Recipes for Shabbat

Marinades

By Eileen Goltz

Marinades add flavor and tenderness to any meat, poultry or fish. You can actually buy less expensive cuts of meat and make them moist and tender with just a little dash of this and dollop of that. For those unfamiliar with the term, a marinade is a seasoned liquid in which foods such as meat, fish and vegetables are soaked (marinated) in order to absorb flavor and, in some instances, to be tenderized. Most marinades contain an acid (lemon juice, vinegar or wine) and herbs or spices. The acid ingredient is especially important for tough cuts of meat because it serves as a tenderizer. Because most marinades contain acid ingredients, the marinating should be done in a glass, ceramic or stainless-steel container --  never in aluminum and never for more than 2 hours for chicken and over night for beef.

TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF YOUR MARINADE

1. Make your own by combining one acidic ingredient, one herb and one other flavoring, such as garlic, hot pepper sauce, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire (for fish) or ginger.
2. Salt meat and poultry after grilling as salt draws juices out of meat.
3. Trim excess fat from meat and poultry before grilling to avoid flare-ups.
4. Use tongs to turn meat and poultry. Meat pierced with a fork will lose
juices.
5. Brush on thick or sweet sauces (ex. BBQ sauce) the last 15-20 minutes of cooking.
6. Use two-thirds to one cup of marinade for every one to 1.5 pounds of food.
7. For a quick clean up use zipper-seal plastic bags to marinate in. You
generally need less marinade that way, and you can easily turn them to
distribute the marinade evenly.
8. Experiment with seasonings.
9. The longer you soak the meat or fish in marinade, the stronger the
flavorings will be.
10. Experts know that marinating raw meat or fish at room temperature instead of in the refrigerator can prevent harmful bacteria from growing. If you feel you must marinate at room temperature, no longer than an hour immediately before cooking is advisable.
11. If you want to use some of the marinade at the table as a sauce it's best
to make extra and use a fresh marinade. Marinades that have had meat of
chicken soaking in them contain bacteria from the raw meat. It's possible to
boil used marinade to kill bacteria before reusing it, but you should know
that some types of bacteria produce toxins that don't go away no matter how long you boil them.
12. Salad dressings, either regular or low-or no-calorie, often make good
(and easy) marinades.
13. To prevent burning or charring, do not baste your meat during the last 5
minutes of cooking.

SMOKED CHILI MARINADE (pareve)

In a food processor or blender puree the onion, garlic, and jalapeño. Add the vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, oil, oregano, cumin and pepper and  process for 30 seconds... Season with salt to taste. Makes 2 cups. This can be doubled or tripled. Meats can be marinated up to 6 to 8 hours, chicken and poultry up to 3 hours.

HONEY PEANUT CHICKEN MARINADE (pareve)

Place all the ingredients in blender or food processor. Cover and process for 1 minute. Pour the marinade over the poultry in a shallow glass dish or  heavy plastic bag. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate for up to 3 hours. Makes 1 1/2 cups marinade. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

CRANBERRY MARINADE (pareve)

Place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Cover and process for 1
minute. Pour the marinade over beef or poultry in a shallow glass dish or
heavy plastic bag. Cover dish or seal bag and refrigerate for up to 3 hours
for chicken and 6 hours for beef while marinating. Makes about 1 1/4 cups.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

COLA MARINADE (pareve)

Combine all the ingredients in a glass bowl and combine. The cola will lose most of its carbonation but that's OK. Pour the marinade over beef or poultry in a shallow glass dish or heavy plastic bag. Cover dish or seal bag
and refrigerate for up to 3 hours for chicken and 6 hours for beef while
marinating. Makes about 2 cups. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

ORIENTAL MARINADE (pareve)

Combine ingredients in a glass bowl and mix well. Pour the marinade over
beef or poultry in a shallow glass dish or heavy plastic bag. Cover dish or
seal bag and refrigerate for up to 4 hours while marinating. Makes about 1
1/4 cups. This recipe can be doubled or tripled. Cover and chill for 4 to 6
hours. Use as a marinade for beef or chicken.

LEMON GARLIC AND WINE MARINADE (pareve)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over fish or
poultry in a shallow glass dish or heavy plastic bag. Cover dish or seal bag
and refrigerate for up to 3 hours while marinating. Makes about 1-1/4 cups.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

CITRUS MARINADE AND SALSA FOR CHICKEN OR FISH (pareve)

In a bowl combine the lemon juice, wine, oil, oregano, and garlic salt.  Set aside 1/4 cup. Pour the remaining marinade into a plastic bag in a bowl; add the chicken or fish. Close bag; chill for 1 hour, turning once. For the
salsa, combine the reserved marinade, tomato, green onion, olives and  parsley, Cover; chill till serving time. Drain chicken or fish, reserving  marinade. Grill till chicken is tender and fish is flaky, turning and brushing often with the marinade. Just before serving add the almonds to the salsa and serve the salsa with the chicken or fish. Makes 1 cup marinade and 1
1/2 to 2 cups of salsa. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

BEER MARINADE FOR BEEF (pareve)

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. The beer will loose some of its
foam but that's OK. Pour the marinade over your choice of meat in a shallow
glass dish or heavy resealable plastic bag. Cover dish or seal bag and
refrigerate for up to 6 hours while marinating. Makes about 1-1/4 cups.
This recipe can be doubled or tripled. Makes approx. 3 cups of marinade.

Eileen Goltz, a professional chef and caterer, is the author of the new cookbook, Perfectly Pareve.