Kosher and Traditional Jewish Cooking: Authentic Recipes From a Classic Culinary Heritage: 130 Delicious Dishes Shown in 220 Stunning Photographs (16 page)

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 425kcal/1773kJ; Protein 29.7g; Carbohydrate 27.5g, of which sugars 17.6g; Fat 22.3g, of which saturates 9.2g; Cholesterol 123mg; Calcium 86mg; Fibre 3.7g; Sodium 134mg.

This is one of the dishes my New Yorker grandmother used to make. She often added extra vegetables with the onions, such as sliced green peppers, broccoli or mushrooms.

SERVES 4

500g/1
1
/
4
lb lean minced (ground) beef

4–6 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

4 onions, 1 finely chopped and 3 sliced

15–30ml/1–2 tbsp soy sauce

15–30ml/1–2 tbsp vegetable oil (optional)

2–3 green (bell) peppers, sliced lengthways into strips

ground black pepper

salad, to serve

1
Place the minced beef, garlic and chopped onions in a bowl and mix well. Season with soy sauce and pepper and form into four large or eight small patties.

2
Heat a non-stick pan, add a little oil, if you like, then add the patties and cook until browned. Splash over soy sauce.

3
Cover the patties with the sliced onions and peppers, add a little soy sauce, then cover the pan. Reduce the heat to very low, and braise for 20–30 minutes.

4
When the onions are turning golden brown, remove the pan from the heat. Serve the patties, with the onions and salad.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 347kcal/1442kJ; Protein 26.8g; Carbohydrate 13.8g, of which sugars 11.2g; Fat 20.8g, of which saturates 8.8g; Cholesterol 75mg; Calcium 44mg; Fibre 2.8g; Sodium 374mg.

 

This dish, with its blend of spices and sweet fruit, is inspired by Moroccan flavours. Serve with couscous, mixed with a handful of cooked chickpeas.

SERVES 4

1–1.6kg/2
1
/
4
–3
1
/
2
lb chicken

115–130g/4–4
1
/
2
oz fresh root ginger, grated

6–8 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

juice of 1 lemon

about 30ml/2 tbsp olive oil

2–3 large pinches of ground cinnamon

500g/1
1
/
4
lb seeded red and green grapes

500g/1
1
/
4
lb seedless green grapes

5–7 shallots, chopped

about 250ml/8fl oz/1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

salt and ground black pepper

1
Rub the chicken with half of the ginger, the garlic, half of the lemon juice, the olive oil, cinnamon, salt and lots of pepper. Leave to marinate. Meanwhile, cut the red and green seeded grapes in half, remove the seeds and set aside. Add the whole green seedless grapes to the halved ones.

2
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/Gas 4. Heat a flameproof casserole until hot. Remove the chicken from the marinade, add to the casserole and cook until browned on all sides. (There should be enough oil on the chicken to brown it but, if not, add a little extra.)

3
Put some of the shallots into the chicken cavity with the garlic and ginger from the marinade and as many of the grapes as will fit inside. Roast for 40 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through.

4
Remove the chicken from the pan and keep warm. Pour off any oil from the pan, reserving any sediment in the base. Add the remaining shallots to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until softened.

5
Add half the remaining red and green grapes, the remaining ginger, the stock and any juices from the roast chicken and cook over a medium-high heat until the grapes have cooked down to a thick sauce. Season with salt, ground black pepper and the remaining lemon juice to taste.

6
Serve the chicken on a warmed serving dish, surrounded by the sauce and the reserved grapes.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 454kcal/1891kJ; Protein 31.6g; Carbohydrate 19.5g, of which sugars 19.5g; Fat 28.1g, of which saturates 7.1g; Cholesterol 165mg; Calcium 28mg; Fibre 1g; Sodium 116mg.

 

This is a lighter, quicker version of hameen, the long-simmered Shabbat stew. This modern version is more refreshing than the heavier original.

SERVES 4

250g/9oz chicken, skinned and diced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

5ml/1 tsp ground turmeric

30ml/2 tbsp olive oil

2 small to medium carrots, diced or chopped

seeds from 6–8 cardamom pods

500g/1
1
/
4
lb/2
1
/
2
cups long grain rice

250g/9oz tomatoes, chopped

750ml/1
1
/
4
pints/3 cups chicken stock

FOR THE RELISH

3 tomatoes, diced

1 bunch or large handful of fresh mint, chopped

5–8 spring onions (scallions), thinly sliced

juice of 2 lemons

salt

1
To make the relish, put all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together. Chill until ready to serve.

2
Mix the diced chicken with half the garlic and the turmeric. Heat a little of the oil in a pan, add the chicken and fry briefly until the chicken has changed colour and is almost cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3
Add the carrots to the pan with the remaining oil, then stir in the remaining garlic, cardamom seeds and the rice. Cook for 1 minute.

4
Add the tomatoes and chicken stock to the pan and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the rice is tender. A few minutes before the rice is cooked, fork in the chicken. Serve with the relish.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 633kcal/2648kJ; Protein 26.1g; Carbohydrate 107.7g, of which sugars 7.7g; Fat 10.3g, of which saturates 1.6g; Cholesterol 44mg; Calcium 76mg; Fibre 3.1g; Sodium 64mg.

Schnitzel is a pounded-flat, crisp-coated, fried steak of turkey, chicken or veal. In the old country of Austria, schnitzel was made from veal. Today in Israel it is usually made of turkey and is immensely popular. Serve with a selection of vegetables.

SERVES 4

4 boneless turkey or chicken breast fillets, each weighing about 175g/6oz

juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, chopped

plain (all-purpose) flour, for dusting

1–2 eggs

15ml/1 tbsp water

about 50g/2oz/
1
/
2
cup matzo meal

paprika

a mixture of vegetable and olive oil, for shallow frying

salt and ground black pepper

lemon wedges and a selection of vegetables, to serve (optional)

1
Lay each piece of meat between two sheets of greaseproof (waxed) paper and pound with a mallet until it is about half its original thickness and even. Combine the lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper. Coat the meat in the mixture, then leave to marinate.