Individial Mini Meat Loaves (recipe, meat)

INDIVIDUAL MINI MEAT LOAVES M YIELD: 18-20 MINI LOAVES

This is meat loaf dressed up enough to be served at an informal dinner party.

Prep time: 30 min.  Forming loaves: 20 min.    Baking loaves: 45-50 min.

INGREDIENTS                        EQUIPMENT

2 large onions                        2 large skillets

3 stalks celery                        2 jelly roll pans

4 large cloves garlic                    electric food processor

4 large carrots                        cooking parchment

8 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup soy milk

1 cup catsup

6 eggs

1 ½ cups unflavored non dairy bread crumbs

4 pounds chopped steak-ground twice

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to: 350 F. Line jelly roll pans with parchment paper.
2. Peel onions, carrots, and garlic. Mince vegetables in small quantities in food processor. Set aside.
3. Heat four tablespoons vegetable oil over medium flame in each skillet. Put half the minced vegetables in each skillet and sauté until very soft. Cool slightly.
4. Mix the pepper, cumin and nutmeg. Divide spices between both skillets and stir well with wooden spoon.
5. Beat eggs lightly with catsup and soy milk. Pour some into each skillet and stir well. Add ¾ cup bread crumbs to each skillet and mix thoroughly.
6. Break up chopped meat into small pieces and add two pounds to each skillet. Mix thoroughly.
7. Gently form small loaves (with your hands) about four inches long and three inches high. Don’t pack the meat too tightly or the loaves will be heavy. Arrange loaves on prepared jelly roll pans and bake them 45-50 minutes. Serve mini meat loaves hot with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable. They are so moist, they don’t even need gravy.

Note: These mini loaves are very versatile. They also make a great lunch or picnic dish. For lunch: Allow the loaves to come to room temperature. Slice them and arrange slices attractively on a platter surrounding roasted vegetables or rice salad- or both. For a picnic: Put a couple of slices of meat loaf between two slices of fresh Italian bread with a thick slice of tomato and romaine lettuce. It’s wonderful.

Italian Almond Tart (recipe, pareve)

We ate this Italian Almond Tart in Rome. They presented it with a small mallet and told us to break up the tart with it. We opt to just break it with our hands...but your family and friends might have a good time bashing it to bits :)

ITALIAN ALMOND TART P SERVES: 8

This is crunchy but still melts in your mouth oozing flavors of almond and orange.

Prep time: 15 minutes     Baking time: 40-50 minutes

INGREDIENTS                       

1 egg yolk                       

¼ teaspoon almond extract                   

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon grated orange rind

1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour

6 tablespoons cornmeal

½ teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons non-dairy margarine

4 ounces blanched almonds- toasted and chopped

1/3 cup sugar

3 tablespoons brown sugar

non-dairy baking spray

EQUIPMENT

9” springform cake pan

cooling rack

DIRECTIONS

1. Grease spring form pan with baking spray. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to: 350 F.
3. Mix yolk with orange rind and both extracts. Set aside.
4. Mix flour together with cornmeal and salt. Cut in margarine with a fork or your hands. Stir in both white and brown sugar and almonds.   Add yolk mixture and add it to other ingredients with a fork. The mixture will be crumbly.
5. Pour mixture into baking pan and pat down as evenly as possible. Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on rack completely before unmolding.

An Comfort Food Filled Menu for Erev Shemini Atzeret

Whether you are eating home or are still eating in the Sukkah, the sudden chill in the air, while expected, makes us want to warm up with a bowl of hot soup. The Parsnip and Apple soup combines the sweetness and heartiness of a root vegetable with the tartness of the Granny Smith apple.Follow the soup with a platter of Mini Meat Loaves. Each person gets their own meat loaf: chopped meat mixed with sauteed mixed vegetables- which produces a light and delicious loaf. When served over a bed of whipped creamy Yukon Golds, there is nothing more satisfying. The acorn squash filled with ratatouille is again delicious, easy to serve and hearty enough to be a main course with the potatoes for your vegetarians. End your meal with this crunchy Almond Tart and berries and you will have eaten well.


Parsnip & Apple Soup
Mini Meat Loaves
Acorn Squash filled with Ratatouille
Whipped Yukon Golds
Italian Almond Tart
Mixed Berries

**All recipes available on the Kosher Cookbook App for iPhone/iPod Touch/iPad**

Have My Salmon Croquettes (recipe, pareve) for Yom Tov Lunch in the Sukkah!

SALMON CROQUETTES P YIELD: 6 CROQUETTES

Salmon croquettes are a real old fashioned comfort food but can be very versatile.

