Meatless Monday: Cod Cakes (recipe, pareve, passover)

Cod Cakes P Yield: 8 Cod Cakes

Cod is a medium firm white fish with a delicate flavor. It flakes easily and lends itself to absorbing many different flavors. These cod cakes are light, satisfying and so “non-fishy” that even your guests who shy away from fish will love them. They make a great light lunch, dinner or late afternoon snack.
Prep time: 60 min.  Cooking time: 15 min.
Ingredients
1 ¾ pounds fillet of cod-skin off
2 bay leaves
6 peppercorns
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 medium red onion
2 carrots
1 stalk celery
1 red pepper
1 large clove garlic
¼ cup fresh dill-chopped
½ cup matza meal
3 eggs
2 cups matza meal/ground nuts-
1 ½ cups vegetable oil
Equipment
Pan to poach fish
Electric food processor
Medium skillet with cover
Medium mixing bowl
2 shallow bowls
Directions

1. Rinse cod and place in pan with water to barely cover. Add bay leaves and pepper corns. Bring to a boil and quickly reduce to a simmer. Simmer about 10 minutes on one side before carefully flipping fillet over and finish poaching on other side. Be sure fish is completely opaque before removing from liquid. Place poached cod in mixing bowl and flake. Remove any peppercorns that might have gotten stuck in fish. Sprinkle with lemon juice and cool.
2. Peel onion, garlic and carrots. Cut into chunks and place in bowl of processor. Wash and chunk celery and add to processor. Rinse, core and chunk pepper and add to other vegetables. Pulse vegetables until they are minced.
3. Pour ½ cup oil in skillet. Heat over medium flame. Add vegetables and stir well. Reduce heat and cook vegetables until they are very soft and the carrots can be broken with the back of a wooden spoon. Allow vegetables to cool.
4. Drain cod again before mixing with cooked vegetables, one beaten egg, matza meal and dill. Taste. Season with salt and pepper  to taste. Form eight patties with your hands making sure not to pack them too tightly. Set aside.
5. Pour matza meal/ground nuts in one shallow bowl. Beat remaining two eggs in another shallow bowl.
6. Dredge cod cakes in matza meal/nuts, then in egg, and again in matza meal/nuts. Chill them for 30 minutes before frying.
7. Pour ½ cup oil in skillet. Heat over medium flame.  Carefully, place three or four cod cakes in skillet and brown on one side before turning them over and browning on second side.  If you have used nuts-lower the heat and be careful the codcakes don’t burn. Add more oil as needed. Drain cooked cod cakes on paper towel before arranging them on serving platter. Serve with Caper Mayonnaise or cocktail sauce.

Meatless Monday: Baked Poached Salmon (recipe, pareve)

BAKED POACHED SALMON P SERVES: 8

Oven poaching is so much easier than fighting with the stainless steel poacher on top of the stove and the results are just as moist and delicious. Here’s how!

