1,000 Jewish Recipes (156 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
Sephardic Jews from all around the Mediterranean and the Middle East enjoy spreads made from vegetables. This spread is made from a medley of vegetables that are roasted together in the ovenâeggplant, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes, garlic, and onions. It's easy to make because the vegetables are roasted whole. The vegetables are pureed in a food processor (except for the potato, which would become gluey) and the puree is seasoned with lemon juice and olive oil. Serve it with pita bread, toast, or with French or sourdough bread. It also makes a light and pretty appetizer spread on cucumber slices.
2 baking potatoes (total 1 pound)
3 Japanese eggplants or 1 small Italian eggplant (total
3
â
4
pound)
2 large red bell peppers
4 ripe plum tomatoes (total
1
â
2
pound)
1 small onion, unpeeled
4 large cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)
1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Rinse vegetables and pat dry. Prick potatoes and eggplant a few times with a fork and put in a roasting pan. Add peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Bake vegetables until tenderâ tomatoes, onions, and garlic 30 minutes, peppers 45 to 50 minutes, eggplants 50 minutes to 1 hour, and potatoes about 1 hour and 10 minutes; turn vegetables once during roasting.
2.
When done, peel tomatoes, onion, and garlic. When pepper is done, transfer to a bowl and cover tightly (or close in a plastic bag). Let stand 10 minutes. Peel with aid of a paring knife. Halve and drain liquid from inside peppers. Remove core. Cut into pieces. Peel eggplant with aid of paring knife. Puree the vegetables (not potatoes) in food processor until smooth.
3.
Scoop out pulp from potatoes into a bowl. Mash with a potato masher or in a food mill. Mix with remaining vegetables. Stir in oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cayenne, if using; season generously. Serve cold or at room temperature.
This rich and flavorful medley of hot and sweet peppers cooked with tomatoes is a favorite in Israel. It's usually served cold as a dip with pita bread. I also like it hot or cold as a sauce or accompaniment for meat, fish, or grains.
This version is medium-hot; increase the amount of jalapeño peppers or leave in their seeds and ribs if you would like it hotter. Another way to adjust the heat is to add a pinch or two of cayenne pepper to the finished mixture.
3 or 4 tablespoons olive oil
2 large green bell peppers, diced (
1
â
2
-inch dice)
2 large red bell peppers or 1 red and 1 yellow, halved, cored, and diced
2
1
â
2
pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and diced, or two 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes, drained
Salt, to taste
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
3 jalapeño peppers, seeds and ribs removed, chopped (see Note)
1 teaspoon ground cumin (optional)
1
â
2
cup small sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
1.
Heat oil in a large, wide, deep pan, such as a Dutch oven. Add both types bell peppers and sauté over medium-low heat about 10 minutes or until softened. Remove peppers with slotted spoon.
2.
Add tomatoes to the pan, sprinkle with salt, and bring to boil. Cook uncovered over medium heat, 20 minutes. Add sautéed peppers, garlic, jalapeño peppers, and cumin, if using, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 10 minutes or until bell peppers are tender and mixture is thick. Add cilantro and cook 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot, cold, or at room temperature. Stir before serving.
Note:
Wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers.
Serve this tasty pareve dip with raw or cooked vegetables as an appetizer or to accompany cooked fish. Be sure to use very fresh garlic. Generally I use fresh jalapeño pepper to flavor the dip but you can use other fresh chiles or omit them if you prefer.
4 medium cloves garlic, peeled
1
â
2
small red or green jalapeño pepper, seeds and ribs discarded
1 cup mayonnaise
About 1 tablespoon strained fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Mince garlic and jalapeño in a mini food processor or with a knife. Mix mayonnaise with garlic, jalapeño pepper, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and olive oil in a bowl. Adjust seasoning, and add more lemon juice if desired.
FALAFEL AND FRITTERS
This is the way my mother-in-law, Rachel Levy, made falafel. Serve falafel as an appetizer with an assortment of dips and salads, with a plate of
Everyday Israeli Salad
or as a sandwich in very fresh pita bread cut in half. If you're serving it as a sandwich, add a few spoonfuls of Israeli salad, some tahini sauce, and a drizzle of hot sauce.
My mother-in-law used a meat grinder to prepare the falafel mixture. I use a food processor because it's easier. If you like, you can prepare the mixture ahead and refrigerate it in a covered container up to 2 days.
1 pound dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans), about 2
2
â
3
cups
3 medium heads of garlic (about 30 medium cloves), peeled
1 thick slice stale white bread, crusts removed
1 large onion, minced
1
â
3
cup small sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
2
1
â
2
tablespoons ground coriander
2
1
â
2
tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon salt
2
1
â
2
teaspoons prepared black pepper
1
â
4
cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
About 6 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
1.
