Around the Shabbat Table (8 page)

The result is a well-flavored, make-ahead fish excellent for holidays and company buffets. I round out the flavors by caramelizing the onions and bedding the fried fish on fresh sliced oranges—their sweetness, and the concentrated sugars in the soaked raisins, obviate the need for any added sugar. This dish is especially good accompanied by a salad of marinated
roasted red peppers
.

2 pounds lemon sole, grouper, red snapper, perch, or similar nonoily, fairly firm-fleshed fish fillets (choose fillets no more than
¹
⁄
₂
-inch thick)

About 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil, for frying, plus 2 tablespoons

1 large, juicy unpeeled orange, preferably thin-skinned, very thinly sliced

1
¹
⁄
₂
pounds onions, very thinly sliced (6 cups)

¹
⁄
₄
cup pine nuts

¹
⁄
₄
cup raisins

¹
⁄
₂
cup moderately priced balsamic vinegar or mild red wine vinegar

2 anchovies, finely chopped (optional)

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 Turkish bay leaf

Optional garnish: bright green leaves of parsley, curly endive, frisée, or other greens

CUT
the fillets in half lengthwise and, if necessary, remove the thin bony strip that runs through the middle of many fillets. Cut the pieces into 4-inch lengths. If time permits, soak the fish in a pan of cold, lightly salted water for about 20 minutes. (This centuries-old technique not only seasons the fish but also helps it to stay firm when fried.)

PAT
the fish dry with paper towels. Spread flour on a sheet of wax paper or a platter and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish pieces thoroughly in the seasoned flour, then shake lightly to remove all excess. Heat
¹
⁄
₄
inch of oil in a large heavy skillet until hot but not smoking. Fry the fish in batches until nicely golden on both sides. Drain well on paper towels.

CHOOSE
a casserole or nonreactive baking dish just large enough to accommodate the fish in one layer and line it with the orange slices. Place the fish on top, overlapping the pieces slightly, if necessary.

PREHEAT
oven to 350°F. Wipe out all the oil in the skillet, then warm
2 tablespoons fresh oil in it. Add the onions and toss until completely coated with the oil. Salt and pepper lightly, cover the pan, and cook slowly over very low heat for 35 to 40 minutes, until the onions are meltingly tender. Stir from time to time to make sure onions don't burn.

WHILE
the onions are simmering, toast the pine nuts on a baking sheet in the oven for about 7 minutes, until fragrant and lightly golden. Shake the baking sheet from time to time to ensure even toasting. Set the toasted nuts aside to cool. Soak the raisins in the vinegar.

WHEN
the onions are very tender, stir in the anchovies, if using (they add an elusive, subtle depth), and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to dissolve them. Add the raisins and vinegar, orange juice, and bay leaf. Turn the heat up to high, and cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half and the onions are caramelized and richly colored, 15 to 20 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to redistribute the syrupy juices and, if necessary, turn the heat down a bit to prevent the onions from sticking and burning. Season generously with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaf.

SPREAD
the caramelized onion mixture evenly over the fish. Scatter the toasted pine nuts on top. Wrap well with plastic and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight (even better when served after 48 hours). It will keep very well for at least 4 days.

THE
fish is best at room temperature, so remove it from the refrigerator at least 1 hour before serving. Brighten the dish with a garnish of greens, if desired.

LEMON-ROASTED CHICKEN

yield:
3 TO 4 SERVINGS

For maximum flavor, I rub the marinade right into the chicken flesh beneath the skin and then I roast it on a layer of lemons. Butterflying the chicken enables you to spread the marinade on more of the meat under the skin and to remove more of the fat trapped there, especially between the joints. Because so much fat is removed with this method, the skin never becomes soggy, and a final sizzle under the broiler crisps it up delectably.

One 3
¹
⁄
₂
- to 4
¹
⁄
₂
-pound frying or roasting chicken (preferably fresh, not previously frozen), butterflied down the backbone and pounded gently so it lies flat easily

1
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoons coarsely chopped garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 4 teaspoons dried

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil

2 lemons

¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon packed light brown sugar

RINSE
the chicken and pat dry. Remove all visible fat. Starting at the neck end, gently loosen the skin by sliding your hand underneath the breast and carefully working your way back to the legs. Remove as much fat as possible beneath the skin, paying particular attention to the fat deposits around the thighs.

IN
a food processor or blender, puree the garlic, half of the thyme, the lemon juice,
¹
⁄
₂
teaspoon salt and
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon pepper. Lift up the skin and spread about half the mixture all over the breast and down to the drumsticks. Rub the remaining mixture all over the outside of the chicken. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, but preferably overnight.

