High Holiday Cooking

Good thing the team captain posted about the High Holidays coming. I knew they were coming but didn’t realize how close they are. Got a lot to do…..menus to make out, shopping lists to make, and finding the right recipes to cook. For some people, the best part of the holiday is hearing the Shofar. I have to admit I love the Shofar but I’m all about the food. I love cooking and preparing a meal with traditional Jewish food for  everyone to enjoy. When I was young I loved going to Grandma’s and helping in the kitchen no matter what she was preparing. Setting the table with a pretty challah in the center was special. Even walking up to the bakery for more bread was special (I made a good gofer…you know, go for this, go for that). For some reason, she always made chicken and chicken soup, though. Took me years to discover things like brisket or cholent then another 15 years or so to perfect the recipes.

Traditional Rosh Hashanah food includes things made with honey and apples for a sweet new year, like Taiglach (honey). And things that can cook slow to eat after you get home from shul, like cholent. And easy things to make ahead and serve a crowd, like roast chicken and potatoes. A few salads are good, too.  Well, I put the word out to the team for some recipes to share and I have some wonderful ones. Here ya go.

My first encounter with cholent was terrible….scary terrible. I swore never to make it again, however, the recipe I used didn’t look a bit like this one from Sandra Wollin. Give it a try. I’m going to.

Cholent recipe from Sandra Wollin (A Cache Of Jewels)

Recipe Inventor:	My Grandmother Reba
No. of Servings:	many (depending upon their appetites)
Text:	This is our old family recipe that's been made for a very long time... since I was a kid - and probably way before that.
Special Notes:	You can use any herbs you like with the flour, but these are what we use (herbs d' Provence are great also) If you don't like potatoes you can leave them out and serve over broad egg noodles or rice.
Ingredients:	2 1/2 - 3 pounds good quality chuck beef, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 1 (750-ml bottle) good red wine 5 - 6 garlic cloves, smashed 3 bay leaves 2 cups all-purpose flour (to use as dredging with herbs) Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper Good olive oil 2 small yellow onions, cut into quarters 1/2 - 3/4 pound carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks 1 pound white mushrooms, stems discarded and cut in 1/2 1 pound small potatoes, halved or quartered 2 cups or 1 (14 1/2-ounce can) beef stock or broth 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (optional) or 3 TBS Tomato Paste 3 TBS Worcestershire sauce 1 package Lipton Onion Soup Mix Crock Pot and Large Sauté Pan
Instructions:	Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, beef broth, 1/2 of the garlic, bay leaves and onion soup mix (which has been heated to allow the soup mix to dissolve and then cool to room temperature). Place in the refrigerator and marinate overnight. The next day, prepare to use crock pot.

Add the herbs to the flour. Dredge the beef in flour. Heat the frying pan over a medium heat then add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil (hot pan, cold grease….keeps things from sticking). Add the meat chunks and brown them. After browning the meat, set it aside. Add the onions and brown (caramelize…makes them sweet…trust me), then add the mushrooms and lightly brown them, too. Place the meat, caramelized onions, vegetables, the marinade, remaining garlic, and tomato paste in the crock. Place the crock pot on low and let it cook about 8 hours or more. Salt and pepper to taste.

An alternative is to not dredge the beef in flour but brown it in oil. It saves a few calories. You can make a gravy after the meat is done.

Another alternative is to use a Brown in Bag. Sandra says “But I use the oven and a Brown in Bag.  I use the Lipton Onions Soup Mix (2 pkgs) in 3 cups of water in a saucepan, brought to a boil with about 2tbs of garlic powder, Worch (Worcestershire sauce) Sauce, once all boils, let cool. Pour over meat, seal, put into a cold oven and let cook very VERY low and slow... I use this for Brisket or Flank Steak... GREAT and easy!!  After removing meat it can be sliced or refrigerated in aluminum foil...”

In my house, or Grandma’s really, it was always chicken. Roasted with a garlic-paprika rub and served with oven roasted potatoes and whatever vegetable was on sale and looked good. She always served in courses, to make the dinner more “spread out.” First course soup followed by salads such as a tossed salad, egg and potato salad, or radish salad (grated white radishes with onion, oil, salt, and pepper). If we were really lucky she made chopped liver (it was OMG good). Oh, for the days before I knew about cholesterol. sigh.

