1,000 Jewish Recipes (248 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1
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3
cup dark raisins
3
1
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2
cups hot chicken or vegetable stock, or half stock and half water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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4
cup chopped fresh parsley
1.
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Toast pecan pieces on a tray in oven about 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
2.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add ginger and shallots and sauté over medium heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add egg barley and cook over low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Scatter raisins on top. Add hot stock, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 15 to 20 minutes or until barley is tender.
3.
With a fork, gently stir in pecans and parsley. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.
Orzo is a quick pasta to prepare because you don't need a big pot of boiling water to cook it. Instead you can use just the amount of liquid it needs to absorb, like rice pilaf, and this liquid can be stock, for extra flavor. A topping of toasted nuts makes the orzo fit for a Shabbat or other holiday table. If you buy dry-roasted nuts, they will be lower in fat because no extra oil is added. Of course, you can also toast your own. This orzo is delicious with
Low-Fat Ratatouille
or with
Sea Bass in Garlic Tomato Sauce
.
1 to 2 teaspoons nut oil or olive oil
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2
cups orzo or riso (rice-shaped pasta)
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3
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4
cups vegetable stock or a 14
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2
-ounce can broth
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4
cups water
2 tablespoons dried onions
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons slivered fresh basil or chopped Italian parsley
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4
to
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3
cup dry-roasted pecans
Heat oil in a heavy, medium saucepan. Add orzo and sauté over low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add stock, water, dried onions, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat, without stirring, 15 minutes or until orzo is just tender. Adjust seasoning. Lightly stir in half the basil. Serve sprinkled with remaining basil and with pecans.
 or
Â
Greens with garlic and rice are popular in the kitchens of Jews from eastern Mediterranean countries such as Lebanon and Egypt. For this recipe, I substitute orzo, or rice-shaped pasta, for the rice. The dish is satisfying and seems rich but is actually healthful. Top it with toasted sesame seeds, pine nuts, or both for a festive touch.
10 to 12 ounces rinsed fresh spinach
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
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2
cups orzo or riso (rice-shaped pasta)
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3
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4
cups chicken or vegetable stock or one 14
1
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2
-ounce can
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4
cups water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 or 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
Coarsely chop spinach. Heat oil in a heavy sauté pan. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring often. Add garlic and orzo, and sauté over low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add stock and water and bring to a boil. Add spinach, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, without stirring, for 15 minutes or until orzo is just tender. Adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds and pine nuts.
 or
Â
1
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2
to 4 cups, enough for 1 chicken or 4 side-dish servings
For this stuffing I like to cook the orzo as a pilaf, just like rice, by sautéing the orzo briefly before I add the liquid. The savory stuffing embellished with toasted nuts and lemon rind and juice is versatile. You can use it to stuff zucchini or chicken or use a double recipe to stuff a small turkey. This pilaf is also delicious as a side dish, on its own.
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2
cup walnut pieces
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
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2
cups orzo or riso (rice-shaped pasta), about 12 ounces
3 cups hot chicken or vegetable stock or water
2 to 3 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
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3
cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350°F. Toast walnut pieces in oven about 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and let cool.
2.
Heat 4 tablespoons oil in a medium saucepan. Add onion and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, 7 minutes or until it begins to turn golden. Add orzo and cook over low heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil Cover and cook over low heat, without stirring, about 14 minutes or until barely tender. If you wish to serve it as a side dish, cook it 16 to 18 minutes or until tender.
3.
Fluff mixture with a fork to break up any lumps in orzo. Add 2 tablespoons lemon juice, the lemon rind, walnuts, and parsley and toss mixture to combine it. Season with salt and pepper. Add more lemon juice if you like.
4.
Let stuffing cool before spooning it into chicken. If serving as a side dish rather than as stuffing, serve it hot.
OTHER PASTAS
This tasty dish is inspired by a pasta entree I enjoyed at Tiramisu restaurant in Philadelphia, which has several specialties from the Italian Jewish kitchen on its menu. The sauce is made of grilled eggplant, which blends into the tomato sauce and lends an intriguing flavor. Eggplant is an Italian Jewish favorite. Some even credit the Jews with introducing the vegetable to Italian cooking. When Israel was under the rule of the Roman Empire dating back to 100 BCE, many Jews moved to Italy and established an important Jewish community in Rome that continued for centuries. Pellegrino Artusi, who codified Italian cooking, wrote that Jewish vendors brought eggplant to the Florentine market in the 19th century.
If you can't find slim eggplants, cut larger eggplants in half and place skin-side-down on broiler pan.
1 pound eggplant, slim enough to fit in broiler
2 pounds ripe tomatoes or two 28-ounce cans
2 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
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4
teaspoon dried hot pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
12 ounces penne or mostaccioli
Fresh basil sprigs
1.
Prick eggplant a few times with fork. Grill eggplant above medium-hot coals about 1 hour or broil about 40 minutes, turning often, until its skin blackens and flesh is tender. Leave eggplant until cool enough to handle. Remove eggplant skin and cut off cap. Halve eggplant and drain off any liquid inside. Chop eggplant very fine, either with a knife or in a food processor.
2.
If using fresh tomatoes, peel, seed, and chop them, reserving juice. If using canned tomatoes, drain them, reserving juice, and chop them.
3.
Heat 1 or 2 tablespoons oil in a large shallow saucepan, add onion and sauté over medium heat until lightly browned. Add garlic, tomatoes, bay leaf, oregano, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Discard bay leaf.
4.
Add chopped eggplant to sauce. If sauce is too thick, stir in reserved tomato juice. Cook, stirring often, about 10 minutes or until sauce is thick and well flavored. Stir in basil.