Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (173 page)
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4
head cabbage, shredded
6 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups diced cooked chicken
One 10-ounce bag rinsed spinach leaves
1.
Prepare rice. Then, combine stock, onion, and turnip in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add carrots, salt, pepper, and curry powder. Return to a simmer. Cover and cook for 15 minutes. Add cabbage and simmer 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and chicken and bring to a simmer. Add spinach and cook for 2 minutes over low heat.
2.
If not freshly cooked, heat rice in a container in the microwave. Ladle soup into bowls and top each with a few spoonfuls of rice pilaf.
TURKEY SOUPS
The perfect time to make this hearty, healthful soup is after Thanksgiving, when you have cooked turkey and turkey or chicken stock on hand. It's also a good way to use cooked chicken and soup from Shabbat. Flavored with two popular herbs in Israeli soup potsâcilantro and dillâthe soup is both refreshing and satisfying. When I happen to have the pale green dried French beans called flageolets, I'll add thoseâI love the color and delicate flavor they contribute, but the soup is good with white beans too.
1 cup dried flageolets or white beans, sorted
6 cups turkey or chicken stock, or half stock and half water
1 large onion, diced
2 sprigs fresh thyme or
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2
teaspoon dried thyme
5 sprigs fresh parsley (optional)
3 fresh dill stems plus 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped leaves, reserved (or 1 teaspoon dried)
3 fresh cilantro stems plus 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped leaves, reserved
1 bay leaf
One 1-pound package frozen mixed vegetables (carrots, corn, green and lima beans, peas)
2 to 3 cups thin strips of cooked turkey (dark or light meat or both)
1.
If you wish to shorten cooking time, soak beans in a large bowl generously covered with water overnight. Drain and rinse. In a large pot combine beans with stock, onion, thyme, parsley, dill, cilantro stems, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1
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to 2 hours or until tender. Remove herb sprigs.
2.
Add frozen vegetables to pot and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until tender. Stir in turkey and heat through. Add chopped dill and cilantro just before serving.
In addition to the vegetables mentioned in
Simple Soups from Extra Chicken or Turkey
, I usually add a zucchini or two if I find them in my refrigerator. While the soup is cooking, I cut the zucchini into cubes, and add it a few minutes before we eat. If I have some extra chopped herbs from the holiday meal, I add them at the last minute. Almost any herb will do; parsley, basil, tarragon, sage, dill, and cilantro are all fine.
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2
cups homemade or canned chicken or vegetable broth
3 cups water
1 large onion, halved and coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery, sliced
1 carrot, cut crosswise into thick slices
One 1-pound package frozen mixed vegetables
One 6-ounce package sliced fresh mushrooms or 1 to 2 cups rinsed spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) or white beans, drained, or 2 cups cooked rice or pasta
14
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2
-ounce can stewed or diced tomatoes, with their liquid
About 3 cups strips of cooked turkey (dark or light meat or some of each)
2 teaspoons jarred curry sauce (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Combine broth, water, onion, celery, and carrot in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat 7 minutes. Add frozen vegetables and bring to a boil. Cover and cook 7 minutes. Add mushrooms or spinach and simmer 2 to 3 minutes or until all vegetables are tender.
2.
Add thyme, chickpeas, tomatoes, and turkey and bring to a simmer. Stir gently. Add a few tablespoons boiling water if soup is too thick. Stir in curry sauce, if using, and return to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot.
Although there is evidence of an ancient practicing Jewish community in China, it has long since disappeared. However, the modern American Jewish love for Chinese cooking thrives and was the inspiration for this twist on chicken noodle soup. It uses thin transparent noodles called dried vermicelli or bean threads, as well as fresh bok choy, which cook in no time. In the Cantonese kitchen they are popular in soups made with just a little chicken or beef. Dried Chinese mushrooms, water chestnuts, and fresh ginger contribute interest to this version so it is delicate but not bland.
7 dried shiitake or black mushrooms
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ounces dried vermicelli (bean threads)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
3 cups water
1 tablespoon minced fresh peeled ginger
8 cups diced bok choy (
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4
-inch cubes)
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cups strips of cooked turkey or chicken
12 to 18 canned water chestnuts, drained, rinsed, and sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry
Salt and white pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons chopped green onions
1.
Soak mushrooms in hot water to cover for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain well. Cut out and discard tough stems. Slice mushrooms.
2.
Soak bean threads in hot water to cover for 10 minutes. Drain well.
3.
Combine stock, water, mushrooms, and ginger in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add bok choy. Return to boil and add vermicelli. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until bok choy is tender. Add turkey and water chestnuts and simmer 1 minute. Add soy sauce and rice wine. Adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with green onion.
Unlike most split pea soups, this recipe, favored by Iranian Jews, is not a thick puree. The peas, rice, and strips of turkey keep their distinct textures in the gently spiced broth flavored with garlic, dill, and cilantro.
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4
cup split peas, sorted, rinsed, and drained
1 onion, sliced
About 2 quarts turkey or chicken stock, or stock mixed with water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
6 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
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3
cup long-grain rice, preferably basmati
3 cups strips of cooked turkey
1.
Cook peas with onion and 6 cups stock in large saucepan for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until peas are tender. Season soup with salt and pepper.
2.
Add 2 cups stock, garlic, turmeric, 4 tablespoons dill, and 4 tablespoons cilantro. Bring to a simmer. Add rice and bring to simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes or until rice is barely tender. Add turkey and heat through. If soup is too thick, add a little more stock and bring to a simmer. Stir in remaining dill and cilantro. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
MEAT SOUPS
Popular in Poland, Russia, and Ukraine, this hearty soup gains an intriguing taste from beets and cabbage that cook in a beef broth. Some cooks add smoked meats, frankfurters, or salami for accent, while some prefer to make the soup with red cabbage. Still others add white beans or potatoes so the soup will be even more satisfying. The soup is good made ahead and reheated.
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 large onions, diced
4 large carrots, diced
1 parsnip or parsley root, diced (optional)
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2
pounds beef with bones, such as beef shank
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
3 medium beets, scrubbed thoroughly with brush
3 to 4 tablespoons tomato paste
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small green cabbage, shredded
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1.
Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat, add onions, carrots, and parsnip, if using, and sauté about 10 minutes, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl. Put beef in same saucepan, cover with the water, and add bay leaf. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 30 minutes. Add beets, cover and simmer 1 hour or until tender. Remove beets and slip off their skins under running water. Dice beets and return to saucepan.
2.
Stir tomato paste into soup. Add sautéed vegetables. Cover and simmer 20 minutes. Add cabbage and simmer 15 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender. Discard bay leaf. Skim excess fat from soup. (If preparing soup ahead, refrigerate, then skim off fat.) Adjust seasoning. Remove beef. Dice any meat, discarding bones, and add meat to soup. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.