1,000 Jewish Recipes (246 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
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cups sauce from
Chuck Roast in Porcini Mushroom Sauce
8 ounces zucchini
8 ounces yellow squash
3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
12 ounces to 1 pound noodles, medium shells or orecchiette (pasta discs)
4 to 6 ounces mushrooms, sliced
2 slices meat from the chuck roast, cut into small dice (optional)
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cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1.
Thaw sauce if frozen. Halve zucchini and squash lengthwise and cut into
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-inch thick slices. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add half of squash, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and sauté over medium heat, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a plate. Add remaining tablespoon oil to skillet, heat it and sauté remaining squash. Return reserved squash to skillet and turn off heat.
2.
Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water uncovered over high heat 5 to 8 minutes for noodles or shells or 10 minutes for orecchiette, or until tender but firm to the bite. Drain well and transfer to a shallow serving dish.
3.
Combine sliced mushrooms and sauce in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Add meat, if using. Cook 2 minutes or until mushrooms are just tender.
4.
Gently reheat squash. Drain pasta well and transfer to a large heated bowl. Add sauce and toss. Add squash and parsley and toss lightly. Adjust seasoning.
Chicken Noodle Nostalgia and Asian Inspiration
Chicken with noodles is a universal favorite. So many regional specialties come to mind, from Alsatian coq au Riesling with rich egg noodles, to Filipino chicken pancit with shiitake mushrooms, garlic, and soy sauce, to Pennsylvania Dutch chicken pot pie made not with pie dough but with fresh noodles.
For me, as a child this pairing meant homemade chicken noodle soup, which my family savored on Friday nights. This was the soup course of our festive Shabbat meals, repasts of ceremony and tradition.
For Sunday dinner my mother served us a casual version of chicken and noodles. She heated strips of chicken from the Shabbat soup with celery slices, canned button mushrooms, and a little of the chicken broth, then thickened the sauce with cornstarch and served the mixture over rice. I didn't like the mushrooms but my brother did, so I meticulously picked them out of my portion and gave them to him. There was one ingredient that we thought made the dish "Chinese": crisp chow mein noodles that came from a can and were sprinkled on top.
Thinking about our chicken chow mein dinner makes us smile today but it was fun food to our family. Somehow it struck a balance of the familiar with the foreign. Crisp noodles were not otherwise part of our menus, and neither were main courses of bite-size chicken and vegetables in a savory sauce.
This type of entree is still a favorite formula of mine for fast dinners. I mix cooked chicken or meat with a flavorful sauce and vegetables, then add noodles. When I want to give Far Eastern pizzazz to my noodles, I find an impressive array of choices, even at the supermarket. During my childhood my mother did not even have soy sauce in her cupboard. These days I can use hoisin sauce, rice wine vinegar, and sesame oil from my pantry. I can make Thai-inspired chicken and noodles with green curry sauce or Indian casseroles with tandoori sauce, simply by heating chicken or vegetables with store-bought sauces. Although these dishes are not classic Asian specialties any more than my mother's chow mein, the prepared condiments provide me with an effortless way to add authentic flavors to my noodles.
These quick and easy seasonings are a boon to all of us with busy schedules. I love using them, especially on those days when I have no time to shred fresh ginger or mince garlic. And they don't compromise my kosher meals at all.
Adding vegetables is just as easy. Instead of peeling and cutting fresh vegetables, when I'm in a hurry, I get frozen Asian mushroom medleys or mixed Chinese vegetables at the market. I sometimes add dried shiitake mushrooms or packaged rinsed fresh spinach. And yes, I do use canned vegetables from time to time, like water chestnuts and baby corn. Now and then I like to stir in some canned Chinese straw mushrooms.
Chow mein noodles are not a staple in my kitchen. However, like my mother, I enjoy combining chicken with Asian noodles. I use Chinese wheat or rice noodles, bean threads, or Japanese buckwheat noodles. When I want crisp noodles, I fry rice noodles, which instantly and dramatically puff in the oil and are very tasty.
