Jewish Cooking Boot Camp: The Modern Girl's Guide to Cooking Like a Jewish Grandmother (27 page)

1. Heat the oil in a Dutch oven and brown the beef.

2. Add the garlic and onions, and saute until the onions are golden.

3. Add the beef broth, tomatoes, bay leaf, red wine, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then
turn down to a low simmer and cover the pot.

4. Gently simmer on top of the stove for 2%2 hours. Then add the carrots and potatoes (optional)
and simmer for 1 more hour.

You can cook the roast in the oven as well. Follow the instructions above until you bring
the broth and wine to a boil, then place the covered pot in a preheated 325°F oven for 21/2
hours. Then add the carrots and cook for 1 more hour.

Roz grew up watching and helping her Aunt Frieda and her grandmother make these little
potato dumplings (also called pierogis) on the kitchen table-rolling the dough and mashing
the potatoes, filling the cut dough with the potatoes, and then pinching the dough closed so that
the potatoes wouldn't spill out during boiling. This is a recipe you can do with your children,
and it will create memories.

1. Combine the flour and salt.

2. In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, milk, and water.

3. Add the liquid to the flour and salt, and mix to form a dough. The dough should be soft
enough that it sticks to the bottom of the bowl, but still holds its shape. (You can always
add more liquid or flour to get the right consistency.)

4. Cover and let the dough sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

1. Place the potatoes in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil. Partially cover the pot and simmer until the potatoes are tender.

2. Drain and mash the potatoes, adding %3 cup margarine, grated onion, and salt and pepper to taste.

3. Lightly flour a flat surface, and divide the dough in half.

4. Working with half the dough at a time, roll it out as thin as possible without tearing it.

5. Using a 3-inch can, drinking glass, or cookie or biscuit cutter, cut rounds out of the
dough.

6. Place 1 tablespoon of the potato filling in the center of the round of dough, fold over the top
half, and pinch the edges closed.

7. Repeat with the remaining dough, reforming and recutting to use up all the scraps. There
should be enough filling and dough to make about 20 to 25 pierogis.

8. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, and drop about half of the pierogis at a time into
the pot. They are cooked when they rise to the top and float, about 5 to 10 minutes.

9. Remove them with a slotted spoon and put in a saucepan with melted margarine. Bring
them up to heat and serve.

* You can always use an electric hand beater rather than a masher for the potatoes.

Our good friend Mimi gave us the recipe for this dish years ago, and it ended up being one
of our favorites of all time. In fact, it came with no name and is now known across many Miami
households as "Mimi Chicken." Though not traditionally Jewish, we just couldn't leave it out.
It's a great dinner recipe when you're expecting a crowd (serve it family style), and the
leftovers are just as good!

1. Put the olive oil, garlic, and onion in a 10-inch frying pan with lid and start sauteing.

2. Lightly salt and pepper the chicken pieces and add them to the pan to brown.

3. When the chicken is browned (about 15 minutes), add the beef broth and bring to a
simmer.

4. Add the tomato paste, white wine, and olives, and continue simmering over low heat for
about 1 hour, partially covering the pan. Stir occasionally, and add more beef broth or
wine if necessary.

5. After an hour, add the Sazon seasoning.

6. The chicken is done when the meat is tender and almost falls off the bone.

7. Serve with Kasha Varnishkas (or yellow or saffron rice).

You can also add vegetables to the pot to make it even more delicious. We like carrots and
string beans.

* You can also make the recipe with just wings, using at least 14 wings cut in half.

White: Villa Mt. Eden Grand Reserve Chardonnay (California)

Red: Alamos Malbec (Argentina)

We tried out this true Jewish classic recipe on Andrea's non-Jewish husband and one picky fifteenmonth-old. The verdict? An empty plate. Don't let the ingredients scare you ... it's truly delicious.

1. In a large pot with a lid, pour boiling water over the head of cabbage, cover, and let sit
20 minutes. This softens the cabbage leaves and makes it easier to remove them one at a
time

2. While cabbage is softening, make the sauce and the meat mixture.

3. For the sauce, in a large bowl combine the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, salt, pepper,
ketchup, brown sugar, lemon juice, and raisins. Mix well.

4. In a separate bowl, combine the ground beef, rice, grated onion, egg, and water. Mix
well.

5. Preheat the oven to 325°F.

6. After the cabbage has softened, remove it from the pot of water and start removing the
leaves carefully. You'll probably need between 10 and 12 leaves.

7. Trim off the hard portion at the base of each leaf.

8. For each cabbage roll, place 1 tablespoon meat filling near the base of the leaf and roll it
up, tucking in the sides like an envelope. If you run out of large leaves, you can overlap
2 small leaves together.

9. Place the stuffed cabbage rolls in a large casserole, seam-side down. Do the same with
the second layer if necessary.

10. Pour the sauce over the cabbage rolls, cover tightly, and bake for 3 hours.

Red: Cape Indaba Pinotage (South Africa)

White: Saint M. Riesling (Germany)

Cabbage Borscht is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it dish. We love it. And for those who think like us,
we're happy to share!

1. Spray an 8-quart lidded pot with cooking spray and brown the flanken on all sides.

2. Cut the cabbage into small to medium-sized pieces and put it into the pot over the browned
flanken.

3. Pour 3 quarts of water over the cabbage and meat; then add the chopped tomatoes, lemon,
brown sugar, and sour salt. Bring everything to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer.

4. Simmer the soup partially covered for 3 hours, checking and stirring every hour.

5. After 3 hours, taste the soup and if necessary add more brown sugar, sour salt, and lemon
to taste.

6. Simmer partially covered for another 11/2 hours. The longer it cooks, the better it gets.

7. Serve the cabbage soup and flanken in big bowls with pumpernickel bread on the side.

* The soup is done when the beef is falling off the bones.

Yes, another noodle pudding recipe! You can never have enough of them-they are all different
and equally delicious. This one has a crunchy crust that forms on the top. Roz's neighbor used to
make this for the holidays when she was growing up and gave Roz the recipe many years ago.