1,000 Jewish Recipes (95 page)
Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 cup packed fresh basil leaves (1 bunch of about 1 ounce)
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â
2
cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 1
1
â
2
ounces)
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â
3
cup extra-virgin olive oil
With blade of food processor turning, drop garlic cloves one by one through feed tube and process until finely chopped. Add pine nuts, basil, and cheese and process until basil is chopped. With blade turning, gradually add olive oil through feed tube. Scrape down sides and process until mixture is well blended. Transfer to a small bowl. Either use immediately or refrigerate for 2 days. Serve at room temperature.
In some homes it is a custom to serve honey, or cakes made with honey, along with dairy-based breakfast dishes on the first day of Shavuot. In the Song of Songs the Torah is compared to milk and honey, and Shavuot is a celebration of the receiving of the Torah.
2 cups water
1 to 2 tablespoons honey
4 to 6 tablespoons butter, room temperature, cut into pieces
One 10-ounce package couscous
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â
2
cup raisins
2 cups hot milk
1.
Bring water, honey, and 1 tablespoon butter to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous and raisins and return to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Add remaining butter and mix lightly with a fork.
2.
Serve couscous in bowls. Serve hot milk separately in a pitcher.
NOODLE KUGELS
In our family this is a favorite of three generationsâmy mother, her children, and her grandchildren. It's a simple dish, made of noodles and sautéed mushrooms and onions, and enriched with cottage cheese, sour cream, and eggs.
When my mother and I make this kugel together, she always emphasizes that the secret to its good taste is to brown the onions and mushrooms well. To do this, use a frying pan that is large enough so the vegetables are not piled too high and crushing each other, as that makes them watery. Another tip: be sure to use fresh mushrooms, as old ones tend to give off a lot of liquid.
4 to 5 tablespoons butter or vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
12 ounces mushrooms, stemmed, halved, and cut into thick slices
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon paprika, plus a little for sprinkling
7 to 8 ounces medium egg noodles
1 cup cottage cheese
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â
2
to
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4
cup sour cream
2 large eggs, beaten
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat 3 or 4 tablespoons butter or oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté 10 minutes or until very tender. Add mushrooms, salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon paprika and sauté 10 minutes or until mushrooms are tender and onions are browned. If liquid remains in pan, cook over high heat, stirring, 2 minutes until it evaporates.
2.
Cook noodles uncovered in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat 4 minutes or until nearly tender but firmer than usual. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well again. Transfer to a large bowl.
3.
Add mushroom mixture to bowl of noodles and mix well. Add cottage cheese and sour cream; mix well. Adjust seasoning; mixture should be seasoned generously. Stir in eggs.
4.
Grease a 2-quart baking dish and add noodle mixture. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon oil or dot with remaining butter. Sprinkle lightly with paprika. Bake uncovered 50 minutes or until set. Serve from baking dish.
Macaroni and cheese has a lot in common with kugel. When I was growing up, both were my favorite dishes. My mother always made them from scratch. Here I have combined them for a savory Shavuot kugel. It's much easier to make than macaroni and cheese because there's no need to make a separate sauce. I like to cook broccoli florets at the last minute as an accompaniment.
3 tablespoons butter
1 large onion, minced
3 cups small elbow macaroni
1 cup cottage cheese
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â
2
cup sour cream
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4
teaspoon Tabasco or other hot sauce
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
1 to 1
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â
4
cups grated Swiss or other firm grating cheese
4 large eggs, beaten
1.
Preheat oven to 400°F. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onion and sauté 7 minutes or until tender.
2.
Cook macaroni uncovered in a large pot of boiling salted water over high heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes or until nearly tender but firmer than usual. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well again. Transfer to a large bowl. Gently stir in onions.
3.
Mix cottage cheese with sour cream, Tabasco, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Add mixture to macaroni and mix gently. Add all but
1
â
4
cup of the grated cheese and mix gently. Adjust seasoning; mixture should be generously seasoned. Fold in eggs.
4.
Grease a 2-quart baking dish and add noodle mixture. Sprinkle with remaining
1
â
4
cup grated cheese. Bake about 35 minutes or until set. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Serve from the baking dish.
This noodle kugel is reduced in fat but is creamy and delicious. If you would like to reduce the fat further, use egg substitute instead of the eggs. Serve each portion topped with nonfat yogurt or sour cream.
One 10-ounce bag rinsed spinach leaves, stemmed
7 or 8 ounces medium egg noodles
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup nonfat sour cream
3
â
4
cup nonfat cottage cheese
Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
2 large eggs, beaten
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook spinach in a medium saucepan of boiling water about 2 minutes or until just wilted. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well again. Chop coarsely.
2.
Cook noodles in a large saucepan of boiling salted water over high heat 4 minutes or until nearly tender but firmer than usual. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well again. Transfer to a large bowl.
3.
In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons oil. Add onion and sauté over medium heat, stirring, 5 minutes or until onions begin to turn golden. Remove from heat. Add spinach, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and mix well.
4.
Add sour cream and cottage cheese to noodles and mix well. Add spinach mixture and mix again. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Stir in eggs.
5.
Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish with oil spray and add noodle mixture. Sprinkle with remaining teaspoon oil. Bake uncovered 40 minutes or until set. Serve from the baking dish.
This scrumptious kugel makes a delightful dairy entree for Shavuot. Delicately sweet and rich in flavor, it's also great for Sunday brunch. An added plus is that it's an easy kugel to make. Serve it with sour cream, its traditional accompaniment.
14 ounces medium egg noodles
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â
4
cup (
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â
2
stick) butter, melted
Pinch of salt
1 cup sour cream
4 large eggs
6 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 Golden Delicious apples (about 1
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2
pounds), halved, cored, and thinly sliced
1
1
â
2
teaspoons ground cinnamon
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13 à 9 à 2-inch baking dish. Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water until barely tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well again.
2.
Transfer noodles to a large bowl. Separate noodles with your fingers. Add 3 tablespoons melted butter and a pinch of salt and mix well. Stir in sour cream, eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar, and vanilla. Mix half the apples with the noodle mixture.
3.
In a small bowl, mix remaining sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Add half of noodle mixture to baking dish. Top with remaining apples in an even layer and sprinkle them with the cinnamon mixture. Top with remaining noodle mixture and spread gently to cover apples. Sprinkle with
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â
2
teaspoon cinnamon, then with remaining melted butter. Cover dish and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until set. Serve hot or warm.