Judy Zeidler's Kitchen

While growing up in Jewish Los Angeles, I was exposed to many traditional Ashkenazic dishes — kreplach, cheese blintzes and strudel, to name a few. But it wasn’t until I developed an interest in cooking that I realized most other cultures have similar dishes. Kreplach reminds me of Italian ravioli or Chinese pot-stickers, and the wrapping for cheese blintzes is the same as French crepes. My mother always put egg noodles in chicken soup, similar to Italian fettuccini. And the cabbage strudel that I make is like what the Hungarian strudel bars in Budapest serve.

The first recipe here, stuffed grape leaves, or Dolmas, consists of onions, rice and dried apricots wrapped in grape leaves and steamed. Many years ago, an Armenian friend brought us a platter stacked with Dolmas along with this recipe, which he had written on a legal notepad with drawings of how to assemble them in the pot. (I still have the original faded yellow page, stained with food, in my files.)

The second recipe, Cabbage Strudel, has sautéed cabbage, onions and brown sugar as the filing, which is wrapped in several layers of filo pastry dough, baked, and served topped with a sour cream dill sauce.

The last recipe, Cheese Blintzes, is a classic Ashkenazic Jewish food that probably originated in Poland. The blinis (crepes) are stuffed with a mixture of farmer’s cheese and eggs that are then folded (into) small envelope-like packets. I originally used hoop cheese, which is drier, but not easy to find, although it may be available in some specialty European markets.

DOLMAS (STUFFED GRAPE LEAVES)

From “The Gourmet Jewish Cook” by Judy Zeidler.

1 cup olive oil
4 large onions, finely chopped
1 cup water
1 cup long-grain white rice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/4 cup chopped mint leaves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 (6 ounce) packages dried apricot halves
1 (16 ounce) jar grape leaves, rinsed
Juice of 3 lemons

In a large heavy skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté, stirring frequently, until soft, but not yet browned, about 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup water, the rice, parsley, mint, allspice as well as salt and pepper. Stir well, cover and continue cooking on low heat for about l5 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent sticking. The rice will be undercooked. Cool to room temperature. Dice 3 ounces of dried apricot halves and add them to the cooled rice.

Place 5 or 6 grape leaves on the bottom of a large pot. Place the remaining apricot halves on top of the grape leaves to cover. Set aside.

Snip off the stems of the remaining leaves and place on a work surface, vein sides up. Place a heaping tablespoon of the rice mixture in the center of each grape leaf. Roll the stem end over the filling, fold in the sides and roll up the leaf to enclose the rice completely.

Place the stuffed leaves seam sides down in neatly packed layers on top of the apricots in the prepared pot. Sprinkle with the remaining water and the lemon juice. Place a heavy oven-proof dish inside the pot on top of the grape leaves. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, until the grape leaves are tender.

Serve Dolmas hot or carefully transfer them to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and chill in a refrigerator. Serve on a large platter surrounded by the cooked apricots.
Makes about 60 Dolmas.

CABBAGE STRUDEL with SOUR CREAM and DILL SAUCE

From “The Gourmet Jewish Cook” by Judy Zeidler.

1 package filo dough
1 pound unsalted butter,melted and clarified
2 cups fine breadcrumbs
Cabbage Filling (recipe follows)
Sour Cream Dill Sauce (recipe follows)
Sprigs of dill

Place a damp towel on a work area and cover with waxed paper. Remove 4 sheets of filo from the package. Keep the remaining sheets covered with waxed paper and a damp towel to prevent drying.

Fold the filo leaves in half like a closed book and unfold one page. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with breadcrumbs. Continue turning the pages of the filo, brushing with the butter and crumbs until you come to the center. Do not brush the butter in the center yet. Close the second half of the book over the first and work backwards: open the last leaf and continue spreading the butter and crumbs until you come back to the center. Now brush the center with the butter and sprinkle with crumbs.

Depending on how thick a strudel you want, spread 2 to 3 cups of the cabbage filling lengthwise on the open filo book, 2 inches from the edge closest to you and 2 inches from the sides. Cover the filling with the closest edge and fold the sides over. Brush the sides with butter and continue rolling up the filo, jellyroll fashion.

Cover a baking sheet with foil. Brush the foil with butter. Place the strudel on the foil, seam side down, and brush it with butter. Refrigerate uncovered until the butter hardens, 15 to 20 minutes. (The strudel can be frozen at this point.)

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Slice immediately and serve hot with Sour Cream Dill Sauce and garnish with sprigs of dill.

Makes 20 to 24 servings.

CABBAGE FILLING

1/2 cup unsalted butter or margarine
1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons paprika
3 cups finely chopped onions
4 quarts shredded cabbage
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until dissolved. Add the paprika and mix well. Add the onions and continue cooking for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to avoid sticking.

Add the cabbage, brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour or until golden brown. Stir occasionally. Remove from the heat and cool. This mixture can be made a day ahead and stored, covered, in the refrigerator.

Sour Cream and Dill Sauce

2 cups sour cream or non-dairy sour cream
1/8 cup snipped fresh dill

In a bowl, combine the sour cream and dill. Cover and chill.

CHEESE BLINTZES

From “The Gourmet Jewish Cook” by Judy Zeidler.

Usually cheese blintzes are rolled up so they have a round shape, but I like to fold the blini over the filling like an envelope so the results are flat blintzes, which helps keep toppings from rolling off.

3 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 tablespoon brandy
Butter
Cheese Filling (recipe follows)
Strawberry or Raspberry Sauce (recipe follows)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs and sugar until well blended. Add the flour and salt and beat well. Slowly add the milk, blending until smooth. Stir in the melted butter and brandy.

In an 8-inch round skillet or crepe pan, melt 1 teaspoon of butter over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble, pour in about 1/8 cup of the batter to cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Rotate the pan quickly to spread the batter as thinly as possible. Cook on one side only for about 1 minute or until the edges begin to brown. Turn onto paper towels and transfer to a platter.

Repeat with the remaining batter and stack the blintzes with wax paper in between. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to fill.

Fill the brown side of each blini or crepe with the cheese mixture and fold, tucking ends in. Melt about 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet. Cook the blintzes on both sides, about 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining blintzes adding more butter as needed. With a metal spatula carefully transfer the blintzes to a serving platter.

Serve with bowls of sour cream and strawberry or raspberry sauce.

Makes about 24 blintzes.

Cheese Filling

2 pounds hoop, farmer’s or pot cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup golden raisins (optional)
grated peel of 1 lemon (optional)

In a bowl, combine all ingredients.

Strawberry or Raspberry Sauce

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen strawberries or raspberries, thawed
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice or strawberry liqueur

Press the thawed strawberries or raspberries through a fine sieve into a bowl, or puree in food processor or blender and strain. Blend in the sugar and lemon juice. Heat in a small saucepan or serve cold.
Makes about 1 cup.

When we were invited for a Tuscan Chanukah dinner at the home of our friends chef Jeff Thickman and musician Igor Polesitsky, who live in a wonderful villa in the wooded hills of Roveta, just outside Florence, the menu included Italian Potato Latkes, Vegetarian Borshch and Stuffed Cabbage, all made with traditional Italian ingredients.

Thickman, a concert pianist, studied at Juilliard and played with the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino under Zubin Mehta until he decided that he loved to cook more than play the piano. This American cook graduated from the Cordon Bleu School in Paris and has been Mehta’s private chef since 1992, cooking for celebrities Luciano Pavarotti, Itzhak Perlman, Shimon Peres, Hillary Clinton and many others.

As we sat in their big open kitchen and discussed music, politics and Jewish holiday foods, Thickman performed at the stove and explained why he chose this meal.

“These are Igor’s favorite Chanukah dishes that he remembers from his childhood in Russia,” he said.
We began with the Vegetarian Borshch (he uses the Russian spelling for his recipe), a delicious thick soup that can be served hot or cold.

Then Jeff grated the potatoes by hand into a large bowl, tossed them with eggs, Italian parsley and chives, and gently placed small batches of the mixture into a large frying pan with hot olive oil. He served these very crisp latkes with his melt-in-your-mouth cabbage rolls, stuffed with meat and rice.

Thickman, in addition to his catering and private dinners, also teaches Italian cooking in his villa, where he has transformed the kitchen area into a state-of-the-art demonstration classroom.

Vegetarian Borshch
When serving with a dairy meal, spoon a dollop of sour cream on top of each serving.
2 quarts vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 leek, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and grated
1 stalk celery, chopped
3 large beets, peeled and grated
2 boiling potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 pounds cabbage, coarsely shredded
1 (14-ounce) can whole tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon sour salt (citric acid)
1/2 cup sugar
Fresh dill, chopped for garnish

In a large pot, bring the stock and bay leaf to a boil. Add the leek, onion, carrot, celery, beets, potatoes, cabbage and canned tomatoes. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Season to taste with salt, pepper, sour salt and sugar. Cover and continue cooking for another 30 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate overnight. Serve hot or cold.
Makes 8 servings.

Tuscan Potato Latkes
2 pounds potatoes
1 large onion or 3 shallots
1 extra-large egg, beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup chopped chives
2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
Olive oil for frying

Peel the potatoes and grate them coarsely along with the onions. Place in a strainer over a bowl and squeeze the potatoes well to remove their water. Let the potato water stand for five minutes. Carefully pour off the liquid and keep the starch that settles to the bottom of the bowl.
Mix the egg, salt, pepper, potatoes, onion or shallots, chives and parsley into the potato starch.
Heat a nonstick pan or cast-iron skillet and coat with a thin layer of oil. Take about 2 tablespoons of the mixture and flatten into thin pancakes with the back of a fork against the bottom of the frying pan. Fry until golden, turning once.
Serve with applesauce if desired.
Makes 8 servings.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
1 large cabbage
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 1/2 pounds ground beef (80 percent lean)
3/4 cup cooked rice
1 cup finely grated carrots
1 egg
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh dill
1-2 beef bones
3 cups (24 ounces) canned tomatoes
2 carrots, cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sugar, to taste
3/4 teaspoons sour salt (citric acid)

Boil the cabbage in a large pot of water until leaves can be removed easily without breaking. Remove and place the leaves on a dish towel to wait while preparing the filling.
In a large pot, heat olive oil, brown the onions and cool. In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, rice, grated carrots, egg, dill, 1 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stuff and roll cabbage leaves. Place them in a large pot along with the beef bones. Cover and cook over low heat until most of the liquid has left the cabbage rolls, about 30 minutes.
Add tomatoes, carrots, remaining salt and pepper, sugar and sour salt. Cook for about 1 hour, covered. Taste and adjust for salt, sugar and sour salt.
Makes 8 servings.

Sukkot, one of the happiest of all Jewish festivals, is a home-centered holiday that actually takes place outside of the home. The festival’s main symbol is the decorated sukkah, a temporary outdoor booth or hut, where Jewish law requires Jews sleep and eat all their meals for eight days. Families often invite friends and neighbors into their sukkah to share a festive snack or join the family for a meal during the week.
Last year we were surprised to receive an invitation from our synagogue for a Sukkot celebration in our neighborhood. Since membership at Stephen S. Wise is spread out over a large geographic area, it was a great way to get together with families who live only a few blocks away.

It was sunset when everyone arrived at the home of Wendy and Barry Levin. Guests arrived on foot, some with little ones in strollers, or by car, and gathered in a sukkah that was large enough to hold almost 100 people.

The Levins built the lattice-wood sukkah on their tennis court, and the roof was covered with palm branches and vines, with fruit and holiday cards hanging from above. Rabbi Eli Herscher greeted everyone and discussed the relevance of the sukkah as well as the meaning of the holiday. Singing and dancing followed, and then the guests were invited to partake in an overwhelming selection of desserts: mini mixed fruit tarts, chocolate dipped strawberries, cookies, assorted brownies, large platters of fresh fruit and a selection of gourmet cheeses.

One of the many desserts Wendy served were lemon tarts — a perfect choice because the lemon is the modern-day counterpart of the etrog, or citron, an important symbol that is used in the ceremony observing Sukkot.

Plan a Sukkot event in your neighborhood and serve a large assortment of lemon desserts: homemade Lemon Mousse Slices With Chocolate Glaze, which can be prepared in advance and stored in your freezer, or Lemon-Chocolate Tartlets, featuring a rich chocolate layer between the tangy lemon filling and the flaky pastry.

If you want a lighter dessert, serve platters of Frosted Lemon Cookies. And in the same theme, I am sharing my favorite recipe for Lemon Pound Cake, which you can make as gifts for drop-in friends during the eight days of Sukkot.

Frosted Lemon Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter or nondairy margarine
3/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Grated peel of 1 lemon
1 cup toasted ground walnuts or pecans
Lemon Icing (recipe follows)
Preheat the oven to 300 F.

In the bowl of electric mixer, cream butter and sugar together until well blended. Add flour and beat until crumbly and moist. Add lemon juice and peel. Blend in nuts.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead with your hands into a smooth ball. Pinch off and roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Press each ball into a flat disc and arrange 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet or a silicon baking mat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the bottoms are golden brown.
Cool and frost with Lemon Icing.
Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies.

Lemon Icing
1 1/8 cups powdered sugar
1 egg white, unbeaten
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/8 teaspoon vanilla

In bowl of electric mixer, combine sugar, egg white, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat at low speed until sugar is dissolved. Then beat at high speed until mixture is light and fluffy. Cover with damp towel until ready to use.

Lemon Mousse SlicesWith Chocolate Glaze
8 egg yolks
2 cups sugar
2 cups lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons grated lemon peel
1 package (.25 ounce) unflavored gelatin
3 cups whipped cream
Chocolate-Apricot Glaze (recipe follows)

In a small mixing bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar until light and fluffy, about 10 to 15 minutes.
In a small saucepan, over low heat, warm lemon juice and peel; add gelatin, stir until it dissolves and cool to room temperature.
Place mixing bowl with egg mixture over larger bowl filled with ice; add lemon juice mixture and beat until cool, just before gelatin sets. Fold in whipped cream. Line a 6-by-10-inch loaf pan with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Spoon in lemon mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and foil and freeze until serving time.
Just before serving, remove pan from freezer and unmold mousse onto chilled platter, peeling away plastic wrap. Frost with a thin layer of Chocolate-Apricot Glaze. Slice and serve with additional glaze.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Chocolate-Apricot Glaze
1 cup apricot jam
6 ounces cocoa powder
3 ounces crème de cacao
In a medium saucepan, combine the jam, cocoa powder and crème de cacao; bring the mixture to a boil, stirring continuously. Place in a processor and blend until smooth. Strain and cool to room temperature.

