1,000 Jewish Recipes (150 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1
1
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2
cups basmati rice
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
2
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4
cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
In a small cup, combine saffron and
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4
cup boiling water. Cover and let stand. Meanwhile, rinse rice in several changes of water. Drain well.
2.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes or until onion is soft and begins to turn golden. Add rice, water, saffron water, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat, without stirring, 18 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Serve hot.
Italians are famous for their risotto with pumpkin but they are not the only ones who love rice with members of the winter squash family. Jews from Iraq and from Kurdistan cook rice with all sorts of squash. This simple dish is prepared with either orange winter squash or with zucchini or other summer squash. The rice gains a delicate flavor from the natural sweetness of the squash. It makes an attractive accompaniment for
Friday Night Chicken
,
Savory Chicken with Olives
, or
Pineapple Roast Chicken
.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
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2
pounds butternut or other winter squash, peeled, halved, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups water
1 cup long-grain rice
1.
Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan, add onion, and sauté 5 minutes over low heat. Add squash, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes; add 1 to 2 tablespoons water if necessary so juices do not burn.
2.
Add water, more salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add rice and stir once. Cover and cook over low heat about 20 minutes or until squash and rice are tender. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
CAKES AND PASTRIES
This fast, one-bowl cake is a good one to make in winter, when time is short on Friday, to get the Shabbat meal ready before sundown. There's no need to layer apples with batter, to separate any eggs, or even to cream fat with sugar; all the ingredients are quickly mixed and spooned into the pan.
1 large egg
1 large egg white or
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4
cup egg substitute
2
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3
cup sugar
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3
cup vegetable oil
1
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2
cups all-purpose flour
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2
teaspoons ground cinnamon
1
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4
teaspoons baking powder
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4
teaspoon baking soda
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3
cup orange juice
1 pound sweet apples, such as Golden Delicious or Jonagold, peeled, halved, cored, and finely diced (2
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4
cups total)
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease and flour a square 9-inch cake pan. Beat egg, egg white, sugar, and oil in a large bowl with an electric mixer until blended. Sift flour with cinnamon, baking powder, and baking soda into a medium bowl. Stir half of flour mixture into egg mixture on low speed. Stir in orange juice. Stir in remaining flour. With a wooden spoon, stir in diced apples.
2.
Spread batter in prepared cake pan. Smooth top. Bake about 40 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in cake's center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack. Serve cut into squares.
My mother used to make this cake with grated chocolate because the regular-size chocolate chips sank during baking. Now she often uses mini-chocolate chips. If you use grated chocolate, keep the chocolate cool. Hold it with plastic wrap while you grate it so it won't melt from the heat of your hands.
1 cup all-purpose flour
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2
teaspoons baking powder
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4
teaspoon salt
3 large eggs, separated
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4
cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
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2
cup vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons water
1 cup mini-semisweet chocolate chips or 6 ounces grated semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Have ready an 8-inch tube pan with a removable tube; do not grease it. Sift flour with baking powder and salt into a medium bowl.
2.
Beat egg yolks with
3
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4
cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in oil. Add vanilla. Lightly stir in flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with water in 2 batches.
3.
Beat egg whites in a clean large or medium bowl with the mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Beat at high speed until whites are stiff and shiny but not dry. Fold about
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4
of whites into yolk mixture until nearly blended. Gently fold yolk mixture into remaining whites. When nearly blended, sprinkle chocolate chips over batter and fold in lightly.
4.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 50 minutes to 1 hour or until a cake tester inserted in cake's center comes out clean. Invert pan on its "feet" or on a heatproof funnel or bottle; let stand about 1
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2
hours or until completely cool. Run a metal spatula gently around side of cake. Push up tube to remove side of pan. Run a thin-bladed knife around tube. Run metal spatula carefully under cake to free it from base; turn out carefully onto a platter.
Jelly rolls have long been favorites in Jewish homes because they are pareve and the ingredients are usually at hand. The baking time is brief and so the cake can be whipped up in no time.
Usually, jelly rolls are made from sponge cakes. This one is instead a variation of the French
genoise
, a classic cake that is easier to make than other sponge cakes because there is no need to separate the eggs. The extra yolks in the batter help the cake to be more flexible so there is little chance of it cracking when you roll it.
Brushing the cake with syrup before rolling it is another trick I learned in France. The syrup keeps sponge cakes moister and adds good flavor. If you would prefer an alcohol-free syrup, substitute orange juice syrup.
Raspberry Brandy Syrup
or orange liqueur syrup
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
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4
cup cornstarch
4 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
7 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
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4
cup good quality raspberry preserves
Powdered sugar (optional)
1.
Prepare syrup and let cool. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Lightly grease the corners of a 17 à 11-inch rimmed baking sheet. Line pan with foil or parchment paper. Sift flour and cornstarch into a bowl.
2.
Beat eggs and yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Add sugar and beat at high speed about 5 minutes or until mixture is very thick. Fold in orange rind. Sift about
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3
of flour mixture over batter; fold in as gently as possible. Repeat with remaining flour mixture in 2 batches.
3.
Transfer batter to prepared baking sheet; spread evenly but lightly. Bake about 7 minutes or until cake is just firm and springy to touch and beginning to brown. Transfer cake with its liner to a rack. Pull liner gently from sides of cake. Cool to room temperature. Fill cake as soon as possible, so it will not be dry. Cover with a towel if not using immediately.
4.
Using a brush, dab syrup generously on cake. Spread preserves evenly over cake. Beginning with a long side, roll up cake carefully, unsticking liner. Use liner to help roll cake. At the end, use the edge of the liner to roll the cake towards you. Cover tightly and refrigerate 30 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if using. To serve, use a serrated knife to gently slice cake.
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