The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook (16 page)

SERVES
12

Borscht is best made a day ahead of time. It's much tastier on the second day. Also, because borscht is labor-intensive—and the cooking process tends to leave your kitchen looking as if you've committed a murder in it—we've made this recipe for a large amount. You'll work hard; you deserve leftovers.

1. Cut greens and roots off beets, leaving about 3 inches of stems at the top. Scrub very, very thoroughly with a brush.

2. In a large stockpot, place beets, onions, garlic, bay leaf, and 10 cups of water, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour.

3. With a slotted spoon, remove beets to a large bowl and place it in the sink. Discard onion, garlic, and bay leaf.

4. Running cold water over the beets, remove skins and tops. In a food processor, or with a hand grater (a chore that is sure to send you racing to the appliance store for a Cuisinart), mince beets to a fine texture.

5. Because, no matter how thoroughly you washed them, there may be sand in the beets, strain the soup from the pot through a cheesecloth (or use a paper coffee filter), and set aside.

6. Rinse the stockpot, and pour the minced beets into it. Carefully (without splashing) pour the soup over the beets. Add brown sugar and salt, and simmer on low heat for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice, and stir.

7. Serve well chilled. Garnish each bowl with boiled potato, egg slices, ½ teaspoon dill, and a large dollop of sour cream.

SERVES
10

Like the cold borscht above, this recipe should also be prepared a day ahead of time. It's much better on the second day, after the ingredients have mingled.

1. Boil dried lima beans in water for 2 minutes, then turn off heat, and leave beans soaking in the water for 1 hour. Alternately, you can soak them overnight.

2. Trim beets of greens, roots, and stems. Peel and wash the beets.

3. Heat corn oil in a large skillet, and sauté onions on high heat for 4 minutes. Add beef cubes, and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until meat and onions are nicely browned.

4. Drain lima beans, and place in a large stockpot with beets, beef and onions (with cooking juices), bay leaf, and 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil; then reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes. Turn off heat.

5. With a slotted spoon, remove beets from the pot, and let cool on a plate. Also use the slotted spoon to skim foam off the top of the soup (do this again later if necessary). When the beets are cool enough to handle, shred them in a food processor (or with a hand grater).

6. Return the beets to the stockpot, and add the garlic, tomato sauce, and salt. Simmer for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

7. Add potatoes, cabbage, lemon juice, and brown sugar. Stir, and simmer for 1 hour. Add chopped dill and stir. Remove bay leaf. Serve hot the next day.

SERVES
10

This is the soup that Jacob prepared to tempt Esau into selling his birthright. See what you can get for it.

1. In a large stockpot, bring chicken soup and water to a boil. Add lentils, cumin, and cayenne. Stir, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes.

2. Uncover, and simmer for another 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a small amount of water only if necessary to keep from burning. While soup is cooking, heat corn oil in a skillet, and sauté onions, adding garlic to brown at the last minute. Remove with a slotted spoon, and set aside in a bowl.

3. Add coriander, salt (if needed), and pepper to stockpot. Cook on very low heat for 5 minutes.

4. Add onions and garlic to soup, and stir in. Garnish each bowl with very thin lemon slices and a bit of parsley.

Soups should yield up all kinds of gustatory pleasures and treasures. In addition to the garlicky croutons, fluffy dumplings, savory kreplach, and feathery matzo balls described below, we often throw in kasha, noodles, or rice.

MAKES ABOUT
4
CUPS

The Deli's croutons are fantastic, and very easy to prepare. Use them to enhance soups or salads.

1. Heat corn oil (you'll need enough to cover the bread cubes) in a deep fryer. Deep-fry cubes in the wire basket for 8 to 10 minutes, tossing occasionally until all cubes are equally and fully browned. If you don't own a deep fryer, you can fry the croutons in a large skillet, removing them from the oil with a slotted spoon.

2. Drain in a bowl lined with paper towel, and remove excess oil carefully with additional paper toweling. Let cool for a few minutes, then toss in a large bowl with garlic powder to taste. Store in a covered container, the bottom of which is lined with paper toweling to absorb excess oil.

MAKES ABOUT
35

Everyone loves dumplings. Easy to prepare, they make a great alternative to matzo balls for your chicken soup.

1. Combine eggs, margarine, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl, and mix thoroughly with a fork. Add flour and baking powder, mixing first with a fork, then with your hands until it forms a soft dough. Do not overknead.

2. On a well-floured board, using a floured rolling pin, roll out half of the dough at a time to ⅓-inch thickness. Using a 1-inch cookie cutter (or a bottle lid), cut out circles and place them, one at a time, on a wax-paper-covered plate.

3. Fill a large stockpot with water and ½ teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil. Use a knife to slide the dumplings from the plate into the boiling water. Cook for 6 minutes, and drain in a colander.

4. Toss into hot chicken soup, and serve.