Friday, August 28, 2015

Vegetarian Jewish Comfort Food by > Yvette Alt Miller

Hot, soothing dishes from around the Jewish world.

As the temperature dips low try some new, comfort foods from around the Jewish world. All these recipes are soothing & rich, & either parve or diary. As they say in Israel, bitayavon (bon appétit)!

Transylvanian Green Bean Soup (Untergeschlugenah)

Washington-based, cookbook writer, Joan Nathan recalls asking the late, Rep. Tom Lantos –the only Holocaust survivor to ever serve in US Congress – if he represented this dish from his childhood in Hungary; “Did he ever!” Nathan recalls:it was his favorite as a kid.
This vegetarian soup is colorful and tasty on cold, Winter, days & all year round.

5 cups vegetable broth or water
2 lbs. fresh Green Beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Red Bell Pepper
2 T butter
2 medium, Onions, diced (about 2 cups)
2 T unbleached, all-purpose flour
Lemon juice to taste
Dash of Sugar
Salt and freshly ground, Pepper to taste
Paprika to taste
½ cup chopped, fresh Parsley
1/2 cup snipped fresh dill
Sour cream for garnish (optional)

Bring the broth or water to boil and add the beans. Simmer about 5 minutes.
Remove Pepper's outer skin, scrape out pith and seeds. Grate by hand or use grating blade of a food processor. Add to the soup & simmer for an additional 5 minutes or until Beans are tender. You can use roasted & peeled, Peppers instead.

Heat Butter in a small, fry pan & sauté Onions until translucent. Stir in flour & cook a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Add flour-thickened, Onions to broth & bring to boil. Adjust seasonings with Lemon Juice, Sugar, Salt, Pepper & Paprika to taste. The final soup should be a little sweet & sour.
Just before serving, add the fresh Parsley and Dill. Serve as is or with a dollop of sour cream.
Makes 6-8 servings. (From The Foods of Israel Today by Joan Nathan, Alfred A. Knopf, NY: 2001.)
====================
                                   Roasted Garden Egg (Jamaican Eggplant) Puree
Jews have lived in Jamaica ever since arriving with Columbus; later on, Jewish merchants from Syria and Lebanon settled in the island too. Jews are credited with introducing the Eggplant to Jamaica; it’s called “garden egg” locally, and enjoyed in this richly satisfying pate.

2 small Eggplants, peeled and sliced lengthwise
½ t finely chopped scotch bonnet (habenero) pepper, cored and deseeded
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Green Onions, chopped
1 T fresh Thyme Leaves
3 T Vinegar
4 T Vegetable Oil
2 t Soy sauce
Salt and pepper

Place Eggplant slices in a shallow dish. Mix all remaining ingredients together & spread over the slices. Leave to marinate for 2-3 hours.
Cook in medium 180*C/ 350* F/ gas oven for 1/2 hour, or until slices are tender & cooked through.
Puree the slices in a blender or food processor, turn into a bowl and season to taste.
(From The Festive Food of Jamaica by Tessa Hayward, Kyle Cathie Ltd., London: 1996)
-------------------------------------------------
Fish Curry  The Bene
Israel community of India dates back Mileneum. 
Although most members have moved to Israel in modern times,  traditional recipes endure.          

This soothing, Curry can be made more less or spicy by adding or removal of Chilies from the recipe.
½ fresh Coconut, Brown skin removed & cut into  pieces, or 1 cup dried coconut & ½ cup coconut milk (buy unsweetened Coconut Milk)

2 cups fresh Coriander
1 or 2 Green Chilies, cut open and seeded (use less for a less-spicy dish)
1 t Cumin 
6 or 7 Garlic Cloves, crushed
3 T Sesame, Peanut or Vegetable Oil 
½ t Turmeric
½ Lime or Lemon juice
Salt
 ½ lbs (750 g) White - Fish Fillet
2 cups (500 ml) Water

Put the Coconut, or dried Coconut and Coconut milk, in the food processor with the coriander, Chilies, and Cumin, and blend to a paste. Fry the garlic in the oil very quickly until it is only barely colored. Add the Turmeric and Coconut paste and stir a minute or two & add water.