Prep time: 10 minutes   Cooking time: 45 minutes  Chilling time: 12 hours  

Decorating: 20 minutes

INGREDIENTS                   

6 ½ pound whole salmon*           

optional: head and tail left on           

1 large onion-peeled and sliced

1 small bunch parsley

1 large celery stalk-scrubbed and sliced

1 large bay leaf

2 sprigs fresh thyme

2 cups dry white wine/water

2 tablespoons olive oil

EQUIPMENT

large baking sheet

heavy duty tin foil

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to: 375 F.
2. Tear three sheets of foil long enough to encase salmon and form handles at either end. Place on baking sheet. Brush olive oil over top piece of foil.
3. Rinse salmon and place it on foil.
4. Scatter onions, celery and herbs around salmon. Lift up the edges of the foil and pour liquid over the salmon. Seal foil over the salmon and roll up the ends into handles at either side.
5. Bake salmon 45 minutes to one hour. You should only be able to smell the herbs and wine while fish is oven poaching. If it begins to smell fishy, lower the temperature of the oven. The salmon should be opaque when tested with a knife. When done, open foil and let cool thoroughly. Reseal foil and chill overnight.
6. TO SERVE: 1. Remove vegetables and parsley from around salmon. Peel skin off salmon with a sharp knife. Carefully, lift salmon and place on serving platter. Cover salmon with a layer of very thinly sliced cucumbers to resemble fish scales. Weave sprigs of dill through the cucumbers. Surround salmon with lemon wedges. Serve green sauce on the side. 2. Cut salmon into portions and arrange on a serving platter with green sauce in the middle. Decorate each portion separately.

Meatless Monday: Grapes Leaves Stuffed with Herbed Rice (recipe, pareve)

This is a great recipe to help Ashkenazim use up the rice in their pantry before Passover, or a great Passover recipe for my Sephardic Friends.  Also a great side dish or appetizer for any other time in the year!

Grape Leaves Stuffed with Herbed Rice P Yield: 36-40 Stuffed Grape Leaves

The rice, flavored with cinnamon and allspice and then mixed with the Turkish trilogy of parsley, mint and dill is delicious on its own.  Rolled in grape leaves, each bite is a treat and a trip to exotic lands.
Ingredients
1 bottle preserved grape leaves
3 tablespoons + 2/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion- peeled and minced
3 large garlic cloves-peeled and minced
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
3 teaspoons sugar
1 cup Basmati rice-rinsed
1 cup each:  finely chopped-parsley, dill, mint
Salt and pepper
1 cup water
Juice of 1 large lemon
Equipment
2 Dutch ovens
Baking parchment
Baking pellets
Directions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in Dutch oven over medium flame. Add minced onion and garlic and sauté until they are very soft. Stir in cinnamon, allspice and sugar. Mix well. Stir in rice. Pour in just enough water to cover the rice-about 2 cups. Bring to a boil. Cover pot and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 10-15 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed.  Taste. The rice should have a bite. Stir in all the herbs. Taste again. Season with salt and pepper. Let rice cool.
2. While rice is cooling, drain grape leaves and place them in a mixing bowl. Cover with very hot water. Let them soak about 15 minutes before gently separating them with two forks. Drain leaves and then soak them in cold water for 3-4 minutes. Drain leaves completely. Cut off any stems.
3. Spread grape leaves out on a flat surface. Take a scant tablespoon of rice stuffing and lightly shape it into a log. Place it toward the stem end. Fold the bottom of the leaf over the rice and then fold the sides in. Roll grape leaf tightly so that all the rice is enclosed. Place stuffed leaf in Dutch oven. Repeat process until all the leaves are stuffed. Make sure you pack them as tightly as possible in the pot.
4. Mix 2/3 cup olive oil with one cup water, sugar and lemon juice. Pour over stuffed grape leaves. The liquid should come up to half of the top layer. Cover the top of grape leaves with a piece of baking parchment.  Cover Dutch oven and simmer 45 minutes. Let grape leaves cool in the pan before arranging them on a platter and serving them with sliced lemon.  You can also cool them completely and freeze them with waxed paper between the layers. Defrost completely before steaming them just to heat them through.

Meatless Monday: Fried Tofu with Spicy Sweet Glaze (recipe, pareve)

Fried Tofu with Spicy Sweet Glaze P Yield: 8 slices

The pressed tofu soaks up all the wonderful flavors  from the ginger, molasses,  pineapple, sesame oil and pepper. When it’s fried, you get to enjoy the meatier texture of the tofu together with the sweet and spicy sauce with a slight crunch from the toasted sesame seeds.
Prep time: 60 min.  Marinate: several hours or overnight Cooking time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 container extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons tamari
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cinnamon stick
1 poblano pepper-washed, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 inch fresh gingerroot-peeled and sliced
1 large clove garlic-minced
1 small onion-peeled and sliced thinly
Flour for dusting tofu slices
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
EQUIPMENT
Mixing bowl
Medium skillet
Oven to table serving dish
DIRECTIONS