Sukkot Lemon Pound Cake
2 tablespoons melted unsalted butter or nondairy margarine
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 cup unsalted butter or nondairy margarine, room temperature
1 2/3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons grated lemon peel
2 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Powdered sugar and grated lemon peel for garnish
Preheat oven to 325 F.
Brush bottom and sides of one (9-by-5-inch) loaf pan or two (3-by-5-inch) loaf pans with melted butter, dust with almonds, and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until light and creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in lemon juice and peel.
Sift together flour, baking powder and salt and gradually stir into the butter mixture. Blend well.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan or pans and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes for one large cake or 1 hour for two small cakes, or until golden brown (a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean when done).
Cool in pan on a wire rack. Slide knife around sides to loosen. Tip cake out of pan, set upright on rack and cool completely.

The movie “Julie and Julia” brought back great memories of how I met Julia Child in 1978 and how it resulted in adapting her bouillabaisse recipe for a kosher kitchen.
I had just finished writing my first group of paperback cookbooks for Disneyland, Knott’s Berry Farm and The Farmers Market when I received notice that Julia Child was giving a cooking demonstration and book signing in La Jolla to benefit the University of California San Diego Medical Center. It was one of many charity events where Julia donated her time and expertise.
I was fortunate to meet her at the beginning of the session and explained that I was having fun converting her recipes to conform to a kosher home, especially her bouillabaisse recipe, which always includes shellfish. I also mentioned that I often make her Bouillabaisse de Poulet (Chicken Poached in White Wine With Provençal Vegetables). She thought that was “just marvelous” and insisted that I meet a friend of hers who wrote about Jewish foods.
After she finished teaching the class, we met again when I was in line to have her autograph a cookbook for me. Julia remembered the conversation that we’d had earlier in the day, and she wrote the following: “Bon Appétit to Judy who will make all of this [...] kosher! Julia Child.”
A year later, she donated a cooking class to Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles. She contacted me to make sure I was attending and asked if I would assist her. Of course, I was delighted.
I later visited her in Santa Barbara and even joined her for lunch at La Super Rica, her favorite Mexican restaurant. Many years later, I was her guest at the 80th birthday party that chef Michel Richard gave in her honor at Citrus restaurant. It was lovely sitting next to her as we reminisced about our first meeting. I still have the photo taken when we first met and the apron and champagne glasses that were made to commemorate her birthday event.
I think it was Julia Child who inspired me to write my first Jewish cookbook, “The Gourmet Jewish Cook,” and I am happy to share one of her recipes that I adapted for my book — the seafood Bouillabaisse With Rouille, which I dedicated to her.
Thank you, Julia.
Bouillabaisse with Rouille (Fish Stew With Garlic Sauce)
How can you make bouillabaisse in a kosher kitchen? It’s easy — just don’t use shellfish, swordfish or any other non-kosher seafood. And follow this recipe.
This stew is ideal for a large group. Just use a larger pot and double or triple the recipe. The Rouille — I give a choice here of a classic version and one featuring fresh basil — adds an extra piquant taste.
I remember the first time I met Julia Child and explained how I began with her bouillabaisse recipe and made the necessary changes for kosher requirements. She was delighted at the idea and spoke of it whenever we met.
1/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, diced
2 leeks, thinly sliced, with greens
3 garlic cloves, minced
4 celery stalks, sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 can (28 ounces) whole tomatoes, or 3 cups chopped fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon thyme
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
2 bay leaves
3 to 4 cups dry white wine
Pinch of saffron (optional)
5 cups fish stock
3 to 4 pounds white firm-fleshed fish fillets (such as halibut, whitefish or sea bass), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
2 or 3 potatoes, peeled, diced and parboiled
salt
freshly ground black pepper
Tabasco sauce
2 large carrots, cut into julienne, parboiled and drained

Rouille (recipes follow)
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onions, leeks and garlic until tender but not yet browned, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and carrots; simmer for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, thyme, fennel seeds, bay leaves and 3 to 4 cups of the wine. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Add the saffron and fish stock. Simmer for 1 hour.
Add the fish and potatoes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through; do not overcook. Ladle into hot soup bowls and garnish with the julienned carrots. Let guests add Rouille to taste.
Classic Rouille
4 garlic cloves
1/2 roasted red bell pepper
2 slices white bread, crusts trimmed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon paprika (optional)
4 to 5 drops Tabasco sauce
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 to 1 cup fish stock
In a processor or blender, process the garlic, bell pepper, bread, tomato paste, paprika, Tabasco, olive oil and 1/2 cup fish stock, turning the machine on and off for 5 seconds.

Then continue processing 10 seconds to make a smooth paste. Add additional fish stock if needed.
Fresh Basil Rouille
6 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
12 large, fresh basil leaves
1 roasted red bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh white bread, lightly packed
1 egg yolk
1 1/4 cups olive oil
2 or 3 drops of Tabasco sauce
In a processor or blender, blend the garlic, salt and basil. Add the bell pepper, bread and egg yolk. Add the olive oil in a thin stream until the sauce is thick. Season to taste with Tabasco. This sauce can be prepared a day or two in advance, covered and stored in the refrigerator. Bring to room temperature and beat with a fork before serving.

My grandchildren, Ariella and Melina, took peanut butter and jelly sandwiches every day for their first five years of school. Now they take leftovers and heat them up at school — spaghetti with Gorgonzola sauce, tacos, beans and rice — and they have discovered Japanese bento boxes.

School lunches can be more creative and exciting than when my kids went to school, but to make the job easier it’s important to devote time to planning ahead. Make sure the things you put in their lunch box are the things they like to eat at home. Ask them what they would like for lunch, and it’s a good idea to have them help prepare the food.

The search for innovative lunch box ideas led me to Lolly Seidenfeld, mother of three young daughters, and her friend, Elissa Rimmon, mother of six.

If the school offers an optional hot lunch program, Seidenfeld suggests checking the menu and sending along similar items. She also recommends using leftovers for brown-bag lunches — chicken, hamburgers, rice, pizza, lasagna and baked pasta. “We try to use up what we can throughout the week,” she said.

Rimmon says making lunches was a dreaded task each night after dinner, because she knew the kids would complain about it the next day. So she got them involved.

“A few years ago, when my older kids were big enough to reach all the cabinets and find all the food, lunch-making became their task. I always help with the main course, and I ask them in advance what foods to have in the house so they can pack their own lunches,” she said. “Our rule is no junk food in the lunch box.”

Lunch Bag Chicken Salad

5 cups diced poached chicken (or chicken from soup)1 cup diced red bell pepper1 cup diced celery or fennel1/4 cup minced parsley1 hard-cooked egg, diced1 cup mayonnaise, or enough to moisten saladSalt and freshly ground black pepper to tastePinch of cumin, optional

In a large bowl, toss chicken, red pepper, celery and parsley. Add hard-cooked egg and toss with mayonnaise. Season to taste with salt, pepper and cumin, if using. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes six to eight servings.

Banana-Nut Loaf With Streusel Topping

This classic dessert, baked in small individual muffin cups, is one that everyone in our family loves. Put in a few extra to share with their friends.

3/4 cup finely ground walnuts or pecans2 cups sugar2 1/2 cups flour2 teaspoons baking soda1 teaspoon salt1 cup unsalted butter, margarine or shortening, cut in pieces2 cups toasted, chopped walnuts or pecans2 cups (about 5 large) mashed bananas 4 eggs1/2 cup milkStreusel Topping (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Grease four 3-by-7-by-2-inch loaf pans, sprinkle inside with ground nuts and set them aside. Or line mini-muffin pans with ruffled cupcake liners, sprinkle inside with ground nuts and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, blend the sugar, flour, baking soda and salt. Add the butter and blend until crumbly. Add the chopped walnuts and mix well with a rubber spatula.

In a medium bowl, beat the bananas, eggs and milk together.

Pour the banana mixture into the flour mixture all at once. Stir gently just until all the dry ingredients are moistened; do not over-stir. Spoon the batter into the prepared loaf pans or paper cup-lined muffin tins. Sprinkle each loaf or muffin with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the Streusel Topping.

Bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the loaves begin to come away from the sides of the pans.

Makes four loaves or 36 mini-muffins.

Streusel Topping

2 cups brown sugar1/4 cup flour2 teaspoons cinnamon1/4 cup unsalted butter,margarine or shortening2 cups choppedwalnuts or pecansIn a large mixing bowl, stir together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter just until crumbly; do not over-mix. Stir in the chopped walnuts or pecans. Cover and set aside.

Makes about 1 cup.

Lunch Ideas

• Bagel sandwich• Cheese and crackers• Chicken or soy nuggets • Edamame• Fruit, cut up and stored in containers• Pasta at room temperature, even mac and cheese is OK • Popcorn• Salads: Chinese chicken salad, Caesar salad or coleslaw, with dressing in a separate container• Soup with a soft pretzel• Sushi (don’t forget the soy sauce packets)• Trail mix• Veggies (carrots, celery or bell peppers), cut up and served with dressing/dips in separate container• Yogurt and granola or nutrition bars

All the traditional Passover ceremonial foods remain the same: charoset, salty egg soup, bitter herbs and matzah. The only change is that the chicken soup and roast chicken, although served in two courses, will be cooked in the same pot.

We have family and friends over on both nights of Passover, so I make a lot of chicken soup. When people ask how to make the soup more flavorful, my answer is simple: Put more chicken in the pot.

I have two large pots to make the soup the day before Passover, and six whole, trussed chickens go into the water right after the vegetables. To inexpensively give the soup even more flavor, buy extra giblets, place them on a length of cheesecloth and tie the package closed with string before adding them to the soup. This way, they will not become lost in the soup, and you can serve the giblets during dinner.

Bring the soup to a boil and simmer until the chickens are almost falling apart, then carefully transfer them to a roaster with a vegetable tomato-rosemary sauce. Cover and bake. No one will ever guess that the chickens were boiled, because the new flavors take over.

Matzah balls are made the day of the seder, and with two pots of soup available, you won’t need to crowd them. If there are any leftovers, they taste just as good the following day.

To go with the roast chicken, prepare a vegetable stuffing the day before and spoon it into a casserole to bake.

Having spent less effort in the kitchen, you will now have time to make an easy but fabulous dessert. Just double the recipe for the charoset, roll into balls and cover with melted bittersweet chocolate. Allow the Charoset Truffles to cool and harden in the refrigerator and serve them at the end of the meal.

Judy’s Passover Chicken Soup(Click here for just the recipe)

3 5-pound chickens or 2 3-pound chickens, trussed

2 pounds chicken necks and gizzards, tied in cheesecloth

4 large onions, diced

1 medium leek, sliced into 1-inch pieces

2 to 3 cups thinly sliced carrots (16 small carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces)

2 to 3 cups thinly sliced celery with tops (5 stalks celery with tops, cut into 1-inch pieces)

3 medium parsnips, thinly sliced

12 sprigs fresh parsley

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

(The Fluffiest Matzah Balls recipe follows)

In a large, heavy Dutch oven or pot, place trussed chickens, necks and gizzards, onions, leek, carrots, celery, parsnips and enough water to cover. Over high heat, bring to a boil. Using a large spoon, skim off the scum that rises to the top. Cover, leaving the lid ajar, reduce heat to low and simmer for one hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Uncover and simmer 30 minutes longer.

With two large (slotted) spoons, carefully remove the chickens from the soup and transfer to a large platter. Let soup cool to room temperature, then chill. Skim off fat that hardens on the surface and discard.

Makes 12 servings.

The Fluffiest Matzah Balls(Click here for just the recipe)

I’ve been tweaking this matzah ball recipe over the years, and I’m now satisfied that it produces the lightest matzah balls you’ve ever tasted. If you don’t want to take the time to make them, boil some Passover noodles and add to the soup instead.

3 eggs, separated

About 1/2 cup water or chicken stock

1 to 1 1/2 cups matzah meal

1/8 teaspoon salt

Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place egg yolks in a measuring cup and add enough water or chicken stock to fill one cup. Beat with a fork until well blended. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks; do not overbeat. In a small bowl, combine matzah meal with salt and pepper. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the yolk mixture alternately with the matzah mixture into beaten egg whites. Use only enough matzah to make a light, soft dough. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste. Cover and let firm up for five minutes.

Bring soup to a slow boil and using a large spoon, gently drop in matzah balls. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes (do not uncover during this cooking time).

Makes 12 servings.

Judy’s Passover Roasted Chickens(Click here for just the recipe)

3 tablespoons safflower or olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

2 carrots, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, thinly sliced

3 garlic cloves, sliced

2 16-ounce cans of tomatoes (diced or chopped)

2 cups dry white or red wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 chickens from the soup, whole or cut in pieces

6 sprigs fresh rosemary

In a large roaster, heat oil and sauté onions, carrots, celery and garlic until soft. Add tomatoes with juice and wine and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper.

Arrange boiled chickens in the sauce, baste and top with sprigs of rosemary. Cover and bake in the oven until ready to serve and the sauce thickens. Transfer to a large serving platter and let guests help themselves.

Makes 24 servings.

Passover Baked Vegetable Stuffing(Click here for just the recipe)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 onions, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 ribs celery, finely chopped

1 bunch carrots, peeled and grated

1 parsnip, peeled and grated

2 large zucchini, unpeeled and grated

1/2 cup minced parsley

1/2 cup plumped raisins, dried cranberries or apricots (in sweet wine)

2 tablespoons matzah meal

2 tablespoons matzah cake meal

2 tablespoons Passover potato starch

1/4 to 2 cups Passover red wine

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a large, heavy skillet heat the oil and sauté onions and garlic until transparent. Add celery, carrots, parsnip, zucchini and toss and sauté for five minutes until vegetables soften. Add parsley, raisins and mix thoroughly. Simmer five minutes.

Blend in matzah meal, matzah cake meal, Passover potato starch, add wine and mix well. Add additional dry ingredients, a tablespoon at a time, until stuffing is a soft texture and not dry. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Brush a baking dish with oil and spoon in stuffing. Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Makes 12 servings.

Yemenite Charoset/Charoset Truffles(Click here for the just the recipe)

1 cup pitted, chopped dates

1/2 cup chopped dried figs

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of coriander

1 small red chili pepper, seeded and minced,

or pinch of cayenne

2 tablespoons matzah meal

1/3 cup sweet Passover wine

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

2 cups melted semisweet chocolate

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the knife blade, blend the dates, figs, ginger, coriander, chili pepper, matzah meal and wine. Mix in sesame seeds and transfer to a glass bowl. Roll into one-inch balls or serve in a bowl.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups or 12 balls.

Dessert Variation: Dip charoset balls into melted chocolate and place on wax paper-lined baking sheet and refrigerate.

It is a time to catch up on family gossip and enjoy each other’s company, a time to sit around the table and reminisce about the past, light the Chanukah candles, eat and open the holiday presents.

When everyone arrives, we serve my special potato latkes, fried at the last minute and served hot and crispy, topped with applesauce or sugar. In addition, we always include something new. Last year it was corn blinis with salmon caviar. This Chanukah I have a new recipe that is a specialty of Liguria, Italy: Farinata, a thin chickpea pancake usually cooked in a wood-burning oven. Similar to a pizza, it can be served topped with roasted vegetables or soft cheese and can also be eaten plain, right out of the oven. Crisp and golden on the top, soft and moist on the inside, glistening with the fragrant olive oil it is fried in, Farinata is a finger-lickin’ food that nourishes the soul.