The Lime or Lemon Juice, and some salt to taste. Stir & bring to boil, then put in the Fish & simmer 10-15 minutes, or until the Fish is cooked.
Serve hot with rice. (I prefer Basmati for an extra-special flavor.)
Serves 4.  (Adapted from The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden, Alfred A. Knopf, NY: 1996)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Moroccan Minestrone
This rich, vegetarian soup, popular with the Moroccan Jewish community, contains different exotic spices from its familiar Italian counterpart.

2-3 t Olive Oil
1 large Onion, chopped
2/3 cup coarsely chopped, fresh Cilantro or Italian Parsley
One 14 ½ oz can vegetable broth (1 ¾ cups)
1 quart water
2 large Carrots, diced
2 ribs Celery, sliced
1 t ground Cumin
2 cups small Cauliflower Florets
2 T Tomato Paste
One 15 oz can Chickpeas, drained
1 cup couscous, plain or whole-Wheat
Salt and freshly-ground Pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Heat oil in a large saucepan, add Onion & 1/3 cup Cilantro & sauté 3 minutes over medium heat.  Add broth, water, Carrot, Celery, & Cumin & bring to a boil.
Cover & simmer over medium-low heat for 5 minutes.
Then add cauliflower & cook 7 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Stir in Tomato Paste, then Chickpeas, and return to a boil.
Stir couscous into soup & bring just to a boil. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes.
Stir in remaining Cilantro. Season with Salt, Pepper, & Cayenne. Serve hot.
Makes 3 main-course or 4 or 5 first-course servings.
(From 1,000 Jewish Recipes by Faye Levy, EDG Books Worldwide, Inc., Foster City, CA: 2000)

