It's Hamantaschen Time!

Makes about 36 Hamantaschen

Ingredients:

Dough:

2/3 cup pareve margarine or butter
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2-3 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Dash of salt




1. Cream the shortening with sugar. Add egg and continue creaming until smooth.

2. Add the vanilla. Stir in the sifted flour, baking powder, and salt until a ball of dough is formed
(a food processor is excellent for this).

3. Chill for 2-3 hours, or overnight.

4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

5. Taking 1/4 of the dough, roll out on a lightly floured board to a thickness of 1/8 inch.

Cut circles of dough with a drinking glass or round cookie-cutter.

With your finger put water around the rim of the circle.

Fill with 1 teaspoon poppy-seed or nut filling and fold into three-cornered cookies. **
(Press two sides together, and then fold the third side over and press the ends together.)

6. Bake on a well-greased cookie sheet 10-16 minutes, until the tops are golden.

These freeze very well to help avoid that last minute holiday rush!

Poppyseed Filling:

1 c. poppy seed
1/2 c. water or milk
1/4 c. honey
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1 lg. egg, slightly beaten

 

Combine first 5 ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over moderate heat until thick, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes. Add lemon juice. Add a little of the hot mixture to the beaten egg and then stir into the remaining poppy seed mixture. Cool thoroughly before using.  This filling can be frozen for later use.


** Alternative fillings - One can fill these delicious pastries with any good fruit preserves - apricot, raspberry, and strawberry are yummy, although not traditional. My own family uses a mixture of ground dates, walnuts, sugar and freshly ground cardamom. My cousin's grandmother used ground cooked fig and walnuts or simply ground walnuts, sugar and freshly ground cardamom. I have not seen these used in households other than my family's or those of my childhood shul, however Turkish/Iraqi Jewish cooking has its own variations, as do most localities, depending upon the fruits or other ingredients in season.

A friend of mine from Norway always uses 1/2 almond flavouring and 1/2 vanilla extract in the dough and for the filling she used only nuts, sugar and ground cardamom and dusted each with powdered sugar using a flour sifter. Very pretty.

(K)P or (K)D if Butter is used

Old Fashioned Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

 Hot Fudge Pudding Cake

When I was a girl, I used to make this recipe for our big family - it was delicious.  It came from my mother's Betty Crocker Cookbook, circa 1950's.  As you can see, it has no egg in it and also, very little butter or milk.  I remember being told this was a recipe that was created during WWII when the above items were rationed.

Double the recipe for a large family -  The recipe below is for a 9" square pan and should serve 8-9 people.  I normally double the recipe and bake in a 13 x 9 x 2 pan.  Enjoy!

Cake:

    1 cup all-purpose flour

    ¾ cup granulated sugar

    2 tablespoons Dutch processed cocoa

    2 teaspoons baking powder

    ¼ teaspoon salt

    ½ cup non-dairy milk substitute - soy, almond, light coconut milk, etc.  (or dairy milk)

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    2 tablespoons margarine (or butter), melted

 Topping:

    1 cup light brown sugar

    ¼ cup Dutch processed cocoa

    ¼ teaspoon salt

This water mixture will make the topping turn into the hot fudge pudding:

    1¾ cup nearly boiling water

    2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350ºF.

Measure flour, granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons cocoa, the baking powder and ¼ teaspoon salt into a mixing bowl. Stir in non-dairy milk substitute (or dairy milk), 1 teaspoon vanilla and melted margarine (or butter). Spread batter in an un-greased 9-inch square pan.

Stir together brown sugar, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ cup cocoa; sprinkle over batter. (some like to sprinkle chopped walnuts on top, at this stage.  I have never used them)

Stir 2 teaspoons vanilla into hot water and pour gently over all. DO NOT STIR!

During baking, the 'cake' portion will rise to the top and the hot fudge pudding will settle to the bottom.

Bake 45 minutes. Serve warm.  Top with non-dairy whipped topping, non-dairy ice-cream or if you are having a dairy meal, - go for it with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Note:  If preparing for Shabbat, bake before candle lighting and simply cool on a rack on your blech.

Can be made (K) parve or (dairy)

Smoked Trout Pate - can be made "Kosher for Passover"

 I have eaten smoked trout pate from the store and although it has been nice, this recipe is delicious, less expensive and much nicer to serve. 

It might sound sophisticated but this smoked trout pate is quick and easy to prepare.  Other smoked varieties of fish are equally nice.  Can easily be served as kosher for passover - check labels on all ingredients.

Makes 2 - 3 cups

Ingredients:

    400g (14-16 oz) smoked trout fillet (carefully check for bones!)

    280g (9 oz.) margarine (or unsalted butter), softened

    2 Tbsp. horseradish

    Pinch of cayenne pepper

    100ml (5 tbs) creme fraiche or sour cream (or use non-dairy alternative)

    40ml (2 Tbsp.) lemon juice, plus extra to serve

    2 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill

Method:

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until combined, then season with salt and pepper. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Garnish with a sprig of fresh dill and lemon wedges.

To Serve:

For Pesach:  Spread on matzah or use as a dip for raw veggies.
During the rest of the year:  crackers or dry toasted bread (like Melba toast) is nice

If you have non-dairy sour cream available, this pate can be made 'parve' - which makes this a more versatile recipe.