Soak chickpeas overnight or 8 to 12 hours in cool water to generously cover; drain in colander and rinse. Note: The chickpeas are soaked but are not boiledâthe frying cooks them enough.
2.
Mince garlic in food processor; remove. Sprinkle bread with about 1 tablespoon water; squeeze dry. Grind chickpeas and bread in processor in batches. Transfer to a bowl. Add minced onion, garlic, chopped cilantro, coriander, cumin, salt, pepper, flour, and baking powder. Mix well. Knead thoroughly with hands to mix very well.
3.
To shape the falafel, take 1 tablespoon of mixture and squeeze to compact it. Then press it to a ball. Roll lightly between your palms to give it a smooth round shape.
4.
Heat oil in a deep fryer or heavy saucepan to about 350°F. Add about one sixth of the falafel balls. Do not drop them into oil from high up or oil will splash. Fry about 2 minutes or until falafel balls are deep golden brown and crisp. Drain briefly on paper towels. Serve hot.
Sometimes I like to prepare falafel in a non-traditional way. I shape the patties as burgers and grill them on a barbecue. My grilled falafel is easier to prepare than the original because you don't have to deal with a deep fat fryer and sizzling oil. Naturally, my falafel's fat content is greatly reduced as well. My recipe drew smiles from my mother-in-law, who is a falafel expert, but she agreed that falafel's main appeal is its spicing. Generous amounts of cumin, garlic, and black pepper are what give falafel its unique flavor. Usually falafel contains cilantro too but you can substitute Italian parsley.
To make falafel even more quickly, I use canned chickpeas so I don't have to soak dried chickpeas overnight. I chop the chickpeas and other ingredients in a food processor instead of working them through a meat grinder. Serve the grilled falafel like fried falafel (see
Box
and
Recipe
, Falafel). Instead of tahini, I sometimes prepare a simple, low-fat sesame sauce.
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
1
â
3
cup small sprigs fresh cilantro or Italian parsley
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
Two 15- or 16-ounce cans chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
2
1
â
2
teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1
â
2
teaspoon salt
1
â
2
teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons bread crumbs
1 large egg white
1.
Mince garlic and cilantro in food processor. Add onion to mixture in processor and mince it by pulsing. Add chickpeas, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, cayenne, and bread crumbs. Process with brief pulses to a chunky puree, scraping down sides occasionally. Add egg white and process until blended. Transfer to a bowl. Mix well.
2.
Shape mixture in 8 smooth patties. Pack mixture firmly when shaping so that falafel holds together.
3.
Heat grill and brush with oil. Grill falafel patties over medium heat about 5 minutes per side or until slightly firm on top, turning patties over carefully with 2 spatulas. Serve hot.
Falafel
On the day that Israel commemorates its independence, many in the crowd celebrating in the streets feast on the Middle Eastern spe- cialty that has been informally crowned as "Israel's national dish"âfalafel.
Like the American hamburger, "falafel" describes a sandwich and the food that gives the sandwich its name. Chickpea (garbanzo bean) batter is shaped into small balls, then fried and placed inside a pita pocket, with chopped vegetables and zesty condiments.
Flavorful, inexpensive falafel are so ubiquitous on Israeli streets that it is now unquestioningly associated, in the minds of both natives and tourists, with Israel. It is a favorite pick-me-up for children on their way home from school, for adults on their lunch break, and for families enjoying a stroll in big cities like Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. Israelis did much to popularize these vegetarian burgers by opening falafel restaurants abroad, thus giving it an Israeli identity in Europe and in the United States.
The first time I ate falafel was in Israel when I was seventeen. It was quite a surprise because I had never eaten spicy-hot food before. I bit into the falafel and immediately had to ask for a glass of water. I didn't manage to finish the whole sandwich.
Several years later my mother-in-law opened a falafel café in Givatayim, a suburb of Tel Aviv. She made falafel every day by grinding soaked chickpeas with fresh garlic and spices. After frying the falafel balls in vegetable oil, she served them the favorite Israeli way: inside a split, very fresh pita with several spoonfuls of Israeli salad. For those who wanted it, she added shredded green or red cabbage, hot sauce, pickles, and tahini (sesame paste) sauce. I tasted her falafel and understood why everyone loved it. The combination of sizzling hot, just-fried falafel balls, crisp cooling vegetables, fiery hot pepper sauce, and smooth, rich tahini sauce was irresistible.