Rebecchine de Jerusalemme (Italian Stuffed Polenta Fritters)
> This filling
> dish has been a favorite of the Jewish community in Italy
> for generations.
> 250g (1 ½ cups) polenta (cornmeal)
>
>
>  30-45ml (2-3 T) tomato puree (paste)
>
>
>  30-45ml (2-3 T) diced ripe fresh or canned chopped
> tomatoes
>
>
>  30ml (2T) chopped fresh rosemary
>
>
>  30-45 ml (2-3 T freshly grated Parmesan or pcorino
> cheese)
>
>
>  130g (4 ½ oz) mozzarella, Gorgonzola or fontina
> cheese, finely chopped
>
>
>  Half vegetable and half olive oil, for frying
>
>
>  1-2 eggs, lightly beaten
>
>
>  Plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting
>
>
>  Salt
>
>
>  Diced red (bell) pepper, shredded lettuce and rosemary
> sprigs, to garmish
> In a
> large pan, combine the polenta (cornmeal) with 250ml (1 cup)
> cold water and strir. Add 750ml (3 cups) boiling water and
> cook, stirring constantly, or about 30 minutes until the
> mixture is very thick and no loner grainly. If the mixture
> is thick but still not cooked through, stir in a litte more
> boiling water and simmer until soft. Season.
> Pour the
> mixgture into an oiled baking dish, forming a layer about 1
> cm (1/2 inch) thick. Lightly cover the polenta, then
> child.
> Using a 6-7.5
> cm (2 ½ - 3 inch) plain pastry (cookie) cutter or the firm
> of a glass, cut the polenta into rounds.
> In a small
> bowl, combine the tomato puree with the diced tomatoes.
> Spread a little of the mixture on the soft, moist side of
> the polenta round, sprinkle with rosemary and a little of
> the grated and chopped cheeses, then top with another round
> of polenta, the moist soft side against the filling. Press
> the edges together to help seal the sandwiches. Fill the
> remaining polenta rounds in the same way.
> Heat the oil
> in a wide, deep frying pan, to a depth of about 5 cm (2
> inches) until it is hot enough to brown a cube of bread in
> 30 seconds.
> Dip a
> sandwich into the beaten egg, then coat in the flour. Gently
> lower it ingto the hot oil and fry for 4-5 minutes, turning
> once. Drain on kitchen paper (paper towel). Cook the
> remaining polenta sandwiches in the same way. Serve warm,
> garnished with pepper, lettuce and rosemary.
> Creamy
> Rice Pudding
> Evelyn Rose,
> the doyenne of British Jewish cooking, was given this recipe
> by her mother, who learned it at the Jews’ School in
> Manchester before the First World War.
> 2 oz (1/3 cup) Carolina (short-grain or pudding)
> rice
>
>
>  1 oz (2 T) butter
>
>
>  1 pint (2 ½ cups) whole milk
>
>
>  Pinch of salt
>
>
>  1 oz (2 T) light brown or white sugar
>
>
>  Pinch of nutmeg
> Wash the
> rice in cold water and drain well. Use half the butter to
> grease a 1-pint (2 ½ cup) pudding dish. Put the milk, salt
> and the rice in the dish and leave for 1 hour to soften.
> Preheat the oven to Gas No. 2 (300 F / 150 C).
> Stir the
> sugar into the rice and add the remaining butter cut into
> tiny pieces. Scatter with the nutmeg. Bake for at least 2
> hours, stirring occasionally for the first hour, then leave
> to allow a golden-brown topping to form.
> Serves 4.
> (From The
> New Complete International Jewish Cookbook by Evelyn
> Rose, Robsson Book, London: 1997)
> Vanilla
> and Cinnamon Challah Bread Pudding
> Canadian
> Cookbook author Marcy Goldman calls this rich pudding
> “pure challa ambrosia”.
> 10 cups challah chunks or cubes
>
>
>  1 ½ cups (one 12-oz can) evaporated milk
>
>
>  1 cup whole milk
>
>
>  1 cup half and half
>
>
>  8 eggs, lightly beaten
>
>
>  1 cup granulated sugar
>
>
>  ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and
> cooled
>
>
>  2 t vanilla extract
>
>
>  1 t ground cinnamon
>
>
>  2 t baking powder
>
>
>  Pinch of salt
>
>
>  2 cups peeled and coarsely chopped apples
> (optional)
>
>
>  ½ cup raisins (optional)
>
>
>  Confectioners’ sugar and ground cinnamon, for
> sprinkling
> Preheat
> the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 9 by 13-inch baking
> dish.
> Place the
> bread cubes in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl, mix
> together the evaporated milk, whole milk, half and half,
> eggs, sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, baking powder, and
> salt. Pour this mixture over the bread cubes and let stand
> for 10 minutes. Fold in the apples and raisins, if using.
> Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and dust the top
> with a little confectioners’ sugar and cinnamon.
> Bake until
> lightly golden (35-45 minutes). Cool about 5 minutes before
> serving. This can be served warm or cold.
> (From
> Jewish Holiday Baking by Marcy Goldman, Doubleday,
> New York: 1996)
>  


>  This article can be read online at:
>  http://www.aish.com/f/r/Vegetarian-Jewish-Comfort-Food.html.



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>
>  Author Biography:
> Yvette Alt
> Miller earned her B.A. at Harvard University. She completed
> a Postgraduate Diploma in Jewish Studies at Oxford
> University, and has a Ph.D. In International Relations from
> the London School of Economics. She lives with her family in
> Chicago, and has lectured internationally on Jewish topics.
> Her book Angels
> at the table: a Practical Guide to Celebrating Shabbat
> takes readers through the rituals of Shabbat and more,
> explaining the full beautiful spectrum of Jewish traditions
> with warmth and humor. It has been praised as
> "life-changing", a modern classic, and used in
> classes and discussion groups around the world.

>

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