1,000 Jewish Recipes (143 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
3 pounds salmon steaks, 1 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 large onions, sliced
2 large carrots, sliced into rounds
2 bay leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme or
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2
teaspoon dried thyme
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2
cups dry white wine
3 cups water
3 sprigs fresh tarragon
3 large shallots, chopped
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 or 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
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4
cup golden raisins
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4
cup currants
3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon (from above sprigs)
6 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
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4
cup toasted diced pecans
1.
Sprinkle salmon lightly with salt and pepper and set aside.
2.
Combine onions, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, wine, and water in a shallow stew pan in which fish can fit in a single layer. Remove leaves from tarragon stems and reserve for chopping; add stems to pan. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 20 minutes.
3.
Add salmon to pan and return to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat 10 to 12 minutes or until fish is tender; check near boneâflesh should have turned a lighter shade of pink. Transfer salmon carefully to a deep serving dish.
4.
Boil cooking liquid about 7 minutes or until it is reduced to 3
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2
cups. Strain, reserving a few carrot slices for garnish, and return strained liquid to pan. Add shallots, vinegar, sugar, and ginger. Simmer, stirring, for 1 minute. Add raisins and currants and simmer 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons tarragon and 5 tablespoons parsley. Adjust seasoning. Pour sauce over fish.
5.
Serve fish cold. When serving, spoon a little of the liquid over fish, with the raisins and currants. Sprinkle with remaining tarragon, parsley, and with the pecans. Garnish with a few carrot slices.
Serve this easy, flavorful dish with its smooth, rich sauce as a Shabbat or other holiday fish course.
2 pounds halibut steaks or fillets, about 1-inch thick
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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2
teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons water
2 cups spinach leaves, stems removed and leaves rinsed thoroughly
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3
cup watercress leaves
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3
cup small sprigs fresh Italian parsley
1 cup mayonnaise
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2
teaspoon Dijon mustard (optional)
2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Watercress sprigs for garnish
1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Lightly oil a baking dish in which fish fits easily in one layer. Put fish in dish and sprinkle it with oil, salt, pepper, and thyme. Add the water to dish. Cover lightly with foil and bake 10 to 12 minutes or until thickest part of fish becomes opaque inside; check with a sharp knife.
2.
Add spinach and watercress to a medium saucepan of boiling water. Return to a boil. Immediately drain in a colander. Rinse under cold running water and drain well. Squeeze to remove excess liquid.
3.
Puree spinach, watercress, and parsley in a food processor until smooth. If necessary, add 2 to 3 tablespoons mayonnaise to help make a smoother mixture.
4.
Add remaining mayonnaise and process until smooth. Add salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to a bowl. Beat in mustard, if using. Gradually beat in lemon juice. If sauce is too thick, beat in 1 or 2 tablespoons warm water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until sauce is just thin enough to be poured. Season with salt and pepper.
5.
Serve fish hot or cold, garnished with watercress sprigs. Put a small dollop of sauce on each portion, or serve sauce separately.
POULTRY MAIN COURSES
Golden brown baked chicken is the most popular main course in our family for our Friday night dinner. This is the way my sisters-in-law and I usually prepare it. Often we use chicken pieces rather than roasting a whole chicken so there's no last minute carving. Flavored with plenty of spice but not hot, this chicken appeals to everyone, and a spoonful of the savory roasting juices makes a delicious addition to rice or potatoes.
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
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2
teaspoon freshly ground pepper
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4
teaspoon salt (optional)
3 to 3
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2
pounds chicken pieces
1 pound onions, halved and cut into thick slices
1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix together cumin, paprika, turmeric, pepper, and salt, if using. Rub mixture into chicken. Lightly oil a heavy roasting pan and add onions. Top with chicken. Bake uncovered 30 minutes.
2.
Reduce heat to 375°F. Turn chicken pieces over with tongs. Bake uncovered 10 minutes to brown second side. Cover with foil and bake 10 to 20 minutes longer or until chicken is tender. Cut to check; juices should no longer be pink when thickest part of thigh is pierced with a sharp knife.
My mother loves to make tzimmes (or stew) with matzo balls and this beautiful new main course is her idea. She devised it during a holiday visit to California a few years ago, when we were cooking Shabbat dinner together shortly before Hanukkah.
The deep brown roasted chicken pieces bake with sweet potatoes, carrots, and prunes. Their slightly sweet sauce complements the chicken wonderfully and gains a rich taste from it during the baking. The kneidel, or matzo balls, turn golden and absorb flavor from the sauce.
The dish is a complete entree in itself but we also like to serve it with briefly cooked broccoli. If you wish to prepare it ahead, reheat it, covered with foil, at 300°F for about 30 minutes.
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4
pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled, halved, and sliced
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2
-inch thick
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4
pound carrots, sliced
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2
-inch thick
4 ounces pitted prunes
5 cups water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 large egg, beaten
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3
cup matzo meal
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8
teaspoon baking powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 to 2
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2
pounds chicken leg pieces (drumstick with thigh attached), skinned
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2
teaspoon onion powder
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2
teaspoon paprika
1.
Combine sweet potatoes, carrots, prunes, water, and brown sugar in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat 5 minutes.
2.
Meanwhile make kneidel mixture: Put the egg in a medium bowl. Stir in matzo meal, baking powder, salt, and pepper. Mixture should be just firm enough to hold together in roughly shaped balls. If mixture is too firm, gradually beat in 1 or 2 tablespoons liquid from the simmering tzimmes.
3.
Turn heat very low under tzimmes so liquid no longer bubbles.
4.
Keep a glass of water handy and wet your hands. Take about 2 teaspoons kneidel mixture and with your wet hands, shape it very gently into a soft ball, rolling it lightly from one hand to the other. Put ball in tzimmes. Continue making balls, wetting hands before shaping each one.
5.
Bring tzimmes to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat 15 minutes. Turn matzo balls over. Simmer 5 to 10 more minutes or until vegetables and prunes are tender.
6.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Put chicken in a 13-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle with onion powder and paprika. Roast 45 minutes.
7.
Reserve 1 cup of liquid from sweet potato mixture. Spoon mixture with all of remaining liquid around chicken. Baste chicken. Bake uncovered 20 minutes. Add reserved tzimmes liquid and bake 10 minutes more. If making ahead, cover to keep it warm. Serve hot.
This delicious dish appears as the star of the Friday night dinner of a Moroccan friend of mine who now lives in Los Angeles. Her mother cooks the lavish meal and invites her children and grandchildren, and a few friends as well.
Everyone loves the chicken in its slightly spicy tomato sauce made a bit tangy by the green olives. My friend serves it with a festive version of rice pilaf topped with pecans and raisins. You can make it like
Rice Pilaf with Golden Raisins and Pistachios
but substitute toasted pecans for the pistachios and use dark raisins.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
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2
pounds chicken pieces, patted dry
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeño pepper, chopped
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4
cup chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or two 28-ounce cans tomatoes, drained and chopped
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4
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
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2
teaspoon ground cumin
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2
cup water
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4
cup pitted green olives
Several drops strained fresh lemon juice (optional)
1.
Heat oil in a large stew pan. Add onion and sauté over medium heat about 5 minutes or until softened. Add chicken pieces, sprinkle with pepper, and sauté with onion, turning chicken pieces often, about 5 minutes or until onion begins to brown.