1,000 Jewish Recipes (195 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
Pairing delicate fish like sea bass with humble chickpeas might seem surprising but this match is traditional for festive dinners in the North African Jewish kitchen.
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cups cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans) with 1 cup of their cooking liquid, or two 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained
5 large cloves garlic, sliced
6 dried hot red peppers, such as chiles arbol or chiles japones
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 or 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon paprika
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teaspoon ground cumin
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teaspoon ground turmeric
2 pounds sea bass steaks, about 1 inch thick
1.
Combine chickpeas with garlic, chiles, pinch of salt, 2 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons cilantro in sauté pan. Add 1 cup chickpea cooking liquid; if using canned chickpeas, add 1 cup water. Push chiles to bottom of pan. Bring to simmer. Cover tightly and cook over medium-low heat 5 minutes.
2.
Mix paprika, cumin, and turmeric in a bowl. Set fish on chickpeas and sprinkle it with salt, pepper, and spice mixture. Drizzle with remaining oil. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, turning fish once, 10 to 15 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish is opaque inside; check with a sharp knife. Adjust seasoning.
3.
Serve hot, sprinkled with remaining cilantro.
When you want a flavorful, easy-to-make fish dish for Shabbat, try this one from the kitchens of the Jews of Italy. It makes a savory cold appetizer or a tasty main course accompanied by bow-tie pasta or rice. For this fast-cooking, one-pan dish, the fish simmers right in its sauce. If you don't have sea bass, you can make it with cod or halibut.
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pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and seeded, or one 28-ounce and one 14-ounce can tomatoes, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil
6 large cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
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pounds sea bass fillets, about 1 inch thick
1.
Puree fresh or canned tomatoes in blender or food processor. Heat oil with garlic in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat for 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, 8 to 10 minutes or until thick.
2.
Add half of parsley to sauce. Add fish in one layer and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, spooning sauce over fish from time to time, about 10 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish is opaque inside; check with a sharp knife. Adjust seasoning. Serve fish hot or cold, sprinkled with remaining parsley.
In springtime, Jews from Morocco like to pair fish with fava beans. I usually substitute the more available lima beans, which also give a delicious result in this entree flavored with red pepper, garlic, and cilantro. If you like, substitute frozen fava beans and cook them 20 to 30 minutes.
One 10-ounce package frozen lima beans
1 red bell pepper, diced
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cup water
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
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cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus a few sprigs for garnish
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pounds sea bass fillets, in 4 pieces, about 1 inch thick
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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teaspoon sweet paprika
Pinch of hot paprika or cayenne pepper
1.
Cook lima beans in a saucepan of boiling water about 5 minutes, or until tender. Drain well.
2.
Choose a sauté pan wide enough for fish to fit in one layer. Put red bell pepper, water, half the garlic, and half the cilantro in the pan. Top with fish. Sprinkle fish with olive oil, remaining cilantro, and remaining garlic, then with salt, pepper, paprika, and hot paprika. Heat over high heat just until the liquid boils. Cover and cook over low heat, turning fish once, about 8 minutes.
3.
Add lima beans and cook 2 minutes more or until lima beans are heated through and the thickest part of the fish is opaque inside; check with a sharp knife. Serve garnished with cilantro sprigs.
FISH STEWS
For a weekday supper, I like to cook this one-pot main course. Following the Sephardic tradition, I simmer the halibut with vegetables in a tomato sauce seasoned with cumin, oregano, and cilantro. It is easy to prepare, as it makes use of fresh, frozen, and pantry vegetables. The entree is so flavorful that it needs no oil. All you need to complete the dinner is good bread and a green salad.
Use cut green beans, rather than the slivered "French style."
12 ounces fresh or 8 ounces frozen green beans
One 15-ounce can low-salt black beans, drained
One 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, with their juice
3 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
3 small cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
One 1
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-pound halibut steak, about 1 inch thick
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
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cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon prepared curry sauce (optional)
1.
Heat 1 cup water in a large, deep sauté pan. Add green beans and bring to a boil. If using fresh beans, cover and cook 3 minutes over medium heat. Add black beans and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add zucchini, cover, and return to a simmer. Add garlic.
2.
Put halibut steak in center of pan, pushing vegetables to side. Sprinkle fish with salt, pepper, cumin, oregano, and half the cilantro. Stir curry sauce, if using, into vegetable mixture. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 7 minutes, then over low heat for about 5 minutes. It's done when the thickest part of the fish is opaque inside; check with a sharp knife. Serve sprinkled with remaining cilantro.
Chicken with noodles is a popular pair but fish and noodles can be just as satisfying. I love salmon and noodles tossed in a creamy leek and dill sauce. To make it easy, I cook the salmon right in the sauce.
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cup
Fish Stock
3 medium leeks, split and rinsed thoroughly (green part reserved for stock)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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pounds salmon fillet
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cup dry white wine
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cup whipping cream
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces medium noodles
2 tablespoons snipped fresh dill
1.
Prepare fish stock. Then, cut white part of leeks into thin slices. Heat oil in a large skillet. Add leeks, water, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until tender but not brown.
2.
Remove skin and any bones from salmon fillet. Cut fish into small dice.
3.
Add wine, fish stock, and cream to leeks and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, add fish, and sprinkle lightly with salt, pepper, and thyme. Cook uncovered, stirring often, about 3 minutes or until fish becomes less pink. Remove from heat.
4.
Cut butter into pieces and put in a large heated bowl. Cook noodles uncovered in a large pot of water over high heat for about 5 minutes or until tender but firm to the bite. Drain well, transfer to bowl and toss with butter.
5.
Reheat sauce if necessary. Stir in dill. Pour over noodles and toss. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
Sephardic means Spanish in Hebrew, indicating that the origin of many Sephardic Jews is in the Iberian Peninsula. Spain's national dish, paella, is made of saffron rice cooked with seafood, poultry, meat, or some combination, often with sausages as well. Naturally, paella became part of the Sephardic culinary repertoire but of course, theirs is made with only kosher ingredients. If you would like a sausage to flavor your paella, add a vegetarian one.
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cups fish or vegetable stock, or stock mixed with water
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teaspoon crushed saffron threads
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil