Nobody

On Shavuos, which starts this evening, we read Megillath Ruth. Among the many lessons the Scroll of Ruth teaches us, aside from King David‘s genealogy, one particularly stands out in my mind… We read: U’Boaz alah hasha’ar vayeshev sham. Vehinei hago’el over, asher diber Boaz, vayomer, ‘sura shva po Ploni Almoni’ vayosar vayeshev. – Boaz, meanwhile, had gone up to the gate and sat down there. Just then, the redeemer of whom Boaz spoke passed by. He said, “Come over, sit down here, Ploni Almoni.” (Ruth 4:1).

Undoubtedly, as a relative, Boaz knew the name of the man he had just addressed, why then is he referred to here as Ploni Almony (Unnamed, or Anonymous One)? It is obvious that the author of the scroll meant this anonymity as a rebuke. What was the Unnamed One’s grievous sin, that caused such a castigation? He certainly had every right to refuse to marry Ruth, besides, he broke no halachic ruling by doing so, but… was he right?

He refused to marry Ruth “lest I imperil my inheritance (Ruth 4:5).” He refuses to marry her out of purely selfish reasons, as the Midrash explains, “Machlon and Chilion died only because they married Moabite women, shall I then go and take her?” Ruth, had not only converted to Judaism, she did forsake her land and her royal family to follow Naomi and became a poor gatherer of sheaves, but to Ploni Almoni she was still a “Moabite.”

Ruth, the convert, was destined to become the ancestress of King David and the Royal House of Israel, the ancestress of Moschiach, but Ploni Almoni was too blind, too wrapped up with himself to understand what was the right thing to do. Sometimes one must go above and beyond the minimum required by law; in Ploni Almoni‘s case, though he didn’t break any laws, though he was within his right… he was, nevertheless, wrong. He was wrong to the point where Rabbeinu Yoel Sirkis in his commentary – Be’er Mayim – brings down that the Unnamed One forfeited his p0rtion of olam haba, the world to come!

The lesson that must be learned, therefore, is that when an occasion presents itself to perform a good deed, one must not think of just him/herself; the individual must rise to the occasion and step outside the area of personal comfort and attend to the other’s needs as if they were his/her own. Then and only then, will one cease to be a Nameless Nobody, then and only then will one truly honor Hakadosh Baruch Hu, he/she will then honor the Creator far more than with all one’s prayers and fasts. By helping another with all one’s heart and without a shred of selfishness, not only will one actually become a Somebody, not only will one sincerely serve the Almighty, but he/she will accelerate the coming of Moschiach Tzidkeinu bimheiro vyomeinu!

At this time of receiving the Torah, may each one of us cease to be a Nobody, may each one of us become a Somebody worthy of one’s name!

CS

Chag same’ach – A guttn yonteff!!!

Vichyssoise

It can be served cold or hot, but I prefer it cold; it’s perfect for summer and… perfect for Shavuos!

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 large leeks
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 1 lb potatoes, chopped
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock *
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• pinch of ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 egg yolk
• 2/3 cup light cream
• salt and white pepper
• freshly snipped chives, to garnish

Directions

1. Trim the leeks and remove most of the green parts. slice the white part of the leeks very finely.
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the leeks and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, without browning.
3. Add the potatoes, stock, lemon juice, nutmeg, coriander, and bay leaf to the pan, season to taste with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, until all the vegetables are very soft.
4. Let the soup cool a bit, remove and discard the bay leaf, and then press through a strainer or process in a food processor or blender until smooth. Pour into a clean pan.
5. Blend the egg yolk into the cream, add a little of the soup to the mixture, and then whisk it all back into the soup and reheat gently, without boiling. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Cool and then chill thoroughly in the refrigerator.
6. Serve the soup sprinkled with freshly snipped chives.

–oOOoOOo–

* Vegetable Stock

Yield: 8 1/2 cups

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons sunflower or corn oil
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1/2 cup finely chopped leek
• 2/3 cup finely chopped carrots
• 4 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup finely chopped fennel
• 1 small tomato, finely chopped
• 10 cups water
• 1 bouquet garni

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and leek and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the remaining vegetables, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the water and bouquet garni, bring to a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes,
2. Strain the stock into a bowl, let cool, cover and store in the refrigerator. use immediately or freeze in portions for up to 3 months.

Since I was a kid this soup was a favorite of mine, considering that very few dishes were deemed acceptable to my palate, that’s saying a lot about Vichyssoise. Try it, and you’ll be hooked too.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

A Very Special Shabbat at the Manhattan Sephardic Congregation

Between family events, Shavuos and then Shabbat I was away all week in another state. I couldn’t wait, however, to share my experience of a very special Shabbat.

On the Shabbat prior to Shavuot (Parshat Nasso) I stayed by some good friends who are members of the Manhattan Sephardic Congregation (325 East 75th Street, New York, NY 10021). Having grown up in Uruguay with a lot of Sephardi cronies, attending a shul – here in Brooklyn – where we have quite a few Persian members, I was somewhat familiar with non-Ashkenazi rites, or so I thought…

A weekday Schacharis... Photo by: Irving Schild

On Friday eve – erev Shabbat, as everyone was reciting the Shir Hashirim together, there was a certain electricity in the air. The recitation wasn’t just a word mouthing exercise, the fervor was palpable! Each chapter was led by a different member of the kehilla, each picking up where the other left off, without skipping a beat. The tfilllot and their haunting, lilting melodies transported me to another era, to another place. Shabbat eve’s meal consisted of Moroccan and Latin American dishes, a delight for the eyes, the nose, the palate. For the first time in many a decade, a major part of the conversation was in Spanish, I loved it. All that, however, was just the appetizer for what was about to come. The tfillot on Shabbat day introduced me to even greater depths of feeling. Never since I returned to the US in 1977 – after 10 years in Eretz Yisroel – did I get to join other kohanim on a Shabbat for the birkat kohanim on a regular Shabbat, not once but twice! Though the melodies were far different from any I was used to, there was something indescribably beautiful in the voices, the words, the emotions. Many time I was left full of awe after the blessings, but never before, here in chutz la’aretz, have I felt so much like a true descendant of Aharon HaKohen.

Rabbi Benchimol, the Congregation’s Rav, gave an inspiring drasha (but even this was only a forerunner of things to come) weaving golden threads, from Sephardi and Ashkenazi sfarim, into a stunningly rich tapestry.

After Mussaf was over we had kiddush. The previous evening I’d been warned that this particular kiddush was rather a meager one… Meager? By what standards?!?!? Like most of the members, I had challah at the kiddush, there was no need for further lunch. They dare call this meager?!?

Before mincha Rabbi Benchimol gave a shiur, again the wealth and breadth of his lamdut reminded me of a large treasure chest bursting with precious stones, with gold, with silver. Not only does he know his mekorot but his way of meshing them together, his insights, had us all enthralled as we listened and eagerly picked up every pearl pouring forth..

The seudah shlishit, was a veritable feast again, but by this time I expected it to be… and it didn’t disappoint. The warmth of the predominantly Moroccan congregation, the depth of the feelings evoked, tfillot that left me feeling feeling humbled but inspired, made this a Shabbat I will long treasure. One Ashkenazi member of MSC told me – in response to my question as to what brought him to a Sephardic bet knesset – “I find myself emotionally drawn to this minyan!” Frankly, I’m starting to feel the same way…

CS

Shavuos Recipes – Part 2

I am a confirmed hardcore carnivore, but every once in a while I have to make some nice pasta dishes for a milchig dinner. Especially now that Shavuos is almost upon us… Here are two of my favorites:

Fettuccine Alfredo with Mushrooms

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 lb fettucine
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• pinch of nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste.
• 3/4 cup chopped shitake mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 cup shredded Mozarella

