Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (226 page)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Put sweet potatoes and boiling potatoes in a large saucepan. Add carrots, prunes, pears, sugar, cinnamon stick if using, and water. Bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat 5 minutes.
2.
Beat egg in a small bowl with a fork. Stir in matzo meal, baking powder, ginger, salt, and pepper. Mixture should be just firm enough to hold together in roughly shaped balls. If mixture is too firm, gradually beat in 1 to 2 tablespoons liquid from the simmering tzimmes.
3.
Turn heat under tzimmes to very low so liquid no longer bubbles. With moistened hands, take about 2 teaspoons matzo mixture. Shape it very gently into a soft ball, rolling it lightly from one hand to the other. Put ball in pan of sweet potato mixture. Make balls from remaining mixture, wetting your hands before shaping each one.
4.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bring sweet potato mixture to a simmer. Cover and simmer over low heat 15 minutes. Turn matzo balls over. Simmer 5 to 10 more minutes or until vegetables and prunes are tender.
5.
Remove 3 cups of sauce from sweet potato mixture and spoon it into a sauté pan. Spoon matzo balls, vegetables, and fruit with all of remaining sauce into a 2-quart shallow baking dish. Bake uncovered 20 minutes.
6.
Meanwhile, simmer reserved sauce over medium heat until it reduces to 1 cup. Add reduced sauce to baking dish. Bake 10 more minutes. Serve hot.
Jews from India use the bold flavors of their countryâincluding fresh ginger, chiles, garlic, and a variety of spicesâto create lively sauces. They are delicious with all kinds of vegetables, from sweet to cruciferous. This tzimmes has mostly sweet vegetablesâsweet potatoes, carrots, and peasâbut also includes some cauliflower which provides a pleasing balance of tastes. Serve it for Rosh Hashanah if you would like a change from Ashkenazic tzimmes or for Shabbat as an accompaniment for chicken or fish. It also makes a tasty vegetarian main course served over white or brown basmati rice.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
6 large cloves garlic, minced
2 or 3 fresh jalapeño peppers, minced (see Note)
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1
â
2
teaspoon ground turmeric
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped, or two 28-ounce cans tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3
â
4
pound orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (often called yams), peeled, halved, and sliced about
1
â
2
-inch thick
3 cups small cauliflower florets
1
â
2
pound baby carrots
1 cup frozen peas
1
â
3
cup chopped fresh cilantro
1.
Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add onion and sauté over medium heat, stirring, 5 minutes. Add fresh ginger, garlic, and jalapeño peppers and cook 1 minute. Stir in cumin, coriander, and turmeric, followed by tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally (and crushing canned tomatoes), about 20 minutes or until tomatoes are soft.
2.
Put sweet potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes. Add cauliflower and carrots and cook 3 minutes or until vegetables soften slightly.
3.
Drain vegetables and add to sauce. Cover and cook over low heat 3 minutes. Add peas and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat about 4 minutes or until vegetables are just tender. Stir in half of cilantro. Adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with remaining cilantro.
Note:
Wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers.
This is a simplified version of a casserole I learned to make from my husband's aunt, who is from Yemen. She salts her eggplant slices and lets them dry in the sun for a few hours before making the dish. She then fries them in plenty of oil. I find the eggplant tastes good without being dried and deep-fried. I either sauté them in a little oil, as in this dish, or for a low-fat version, I broil the eggplant slices (see
Broiled Eggplant
) before baking them in the sauce.
1
1
â
4
to 1
1
â
2
pounds eggplant
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
About 6 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, minced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1
â
4
cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
1
1
â
2
teaspoons ground cumin
1
â
2
teaspoon ground turmeric
1
â
4
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, or to taste
Two 28-ounce cans tomatoes, drained and chopped
1.
Peel eggplant if you like. Cut it into 3/8-inch slices crosswise. Sprinkle lightly with salt on both sides. Let stand while making sauce.
2.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large saucepan. Add onion and sauté over medium-low heat about 7 minutes or until soft and light brown. Add garlic, 2 tablespoons cilantro if using, cumin, turmeric, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Cook uncovered over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes or until sauce is thick. Adjust seasoning.
3.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Pat eggplant dry. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in large, heavy skillet. Quickly add enough eggplant slices to make one layer. Sauté over medium heat about 2 minutes. Turn over and sauté 2 minutes more; cover pan if it looks too dry. Remove to plate. Add 2 tablespoons oil to skillet, heat oil and sauté remaining eggplant in same way.
4.
Lightly oil a shallow baking dish. Arrange alter- nate layers of eggplant and sauce, ending with sauce. Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until eggplant is very tender, basting occasionally. Serve garnished with remaining cilantro.
Dried fruit has a place of honor on the menu of Tu Bishvat, the Israeli tree-planting holiday. This colorful casserole flavored with honey, fresh ginger, and orange juice is also great for Sukkot. It's delicious as the centerpiece of a meatless meal or as a partner for roasted or braised meat or poultry. If you like, garnish it with toasted pecans. For dairy meals, you might like to crown each serving with
Savory Orange Topping
.
1 cup dried apricots
1
â
2
cup dried figs, halved
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2
1
â
2
pounds orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (often labeled yams)
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons honey or brown sugar
2 tablespoons margarine or additional oil
1
â
2
cup orange juice
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1.
Put apricots and figs in a bowl and pour boiling water over them. Cover and let soak about 20 minutes or until softened.
2.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Pour oil into 2-quart baking dish. Peel sweet potatoes, halve lengthwise, and cut into
1
â
2
-inch slices. Put in baking dish, add small pinch of salt and pepper, and toss to coat slices with oil. Bake uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes or until barely tender; if pan becomes dry during baking, add 1 or 2 tablespoons hot water.
3.
Drain figs and apricots. Add to sweet potatoes and mix very gently.
4.
Combine honey, margarine, orange juice, and ginger in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring, and pour evenly over sweet potato mixture. Bake uncovered, basting twice, 15 minutes. Remove from oven and stir very gently. Bake, basting occasionally, about 15 more minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed. Serve hot or warm.
Givetch
, which originated in the Balkan countries, is often prepared in Israel. When I lived there, a friend introduced me to this cousin of French ratatouille and I've been making it often ever since. Like ratatouille, it usually contains eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, and onions. Variations abound, and cooks might add green beans, carrots, celery, potatoes, mushrooms, okra, cauliflower, or celery root. Garlic is the favorite flavoring but other herbs and sweet and hot paprika are also popular. For Jews from Romania, the favorite accompaniment is
Mamaliga
, which is similar to polenta.
Givetch
is also popular with rice. When I'm including dairy products in the meal, I love it topped with
Cucumber-Dill Yogurt Sauce
.
3 to 5 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, halved and sliced thin
3 bell peppers, any color or a mixture, cut into strips
1 medium eggplant (1
1
â
4
pounds) cut into
3
â
4
-inch cubes
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, chopped, or one 28-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
1 teaspoon paprika
3
â
4
pound boiling potatoes, cut into
3
â
4
-inch cubes
4 ounces green beans, ends removed
1
1
â
2
cups fresh shelled or frozen peas
6 ounces mushrooms, quartered
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1
â
2
cup vegetable stock or water
1
â
4
teaspoon sugar