OUDepartment of Public Relations

July 7, 2004

What’s Cooking?
Orthodox Union Website Features Vast Archive of Recipes to Help Cooks Prepare for Shabbat

By Michael Frohmann

The approach of Shabbat is always evident in a Jewish home because of the variety of delicious aromas that arise from the diverse meals that are being prepared. One of the most satisfying aspects of Shabbat is that a person can enjoy an assortment of delicacies during the required three meals that make up the day. The Friday night meal usually consists of a certain category of foods, lunch has its own food group, and seuda shlishit, the third and final meal before the end of the Sabbath day, has its own specific choices.

To make the lives of the Jewish cook easier, and to help Jews around the world enrich their Shabbat meals, the Orthodox Union has archived a wide variety of recipes on its website, www.ou.org, as part of the Shabbat Shalom section. Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and author of the recently released book Perfectly Pareve, compiled the recipes. Every week she adds a number of new recipes to the website. The archive has been quite successful; it is the 51st most popular page on a website that contains literally thousands of pages. The archive averages over 1,350 visits per month, which increases during holiday periods.

The OU recipe archive includes hundreds of different recipes in 18 categories and is second to none in the Jewish gastronomic world. Needless to say, every ingredient in every recipe is kosher. The categories are:

  • Salads
  • Fish
  • Soups
  • Vegetables/rice/pasta
  • Kugels
  • Breads
  • Meat
  • Marinades
  • Chicken
  • Cheese
  • Beverages
  • Relishes/Dressings
  • Desserts
  • Spices
  • Stuffing
  • Traditional Jewish
  • Pesach (Passover)
  • Miscellaneous

To indicate the richness of the website, there are not only salad recipes but there are three kinds of salad recipes -- meat, dairy, and pareve (neither meat nor dairy) – perfect for each of the Shabbat meals.

In recognition that the Shabbat meal always includes a variety of dishes that appeal to different tastes, the archive offers a dazzling array of recipes to choose from. Instead of having standard chicken soup with a matzah ball, as an alternative the Shabbat cook can use a recipe for Syrian Red Lentil soup; for those who prefer to stick to chicken soup, a chicken potpie soup can be substituted for the usual fare.

For lunch, there are old-time favorites such as cholent (a hot bean, potato, and meat dish) and kugel (pudding) that always make their way to the Shabbat table. The OU archive, however, provides recipes for a variety of cholents and kugels, including lamb cholent; quickie chicken cholent; Mexican cholent; sweet & sour meatball cholent; as well as mushroom barley, salt and pepper and “easy” rice and noodle kugels.

Seuda shlishit, the third meal that is eaten Saturday afternoon or early evening, presents its own challenges, given how well people have already eaten that day. Sometimes, when the third meal comes around, a Shabbat gourmet doesn’t have much of an appetite left, and other times may have a craving and is not sure what to eat. The archive, therefore, lists countless recipes that will satisfy the hungry and the not-so-hungry. They include fresh corn salad; apple chickpea salad; and oriental pasta salad among other selections. Others can enjoy a variety of choices from the cheese category such as stuffed figs; cheese spread and dried fruits; or Parmesan herb pita crisps, all of which include cheese in their recipes. In addition to these recipes, there are many basic recipes to choose from, such as vegetable cobbler, rainbow noodle salad, or a layered southwest pasta salad. If there is still an appetite for dessert, then the OU presents no shortage of choices, for example, Tiramisu Cheesecake, Cherry Bon Bons and Oreo Mint Tart.

For those looking for new and original recipes, the archive may at first seem overwhelming. To help the cook, here are 10 suggestions (with the ingredients) that are bound to satiate one and all. The recipes in their entirety can be found on the website, www.ou.org.


1. CENTENNIAL CHOCOLATE BAKED ALASKA (dairy)

1 (9 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup white sugar
1/3 cup water
1 (1 ounce) square HERSHEY'S Unsweetened Baking Chocolate, melted
1 egg
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 quart strawberry ice cream
1/2 cup cold water
1 tablespoon meringue powder
1/2 cup white sugar, divided

2. ASIAN-FLAVORED COLESLAW WITH RICE VINEGAR AND GINGER (pareve)

2 tablespoon sesame seeds
4 cups thinly sliced Napa cabbage (from about 1/2 large head)
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar

3. TAJIN SAMAK (Moroccan Oven-Poached Fish with Cilantro, Pareve)

1 cup chopped cilantro
1 cup chopped scallions
½ cup lemon juice
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons paprika
Salt and pepper
Pinch of cayenne
1 (3- to 4-pound) whole fish such as red snapper, sea bass, striped bass, or trout, cleaned but head and tail intact
4 medium tomatoes, sliced
3 medium potatoes, sliced
2 medium carrots, sliced
¼ cup olive oil
1 cup water

4. SPICED PLUM SOUP (pareve)

2 pods star anise
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon whole cardamom pods
3-inch piece unpeeled ginger, cut into thin coins
4 cups water 1/2 cup granulated cane sugar
1 whole vanilla bean
2 pounds red-fleshed plums (about 6), plus 1 extra plum
sliced and reserved for garnish

5. TARRAGON RICE STUFFED MUSHROOMS (meat or pareve)

24 large mushrooms (about 2 1/2 pounds), the stems removed and chopped fine and the caps left whole
3 slices of kosher breakfast beef
1/4 cup minced onion
4 teaspoons minced onion
2 tablespoons soy sauce 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted lightly
1/2 cup fine fresh bread crumbs plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling the mushrooms
1 green onion, sliced thin, for garnish

6. SPINACH & ARGULA (meat)

5 cups cubed cooked chicken (about 3 whole breasts)
2 cups green grape halves
1 cup snow peas
2 cups packed torn spinach
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
7 ounces spiral pasta, cooked and drained 1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
1/2 large cucumber, sliced
3 green onions, sliced
Large spinach leaves (optional)
Orange slices (optional)

7. SPICY PINEAPPLE AND ZUCCHINI BREAD (pareve)

3 eggs
1 cup salad oil
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups coarsely shredded zucchini
1 cup well drained pineapple
3 cups flour, unsifted 2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoon, ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup currents

8. PORCUPINE MEATBALLS (meat)

1 pound ground beef or turkey
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon celery salt 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper Sauce
1 can (5 ounce) tomato sauce
1 cup water
2 teaspoons soy sauce

9. HONEY PEANUT CHICKEN MARINADE (pareve)

1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/8 cup rice wine vinegar 1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon ground allspice

10. RED WINE MACERATED WINTER FRUIT (pareve)

1 lemon
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups dry red wine
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cinnamon stick 1/2 large firm-ripe pineapple
1 1/4 pounds mixed dried fruit such as cranberries, prunes, apricots and figs
mandlebroit

Oneg Shabbat literally means “joy of Shabbat.” Jews should enhance their Shabbat to the best of their abilities. The OU recipe archive provides year round opportunities for Shabbat joy. BTE’AVON!!! BON APPETITE!!!

* * *

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of North America and beyond, is a world leader in community and synagogue services, adult education, youth work through NCSY, political action through the IPA, and advocacy for persons with disabilities through Yachad and Our Way. Its kosher supervision label, the , is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 275,000 products manufactured in 68 countries around the globe.

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