Directions

1. Mix the butter and 2/3 cup of the heavy cream, bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 2 minutes or until the cream has thickened slightly.
2. Boil a large pan of lightly salted water, over medium heat.
3. Add the pasta, bring back to a boil and cook for 9 minutes or until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain pasta thoroughly, return to pan, pour in the sauce (from step 1)
4. Toss the pasta in the sauce, over a low fire, until thoroughly coated. Add the remaining 1/3 cup of heavy cream, the shredded Mozarella, nutmeg, mushrooms, salt and pepper to taste. Toss the pasta thoroughly in the whole mixture while on a low flame.
5. While pasta is cooking, sauté the mushrooms and garlic in a little bit of oil, until garlic pieces are golden brown.
6. Put the pasta mixture on a large warmed serving plate. Add the sautéed mushrooms and garlic. Serve and sprinkle generously with the grated Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4

Vegetable Cannelloni

Delicious is an understatement!

Ingredients

• 12 cannelloni
• 1 eggplant
• 1/2 cup fresh spinach
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 1/4 cup chopped mushrooms
• salt and pepper
• Basil, to garnish

Tomato Sauce

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 lb 12 ozs canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon 10x confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
• 4 Mozzarella slices

Directions

1. In a large pan boil some lightly salted water. Add the cannelloni, return to a boil and cook for another 9 minutes or until tender but still firm to the bite. Put pasta in a plate and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Cut the eggplant into small dice. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. add the eggplant, stir frequently while cooking for about three minutes.
3. Add spinach, garlic, cumin and mushrooms. Reduce the heat. Season with pepper and salt to taste. Cooking for 2 to 3 minutes stirring constantly. Spoon the mixture into the cannelloni. Arrange cannelloni in a casserole in a single layer.
4. To make the sauce, heat oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar and basil. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over cannelloni.
5. Arrange the Mozzarella slices over the sauce and bake in 375 F. preheated oven for 30 minutes or until cheese is golden brown and bubbling. serve hot garnished with a prig of basil.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy AND don’t forget to send us your favorite Shavuos recipes (there is a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses as the prize for the best!) to:

kosherscene@gmail.com

CS

RELATED POSTS

shavuos recipes 

————–

shavuos recipes – part 2

shavuos recipes – part 1 

For prize winning cheese cake recipes: and the winner is…

Shavuos’ Minhagim: Morocco

A good friend emailed me a link yesterday with some Moroccan Shavuos‘ customs and explanations. I found them fascinating. I believe you will too, gentle reader, especially after master photographer – former Chairman of Fashion Institute of Technology’s Photo Department – Irving Schild, graciously allowed us to use two of his photos, taken during a recent trip to Morocco with the Manhattan Sephardic Congregation:

The magic, the enchantment, of Jewish life in Morocco - as seen through Irving Schild's camera lens...

Darké Aboténou 

26 Iyar 5771 – May 30, 2011 – Perashat Naso

Netibot Hama’arab – e”H Ribi Eliyahou Bitton s”t

Traditions of Shabu’ot

20) We have the minhag to save masot from Pesah, and on Shabu’ot they would crush them and mix them with milk and honey and after Shaharit of Shabu’ot they would eat this. We use milk and honey because they are compared to the Tora as Hazal say (Shir haShirim 4:11)  “Debash vehalab tahat leshonekh” – “Honey and Milk under your tongue.” So as milk and honey linger in your mouth, so too the Tora should constantly linger on your tongue. See more in Midrash Shir haShirim 11, Noheg beHokhma p.202, Nahagu ha’Am p.106, Yahadut haMaghreb (Shabu’ot), and Shemo Yosef Siman 143 by Ribi Yosef Benoualid zs”l, 1907.

