Purim with Pizzazz

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A simply delicious Purim menu.

 

From Sara Finkel's latest culinary collection Simply Delicious

 

Chicken fricassee

An old family recipe with a marvelous sweet-and-sour sauce.

1 large onion, sliced
1–2 tablespoons oil
1 cup water, or more
1 cup ketchup
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed, or white sugar
11/2 pounds chicken parts: wings, necks, and gizzards

Sauté onion in oil until tender. Add water, brown sugar, and ketchup. Simmer on low heat for a minute. Add chicken parts. Cover, bring to a boil, and then simmer on low heat for at least an hour until gizzards are tender. If necessary add more water while cooking. Serve as appetizer or side dish.
Serves 6.

Cream of mushroom soup

This recipe is made with fresh mushrooms, which always add a touch of class to your menu.

2 large onions, diced
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
5 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1–2 bay leaves
3 tablespoons flour
2–3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon mushroom soup mix, optional
1/2 cup pareve or regular cream

In a soup pot sauté onions in oil until transparent. Add mushrooms and cook additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add water, salt, pepper, and bay leaves. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for10 minutes. In a small bowl or cup dissolve the flour in cold water until smooth. Pour into simmering mixture. Add mushroom soup mix if desired. Cook an additional 5–7 minutes. Remove bay leaves and stir in the cream. Serves 8.

Red Cabbage Salad

With cubes of fresh mango. A real favorite!

1 16-ounce bag shredded red cabbage
1 mango, cut in ½-inch cubes
1 red onion, diced
1/3 cup slivered almonds
6 tablespoons vinegar
1/3 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste
6 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame seeds

In a salad bowl, combine red cabbage, mango, onion, and slivered almonds. In a separate bowl combine vinegar, oil, salt, pepper, and sugar, and pour over the vegetables. Toss together well. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve chilled.
Serves 8.

Variations

Add a handful of dried cranberries instead of mango.
Add 3 ounces sugared almonds and ¾ cup toasted angel-hair pasta.
Omit the mango, sesame seeds, and sliced almonds.

Roast beef with delicious sweet and sour sauce

Roast beef with a delicious flavor — you'll get raves every time you serve it.

3 cloves garlic, chopped, or ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 6-pound roast beef
1 cup brown or white sugar
3/4 cup ketchup
1/2 cup raisins, optional
1½ cups water

Combine garlic and pepper and rub into meat. Let stand 2 hours or refrigerate overnight. Place meat in a roasting pan. Combine sugar, ketchup, raisins, and water and pour over meat. Cover and bake in a preheated 400° oven for 40 minutes. Lower heat to 350° and continue roasting until meat is tender, approximately 3 more hours. Add a little more water while roasting, if necessary. Baste with the sauce 2 or 3 times. Remove cover for last half hour of roasting.

Serves 15.

Broccoli Souffle

A delicious pareve side dish that can be made with or without the cornflake crust. Broccoli is a high-fiber vegetable that is a good source of both potassium and vitamin A.

Crust

1 cup cornflakes, crushed
1/2cup flour
2 tablespoons margarine
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Filling

2 tablespoons oil
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1 small onion, diced
4 eggs, beaten well
salt and pepper, to taste
1 10-ounce package frozenchopped broccoli, cooked and drained

Combine all crust ingredients and spread in a greased 8- or 9-inch round baking pan. Heat oil in a skillet and stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add water and cook on a low heat for 1 minute, stirring until thickened. Remove from heat and combine with mayonnaise, onion, eggs, salt, and pepper. Stir well. Fold in the cooked chopped broccoli. Pour broccoli mixture into crust. Bake in a 350° oven for 50 minutes. Serves 6–8.

 

Yerushalmi Kugel

All the ingredients in this kugel — including the noodles — are cooked together in one pot. This is a time-honored recipe that will always be enjoyed, especially when served at a Kiddush on Shabbos.

1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup sugar plus 4 tablespoons
6 cups water
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 pound fine noodles
3 eggs, beaten

Heat oil and ½ cup sugar, stirring occasionally. As soon as the mixture starts to boil and turns dark brown, remove from fire. Add water slowly. Keep the lid over the pot since the oil splatters. Return to heat and bring to a boil. Add salt, pepper, noodles, eggs, and additional 4 tablespoons of sugar. Cook exactly 6 minutes. Remove pot from stove and let it cool for about 1 hour. Keep covered. Line the bottom of 3 small loaf pans with parchment paper (cut to size) and transfer noodle mixture. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 1 hour. Kugel should have a dry appearance and a rich brown color when done. Yields 18 slices.

Almond crumb topped ice cream

An excellent choice for a special occasion, this ice cream looks beautiful when served in individual squares with strawberries on the side.

6 eggs, separated
1/2 cup sugar
2 8-ounce cartons parve whipped topping
2 teaspoons instant coffee
1 tablespoon vanilla pudding mix

Almond Crumb Topping
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup cornflakes, crushed
3/4 cup ground almonds

Beat egg whites, gradually adding sugar, until stiff. In another bowl, beat yolks well, then fold in egg whites and sugar. Whip the dessert topping and fold into mixture. Remove half of ice cream mixture and refrigerate. Stir instant coffee into the other half of mixture and spread evenly in a rectangular container. Place in freezer for 2 hours or until firm. Meanwhile prepare crumbs: Place sugar into a skillet and heat on low, stirring occasionally, until brown. Pour onto aluminum foil and let rest a moment or two until hardened. Put into food processor with blade, together with the cornflakes and almonds, and process until crumbed. Sprinkle half of crumb mixture on top of frozen layer of ice cream. Fold instant vanilla pudding mix into second half of ice cream mixture, and spread evenly over frozen layer. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture on top of second layer. Freeze until firm. Serves 10–12.

Hamantaschen

1/2 cup margarine
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 1/4 cups flour (part whole wheat flour may be used)
2 teaspoons baking powder
pinch of salt

Cream together margarine, sugar, and vanilla. Stir in eggs. Blend in flour, baking powder, and salt. Divide dough in half and place in a plastic bag. Refrigerate for a few hours. When ready to bake, roll each half of dough to ?-inch thickness. With a 3-inch cookie cutter, or the rim of a water glass, cut out circles of dough. Alternatively, cut into 2½ inch squares. Place a teaspoonful of filling in center of each circle. Pinch the edges tightly together, forming a triangle. Leave a little of the filling showing in the center. Place on a greased baking sheet and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 15–20 minutes until golden brown. Yields about 2 dozen Hamantaschen.

Poppy Seed Filling

1 cup ground poppy seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup raisins
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tablespoon oil
Combine all ingredients and spoon onto dough circles.

Date Filling

1/4 cup margarine or oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped dates
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
grated rind of 1 lemon

Melt margarine over a low flame (or heat oil) and stir in sugar and dates. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cinnamon, ginger, and grated lemon rind and mix well. Spoon onto dough circles.

 

Sara Finkel's first cookbook, Classic Kosher Cooking, has been a bestseller and all-time favorite in Jewish homes throughout the world. In her latest culinary collection Simply Delicious the author presents us with a sparkling array of new recipes, plus the same ease of preparation and spectacular results that made her first book famous. An expert cook, she combines decades of experience with vast culinary knowledge to create a tantalizing collection of classic and contemporary kosher recipes. Click here to buy Classic Kosher Cooking: Simply Delicious online at a discount price.

 

 

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