Roast Chicken

1 3-5 pound roaster    

garlic powder

Paprika (I like the Hungarian paprika, costs a little more but it’s worth it for the flavor)

salt and pepper

1-2 pounds of new potatoes, scrubbed well (if new potatoes aren’t available use regular ones cut in quarters)

Clean the chicken (sorry, but I don’t trust the butcher that much and I don’t like pin feathers). Salt the inside of the bird, not a lot, just a little. Make a paste of the garlic powder and paprika by adding a little water and coat the chicken with it. Place aluminum foil in your roasting pan and set the chicken in the center. Place the potatoes around the chicken. Cover the chicken with another piece of foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 1/2 hours. The temperature of the bird should be 165 degrees. During the final 10 minutes, take the top foil off the pan to let the skin brown. The potatoes should be tender. If you’re inclined, you can use the juices to make a gravy to serve with the potatoes.

Chopped Chicken Liver (from The Art of Jewish Cooking by Jennie Grossinger) You can use beef liver but I prefer chicken. I know, lots of cholesterol. So here’s the rule about eating liver. Once a year….on your birthday. My birthday comes around Rosh Hashanah. So there.

1 pound chicken livers

4 tablespoons of chicken fat (this is an old recipe. Every good respectable Jewish grandma had a jar of chicken fat in the fridge for chopped liver or mashed potatoes, or just to put on bread with a little salt. After all, there was no butter with meat!) You can use a little bit of vegetable oil or mayonnaise in place of the chicken fat.

2 onions, diced

3 hard cooked eggs

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon of black pepper

Wash the livers and drain. Heat 2 tablespoons of fat in a frying pan, brown the onions in it. Remove the onions. Cook the livers in the fat remaining in the skillet for 10 minutes. You can grind or chop the onions, livers and egg yolks but be sure you have a smooth mixture. Add the salt, pepper and remaining fat. Mix and taste for seasoning.

Serve cold with crackers as a spread or on lettuce. Serves 6 as an appetizer or 12 as a spread.

 

A traditional Rosh Hashanah dessert is Taiglach.

No. of Servings:	8
Text:	Honey! A favorite Rosh Hashanah treat of mine growing up, although I doubt ginger was ever in the ingredients in the past, it's really great in this recipe.
Special Notes:	Variations: -You can bake the nuggets in the oven for 5-10 minutes before cooking in honey, to harden them more. -My notes: -You can add candied cherries or dried cranberries along with the walnuts. -As the honey cools, you can mound the nuggets higher into a mountain shape, but you have to keep pushing them all together if they slide around until all the honey has hardened. -You can oil a muffin tin and make individual sized portions, too.
Ingredients:	Dough:3 eggs 1 Tablespoon oil a pinch of salt 1 teaspoon baking powder 2 cups flour Syrup: 2 cups honey grated zest of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon ginger 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to garnish
Instructions:	1-Beat the eggs with the oil, salt and powder. Add just enough flour to make soft dough. Knead for 10 minutes, till smooth and elastic, adding a little flour if dough is too sticky. Wrap in plastic wrap and leave in fridge for 1/2 hour. 2-With floured hands, roll dough between palms into pencil-thin ropes about 1/2" thick. Lay on a floured board and with a sharp knife, cut into 1/2" pieces. 3-Bring honey to boil in a pan and add lemon zest & ginger. Put in taiglach, a few at a time, so they don't stick together, and simmer for about 15 minutes, till they are a rich brown color. If honey becomes too thick and sticky, add a little water to thin it. Pour into an oiled dish to prevent sticking and sprinkle with walnuts.

OK, there’s a few recipes to help you plan a traditional, totally wonderful Erev Rosh Hashanah meal with enough leftovers for the next day or so. Wait until you see the Break-the-Fast recipes! Oy! So Good!!

Post by Eileen Patterson aka GoofingOff aka MissEileen

Passover Matzoh Recipes

Hi, it’s me, GoofingOff, confessing again. I have another confession to make (at this rate, folks might think I am Catholic….just give me a couple of Hail Mary's and one Our Father to go, please). I am a screw up. Not all the time but sometimes and when I screw up, I do it real good. I earned the name GoofingOff not just because I goof off but because I goof things up. That post I did with the fabulous recipes, you know, what do you do with 5 pounds of matzoh in a 2 person house, is gone… missing in action, er, cyberspace, all because a certain blogger pushed the wrong button (you know her. Her initials are G.O.). A week before Pesach and I have to write the recipes again.. ugh. OK, deep breath, I will try it again. Oh, and for all those folks I might have offended by the church comments…..suck it up. I have to wait all year and fast to be forgiven….even worse is preparing the food for the Break the Fast dinner when you haven’t eaten or drank anything for almost 24 hours. This time I’m going to include the dessert recipes. Yum! And this time I promise (pinky swear) to keep my finger off the delete button.