The main course will be a family favorite: my mother’s recipe for roast chicken baked in a tomato-wine sauce with lots of fresh vegetables and mushrooms from the farmer’s market. Perfect, because it can be made several days in advance and is easy to reheat and serve. I serve the chicken with green tomato marmalade, a wonderful recipe I discovered while taking a cooking class on one of our previous Italian trips. I make a large quantity of the marmalade using unripe green tomatoes available at this time of the year, fill jars and store them in the refrigerator. If there is leftover sauce from the roast chicken, I use it with pasta the next night.

Several years ago, I asked Michel Richard, when he was the chef at Citrus Restaurant in Los Angeles, if there was a way to serve chocolate ice cream without using dairy products. He said, “Why Judy, of course.” The next day he served me the most delicious bittersweet nondairy chocolate sorbet I have ever tasted. This is a perfect dessert for a nondairy meal. In addition, I have asked each family to bring a tray of their favorite homemade cookies to accompany this delicious chocolate dessert.

Judy’s Crispy Potato Latkes

This latke recipe was chosen as one of the top 10 recipes of 1998 by the Los Angeles Times.

4 baking potatoes, peeled

1 large yellow onion, peeled and grated

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

4 extra-large eggs

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Olive oil, for frying

Grate the potatoes, using a food processor or fine shredder. Immediately transfer potatoes to a large bowl and add the onion, lemon juice, eggs, flour, salt and pepper. Mix well.

Heat 1/8 inch of olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Pour the batter into the hot oil with a large spoon and flatten with the back of the spoon to make 4-inch latkes. Cook on one side until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes; then turn and cook on the other side, about 2 minutes. (Turn once only.) Drain well on paper towels and serve immediately, plain or with topping.

Makes about a dozen latkes, or four servings.

Farinata (Chickpea Pancake)

In Liguria, which flanks Genoa along Italy’s northwest coast, the regional comfort food is Farinata. A deceptively simple street food, Farinata resembles a large, thin crepe or pancake and is traditionally cooked in a wood-burning oven.

Crisp and golden on the top, soft and moist on the inside, Farainata can be stuffed or garnished with any vegetable, cheese, or sauce, or it can be eaten plain. In some places minced onions or rosemary are sprinkled on top before it is baked.

2/3 cup chickpea flour

1/3 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup water

6 tablespoons olive oil

1⁄2 teaspoon finely chopped rosemary

1/4 cup chopped tomato

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon capers, (optional)

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1⁄4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Sift the chickpea flour with the salt into a medium bowl. Slowly add 1⁄4 cup of the water, whisking constantly to form a paste. Beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Whisk in remaining 1/2 cup of the water and let the batter stand at room temperature for 30 minutes, then stir in the rosemary.

Preheat the broiler.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a 12-inch nonstick ovenproof skillet. Stir the batter once, pour it into the skillet and drizzle 2 tablespoons of olive oil on top. Cook the pancake over moderately high heat until the bottom is golden and crisp and the top is almost set, 2 to 3 minutes. Burst any large air bubbles with the tip of a knife.

Sprinkle the rosemary, tomato, onion, capers (if using), Parmesan and pepper over the top, then place the skillet under the broiler and cook until the pancake is golden and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Slide onto a wooden board, cut into wedges and serve immediately. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Makes 2 Farinatas.

Note: Chickpea flour is sold in Italian specialty shops and health food stores.

Grandma Molly’s Roast Chicken With Mushrooms and Whole Garlic Cloves

1⁄2 cup olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced

2 celery ribs, thinly sliced

1 (15-ounce) can peeled tomatoes with juice, diced

1 cup dry white wine

2 (3-pound) chickens, cut into pieces

12 medium mushrooms, quartered

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

1 head garlic, cloves separated, unpeeled

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

6 sprigs of fresh rosemary or 2 tablespoons dried rosemary

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

In a large roaster, heat the olive oil and sauté the onions, minced garlic, carrots and celery, until tender. Add the tomatoes with juice and wine. Bring to a boil and simmer a few minutes. Arrange the chicken pieces, whole garlic cloves and mushrooms into the sauce and baste to coat the chicken. Add salt and pepper to taste, simmer for 5 minutes.

Place the fresh rosemary sprigs on top, cover and roast for 1 hour or until the chicken is tender.

To serve, spoon the sauce onto individual heated serving plates, place the chicken pieces on top with the mushrooms and vegetables and be sure to put an unpeeled garlic clove on top of each serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Chef Klaus’ Green Tomato Marmalade (Marmellata di Pomodori Verdi)

2 cups sugar

2 cups water

8 cups (2 pounds) green (under-ripe) tomatoes, diced (about 4 large tomatoes)

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice, heated

Grated zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

10-15 mint leaves, sliced (optional)

In a large, heavy skillet combine the sugar and water and bring to a boil, mixing constantly, until the sugar dissolves. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar begins to turn golden. Add the tomatoes, orange juice and zest, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until the tomatoes are soft and the liquid has reduced to a thick syrup, about 20 minutes. Mix in the mint leaves, if using.

Cool.

Makes about 3 to 4 cups.

Michel Richard’s Nondairy Chocolate Sorbet

3 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups sugar

4 cups water

1 1⁄2 ounces semisweet chocolate, melted

1 cup port or cranberry juice

In a large, heavy saucepan, mix the cocoa and sugar together. Add water a little at a time in thin stream, mixing with wire whisk until well blended and smooth. Bring to boil for 5 to 10 minutes, until thick. (Straining is optional.)

Add chocolate and port, bring to a boil, then simmer until thick. Pour into an 8-cup pitcher or bowl and then place in a larger bowl filled with ice and water, stirring until cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Process in an ice cream machine according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer sorbet to a covered container and freeze at least 2 hours to mellow. If frozen solid, soften in refrigerator or at room temperature until creamy.

Makes 1 1⁄2 to 2 quarts.

ITALY TRIP – JUDY & MARVINO ZEIDLER – FRIDAY – OCTOBER 10, 2008

International Airpor LAX – Lufthansa – Friday – arrived 3pm – checked in – business lounge on 5th floor 3:30pm.  Boarded plane at 4:10pm & left at 4:30pm.  9 ½  hours to Frankfurt –

SATURDAY – OCTOBER 11, 2008 – LOS ANGELES – CATANIA

Arrived Frankfurt at 12:00 noon – got ride on cart to A14 – flight late to Munich – boarded at 1:15pm – no way baggage would arrive with us.

Amazing experience – our flight to Munich was 1 hour late & we were walked to our flight & our bags were to be right behind us – we thought we would never make it and they didn’t

Arrived Catania Airport – no bags – Vito (our drive & friend) picked us up and left airport after 6pm – but not before having a Macchiato so I knew I was really in Italy – Vito had a mini bus.  Drove to Catania to Hotel Etnea a small old world Hotel. Walking distance to everything.  When we arrived on Saturday we passed a large market place as far as the eye could see.  We showered & rested – met group at 8:30pm and walked to Antica Marina Osteria (a fish) restaurant

Antica Marina Osteria

Via Pardo, 29 Catania

Zone Pescheria tel:  095-348-197 – http://www.anticamarina.it/

Menu:  Antipasti plate passed – anchovies, fresh & fried – small red fish (Triglia) fried – pickled veggies – shrimp raw – pasta with fresh tuna eggs – twisted pasta with?  Shrimp & Ricotta Cake   Walked back to hotel – lots of night scene, because it was Saturday night – in piazza a band was playing and a video photo was on the building.

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 12 – CATANIA TO TAORMINA MARE

UP at 8am – showered – walked to coffee bar for coffee and croissant – walked to another bar for orange juice & great coffee – met outside of hotel at 10:30am.  Vito drove to airport on the way to our destination to find our luggage and they said it would arrive at 4pm.

Drove to Taormina Mare & checked into Hotel Caprina – overlooking the mare … rooms not ready – had lunch in Hotel – the best part of lunch was the local fresh ricotta cheese & honey – really good – Spaghetti with anchovies and bread crumbs – Salad – Chard (Bettola) sautéed with olive oil.  Sat on lounges by the  beautiful beach  – up to room at 4:30 to shower and rest.  Hooray – the luggage arrived thanks to Vito.

Dinner La Capinera Ristorante

Chef/Patron Pietro D’Agostino

Via Nazionale – Spisone – Taormina Mare

Cell:  338-1588013 – 329-310-5391  tel/fax 9042-626-247

Lacapinera2003@yahoo.it

Menu:   1. Passatina di Ceci di (Soup) leonforte con bottarga di cernia affumicata colatura di alici e menta   (Ceci soup with Fish Roe (Botarga) (anchovy juice)  Curry sprinkled on plate  (in marmalade jar)

2.  Il Nostro Crudo di mare con sale di mothya, agrumi di Sicilia e Olio di biancolilla val di Mazara  (Sea Fish Marinated Fish Carpaccio – G?? Tuna – Sea Bass – Sword Fish – Shrimp – Amber Jack)

2 wines – Marco De Grazzia Wine

.

3.  Insalata di scampi di Portopalo con gamberoni di Mazara su passata di fiori di zucchini e salsa ai pistilli di zafferano di Enna   (Scampi & Shrimp – Zucchini Sauce (Safron (hellow) like yolk – Squid ink painted on plate.)

4.  Filetto di ricciola cotto a bassa temperature con cipolla di Giarratana in agrodolce(Amber Jack – red onion (ragousso) sweet & sour red wine vinegar, sugar, honey cooked – 50 degrees (150) slow)

5.  Linguine graze pastificio Setaro padellate con totano, salsiccia di suino nero dei Nebrodi e pane Tostato (Linguini Pasta – big calamari cut up – - sausage – bread cream – pistachio oil)

6.  Bianco did entice pescato alliamo cotto sottovuoto con menta su crema di melanzane perline, miele e zenero (Dentiche – red snapper (vacuum pack) – eggplant honey & ginger puree – Saffron – cherry tomato confit

7.  Tortino Caldo alle mele e nocciole dell’Etna in salsa al Marsala Florio, gelato alla ricotta di pecora e miele  (Apple/Hazelnut – Ricotta Ice Cream – Marsala wine sauce – orange marmalade) (check – October 23 cooking at slow food.

8.  Piccola pasticceria fresca e secca con il caffe’

9.  Pane fatto in casa, grissini e focaccine

Sweet Wine – Frachetti – Tuscany

DINNER WAS GREAT – SEE PHOTOS  — last fish main course repeat almost  Left at 12:15am.

MONDAY – OCTOBER 13 – TAORMINA MARE TO MODICA

Up At 8am – breakfast was very good – again fresh local ricotta cheese (view of ocean) – back to room to pack – boarded bus at 10:30am – arrived 1:30PM – Modica at

Palazzo Failla Hotel

Via Blandini, 5 Modica, Sicily

Tel: 0932-941059 – e-mail: info@palazzofailla.it

Met by owner & staff – reception of sparkling wine & pineapple juice spritzer and appetizers (mini sandwich with cheese – mozzarella balls – tomato toothpick with cheese – sat in bar for lunch and ate strudel like pastries filled with pasta & cheese and pasta & tomato/parsley – sausage & thin sliced potato salad – Went to room – rested – amazing room with painted ceiling.   At 4pm drove to next village (below hotel) Modica to chocolate Factory) see photos -

Antica Dolceria Bonajuto

Di Ruta Franco owner

Umberto 1 N. 159 Modica (rg)

Tel/fax (0932) 941225

www.bonajuto.it

Chocolate with sugar granules mixed in – bought cabaita – sesame, sugar, miela, Mandorla (almonds)  Back to Hotel – tried to get pills for throat too exzpensive – rested – met at 8:30pm and drove to Scicli to

Ristorante Tomato (Pomodoro)

C.SO Garibaldi,

46 – 97018 Scicli (rg) tel:  0932-931-444

small menu everyone ordered their own – Japanese Sommelier from our Hotel restaurant and wife joined us.

1.  Potato Ball Fried (see photo)

2.  Fried Ricotta pepperoni sauce

3.  Octopus & potato Tortino Caviar

4.  Taglalini botarga & lemon

5.  Taglialini with octopus/tomato sauce

6.  Pori (rolled) fillet

7.  Sword Fish

8.  Dessert – fried Ricotta

5 fingers.com – shoes with toes

TUESDAY – OCTOBER 14 – MODICA

Up at 8am – breakfast in hotel.  Left at 10am – arrived in Noto at 10:50 am .. walked to pastry & bar

Caffe Sicilia – Corrado Assenza

Vittorio Emanuele, 125

96017 Noto – Tel:  0931-824-013

had lemon granite & coffee granite & they are known for their assorted pastries – drove to see Mosaics.  Drove to Frigintini for lunch – outside Modica

Maria Fidone – Cucina Casereccia

Via Gianforma 6

Frigintini (rg)   tel:  0931-901124  cell:  335-8207153 www.mariafidone.it

(strudel type appetizers)  ravioli delicious -  Rabbit & sausage

back to hotel – met chef Accursio Craparo  of La Gazza Ladra Ristorante of hotel.

Rested and met at 9pm – sat in bar of Hotel – beer – along with a dish of a specisl sauce to taste (fennel seed & wine cooked down)

Dinner in Hotel Palazzo Failla Restaurant – La Gazza Ladra Ristorante

Chef Accursio Craparo

Via Blandini, 11 Modica (rg)

tel: 339-889-6428  www.ristorantelagazzaladra.it

Chef Accursio Craparo is coming to Napa and L.A. in November

MENU 10-14-08

Non e un Panino

Merluzzo dorato al sesamo con tartare di triglia e maionese di mare

–

Polenta di grano duro “russello” con tartare di carne affumicata, cagliata di pecora e profumo di mandarino

–

Paesaggio Ibleo

Sformatino di Formaggio ragusano con fave modicane, finocchietto selvatico, rapa rossa candita

–

Spaghetti con spremuta di Sicilia

Crema di acciuga, scorza di arancia candita, peperoncino, broccoli e bottarga di tonno

–

L’ “Arancino”

Risotto allo Zafferano con ragu di carne, piselli e pomodoro

–

Cappelli integrali con salsiccia, zucca, ricotta salata e mosto d’uva di Nero d’Avola

–

Pesc Azzurro al Profumo di Carbonella con Cipolla arrosto e peperone

–

Malalino dei Nebrodi con sanapu, fagioli e uva passa di Pantelleria

–

Guancia di vitello brasata con nocciole dei Nebrodi e verze speziate

–

Pane, olio e cioccolato

–

Il gran cannolo

Cannolo con gelato al cioccolato, zabaione al marsala rubino e ricotta

–

L’uovo a la coque

Gelatina di latte di mandorla con passion fruit e biscotto di mandorla con cedro, zuccata e arancia

and photos……. I sat next to Cecclia Occhipinti (she is a bone doctor) and Giusto from COS Winery, where we are going to stay for 2 days.