Prep time: 30 min.   Frying time: 15 min.

INGREDIENTS

two 16 ounce cans salmon-drained

juice of 1 large lemon

¼ teaspoon onion powder

2 teaspoons parley flakes

1 teaspoon dill

4 eggs

½ cup unseasoned bread crumbs

1 cup or more yellow cornmeal

vegetable oil

EQUIPMENT

mixing bowl

frying pan

DIRECTIONS

1. Place salmon on a flat surface and carefully remove all the skin and bones. Squeeze lemon juice over the salmon and mash it. Add onion powder, herbs, crumbs and 2 beaten eggs. Mix ingredients thoroughly. Lightly shape mixture into 6 medium sized croquettes with your hands. (Wear gloves while doing this.)
2. Beat the remaining 2 eggs in a shallow dish. Pour cornmeal into another shallow dish. Dredge croquettes in cornmeal, then in egg, and then again in cornmeal. Place prepared croquettes in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.

Fill frying pan with enough oil to come half way up the croquettes. Heat oil until very hot. Carefully place croquettes in hot oil and fry on each side until a golden brown crust has formed. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon. Drain croquettes on paper towel. Serve croquettes hot or at room temperature with cocktail sauce or catsup. Add mashed potatoes and a steamed green vegetable and you have a terrific casual meal. Serve them as a main course for lunch or a light dinner; or make them very small and use them for hors d’oeuvres.

Coq Au Vin (recipe, meat) Makes a Great Sukkah Meal!

COQ AU VIN M SERVES: 8-10

Each chicken piece is saturated with red wine and herbs and is incredibly delicious.

Prep time: Chicken- 35-45 min. Simmering time- 30 min.  Vegetables- 45 min.

Chilling- several hours or overnight. Sauce: 15-20 min.

Assembly& reheating: 30 min.

INGREDIENTS                           

      three 3 pound frying chickens-cut in joints           

freshly ground black pepper                   

2 sticks plus 2 tablespoons non dairy margarine           

3 cups low salt chicken broth                   

3 tablespoons tomato paste

6 large cloves garlic-peeled and crushed

1½ teaspoons crushed thyme

3 large bay leaves

2 one pound bags frozen pearl onions-defrosted

9 tablespoons vegetable oil

herb bouquet: 2 parsley sprigs, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon thyme, 8 peppercorns

wrapped in cheesecloth

2 pounds small white mushrooms

9 tablespoons flour

EQUIPMENT

6 quart Dutch oven

Large skillet with cover

whisk

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to: 300 F.
2. Clean, rinse and dry all chicken pieces. Sprinkle chicken with freshly ground black pepper and set aside.
3. Melt six tablespoons margarine in skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, a few pieces at a time, and brown them on all sides. Place each batch of browned chicken in casserole. Repeat process until all the chicken pieces have been browned. (Do not wash skillet.) The onions and mushrooms can be browned in the same pan with the chicken drippings.) Put casserole in the oven. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes.
4. Remove casserole from oven. Pour in enough wine to almost cover chicken. Add chicken stock to finish covering it.
5. Add tomato paste, garlic, one teaspoon thyme and two bay leaves to the chicken. Bring liquid to a simmer on top of the stove. Cover casserole and continue simmering for 30 minutes. Prepare onions and mushrooms while chicken is simmering.
6. Melt six tablespoons margarine and six tablespoons oil in skillet. Sauté onions over high heat until they are as evenly browned as possible. Pour in 1 ½ cups wine. Add herb bouquet. Cover skillet and simmer onions 30 minutes or until tender. Remove onions from skillet. Set aside. Do not wash skillet before browning mushrooms.
7. Wipe mushrooms clean. Cut off stems. Quarter the larger mushrooms and leave small mushrooms whole. Heat six tablespoons margarine and three tablespoons oil until they foam in skillet. Add mushrooms. Shake skillet until all mushrooms are coated with margarine and are slightly browned. Remove mushrooms from pan. Set aside. (You may now wash the skillet.)
8. When chicken has finished cooking, remove it from the sauce and set aside. Chill sauce several hours or overnight until the fat congeals at the top (Wrap the chicken well with plastic wrap if you chill it and the sauce overnight.)
9. Take sauce out of refrigerator and remove fat. Bring chicken to room temperature. Boil sauce down until it has been reduced by 25 %. Discard bay leaves. Blend six tablespoons margarine and flour until they form a paste. Whisk paste into the hot wine sauce. Simmer two minutes until sauce thickens enough to coat a wooden spoon. Remove from heat.  Return chicken to the sauce with onions and mushrooms and heat over a low flame until chicken is hot. Serve coq au vin piping hot with rice, orzo or noodles and a green vegetable.

