Around the Shabbat Table (17 page)

JEWELED BROWN RICE

yield:
7 TO 8 SERVINGS

My family loves rice with gems of tangy dried fruit, pistachios, and almonds. Eager to include more whole grains at our table, I prepare this version using brown rice.

Brown rice suffers undeserved bad press, most likely because its nutty goodness is so often marred by a soggy, sticky texture. To keep the grains separate and fluffy, I bake the rice spread out in a shallow pan and hold off adding the fruit and other embellishments until the rice is fully cooked.

2 cups brown basmati rice

4 cups chicken broth, preferably
homemade
,
Vegetable Stock
, or good-quality, low-sodium
purchased

Salt

1
¹
⁄
₂
cups dried fruit, pitted and coarsely chopped (aim for the tart/sweet balance you prefer, choosing sour or sweet varieties of at least two of the following: cherries, apricots, cranberries, dates, and prunes)

6 tablespoons mild olive, canola, or avocado oil

Saffron threads, 2 pinches

3 cups chopped onion

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon ground cinnamon

³
⁄
₄
cup pistachios, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

PREHEAT
the oven to 375°F.

RINSE
the rice well in cold water, drain it, and combine with the stock and 1 tablespoon salt (less if your stock is salty) in a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Spread the ingredients evenly in the pan, cover tightly with foil, and bake for 1 hour.

MEANWHILE,
put the dried fruit in a bowl, cover with warm water, and let soak. Crush saffron into a small bowl. Warm 3 tablespoons oil in a small saucepan, then whisk it into the saffron. Set aside to infuse.

IN
a large heavy skillet, heat the remaining 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, sprinkle lightly with salt, and sauté, lifting and tossing occasionally, until the onions are tender and colored a rich gold. Don't let them get crisp or brown. Stir in the cinnamon and cook for 2 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Drain the fruit (discarding the liquid) and add it to the onions. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, to blend the flavors. Remove the skillet from the heat and set aside until the rice is cooked.

WHEN
the rice is done, turn the oven down to 350°F. Sprinkle the saffron oil over the rice and toss gently to coat the grains evenly. Add the onion-fruit mixture and combine well. Cover the pan with the foil and bake for 10 minutes. Taste and adjust salt.

FLUFF
the rice with a fork, scatter the pistachios over the top, and serve.

COOK'S NOTE:
This is usually given a little orange flavor with candied orange peel or a couple of drops of orange extract (a flavoring extract like vanilla). We prefer it without any orange, but you may enjoy it that way.

DRIED FRUIT COMPOTE WITH FRESH PINEAPPLE, PISTACHIOS, AND MINT

yield:
8 TO 10 GENEROUS SERVINGS

When the chill weather comes, old-fashioned dried fruit compotes are the classic finish to simple Sabbath dinners. Light and wholesome, they taste of deep flavors and contain no milk products to compromise the dietary laws.

But there's the rub. Without the tart dairy tang of sour cream, crème fraîche, or yogurt as complement, the meltingly silky fruit turns cloyingly sugary after just a few bites. A sweet compote needs a bright acidic sparkle to pull its flavors into balance.

Fresh ripe pineapple is the answer. Its brash tart-sweetness is not overwhelmed by the dark-winy dried fruit. Simmered in tea that's been infused with orange and spices, the dried fruit matures in the refrigerator for a day or two—three or four is even better (the compote will keep for up to two weeks in the refrigerator). Just before serving, I stir in chunks of sassy-sweet, beautifully perfumed pineapple, a crunch of pistachios or almonds, and chopped fresh mint.

If avoiding dairy is not a concern, serve the compote—with or without the pineapple—with sour cream, crème fraîche, yogurt cream, or
labneh,
for dessert or a delightful breakfast. The compote also makes a wonderful companion to cheese blintzes.

