Kosher and Traditional Jewish Cooking: Authentic Recipes From a Classic Culinary Heritage: 130 Delicious Dishes Shown in 220 Stunning Photographs (21 page)

salt and ground black pepper

1
Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/Gas 3. Heat 45ml/3 tbsp of the oil in a pan and fry the pumpkin slices in batches until golden brown, removing them from the pan as they are cooked.

2
Add the onion to the pan, with more oil if necessary, and fry for about 5 minutes until softened.

3
Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute.

4
Add the tomatoes and sugar to the pan and cook over a medium-high heat until the mixture is of a sauce consistency. Stir in the rosemary and season with salt and pepper to taste.

5
Layer the pumpkin slices and tomato sauce in an ovenproof dish, ending with some sauce. Bake for 35 minutes until the top is beginning to brown, and the pumpkin is tender. Serve immediately.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 94kcal/392kJ; Protein 2.1g; Carbohydrate 7.8g, of which sugars 7g; Fat 6.2g, of which saturates 1.1g; Cholesterol 0mg; Calcium 58mg; Fibre 3g; Sodium 12mg.

This is traditionally a baked dish of vegetables and dried fruit, although sometimes fresh apples and pears are added. Some tzimmes also contain meat and can be served as a main dish.

SERVES 6

250g/9oz carrots, peeled and sliced

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into chunks

1 potato, peeled and cut into chunks

pinch of sugar

25g/1oz/2 tbsp butter or vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

10 pitted prunes, halved

25g/1oz/2 tbsp currants

5 dried apricots, roughly chopped

30ml/2 tbsp honey

5–10ml/1–2 tsp chopped fresh root ginger

1 cinnamon stick

juice of
1
/
2
lemon

salt

1
Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/Gas 3. Put the carrots, sweet potato and potato into a pan of sugared and salted boiling water and cook until they are almost tender. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid, and set aside.

2
Heat the butter or oil in a large flameproof casserole, add the chopped onion and fry briefly until softened but not browned.

3
Add the cooked vegetables to the casserole and enough of the cooking liquid to cover the vegetables completely. Add the remaining ingredients. Cover and bake for 40 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, check the liquid in the casserole. If there is too much, remove the lid for the last 10 minutes.

VARIATION

To make meat tzimmes, braise 500g/1
1
/
4
lb beef, cut into chunks, for 1 hour until tender. In step 2 use oil rather than butter, and add the meat to the pan with the vegetables.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 143kcal/601kJ; Protein 1.9g; Carbohydrate 26.8g, of which sugars 15.9g; Fat 3.9g, of which saturates 2.3g; Cholesterol 9mg; Calcium 36mg; Fibre 2.9g; Sodium 55mg.

In Jerusalem this simple Ashkenazi dish is often eaten with meat or fish wrapped in filo pastry as the textures and flavours complement each other perfectly.

SERVES 4–6

1 large cauliflower, cut into bitesize florets

pinch of sugar

90ml/6 tbsp olive or vegetable oil

130g/4
1
/
2
oz/2
1
/
4
cups dry white or wholemeal (whole-wheat) breadcrumbs

3–5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or chopped

salt and ground black pepper

1
Steam or boil the cauliflower in a pan of water, to which you have added the sugar and a pinch of salt, until just tender. Drain and leave to cool.

2
Heat 60ml/4 tbsp of the olive or vegetable oil in a pan, add the breadcrumbs and cook over a medium heat, tossing and turning, until browned and crisp. Add the garlic, turn once or twice, then remove from the pan and set aside.

3
Heat the remaining oil in the pan, then add the cauliflower, mashing and breaking it up slightly as it lightly browns in the oil. (Do not overcook but just cook lightly in the oil.)

4
Add the garlic breadcrumbs to the pan and cook, stirring, until well combined and some of the cauliflower is still holding its shape. Season with salt and pepper and serve hot or warm.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 244kcal/1016kJ; Protein 8.9g; Carbohydrate 18.8g, of which sugars 2.2g; Fat 15.3g, of which saturates 3.8g; Cholesterol 10mg; Calcium 162mg; Fibre 1.7g; Sodium 280mg.

This dish is a great speciality of the Jews of Rome. The artichokes are pressed to open them, then plunged into hot oil where their leaves twist and brown, turning them into crispy flowers.

SERVES 4

2–3 lemons, halved

4–8 small globe artichokes

olive or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

salt

1
Fill a bowl with cold water and stir in the juice of one or two of the lemons. Trim the stems of the artichokes, then trim off their tough end and remove all the outer leaves. Open the leaves of one of the artichokes and trim the tops if they are sharp. If there is any choke inside, remove it. Put the artichoke in the acidulated water and prepare the remaining artichokes.

2
Put the artichokes in a pan and pour over water to cover.

3
Bring to the boil and cook over a medium-high heat for 10–15 minutes until partly cooked. Place the artichokes upside down on a baking sheet and leave to cool, then press them open gently, being careful not to tear them apart.

4
Fill a pan with oil to a depth of 5cm/2in and heat. Add one or two artichokes, with the leaves uppermost, and press down with a slotted spoon. Fry for 5–8 minutes, turning, until golden. Drain and serve.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 132kcal/546kJ; Protein 0.6g; Carbohydrate 1.1g, of which sugars 1.1g; Fat 14g, of which saturates 1.6g; Cholesterol 0mg; Calcium 51mg; Fibre 1.4g; Sodium 75mg.

These crispy fried morsels feature prominently in the Sephardi kitchen. Legend has it that these were what the fleeing Israelites were missing and longing for when they were in the desert. They are best served at room temperature with a good squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkling of salt.

SERVES 4

4 large leeks, total weight about 1kg/2
1
/
4
lb, thickly sliced

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

2 eggs, lightly beaten

large pinch of dried thyme or basil

freshly grated nutmeg

olive or vegetable oil, for shallow frying

salt and ground black pepper

lemon wedges, to serve

1
Cook the leeks in salted boiling water for 5 minutes, or until just tender and bright green. Drain and leave to cool.

2
Chop the leeks roughly. Put in a bowl and combine with the matzo meal, eggs, herbs, nutmeg and seasoning.

3
Heat 5mm/
1
/
4
in oil in a frying pan. Using two tablespoons, carefully spoon the leek mixture into the hot oil. Cook over a medium-high heat until golden brown on the underside, then turn and cook the second side.

4
Drain the fritters on kitchen paper. Cook the rest of the mixture, adding oil if needed. Serve with lemon wedges and salt.

Nutritional information per portion: Energy 326kcal/1356kJ; Protein 10g; Carbohydrate 29.2g, of which sugars 5.5g; Fat 18.8g, of which saturates 2.6g; Cholesterol 95mg; Calcium 75mg; Fibre 6.2g; Sodium 40mg.