WEDNESDAY – OCTOBER 15 – MODICA TO VITTORIA

Up at 8am – breakfast – packed – left at 10am for herb garden outside of Scicli – tasted Tomato Paste – homemade by mother & sun dried tomatoes.

Drove to Cathedral in Scicli to see painting of Christ wearing a skirt with lace bottom standing on an ostrich egg.   Drove at 1:30 to walled hilltop village of Chiaramonte (clear mountain) for lunch .. fantastic

Majore Ristorante

Via Martin Ungheresi, 12

Chiaramonte Gulfi (rg)

Tel:  0932-928019 – fax: 0932-928649 e-mail: info@majore.ithttp://www.majore.it/

Walked into kitchen first then out to the street up a hill and upstairs where a long table was filled with priests          Menu: cold jellied pork (thick clear jelly on top) and salami ravioli cheese with meat sauce  – Pork chop – salad & cheese sauce — semi freddo with caramel & nuts & chocolate sauce

Drove to B&B COS winery – owners – Cecelia & Giusto Occhipinti owned to stay 2 nights.

B&B COS winery

owners – Cecelia & Giusto Occhipinti

Azienda Agricola – Viticoltori in Vittoria

97019 Vittoria (rg)

Tel: 0932-876145   fax:  0932-875623

e-mail: info@cosvittoria.it

Checked into winery ….. had room on ground level –

Angela – Giusto sister made dinner – very good – she is amazing …. Full of energy and enthusiasm

Menu:   Spaghetti with Cauliflour

Il Sakalleo Ristorante di Pasquale Ferrara

Enogastronomicoin Scoglitte

Piazza Cavour, 12

97010 Scoglitti (rg)

THURSDAY – OCTOBER 16 – VITTORIA

Up at 9am – breakfast at 9:45am – 10;30 am Giusto gave us a tour of his winery – fantastic (see photos)  Wine aging in clay pots – amphor dug in under earth rock – back to B&B for wine tasting & lunch …… Angela (Giusto’s sister) made lunch with 2 other women.   Menu:  Zucchini Pasta Sauce with Shell Pasta – Veal Involtini – rolled in bread crumbs with cheese and lardo – baked with bay leaves & green onions – pumpkin squash agro dolci (sauté in olive oil – cook in baking dish – mix garli, must of grapes – balsamic – olive oil – pour over peeled sliced and sautéed zucca & bake ——— salad —– cheese (caccia cavoli) then melon & ricotta with honey – finished lunch at 3pm – sat by pool & rested.

Giusto gave us a fantastic wine tasting

Served 2 different wines – Nero di Avola  – Cerasculo  1980 & 1984 – Mag 86 – 95 – 97 – 2000 – 2005 – Sirie Wines 1995 – 1999 – 2000 – 2001 – 2003 – & 2005 – 13 wines.  Combination of Frappata & Nero Di Avola

Rested and 6:30pm drove to Fausta (niece of Giusto)  On way to restaurant stopped for an olive oil and wine tasting.   (see photo)

Fausta Occhipinti

Via del Mille, 55 – 97019 Vittoria (rg)

Tel/fax 39-0932-868222 – cell: 39-339-5990842 www.agricolaocchipinti.it

Fausta_occhipinti@hotmail.it

Went to Fish Restaurant – Il Sakalleo in Scoglitte  — Amazing dinner:

Il Sakalleo Ristorante di Pasquale Ferrara

Enogastronomicoin Scoglitte

Piazza Cavour, 12

97010 Scoglitti (rg)

FRIDAY – OCTOBER 17 – VITTORIA TO LICATA

Up at 9:30 – fresh milk & cereal – great fresh sheep ricotta (pecora)  Cereal – Giusto & Angela – brother & sister – checked out & took bottle of wine – stopped & met fausta & her father at pharmacy for olive oil.  Drove to Gela to Museo Archeologico Regionale – then to Licata –

Ristorante La Madia

Corso F. Re Capriata – 22 Licata (ag)

Tel: 0922-771443 – info@ristorantelamadia.it

took photos in kitchen Restaurant.  Met Chef & Stage Chef knows Mauro Febriao and his friends at Miramonte Alto

Drove to lunch in Traditional Restaurant

Traditional Ristorante Logico

Di Angelo & Salvatore Cardella

Via Salvo D’Acquisto, 5

92027 Licata (AG)

Tel:  0922-773002

Drove to Agriturismo Mandranova

Azienda Agricola Mandranova

Colture e Resort

s.s. 115 – KM 217

92020 Palma di Montechiaro (1g)

Mobile: 39-393-986-21-69 – fax: 39-0 393-986-21-69

e-mail:  info@mandranova.com www.mandranova.com

outside of Licata – picked vegetables from Orta (Garden)  cooked dinner

Menu — Roasted Peppers with fresh anchovies – Tiny Eggplant in Tomato Sauce

Pasta with Cauliflour & broccoli —-   Pistachio and greens of wild fennel Pesto with Shells

Sword Fish with Cherry Tomatoes

Chocolate covered cereal, cookies & Pistachio and Almonds

SATURDAY – OCTOBER 18 – LICATA

Up at 8:30am – breakfast – Giuseppe gave us a tour of his olive oil preparation (see photos)  Drove to Monastary – nuns inside chapel – got story by young man.

Drove to Licata – La Madia and had Mufalata sandwiches – help yourself – tuna, chicoria, brocolie, green – aqual dolci (pinenutes, onion, celery, honey, vinegar cooked.)  Saw lots of demo in kitchen – no lelmon in artichoke only water and parsley – sauce of anchovies and milk or cream blended – mayonnaise with anchovy & parsley.  Pasta with flour (Molino) egg yolks & eggs & saffron – great sandwich lunch.  Left & stopped at hotel by beach for coffee.

Dinner at La Madia —–

Stage Chef Leonardo Scala – cell:  39-333-2908812

e-mail:  leochef83@virgilio.it

Sat next to Ceclia & Giusto & Fausta – very creative menu

Menu:  Movia-Rivola wine

1.  Fava Bean Puree – Ricotta & Triglia

2.  Red Shrimp Crudo – Botarga Maynnaise – Fish eggs (roe) – olive oil

3.  Sliced cod on top of smashed potatoes (smoked pinecone sauce

4.  Raviolo – made of Calamaro – Cacuza – Terooni leaves plant of squash puree

5.  Tena Rumi a “Fausta”   Garlic, oil , fresh oil – tomato – no skin – chopped tenarumi & salt pepper add a little water 20 minutes

6.  Tortella puree – little skate – traponi Pesto – basil, almonds, sauce pomodoro – fried potatoes

6a.  Poured red tomato water into plate after serving.

7.  small eggplant cassollo

WINE – PORTO LEZZI – RASPBERRIES (LIKE PINOT NERO)

1000 METER HIGHT CONFUSE FOR PINTO NERO

MARELLO MASCORELLO

8.  Amber Jack – oil flavored with ash – bbq – cuttle fish – dried squid ink – smashed potato – artichoke chips

9.  Sorbetto of Red Mulberry

10.  Ice cream cone with Canolo with light ricotta filling – rum cup cake (1/2 in center – gelato with ??

SUNDAY – OCTOBER 19 –  LICATA TO SELINUNTE

(Up at 8:30 – breakfast – drove for 1 or 2 hours to Scincca – to have Granite at famous café Roma – our second time.

Café Roma di Aurelio Licata

Specialita Granite

Via Dogane, 8

92019 Scincca (Ag)

Tel:  0925-21929

Then drove to Selinunte – to lunch at La Pineta  (our second visit – not as good as the first time)  PierLuiggi & Antoinelle came with their two little girls .. Gaia years old & Delia 3 years old.  Jamie took Gaia down to the water and she went in clothes and all and swam like a fish.

La Pineta

Via Punta Cantone

Marinella di Selinunte 91022 (tp)

Tel: 0924-46820 – fax:  0924-46820

Menu:  Octopus, sardines, mussels, clams, (brick) – spaghetti with clams – fruit filled with ice cream.  Walked to water – left and checked into Hotel Eracle in Selinunte, just next to the house of PierLuiggi & Antoinelle and their family.

Checked into

Hotel Eracle

Via Caboto – Marinella di Selinunte (tp)

Tel:  0039-924-81422 – fax 0039-0924-941058

e-mail: info@hoteleracle.it – http://www.hoteleracle.it/

Dinner at

PierLuiggi & Antoinella Crescimanno –  cell:  335-570-7842

Tenuta Rocchetta – Azienda Agricola – Olive Oil Farm

Via Ugo Bassi, 12

91022 Castelvetrano

Tel/fax:  39-0924-904364 – 39-091-6259500

e-mail:  angela@tenutarocchetta.it

www.tenutarocchetta.it

Pierluiggi gave us a tour of making olive oil.  Many people were invited in our honor including the mayor

Menu:

Ceci Soup

Salads

BBQ (pork & sausage)

Big bowls of fruit for dessert

Then walked to the dining room of their home and had many sweets (not very good)

Marilena Crescimanno Cell: (328) 2428494 (Pier Luiggi’s sister)

Tenuta Rocchetta – Azienda Agricola

Via M. Ugo, 56

90141 Palermo         www.tenutarocchetta.it

MONDAY – OCTOBER 20 – SELINUNTE TO NEAR PALERMO

Up at 8:15 am – breakfast – PierLuiggi & family came to say goodby.  Went to pharmacy for prescription – and drove to lunch Ristorante Pizzeria – only serve Pizza at night ….  TALKED TO MARC ABOUT CHANGING TICKETS

La Duchessa di Borruso Francesca

Via Duchessa, 34 – Castellamma del Golfo

Tel:  0924-34-900

www.ristorantiitaliani.it/laduchessa

Antipasti …………. Ricotta/chocolate chip Filled Turnovers (see photo)

Drove for 3 hours to Hotel Yspigro Palace in Mountain past Palermo especially to go to a restaurant for dinner in same village.

Yspigro Palace Hotel

Via Cefalu, 111 Via Mazzini, 2

Castelbuono (pa)

tel:  39-0921-676007  fax; 39-0921-676163

e-mail:  info@ypsigropalace.com www.ypsigropalace.com

Ristorante Nangalarruni

Via delle confraternite 5

Castelbuono (pa)

0921-671428 – 0921-671-228

Nangalarun@libero.it www.hostarianangalarruni.it

Dinner was just OK ——- but restaurant had atmosphere ….. specialty .. mushrooms (porcini)   I ordered Mushroom Soup …. The others had Antipasti (Marvino said not very good.)

Pasta Course – Tagliatelli with ricotta and Porcini   or Spaghetti with Mushrooms

Vito asked for just tagliatelle with mushrooms and sauce (IT WAS THE BEST)

For main course we ordered mushrooms on the grill … very good – just wish I had been hungry.  Everyone else ordered heavy meat dishes.

Faith gave the owners Olive Oil.  Walked back to Hotel.

TUESDAY – OCTOBER 21 – PALERMO TO GENOVA

Up at 8:30 – breakfast downstairs – left at 10am – drove on way to Palermo to see Mosaic in Church (see book) in Monreale

Drove to Winery outside of Corlione  – on rocky road – had to change cars to drive to winery – great wine tasting.  Griccione Winery – Francesco & Manfreddi?

Drove to Palermo and said good by to Jamie & Rebecca (see photo getting into taxi)  then we walked to a bar inside of the wall – amazing – sat and had wine and they brought fantastic appetizers … left and walked thru street that Faith is writing an article about the Bakery etc.  Bought bread etc. & picnic supplies for ship …. (see photos)

Antoinella and Marilena Crescimanno came to have dinner with us …. Antoinella gave me a beautiful coral pin (broach)

Then Dinner at Castello and meeting our hostess – she gives cooking classes and has rooms to stay.   Rooms overlook ships coming and going.

Nicoletta Polo     PALAZZO

Butera28 – Appartamenti

Via Butera, 28

90133 Palermo

Tel:  (39) 333-3165432 – Fax:  (39) 091-616-8052

www.butera28.85 info@butera28.85

Waiters with white gloves served dinner

Menu:   Appetizers passed:  Chick Pea Blini size — Crusting of olive paste mixed with pistachio nuts

1.  Curly Pasta with cauliflour

2.  Pasta in cake form with Tomato Sauce

——–

3.  Orange Salad – Mixed Salad and Roasted Peppers 4.  Veal Cutlet – Fresh Baked Tuna with Tomatoe Sauce

4.  Dessert – 2 jello type desserts – Almond & Lemon Jello – sugared grapes

We rushed out to board ship ….

WEDNESDAY – OCTOBER 22 – PALERMO TO GENOVA TO TORINO

Up at 9am – on ship on way to Genova – 10am breakfast closed – fresh orange juice, coffee & muffin that we didn’t eat.  Funny story about price.  6 euros but you have to have the muffin because they were out of croissants ..

Walked around ship …. Boring …. Met at 1pm for lunch in cafeteria with our picnic food, which we didn’t need because I selected roasted peppers, zucchini and eggplant and Marvino had tomatoes and a ball of Ricotta – bread and water.

Dessert was ricotta cake that they bought at the bakery with crust and almonds on top.  Coffee in bar and rested.  Left ship at 6pm …….. met Vito with bus and drove to Torino.

Checked into Hotel Meridian and walked to the Eatly …… Faith rushed around to find a place (Guido’s) for us all to eat…. But Guido’s was all reserved so we sat in an open restaurant and again had antipasti cold cuts and cheese …

THURSDAY – OCTOBER 23 – TORINO

Up at 7:30am – breakfast at 8:30am – walked to Salone and got our press badges — Saw lots of interesting foods.

Lunch – sat with 2 woman and one man business partners ….. Maria Grazia Bergia  m.bergia@arssa-mail.it — Nicola Bonifacio   and Sara Valentino lives in Torino …. They invited us to a cheese tasting at 4pm.

Lunch was very good ….. Seafood plate – wide noodles with shrimp — fish with tomato picante sauce on mashed potatoes – dessert – apple strudel and small strudel with nuts. —- walked the show – see photos …. Saw Thomas .. he went with us for the cheese tasting at 4pm

Sara Valentino (met at Slow Food Lunch)

Via G. Gropello, 28 – 10138 Torino – Tel:  349-296-0001

e-mail:  sar.val@libero.it

Dinner to meet at 7, but left at 8 and arrived after 9pm ….. La Contea …. Not very good …. Faith ordered lots of wine in magnums ….

1.  appetizer plate stupid ….. one piece of roasted pepper and small slice of tongue.

2.  I ordered a fried egg with white truffles   the others had raw meat (marvin said it was dry)

3.  Rolled meat wrapped in cabbage?

4.  Spagetti with cheese sauce and 5.  small ravioli with black truffles —

6.  Beef Ox Tail   7.  Stupid Dessert – large thick crust like canola with ice cream & a stupid fruit (pomegranate seeds) scattered on plate that did not work.