1. Drain tofu and put it on a plate. Cover tofu with waxed paper and weight it down with a large heavy can. Check tofu after an hour or so and pour off liquid. Continue to weight it down until tofu has shrunk in size and given up most of its liquid. Starting from the smaller end, slice it into eight pieces and arrange them in a single layer in a dish that can hold the marinade.
2. Pour tamari, crushed pineapple, two teaspoons sesame oil and molasses into mixing bowl. Stir well.
3. Add all remaining ingredients except for sesame seeds. Stir marinade and pour over tofu slices. Marinate for two or three hours before turning slices over and marinating again. This can be done overnight.
4. Spread about ½ cup flour on a flat surface. Gently remove tofu slices from marinade and dredge them in flour shaking off any excess.
5. Pour just enough vegetable oil in skillet to cover bottom of pan. Add remaining teaspoon sesame oil. Heat over medium flame. Brown tofu slices on each side until they are golden brown. Arrange in a single or overlapping layer in serving dish. Set aside.
6. Remove cinnamon stick and add marinade ingredients to skillet. Sauté until onions and peppers are soft. Add a little more vegetable oil if necessary. Pour sautéed vegetables over tofu slices. Add sesame seeds to same pan and stir quickly until they toast. Sprinkle seeds over tofu. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Jay's Carrot Cake (recipe, pareve)

JAY’S CARROT CAKE P SERVES: 12-16
This is a straight forward delicious carrot cake that we enjoy as is. Spread it with cream cheese icing and you have a dessert cake.
INGREDIENTS                    EQUIPMENT
2 cups sugar                    electric mixer
1 ½ cups vegetable oil                9” tube pan
4 eggs                        cooling rack
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 pound carrots-grated
Non-dairy baking spray
Optional: 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to: 325 F. Spray tube pan and dust with flour. Set aside.
2. Pour sugar and oil into bowl of mixer. Beat on medium speed until well blended.
3. Add eggs, one at a time, until they are incorporated into batter.
4. Pour in flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Beat on medium speed while pouring in grated carrots. If using nuts, add them at this time.
5. Pour batter into tube pan and bake 40-45 minutes or until cake tester inserted into cake comes out clean. Allow carrot cake to cool for 10 minutes before turning it onto rack. Cool completely before serving.

Wild and White Rice Stuffing with Pearl Onions and Dried Fruit (Recipe, Pareve)

Wild and White Rice Stuffing with Pearl Onions and Dried Fruit P SERVES: 10

What a delicious alternative to bread stuffing! The caramelized onions, apricots and cranberries give a wonderful flavor to the rice mixture. Serve this with turkey, Cornish hens or plain chicken.  Your guests will all want seconds.

Prep time: 20 min.  Cooking time: 45-60 min.

INGREDIENTS

8 ounces wild rice

1 ½ cups long grain white rice

4 ½ cups vegetable broth

3 tablespoons dried thyme

16 ounces frozen white pearl onions- defrosted and drained

6 tablespoons pareve margarine

6 ounce package dried apricots- sliced into 3-4 pieces each

1 cup dried cranberries

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Add broth and 2 tablespoons thyme to saucepan. Bring to a boil and add wild rice. Stir once and return to a boil. Cover pan, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes.
2. After wild rice has been cooking 30 minutes, add white rice. Stir once. Cover saucepan and simmer until almost all the liquid has been absorbed. This should take about 15-20 minutes .
3. Prepare onions while rice is cooking. Melt 2 tablespoons margarine in skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until browned- about 15-20 minutes.
4. Remove cover from saucepan and stir rice. Add sautéed onions (with remaining margarine from skillet), apricots and cranberries to mixed rice. Stir well. Taste. Add thyme, salt and pepper as needed.  Add the remaining four tablespoons of margarine to the stuffing before you spoon it into a serving dish if you are serving the stuffing right away. Otherwise, allow stuffing to cool completely, and then refrigerate it. Add the margarine to the stuffing  right before you heat it up. Serve hot.