Leftover Challah? Make Croutons!

I bake challah every week.  Sometimes I have many guests and most of it gets eaten.  Often, I will use it for toast or make french toast for breakfast on Sunday morning.  Sometimes it is just me so I have a lot of challa left over.

This week I had extra challah left over and I figured I would make some croutons for salads.  Prepared croutons are so expensive in the store - this is a good way to use up any leftover bread.  After the croutons have cooled, put them in an air-tight container or a zip plastic bag.

I keep a quart jar filled with olive oil and smashed garlic in my refrigerator at all time.  It gets semi-solid so it is very easy to spread.  It will soon become liquid when room temperature.  I use this oil for my croutons and also to make garlic bread.  I have written an alternative in the recipe below in case you do not store garlic infused oil in your own refrigerator.

As my oven is parve, I can use these croutons on any salad and with any meal.


                                  

 Croutons before toasting

 Croutons after toasting

How to make Homemade Croutons:

Use whatever leftover, stale bread you have on hand.  Cut it into cubes.  If you get some crumbs, dry them out and store them to use as bread crumbs in a recipe

Line a baking sheet with parchment or baking paper.  Drizzle olive oil over the parchment paper.  Use either powdered garlic, garlic salt (if you like it) or something else to sprinkle on top of the oil.  Scatter bread cubes over the oiled surface.  Toss with your hands or a parve spatula.  If necessary, drizzle a bit more olive oil over the bread cubes.  I often will put more garlic on and sometimes a bit of salt.  This is optional, of course.

Bake in a 250°F/120°C  until the bread cubes are light brown and completely dry. Taste one to check.  If not completely toasted through, then bake a bit longer but watch them carefully at this point so they do not burn! Croutons must be completely toasted through or they will not keep well.

Cool on baking sheet.  Once croutons are completely cool, store in an airtight container.  Enjoy!
K (p)

Moroccan Fish Cakes in Lemon Sauce

Adapted from Levana Kirshchenbaum


Ingredients:


For the fish cakes:

• 1 pound skinless, boneless fish fillets, such as cod, hoki, scrod, flounder, sole, tilapia or salmon, cut into big chunks (children usually prefer a mild fish such as cod, hoki or sole)
• 1/2 small onion
• 4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, stems removed - sometimes I use corriander/cilantro - yum!
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/2 tablespoon grated lemon zest
• dash of nutmeg
• dash of cayenne
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

For the sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups water
• pinch of saffron threads
• 1/4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon capers
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

 Method:

1. Combine the fish, onion, parsley or coriander/cilantro, egg, oil, lemon zest, nutmeg salt and pepper to taste in a food processor, and process until perfectly smooth. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl, add the bread crumbs, and GENTLY mix thoroughly. With wet hands, shape the fish mixture into 6 oval patties.
2. Combine the water, saffron, turmeric, oil, lemon juice, and capers and bring to a boil in a heavy saucepan over high heat.
3. Add the fish patties to the pot and cook, uncovered, for about 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the patties to a platter. Reduce the liquid in the pot until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the mustard and stir until smooth. Pour the sauce over the patties. Serve warm or at room temperature.

YIELD: About 6-8 fish course servings

K (p)

Lemon Butter Sauce ~ good for fish or veggies!

This delicious sauce only takes 3 -4 minutes to make.  If you are making it for Shabbat, make this last.  You can set it aside on a blech until serving time. It is a thin sauce - not at all thick like hollandaise so a little goes a long way.  Still, I normally double this recipe.

Ingredients: 

2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
3 Tbs dry white vermouth OR Cheap dry white wine (my daughter figured this out!)
Salt and white pepper
1 stick (115 g) chilled butter cut in to 12 fingertip-size pieces

Instructions:

In a small saucepan, slowly boil the lemon juice, vermouth, and ¼ tablespoon of salt. Boil down to about 1 tablespoon. A piece or two at a time, beat in the chilled pieces of butter, adding another piece or two just as the previous pieces just have melted, so that the sauce remains ivory colored, rather than looking like melted butter.

Keep warm until serving time. 

A little goes a long way - but I normally double the recipe as it is just so yummy spooned over vegetables and fish.  In the photo below, I served the Lemon Butter Sauce with salmon and asparagus. Often, I will toss on a few capers as they are so delicious.

Easy Alfredo Sauce

 

Use a package of kosher cream cheese - put this in a milchig pan.

Pour some milk over it and grate heaps of parmesean cheese over it. Turn this on low. 

Chop up some parsley and chuck most of it in (save some for teh pretty!) 

Add one pressed clove of garlic.

Now, for added taste, use a bit of salt, pepper, a bit of cayenne and especially some nutmeg or allspice to give it that unique flavour. Let it all blend together over low heat until everything is melted and creamy. If it gets too thick, add some more milk.

I use the 1/3 less fat variety of cream cheese but I don't think it makes much difference.  Simply do one more push up the next day.  Or take the stairs.

Sometimes I will separate out some of the sauce and mix in a tablespoon or so of pesto. Very nice.

Serve with fettuccine pasta (or whatever you have in the house)  Oh, and bread.  And wine.

I will clean up this recipe a bit another day ~ I am currently finishing up the last of the leftover wine from Shabbat...as one does.