved and sliced
2 yellow squash or zucchini, diced
1 cup frozen peas
1
â
2
teaspoon ground turmeric
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2 cups flaked cooked fish, preferably salmon
1
â
4
cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley
1
â
2
cup hot water
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in large saucepan, add onions, and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, about 7 minutes or until onions begin to turn golden. Add garlic and sauté a few seconds. Transfer onion and garlic to a platter.
2.
In same pan bring the water to a boil with a pinch of salt. Add rice and sliced carrot and boil uncovered 7 minutes. Add squash and peas, return to a boil, and boil uncovered 3 minutes. Drain rice and vegetables, rinse with cold water, and drain well again. Rice will be partially cooked.
3.
In a large bowl mix rice and vegetables with turmeric. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Lightly mix in fish.
4.
Spoon half of onion mixture into a 2-quart casserole. Top with half the rice and half the cilantro. Repeat layers. Spoon remaining tablespoon oil over top. Pour
1
â
2
cup hot water around edge of casserole. Cover and bake 45 minutes or until rice is tender and water is absorbed.
Light but satisfying, this makes an all-in-one main course that's convenient to serve in the Sukkah. Unlike many lentil soups, it's colorful because it contains winter squash, carrots, and plenty of parsley. Serve the soup with rice, couscous, or pita bread.
If you wish to keep the broth and lentils lean, pull the skin off the chicken pieces before cooking them.
3
1
â
2
pounds chicken pieces
2 large onions, cut into thick slice
3 quarts water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups lentils, stones removed, rinsed
3
â
4
-pound piece banana squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 large carrots, cut into thick slices (about
1
â
2
-inch)
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
1
1
â
2
teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1
â
4
to
1
â
2
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1
â
2
cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1.
Combine chicken pieces, onions, water, and a little salt in a large stew pan or soup pot. Bring to a boil. Skim foam and fat. Simmer 30 minutes.
2.
Add lentils to soup. Add squash cubes, carrots, garlic, cumin, paprika, oregano, and pepper flakes. Cover and simmer over low heat 1 hour or until lentils are tender. Remove chicken from the pot. If you left skin on chicken, remove it now. Either leave chicken in pieces, or remove it from bone, dice it, and return to soup; or reserve chicken for other uses.
3.
Skim fat from surface of soup. Adjust seasoning. Stir in parsley a short time before serving.
An easy baked chicken dish is one of my favorite entrees for Sukkot, especially one baked with its accompaniments so it's simple to serve and to carry to the Sukkah.
3 pounds boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced, about 3/8-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
10 fresh sage leaves
3 to 3
1
â
4
pounds chicken pieces
2 large onions, halved and sliced
1 red bell pepper, cored and quartered lengthwise
1 green bell pepper, cored and quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)
1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a roasting pan. Add potatoes and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss so all are coated. Top with sage leaves, then with chicken pieces. Season chicken on both sides with pepper. Top with sliced onions. Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes.
2.
Remove chicken pieces. Discard sage leaves. Put pepper pieces on potatoes. Turn chicken pieces over and return to pan with onions underneath them. Cover and bake chicken 15 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 minutes or until chicken is tender and light brown and juices are no longer pink when thickest part of thigh is pierced. Remove chicken pieces. If potatoes are not tender, cover and bake 10 more minutes.
3.
Serve chicken on bed of potato-pepper mixture. Sprinkle with sage and parsley, if using.
Quinces look like large apples and resemble them somewhat in flavor but are always cooked. They are especially plentiful in markets around Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, and appear in Sephardic menus for both holidays. Their cooking time varies from 30 to 60 minutes, so check them occasionally as you cook them.
For this festive entree, the chicken and quinces are braised with a touch of honey, a cinnamon stick, some fresh ginger, and saffron, and garnished with toasted sesame seeds. The chicken is wonderful with couscous or rice. Green beans make a good accompaniment.