Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (205 page)
1
â
4
cup strained fresh lemon juice
1
â
4
cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1
1
â
2
teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
1 or 2 large cloves garlic, pressed
A few shakes of cayenne pepper
1
1
â
2
to 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs
1 red, yellow, or green bell pepper
Salt, to taste
16 boiling onions, blanched and peeled
16 small or medium mushrooms, stems removed
1.
For marinade: Mix lemon juice, oil, white pepper, oregano, garlic, and cayenne in a bowl. Cut chicken into 1
1
â
4
-inch pieces. Put in a bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons marinade in a ramekin. Add remaining marinade to chicken and mix well. Cover and marinate 2 to 6 hours in refrigerator. If using bamboo skewers, soak them in cold water 30 minutes so they won't burn.
2.
Cut pepper into squares of about same size as chicken. Sprinkle chicken with salt, if using. Thread chicken on skewers, alternating with pepper pieces, onions, and mushrooms. Brush chicken and vegetables with marinade; discard any marinade remaining from bowl of chicken. If using bamboo skewers, put foil on ends to prevent burning.
3.
Preheat barbecue, stovetop grill, or broiler. Put kebabs on oiled rack. Grill or broil, turning kebabs often and brushing them occasionally with marinade from ramekin. Total grilling time should be 10 to 12 minutes, or until meat is no longer pink; cut to check.
BRAISED AND POACHED CHICKEN
This spicy chicken in its colorful pepper tomato sauce is delicious with brown or white basmati rice, couscous, or potatoes. It's one of my favorite dishes for Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot, when peppers are at the height of their season. It's also good cold, with green salad and
North African Carrot Salad with Peas and Corn
.
Roasted Pepper Sauce with Tomatoes and Garlic
2
1
â
2
to 3 pounds chicken pieces, patted dry
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1
â
4
cup minced fresh cilantro
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
â
2
teaspoon ground cumin
1
â
2
teaspoon paprika
1 cup water
Fresh cilantro sprigs
1.
Prepare pepper sauce. Remove skin from chicken pieces if you like. Heat oil in a heavy stew pan or Dutch oven. Add onion, garlic, and cilantro and cook over medium-low heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Add chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper, cumin, and paprika. Cover and cook 3 minutes. Pour water into side of pan, not over chicken, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat, turning pieces over occasionally, 20 minutes, or until just tender. Transfer chicken pieces with tongs to a plate. Boil onion mixture uncovered until thickened and liquid is reduced to about
1
â
2
cup.
2.
Return chicken to stew pan and add pepper sauce. Cover and cook over low heat, turning chicken pieces occasionally, 20 to 30 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot or cold, garnished with cilantro.
Like their countrymen, French Jews enjoy using fresh herbs to add a bright flavor to their cooking. This delicate, easy-to-make entree is great for Shabbat or for before the Yom Kippur fast. Serve it with white or brown rice or with egg noodles to soak up the delicious sauce. Remember to add the tarragon and parsley stems to the chicken's cooking liquid as they contribute good flavor.
6 large sprigs fresh tarragon, plus 3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon leaves
6 large sprigs fresh Italian parsley, plus 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 sprig fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 onion, quartered
1 large carrot, left whole
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 cups chicken stock and 1 cup water, or 3 cups water
One 3
1
â
2
-pound chicken, cut into 8 serving pieces, or 3 pounds chicken pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
A few drops strained fresh lemon juice (optional)
1.
Remove tarragon and parsley leaves from stems; cover leaves and refrigerate. If you like, tie tarragon stems, parsley stems, thyme sprig (not dried thyme), and bay leaf together with string or wrap in cheesecloth to make them easy to remove. Put them in a stew pan. Add onion, carrot, salt, and chicken stock and water. Bring to a simmer.
2.
Add chicken and more water if needed so chicken is just covered. Return to a simmer. Skim off foam from top of liquid. Add dried thyme, if using, and freshly ground pepper. Cover and cook over low heat 45 to 50 minutes or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken and discard skin. Skim fat from poaching liquid. Measure 1
1
â
2
cups cooking liquid to use in making sauce. Return chicken to remaining liquid.
3.
Heat oil in a medium, heavy saucepan over low heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, whisking constantly, about 3 minutes or until mixture turns light beige. Remove from heat. Add measured liquid, whisking. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, whisking. Add pinch of salt and pepper. Simmer uncovered over medium-low heat, whisking often, 5 minutes Add 2 tablespoons chopped tarragon and 2 tablespoons chopped parsley. Adjust seasoning, adding lemon juice, if using.
4.
Reheat chicken in its cooking liquid to a simmer. Transfer to a platter, coat with sauce, and sprinkle with remaining herbs.
Sephardic Jews often cook meat or poultry with eggplant. Here the savory chicken juices enhanced with onion, garlic, and tomatoes give the eggplant and couscous a wonderful flavor. This makes a delicious entree for a Friday night dinner. It's fairly easy to prepare and makes use of the quick method of cooking couscous.
3 pounds chicken pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, cut into thin slices
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
One 1- or 1
1
â
4
-pound eggplant, peeled, if desired, and diced
One 14
1
â
2
-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
1
â
4
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1
1
â
3
cups chicken stock
1
1
â
4
cups quick-cooking couscous
1.
Sprinkle chicken lightly with pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large deep sauté pan. Add chicken in batches and brown lightly on all sides. Remove chicken to a plate.
2.
Add onion to pan and cook over low heat about 7 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds. Stir in eggplant. Add tomatoes, bay leaf, thyme, and pepper flakes. Cook 3 minutes, stirring often. Return chicken to pan and add
1
â
3
cup stock. Cover and simmer over low heat 35 minutes or until chicken is tender. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Taste sauce and adjust seasoning.
3.
Combine 1 cup stock, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, then remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous gently with a fork. If you like, gently blend in remaining tablespoon olive oil, using fork. Cover and keep warm.
4.
Mound couscous in center of a platter. Arrange chicken and eggplant around it and moisten them with sauce. Serve remaining sauce separately.
Cooking chicken with such ordinary staples as cabbage, carrots, and onion might not seem glamorous but this Ashkenazic-style entree is most welcome during the cold weather months. Since it reheats beautifully, it's ideal for Shabbat.
To keep it a meal of comfort food, prepare simple boiled potatoes or
Lukshen Kugel with Mushrooms and Onions
as an accompaniment. For a change of pace, serve
Horseradish Mashed Potatoes
or
Mamaliga
.
If you prefer to make the dish as lean as possible, use chicken breasts on the bone, remove their skin, and skip the step of browning. Reduce the oil amount to 1 tablespoon and use it to sauté the onion.
4 medium carrots
1
1
â
2
pounds green cabbage (1 fairly small head)
2
1
â
2
pounds chicken pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
Pinch of sugar (optional)
1 to 1
1
â
4
cups chicken stock
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1.
Quarter carrots lengthwise and cut them into 2-inch pieces. Cut cabbage in slices, discarding core. Cut each slice into 3 or 4 strips.
2.
Cook cabbage in a large saucepan in boiling water to cover, 2 minutes, or until just wilted. Drain in a colander, rinse under running cold water, and drain well. Gently squeeze cabbage by handfuls to remove excess water.
3.
Pat chicken dry and sprinkle it with pepper. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan or wide stew pan. Add chicken pieces in batches and brown them in oil over medium-high heat. Transfer chicken pieces with tongs to a plate.