Note: If you are a confirmed white meat eater, you will eat the dark meat when prepared like this. In addition, this recipe gets even better when prepared a day or two in advance and can be frozen. There is just no downside.

TO FREEZE: Cool coq au vin completely. Cover with waxed paper and then with heavy duty tin foil before placing in freezer.

RUGELACH: A Great Treat for After the Yom Kippur Fast (Recipe, Dairy)

 RUGELACH D YIELD: 24-28

They melt in your mouth.

Prep time:  Dough-15 min.  Chilling time: 60 min.

Rolling &folding dough: 15 min.  Chilling: 20 min.  Filling mixture- 5 min.

Rolling out dough & filling: 45-60 min.  Baking time: 20 min.

INGREDIENTS                   

½ cup sweet butter-softened           

3 ounces cream cheese-softened           

½ cup + 3 tablespoons sugar           

½ teaspoon salt

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup finely chopped walnuts

1 teaspoon cinnamon

DIRECTIONS

1. Cream butter, cream cheese and ½ cup sugar until fluffy by hand or in electric blender.
2. Add salt and flour to cream cheese mixture and blend well. Remove from bowl and knead a minute or two with your hands, Wrap in waxed paper and chill one hour.
3. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out until ¼ inch thick on a floured surface. Fold dough in thirds and then in half again. Repeat procedure one more time: roll out dough, fold in thirds and then in half. Chill 15-20 minutes.
4. Mix walnuts with cinnamon and 3 tablespoons sugar. Set aside.
5. Preheat oven to: 350 F. Line cookie sheets with parchment.
6. Roll out dough into a 1/8 inch thick square. Cut out triangles about 1 ½ inches at the base. Place ½ teaspoon of nut mixture near base of triangle and roll up toward the point. Place on cookie sheet and bake about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on racks before serving. These rugelach may be frozen.

A Break Fast Menu for Yom Kippur: Some Ordered, Some Homemade and All Yummy!

To be delivered Friday morning in anticipation of the Saturday night break fast:

A bite for hungry guests as they walk in:
A selection of cheese and crackers*
Freshly squeezed orange juice

Bagels*
Nova*
Vegetable & Scallion Cream Cheese*
Pickled Herring in Cream Sauce*

Homemade:
Chopped Eggs & Onions
Vegetarian Chopped Liver 
Mandelbrodt, Rugelach, Apple cake, Fruit salad
Individual noodle puddings

Sliced Lemon Pie (recipe, pareve)

SLICED LEMON PIE P SERVES: 8

Definitely more tart than sweet!

Prep time: 15 minutes + 120 minutes macerating Baking time: 25-35 minutes

INGREDIENTS EQUIPMENT

dough for all-purpose crust rolling pin

2 large lemons 9” pie dish

2 cups sugar cooling rack

4 eggs

DIRECTIONS

1. Wipe off lemons. Make sure to remove all labels. Slice lemons very thinly. Remove all pits. Place lemon slices in a mixing bowl with the sugar. Let this mixture stand at least two hours.
2. Divide dough into two pieces- one slightly larger than the other. Roll out smaller piece on a floured surface until it is about ¼ inch thick. Carefully, lift dough and place it in pie dish. Smooth it out so there are no air bubbles. Trim overhanging dough with a sharp knife. Refrigerate until needed.
3. Preheat oven to: 450 F.
4. Beat eggs well. Mix them thoroughly with lemon sugar mixture. Set aside.
5. Remove pie shell from refrigerator. Pour lemon mixture into pie shell.
6. Roll out remaining pie dough and cover pie with it. Press the tines of a fork around the edges to seal the pie. Trim extra dough with a sharp knife. Make two slits in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape. Place pie in the oven. Reduce heat to 375 F. Bake 25-35 minutes or until crust has browned. Place finished pie on rack and cool completely. This pie is better if refrigerated before serving.

A Pre-Fast Menu for Yom Kippur from Kosher Cookbook

My husband is a creature of habit, so we don't deviate much from this menu from year to year. Some years, I swipe out the Sliced Lemon Pie for Lemon Meringue...but the rest of the menu remains the same.

Melon
Matza Ball soup
Roast Chicken
Cranberry Sauce or Rhubarb with Cinnamon & Currants (rhubarb left over from summer or frozen)
Stringbeans
Tzimmis
Veg Tzimmis
Sliced Lemon Pie