Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (222 page)
1
â
4
cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1.
Soak mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 30 minutes. Remove mushrooms and rinse. Cut any large pieces in half.
2.
Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy skillet or sauté pan. Add onions and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, until soft and golden brown, about 15 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat 5 minutes.
3.
Prepare brown sauce. Preheat broiler with rack about 3 inches from flame. Rinse livers and pat dry on paper towels.
4.
Transfer onion mixture to a bowl and keep warm. Add wine to skillet from cooking onions and bring to a boil, stirring.
5.
Add to skillet and simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon. Adjust seasoning. Cover to keep warm.
6.
Put livers on foil in broiler and sprinkle with salt. Broil 1
1
â
2
minutes or until top is light brown. Turn livers over, sprinkle second side with salt, and broil 1
1
â
2
to 2 more minutes or until cooked through and color is no longer pink; cut to check. Remove liver to a plate and keep warm.
7.
Spoon onion mixture over liver. Spoon sauce over onions. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.
LAMB
The most popular type of restaurant in Israel is called "Misadah Mizrahit," which means a restaurant serving Middle Eastern cuisine, although sometimes the English translation reads "Oriental food." Grilled lamb is a favorite in such restaurants, served with rice or fried potatoes and a variety of salads. These lamb chops, accompanied by a slightly hot sauce of peppers and tomatoes, make a festive entree for a Sephardic menu. The sauce, which is also delicious with chicken or with grilled eggplant, is easy to prepare. You can make it ahead and keep it in the refrigerator or freezer.
1 jalapeño pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers or 1 red and 1 green, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1
1
â
2
pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or one 28-ounce and one 14
1
â
2
-ounce can tomatoes, drained and chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 rib lamb chops, about 1
1
â
2
inches thick
1.
Discard seeds and ribs from jalapeño pepper and finely chop it. Wash your hands, cutting board, and knife immediately.
2.
Heat oil in a deep skillet over low heat. Add onion and cook over low heat, stirring often, 5 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add bell peppers and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until peppers soften. Add garlic and jalapeño pepper and sauté 1 minute. Add tomatoes and a pinch of salt. Cook uncovered over medium heat, stirring often, 20 to 30 minutes or until sauce is thick. Adjust seasoning.
3.
Heat barbecue or stovetop grill; or preheat broiler with rack about 3 inches from heat source.
4.
Trim excess fat from lamb chops and sprinkle them with pepper. Put chops on hot grill or hot broiler rack. Grill or broil about 6 minutes per side or until done to your taste. To check for doneness, press meat with your finger; if lamb is fairly firm, it is medium to well done.
5.
Meanwhile, reheat sauce in a saucepan over medium heat. Serve sauce alongside chops.
Like most of their countrymen, Jews from Argentina like to make
chimichurri
, the dipping sauce that traditionally is served with grilled meat. It's rather like a parsley pesto with zip, as it has hot red pepper flakes and vinegar. I like to divide the chimichurri in two parts: half of it without the parsley, which I use as a marinade for the lamb, and the other half with plenty of fresh parsley, for dipping.
2 medium cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons wine vinegar, red or white
2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
1
1
â
2
teaspoons dried oregano
1
â
2
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 rib lamb chops, about 1
1
â
2
inches thick, trimmed of excess fat
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
â
4
cup minced fresh Italian parsley
1.
Chop garlic in food processor. Add vinegar, lemon juice, oregano, pepper flakes, and oil. Process to blend. Pour into a bowl.
2.
Put lamb in a shallow dish in one layer. Add about 3 tablespoons of garlic mixture. Turn to coat lamb on all sides. Cover and refrigerate 1 or 2 hours. Cover remaining garlic mixture and reserve in a separate bowl.
3.
Heat barbecue or stovetop grill; or preheat broiler with rack about 3 inches from heat source.
4.
Remove lamb chops from marinade; discard any marinade remaining in dish. Sprinkle chops with pepper. Put chops on hot grill or hot broiler rack. Grill or broil about 6 minutes per side or until done to your taste. To check for doneness, press meat with your finger; if lamb is fairly firm, it is medium to well done.
5.
Add parsley to remaining garlic sauce. Season it with salt and pepper. Serve as a dipping sauce for the lamb.
Ashkenazic and Sephardic Jews agree that lamb and garlic are a terrific combination. For this roast, use the French technique of inserting slivers of garlic in the meat to flavor it as it roasts. For ease in preparation and in serving, ask your butcher to trim the fat from the lamb and to bone it and tie it as a rolled roast. Serve this delicious lamb for Passover or for a Friday night dinner. Good partners for the lamb are
Oven-Fried Potatoes
and
Israeli Eggplant Stew
.
6 large cloves garlic, peeled
One 3
1
â
2
-pound boned rolled lamb shoulder roast (5
1
â
2
pounds lamb shoulder before boning)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 medium onions, sliced
2
â
3
cup water
2 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley (optional)
1.
Preheat oven to 375°F. Cut 12 very thin, lengthwise slivers of garlic; chop remaining garlic. Pierce lamb with point of a sharp knife. With aid of knife, hold a slit open and insert a garlic sliver. Repeat with remaining garlic slivers; space them fairly evenly. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Set it on a rack.
2.
Add sliced onions, remaining garlic, and water to pan.
3.
Cover lamb with foil and bake 1 hour. Uncover and bake 30 minutes. Add tomatoes, if using, to juices and stir. Roast lamb, basting it occasionally and adding a few tablespoons water to pan if it becomes dry, about 1 more hour. Lamb should be very tender and an instant-read or meat thermometer should register 150°F for medium or 160°F for well done.
4.
Let meat rest 10 to 15 minutes before carving. Remove strings. With a very sharp large knife, carve lamb into slices about
1
â
2
-inch thick. With a small knife, cut excess fat from slices.
5.
Serve lamb sprinkled with parsley, if using. If you like, season juices with pepper and serve them separately.
A favorite among Jews from North Africa, this saffron-seasoned entree is perfect for festive occasions like Rosh Hashanah. Serve it with couscous or rice and with artichoke hearts, green beans, or zucchini.
2 pounds lamb shoulder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, minced
1 cup water
A large pinch of saffron threads (about
1
â
8
teaspoon)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup pitted prunes
1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar
1
â
3
cup whole blanched almonds, toasted
1.
Cut lamb into 1-inch pieces, trimming off any excess fat, and pat them dry.
2.
Heat oil in a nonstick stew pan or Dutch oven. Add lamb in batches and brown lightly on all sides over medium heat. Remove from pan to a plate. Add onion and sauté until brown, about 10 minutes; cover if pan becomes dry. Return meat and any juices from plate to the pan. Add water, saffron, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring often. Cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, 1 hour or until lamb is tender; add a few tablespoons water if pan becomes dry.
3.
Add prunes to stew pan and cook uncovered over medium heat 15 minutes or until just tender. Add sugar and cook over medium heat, occasionally stirring very gently, 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning.
4.
Serve stew hot, garnished with toasted almonds.