Bubbie’s Chopped Herring

May 2, 2014

Author: Linda Brummer

 

 

Bubbie started making this as a new bride in the 1960s. This involved the long process of chopping everything by hand. Over the years, Bubbie has modernized the process, doing everything in the Cuisinart in just minutes. It is her son-in-law’s favorite food and served at every holiday.

Ingredients:

1 jar (12oz) herring fillets in wine sauce

2 hard boiled eggs

1 apple peeled

1 tbsp minced onion

1 tbsp sugar

Preparation:

Remove herring and onions from the jar, drain and save sauce. Put in food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Chop together until well blended and smooth. Add enough wine sauce to moisten. Chill.

 

South African Chopped Herring on Kichel

May 2, 2014

Author: Peter Levitt

 

 

In 2014 both mackerel and herring fisheries have collapsed. Otherwise, local mackerel is available most weeks of the year and can be substituted for herring. Herring schools run fresh locally January – March. See internet for DIY herring pickling. If time challenged use pickled herring or a 12 oz tin of plain mackerel.

Ingredients:

12oz wine pickled herring or 12 oz can of mackerel

4 apples, crunchy

1 sweet onion

3 soft boiled eggs

1 T salt

4-6 tsp sugar

3⁄4 cup champagne vinegar

1 cup challah crumbs (matzah meal if Passover)

Preparation:

Grate apple and onion into a bowl. In food processor: pulse herring and eggs and add this to grated apple. Add challah, salt, sugar and vinegar.

Serve on kichel cookies or on lettuce.

 

 

Grandma Esther’s Chopped Liver

May 2, 2014

Author: Joey Altman

 

 

Ingredients:

Servings: 3-4 cups of chopped liver (about 16 appetizer portions).

1 1⁄2 pounds fresh chicken livers

1⁄4 cup schmaltz or vegetable oil,

divided 1 large yellow onion,

coarsely chopped 5 hardboiled eggs,

peeled and diced (divided)

Salt and black pepper to taste

1⁄2 cup gribenes (optional)

a small handful of fresh Italian parsley, minced for garnish (optional)

Rye toast or grilled rustic bread.

 

Preparation:

Season the livers with a liberal amount of salt and fresh ground pepper.

Cook the seasoned chicken livers, half at a time, in a large skillet on medium heat with a few tablespoons of the schmaltz or oil for about 5 minutes, turning them every couple of minutes. The livers should be browned and firm but still pink inside. Transfer them to a large mixing bowl.

Return the pan to the heat with a little more schmaltz and fry the chopped onion in the skillet over medium heat for 5-6 minutes until golden brown then add the fried onion to the mixing bowl, along with 4 of the chopped hard boiled eggs and the gribenes (optional). Season all ingredients generously with salt and pepper.

Place everything into a food processor with a metal blade and pulse for about 30 seconds, stir with a spatula then continue processing until semi-smooth.

Season to taste.

Chill the chopped liver for 2 hours in the refrigerator.

Garnish with remaining diced hardboiled egg and minced parsley. Serve with rye bread or grilled rustic bread.

Gribenes

2 cups chicken skin, rinsed, patted dry with paper towels and cut into small strips. 1⁄2 onion, sliced thin.

Place the skin into a cast iron or non-stick skillet low heat and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Fat will start to pool at the bottom of the skillet. Strain off the fat into a heat-proof bowl. Place the golden brown skin pieces onto a paper towel lined plate. Return skillet to the stove with a spoonful of the rendered chicken fat and cook the onions until they’re golden brown.

Combine the fried onions and skin in a bowl and season with some salt and pepper.

 


 

 

Nopales Salad

May 5, 2014

Author: Tracy Des Jardin

My earliest memories of nopales are of my grandmother’s giant cactus in the backyard which was a big obstacle in our racing around the backyard- one didn’t want to have a mishap and land in that sinister plant. I knew grandma used to make something with the nopales, but I wanted nothing to do with the actual eating of it- I’m guessing I tried it once or twice and there was too great a slime factor for me. But I was an intrepid little prep cook and would spend hours with her in the kitchen carefully peeling the young succulent paddles- and then she would spend hours removing thorns from my little hands.

A few years ago I went down to Mexico to Diana Kennedy’s to cook with her and some of my dear friends. She taught us how to make a delightful Nopales salad- so this recipe is an adaptation of that one. Earlier this year I had occasion to make it for my 11 year old son, much to my surprise he loved it!