FRIDAY – OCTOBER 24 – TORINO

Up at 8:30am – breakfast and finally said good by to L&M –

Walked to Salone – sat in on Lavazza press conference celebrating 10 year anniverssary of designing coffee with Ferran Adria from the famous Il Bulli in Spain and their new book.   Went upstairs for coffee and appetizers … Ferran Adria signed my book.

Met 2 couples from Italy – cheese shop and Piere Restaurant – Also Pepe Zullo gave us cd etc.

Had delicious Buffalo Yogurt tasting – walked back to Hotel room not made – sat in lobby and wrote in book.  Rested in room until 5pm …. Met Sylvia in lobby for a drink …..

Met Sylvia Imparato in the lobby of our hotel for a drink.  She visited us in Los Angeles recently and we had a great time.  She gave us one of the last bottles of her 1997 wine.

Sylvia Imparato her sister is Anna Imparato

Azienda Agricole Montevetrano Wines.

Work: (089) 882285
Fax: (089) 882010
Home Page: http://www.montevetrano.it/%20–%20%20info@montevetrano.it
Via Montevetrano 3 – 84099 S. Cipriano Picontino
Salerno, Italy
Contact Name: Silvia/Anna Imparato
Other E-mail: Silvia.imparato@montevetrano.it

Then at 8pm went to dinner at

Ristorante La Valle Da Gabriele – Cucina Stagionale

Via Umberto 1, 25

Valle Sauglio Trofarello (To) Strada per Pevetto

Tel:  011-649-92-38

Menu:

1.  Sparkling wine and small plate of round sausage on top of yellow squash puree – ground almaretti on side (great idea) Timorasso –   single vineyard

2.  Homemade salted cod onion/parsley sauce

3.  Stuffed Squid with cheese & mashed potatoes

4.  Carne Cruda – Piemonte cured meat – cheese sandwich with meat sweet lettuce on top  candied ginger

5.  Martini glass – egg yolk on bottom … cookie on top .. Porcini mushroom cream .. shaved ricotta

6.  Tagliatelle with chicken, cocks comb, liver etc.  (cresto di gallo)

7.  Tripe in tomato sauce

8.  Cheese –  honey – Pear – Barolo

SATURDAY – OCTOBER 25 – 4:30 AM LEFT FOR AIRPORT – ARRIVED HOME SATURDAY AT 1:30PM.

Akasha Richmond is a self-trained chef and artisan-style baker who has been catering events in the Los Angeles area for the past 20 years.

A tall woman with dark hair and blue eyes, she bears a striking resemblance to Barbra Streisand, for whom she worked as a private chef.

Richmond said some of her fondest memories were made at Streisand’s home, where she selected fresh vegetables from her garden for a healthy menu.

Richmond’s dream was always to have her own restaurant, and now with the support of her husband/business partner, Alan Schulman, that day has arrived. And Culver City’s buzz-worthy Akasha Restaurant is celebrating its first Passover this year with a special second-night dinner.

Akasha’s regular menu includes vegan dishes, low-fat breads, healthy desserts and organic wines. She is also strong in her beliefs for energy efficiency, green building material, locally grown produce, fair-trade coffee and waiters in hemp aprons and organic cotton jeans.

Richmond is also the author of “Hollywood Dish,” a cookbook that includes tales of Hollywood’s passion for healthy lifestyles and stories of her favorite cooking experiences: holiday dinners for Billy Bob Thornton, catering parties for Pierce Brosnan, producing events at the Sundance Film Festival and working as a private chef for many Hollywood stars.

She also loves to reminisce about watching her grandmother prepare Passover meals for the family and whoever happened to drop in. She said her bubbe made gefilte fish using three kinds of fish: pike, whitefish and carp. She would grind the fish by hand in an old cast-iron grinder attached to the kitchen table, the same type of grinder she used to make her chopped liver.

Richmond went on to explain that her zayde was in charge of the horseradish, which he bought fresh and would grate before adding beet juice for the red color (back before the days of bottled horseradish).

Her other grandmother made the matzah balls for the chicken soup and great potato pletzlach (rolls with poppy seeds, chopped onion and kosher salt), using mashed potatoes, while Richmond’s mother, Judy, made a main course of roasted meat, chicken or duck with potatoes, carrots and onions. She recalled that it was the children’s job to make the charoset.

Richmond’s plans for the Passover meal at Akasha, which will include a seder service, will be a little different than what she grew up with.

“The restaurant is a perfect venue for a family seder,” she said, pointing to the large open space that could easily hold 100 people. She plans to donate a portion of the proceeds from the dinner to MAZON — A Jewish Response to Hunger.

Although Richmond grew up with Ashkenazi dishes for Passover, she loves the flavors of the Middle East, and her Passover menu will feature both creative and traditional family dishes: charoset, Moroccan gefilte fish, chicken soup with matzah balls, and Middle Eastern roast chicken made with fruits and spices and served with leek pancakes.

For the Passover dessert, she has developed a chocolate torte, garnished with fresh raspberries and a raspberry sauce, which can be made into individual tortes and served with a plate of chewy almond macaroons.

Moroccan Fish Balls With Tomato Sauce

Fish Balls
1 1/2 pounds skinned whitefish fillets or wild salmon fillets
1 small onion, grated
1 large egg
1/3 cup matzah meal
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Lemon wedges for serving
Flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Tomato Sauce
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups water

Chop the fish in a food processor. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the onion, egg, matzah meal, coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and cilantro. Mix well, cover and refrigerate while you make the sauce.

To make the sauce, heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.

Add the garlic and cook for one to two minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, sugar, salt and water. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Roll the fish mixture into oval-shaped balls. Place into the sauce one at a time and add additional water if needed to just cover the balls. Bring to a simmer and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes or until firm and the fish is cooked, turning each ball over once. Let cool in the sauce. Serve chilled with lemon wedges and chopped fresh parsley.

Makes about 20 balls.

Honey Glazed Chicken With Cherries and Apricots
1 whole chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), rinsed and cut into 8 pieces or 4 large chicken breasts on the bone
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3 tablespoons kosher-for-Passover red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 fresh or dried bay leaves
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/4 cup dried apricots, cut in half
1/4 cup pitted green olives
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley

Place the chicken in a large bowl. Season with the salt and pepper. Add the shallots, oregano, thyme, vinegar, olive oil, bay leaves, cherries, apricots and olives. Mix well and place in a storage container or plastic freezer bag and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place chicken pieces on an oiled baking sheet or in a large oiled casserole dish. I like to tuck some of the fruit under the chicken so it remains soft, and I leave some exposed so it gets crisp. Spoon any remaining marinade around the chicken and drizzle with the honey.

Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 170 degrees and the juices run clear when pierced with a knife, about 45 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot or at room temperature, sprinkled with the parsley.

Makes four servings.

Akasha’s Passover Chocolate Torte
Vegetable oil
1/3 cup chopped hazelnuts or almonds
3 tablespoons matzah cake meal
2 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped fine
1/3 cup Dutch processed unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
1 tablespoon strong coffee
2 egg yolks
4 egg whites or 1/2 cup liquid egg whites
1/4 cup sugar
Kosher-for-Passover confectioners sugar
Fresh strawberries or raspberries for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch round springform pan or removable-bottom cake pan with parchment paper and grease with oil, or grease an eight-cup muffin pan with oil. Grind the nuts with the matzah cake meal in a food processor until very fine.

Combine the chopped chocolate, cocoa powder and three-quarters cup sugar in a medium bowl. Heat the water and coffee in a small saucepan to scalding. Remove from the heat, pour it over the chocolate, and whisk until the mixture is completely smooth. Stir in the egg yolks.

With a handheld or free-standing electric mixer, beat the egg whites on medium speed until soft peaks form. Gradually add the remaining one-quarter cup sugar, and continue to beat until stiff but not dry. Fold the nut mixture into the chocolate. Fold a quarter of the egg whites in with a rubber spatula to lighten the mixture; then fold in the rest.

Scrape the batter into the pan and smooth to the edges with the rubber spatula. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. Don’t over bake, or it will dry out.

Cool torte on a rack. Slide a butter knife around the sides to release the torte. Remove the sides of the pan, invert the pan, remove the paper liner from the bottom and turn the torte right side up onto a cake platter or large plate.

Dust with the powdered sugar and serve with fresh berries.

Makes one (9-inch) torte or eight individual tortes.

Akasha Restaurant
9543 Culver Blvd. (at Watseka Avenue)
Culver City, Tel:
(310) 845-1700
www.akasharestaurant.com

The theme for our family Purim dinner this year will be blintzes, but the preparation will be a little different and will include ingredients that are symbolic for the holiday.

The inspiration for the menu began when my daughter, Susan, her husband, Leo, and our granddaughters were visiting from out of town, and we went to lunch at Zeidler’s Cafe at the Skirball Cultural Center. We ordered blintzes, and, although they were delicious, Leo said they didn’t compare with his grandmothers’. He remembered her crepes being so thin that you could almost see through them. Whether you call it a blini or crepe it is still a type of very thin cooked pancake usually made from wheat flour.

I hadn’t made cheese blintzes for several years, but that was the way I remembered them, too. When we got home that afternoon, I found my recipe, bought the ingredients and together we made blini that were the thinnest ever. Filled with farmers’ cheese, I fold them over like an envelope that results in rather semiflat blintzes. This helps prevent topping that is spooned over the blintzes from sliding off. The extra blini can be cut into strips and used in soup or for pasta.

It reminded me of the time chef Josie La Balch, owner of Josie’s Restaurant in Santa Monica, was a guest chef on my TV cooking show. She made a variety of filled blini, and served them in several ways. Included is one of her recipes, Crespelle with Ricotta and Spinach, which is filled with a ricotta cheese mixture, baked and served with a tomato sauce.

I have also included a recipe that substitutes thin slices of eggplant for the blini that are stuffed with a mixture of sauteed chopped vegetables, baked with tomato sauce and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese. This is especially appropriate for Purim because it reminds us that Queen Esther, in order to eat only kosher food in the king’s palace, followed a vegetarian diet consisting primarily of grains, nuts and vegetables. The vegetable filling can also be substituted in place of the traditional cheese blintzes.

For dessert, serve sweet blintzes filled with diced apple that have been cooked in an apricot-sugar syrup. Fold into triangles, which represent the traditional shape of the Purim hamantaschen pastries, and fry in a skillet.

Classic Cheese Blintzes
Cheese Filling
Blini
Butter for frying
Sour cream and preserves

Fill the brown side of each blin with the Cheese Filling and fold, tucking ends in envelope fashion. (May cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.)

Melt about 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter in a large, nonstick skillet. Cook the blintzes on both sides, about three to four minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Repeat with the remaining blintzes adding more butter as needed. With a metal spatula carefully transfer the blintzes to a serving platter.

Serve with bowls of sour cream and preserves.

Makes about 24 blintzes.

Cheese Filling
2 pounds hoop cheese, farmers or pot cheese
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs

In a medium mixing bowl, add the cheese, sugar, salt and eggs and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Blini
3 eggs
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 tablespoon melted unsalted butter
1 tablespoon brandy

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar until well blended. Add the flour and salt and beat well. Slowly add the milk, blending until smooth. Stir in the melted butter and brandy. Pour through a strainer to remove the lumps that may form. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, optional.
In an 8-inch round nonstick skillet or crepe pan, melt 1 teaspoon of butter over medium heat. When the butter begins to bubble, pour in about 1/8 cup of the batter to cover the bottom of the pan with a thin layer. Rotate the pan quickly to spread the batter as thinly as possible, pouring excess batter back into the bowl. Cook on one side only for about one minute, or until the edges begin to brown. Turn onto paper towels and transfer to a platter. Repeat with the remaining batter and stack the Blini with wax paper in between. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to fill.
Makes about 24 blini.

Crespelle With Ricotta and Spinach
Ricotta-Spinach Filling
Tomato Sauce
Blini (see Classic Cheese Blintzes recipe)

Prepare the Ricotta-Spinach Filling and the Tomato Sauce, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Prepare Blini.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Brush a baking dish with olive oil. Spread 2 tablespoons of the Ricotta-Spinach Filling over the entire surface of each blin and roll up tightly. Place on prepared baking dish and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes.

To serve, heat the tomato sauce and spoon some in the center of each serving plate. Arrange one or two Crespelle (the Italian equivalent of crepes) on top of sauce, spooning additional sauce on the remaining Crespelle.
Makes six to eight servings.

Ricotta-Spinach Filling
1 pound ricotta
8 ounces spinach, steamed, squeezed dry and finely chopped
Nutmeg, freshly grated
Salt, to taste

Place the ricotta in a strainer set over a medium bowl for 30 minutes to drain. In a large bowl, mix the drained ricotta cheese, spinach, nutmeg and salt. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.

Tomato Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 large onion, finely diced
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 can (26 ounce) whole plum tomatoes with liquid
1&’8260;2 cup dry red wine
8 whole basil leaves, sliced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add garlic, onion, shallot and saute until soft and translucent, about three minutes. Add canned tomatoes and basil and simmer until soft, about five minutes. Using a wire whisk or fork, mash the tomatoes. Add red wine and simmer over low heat, until the mixture thickens into a sauce, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool. Place in a food processor and blend until a coarse puree. (The sauce may be covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for several days and in the freezer for up to one month.)
Makes about 4 cups.

Vegetable Eggplant Rolls in Tomato Sauce
Tomato Sauce (see Crespelle recipe)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 medium zucchini, finely diced
3 cups shredded cabbage
1 cup diced mushrooms, optional
1/2 cup raisins
3 tablespoons minced parsley
3 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 2 teaspoons dried basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 large eggplants
Flour
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese, grated

Prepare the Tomato Sauce, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and saute onion, garlic and zucchini until soft. Add cabbage and mushrooms, mixing well, adding raisins, parsley, basil, salt and pepper to taste and continue cooking until cabbage is soft. Cool and cover with plastic wrap and chill.

Slice the eggplants lengthwise, 1/8- to 1/4-inch thick. Dredge the slices in flour, shaking off the excess.

In a large heavy skillet heat olive oil over medium heat, and saute the eggplant slices on both sides until soft and lightly browned. Drain on paper towels.

Cool.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Place 1 or 2 tablespoons of vegetable filling (depending on the size of the slices), across the narrow portion of a slice of eggplant. Roll up the eggplant tightly around the filling. Place the eggplant rolls seams side down in an oiled baking dish. (You can cover them with plastic wrap and foil at this point and store in the refrigerator for one to two hours; do not freeze.)

Spoon the Tomato Sauce over the eggplant rolls. Bake for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbling. Using a metal spatula, carefully place one or two of the eggplant rolls on serving plates, top with tomato sauce and sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

Makes six to eight servings.

