Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (158 page)
3 large cloves garlic, halved
1.
Grill and peel
peppers
. Remove cores. Cut peppers into wide strips. Pat dry.
2.
Put peppers in shallow serving dish. Whisk olive oil with lemon juice, cumin, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a small bowl. Pour mixture over peppers and add garlic. Let stand at room temperature, turning occasionally, 30 minutes, or refrigerate overnight. Remove garlic. Serve peppers at room temperature.
Garlic, chiles, and cilantro flavor this summer appetizer, which is usually served with fresh pita wedges. It also makes a pleasant accompaniment for cold chicken or turkey. I use one or two jalapeño or seeded serrano chiles but you can use more chiles if you like it hotter. If you prefer, substitute parsley for the cilantro. Garnish the eggplant with tomato wedges, roasted peppers, or sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil.
2 medium eggplants (2 pounds), unpeeled
2 teaspoons salt, plus extra for seasoning
2
â
3
cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 to 2 fresh jalapeño or 2 serrano peppers, halved lengthwise, seeds removed if desired (see Note)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1
â
4
cup white wine vinegar
1
â
4
cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Fresh cilantro sprigs
1.
Cut eggplants into
1
â
2
-inch slices crosswise. Arrange slices in 1 layer on a rack set over a tray. Sprinkle evenly with 1 teaspoon salt on each side. Let slices drain 1 hour. Thoroughly dry them with several paper towels.
2.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Quickly add enough eggplant slices to make 1 layer. Sauté eggplant about 2
1
â
2
minutes on each side or until tender when pierced with a fork. Transfer to a plate. Add 3 tablespoons oil to skillet, heat, and sauté remaining eggplant in batches, adding more oil between batches as necessary. Transfer eggplant to a large shallow serving dish or baking dish.
3.
To prepare the marinade: Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan, add chopped garlic and halved chiles and cook over low heat 2 minutes. Stir in cumin, a small pinch of salt, and vinegar. Bring to a boil and cook over low heat 1 minute. Remove marinade from heat and discard chiles. Add chopped cilantro.
4.
Pour marinade evenly over eggplant slices and sprinkle them with pepper. Turn eggplant slices over so that marinade coats all of them. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving; or refrigerate in a covered container up to 3 days.
5.
Serve eggplant cold or at room temperature, garnished with cilantro sprigs.
Note:
Wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers.
Olives have been a product of the land of Israel since biblical times, and today Israel exports several varieties of olives as well as olive oil. They appear very often on the table as a condiment and are used in many dishes, especially Sephardic ones.
Serve this salad as an appetizer or as a savory topping for baked fish, beans, or rice. Be sure to use good quality olives. Leave them whole or cut them in half. If you're making the salad ahead, try to add the parsley close to serving time so it will stay bright green.
2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
1
â
4
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup black olives, pitted
1 cup green olives, pitted
1 pound ripe tomatoes, finely diced
1
â
4
cup chopped green onion
1
â
4
cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Combine lemon juice, pepper flakes, and thyme in a serving bowl. Add olives, tomatoes, green onion, and parsley. Season with pepper. Refrigerate in a covered container until ready to serve.
PASTRIES AND SNACKS
, 
, or
Â
 (depending on filling)These pillows of dough enclosing a savory filling are time-honored specialties of the Ashkenazic kitchen. Knishes filled with meat, potatoes, and kasha are the most traditional and are available at many delis. In recent years home cooks and deli chefs have created many new flavors. I've sampled spinach knishes, turkey knishes, and broccoli and cheddar knishes. There are even knishes with sweet fillings. To stuff these knishes with a meat filling, use pareve margarine. For vegetable or cheese fillings, you can use either margarine or butter, or make the knishes with sour cream dough.
2
1
â
2
cups all-purpose flour
Scant
3
â
4
teaspoon salt
3
â
4
cup (1
1
â
2
stick) unsalted firm margarine or butter, well chilled and cut into small pieces
5 to 7 tablespoons ice water
1
1
â
4
cups filling for knishes (see following recipes
Kasha-Walnut Filling for Knishes
,
Potato Filling for Knishes
,
Broccoli-Cheddar Filling for Knishes
,
Three-Cheese Knishes
,
Three-Cheese Filling for Knishes
)
1 large egg, beaten with pinch of salt (for glaze)
1.
Combine flour and salt in food processor and process briefly to blend. Add margarine and process with brief pulses until mixture resembles small crumbs. With blades turning, add ice water gradually, until dough begins to clump together. Knead dough very lightly and briefly just until it holds together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, press together to form a ball, and flatten to a disc. Refrigerate dough at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before using it.
2.
Prepare filling. Cut dough into 4 pieces. Take first piece and roll dough on a lightly floured surface until as thin as possible, at most
1
â
8
-inch thick. With a 3-inch cutter, cut dough into rounds. Put about 1
1
â
2
teaspoons filling in center of each. Moisten edges about half way around circle and fold in half, bringing unmoistened side over to moistened side. Pinch edges together to seal them. Put them on a greased baking sheet. Continue making knishes from remaining dough and scraps left from cutting. Refrigerate knishes 30 minutes or up to overnight.
3.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush knishes with beaten egg. Make 2 or 3 slits in pastry with a small sharp knife so steam can escape. Bake knishes 20 to 25 minutes or until they are light brown. Serve warm.
 or
Â
Fillings of kasha, also called buckwheat groats or roasted buckwheat kernels, have long been popular among knish mavens. Some cooks add nuts as well, and I like the way their flavor complements that of the kasha and the browned onions. Fine kasha is the best for making fillings but you can use medium kasha if your market does not carry the finely ground type. You can find kasha with the kosher products in many supermarkets.