21) On Shabu’ot we make a special dish called in Arabic “lhrabel” made from masa meal, sugar and mint, and they would form this mixture into long ovals to eat after Shaharit (see below for an example and the recipe found on www.dafina.net). This also corresponds to what is written “debash vehalab tahat leshonekh,” – “Honey and milk under your tongue” and this is why we eat more sweet foods than normal on Shabu’ot, in honour of the Tora and its misvot. See Osrot haMaghreb (Shabu’ot).

22) Many have the tradition to prepare a cooked food from the intestines of a cow [T.N. they would use it as casing for a sort of sausage called in Arabic ‘Lkrisa] in honour of Shabu’ot. It was known that this was one of the tastiest meals, so they made it in honour of theHag. Also, Hazal tell us that half of the hag should be dedicated to Hashem (i.e. Tefila and studying Tora) while the other half to ourselves, (i.e. eating and singing) so they ate this dish for ‘oneg – enjoyment of the hag. See Osrot haMaghreb (Shabu’ot).

[On the first day of Shabu’ot some, especially those from Mogador, have the custom of making l’Ada – Lintria (wide pasta, tagliatelle) with pieces of lamb and fried onions with raisins.]

Courtyard, in Morocco - photo by: Irving Schild

We’d love to hear about your Shavuos minhagim. We also want to remind you about our Shavuos Recipe Contest, you can a nice package of cholov Yisroel cheese selections. Email us at:

kosherscene@gmail.com

CS

Shavuos Recipes

The Shavuos Recipe Contest, which we announced on May 12th, has so far netted only 11 entries. Come now, gentle readers, we know there are some great cooks out there, please send us your favorite dairy recipes for a chance to win a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses.

Meanwhile, having attended Lévana’s delicious Shavuos themed Dinner and a Show this past Monday, she graciously agreed to share two recipes:

Photo by: levanacooks.com

Cold Watercress Soup Recipe

Cold soups would always be a thrill if only they were made with full-bodied and full-flavored veggies, as they are here. No stock or broth whatsoever! Bouillon cubes? Let’s not even go there!

There are several variations you might enjoy on this theme, keeping as always a short and sweet ingredient selection: Broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus instead of the watercress and zucchini; potatoes, turnips, parsnips, cauliflower instead of the celery root. Play with all the possibilities!

The immersion blender is a wonderfully nifty tool, inexpensive and portable (it will fit in a drawer), that allows you to blend your soup directly and in one shot right in your pot. No transferring, no mess. Just make sure there are no bones in the soup, or you will break your blade.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 large leeks, sliced
• 1 large celery knob, diced
• 2 large zucchini, cut in large chunks
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 quarts (8 cups) water
• 2 cups dry white wine
• Salt to taste
• 4 bunches watercress, stems and leaves
• Good pinch nutmeg
• 4 cups cold milk or non-dairy milk
• Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. Add the leeks and sauté until translucent.
2. Add the celery, zucchini, turmeric, water, wine and salt, and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the watercress and cook only a few seconds, until wilted. Turn off the flame.
5. The remaining ingredients and cream the soup with an immersion blender. Adjust the texture and seasonings.
6. Chill the soup.

As a kid growing up in Montevideo, Uruguay, I had to contend with two major handicaps:

• The first neighborhood we lived in was mostly Italian and we were the only Jews in our building, the lone Jewboy was a natural target…
• I was extremely overweight and couldn’t run too well, that much better for the nabe’s bullies.

My saintly mother (aleha Hasholom!) decided she’d become the best Italian cook in the neighborhood. Why? So that everyone would want to be invited over for a meal and thus, out of pure self interest, stop beating up the very fat Jewish kid… One of the favorites was polenta, here’s Lévana’s own version:

Polenta Casserole au Gratin Recipe

Please ignore those insipid cooked polenta rolls you find in the supermarket: Making the polenta base takes minutes, and is the bulk of the work for this delicious dish, which will serve a good dozen guests! Au Gratin just means it is topped with a crust: Yum!