Hamantaschen Apple Blintzes
Blini (see Classic Cheese Blintzes recipe)
Diced Apple Filling
1/2 cup unsalted butter

Prepare Blini and the Diced Apple Filling, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Just before serving, place one blin on a large plate, browned side up, and spoon apple filling in the center and fold into a triangle, placing on a large baking sheet folded side down. Continue with the remaining blini and filling.

In a large nonstick skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and fry the triangles folded side down, until lightly brown, turn and brown on the other side. Arrange Apple Hamantaschen Blintzes on serving plates with a spoon full of diced apples mixture. Serve immediately.

Makes six to eight servings.

Diced Apple Filling
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange marmalade
1&’8260;4 cup orange juice
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon
4 large golden delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced

In a large, heavy skillet, combine the sugar, marmalade and orange juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the sugar and marmalade have dissolved. Bring this syrup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer three to four minutes, just until it begins to thicken.

Place the diced apple in a large bowl and toss with lemon juice to prevent them from discoloring. Add the apples and lemon juice to the syrup in the skillet and toss to coat the apples. Simmer, covered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the apples are soft. Transfer them to a glass bowl and cool to room temperature.

Makes about two to three cups.

Just back from Italy, I was inspired by the foods served at our favorite restaurants. My Chanukah menu this year is a travelogue of those culinary experiences.

We devote Chanukah to our children and grandchildren, and many of the dishes are easy to prepare and perfect for the whole family. In addition to the traditional potato latkes, I have included two special treats to begin our Chanukah celebration.

We discovered baked homemade potato chips at Restaurante dal Pescatore, a three-star Michelin restaurant in the Po Valley. Created by chef Nadia Santini, she calls them Tuiles of Potatoes and Rosemary. After dinner, when the guests had left and I complemented her on the paper-thin delicacies, she gave me a lesson on how to prepare them.

Along with the potato latkes and Nadia’s Tuiles, another fried treat sure to become part of our Chanukah tradition is Gnoccho Fritto, small squares of pizza dough deep fried in olive oil.

We were first introduced to them at our favorite seafood restaurant located in Varigoti. We have been known to travel several hours just to eat at Muraglia Conca Di Oro on the coast just north of Genova. It has been their custom, when diners arrive, to serve them hot Gnoccho Fritto, along with a glass of sparkling wine.

This incredible restaurant is strictly a family affair. As dad Enzo is in the dining room grilling fish, one of his daughters greets guests and waits tables with his sister, while his wife, Emma, and his other daughter are cooking in the kitchen.

Our family loves chopped chicken liver, but my new presentation will be a surprise. We visited Modena during the annual festival celebrating balsamic vinegar, Balsamico Gusto.

That evening we were guests at a special dinner in Villa Cavazza, where every dish served included balsamic vinegar. The dinner was prepared by French chef Michel Troisgros and Italian chef Massimo Bottura, chef-owner of Ristorante Francescana in Modena.

Bottura, one of the cutting-edge chefs in Italy, served a dish that was fun, as well as delicious. It consisted of chopped liver coated with roasted hazelnuts, served on a stick in the shape of an ice cream bar and garnished with balsamic vinegar. I am sure my family is going to enjoy this dish, especially the grandchildren, because it is picked up by hand and eaten off the stick.

In Naples, we returned to another of our favorite restaurants, L’Europeo di Mattozzi. A traditional Neapolitan restaurant, the owner, Enzo Mattozzi, knows all his customers by name. His pizza is the best in Italy, but the dish that won us over was Baked Eggplant in a rich Onion-Tomato Sauce.

Most of the dishes are served family-style, so when we finished the first large platter of eggplant, we couldn’t help but order another. We had to try it again just to see if it was as delicious as we thought — and it was. When preparing a dairy menu, add fresh mozzarella cheese for an added taste adventure.

Dessert features a traditional pastry made in the Puglia region, called Cartellate (Italian Wine Cookies). Since fried foods are eaten during Chanukah, commemorating the miracle of the one day’s supply of oil that burned for eight days, these pastries are perfect. The dough is rolled out like pasta, cut into thin strips, then each strip is twisted into a lacy round, deep fried in olive oil and drizzled with a wine-honey syrup and nuts. It is crunchy and delicious.

Nadia’s Tuiles of Potatoes and Rosemary

1 small Idaho potato

1 tablespoon nondairy margarine

2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onions

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup cold water

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons olive oil

Peel and dice potato, place in water to cover, bring to a boil and simmer until soft. Transfer to a shallow bowl and mash until smooth. Set aside.

In a skillet, heat margarine and saute onions and mix with a wooden spoon until soft. Add rosemary and continue cooking for two minutes. Add three tablespoons of mashed potato and mix well. Set aside.

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, add the flour, water, salt, olive oil and mix to combine. Add the potato mixture and mix well. Mixture should have an elastic consistency.

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat pad or aluminum foil and brush with olive oil. Using a tablespoon, place a small amount of the potato mixture on the prepared baking sheet and spread into a paper-thin oval shape. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. They crisp up as they cool. Continue with remaining potato mixture.

Makes about three or four dozen.

Gnocco Fritto (Fried Dumplings)

2 packages active dry yeast

Pinch of sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 to 115 degrees)

1/4 cup olive oil

3 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

Olive oil for frying

Salt for dusting

Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in 1/2 cup of a cup of water. Set aside until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining three-quarters of a cup water, the olive oil and yeast mixture. Stir in the flour and salt and stir in one cup at a time, until the dough begins to come together into a rough ball.

Spoon onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic. Place the dough in an oiled bowl, brush top of the dough with oil, cover and set in a warm place to rise for about one hour, until doubled in bulk (or can be used immediately).

In a deep pot, heat four inches of olive oil to 350 degrees. Divide dough into four parts, and with a rolling pin, roll out one part to a rectangle about one-eighth-inch thick. With a pizza wheel, cut the dough into one-inch squares. Repeat with remaining dough.

Fry them a few at a time in the hot oil until puffed and golden brown on both sides. Transfer to paper towels to drain and sprinkle with salt. Serve warm.

Makes about eight or nine dozen.

Chicken Liver Nut Bars

1/4 cup olive oil

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds chicken livers (prepared according to kosher dietary laws)

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Roasted chopped hazelnuts

In a large, heavy skillet, heat olive oil and saute the onion until lightly browned. Transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add the livers to the skillet with additional olive oil if needed, and saute, turning the livers on both sides, until lightly browned. (Do not overcook.) Add the balsamic vinegar and simmer three to four minutes.

Spoon the chicken livers with the onions and eggs into a meat grinder and grind into a large bowl or chop in a wooden bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Shape into bars, insert a wooden stick in the bottom and dip in hazelnuts. Cover and refridgerate. Serve with balsamic vinegar.

Makes about 24 bars.

Baked Eggplant Onion-Tomato Sauce

1 large eggplant, unpeeled

Olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare the onion-tomato sauce and set aside. Slice the eggplant lengthwise into half-inch-thick slices. Brush eggplant slices with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on an nonstick, oiled baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes, turn and bake five minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork.

Brush the bottom of a 7-by-11-inch or 8-by-10-inch baking sheet with olive oil and spoon a little of the sauce in the bottom. Place a layer of the sliced eggplant over the sauce and spoon additional sauce over eggplant slices. Repeat, ending with sauce. You should have two or three layers of eggplant.

Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil on top of the sauce and transfer to a preheated oven. Bake covered for 15 minutes, uncover and bake another 15 minutes or until liquid is reduced and eggplant is tender. Remove from the oven and serve.

Makes four to six servings.

Onion-Tomato Sauce

This sauce keeps for one week in a refrigerator or up to four months in a freezer.

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, 1/4-inch diced

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1 carrot, finely diced

3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped

1 (28-ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes, diced

Salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a three-quart saucepan, heat the olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until soft and light golden brown, about six to eight minutes. Add the carrot and rosemary and cook five minutes more, until the carrot is soft. Add the tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil, stirring often.

Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes until thick. (If tomatoes are still in chunks use a potato masher for a smoother sauce.) Season with salt and pepper.

Makes about two cups.

Cartellate (Italian Wine Cookies)

Cartellate are little wheels of dough, pinched to look like flowers, which are fried and dipped or drizzled with wine cotto (a thick wine-honey syrup) and allowed to dry.

2 cups flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 or 2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup warm sweet white wine

1/2 cup honey

Pistachio nuts, optional

4 cups olive oil

In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add olive oil and warm wine and mix until the dough comes together (add additional wine if needed). Transfer to a floured board and knead until smooth. Cover in plastic wrap to keep from drying out. Using a pasta machine, knead dough and refrigerate until ready to use.

Form rosettes by putting small pieces of dough through the roller of a pasta machine until smooth (or place dough on a floured board and using a rolling pin, roll out to a 12-inch long piece.

Using a ruffled pastry wheel, cut dough into strips 12 inches long and one inch wide. Pinch each strip at one-inch intervals and beginning at one end roll up like a snail or rosette. Place each pastry on a towel to dry a little.

In a large heavy pot, heat olive oil to 350 degrees and fry rosettes until golden; drain on paper towels.

In a small saucepan, add wine and honey and bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Dip the fried Cartellate in this syrup, or drizzle the syrup onto the pastry. Sprinkle with toasted pistachio nuts, optional.

Makes about two dozen.

Star Sandwich Cookies

One morning while having cappuccino at a coffee bar in the south of Italy, I discovered another delicacy. As I gazed at their display of delicious pastries, what caught my eye was a six-pointed star cookie sandwich filled with chocolate frosting. I learned that the dough was rolled out, cut into stars, baked covered with a chocolate filling and topped with another star cookie. Remember to make extra cookies for everyone to take home to enjoy during the Chanukah celebration.

Chocolate Filling

1 cup unsalted nondairy margarine

1 cup sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 tablespoon orange juice

1 tablespoon grated orange peel

3 cups flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Flour for rolling out dough

Prepare the chocolate filling and set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend margarine and sugar and beat until light in color. Add egg, orange juice and peel and beat to combine. Gradually add flour, baking powder and beat until mixture pulls away from the sides of the bowl. Divide the dough into four parts and knead each part into a smooth ball. Wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for two hours.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Working with one part of the dough at a time, sprinkle work surface generously with flour and using a rolling pin, roll out dough to one-quarter-inch thick, moving dough around and check underneath to make sure it is not sticking.

Cut out star shapes, using a six-pointed star cookie cutter. Cut out holes from the centers of half of the star cookies, using a one-quarter-inch diameter circular cookie cutter, resembling a ring in the center (these will be the top of the sandwich).

Place the cookies one inch apart on greased baking sheets or silicone baking mats, and bake for seven minutes or until cookies are just beginning to turn brown around the edges, rotating cookie sheet halfway through baking time.

Allow the cookies to rest on baking sheet for two minutes after removal from oven, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To assemble the cookie sandwiches: Lay the cookies on your work surface and spread 1 1/2 teaspoons of chocolate filling on the cookies without the holes. Carefully place the cookies with the holes on top of the chocolate filling, pressing gently. Once filled, the cookies should be served within a day.

Makes about three to four dozen.

Chocolate Glaze Filling

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tablespoon seedless preserves (raspberry or apricot)

1/4 cup espresso coffee

In a large glass bowl or measuring cup, add semisweet chocolate, preserves and coffee. Place in a microwave or over simmering water and heat until melted, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Gnoccho Fritto (Fried Dumplings)

Ristorante Muraglia

Conchiglia d’Oro

Via Aurelia, 133

17029 Finale Ligure Varigotti (SV)

Tel: (019) 698-015

Chopped Liver Nut Bars

Osteria La Francescana

Chef Massimo Bottura

Via Stella, 22

41100 Modena

Italy

(059) 210118

Baked Eggplant

L’Europeo di Mattozzi

4, Via Marchese Campodisola

Naples

Tel: (081) 552-1323

I’ve bought meat from the same kosher butcher shop on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles for many years. But it wasn’t until recently that I asked G&K Kosher Meat owner Herschel Berengut, 58, about the Passover dishes he prepares at his to-go deli next door, Charlie’s. His eyes lit up as he explained how he learned to cook as a young boy in Poland and that preparing food was his real passion.

Lublin-born Berengut said his grandmother Faiga was known to be a wonderful cook. When he was young, Berengut remembers watching her prepare Polish specialties and food for the Passover seder.

As he grew up, he would help in the kitchen when his grandmother catered weddings and banquets. She also cooked for the local church, and during the war she was able to get official papers stating that his family was not Jewish; although it was helpful, not all of them survived.

Although it wasn’t easy being Jewish in Poland, those difficulties never discouraged Berengut’s family from practicing; they observed Passover and all the Jewish holidays.

After graduating from culinary school, Berengut opened a 150-seat restaurant called Frigata, located next to a lake. He catered large parties and was successful, even though he had to pay the Polish government a portion of his profits.

But his dream was to come to America with his family. He corresponded with an uncle who had left Poland for Russia and later immigrated to the United States. When his uncle invited him to come to Los Angeles, Berengut seized the opportunity to make a better life for his family. Initially leaving his wife and daughter behind, Berengut arrived in America speaking only Polish, Yiddish and Russian.

His first job was as a chef at a Hollywood-area Russian restaurant, where he worked from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Next, Berengut worked a 12-hour shift at a butcher shop, typically sleeping three to four hours a night. Determined to bring his wife and daughter from Poland, Berengut saved money for six years before he was able to reunite his family.

When asked about his memories of the family Passover seder in Poland, Berengut said that the matzah only came in small squares. Since it was not available in Lublin, his family would receive it from cousins who lived in West Wroclaw, a town close to the German border where the matzah was made.

The charoset was a mixture of chopped apples, toasted walnuts, sweet wine and honey; lemon juice was added to keep the mixture from turning brown.

After reading the haggadah and retelling the traditional Passover story, dinner was served buffet style. It began with platters of sweet gefilte fish made with carp, as this bony fish was all that was available. Berengut remembers watching his grandmother wrap each fish skin around the sweet ground mixture, then poaching them in a fish stock.

Since coming to Los Angeles, Berengut has prepared several types of gefilte fish — one year he used only salmon, mixing it with egg, matzah meal and sugar. But now in his take-out deli you will find the traditional Polish gefilte fish made with carp and whitefish. He also grinds fresh horseradish daily to serve with the fish.

The main course for the family seder was lamb or veal, depending on what kosher meat was available. His father had a friend who sold them the whole animal, which they would have butchered by the local rabbi. They sold off the portions they could not use, making enough money to pay for the whole animal.

The meat was roasted with raisins, prunes, apricots, carrots and onions in a heavy pot that was covered and baked for several hours, until it was well done, almost caramelized, like tzimmis. It was served with potato kugel made with chicken fat. Berengut also prepares matzah dipped in broth and fried with eggs, a dish that his grandmother served only during Passover.

The Passover dinner finished with his favorite dessert, dried fruit compote, which is sweetened with honey and sugar and served with a platter of almond cookies.

