1,000 Jewish Recipes (94 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
This quick, colorful vegetable medley is flavored with a popular Sephardic combinationâgarlic and Italian parsley. The broccoli is briefly cooked in water so it retains its bright color before being sautéed with the peppers and flavorings. It's a great partner for a savory Shavuot kugel such as
My Mother's Milchig Mushroom Noodle Kugel
.
1 pound broccoli, peeled and thick stems removed
1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil
2 red bell peppers, cut into strips
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Divide broccoli into medium florets. Add broccoli to a sauté pan of boiling salted water and boil uncovered 3 minutes to partially cook. Drain in a colander or strainer, rinse under cold water, and drain well again.
2.
Heat oil in the same pan. Add peppers and sauté over medium heat for 3 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until nearly tender. Add garlic and parsley and sauté, stirring, about 15 seconds. Add broccoli and 2 tablespoons water. Sprinkle vegetables with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring often, about 2 minutes or until broccoli is crisp-tender. Serve hot.
GRAINS
 or
Â
Besides the main theme of receiving the Torah, Shavuot is also a holiday of thanks. The ancient Israelites expressed their appreciation for the bounty of their early-season crop of grains. This festive recipe makes use of bulgur wheat, an ancient Middle Eastern grain that's still a favorite.
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, olive oil, or butter
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3
â
4
cup medium bulgur wheat
1
1
â
2
cups vegetable stock or water
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 pound asparagus, ends removed, spears cut into 3 pieces
2 to 3 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
1.
Heat oil in medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add bulgur and sauté, stirring, 2 minutes. Add stock, salt, and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook about 15 minutes or until water is absorbed. Adjust seasoning.
2.
Add asparagus pieces to a saucepan of boiling water and simmer uncovered 3 minutes or until asparagus is just tender.
3.
Fluff bulgur wheat with a fork and lightly stir in tarragon and parsley. Set aside a few asparagus tips for garnish. Gently stir remaining asparagus into bulgur wheat. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve topped with remaining asparagus tips.
Although many of us like to think of Shavuot as the holiday of dairy delights, nobody claims that the ancient Hebrews ate cheesecake or blintzes in the desert! We are told simply that they did not eat meat the day before receiving the Torah. Since Shavuot commemorates this event, another way to celebrate is to serve a vegetarian meal. Try this tasty entree, for example, of a colorful rice pilaf with Mediterranean flavors. Of course, if you like, for a dairy dish you can serve some feta cheese or grated kashkaval or Swiss cheese on the side.
4 medium cooked artichoke hearts or
Artichoke Bottoms and Stems
5 parsley stems (without leaves)
1 sprig fresh thyme or
1
â
4
teaspoon dried thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cups boiling water
1
â
4
teaspoon crushed saffron threads (2 pinches)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1
â
2
cup minced onion
1 cup long grain white rice
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 ripe medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut into small dice
1
â
4
cup slivered almonds
2 small zucchini, cut into thin strips 1
1
â
2
inches long
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1.
Cook artichoke hearts. Cut each into
1
â
2
-inch dice and drain on paper towels.
2.
Preheat oven to 350°F. To make bouquet garni, wrap parsley stems, thyme, and bay leaf in cheesecloth and tie the ends to form a seasoning bag. Set aside. Combine boiling water and saffron in small saucepan. Cover and keep warm over low heat.
3.
Heat 1
1
â
2
tablespoons oil in an ovenproof sauté pan or deep skillet over low heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring, about 7 minutes or until soft but not brown. Raise heat to medium, add rice, and sauté, stirring, about 4 minutes or until grains begin to turn milky white.
4.
Bring saffron water to boil over high heat. Pour over rice and stir once. Add bouquet garni and submerge it in liquid. Add
1
â
4
teaspoon salt and pinch of pepper. Raise heat to high and bring mixture to boil. Cover with tight lid. Place in oven and bake without stirring 18 minutes.
5.
Meanwhile, put tomatoes in strainer and leave to drain.
6.
Toast almonds in small baking dish in oven alongside pilaf about 4 minutes or until they are light brown. Transfer them to a plate.
7.
Taste rice; if it is too chewy or if liquid is not absorbed, bake 2 minutes more. Discard cheesecloth bag.
8.
Heat 1
1
â
2
tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add zucchini, salt, and pepper. Sauté over medium heat about 1
1
â
2
minutes, or until barely tender.
9.
When rice is cooked, scatter diced artichokes and tomatoes on top. Cover and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. With a fork, fluff rice and gently stir in tomatoes and artichokes. Add zucchini with its oil and minced parsley. Stir gently. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve sprinkled with almonds.
Easy, festive, and with just a touch of cheese, homemade pesto made with fresh basil is an ideal Shavuot seasoning. Use its sprightly flavor to enhance pasta in the traditional way, or try it in this healthful dish with brown rice and vegetables. Serving brown rice and early summer vegetables like squashes or sugar snap peas also helps commemorate Shavuot's theme of celebrating the grain and produce harvest.
To make this dish very easy to prepare, use quick-cooking brown rice, which is ready in 10 minutes.
2 teaspoons olive oil
8 ounces yellow summer squash or zucchini, cut into
1
â
2
-inch dice
2 cups quick-cooking brown rice
1
3
â
4
cups water
1 pound ripe tomatoes, diced, or one 14
1
â
2
-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan. Add squash and sauté over medium heat 2 minutes. Add rice and water and stir once. Bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover tightly, and simmer, without stirring, 5 minutes.
2.
Lightly stir in tomatoes and heat to simmer. Cover, remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff rice gently with a fork, then with the fork, stir in 2 tablespoons pesto. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon remaining pesto over rice in small dollops, or serve it separately.
1
â
2
to
2
â
3
cup
Pesto is great for celebrating the holiday of Shavuot with a touch of dairy because the holiday falls just when fresh basil is becoming plentiful at the market. You can keep pesto 2 days in a covered container in the refrigerator. Although traditional Italian pesto requires crushing ingredients in a mortar with a pestle, the food processor eases the job considerably.