This is only one of the wonderful polenta possiblities: You will love to explore them, as it is not only delicious but very nutritious, and gluten-free to boot. You can:

• Eat the polenta as is, hot and un-assembled (in other words, only the first step of the recipe) as the grain for a main course.
• Thin it with a little water, garlic and minced basil, maybe a couple diced tomatoes for a great soup
• Cut the cooled polenta in cubes or triangles and put it right under your broiler flame
• Make other fillings: Roasted diced vegetables (mushrooms, eggplant, red pepper, fennel, artichoke hearts, etc…..
• Make it dairy-free. Cook it in water or dairy-free milk, and/or substitute some white wine for some of the water or milk.

Ingredients

• 9 cups milk, low-fat OK
• A few drops olive oil
• Salt to taste (remember the cheese is salty, so very little please)
• 3 cups coarse cornmeal
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or other strong cheese
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 cup basil leaves, packed
• 1 large red onion
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 5 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• Good pinch dried pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Topping

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, gluten-free OK
• 3 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Boil water, oil, and salt in a large pot. Add the cornmeal and stir until thick. This should take about ten minutes.
2. Stir in the cheese.
3. Pour the mixture into a greased cookie sheet, in a layer no more than half an inch thick. You might fill one and a half cookie sheets. Let the polenta cool.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F.
5. While the polenta is cooling, make the sauce: in a food processor, coarsely grind the garlic, basil and onion. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining sauce ingredients.
6. Grease an 11-by-14-inch lasagna pan. Make one layer polenta, making sure you leave no blank spaces. Add half the sauce.
7. Repeat: one layer polenta, one layer sauce. Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, or until the dish looks bubbly and hot.
8. Mix the bread crumbs with the butter, and sprinkle over the dish. Bake another 10 minutes.
9. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares. Makes a dozen servings.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy AND don’t forget to send us your favorite Shavuos recipes (there is a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses as the prize for the best!) to:

kosherscene@gmail.com

Meanwhile, check out Lévana’s pages for more Shavuos delicacies.

CS

RELATED POSTS

shavuos recipes – part 2 

————–

shavuos recipes – part 2

shavuos recipes – part 1

and for prize winning cheese cake recipes: and the winner is…

Shavuos Contest

Last year we announced The Kosher Scene’s First Annual Shavuot Cheese Cake Contest, as a result we received 21 recipes by the time it was over. We realize that not everyone is a baker so this year instead of cheesecake we are announcing a Shavuot Best Dairy Recipe Contest. It need not be a cheescake, it can be anything, BUT cheese must be one the ingredients.

Last year’s winner got the following cholov Yisroel cheeses from N&K some of whose products we’ve reviewed on these pages (here and here):

Stack 108 slices stack White American, 16ozs. Mozarella chunk, 8ozs. Muenster chunk, 8 ozs. Cheddar chunk, 6ozs. Muenster slices, 6ozs. Swiss slices, 6ozs. Processed Pepper Jack slices, 8ozs. shredded Pizza Cheese, 8 ozs. shredded Chef's Blend, 12 Mozarella Cheese Sticks

You may not like to bake, but you may like to cook up a storm of delicious dishes for Shavuot, so please, send us some of your best recipes to:

KosherScene@gmail.com

We’ll publish the most mouth watering ones with the author’s name and the winner will receive a selection of cheeses from N&K to rival last year’s prize. All entries must be emailed by Monday, June 6 of 2011. We will announce the winner on Monday the 13th of June. Send us your best recipes, don’t be shy. Even if you think other readers may send in better ones, try anyway, don’t let your modesty keep you from winning. Your family will be proud of you, other readers will thank you. We can’t wait to see your best efforts, our mouth are already salivating.

For last year’s delicious winning cheesecake recipes, check out: and the winner is…

CS

What Gives a Food Critic the Right to Critique?