Here’s a couple of recipes from Nelle at Oy Clay! Pottery

Matzoh Lasagna

Substitute the noodles in you favorite Lasagna recipe with strips of matzoh and voila! Well this one sounded real good so I told my friend about it. She added this cool twist substituting ground pecans for meat (she used to be a vegetarian). I tried it and it was good. The secret to using the nut meal is to mix it with cheese (ricotta or cottage cheese works very well) and an egg, then add it to the lasagna or whatever else you are cooking. So, when making the lasagna, use sliced yellow squash or zucchini in your layers, the nut mixture, cheese, and the matzoh. Not too shabby, in fact, pretty darned good.

Savory Matzoh Bake

Onions, mushrooms, peppers with any other veggies you like, seasoned however you like (think Garlic, salt, pepper, a touch of oregano, a little rosemary…fresh if you got it). A little chicken or veggie broth to soften the matzo and bake until the veggies are fork tender……if you’re using vegetable broth you can add a little cheese, maybe cheddar, swiss, parmesan, or jack….if you’re using chicken broth, you can add chunks of cooked chicken.

Matzoh Quiche/Frittata

You’ll need about 2 cups of veggies, 4 eggs, maybe 1/2 cup of shredded cheese, and 2 matzos crumbled up. Put the matzoh in a pie pan and add the vegetables. Break the eggs in a bowl, scramble and add salt, pepper, and paprika (herbs are good, too) then add the cheese to the eggs and mix. Pour the egg-cheese mixture over the matzoh and veggies. Cook at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown, about 40-45 minutes.

Mark Kaplan makes a Matzoh Pizza that sounds absolutely divine!

Make a relish mixture with sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, a splash of balsamic vinegar, kalamata olives, and spices (garlic and oregano for me) and spread the mixture over matzoh. Add parmesan flakes on top and bake the pizzas until the cheese is golden. Yum! I’m going to try it with the ground nut mixture….just for fun. Maybe a few sautéed onions and mushrooms, too.

Dessert recipes:

Matzoh S’mores! Matzah, chocolate, and marshmallows in the oven until melted.
Sweet Matzoh Kugel

Apples, cinnamon sugar, raisins and matzoh, with butter or margarine. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Make sure you sprinkle cinnamon/sugar on top. too.

Passover Apple Crisp (this one’s from me, GoofingOff)

6 large apples (Granny Smith or Jonathon) 1/2 cup of sugar 1/4 cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup matzoh meal 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Peel, core, and slice the apples. Place the apples in a baking dish sprayed with PAM (you can butter it, too…you have my permission). Mix the sugar, matzoh meal, and cinnamon, then cut in the butter or margarine. You want it chunky, not smooth and creamy. Sprinkle the mixture over the apples and bake at 350 degrees until the apples are bubbly and the topping is lightly browned. You can add chopped walnuts or pecan, too, for a little bit of fun. If there’s Passover ice cream, now’s the time to use it.


Matzoh Apple and Raisin Pudding from Meredith Laskow

Make this pudding like you would a bread pudding, with eggs and milk but use matzoh instead of bread. Season with nutmeg and cinnamon. She also makes the pudding with bananas instead of apples and raisins.

From April Greenspun of Agru Ceramic Arts comes a matzoh coffee crunch for breakfast. Her hubby takes coffee, adds milk, breaks up the matzoh into it (like large pieces of cereal) and adds sugar to taste. Fast and easy. I guess if you added chocolate syrup you would have a mocha crunch. Take that, Starbucks!



I know, this was supposed to be all about matzoh and, for the most part, it is, but not everyone shared matzoh recipes. Some team members shared wonderful recipes that work for Pesach and the rest of the year, like this incredible COCONUT MACAROON recipe that I have to share (yes, I know all caps is shouting but a coconut macaroon recipe should be shouted about).

From Greg Sager of Greg’s Creative Outlet

Chocolate Chip Coconut Macaroons

Ingredients
1 14-oz. Bag sweetened shredded coconut

2 cups chocolate chips

1 can sweetened condensed milk


Mix ingredients together. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees until slightly browned. Store in an airtight container.

That’s the ones I found. I hope I didn’t lose too many of the originals. I think I will drown my sorrows in chicken soup and matzoh balls if I did (don’t want a hangover, I’d rather run my tush off instead). I found other recipes on the net but don’t want to share if I don’t try them out first.

Well, got to go. Need to light the candles (I’m late, I know, quit reminding me). Till next time, I’m GoofingOff!