CAT | Jewish
Lentil Spaghetti Sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
1 cup onion, chopped
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (4 ounce) can tomato paste
2 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup lentils, washed
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dry oregano
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
In a saucepan sauté the onion, garlic and mushrooms
in the oil until onion is soft.
Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste,
water, lentils, basil, oregano, sugar, bay leaf, salt and pepper
and bring the mixture to a boil.
Reduce heat and cover the
saucepan.
Simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve over pasta.
Burekas (Jewish Sephardic)
Source: Lior’s Kitchen Talk
Jewish Sephardic BUREKAS is quite similar to the Turkish
“burak.” Burekas can be prepared with various types of dough:
strudel dough (thin leaves), rising dough, or with types of
prepared dough found in the market.
It is widely sold on Israeli
street corners and bakery shops.
To be tasty, it must be served hot
and fresh.
Dough
1/2 pound margarine
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups self-rising flour
Warm water
Stuffing
1/2 cup feta cheese
1 cup cooked spinach
3 egg yolks
Garnish
1 egg yolk
4 cups sesame seeds
Dough: Melt the margarine and mix with flour and salt.
Add warm
water until able to roll dough.
Roll it, cut a leaf, and cut
circles with a cup or cut into square and make triangles.
Stuffing: Mix all the ingredients.
Put one teaspoon of stuffing
on each dough circle.
Fold in half.
On top, spread yolk and
sprinkle sesame seeds.
Place on a well-greased cookie tray and bake
at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C) until golden (approximately 15 to
20 minutes).
Serve hot.
Kebabs (Jewish)
1 pound (450 gr) each ground beef and veal, mixed together
6 spring onions, chopped finely
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
2 hot red peppers, chopped finely
1 teaspoon each salt and pepper
1/2 teaspoon each turmeric, dill seed and flour
Combine all of the ingredients in a mixing bowl and knead well
by hand.
Form into 3-inch (8 cm.) sausages and impale these on long
wooden skewers..
Grill over open charcoals or under a hot broiler,
turning occasionally so that cooking is uniform.
Cook just until
the meat is done.
Serve hot.
Chopped Liver
Source: Old and New Israeli Jewish Cuisine
Use only chicken liver to make this dish.
Use schmaltz (chicken
fat) .
Do not substitute oil or any other fat.
If you are concerned
about cholesterol, eat chopped liver less often.
Chop all the
ingredients by hand rather than by machine.
Eat it in small
portions — it is very rich
— and make it only for special occasions.
1 pound chicken livers (fresh, not previously frozen)
2 cups finely chopped onions
3 hard-boiled eggs
6 tablespoons schmaltz
Salt and black pepper to taste
A few gribenes (optional)
Preheat broiler to 500 degrees F.
Broil livers on broiler rack 4 inches from the heat source for 3
minutes on each side.
Remove from the oven and finely chop
livers.
Melt 6 tablespoons schmaltz in skillet and sauté
onions over medium/low heat until soft and just beginning to brown.
Add chopped liver pieces and sauté 1 minute more.
Remove from heat.
Pour contents of skillet into a mixing bowl.
In a separate bowl, chop the eggs and add them to the liver
mixture.
Mix in the salt, pepper, and gribenes (if using).
Mix
everything together until well blended.
Chill at least 3 hours in
the refrigerator before serving.
Matzo
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F.
If you have a pizza stone,
place it in the oven while it’s preheating.
In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of all-purpose flour with 1 cup of
water.
Add one-half teaspoon of salt, if desired.
Stir vigorously with a wooden spoon for about a minute, until
the flour is incorporated and the dough is elastic.
Add more flour
if needed; the dough should be a little sticky.
Pull off a scant
fist-sized portion of dough and make a ball.
On a floured surface,
roll the ball with a rolling pin until it’s 1/8-inch thick.
Or use
your hands to pat and stretch the dough.
Prick the entire surface
with a fork, or use a matzo roller (available at cooking stores).
Perforating the surface airs out the dough and prevents it from
rising while baking.
Place the dough on a pizza paddle and slide the dough onto a
preheated pizza stone if you’re using one.
Otherwise, put the dough
on foil or parchment paper and place directly on the oven rack.
Parchment paper is preferred, as it produces a crisper product.
Bake the matzos for approximately 5 minutes, or until browned.
When done, remove the matzo and place on a cooling rack.
Serve cooled matzo with butter, cream cheese, peanut butter and
jelly or your favorite shmeer.
Matzo is best when fresh, so eat it
the day it’s baked, if possible.