Turn that Beautiful August Corn into Corn Soup!

Corn Soup P Serves: 8

Combine the creaminess of pureed fresh corn, sweet onions and potato, add the bite of sautéed corn kernels and slivered shitake mushrooms and you have a spectacular summer soup. The flavors of this soup are enhanced when eaten cold so make this soup a day in advance and enjoy having one less thing to do when your company comes.
Prep time: 30 min.  Cooking time: 75 min. Chill overnight
Ingredients
10 ears fresh corn-shucked
2 large sweet onions-peeled and thinly sliced
6 tablespoons pareve margarine
2 teaspoons sugar
1 large Yukon Gold potato-peeled and diced
½ cup dry white wine
2 sprigs thyme
Salt
1 pound shitake mushrooms-stemmed
1 bunch chives-minced
Equipment
Large soup pot with cover
Long handles tongs
Fine strainer
Large mixing bowl
Medium saucepan with cover
Medium skillet
Electric food processor
Slotted spoon

Directions

1. Fill large soup pot with 12 cups of water. Bring water to a boil and add corn to pot. Cover and boil 5 minutes. Using long handled tongs, remove corn from pot and set aside to cool. Reserve cooking water. When corn is cool enough to handle, cut off all the kernels and set them aside. Place cobs back into cooking water, cover pot, and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain liquid into mixing bowl and set aside.
2. Melt 2 tablespoons pareve margarine in saucepan. Add sliced onions and stir until onions are coated with melted margarine. Cover saucepan and cook over medium heat until onions have softened-about 10 minutes. Remove cover and add sugar. Stir well and cook until onions have caramelized and turned golden brown.
3. Remove one cup of corn kernels from the rest and set them aside. Pour remaining corn, diced potato, caramelized onions, and wine to the soup pot. Simmer until the wine has almost completely evaporated. Add strained corn broth and thyme to this mixture. Cover pot and simmer until potatoes are tender-about 15 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs. Let corn soup cool about 15 minutes before pureeing it.
4. Using the steel knife in a processor, puree corn soup two cups at a time until it is very smooth. Pour puree into a large container. Repeat this action until all the soup has been pureed. Add salt, ¼ teaspoon at a time, until you are happy with the taste.  Set soup aside.
5. Melt 1 tablespoon pareve margarine in saucepan (the one in which you cooked the onions is fine). Sauté reserved cup of corn kernels until they have browned. Remove them from saucepan with a slotted spoon and add to corn soup. Chill soup overnight.
6. Before serving soup: wipe off shitake mushrooms and slice them thinly. Melt 6 tablespoons pareve margarine in skillet and sauté mushrooms. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
7. Rinse chives and mince them.
8. To serve soup: Fill soup bowl with chilled corn soup. Garnish each serving with 4-5 slices of sautéed mushrooms and a pinch of chives.

Julia Child's Chocolate Truffles made Pareve!

I can't imagine what Julia would have said if she had heard that her truffles were being made with --gasp--pareve margarine instead of her beloved butter.  They truly are equally delicious, but perhaps it's best that she never knew ;) 

Julia Child’s Chocolate Truffles- In My Words, and Pareve Yield: about 36 truffles

The original recipe is on page 472 of Vol. Two of Mastering the Art of French Cooking

These tiny little truffles are a chocaholic’s dream. They are rich, creamy and totally delicious! An extra perk is that these are a great treat for Passover!
Ingredients
1 tablespoon espresso powder/instant coffee dissolved in ¼ cup water
7 ounces pareve chocolate chips
2 ounces unsweetened baking chocolate
5 ounces pareve margarine
¼ cup orange liqueur
½ + cup unsweetened pareve cocoa
Equipment
Double boiler
Hand held electric mixer
Paper candy cups
Directions

