Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (261 page)
3.
Scatter feta over rice and add all but 2 tablespoons green onions. Cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with remaining onion.
I serve this savory pilaf with vegetarian meals as well as with roast chicken or baked salmon. It's easy enough for everyday cooking, yet festive enough for Shabbat. The pilaf keeps well and reheats beautifully, so I often make enough for more than one meal, and refrigerate or freeze some of it.
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely diced
1 yellow or green bell pepper, finely diced
1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 cups hot vegetable stock or water
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
In large, heavy sauté pan, heat oil over low heat. Add onion, and sauté 3 minutes. Add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, or until softened. Add rice and cook, stirring, about 4 minutes, or until evenly coated.
2.
Add stock, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper. Stir once, and bring to boil. Cover and cook over low heat, without stirring, about 35 minutes, or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Discard bay leaf and thyme sprig. Fluff rice with fork. Adjust seasoning.
If there will be both vegetarians and meat eaters at your table for a Shabbat or holiday meal, this dish is perfect for everyone.
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 cup vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
1
â
2
cups tomato sauce
1
â
4
teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1 pound zucchini, unpeeled and cut into
3
â
4
-inch dice
1.
Prepare rice pilaf. Then, in medium, heavy saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon oil, add shallots, and cook over low heat, stirring, about 2 minutes or until soft but not browned. Add ginger and garlic and cook 1 minute. Add curry powder and cook, stirring, 30 seconds. Add stock, bay leaf, and a little salt and pepper. Stir well and bring to boil. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is reduced to about
1
â
4
cup. Discard bay leaf.
2.
Add tomato sauce and pepper flakes to sauce and bring to boil, stirring. Simmer over medium heat until sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
3.
In a large skillet, heat remaining oil. Add zucchini, and sauté over medium heat, tossing often, about 5 minutes or until tender. Transfer to bowl and keep warm.
4.
Preheat oven to 300°F. If rice is cold, microwave it in a covered container on high until it is just warm. Oil a 4- to 5-cup ring mold. Spoon rice into mold. Press it in gently so there are no holes; do not crush grains. Cover with foil and warm in oven 10 minutes.
5.
Reheat sauce to simmer in medium, heavy saucepan, stirring. Adjust seasoning. Sauce should be quite sharply flavored. Cover and keep warm.
6.
Unmold pilaf ring onto round platter. Add zucchini to tomato sauce. Spoon some zucchini with sauce into center of rice ring. Serve remaining zucchini in a separate dish.
For a colorful and nutritious accompaniment for a Shabbat chicken or a Purim turkey, serve this brown rice casserole with its colorful diced vegetables. Perfect for make-ahead meals, it reheats beautifully.
3 tablespoons vegetable oil or olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1
1
â
2
cups long-grain brown rice
3 cups hot vegetable stock or water
2 large carrots, diced
3 ribs celery, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
1 large sprig fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
1
1
â
2
cups shelled fresh or frozen peas
1 small green bell pepper, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1
â
4
cup toasted pecans
1.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large sauté pan or wide stew pan. Add onion and cook over low heat, stirring, about 7 minutes or until soft but not brown. Add rice and sauté, stirring, about 2 minutes.
2.
Add stock, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, bay leaf, and thyme. Stir once with a fork and cover. Cook over low heat, without stirring, 40 minutes. Taste rice; if not yet tender, simmer 2 more minutes.
3.
Cook peas in a medium saucepan of boiling salted water 2 minutes. Add green and red peppers and cook 1 or 2 minutes or until peas are barely tender. Drain well.
4.
When rice is done, discard bay leaf and thyme sprig. Spoon peas and peppers over rice; do not mix yet. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.
5.
Gently fluff rice with a fork and mix in vegetables. Stir in parsley. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot, garnished with pecans.
Ashkenazic Jews in France serve this rice pilaf with its sweet accents of prunes, raisins, and cinnamon to accompany meat or poultry. I like to use brown rice to complement the fruit's flavor. Golden raisins are an attractive choice, or dried cranberries or cherries can be substituted.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, minced
1
1
â
4
cups long-grain brown rice
2
1
â
2
cups hot water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1
â
2
to
3
â
4
cup small pitted prunes
1
â
2
teaspoon ground cinnamon
1
â
3
cup golden raisins, rinsed and drained
1.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan or stew pan. Add onion and sauté over medium-low heat for 5 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add rice and cook, stirring, about 4 minutes, or until coated.
2.
Add hot water, salt, and pepper. Stir once, and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and add prunes and cinnamon. Cover and cook, without stirring, about 35 minutes or until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Add raisins without stirring. Let rice stand off heat, covered, for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with fork and gently mix in raisins. Adjust seasoning.
BULGUR WHEAT
 or
Â
A favorite in Sephardic cooking, bulgur is wheat that has been steamed, dried, and cracked into small pieces. This process makes the wheat fast and easy to cook. In Israeli and Middle Eastern grocery stores bulgur comes in several sizesâfine, medium, and coarse. Purists prefer fine bulgur for salads, medium size for pilafs, and large grains for soups. Medium works in all these types of dishes, and is the size most often available in natural foods stores and some supermarkets.
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1
1
â
2
cups medium bulgur wheat
3 large cloves garlic, minced (optional)
3 cups vegetable or chicken stock or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Heat oil in a heavy saucepan. Add bulgur wheat and garlic, if using, and sauté over medium heat, stirring, for 1 minute or until bulgur grains are coated with oil. Add stock, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Cover and cook over low heat 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.