First Courses
Chicken Soup
Ingredients for the broth:
1.5 kg chicken necks, backs and wings
3 celery stalks, cut into big chunks
3 carrots, peeled and cut into big chunks
2 squash or zucchini, cut into big chunks
2 onions, peeled and quartered
1 parsley root, peeled
1 head garlic, cut horizontally in half
1 bay leaf
1 large sprig of dill
Generous sprinkle of black pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt
4 quarts cold water
Preparation:
Bring all ingredients to a boil in an large heavy pot. Skim froth occasionally. Reduce heat and gently simmer, uncovered, for 2-3 hours.
Pour stock through a mesh sieve into a large bowl and discard solids. If using stock right away, skim off and discard any fat. If not, cool stock completely, uncovered, before skimming fat, then chill, covered. Reserve a few tablespoons of the skimmed fat if you wish to use them in matzo balls (below).
Stock can be chilled 3 days in the refrigerator or frozen 1 month.
Matzo Balls
Ingredients
1 packet matzo ball mixture
2 eggs
¼ cup water
2 tablespoons oil or reserved chicken fat
Preparation
Beat eggs, add mixture and water. Let sit in the fridge for about 10-15 minutes until all the water absorbs.
Create small balls with wet hands. The mixture is quite soft and sticky, but the water makes the matzo balls extremely soft.
Cook the balls in a small pot with some of the chicken stock (it adds so much flavor but if you don't have enough, you can cook them in plain salted water) for 7 minutes.
Heat the chicken broth and add matzo balls and serve.
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Red Pepper Spicy Fish
Sea fish in spicy pepper sauce (also tomatoes)
1.5 kg sea fish fillet (meagre, also known in Israel eit hayam or red drum, known as musar yam ) or grouper, known as lokus) - leave the skin on!
Cut into slices 2-3 cm wide
Heat the oven to 180 C
1 large red pepper
1 large orange pepper
Place in a pan on parchment paper, roast in the oven for 30-40 minutes, flip halfway. Let them cool down – peel, remove seeds, and chop roughly. Save the liquid!
¼ cup olive oil
2 crushed garlic cloves
6-8 ripe tomatoes. (Tamar tomatoes in the summer, Maggi tomatoes in the winter, they are sweet and aromatic).
You can add 4-5 cherry tomatoes or orange cherry tomatoes
Cut all tomatoes in half, lengthwise, arrange in a baking dish with baking paper, the cut side facing up.
Spread a mixture of olive oil and crushed garlic on the surface of the tomatoes.
Roast in the oven for about half an hour.
¼ cup olive oil
1 large purple onion, sliced lengthwise.
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
1 hot red pepper, fresh, free of seeds and sliced
A few sprigs of fresh thyme
Fresh za'atar leaves from two stems
Freshly ground black pepper, sea salt
In a sauté pan heat olive oil.
Add onion, thyme leaves and za'atar.
When the onion becomes transparent, add the hot pepper and fry until it almost starts to burn.
Add the garlic, baked peppers and fry for a few minutes, the garlic becomes transparent but not burnt.
Turn off the heat and add salt and black pepper, the liquid from the peppers, and the baked tomatoes with the baking liquids.
Blend the sauce in a food processor. If you have time and patience filter it through a sieve.
The sauce can be prepared in advance.
You should cook the fish as near as possible to the time of serving.
Return the smooth sauce to the pan, adjust salt according to taste and thicken as desired.
Place the fish slices skin side down.
Bring to a gentle boil and cover. Cook for about 15 minutes, occasionally shaking the pan (do not mix with a spoon so that the fish does not fall apart). The cooking time depends on the thickness of the fish; twenty minutes may be required.
When serving, you can decorate with fresh za'atar leaves.
Main Course
Easy Orange Chicken
This fool proof recipe will have people licking their fingers.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
4 chicken thighs (works with thighs, legs or pullets)
1 frozen orange (works with mango as well) concentrate (I like Prigat)
Water, salt and pepper
Fry the onion in the oil for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken skin side down.
Sear the chicken well on all sides until brown. This is the most important part.
Add salt and pepper. Add 4 tablespoons of orange concentrate. No need to defrost. Add water to about ¾ the height of the chicken and cook covered on low heat for 2 hours. Flip the chicken after an hour. Adjust seasoning as needed. (If using pullets cook for 1.5 hours.)
*Optional – after an hour add in chopped potatoes for a full meal.
Garnish with fresh orange slices.
Desserts
No Bake Toffee Pistachio Tart
For the base:
10 passover cookies (petit buerre, wine cookies or coconut cookies work)
50 g roasted pistachios
100 g butter (Nutrina/margarine for parve)
For the toffee:
100 g (1/2 cup) white sugar
50 g (1/4 cup) dark brown sugar)
40 g butter (Nutrina/margarine for parve)
1 teaspoon vanilla
A pinch of salt
60 g (4 tablespoons) heavy cream (cococnut cream for parve)
For the pistachio cream:
250 ml 38% heavy cream (plant-based for parve)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons instant pudding
3 tablespoons pistachio puree (can be purchased at any baking shop and most nut stores)
200 g full fat cream cheese (plant-based or plant-based heavy cream for parve)
Preparation
Base:
In a food processor crush the cookies and pistachios to fine crumbs. Add the melted butter, mix and press in to a ring or pan.
Refrigerate while preparing the next part.
Toffee:
In a pot place all the ingredients except the heavy cream. Cook for a few minutes until the sugar melts and everything comes together. Mix in the cream and mix well. Cook for another 2 minutes while it thickens.
Pour over the base. Do not spread with a spoon or knife it will spread on it's own. Refrigerate while preparing the next part.
Cream:
Whip together all the ingredients to stiff peaks. For a fancy look, use a piping tip to place the cream. If you don't have one, spread the cream evenly and decorate with roasted pistachios.
Best Nut Cookies
I call them nut cookies but that isn't accurate.
Originally the recipe from Reviva and Celia is for round almond cookies. But over the years I have exchanged the ground almonds with pretty much every nut possible (pecan, cashew, pistachio, hazelnut etc) and each version is amazing. I don't make them round any more -
I spread the batter as thinly as possible over the whole baking sheet and break them in to shards. This is a very easy recipe and these cookies are the most crispy amazing addictive cookie shards ever.
Everyone loves them.
Ingredients:
250 g white sugar
250 g any nut flour (finely ground nuts) - almond, pecan, cashew, pistachio etc. It's great to mix different types together.
50 g soft butter
8 egg whites (150 g)
30 g potato flour
Heat oven to 150 C.
Whisk well all the ingredients in a bowl. No need for a stand mixer; using a whisk or fork is fine .
You can prepare the mixture up to a day in advance, cover and keep in the fridge.
Place parchment paper on a straight baking tray and using a plastic spatula spread the batter as thin as possible. There will be slight holes and lines, which are fine
The thinner it is, the faster it bakes and the crispier it will be.
Bake for about 10 minutes until golden. Keep a check on it so it bakes evenly. If needed, rotate tray half way through.
Let cool and peel from parchment paper and break in to shards.
These shards are sensitive to moisture so keep in an airtight container.