ABOUT
30 minutes before you are ready to begin cooking the chicken, remove it from the refrigerator to bring it to room temperature. Preheat oven to 350°F.

CHOOSE
a heavy ovenproof skillet (12-inch cast-iron is ideal) large enough to accommodate the chicken. Rub it lightly with oil. Thinly slice the lemons, discarding the pits, and arrange them evenly over the bottom of the skillet. Sprinkle the lemons with the brown sugar. Turn the heat to moderately high and cook for 5 minutes. Add the chicken, skin side down, and continue cooking for about 10 minutes. Occasionally slide a wooden spoon under the chicken to prevent the skin from sticking to the lemons. Peek underneath—the skin should be coloring a rich gold in spots.

SPRINKLE
the top with the remaining thyme and salt and pepper to taste, and place the skillet, chicken still skin side down, in the oven. Roast for 30 minutes. Leaving the layer of lemons on the bottom of the pan, turn the chicken skin side up. Season it all over with salt and pepper and continue roasting for 30 to 55 minutes longer, until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer or a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg or thigh reads 170°F.

GIVE
the chicken skin a final crisping by running the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes, moving the pan as necessary so both the front and back are evenly browned and crackly.

LET
the chicken rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

CHICKEN PAPRIKASH WITH
NOCKERL
(DUMPLINGS)

yield:
4 TO 6 SERVINGS

Erica Vinik's kitchens—whether in Budapest, Israel, Canada, or Long Beach, New York—have always been filled with Hungarian aromas: “paprika, fresh vegetables, onions, a lot of garlic, more garlic, and then some more garlic.”

As a little girl, Erica trailed her mother around the stove but wasn't allowed to touch anything. “My mother was not only very quick but ambidextrous, too. She would beat the yolks with one hand and the whites with the other. She was very precise and didn't want me to mess anything.”

Even copying down her mother's recipes proved daunting:
yahrzeit
glasses might stand in for traditional measuring cups and tablespoons, based on the family's heavy, oversized pewter cutlery, were the equivalent of ladles.

To recreate Hungarian favorites like chicken paprikash and noodles laced with sautéed cabbage slivers, Erica relied on her flavor memory. “The taste was in my mouth, and so I just kept working until I'd achieve it.”

In this recipe, fragrant vegetables and paprika imbue not just the chicken, but the delicious nockerl as well, which are not boiled first, as in typical fashion, but cooked entirely in the luscious sauce.

FOR THE CHICKEN

4 to 5 pounds bone-in, skinless chicken thighs

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, chopped (2 cups)

About 2 cups sweet red and yellow peppers, chopped and seeded

1
¹
⁄
₂
tablespoons finely chopped garlic

1 large, fresh plum tomato, chopped

1 cup chicken broth, preferably
homemade
or good quality, low-sodium
purchased

About
³
⁄
₄
teaspoon hot paprika (see Cook's Note)

About
¹
⁄
₄
teaspoon mild paprika

FOR THE NOCKERL

²
⁄
₃
cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3 large eggs, beaten to blend

Salt

PREHEAT
oven to 350°F.

WASH
the chicken and pat thoroughly dry with paper towels. In a heavy, deep ovenproof skillet (plain or enameled cast-iron is ideal) large enough to accommodate all of the chicken in a single layer, heat the oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Sauté the chicken, in batches if necessary to avoid crowding the pan, until golden on both sides. Transfer the chicken to a platter and season with salt and pepper.

HEAT
the remaining oil in the skillet then add the onions. Salt and pepper lightly, and cook over medium heat, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon, lifting and tossing until the onions are softened and translucent. Stir in the peppers, increase the heat slightly, and sauté until the peppers begin to caramelize around the edges. Add the garlic and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Stir in the tomato and adjust the heat to high. Add the broth, the paprikas (more or less, according to taste), and salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a boil.

RETURN
the chicken pieces to the pan and spoon some of the vegetables and cooking sauce over them. Cover the pan first with foil and then with the lid. Put the pan in the oven and cook for about 30 minutes, until cooked through, turning the chicken pieces around in the sauce two or three times. Transfer the chicken to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.

MAKE
the dumplings: in a medium bowl, mix the flour, eggs, and a generous pinch of salt to a smooth batter. Bring the sauce to a boil in the skillet. Place the bowl of batter next to the skillet. Scoop out a scant teaspoon of the batter and drop it into the sauce, using a second teaspoon to push the batter off the spoon. Continue making dumplings, dropping them evenly around the pan so each one can swell up flavored with the sauce. Cook the dumplings over medium-high heat, uncovered, for about 6 minutes, until plump and firm but not hard. (This will be another few minutes after they solidify.)