Granted, CS and I have a combined prandial gastronomic, collectivistic consumption spanning nearly a century (we make no admission of time exceeding that!). Coincidentally, we were both blessed with superbly critical, highly skilled, culinary genius in the kitchen – parents of Polish and Hungarian descent respectively. They tolerated nothing but brilliance and excellence from their gifted, savant, miraculous offspring of the Diaspora and post Nazi oblation – instilling in us not only superior minds and egos endowed by birth, as well as a natural hunger for all things good. Our generation was brought up with the assumption that somehow we were born with inalienable rights to judge and critique the handiwork of our peers but never our parents. Both of us share the uncanny experience of every patriarchal inquisition into our lives and all critical moments predicated with the always relevant questions: “What did they serve?”, or “What did you eat? Was it good?”

The locus of kosher restaurants we’ve marked collectively through the various stages of our lives is equally impressive. From family style restaurants, to fancy upscale dating restaurants, from cafés for momentary pondering or perusal to married dating eateries, circling back to family restaurants and some of us back to dating restaurants again… we’ve done them all! The Shabbos tables we’ve set and served along with the tables we’ve guested at – often with suffered grimaced smiles of approval conceding to our napkins the putrid memorial – or being imparadised by occasional sensational dishes provided by our hosts! The trials and tribulations of experimental dishes imposed on our loving families without dis-ownership or dis-membership is legendary.

...eating our words

CS has an impressive curriculum vitae – having written many a fine food and/or wine review for well known global publications. I, on the other hand, am more the ‘everyman’, learning through doing, acquiring new skill sets, cultivating and advancing my palate and knowledge as I go along. And now we both sit here… judging others with culinary degrees and years of mastery in the art of Kosher cooking. Yeah, maybe we’ve cultivated our palates enough to judge… certainly as well as the consumers whose attendance make or break a restaurant. Mostly, we are grateful, grateful for the abundance of excellent restaurant choices and fine cuisine that we have been privileged to find and sample. It’s competitive out there and to keep the edge, a fine dining restaurant has to be good. We want a great dining experience and customers want to feel that the money spent was well worth the investment. The mediocre don’t survive for long. There are some food reviews that we’ll never publish, nameless here forever more…

There are many great kosher restaurants yet to review and savor. We love sharing our experiences with you and hope you enjoy sharing with us here at The Kosher Scene. With z’man matan Torah upon us, we would like to wish all our readers a Chag Shavuot sameach! May this time of Torah and harvest bring cornucopian blessings of plenty into your homes and lives.

We’ve collected some great Yom Tov recipes here and here. Enjoy!

SYR

Shavuos Recipes – Part 2

Pam Reiss posted an interesting recipe on her Pam’s Kosher Collection page on Facebook:

A Twist on Cheese Kugel for Shavuot — Pesto Vegetable Cheese Kugel
Serves 10

Ingredients:
1 lb. broad egg noodles
2 oz. basil leaves — (1 cup firmly packed)
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
7 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup ricotta cheese — (Cottage Cheese if you can’t find it)
1 small red onion — peeled and chopped small
1 small bell pepper — cored, seeded and diced small
1 small zucchini — diced small
1 small eggplant — (Japanese) diced small
8 oz. button mushrooms — (3 cups) sliced
6 large eggs

Cook the noodles following package instructions. Drain well and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

Prepare the pesto by placing the basil, garlic, salt, black pepper and 3 tbsp. of olive oil in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Add parmesan and puree to combine. Add to the noodles along with the ricotta cheese.

Use a non-stick frying pan to sauté the vegetables. Over medium-high heat, sauté the red onion in 2 Tbsp. olive oil for 5-8 minutes, until soft and beginning to brown. Remove the onions from the pan and add to the noodles. (Try to leave excess oil in pan). If necessary, add additional 1-2 tbsp. of oil as you sauté the different vegetables.

