Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (132 page)
Chickpeas appear on many tables for the Purim feast to honor Esther's becoming a vegetarian when she moved into the king's palace. Often they are cooked fresh and served plain, as one of several appetizers.
1
1
â
2
cups dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
6 cups cold water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Sort chickpeas and soak overnight in a bowl generously covered with cold water. Drain, and put in a saucepan. Add the water and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer about 1
1
â
2
hours, adding hot water occasionally to keep chickpeas covered. Add a pinch of salt and continue simmering 30 to 45 minutes or until tender. (Reserve cooking liquid for soups, if you like.)
2.
Drain and serve hot, sprinkled with salt and pepper.
Plain boiled chickpeas are a popular item on many Purim menus but I like to prepare them with cumin and garlic, which give the beans an enticing aroma. If you wish, serve cucumber slices on the side for a refreshing accent. This is a very quick and easy recipe if you use canned chickpeas.
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
3
1
â
2
to 4 cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or two 15-ounce cans, drained
1
â
4
cup water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
â
2
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley (optional)
Heat oil in a medium sauté pan. Add onion and sauté over medium heat 5 minutes. Add garlic and cumin and stir over low heat 1 minute. Add chickpeas, water, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Stir and bring to boil. Cover and simmer 5 to 7 minutes or until onions are tender. Add cilantro, if using. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
During Purim, the weather usually is still cold, so there's nothing as welcome as a warm, soothing soup. This luscious soup is perfect for a vegetarian Purim party. It's also great as a first course, followed by a fish entree.
2 small heads cauliflower (about 2
1
â
2
pounds total), stalks peeled and sliced, separated into florets
2 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 to 3 cups milk
Salt and white pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
1
â
3
cup whipping cream (optional)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives or parsley
1.
Add cauliflower to a large pan of boiling salted water and return to a boil.
2.
Melt butter in a heavy, medium saucepan over low heat. Add flour and cook over low heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Whisk in 1
1
â
2
cups milk. Cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until mixture thickens and comes to boil. Add a pinch of salt, white pepper, and nutmeg.
3.
Add cauliflower and another
1
â
2
cup milk. (Liquid will not cover cauliflower.) Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring often and occasionally crushing cauliflower with spoon, about 25 minutes or until cauliflower is very tender.
4.
Using a slotted spoon, remove cauliflower and puree it (in batches if necessary) in a blender or food processor. With machine running, gradually add rest of soup to puree. Puree until very smooth. Return soup to saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring.
5.
Add enough of remaining milk to bring soup to desired consistency. Bring to a boil, stirring. Add cream, if using, and bring to a boil again, stirring. If necessary, simmer 1 to 2 minutes to desired consistency. Adjust seasoning; soup should be generously seasoned with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Serve hot, garnished with chives or parsley.
An Alsatian Jewish custom is to begin the Purim menu with split pea soup, followed by a big platter of sauerkraut topped with an array of smoked and cured meats. If you're serving such a menu, it's a good idea to serve this soup in small bowls. For other occasions, a good-size bowl of this soup is substantial enough to be a meal in itself.
Alsatian cooks like to flavor their split pea soup with onions, garlic, and plenty of leeks. Polish cooks add parsley root or diced peeled kohlrabi to the usual onions and carrots. If you would like a
fleishig
version, many cooks prepare this soup with beef or chicken broth instead of water, or add sliced beef frankfurters for the last 10 minutes of cooking.
2 large leeks
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and sliced
2 quarts water
1 pound green split peas, sorted and rinsed
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Use all of leek for this dish. Trim off a little from tops. Cut each leek into a few pieces. Halve each piece lengthwise. Slice leek pieces and put in a large bowl of cold water. Separate slices with your fingers. Let them soak for 5 minutes so that any sand goes to bottom of bowl. Lift into a colander, rinse well, and drain.
2.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and leeks and sauté over medium-low heat, stirring often, about 7 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add water and split peas and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 45 minutes. Add garlic, salt, and pepper and cook 15 to 30 more minutes or until split peas are very soft. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
MAIN COURSES
Israelis love turkey for Purim, and turkey breast in this savory green and red pepper sauce makes the centerpiece for a healthful holiday feast. The sauce is prepared in the Hungarian fashion, a favorite cooking style in Israel. Thoroughly browning the onions gives the sauce a rich brown hue. Hungarian-Israeli food can be pretty spicy, so if you like it hot, feel free to add extra hot paprika or cayenne. Whichever spice you choose, add it gradually, to your taste.
1 boneless turkey breast roast (1
1
â
2
pounds)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, sliced
3
â
4
cup chicken stock or broth
1 large green bell pepper, diced (
3
â
4
to 1 inch)
1 large red bell pepper, diced (
3
â
4
to 1 inch)
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1
â
4
to
1
â
2
teaspoon hot paprika or cayenne pepper, or to taste
One 14
1
â
2
-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1.
Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large, heavy stew pan over medium heat. Add turkey breast and brown lightly on all sides. Remove to a plate.
2.
Add onions to pan and sauté over medium heat about 15 minutes or until browned; add a few tablespoons of the stock if the onions begin to stick. Stir in bell peppers and sauté 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, sweet paprika, and hot paprika, and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes and remaining stock and bring to a simmer.
3.
Return turkey to pan and add juices from plate. Cover and cook over low heat, turning once, about 40 minutes or until thermometer inserted in thickest part of turkey registers 170°F.
4.
Remove turkey to a plate. Boil sauce to reduce until thick and well flavored, 3 to 4 minutes. Adjust seasoning; add more hot paprika if desired. Cut turkey into thin slices and serve with sauce.
Like their counterparts in Israel, the Jews of Alsace like to serve turkey for Purim, due to a play on the Hebrew and French words for turkey, meaning "India bird." Here turkey legs are cooked in the typical Alsatian method, braised gently with wine, fresh and dried mushrooms, and aromatic herbs and served with another favorite in the regionâfresh noodles. The turkey comes out moist and tender, and the sauce is richly flavored.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large onions, 1 whole and 1 sliced
1 rib celery, sliced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3
1
â
2
pounds turkey drumsticks (2 large)
1 pound carrots, cut into
1
â
2
-inch slices
1
3
â
4
cups chicken stock or broth
4 whole cloves
3 cups dry white wine
2 large sprigs fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme