Vegetarian Tzimmis (recipe, pareve)

VEGETARIAN TZIMMIS  P  SERVES: 12

Sweet Potatoes, white potatoes, carrots and prunes all baked together to make a delicious and satisfying side dish for Passover or anytime.

Prep time: 20 min.   Cooking: 1 ½ hours   

Ingredients           

4 pounds sweet potatoes               

2 pounds white potatoes               

1 pound pitted prunes

1 pound baby carrots

¾ cup dark brown sugar

juice of 2 lemons

Equipment

Large Dutch oven with cover

Oven to table serving casserole

Directions

1. Peel sweet potatoes and white ones. Cut potatoes into slices ½ inch thick. Alternate slices of sweet and white potatoes on the bottom of Dutch oven. Scatter some prunes and carrots over potatoes. Sprinkle some of the brown sugar and lemon juice over this layer. Repeat this process until all the ingredients are finished.
2. Preheat oven to: 375 F.
3. Fill the Dutch oven with water until the ingredients are barely covered. Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered about 20 minutes until potatoes and carrots have softened. Place immediately into oven and bake. Baste constantly until sauce has thickened and glazed the other ingredients. Serve hot or cool completely, wrap and freeze.

Vacherin (recipe, pareve)

This is an elegant and delicious dessert that can be made two or three days in advance if you can store them in an air tight container and there is no humidity. Do not freeze! Fill them with berries, sorbet or a combination of both right before serving.

Vacherins P Yield: 8

Vacherin is what the French call a meringue basket. It’s amazing what egg whites, sugar and a piping bag can create.

Prep time: Whipping meringues: about 15 min.  Forming vacherins: 20-30 min.

Baking: 90 min.

INGREDIENTS

      Whites of 6 large eggs

1 ½ cups super fine sugar

Small pinch of salt

EQUIPMENT

Electric mixer

2 cookie sheets

Baking parchment

Pastry bag and tips

DIRECTIONS

1. Separate eggs. Put egg whites in bowl of mixer and bring to room temperature. Use yolks for another recipe or discard.
2. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Take a four inch glass and trace as many circles as you can on the parchment paper. You can place them close to each other because meringue does not spread while baking.
3. Add small pinch of salt to whites. Using the whisk attachment of your mixer, start beating the whites on medium to high speed. As the whites begin to take shape, but are still quite droopy, add 1 cup of sugar while beating constantly. Beat for one or two minutes. As the mixture starts to become stiff and shiny, add remaining ½ cup sugar and continue to beat until meringue can form stiff peaks that retain their shape.
4. Preheat oven to: 180 F.
5. *To form vacherins: 1. Fit the pastry bag with a small plain tip and then fill the bag with meringue. You will need one base and three circles for each vacherin. Pipe the bases by starting at one point of the circle and piping round and round until you have a closed circle of meringue. Tap down any points which might be sticking up.

Pipe circles by just going around the traced circle once and leaving the center empty. Bake vacherin pieces 90 minutes. Remove from oven.

6. To assemble vacherins: Take a dab of meringue and place it on four points on each base. Place one circle on top of the meringue. Place a dab of meringue on four points on top of meringue circle. Add another dried circle. Repeat process two more times. Return vacherin to oven and bake 15 minutes longer. Remove from oven and store in a cool dry place until needed. Before serving-fill each vacherin with berries. Garnish with mint if desired.

*Alternate method to form Vacherins: Form the base as described above. Pipe a meringue circle directly on top of the base. Pipe two more circles on top of that. Bake 90 minutes or until meringue shells are firm. This method is easier but I prefer the look of step 5. Done that way, you can see small spaces between the rings and it looks like more of a basket. Either way, this is an elegant and delicious dessert.

Noodle Pudding with Apples and Currants (recipe, pareve)

These puddings have been cooked for 15 minutes because I'm going to freeze them and reheat them for Monday night's Rosh Hashana dinner. They will get browner and crisper during the reheating process.

Noodle Pudding with Apples and Currants P Yield: 30 individual noodle puddings

This noodle pudding is much lighter than a traditional dairy one.  The juicy sweet bits of apple and the tart currants make it a perfect accompaniment to any meat meal.
Prep time: 20 min.   Baking time: 15 -25 min.
Ingredients
24 ounces medium egg noodles
Salt (optional)
¼ pound non-dairy margarine-softened
6 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup currants
1 large apple-peeled, cored, minced
Non-dairy baking spray
Equipment
Colander
Whisk
12 cup muffin pan
Cooling racks
Directions

1. Follow directions on package of noodles for par-boiled noodles. Drain in colander and rinse.
2. Beat eggs with whisk until foamy and then add sugar.  Beat until sugar is completely incorporated into eggs.
3. Add noodles, margarine, minced apple and currants to egg mixture. Stir well with large spoon.
4. Preheat oven to: 350 F.
5. Spray muffin tins lightly. Spoon (or use your hands) enough noodle mixture to come to the top of muffin tin. Bake on bottom level of oven for 20-25 minutes if you are going to eat them right away.  Bake them 15 minutes if you plan to reheat them at a later time. These puddings freeze perfectly. Place them in a freezing container and layer them with waxed paper in between the layers. Wrap tightly and freeze. Defrost before reheating.

Make Ahead for Rosh HaShanah: Individual Potato Kugels (recipe, pareve)

             

   POTATO KUGEL P Yield: 18 individual kugels

Pop one of these on each dinner plate or arrange them on a platter and you have an easy way to serve a crowd!

Prep time: 15 min.   Baking time: 20 min.

Ingredients

5 eggs

1 large onion

3 pounds white potatoes       

1/3 cup cornstarch (potato flour)           

4 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ cup corn oil

non-dairy cooking spray

Equipment

Electric food processor

Large mixing bowl

Muffin pans (non-stick is best)

Directions

1. Beat eggs in large mixing bowl. Set aside.
2. Peel onion and potatoes. Cut onion and potatoes into quarters.
3. Attach steel knife to processor and pulse onion until minced. Add minced onion to eggs. Add quartered potatoes in small batches to processor. Pulse potatoes until they are minced. Add to eggs and onions. Mix well.
4. Add remaining ingredients to potatoes and mix well.
5. Preheat oven to: 350 F.
6. Spray muffin pan. Pour ½ cup potato mixture into each muffin holder. Bake on lowest shelf of oven for 15 minutes. Place muffin tins on cooling rack for 10 minutes. Run a narrow spatula around the outside of each kugel; and  then carefully invert muffin pan on cooling rack. Potato kugels will drop out. Serve immediately or let them cool completely before wrapping and freezing. Be sure to place waxed paper between layers if you’re not freezing them in a single layer. Defrost before reheating.

Vegetarian Cabbage Soup (recipe, pareve)

Vegetarian Cabbage Soup P Serves: 10

Add a little this and a little that to some leftover cabbage leaves and you have a delicious soup!

Prep time: 15 min.  Simmering: 45 min.  Finishing: 10 min.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil                   

4-5 cups sliced parboiled cabbage leaves       

1 large sweet onion-finely chopped               

one 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

10 cups vegetable broth (homemade or boxed-not canned)

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup dark brown sugar

juice of 1 large lemon

Equipment

4 quart soup pot

Directions

1. Heat oil in stock pot. Add cabbage and onions and sauté until onions are soft.
2. Add crushed tomatoes, salt and vegetable broth. Stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Add brown sugar and lemon juice. Stir well. Taste. Adjust with more sugar or lemon juice as needed. Serve hot.