Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (184 page)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 to 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
3 large eggs, beaten
1.
Bring water to a boil in saucepan. Add a pinch of salt and rice and boil uncovered for about 12 minutes or until just tender. Drain, rinse with lukewarm water, and drain well.
2.
Cook zucchini slices uncovered in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water for 3 minutes or until just tender. Drain well. Chop coarsely.
3.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add onion and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, about 7 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Add zucchini, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring often, about 2 minutes.
4.
Oil a 6-cup baking dish. Mix zucchini mixture with rice. Add cheese, basil, salt, and pepper. Add eggs. Spoon into baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon oil. Bake 15 minutes or until set. Raise oven temperature to 400°F. Bake for 10 more minutes or until top browns lightly.
Parmesan and Swiss cheese add a delicious flavor and richness to potato kugel. Serve this kugel as a side dish with a fish entree or as a partner for a vegetable stew at a vegetarian feast. It's great for Shavuot, Purim, or Shabbat, or for Hanukkah as a change from latkes.
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3
â
4
pound zucchini
1 large carrot, coarsely grated
3 large baking potatoes, peeled
3 large eggs, beaten
3
â
4
teaspoon salt
1
â
2
teaspoon ground pepper, or to taste
1 teaspoon paprika
1
â
4
cup matzo meal
1
â
2
to 1 cup shredded Swiss cheese
6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet, add onion, and sauté over medium-low heat about 10 minutes or until just beginning to turn golden.
2.
Coarsely grate zucchini, put in a large strainer, and squeeze out excess liquid. Transfer to a large bowl. Add grated carrot and sautéed onion. Coarsely grate potatoes, put in strainer, and squeeze out excess liquid. Add to bowl of vegetables. Add eggs, salt, pepper, paprika, and matzo meal and mix well. Add Swiss cheese and 3 tablespoons Parmesan and mix well.
3.
Generously grease a 7-cup baking dish. Heat briefly in oven. Add potato mixture. Sprinkle with remaining 3 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake about 1 hour or until brown and set.
PASTRIES
Sephardic pastries called
bourekas
are said to have originated in Turkey and are favorite appetizers or holiday brunch dishes in Israel. Usually they are made with phyllo dough and have cheese or vegetable fillings. Phyllo dough is fat-free. If you are careful to dab the dough lightly with melted butter or oil rather than brushing it generously, these
bourekas
will be low in fat. They're also lighter-textured and crisper when they're not weighted down with too much butter.
1 pound phyllo sheets (about 20 sheets)
1
1
â
2
pounds spinach, stems discarded and leaves rinsed well
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, minced
1
â
2
cup ricotta cheese, low-fat or nonfat
2 to 4 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
2 large eggs, or 1 large egg and 1 large egg white, beaten
1
â
4
to
1
â
3
cup vegetable oil or melted butter or margarine
About 2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1.
If phyllo sheets are frozen, thaw them in refrigerator 8 hours or overnight. Remove sheets from refrigerator 2 hours before using and leave them in their package.
2.
Place spinach leaves in a large skillet with water clinging to them. Cover and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes or until wilted. Drain, rinse, and squeeze to remove as much liquid as possible. Chop spinach finely.
3.
Heat olive oil in a skillet, add onion, and cook over low heat, stirring, about 10 minutes or until tender. Add spinach and sauté 2 minutes. Remove from heat, transfer to a bowl, and let cool slightly. Add ricotta and Parmesan and mix well. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg; filling should be highly seasoned. Stir in eggs.
4.
Lightly grease a baking sheet. Remove phyllo sheets from package and unroll them on a dry towel. With a sharp knife, cut stack in half lengthwise, to form 2 stacks of sheets of about 16 Ã 7 inches. Cover phyllo immediately with a piece of wax paper, then with a damp towel. Work with only one sheet at a time and always keep remaining sheets covered so they don't dry out.
5.
Remove a pastry sheet from stack. Using a brush, dab it lightly with vegetable oil and fold it in half lengthwise, so its dimensions are about 16 Ã 3
1
â
2
inches. Place about 1
1
â
2
teaspoons filling at one end of strip. Fold end of strip diagonally over filling to form a triangle, and dab it lightly with oil. Continue folding it over and over, keeping it in a triangular shape after each fold, until you reach end of strip. Set filled pastry on greased baking sheet. Dab it lightly with oil. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Shape more pastries with remaining phyllo sheets and filling.
6.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake pastries 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm (not hot) or at room temperature.
Jews in Italy and southern France make savory pies of greens and other vegetables. Chard and spinach are popular ingredients, sometimes mixed with artichokes or peas. They might be open-face or double-crust pies. Unlike quiches, they do not contain custard. Some, like this version, contain a sprinkling of cheese; others are pareve.
To save time, you can purchase the pie dough or use a ready-made shell.
One 8-inch tart or pie shell, unbaked (see
Shell for Savory Tarts
)
1
1
â
4
pounds Swiss chard
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 large onions, halved and sliced
1
1
â
2
teaspoon fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1
â
4
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
4 to 6 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1.
Prepare tart shell and refrigerate. Then, remove chard leaves from stems; reserve stems for soups or other dishes. Rinse leaves thoroughly. Pile leaves and cut into
1
â
2
-inch-wide strips.
2.
In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil. Add about half of chard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring often, about 6 minutes or until tender. Remove with tongs, add remaining chard and a little salt and pepper and cook it also until tender. Return all of chard to pan and heat, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer to a plate and cool to room temperature.
3.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in skillet. Add onions, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring often, about 20 minutes, or until very tender but not browned. Stir in garlic and pepper flakes and heat for 15 seconds. Adjust seasoning. Cool to room temperature.
4.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat a baking sheet in oven. Spread onion mixture evenly in tart shell. Top with chard mixture. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
5.
Set tart on baking sheet in oven. Bake about 35 minutes, or until pastry is brown at sides and filling browns on top. Let cool on a rack for 10 minutes. Set tart on an upside-down flat-bottomed bowl and remove tart pan rim. Serve hot or warm.
Sephardic flavors, including the feta cheese, are popular on pizzas in Israel. This colorful pizza features sautéed peppers and mushrooms instead of the usual tomato sauce. Students in my pizza classes are pleased when they learn how simple it is to make.
1
â
4
cup olive oil
1 red bell pepper, halved lengthwise and cut into very thin strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 ounces mushrooms (about 6 small mushrooms), halved and cut into thin slices
1
â
2
teaspoon dried oregano
3 ounces feta cheese, finely crumbled
1.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a skillet, add pepper strips and a little salt and pepper and cook over low heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until tender. Remove and set aside. Add another tablespoon oil to skillet and heat. Add mushrooms, oregano, and a little salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms are lightly browned.
2.
Make pizza dough and let rise. Then, oil a baking sheet. Knead dough briefly and put it on baking sheet. With oiled hands, pat dough out to a 9- to 10-inch circle, with a rim slightly higher than center.
3.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Sprinkle crumbled feta evenly over dough. Arrange mushroom mixture on center of pizza. Arrange pepper strips around mushroom mixture. Sprinkle remaining oil on top, making sure to moisten rim of pizza. Let pizza rise for about 7 minutes.
4.
Bake pizza about 20 minutes or until dough is golden brown and firm but not hard. Serve hot.