Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (166 page)
Borscht made of beets is one of the best-known specialties of the Ashkenazic kitchen. But beets are used in many other ways in Jewish cooking. A favorite in many homes is beet salad. You can use canned or ready-cooked packaged beets, but home-cooked beets make the salad truly delicious.
Vegetable oil is commonly used but I like to update the recipe by flavoring the dressing with hazelnut oil. You can substitute walnut or vegetable oil, if you like. Nut oil will keep for several months if stored in the refrigerator.
2 large beets
4 large romaine leaves, cut into strips
4 cups iceberg lettuce mix
1 medium cucumber, peeled, quartered lengthwise, and sliced
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3
small jicama, peeled, thinly sliced, and cut into sticks
2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons hazelnut oil (also called filbert oil)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Rinse beets, taking care not to pierce their skins. Put in a pan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat 40 to 50 minutes or until tender. Let cool. Run beets under cold water and slip off the skins. Halve beets, place cut side down and slice them.
2.
Combine romaine strips, iceberg lettuce mix, cucumber slices, and jicama in a bowl. Toss to mix. Add lemon juice, hazelnut oil, salt, and pepper and mix well. Serve topped with sliced beets.
My sister-in-law Nirit often includes this bright red, zesty salad on her Seder menu, as it's very popular with our family and friends. I like it for Purim too, especially if I'm celebrating it with a turkey dinner. Any leftover salad is great with cold cooked or smoked turkey or chicken.
2 pounds of beets of about 1
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2
-inch diameter
3 to 4 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 white, red, or other mild onion, grated
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Rinse beets, taking care not to pierce their skins. Put in a large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 40 to 50 minutes or until tender. Let cool. Run beets under cold water and slip off their skins.
2.
Grate beets on large holes of grater. Add garlic, onion, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight so that flavors blend. Adjust seasoning. Serve cold.
Eastern European Jewish green bean salads often feature more vinegar than oil, unlike those of France which customarily are dressed with 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. For a colorful medley, I like to combine the beans with carrots. The sweetness of the carrots also balances the tart dressing. You can let the vegetables marinate in the dressing for a few hours for more flavor but their colors will be brightest if you serve them right away.
1 pound carrots
1
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2
pounds green beans, ends removed, cut into 3-inch lengths
3 tablespoons citrus, cider, or rice vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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4
cup chopped fresh parsley
Cut carrots into 2-inch lengths. Slice each piece lengthwise, then cut it into sticks about
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3
-inch thick. Add carrots and green beans to a large saucepan of boiling salted water and boil uncovered over high heat 7 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain in a colander, rinse with cold water, and drain well. Transfer to a bowl. Add vinegar, sugar, 1 tablespoon oil, salt, and pepper. Add more oil if you like. Add parsley just before serving.
Artichokes are used liberally in Sephardic homes both as hot dishes and as salads, like this colorful one that I savored in Jerusalem. If you use roasted sweet red peppers from a jar and canned or frozen artichokes, it's quick and easy to make.
4 large artichokes, one 9-ounce package frozen artichoke heart pieces, or one 14-ounce can artichoke hearts or bottoms, drained
1 red bell
pepper
, roasted and peeled, or two roasted red bell pepper halves from a jar
1 medium clove garlic, pressed or very finely minced
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2
tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
Hot pepper sauce to taste
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 Kalamata olives, pitted if desired
1.
If using fresh artichokes, prepare and cook
artichoke bottoms
. If using frozen artichokes, cook them according to package directions. Drain fresh, frozen, or canned artichokes well. Quarter artichoke bottoms or hearts.
2.
Cut roasted peppers into thin strips. Combine peppers and artichokes in a bowl.
3.
Mix garlic, lemon juice, oil, parsley, hot sauce, and salt and pepper in a small bowl. Add to salad and toss. Serve garnished with olives.
Unlike the familiar sweet and sour American three-bean salad, this colorful vegetable medley is brightened with the fresh flavors of the southern Mediterraneanâripe tomatoes, capers, cilantro, lemon juice, and a touch of olive oil.
One 10-ounce package frozen lima beans
8 ounces green beans or yellow beans (wax beans), ends removed, cut in half
One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
3 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
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3
cup finely chopped red onion or sweet onion
2 or 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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2
tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon capers, rinsed
1.
Add lima beans to a medium saucepan of boiling salted water, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes. Add green beans and return to a boil. Cook uncovered over high heat about 5 minutes or until both types of beans are tender. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well.
2.
Combine cooked beans with chickpeas, tomatoes, and onions in a bowl. Add oil, lemon juice, half the cilantro, salt, and pepper and mix well. Adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with remaining cilantro and with capers. Serve cold or at room temperature.
This colorful medley is satisfying and very easy to prepare. Serve it as a Shabbat appetizer or even as a light summertime main course. If you wish, you can omit the oil.
One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
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2
teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
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2
cups finely diced cucumber
1 red, yellow, orange, or green bell pepper, diced
8 ripe plum tomatoes, diced
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cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons shredded fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Mix chickpeas with oregano, oil, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice in a bowl. Add cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, onion, and basil. Season with salt, pepper, and cayenne. Add remaining lemon juice if needed. Serve cold or at room temperature.
Fresh fava beans are a highlight of the Sephardic table, especially during Passover. Often they are prepared very simply as in this recipe so their natural character can be appreciated.
The beans are more beautiful and pleasant to eat when their second skin is removed, although some cooks omit this step because it is time consuming. To remove this skin, blanch the beans, then when cool enough to touch, press on one side of each bean, and the bean comes out like an almond. To save time, you can use frozen fava beans, which have been removed from their pods but still have their second skins. You can find them at Israeli and Middle Eastern markets.