Add the pepper to the pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Remove once they start to brown and add to the noodles. Continue sautéing the zucchini, eggplant and mushrooms on their own and add them to the noodles once cooked.

Mix the noodles, pesto and vegetables together and taste, checking for salt and pepper. Remember that the noodles will absorb the salt, so make sure you can taste it. Let cool.

Whisk the eggs and add them to the mixing bowl combine with the rest of the ingredientsl. Grease a 9″x13″ casserole and pour the mixture into it. Use a spatula to evenly distribute, then place the kugel into a preheated 350º oven. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the top of the kugel is golden brown.

Sounds delicious, we’ll be trying it this Shavous!

CS

RELATED POSTS

shavuos recipes – part 2 

shavuos recipes 

————–

shavuos recipes – part 1 

and for prize winning cheese cake recipes: and the winner is…

Shavuos Recipes – Part 1

Being a foodie, I’m always scouring the net or pestering friendly Chefs for new interesting creations. Here are two superb Shavuot recipes. The incomparable Lévana will always find a way to do it different, to make it easier and keep it delicious!

Ricotta Almond Pie

Anyone looking for a nice departure from the traditional all-American Cheesecake? This is for you! light and ethereal, with a wonderful almond crust and scented with lemon peel. I just made it for a fundraiser demo and watched it disappear with great pleasure!

Almond crust ingredients:
1/2 cup almonds
1/4 cup brown sugar
Dash salt
2 cups flour (any flour, including Gluten-free)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter, cut in pieces
2 tablespoon very cold water, or a little more if needed.

Filling ingredients:
3 cups ricotta
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons brandy or rum
2 tablespoons lemon zest

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Make the crust: finely grind the almonds with the sugar. Add the salt, flour, vanilla and butter and pulse just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water and mix just until the dough comes together. Working quickly, spread into an 11inch springform pie plate, coming up the sides.

Whisk all the filling ingredients together. Pour into the pie crust. Bake about 40 minutes, or until set.

For a long time I wanted a great kosher recipe for French Onion Soup Recipe… I finally found it:

Every single ingredient in this wonderful soup is in on the secret of its success: All the members of the onion family are present; fresh thyme; The mixture of dark miso and dry red wine do wonders to imitate the beef broth that is the trademark of onion soup but that is off-limits to Kosher and Vegetarian Cooking; The cheeses must be freshly grated.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 large onions, sliced very thin (food processor)
4 large shallots, sliced very thin (food processor)
2 large leeks, white parts only, sliced very thin (processor)
6 large cloves garlic, minced (food processor)
3 tablespoons sugar
2 cups dry red wine (liquor stores)
1/2 cup dark miso paste (health food stores)
6 sprigs thyme, leaves only (or with their stems, but remember to fish it out)
2 1/2 quarts (10 cups) water
Good pinch nutmeg
Salt and freshly grated ground pepper (very little salt if at all)
1 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 cup smoked cheese, cut in small chunks
1 cup grated parmesan
A dozen slices baguette, cut on bias, toasted. (375 degrees oven, for about 20 minutes, until light brown)

Directions:
Heat the oil in a heavy pot, and in it fry the onions, shallots, leeks and garlic on a medium flame, about 30 minutes, until dark. Add the sugar and cook two more minutes until caramelized. Add wine, miso, thyme, water and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook covered another 30 minutes.  Stir in the ground pepper and nutmeg. Pour the mixture into individual oven-proof soup crocks. Float a slice of toasted baguette in the center of each bowl, and a handful of the mixed grated cheeses, and run under the broiler for just a few seconds. If you don’t own the crocks, no problem, just stir in the cheeses at the end and cooking, right in the pot, and top each serving with a slice of toast. It won’t look as dramatic, but it will be every bit as delicious!

Enjoy these folk, I know I will.

CS

related posts

shavuos recipes – part 2 

shavuos recipes 

————–

shavuos recipes – part 2

For prize winning cheese cake recipes: and the winner is…