Side dishes

The
Orange County Register/Fullerton News Tribune

 April 3, 2014

Kosher gnocchi means you don't have to pass on
kitchen delights during Passover

Some hints from Chef Mary Sue Milliken

Source: “Aromas of Aleppo” by Poopa Dweck

2 dozen very small eggplants, cored
2 recipes hashu (recipe follows)
3 quinces, cored, peeled, and cut into 6 pieces each

For the sauce:
3 tablespoons tamarind concentrate, homemade or store-bought (see Cook’s notes)
Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
6 pieces candied quince (recipe follows), for garnish

Cook’s notes: While Sephardic Jews eat rice for Passover, Eastern European Jews do not and will enjoy this dish after the holiday.

Tamarind concentrate is sold in Middle Eastern stores. If you cannot find kosher for Passover tamarind concentrate, you can make your own (recipe below).

From Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family (Workman) by Judy Bart Kancigor
Order on amazon

I don’t often adapt recipes from novels, but Sharon Boorstin’s fun romp Cookin’ for Love sent me straight to the kitchen. Heroine Miriam’s thoughts seldom stray from food, and when she awakens from a dream about Grandma’s latkes to find her Malaysian cleaver-toting captor frying curried onions, it’s an “aha” moment of the kitchen kind. Cashews! Ginger! This is a latke with pizzazz! Makes 16 latkes

1/2 cup chopped unsalted cashews or peanuts
1/4 cup chopped mint or flat-leaf parsley, or a combination
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper, seeded and deveined
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 large eggs, beaten
2 large baking potatoes (12 ounces each), cut into wedges
1 medium-size onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Minty Cucumber Yogurt Sauce (recipe below)

1. Combine the cashews, mint, bell pepper, jalapeño, ginger, salt, curry powder, and eggs in a large bowl, and mix well. Set it aside.

2. Shred the potatoes and onion together in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. Squeeze the potato/onion mixture between several changes of paper towels to release as much liquid as possible. Add the potato/onion mixture to the egg mixture, and combine well. Stir in the flour.

From Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family (Workman) by Judy Bart Kancigor
Order on amazon

From Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family (Workman) by Judy Bart Kancigor
Order on amazon

Serves 12.

6 navel oranges, sliced in half crosswise
Mama Hinda’s Sweet Potato Casserole filling (recipe below)

FOR THE TOPPINGS
Mini marshmallows and/or Maraschino cherries
Chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted
Colored sprinkles, and assorted edible decorations (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Scoop the flesh out of each orange half (reserve it for another use, such as in a fruit salad). A serrated grapefruit spoon is perfect for this purpose. Make sure each orange half can stand up straight. If any are wobbly, cut a thin slice off the bottom.

3. Spoon the sweet potato filling into the scooped-out orange halves. Top with marshmallows, cherries, and nuts, as desired. Arrange the filled orange cups in an ungreased baking pan and bake until the filling is hot and the marshmallows are melted and golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.

4. Top with sprinkles if using, and serve.

Mama Hinda’s Sweet Potato Casserole filling:

Source: Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family by Judy Bart Kancigor

1/2 cup chopped unsalted cashews or peanuts
1/4 cup chopped mint or flat-leaf parsley, or a combination
1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeño pepper, seeded and deveined
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
1 1/2 to 2 teaspoons kosher (coarse) salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 large eggs, beaten
2 large baking potatoes (12 ounces each), cut into wedges
1 medium-size onion, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil, for frying
Cucumber Dip with Yogurt Sauce (recipe below)

1. Combine the cashews, mint, bell pepper, jalapeño, ginger, salt, curry powder, and eggs in a large bowl, and mix well. Set it aside.
2. Shred the potatoes and onion together in a food processor fitted with the shredding disk. Squeeze between several changes of paper towels to release as much liquid as possible. Add the potato/onion mixture to the egg mixture, and combine well. Stir in the flour.
3. Pour enough oil into a large, heavy skillet to cover the bottom, and heat it over medium-high heat. When the oil is quite hot but not smoking, add a scant 1/4 cup batter per latke and flatten them with a fork. Fry only as many latkes as will fit in the skillet without crowding. Cook until crisp and brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer the latkes to paper towels to drain. Keep the latkes warm while frying the remainder.
4. Serve immediately, with the Cucumber dip. Makes about 16.

(Cacik) Cucumber Dip with Yogurt Sauce
1 English (hothouse) cucumber
Kosher (coarse) salt
2 cups plain yogurt
1 to 2 teaspoons crushed garlic
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons crushed dried mint leaves

from "The Foods of Israel Today" by Joan Nathan
as seen in The Orange County Register, 9-14-01

1 cup dried chickpeas
5 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
3 medium onions, roughly chopped
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
1 butternut, acorn or other bright orange squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch rounds
1 large eggplant (about 1 pound), cut into 1-inch chunks
2 celery stalks (with leaves), cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cabbage (about 1 pound), shredded
2-3 potatoes (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided use
4 tablespoons snipped fresh dill, divided use
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 pound couscous

From Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family (Workman) by Judy Bart Kancigor
Order on amazon

There’s no contest: this is the king of kugels. It is sinfully rich, yet lighter in texture than others we have tried.

Rita Miller was a kosher caterer in New Jersey who created this recipe about 35 years ago, after six months of experimentation, to try to make the best and most unusual dessert kugel possible. Since then it was her carefully guarded secret. The first time she gave out the recipe was to her son, David, and his new bride, my cousin Vicki, so they could make it for their first Yom Kippur breakfast in San Francisco. When I begged her to let me put it in my cookbook, she relented and decided it was time to share it with the world. Please bear in mind, she says, that this recipe was created long before cholesterol became a household watchword!

Slice the wider pear and peach slices in half for a more elegant presentation. And if sliced pears are unavailable, buy pear halves and slice them yourself.

Adding Toffee Walnuts was my brother Gary's idea. Try them with this or any other kugel.

from "The Foods of Israel Today" by Joan Nathan
as seen in The Orange County Register, 9-14-01

2 cloves garlic, peeled
8 sprigs (1/2 bunch) fresh parsley, stems removed
1 pound carrots, peeled, cut into 1- to 2-inch lengths
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons orange juice
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Several grinds of pepper

Cook's note: You can add orange slices and/or radish slices to garnish this salad. Add grated or julienne celery root with the carrots in winter.

1. Place garlic and parsley in food processor fitted with steel blade; process until chopped.
2. Add carrots, lemon juice, orange juice, oil, salt and pepper.
3. Pulse until carrots are well-chopped but not puréed.
4. Adjust seasonings and serve.

Yield: 6 servings