1,000 Jewish Recipes (230 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
3
â
4
pound yellow squash or zucchini, halved and cut into thick slices
One 14
1
â
2
-ounce can diced tomatoes with their liquid
1 tablespoon tomato paste
Hot sauce or cayenne pepper, to taste
1.
If using dried beans, soak and cook them. Then, heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add onions and cook over low heat, stirring, until soft but not browned. Add paprika, cumin, and garlic and sauté 30 seconds. Add 2
1
â
2
cups bean liquid, if using freshly cooked beans, or broth, if using canned beans.
2.
Add carrots, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Add celery if using, squash, tomatoes, and beans. Return to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in tomato paste. Add hot sauce or cayenne. Adjust seasoning. Serve in a deep serving dish.
VEGETABLE STEWS
Everyone seems to make "clean the refrigerator stew," even chefs of the top culinary temples. Indeed, when I studied at La Varenne Cooking School in Paris, I always looked forward to our chef's weekly habit of making up dishes from leftovers, as it was always an enjoyable learning experience. After Shabbat or holidays I like to make the vegetables in my refrigerator into a low-fat main-course stew flavored with tomatoes, thyme, and cumin.
1 large head cauliflower
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 large onions, quartered and sliced
1 cup hot water
3 sprigs fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 Chinese or Japanese eggplants, halved and sliced
1
â
4
pound green beans, trimmed
2 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
One 14
1
â
2
-ounce can diced tomatoes with their liquid
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
One 15-ounce can chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
1.
Divide cauliflower into fairly small florets. Cut peel from cauliflower stem; slice stem.
2.
Heat oil in a large, heavy stew pan. Add onions and sauté over medium heat 3 minutes. Cover and sauté, stirring often about 5 minutes or until onions brown, adding a few tablespoons water if necessary to prevent burning.
3.
Add hot water and thyme and bring to a boil. Add cauliflower, salt, and pepper and cook, covered, over medium heat 5 minutes. Add eggplants, green beans, zucchini, tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, and cumin. Stir to blend in tomato paste. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender; add water occasionally if pan begins to dry. Discard thyme sprigs. Add chickpeas and heat through. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
A combination of sun-dried and canned tomatoes makes this tasty stew easy to prepare. When I can find Chinese or Japanese eggplants I prefer them for this fat-free dish because their cooked texture is more creamy than that of the common eggplants. I serve this as a main course with brown rice or noodles but it's also a good accompaniment for chicken or turkey.
1 large onion, chopped
2 pounds Japanese eggplants, halved and sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
One 14
1
â
2
-ounce can diced tomatoes with their juice
6 to 8 dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes
1 large sprig fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
About
1
â
4
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil or chopped Italian parsley
1.
Briefly heat a large, heavy sauté pan and add onion. Cover and sauté over medium heat, stirring often and adding hot water by tablespoons as necessary, about 7 minutes or until onion browns.
2.
Add eggplant slices and mix well. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add diced tomatoes, dried tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, and pepper flakes. Cover and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally, 10 minutes; add water if pan becomes dry. Add garlic. Cover and cook over medium heat 5 minutes, then over low heat 5 more minutes or until eggplant is tender. Discard thyme sprig and bay leaf. Serve hot or cold, sprinkled with basil.
Sephardic seasonings lend zest to this colorful pareve succotash of beans, corn, and butternut squash. You can perk it up even more by topping it with
Sephardic Salsa
or a touch of
Zehug
. For a milder complement that includes dairy products, crown each serving with a dollop of Mint-Yogurt Topping (see
Zucchini and Red Beans with Mint-Yogurt Topping
).
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 or 2 jalapeño peppers, minced (optional); See Note
4 large cloves garlic, chopped
1
1
â
2
teaspoons ground cumin
1
1
â
2
teaspoons paprika
One 28-ounce can tomatoes, drained and chopped
1
1
â
2
teaspoons dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
One 1
1
â
4
-pound piece butternut, banana, or other winter squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3
â
4
cup vegetable stock or water
1
1
â
2
cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
One 15-ounce can white beans, drained
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley
1 or 2 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice (optional)
1.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan, add onion, and sauté over medium heat 5 minutes. Add jalapeño peppers if using, garlic, cumin, and paprika and sauté 2 minutes over low heat, stirring. Add tomatoes, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir and cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thickened.
2.
Add squash and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat 15 minutes, occasionally stirring gently. Add corn and cook 7 minutes or until corn and squash are tender. Add beans, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat about 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro, and lemon juice, if using. Adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with remaining cilantro.
Note:
Wear rubber gloves when handling hot peppers.
Vegetables cooked in a sweet-and-sour tomato sauce are popular in many Jewish homes as a side dish with braised meat or roasted chicken. I also like them as a colorful vegetarian entree, accompanied by kasha or brown rice. You can add a little ketchup to enhance the sweetness and sourness of the sauce. Raisins are often added to traditional Ashkenazic versions of the sauce but there are many other dried fruits readily available for variety, such as cranberries, blueberries, currants, diced prunes, pears, or apricots.
1
â
2
pound yellow crookneck squash
1
â
2
pound zucchini
3
â
4
pound carrots
3
â
4
pound red-skinned potatoes, scrubbed
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
â
3
cup dark or light raisins or other dried fruit, diced if large
1 tablespoon ketchup, or to taste (optional)
2 tablespoons vinegar, or more to taste
4 teaspoons sugar, or more to taste
1.
Cut thin "neck" part of squash into
1
â
2
-inch slices. Quarter thick part lengthwise and cut into
1
â
2
-inch slices, to form dice. Quarter zucchini and carrots and cut into similar dice. Dice potatoes.
2.
Put potatoes and carrots in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over medium-low heat about 15 minutes or until just tender.
3.
Heat oil in a heavy stew pan. Add onion and sauté over medium heat about 5 minutes or until golden. Add tomatoes and cook uncovered 5 minutes. Add zucchini, yellow squash, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to boil. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 7 minutes or until squash is crisp-tender.
4.
With a slotted spoon, transfer carrots and potatoes to pan of squash in tomato sauce. Add raisins, ketchup if using, vinegar, and sugar and cook 1 minute. Adjust seasoning; add more ketchup, vinegar, or sugar if you like. Serve hot.
Tofu is popular in Jewish cooking because it's so versatile for making pareve dishes. I like this savory, colorful stew with white basmati or brown rice and with Israeli salad.