For crispness I sprinkle a few toasted almonds, cashews, or peanuts on the finished entree. Occasionally I toss the hot chicken with crunchy vegetables, which I find in the supermarket's salad section. I usually add very fresh bean sprouts, thin sticks of jicama or broccoli slaw, a mixture of shredded broccoli stems with a little carrot, and red cabbage. Prepared in these ways, chicken and noodles is still one of my best-loved comfort foods.
NOODLES WITH VEGETABLES OR FISH
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The Jewish community of Alsace, France contributes to the province's wonderful cuisine known for its foie gras, its excellent noodles, and yeast-risen pastries. The Jews take advantage of the region's wonderful wild mushrooms to produce tasty meatless dishes. You can use any specialty mushrooms like chanterelles, portobello, shiitake, or porcini with great results. A good way to use them in springtime is to combine them with asparagus and serve them with fresh noodles, especially homemade
Alsatian Egg Noodles
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1 pound asparagus
12 ounces fresh exotic mushrooms
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 to 3 tablespoons butter or additional vegetable oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons minced shallots
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teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or
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teaspoon dried
10 to 14 ounces fresh or dried egg noodles
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cup crème fraîche or whipping cream (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1.
Peel asparagus if it is thick. Cut asparagus tips from stems. Cut stems into 2 or 3 pieces, discarding tough ends (about
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-inch from end). Put all of asparagus in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water. Boil uncovered 2 to 3 minutes or until asparagus is just tender when pierced with a small sharp knife. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well again.
2.
Clean mushrooms by rubbing them gently with damp paper towels; or gently rinse mushrooms and dry them on paper towels. Cut them into bite-size pieces if they are large, keeping their attractive shapes.
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Heat oil and butter in a large skillet. Add mushrooms, salt, and pepper and sauté over medium heat about 3 minutes. Add shallots and thyme and sauté over medium-high heat, tossing often, about 3 more minutes or until mushrooms are browned and tender and any liquid they give off evaporates. Add asparagus. Season with salt and pepper.
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Cook noodles uncovered in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat, separating strands occasionally with fork, about 3 minutes for fresh or about 5 minutes for dried or until tender but firm to the bite. Meanwhile reheat mushrooms and asparagus, uncovered. Add cream, if using, and simmer uncovered 1 or 2 minutes.
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Drain pasta well and transfer to a heated serving dish. Add mushroom mixture and toss. Adjust seasoning. Add parsley, toss again, and serve.
Garlic and olive oil give this zucchini and pepper sauté its Sephardic character and make it a colorful, tasty topping for pasta. To lend an Israeli or eastern Mediterranean accent, I season it with the herb blend called
za'atar
(a relative of thyme blended with other herbs and sesame seeds), which is available in Middle Eastern and Israeli markets.
3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 green bell pepper, cut into thin strips
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
4 small zucchini, cut into thin strips
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cup chopped green onion, white and green parts
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon za'atar or dried thyme
12 ounces spinach noodles, plain noodles, or tri-color pasta
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Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add bell peppers, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until peppers soften but remain slightly crisp. Add zucchini, green onion, and garlic and cook about 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Add za'atar.
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Add pasta to a large pan of boiling salted water. Cook uncovered over high heat 2 to 5 minutes, or until just tender but firm to the bite.
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Drain pasta well and transfer to a shallow bowl. Add vegetable mixture, and remaining oil if desired. Toss until well combined. Taste for seasoning. Serve immediately.
Recently I enjoyed this noodle and fresh vegetable medley at a
brit milah
âthe celebration of the birth of a baby boyâcatered by a Persian Jewish chef. It is truly a multicultural dish, beginning as a Chinese specialty with an Asian sesame paste dressing, then adapted by American cooks who substituted peanut butter. The delicious salad has become a favorite in American Jewish homes because it is pareve, satisfying, easy to make, and appeals to all tastes and all ages.
The caterer added a fresh touch with favorite flavors of Jews from Iranâlime juice and plenty of cilantro and Italian parsley. If you can find small, sweet, thin-skinned Persian cucumbers, also known as Middle Eastern or Israeli cucumbers, use them for garnish.