2 bags fragrant black tea, such as Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Assam, or Darjeeling

One 2-inch piece vanilla bean, split

1 cinnamon stick

2 or 3 cardamom pods, crushed

3 whole cloves

¹
⁄
₂
cup sugar minus 1 tablespoon; if not using dates, use
¹
⁄
₂
cup sugar

Pinch of salt

¹
⁄
₂
fresh orange

1 pound pitted prunes (about 2
¹
⁄
₂
cups)

¹
⁄
₂
cup dried apricots, halved, or quartered if large

¹
⁄
₄
cup dates, pitted and chopped (optional)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 perfectly ripe fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into bite-size chunks (see Cook's Note)

Chopped toasted pistachios, or sliced blanched almonds, for garnish

Chopped fresh mint, for garnish

IN
a 4- to 5-quart heavy saucepan, combine 3 cups water, the tea bags, vanilla bean, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, sugar, salt, and a wide strip of zest (with no white pith) cut from the orange (reserve the rest of the orange). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Remove the tea bags, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves, and discard them, leaving the vanilla bean and orange zest in the pan.

ADD
the dried fruit to the pan, stir well, cover, and simmer gently for 30 to 35 minutes, until the fruit is very tender. Lift out the orange zest and discard it. Find the vanilla bean and either discard it or rinse it so it can be reused. Stir in the juice from the reserved
¹
⁄
₂
orange and the lemon juice.

COOL
the compote to room temperature, then cover it tightly. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours. But the compote tastes best if prepared a day or two before you plan to serve it, so the flavors can fully unfold, mingle, and mature.

JUST
before serving, gently toss the pineapple with the compote and spoon the mixture into pretty glass bowls or large stemmed glasses. (If you don't plan to serve all of the compote at one meal, toss only part of the pineapple with the compote in the serving bowls, reserving the remaining pineapple to be added just before serving the rest of the compote). Top with pistachios or almonds and a sprinkle of fresh mint.

COOK'S NOTE:
Other spice combinations work well here: try vanilla with black peppercorns or a Turkish bay leaf, or experiment with some of your own favorites. Or eliminate the spices and add amaretto or Frangelico. Replace the sugar with orange blossom honey or with half sugar and half raspberry preserves.

Both the new, super-sweet variety of fresh pineapple and canned pineapple lack the requisite tang essential for this recipe. If you can't find a fresh, tart-sweet pineapple, substitute navel or blood oranges, peeled and sliced.

JEWISH SAUTÉED APPLE CAKE

yield:
10 TO 12 SERVINGS

No, it doesn't look Jewish, and no, it's not the apples or the batter. It's the oil that identifies this old-fashioned cake as Jewish in both synagogue and church cookbooks alike. Dairy-free, the cake could grace a meat meal, and its easy simplicity made it ubiquitous on Ashkenazi Shabbat and holiday tables.

But truth to tell, the cake is not really about oil at all: it's all about the apples. And the more apples you can fit into the cake, the better the flavor. So I take the extra step of sautéing them, which greatly reduces them in volume and, at the same time, brings out all the caramelly goodness of the fruit's sugars.

Using insipid apples—especially since so many of them are called for here—will just produce a big “is that it?” So choose a balance of sweet and tangy kinds or a single well-flavored variety full of complex tastes. Forget Red Delicious and go for big flavor and the freshest fruit you can find.

This is a great make-ahead dessert: the flavors deepen, and the taste actually improves the next day.

FOR THE APPLES

2 to 3 tablespoons avocado, canola, or other mild oil, plus additional for greasing pan

8 cups tart and sweet apples, peeled and sliced
¹
⁄
₂
-inch thick

¹
⁄
₂
cup packed brown sugar

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

FOR THE BATTER

2
¹
⁄
₂
cups unbleached all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon salt

¹
⁄
₈
teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

3 large eggs

1
¹
⁄
₄
cups sugar

³
⁄
₄
cup avocado, canola, sunflower, or other mild oil

¹
⁄
₂
cup unsweetened applesauce

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

GENEROUSLY
grease a 10-inch springform pan.

PREPARE
the apples: heat the oil over medium-high heat in a very large, heavy skillet with steep sides (avoid nonstick here; it won't caramelize the apples well) until it is hot, but not smoking. Sauté the apples in batches over medium-high heat until they are golden brown on both sides, transferring them to a large platter as they are done. When you have finished sautéing the apples, put them all back into the pan, sprinkle with the brown sugar and salt, and cook, lifting and turning them, until the sugar dissolves and the apples are very tender and lightly caramelized. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and cinnamon, and cook for about 3 more minutes to mingle the flavors and evaporate any pan liquid. Set the apples aside to cool.