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All Good Fasts Must Come To An End

September 24, 2008
By Judy Bart Kancigor

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I can tell when the High Holidays are approaching, because I start getting those phone calls – from my family, my friends, my mother’s friends…even strangers!

“Can I make the brisket ahead and freeze it?”
“How about the kugel?”
“What can I do with my burnt honey cake?”


(Yes and yes to the first two and “Um, do you have a dog?” to the third.)

Jewish cooks the world over are shopping and chopping, searing and sautéing – so many dishes, so little time.

In bygone days our foremothers, stay-at-home moms before that term ever became popular, had few distractions from the task at hand: putting a holiday feast on the table for their large extended families.

Today’s cooks squeeze the job in between work, carpools, meetings, etc. – all while trying to recreate those labor-intensive recipes their grandmothers slaved over. For what is a holiday if not the gathering of families connecting to their roots and traditions?

No sooner is Rosh Hashanah over – dishes put away, leftovers stored – than we’re already thinking about the next big feast occurring the following week, the Break-the-Fast celebration that ends Yom Kippur.

All good fasts must come to an end, and every year our friends, Barbara and Sylvan Swartz, host their annual mega potluck feast. Everyone brings his or her specialty and we all dig in. You’d think we’d been starving for a week!

While in our family we crave traditional dishes for Rosh Hashanah – brisket, kugel, my mother’s chicken soup – Break-the-Fast at the Swartzes brings a serendipitous mix of old and new as we all try to outdo each other with our signature dishes.

Last year I brought my Layered Hummus and Eggplant appetizer, and I’ve already had requests to bring it again. The idea for the dish came to me in a dream! I’ve often heard chefs claim they created a recipe that way, but I never believed it until it happened to me.

Several years ago I had prepared hummus as well as an eggplant salad for a party, and that night, as I slept, the two merged into one. When I awoke I thought, what a great combination! After making a few adjustments to the two recipes, I tried it out on a cooking class, and students have told me that it has become a staple in their entertaining repertoire.

The secret of my homemade hummus is the roasted garlic, which really packs a wallop of flavor. But if you are one of those heretofore-mentioned frazzled, overextended cooks, you can even use store-bought hummus for this presentation.

The eggplant is sliced and fried, well drained and chopped into bite-size pieces, then mixed with a balsamic vinaigrette and spread over the hummus. Top with toasted pine nuts and chopped cilantro and serve with pita.

For Break-the-Fast, prepare the hummus and the eggplant ahead, toast the pine nuts and chop the cilantro. Wrap the chopped cilantro in a paper towel, and store it in the refrigerator in a resealable plastic bag. Then right before serving it takes only a few moments to assemble the dish.

Susie Fishbein’s latest book “Kosher by Design Short on Time” (Artscroll) is filled with ideas every time-pressed cook will appreciate. “As a working woman and mother of four, I ‘get’ the need for recipes for everyday life,” she says. While you’ll find lots of ideas for family meals, the book is packed with party recipes too.

Pesto-Glazed Orzo, Salmon, and Artichokes is an easy dish you can make ahead that would be a great addition to your Break-the-Fast buffet. And Susie wouldn’t be Susie without those innovative and creative ideas for dressing your table. In this book even the table décor is quick and easy!

“Use what you have,” she advises. She groups her antique teapot collection down the center of her table for a show-stopping conversation starter. “Each teapot comes with a story of how and when I came to acquire it,” she writes. “Whether you collect salt and pepper shakers, colored glass, postcards, or model cars, anything that is part of you will create immediate interest, and, when grouped together, can have great visual appeal.”

But what I love most about Susie’s books is her attention to the real meaning of the holidays and celebrations and the creative way she reinterprets them.

For Simchas Torah, for example, we traditionally eat things that are rolled, a culinary reminder of the Torah scrolls. "Stuffed cabbage can be kind of overdone,” says Fishbein, “but I've got this awesome Chicken Negemaki. The chicken is rolled around scallion and red pepper strips and tied like a scroll with another blanched scallion. Now, true, God never told us to eat Chicken Negemaki, but he didn’t tell us to eat stuffed cabbage either!"

Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “COOKING JEWISH: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family” by Judy Bart Kancigor (Workman) and can be found on the web at www.cookingjewish.com.



LAYERED HUMMUS AND EGGPLANT WITH ROASTED GARLIC AND PINE NUTS

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Adapted from “COOKING JEWISH: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family” by Judy Bart Kancigor (Workman)

1⁄4 cup balsamic vinegar
1⁄2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1⁄2 to 1 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt, or to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 1/2 to 2 pounds eggplant, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1⁄2 to 3⁄4 cup olive oil
Hummus with Roasted Garlic (recipe follows)
1⁄2 bunch cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, chopped (1/4 cup)
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
About 8 pita breads, cut into wedges

1. Prepare the dressing: Whisk the vinegar into the olive oil in a small bowl. Add the sugar, salt, and pepper, and mix well. Set aside.

2. Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Add the eggplant, in batches, and fry until it is cooked, browned, and slightly crisp, about 5 minutes per side. Continue cooking the eggplant, adding more oil as needed. Drain on ink-free paper towels and squeeze dry. Coarsely chop the drained eggplant, and transfer it to a bowl. Add salt to taste.

3. Whisk the dressing, pour about 6 tablespoons of it over the eggplant, or to taste, and stir.

4. To assemble the dish, spread the hummus evenly on a large, flat decorative platter. Top with the chopped eggplant, spreading it to within about 1 inch of the edge of the hummus. Sprinkle with the cilantro and toasted pine nuts. Serve with torn or cut pita bread for scooping.


Hummus with Roasted Garlic

1 head garlic
1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup tahini (100 % sesame seed paste, not tahini sauce)
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon kosher (coarse) salt, or more to taste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper


1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Slice off the top of the garlic head so that all the cloves are exposed. Place the garlic on a square of aluminum foil, and pour the 1 tablespoon oil over the exposed cloves. Twist the foil tight, and roast for 40 minutes. Open the foil and let the garlic cool for 5 to 10 minutes.

3. Combine the 1/4 cup vegetable oil and all the remaining ingredients in a food processor. When it is cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic out of the cloves and add it to the other ingredients. Process until smooth.


PESTO-GLAZED ORZO, SALMON, AND ARTICHOKES

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From “Kosher by Design Short on Time” (Artscroll) by Susie Fishbein

1 1/2 pounds salmon fillet, all pinbones removed
Fine and coarse sea salts
Freshly ground black pepper
12 whole button mushrooms, cleaned and halved
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 (1-pound) box orzo
1 bunch basil (2 cups packed leaves)
1/4 cup raw, shelled pistachios, not roasted or salted
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a broiler pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Place the salmon on the broiler pan. Season with fine sea salt and pepper.

Toss the mushrooms with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange them around the salmon. Roast for 25 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil into a large soup pot over medium heat. Add orzo and stir to coat with warm oil. Toast until lightly browned and fragrant, stirring occasionally.

Add water to come up halfway on the pot. Add 2 tablespoons fine or coarse sea salt and bring to a boil. Cook orzo until tender, usually 9-11 minutes. Drain and rinse orzo and set aside in a medium bowl.

Place basil leaves into a quart-sized or other high-sided container. Add pistachios, 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil, and a pinch of fine sea salt. Using an immersion blender, purée the mixture. This can also be done in a food processor.

Pour half of the pesto into the orzo. Break the salmon into chunks and add it to the orzo. Add the mushrooms and artichokes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt. Toss to combine.

Place into a bowl or serving platter and drizzle with remaining pesto. Best served warm or at room temperature.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings


CHICKEN NEGEMAKI WITH RED PEPPER CHUTNEY

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Red Pepper Chutney:
1 red bell pepper, seeded
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried red hot pepper flakes

Chicken Negemaki:
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, tenders removed
2 bunches scallions, separated into individual strips with roots trimmed
1 red bell pepper, sliced into very long, thin strips
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
Sesame seeds
3 tablespoons peanut oil

For the Red Pepper Chutney:
In the container of a food processor fitted with a metal blade, process the red pepper, garlic, and vinegar. Place the mixture in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown sugar and red pepper flakes. Simmer the sauce about 10 minutes or until reduced. Store sauce in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Chicken Negemaki:
Using a rolling pin or meat mallet, pound the chicken breasts between 2 pieces of parchment or waxed paper until they are an even thickness.

Take 8 of the scallions and trim them to the same length as the red pepper strips. Place the rest of the long scallions in a pot of hot water to blanch them so they will soften a little.

In the center of each cutlet place 1 strip of the rep pepper and 1 trimmed scallion. Roll the chicken around the pepper and scallion. Take 2 of the blanched scallions and use them to tie the chicken rolls about an inch from each end. It’s okay if the knot doesn’t hold perfectly. If your scallions are too long you may trim them a little after you’ve tied them. Make 7 more rolls in the way.

Place the chicken rolls in a zip-lock bag. In a small bowl combine the garlic, soy sauce, vinegar, and sesame oil. Add mixture to the chicken rolls. Seal the bag and turn it over a few times to coat each chicken roll. Marinate in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight, turning the bag occasionally.

Spread the sesame seeds on a piece of wax or parchment paper. Remove the chicken rolls from the marinade and roll each one in sesame seeds. Heat the peanut oil in a large skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Cover the pan and cook the chicken about 10 minutes or until cooked through, shaking the pan and turning occasionally to brown on all sides, adding more oil if necessary.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board. Using a sharp knife, trim the edges of each roll so they are flat. Slice each negemaki roll on the diagonal. To serve, stand the two pieces up on a plate and spoon the red pepper chutney around it.

Yield: 8 servings


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Recent Comments

Wow! Ended up here looking for the music to U'netane Tokef, and found these amazing recipes! I'm a good cook and have so many recipes already that I hardly ever print or buy new ones anymore--usually I can recognize that I already have something similar or better already. But these really are fantastic and I'm looking forward very much to trying them. Thanks! Fern Kettner posted on 10/03 at 05:45 AM.


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