At the end of the meal, when the children found the afikomen, they were rewarded with pieces of candy. It was a difficult time for his family, and Berengut was sad when the seder was over and everyone left by saying — instead of goodbye — “see you next year in Jerusalem.”

I was able to coax the somewhat reluctant Berengut to share his recipes, assuring him that many people would love to serve his Polish Passover dishes during the holiday.

Herschel Berengut’s Polish Gefilte Fish

Stock:

2 onions, diced

3 carrots, thinly sliced

3 stalks celery

2 to 3 pounds fish bones (carp and white fish)

2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

Salt, to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Fish:

5 pounds fillets of carp and white fish

1 onion, quartered

5 eggs

1 cup matzah meal

3 tablespoons sugar

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large pot, place the onion, carrot, celery, and fish bones. Add water to cover, bring to a boil over high heat and add sugar, salt and pepper. Lower heat and simmer for 90 minutes, uncovered, allowing the liquid to reduce. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth. Cover and refrigerate or freeze.

In a food grinder, grind the fish and onion. Transfer to a large mixing bowl or wooden chopping bowl and mix in the eggs, matzah meal and sugar, until firm. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Wet your hands with cold water and shape fish mixture into oval balls. In a large shallow pot or roaster, bring the stock to a boil, reduce to simmer and place fish balls into the stock. Cover and simmer for one hour, or until cooked through. Cool, transfer to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and foil and refrigerate. Serve with horseradish.

Makes about 24 gefilte fish balls.

Herschel’s Potato Kugel

4 large potatoes, peeled and grated

1 onion, grated

2 tablespoons matzah meal

2 tablespoons Passover potato starch

3 to 4 tablespoons chicken schmaltz or vegetable oil

2 eggs

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Vegetable oil for the pan
Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, mix the grated potatoes and onion. Add matzah meal and potato starch. Add chicken schmaltz (or oil), eggs and salt and pepper to taste.

Brush a 9-inch round baking pan with oil and spoon in potato mixture. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 F and bake an additional 45 minutes or until golden brown.

Makes eight to 10 servings.

Roast Lamb Shanks With Dried Fruit

1/2 pound each raisins, dried apricots, dried prunes

2 onions, thinly sliced

4 carrots, thinly sliced

2 celery stalks, thinly sliced

4 lamb shanks

1 teaspoon powdered garlic

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup water or Passover red wine
Preheat the oven to 450 F.

Plump dried fruit in enough water to cover for 20 minutes; set aside.

In a large roasting pan, place the onions, carrots and celery. Top with the lamb shanks. Sprinkle the plumped raisins, apricots and prunes over the lamb shanks and season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add water or wine, cover and bake for 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 375 F and bake two to three hours, or until the lamb is well done. Baste meat every 20 minutes, adding additional water or wine if needed.

Makes four to six servings.

Dried Fruit Compote

1 cup dried sliced apples, cut in half

1 cup dried sliced pears, cut in half

1 cup dried apricots

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons honey

1 cup dried prunes (whole or pitted, optional)

Juice of one lemon
In a heavy pot, place the dried apples, pears, apricots and raisins. Add enough cold water to cover the dried fruit completely, bring to a boil and add honey and sugar.

Reduce heat and simmer for five to 10 minutes. Add lemon juice and prunes and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until fruit is soft and liquid is syrupy. Serve with a platter of cookies.

Makes six to eight servings.

A bridal shower is one of the most joyous parties you can possibly give, and the occasion calls for light, delicious festive foods.  This menu offers four of my personal favorite chicken salad recipes.  (For a smaller shower, you could serve just two or three)  The French often serve a sampling of different foods and call it a “degustation,” so here’s your chance to be both chic and unique.

Each salad has a totally different flavor and texture, yet surprisingly they’re all based on a simple poached chicken recipe.  Give the bride-to-be all of the recipes, printed on pretty file cards, along with a file card holder.  And why not  share them with the guests, too?  To help the bride with her recipe collection, you might want to include blank recipe cards with the invitations; suggest that each guest bring her own favorite recipe.

If several of your friends are giving the shower with you, each can prepare a salad.

A pretty time-saver:  The beautiful golden Double Ring Bridal Cake symbolizes two joined wedding rings and serves as both centerpiece and dessert.

BRIDAL SHOWER SALAD BUFFET FOR 24

Fruited Challah Twists

A Sampling of Chicken Salads:

Pollo Forte (Italian Chicken Salad)

Oriental Chicken Salad

Curried Chicken Salad

Chicken-Pasta Salad

Double Ring Bridal Cake

Bowl of Fresh Strawberries and Raspberries

Iced Tea with Lemon

Suggested Beverage: Champagne with Cassis or Orange Juice

Fruited Challah Twists

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour

1 package active dry yeast

1/3 cup honey

1 tablespoon salt

1 1/3 cups warm water (110 to115oF)

1/4 pound unsalted margarine, melted

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup diced dried apples

1/4 cup diced dried apricots

1/4 cup diced prunes

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine 2 1/2 cups of the flour with the yeast, honey, and salt.  Gradually add the water and continue beating 2 to 3 minutes.  Add the margarine and mix well.

Add enough of the remaining unbleached and whole wheat flours to make a soft dough.

Transfer the dough to a well-floured board, kneading in the raisins, apples, apricots, and prunes.  Continue kneading for 5 minutes.  Place in an oiled bowl and oil the top of the dough.  Cover with a towel and let rise 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375oF.

Punch down the dough and knead for 3 minutes, then return it to the bowl and let it rise for 20 minutes.

Pull off a golf-ball-size piece of dough.  Roll into an 8 to 10-inch long rope and twist into a knot.  Repeat with the remaining dough.  Place the twists on a well-oiled baking sheet and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown and a crust forms on top.  Cool on a wire rack.

Poached Chicken

Here is a simple way to prepare chicken breasts to be used in salads; they will always be tender and moist.  A whole chicken may be cooked this way also, adjusting time to the size of the chicken.

1 large onion, diced

4 celery ribs, thickly diced

4 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

1 small parsnip, peeled and thickly sliced

4 sprigs parsley

1 bay leaf

12 whole peppercorns

6 to 8 cups chicken broth

Salt

8 chicken breasts, skinned with all bones removed

In a large saucepan, combine the onion, celery, carrots, parsnip, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns and stock.  Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  Season to taste with salt.  Add the chicken breasts and poach them for 15 minutes.  Transfer the poached chicken breasts to a shallow bowl, cover with chicken broth until ready to use.

Pollo Forte (Powerful Chicken)

I discovered this totally different chicken salad recipe many years ago at a little restaurant in West Los Angeles, appropriately called Mangia, which means “eat.”

I’ve adapted it for Kosher cooks and added a few of my own personal touches.  It’s delicious hot or cold, and is very portable for picnics.  We love to serve it in the deluxe box suppers that we bring to the Hollywood Bowl each summer.

This basic recipe serves 8 and can be easily doubled or tripled for large gatherings such as this shower.

1 (4 pound) poached chicken (recipe follows)

2 tablespoons drained capers

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups boiling chicken broth

3 red peppers, roasted

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons wine vinegar

Prepare the poached chicken.  Remove the chicken from the broth and cool.  Remove the skin from the chicken and lift the meat from the bones.  Cut the meat into strips and place on a serving platter.  Sprinkle with capers, cover and set aside.

Heat the oil in a heavy saucepan.  Add the flour and stir until golden.  Continue stirring, adding boiling broth all at once.  Stir about 2 or 3 minutes.  Add 1 of the red peppers and garlic.  Simmer for 10 minutes, remove from heat and blend well.

Return the sauce to the saucepan.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.  Remove from the heat.  Add the wine vinegar and mix well.  Pour over the chicken.  Slice the remaining red pepper in thin strips and garnish.  Cool.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Oriental Chicken Salad

This basic recipe serves 8 and can be easily doubled or tripled for large gatherings such as this shower.

3 whole chicken breasts

1 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons soy sauce

3 tablespoons sherry

2 ounces rice sticks (Mai Fun) or 10 square Won Ton

3 cups oil for deep-frying

1 head of lettuce (finely shredded)

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

1/4 cup Preserved Ginger

Soy Sauce Dressing (recipe follows)

3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

Preheat the oven to 375oF.

Rub the chicken with the salt, soy sauce and sherry and bake for 30 minutes.  Cool.  Discard the skin and bones and tear into long thin pieces.  Set aside.

Deep fry the rice sticks (or slice Won Ton into 1/4-inch strips and deep fry) in hot oil, a few at a time, until they puff.  Drain on paper towels.  Set aside.  (Or Slice the Won Ton into 1/4-inch strips and deep fry in hot oil, a few at a time until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Set aside.

Just before serving, in a large bowl, arrange the lettuce, green onions, chicken, almonds, ginger and rice sticks (or fried Won Ton strips) in layers; pour the soy sauce over the salad and toss well.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.

Soy Sauce Dressing

6 tablespoons red wine vinegar

3/4 cup soy sauce

6 tablespoons sesame oil

6 tablespoons sugar

6 teaspoons hoisin sauce

4 green onions, shredded

In a mixing bowl, blend the red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar and hoisin sauce.  Mix in the green onions.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Curried Chicken Salad with Roasted Peanuts

3 whole chicken breasts, (about 3 pounds) split and poached

1 large cucumber, peeled and diced

1/2 cup golden raisins

1 cup roasted peanuts

1 cup mayonnaise

2 tablespoons medium-hot curry powder

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper or Tabasco

Watercress for garnish

Transfer the chicken with a slotted spoon to a working area, remove and discard the skin and bones and cut the meat into strips.  Place the chicken in a large mixing bowl, and toss with the cucumber, raisins and peanuts.

In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, curry powder and salt and pepper to taste.  Mix well.  Pour the dressing over the chicken mixture and mix gently until well coated.    Spoon the salad onto watercress garnished plates. Makes 6 to 8 servings

Chicken-Pasta Salad

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

3/4 pound green fettucini (long flat noodles), cooked

1 whole poached chicken breast, cut up (recipe follows)

3 tablespoons minced parsley

1 small red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

1 small zucchini, diced

1 large roasted red bell pepper,thinly sliced

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cups fresh broccoli florets

4 to 5 fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Drop the broccoli florets into boiling water and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until tender.  Drain, cool and set aside.

In a large salad bowl, combine the noodles, chicken, parsley, onion, zucchini and red bell pepper.  Combine the vinegar, olive oil and garlic.  Pour over the noodle mixture and toss.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Top the pasta salad with the broccoli florets and basil leaves and toss lightly again.  Makes 6 to 8 servings

Double Ring Bridal Cake

This light, rich cake with its golden icing and garnish of gold sprinkles and “diamonds” is a sensational conversation piece for a bridal shower.  Another plus is that without the icing, it keeps beautifully in the refrigerator for three to four days and may be iced the day of the shower.

1/4 pound plus 2 2/3 tablespoons unsalted margarine

1/2 teaspoon ground mace

1 1/2 cups sugar

6 egg whites

3/4 cup liquid nondairy creamer

1/4 cup orange juice

2 1/2 cups sifted flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons baking powder

Vegetable oil spray

Powdered Sugar Frosting (recipe follows)

Gold sprinkles and rock candy crystals for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350oF.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the margarine with the mace.  Gradually add 1 cup of the sugar, beating until smooth.  Beat in 3 of the egg whites and the remaining 1/2 cup sugar.  Add the remaining 3 egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well.  Combine the nondairy creamer and orange juice.  Combine the flour, salt and baking powder.  A little at a time, stir in the flour mixture alternately with the liquids.  Beat the batter for 30 seconds.  Coat a 2- quart dessert ring mold with vegetable oil spray and sprinkle lightly with flour.  Turn the cake batter into the mold.

Bake for 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry.

Prepare another cake the same way.  When both cakes are cool, using the mold as a guide arrange it on top of one cakes and cut out two sections.  (See diagram)  Remove the mold and slide the second cake in its place.  Fill in any spaces with the cut pieces to form a figure eight.  Frost and garnish with gold sprinkles and some rock candy crystals for “diamonds,” to create two golden wedding rings.  Makes 1 ring cake

Powdered Sugar Frosting

1 pound (3 1/2 cups) powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

3 egg whites, unbeaten

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon orange juice

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the powdered sugar, cream of tartar, egg whites, vanilla, and orange juice.  Beat at low speed until the sugar is dissolved, then beat at high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Keep covered with a damp towel until ready to use.

White Icing with Cooked Sugar

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

1 cup powdered sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon liqueur, strained lemon juice or coffee

In a small saucepan, stir sugar and water over medium heat until completely dissolved.  Reduce the heat and keep boiling until the sugar reaches 200-to-220oF on a candy thermometer or when placed between thumb and finger, sugar feels very sticky.

Gradually pour into powdered sugar and stir with a wooden spoon continuously until smooth.

Use as is or add a tablespoon of liqueur.  Spread icing on pastry and let dry before serving.

Lemon Icing

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

4 to 5 tablespoons strained lemon juice

1 tablespoon boiling water

Place the sugar and lemon juice in a heat-proof bowl.  Add boiling water; stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth and shiny.  When the mixture covers the back of the spoon, the icing has the right consistency.  If too thin, add more sugar, if too thick add more boiling water.

January 10, 2005

For the past fifty years I have given cooking classes that include recipes for contemporary and traditional dishes, as well as menus for all the Jewish holidays.   It is always very rewarding when I receive calls from students telling me that they loved the class and prepared all the dishes.  But my most recent cooking class is one of the most memorable.

It happened when a close friend, Carolyn Lieber, asked me if I would give her grandson, Evan, a lesson on how to make challah: It would be a gift for his Bar Mitzvah, she explained, he loves to cook and has ambitions of becoming a chef.   Yes, I said, lets make a date to get together for a session on how to bake a challah after his Bar Mitzvah.

But, Carolyn asked if I could teach him to make challah next week,  because he wanted to bake and serve the challah for the pre-Bar Mitzvah Friday evening family dinner.   We set the date for the next Thursday, I was  surprised that he wanted to take the time, two days before his Bar Mitzvah, to learn how to bake Challah.  Wasnt he nervous and still writing his speech?,  I asked.    She replied, He would find the time, because that was the one thing what he really wanted to do.

On the morning of the baking lesson Evan arrived at our home with his younger  brother Eric, his Mom Sally, and grandmother Carolyn.   We spent the morning  …. measuring, mixing and kneading the dough,  letting it rise, punching it down and then shaping it into a large braided challah.   We talked about the varieties of shapes, (sizes) and the fillings that could be added to a challah recipe.  He was excited to learn, and I found him to be a good student.

While the challah was in the oven I showed him how to make Pizza.  This was really a hit with Evan as well as his brother.  He helped rolling out the dough and they both selected toppings of their choice.   We ate the pizza while the Challah was baking, and when it  was finished and cooled, he took it home to share with his family for their Shabbat  dinner.