Ingredients:

2 pounds young cactus, cut into ½ inch by 2 1/2 inch strips

½ pound tomatoes

1 small white onion

½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

2-3 limes

1 serrano chile

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 beautiful avocados

Preparation:

Place 1 tablespoon of the oil into a sauté pan and begin to sweat the cactus- add a ¼ cup of water- cover and let cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes, the cactus should have turned dark green- cook for another 5 minutes until the liquid has absorbed back into the cactus- place in a bowl and chill.

Dice the tomato, finely dice the white onion, you’ll need ¼ to ½ cup- reserve the remainder for another use. Finely chop the Serrano chile- mix all together in a bowl along with the cilantro, the lime juice and the remaining olive oil, season well with salt and pepper. When the cactus is cool- add to the bowl, mix well and again adjust the seasoning as needed.

When ready to serve- place in a bowl or platter and place the sliced avocado on top- season the avocado with a squeeze of lime juice and a little coarse salt (Maldon or fleur de sel or any tasty sea salt). Garnish with a few cilantro sprigs.

 

 

 

Stuffed Grape Leaves

June 16, 2014

Author: Sandy Speier

 

 

This is a recipe from Susan Zemelman and Steve Zemelman. They got the recipe from a Lebanese student at Brandeis.

Ingredients:

Jar of grape leaves in brine

1 cup of cooked rice

½ cup of ground beef

Salt and Pepper

2 lemons

4 garlic cloves

½ cup of brown cloves

Preparation:

Spread out grape leaves

Mix cooked rice and raw ground beef, and salt + pepper. Form into balls.

Wrap meat balls in grape leaves. Use a casserole, pyrex or microwave dishes with cover.

Bake grape leaves in 350 degree oven with juice

Brush of lemons, crushed garlic and sugar

 

Halloumi Peach Salad: A Summer Favorite of Ema’s

July 28, 2014

Author: Sasha Gayle-Schneider

 

 

Summer nights on the grill never tasted so good! Starting Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, my Ema has fired up the grill and put me to work as her sous-chef. Using the holy land’s favorites: halloumi cheese and Israeli salad, and brought it to our humble table in New York City and added a sweet surprise.

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 packages of Halloumi cheese

4 peaches

Fresh arugula (you can substitute in your favorite green: kale, spinach, etc.)

Dressing:

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Balsamic Vinegar

1 clove of crushed garlic

A sprinkling of mustard seed

(sunflower seeds optional)

Preparation:

Grill Halloumi cheese in small slices

Cut peaches in quarters and grill

Wait until grilled ingredients cool and toss in the salad

 

 

Katherine Moss’s Plum Good Beef Brisket

May 5, 2014

Authors: Alix Wall and Suzie Rose

 

 

Ingredients:

3 lbs. organic, grass-fed brisket

Salt and pepper

3 Tbs. neutral oil such as grapeseed or canola

1 medium red onion, peeled, halved and thinly sliced

1⁄4 cup tamari sauce (if making for Passover and you want to avoid soy, substitute balsamic vinegar)

2 16-oz. cans purple plums

2 Tbs. honey

2 Tbs. lemon juice

3 Tbs. freshly squeezed orange juice

1⁄2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

1⁄4 tsp. orange zest

1⁄4 tsp. cinnamon

Chopped parsley

Preparation:

Lightly salt and pepper both sides of the brisket. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. Then, pour some oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet and brown brisket on each side for at least three minutes per side. Remove brisket to plate. In a separate skillet, add a bit more oil and heat. Sauté onions with a pinch of salt for about 10 minutes, until translucent. Add tamari sauce (or balsamic vinegar) and cook another minute or two.

Place meat fat-side-up in Dutch oven or large skillet. Pour onion mixture on top. Drain plums over a bowl (important!) reserving 1⁄4 cup syrup. Pour rest of the syrup over the meat. Cover and bake at 350 degrees at least 31⁄2 hours until meat is done (very tender). Meanwhile, remove skins and pits from plums. Mush them up with your hands into a small saucepan. Add reserved syrup, honey, lemon juice, orange juice, Worcestershire, orange zest and cinnamon. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

When meat is done, tent with foil and let it rest for at least an hour. Trim off the fat and slice against the grain. Pour sauce into meat pan to let plum sauce combine with the meat drippings. Let simmer another 20 minutes, to reduce. Place sliced meat on a platter and top with sauce. Finish with chopped parsley. More sauce can be passed tableside. Makes about 6 servings. If brisket is made the day before, refrigerate it overnight, then skim the fat off the sauce as well.

