1,000 Jewish Recipes (265 page)

3 or 4
Poached Chicken Breasts

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 cup medium pearl barley

2
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cups
Chicken Poaching Broth
, or chicken or vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 large cloves garlic, peeled

2 tablespoons walnuts

1 teaspoon dried basil

1
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⁄
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cups packed spinach leaves, rinsed thoroughly, patted dry

1.
Prepare chicken, reserving broth. Then, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large, heavy saucepan. Add onion and sauté over medium-low heat, stirring often, 7 minutes or until it begins to turn golden. Add barley and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Add broth, bay leaf, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat, about 40 minutes or until barley is tender. Discard bay leaf.

2.
Meanwhile, prepare pesto: With blade of food processor turning, drop garlic cloves, one at a time, through feed tube and process until finely chopped. Add nuts, basil, and spinach and process until spinach is chopped. With blade turning, gradually add remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil. Scrape down sides and process until mixture is well blended. Add 1 tablespoon water if pesto is too thick. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.

3.
Cut chicken into strips. Fluff barley gently with a fork. Lightly stir in chicken. Gently stir in half of spinach pesto. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot; serve remaining pesto separately, in a small dish.

WILD RICE

Wild Rice with Shiitake Mushrooms and Leeks

5 cups water

1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained

¹
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pound fresh shiitake mushrooms or 1 or 2 ounces dried

2 large leeks, white and light green parts only

2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

¹
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teaspoon dried thyme

¹
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cup chicken or vegetable stock or water

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or parsley

1.
Bring water to boil and add a pinch of salt. Add rice, return to boil, cover, and cook over low heat about 50 minutes or until kernels begin to puff open.

2.
If using dried mushrooms, soak them in hot water for 20 minutes. Remove mushrooms from water. Rinse mushrooms and cut into small pieces; discard tough stems.

3.
Slit leeks twice lengthwise, from center of white part upward. Rinse quickly under running cold water, fanning layers to remove sand. Cut leeks into pieces about 1
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inches long. Flatten each piece and cut into thin strips, using a sharp, heavy knife. If necessary, put strips in a bowl of cold water to rid them of any remaining sand. Remove them from bowl; sand will sink to bottom.

4.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan. Add fresh shiitake mushrooms (but not dried) and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan. Add leeks, thyme, dried mushrooms, stock, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover tightly and cook over low heat, stirring often, about 20 minutes or until leeks are tender but not brown; if pan becomes dry, add a few tablespoons water. If any liquid remains in pan, uncover and cook over medium heat until it evaporates. Remove from heat; set aside.

5.
Drain rice and add to pan of leeks. If using fresh shiitake mushrooms, add them to pan. Heat together briefly. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.

Wild Rice with Pecans and Winter Squash
 
or
 

5 cups water

1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained

1 to 1
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pounds butternut or banana squash

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium onion, minced

¹
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cup chicken or vegetable stock or water

Pinch of sugar (optional)

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

¹
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to
¹
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cup pecans, toasted

1.
Bring water to boil and add a pinch of salt. Add rice, return to boil, cover and cook over low heat 50 minutes to 1 hour or until kernels begin to puff open.

2.
Cut squash into pieces and remove peel with a vegetable peeler or a heavy, sharp knife. Remove seeds. Cut flesh into about 1-inch cubes. Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan, add onion, and sauté 5 minutes over low heat. Add squash, stock, sugar if using, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, 25 minutes or until tender, adding hot water by tablespoons if pan becomes dry.

3.
Drain rice and add to pan of squash. Heat together briefly, stirring very gently. Add parsley. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot, sprinkled with toasted pecans.

Wild and White Rice with Dried Fruit

5 cups water

1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 medium shallots, chopped

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

1 cup long-grain white rice

2 large carrots, diced small

2 cups hot water

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

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cup dried cranberries or cherries

¹
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cup diced dried apricots

¹
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cup golden raisins

1.
Bring water to boil in a large saucepan and add a pinch of salt. Add wild rice, return to boil, cover, and cook over low heat 50 minutes to 1 hour or until kernels begin to puff open.

2.
Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add shallots, ginger, and white rice and sauté over medium-low heat, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add carrots, hot water, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat, without stirring, about 18 minutes or until rice is just tender. Remove from heat. Sprinkle dried cranberries, apricots, and raisins over rice but do not stir. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

3.
Drain wild rice and add to saucepan of white rice and fruit. Toss very gently with a fork. Adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Sephardic Wild Rice with Almonds, Pine Nuts, and Pistachios
 
or