The baking lesson gave us an idea for the perfect Bar Mitzvah present to give Evan.  So, the next day we went shopping, and bought him all the necessary utensils to bake bread as well as Pizza.  They included several cookbooks, measuring cups and spoons, a wooden pastry  board, rolling pin, pizza stone, as well as a gift for future cooking classes.  Saturday morning when we arrived at the Synagogue for the Bar Mitzvah, Evan and his brother greeted us with BIG hugs and kisses.  We were not just his grandmother friends, now we were part of his extended family.

After the Bar Mitzvah services lunch was served at the Synagogue.   Evan had planned the menu with the caterers, as well as placing center pieces at each table that included famous chefs (ie)  Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, and Mario Batali, just to mention a few.   He is really serious about what he wants to do when he grows up, and during his Bar Mitzvah speech he thanked everyone that helped him prepare for this special day, and a special thank you to his cooking teacher.

Remember, the challah plays an important role in the Sabbath, festivals, and holiday meal.  For many years baking challah was a traditional responsibility in every Jewish home, but, today its usually the responsibility of the local bakery.  Baking a challah is not as difficult as it seems, if you have a mixer and follow my recipe the satisfaction of baking these golden loaves will be a great experience not to be missed, and a wonderful treat for the family.

Judy’s Classic Challah

A little (1/4 teaspoon saffron threads) gives color, 2 tablespoons honey adds just a little extra sweetness and one-third cup raisins may be for a little something extra.

2 packages active dry yeast

2 cups warm water (110-115oF)

1/4 cup plus a pinch of sugar

1/4 cup olive oil, safflower or vegetable oil

2 tablespoons salt

3 eggs

8 cups flour

3 tablespoons yellow cornmeal

1 eggs, lightly beaten for topping

2 tablespoons sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Dissolve the yeast in cup of the warm water, with a pinch of sugar.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the remaining 1   cups of warm water, 1/4 cup sugar, oil, salt and the yeast mixture.  Add  3 of the eggs and blend well.  Add the flour, 1 cup at a time, blending after each addition, until the dough is thick enough to work by hand, about 4 to 5 cups.  Spoon the dough out on a floured board and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding additional flour to make a smooth and elastic dough.  Place the dough in an oiled bowl, and oil the top of the dough.

Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1  hours.  Punch the dough down, turn it over, cover and let it rise 30 minutes longer.

Divide the dough into 3 parts.  Divide each part into 3 parts.  This will make 3 individual challahs.  Form each part into a long rope.  Pinch together one end of each of the 3 ropes and braid the ropes, pinching the other ends together.

Place the challah on baking sheets or bread pans lightly greased and generously sprinkled with cornmeal.  Cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.  Brush with the lightly beaten egg and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds.  Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on racks.  Makes 3 small or 1 large Challah

Shaping for Rosh Hashanah (round challah):  Using 1/3 of the dough, form into a large rope, about 12 to 15-inches long and several inches thick.  Starting in the center, begin making concentric circles of the rope until a large snail-like shape is created.  Seal ends.  Place the round challah in a large cake pan, oiled and generously sprinkled with cornmeal.  Bake as for the Classic Challah (preceding).

Sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Pizza-Margherita

When you order a pizza in Italy, it usually means you are going to get a pizza with tomato sauce and cheese; this is called Pizza-Margherita.   My personal preference is lots and lots of cheese, melted to perfection when it arrives on the plate in front of me.  Timing is the secret to perfect pizza.

2 packages active dry yeast

Pinch of sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water (110-115oF)

1/4 cup olive oil

3   cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

Cornmeal

Classic Marinara Tomato Sauce (recipe follows)

Mozzarella cheese

Parmesan cheese

Dissolve the yeast with the sugar in  cup of the water and set aside until foamy.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the remaining 3/4 cup water, the olive oil and yeast mixture.  Stir in the flour and salt and stir in 1 cup at a time, until the dough begins to come together into a rough ball.  Spoon onto a floured board and knead until smooth and elastic.  Place the dough in an oiled bowl, oil its top, cover, and set in a warm place to rise for about 1 hour, until doubled in bulk.

Punch down the dough and break off golf ball-size pieces to make 8- to 10- inch or individual pizzas.  Knead each piece of dough on a floured board for 1 minute, working in additional flour to make it smooth and no longer sticky.  Roll it out into a thin circle.  Dust a round pizza baking pan with cornmeal and place the rolled out dough on top.

Spoon a thin coating of the sauce onto the pizza, spreading it with the back of a spoon to within 1 inch of the edge.  Add any other toppings you desire.  Sprinkle generously with Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and bake on the lowest rack of the oven for 10 minutes, or until the crust is crisp and brown and the cheese is hot and bubbling.  Serve immediately.

Classic Marinara Sauce (Classic Tomato Sauce)

3 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 onions, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

1 can (28-ounces) whole peeled tomatoes

1 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon fresh oregano, or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried

2 tablespoons minced parsley

1/2 teaspoon sugar

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

In a heavy skillet, heat the oil.  Add the garlic, onions, red pepper, carrots, and celery and saute until the onions are transparent.  Add the tomatoes with the liquid, red wine, oregano, basil, parsley, and sugar.  Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until thick, about 30 minutes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.   Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside.

By JUDY ZEIDLER, Special to The Times

Saturday night, the first night of Passover this year, will mark our 100th family Seder. When we were married just one year, my husband Marvin and I decided to observe the first two Seder nights of Passover in our own home, and we have done so ever since.

The house we lived in 50 years ago was very small, but we borrowed chairs and bought new dishes to accommodate our family and friends, and to create a meaningful Passover.

Although Passover requires a lot of preparation, it is my favorite of all the Jewish celebrations, and the one I look forward to the most each year. It brings our family together in a special way, and gives us a chance to share thoughts and memories as we participate in the Seder.

The menu always includes several recipes that were given to me by my mother, Molly Tannes, and my mother-in-law, Gene Zeidler. I think they were handed down to them in the same manner, never written, but carefully explained. That is probably why there is always a slightly different taste to each dish; sometimes measurements got changed with the new interpretation.

When our children were growing up they always helped prepare Passover food. It was the task of the oldest to help Grandma Gene prepare the cold egg soup, making sure it had the correct amount of salt … usually too much.

Our son Marc directed Dad as he grated the raw horseradish by hand, and Zeke helped prepare the different types of charoset that we served. Susan and Kathy loved to help bake the Passover cakes and cookies, and Paul was always there to fill in when anyone needed an extra hand.

Over the years many new recipes became part of our Passover menu. We borrowed the idea of serving green onions, a symbolic food that Sephardic Jews use during their Seder service. And we now include steamed new potatoes dipped in salt as the first vegetable of the season.

This year I decided to ask our children which Seder dishes they enjoyed the most, and what memories the food brought to mind. I wanted to include everyone’s favorite tastes. Last year I omitted lamb shanks and there were some very disappointed people.
The first call was to our oldest daughter, Susan. She lives in Portland, Ore., with her family, but they never miss Passover in Los Angeles. Her answer was that she loves all the Passover desserts, as long as they are covered with chocolate. Her husband Leo said, “The matzo balls are what I like best. It is OK to skip the chicken soup, but be sure and serve plenty of matzo balls.”
Marc, the family gourmet, said he likes everything we serve for Passover, but his favorite dish is the salty hard-boiled egg soup because it is eaten at the conclusion of the Seder service, which means that dinner will soon be served. He also remembered that when he was in charge of this dish, he enjoyed adding extra salt to the egg soup, which prompted complaints of it always being “too salty.”

Kathy, a gifted artist, always brings a colorful hand-crafted centerpiece for the Passover table. And when asked what her favorite Passover food is, her answer was, “Of course, all of the charosets, and especially the Greek one,” which is a blend of dates, raisins, nuts and sweet wine. One of Kathy’s tasks is to design labels with the name of each charoset and its country of origin.

Paul had several favorite dishes but if he had to choose one, he said it would be Grandma Molly’s vegetable stuffing, either baked in the turkey or served as a casserole. The combination of vegetables, matzo meal and sweet raisins is so delicious, I always double the recipe and bake half of it in a casserole, because no matter how large the turkey, there is never enough stuffing.

Zeke was quick to respond, “Oh, that’s easy: Grandma Gene’s gefilte fish, but I’m sure everyone’s answer will be the same.” When he was little he recalls watching Grandma Gene grind and chop the fish by hand. He also remembers the smell of the gefilte fish simmering in the broth, and usually Grandma would give him a taste right from the pot.

So this year, everyone’s favorite dish will be served as part of our Passover menu, and no one will be disappointed. When the evening is over, they will take home leftovers to enjoy the next day.

Molly’s Passover Vegetable Stuffing
Active Work Time: 20 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 35 minutes
I adapted my mother’s vegetable stuffing for Passover by substituting matzo meal, cake meal and Passover cereal. It has become a family heirloom that is treasured for its delicious self, besides the happy memories it evokes of family celebrations. While my mother’s recipe dates back to a time before food processors, I chop the onions, garlic and celery in the food processor fitted with the knife blade. Then I change to the grater blade and grate the carrots, parsnip and zucchini, and what took her hours to make takes me about 10 minutes.
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 onions, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 stalks celery, finely diced
6 carrots, peeled and grated
1 parsnip, grated
2 zucchini, unpeeled and grated
1/2 cup raisins, plumped in 1 cup Concord grape wine
1/2 cup minced parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons matzo meal
2 to 3 tablespoons matzo cake meal
2 to 3 tablespoons Passover cereal, uncooked, optional
1/4 cup dry red wine
Salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

In a large, heavy skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the onions and garlic until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the celery, carrots, parsnip and zucchini, and toss well. Cook over medium-low heat for 5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Drain the raisins and add them to the vegetables with the parsley. Stir in 1 tablespoon each of the matzo meal, matzo cake meal and Passover cereal (if using). Add the red wine and mix well. Stir in the remaining dry ingredients, a little at a time, until the stuffing is moist and soft but firm in texture. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.

About 12 cups. Each 1/2 cup: 128 calories; 2 mg sodium; 0 cholesterol; 6 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 19 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams protein; 2.94 grams fiber.
Variation: The Vegetable Stuffing may be baked in a well-oiled (10-inch) casserole, baked at 350 degrees until lightly browned, about 45 minutes, and served as a side dish.

Salty Egg Soup
Active Work Time: 10 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours
This cold egg soup is a part of our family Passover ritual, combining two symbolic ingredients-eggs and salt. The eggs are a symbol of new life in the spring season and the salt represents the tears of the Jewish people when they were slaves in Egypt. Many families serve each guest a whole hard-boiled egg dipped in salt.
12 eggs, hard-boiled and peeled
4 to 6 cups cold water
2 to 4 tablespoons coarse salt

In a large bowl, mash the eggs roughly with a potato masher. Add 4 cups of water and 2 tablespoons of the salt. Add additional water and salt to taste. Cover and refrigerate until serving time. Ladle into soup bowls
12 servings. Each serving: 70 calories; 646 mg sodium; 192 mg cholesterol; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 1 gram carbohydrates; 6 grams protein; 0 fiber.

Grandma Gene’s Gefilte Fish
Active Work Time: 1 hour * Total Preparation Time: 2 hours plus 2 hours chilling
This updated version of Grandma Gene’s Gefilte Fish gets better and easier to make every year. Use the fish bones, heads and skin of the whitefish for the broth.
FISH BROTH
1 1/2 onions, coarsely diced (reserve peels)
1 carrot, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced celery tops
1 pound fish bones, heads and skin from fileted whitefish (see note)
Salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Cold water

In a large pot, place the onions, onion peels, carrot, celery tops, fish bones, heads and skin, and salt and pepper. Add water to cover and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour, adding additional water if needed. When the broth is flavorful, strain out the fish bones and vegetables and discard. Keep the broth warm.

ASSEMBLY
3 1/2 pounds whitefish and pike, fileted (about the size of 1 whitefish)
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
2 eggs
1/2 cup matzo meal
1/4 cup cold water
Coarse salt
Freshly ground pepper
Fish roe, optional
Lettuce, sliced cucumbers and horseradish sauce, for garnish
In a meat grinder, grind the fish with the onion, carrot and celery. Put through the grinder again. Place the ground mixture in a large wooden chopping bowl and blend with the eggs and matzo meal. Using a hand chopper, chop the fish mixture, adding the water gradually with 1 tablespoon salt and 2 teaspoons pepper as you chop. (Mixture should be soft and light to the touch.)

Wet your hands with cold water and shape the fish mixture into oval balls. Bring the broth to a boil over high heat, and place the fish balls in the broth. Cover, reduce the heat to medium high, and cook until the fish is tender, about 1 hour; do not overcook. Cool, transfer to a shallow glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap and foil, and refrigerate about 2 hours.

To serve, arrange a lettuce leaf on each plate; top with fish and garnish with cucumbers and horseradish sauce. Makes about 50 fish balls.

Note: If possible, buy whole whitefish. Have it boned and wrap the bones, heads and skin separately, for the fish broth. If you’re lucky, you may find roe inside the fish, or you can purchase the roe, poach it with the fish balls, and serve separately.
8 servings. Each serving: 234 calories; 130 mg sodium; 128 mg cholesterol; 9 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 27 grams protein; 1.08 grams fiber.

Turkey in a Bag With Molly’s Passover Vegetable Stuffing
Active Work Time: 15 minutes * Total Preparation Time: 4 hours
1 (15-to 20-pound) turkey
Molly’s Passover Vegetable Stuffing, cooled
1/4 cup oil
1 cup apricot preserves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Clean the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Spoon the cooled stuffing into the cavity and close with a needle and thread or skewers. Rub the outside of the turkey with the oil and preserves and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grease the inside (seamless unprinted side) of a large brown paper bag, or use a large plastic baking bag. Grease the paper bag very carefully; if any part is not greased, it might catch fire. Place the turkey inside the bag, neck first and breast down. If you’re using a paper bag, fold the open ends and seal it with paper clips or staples; if using a plastic baking bag, tie it with the plasticties supplied. Place the turkey on a large rack over a roasting pan lined with heavy foil. Bake for 3 hours or more, depending on the size of the turkey (15 minutes to the pound is a perfect guide).

About 30 minutes before the turkey is done, slit the bag under the bird and let the liquid drain into a saucepan. When all the juices are poured off, use a scissors to cut the bag open and remove the turkey. Turn it so the breast is on top. Return the turkey to the oven to brown for the remaining cooking time, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thigh reaches 165 degrees. Skim the fat from the juices, discard it and heat the juices. Remove the stuffing and transfer to a heated bowl.

Carve the turkey and arrange the slices, legs, and wings on a large platter. Serve the juices in a gravy boat.
16 servings. Each serving: 533 calories; 215 mg sodium; 163 mg cholesterol; 24 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 20 grams carbohydrates; 57 grams protein; 1.65 grams fiber.