 

 

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Grandma Fela's Real Jewish Chicken Soup

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June 16, 2014

Author: Linda Cohn

 

 

Grandma showed me this recipe directly. The real Jewish penicillin is the marrow bone. It’s what makes you better when you’re sick. Watcher her with her spoon with small holes skim off the froth and discard.

Ingredients:

Onion (whole), discard after water

Celery, chopped

Parsnip, whole, discard after

Chicken, Kosher

Carrots, chopped

Bone marrow, Kosher

Salt and pepper

Pinch of sugar at the end

Preparation:

Put all ingredients in boiling water for 20 minutes.

Boil, then simmer for 40 minutes.

Take off froth and discard

For serving w/ Matzah Balls next day

(Separate broth into pitcher) and skim off schmaltz – discard and put rest of ingredients back in.

Rosemary Chicken

June 17, 2014

Author: Leah Bernstein

 

 

The grandchildren can help by sprinkling on the spices and going out to the garden and pick the rosemary sprigs and place on top of the chicken. That with latkes makes a good Shabbat meal. One of my grandchildren’s email address is “gimmelatkes.”

Ingredients:

Chicken (cut up)

Spices

Olive Oil

Rosemary

Preparation:

Cut up whole chicken and marinate fat – leave some skin on it.

Put in glass Pyrex — olive oil on dish – add chicken

Sprinkle 21 spices

Put rosemary leaves on top

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45-60 minutes.

 

Brisket Emergency

July 28, 2014

Author: Jeanne Stellman

Ingredients:

Slab of Brisket

Potato starch on cornstarch

sweet potatoes

white potatoes

carrots

diced onions

cloves of garlic

Honey or agave sugar or maple syrup and lemon juice

Directions:

Dredge brisket in starch. Cut potatoes and carrots into a smallish pieces. Cover bottom of pan with diced onions and throw in the garlic. Put in meat and veggies in the oven on 325 degrees and cook for hours.

 

Bubbie's Simple Noodle Kugel

July 28, 2014

Author: Gary Finkler

When I was little, we used to visit my Bubbie in Woodside, Queens. Every time, she would be waiting outside her apartment and arms wide for a hug. There we would go, inside where all of Bubbie’s delicious savory noodle kugels would be waiting for us. Every time we visited Bubbie there was a kugel, without fail. Now I make that kugel for my family and guests and remember my Bubbie and our visits.

Ingredients:

1 bag of egg noodles (medium)

several eggs, salt & pepper to taste

Canola Oil

Directions:

Boil noodles when done. Cool and mix eggs. Heat frying pan with canola oil. Pour noodles and cook till golden. Then flip and cook on the other side.

 

 

 

Pasta E Fagioli

July 28, 2014

Author: C Grillo

 

 

Ingredients:

1/2 bag of Great Northern beans

1/2 bag Pinto beans

1/4 cup lentils

1/4 cup split peas

1 tsp parsley

1 stalk celery (chopped)

1 cup crushed tomatoes

1 carrot (chopped)

1 large onion (chopped)

1/2 stick margarine or butter

salt to taste

1 cup broken spaghetti noodles (cooked)

1 box frozen spinach OR broccoli

Directions:

Wash and drain Great Northern & Pinto beans and add to pot. Fill the pot 3/4 full with water

Add parsley, carrots, onions, tomatoes & salt to pot. Bring to a simmer (partially covered) for 3/4 hour.

Add lentils and split peas and Oleo (margarine/butter) and cook for another 3/4 hour – stir a little every so often.

Cook separately frozen spinach or broccoli and spaghetti – add to pot when finished (Split peas should be soft) adjust salt to taste and serve.

 

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Deconstructed Stuffed Cabbage

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July 29, 2014

Author: Michael Keats

Stuffed cabbage was a Schoen family favorite for many years. This Polish-Jewish heirloom recipe was a specialty of Dr. Keats’ “Nana Ruthy” and her two sisters. For special occasions, Shabbos and Yom Tov, they would prepare the dish by rolling each cabbage lovingly by hand and securing each roll with a toothpick. Ruthy’s grandson simply “deconstructed” the original recipe, making it more time efficient and easier to prepare.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds lean ground beef or turkey

1 tablespoon oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small cabbage, chopped

2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes

1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Saute the onions until tender, then add ground beef (or turkey) until the meat is browned.

Add the garlic and cook an additional minute before adding the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce the heat and simmer about 25 minutes (or until the cabbage is quite fork tender). 6 to 8 servings.

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