1. Fill bottom of double boiler with just enough water so that the top does not touch water. Bring water to a boil and then reduce to a slight simmer.
2. Mince the unsweetened chocolate with a sharp knife and add it along with the chocolate chips and dissolved coffee to the top piece of double boiler. Insert the top into bottom of double boiler and cover. Remove cover every few minutes and stir until chocolate has melted. Beat chocolate with electric mixer until smooth. Remove from heat and continue to beat chocolate a few minutes until cool.
3. Cut margarine into tablespoons and beat them, one at a time, into chocolate. When you have a totally smooth mixture, dribble in the orange liqueur and beat until it is well incorporated into chocolate. Chill chocolate mixture about two hours until it is firm enough to scoop.
4. Pour cocoa onto a shallow dish. Separate about three dozen paper candy cups and line them up in front of you.
5. I’ve formed the truffles two ways. 1. Take two teaspoons. Scoop a small amount of chocolate with one and scrape it out with another. Then, mold an uneven ball with your hands and roll the ball into the cocoa. Place in a candy cup. 2. Scoop chocolate mixture with a small melon baller, scrape it out with a narrow knife, roll in cocoa and place in candy cup. I find the second option quicker, easier and neater.  Keep truffles refrigerated for a few weeks or keep them in the freezer for a few months.

A Great Cold Soup Starter:Tomato-Orange Soup

This pareve soup is not only easy to make, but also uses ingredients that you likely already have in your pantry. It make a wonderful first course for a meat or dairy meal!  

Tomato-Orange Soup P Serves: 12

The orange zest and juice make this soup sparkle in your mouth. It is a wonderful cold soup that you prepare with boxed tomatoes so you are not dependant on the season’s produce.
Prep time: 20 min.  Cooking time: 45 min.
INGREDIENTS
2 large carrots
2 large onions
2 large stalks celery
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 boxes chopped tomatoes
3 bay leaves
1 large orange (you will need zest and juice)
4 cups pareve vegetable both
1 teaspoon sugar
EQUIPMENT
8 cup soup pot with cover
grater
electric food processor
DIRECTIONS

1. Peel and chop onions, celery and carrots. This is most easily done in a processor using the steel blade but you can do it by hand if you prefer.
2. Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium flame. Add chopped vegetables and sauté until soft. Pour in chopped tomatoes and vegetable broth.
3. Grate orange directly into the pot. Squeeze orange into a liquid measuring cup. You need ½ cup juice. Add juice to pot along with bay leaves. Stir well.  Bring ingredients to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover pot and simmer 45 minutes. Remove cover and add sugar. Stir well. Cool soup at least 15 minutes before pureeing it.
4. To puree: Remove 2 cups soup and set aside. Puree soup, two cups at a time and pour into container. Stir in reserved soup. Chill thoroughly-several hours or overnight. Taste. Adjust seasoning by adding more sugar and a little salt if desired. Serve soup very cold with homemade croutons.

A Vegetarian Entree from Kosher Cookbook: Fried Tofu with Spicy Sweet Glaze

Thought you didn't like tofu? I dare you to try this succulent dish without becoming a convert!

Fried Tofu with Spicy Sweet Glaze P Yield: 8 slices

The pressed tofu soaks up all the wonderful flavors  from the ginger, molasses,  pineapple, sesame oil and pepper. When it’s fried, you get to enjoy the meatier texture of the tofu together with the sweet and spicy sauce with a slight crunch from the toasted sesame seeds.
Prep time: 60 min.  Marinate: several hours or overnight Cooking time: 30 minutes
INGREDIENTS
1 container extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons tamari
1 8 ounce can crushed pineapple
3 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1 cinnamon stick
1 poblano pepper-washed, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 inch fresh gingerroot-peeled and sliced
1 large clove garlic-minced
1 small onion-peeled and sliced thinly
Flour for dusting tofu slices
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
EQUIPMENT
Mixing bowl
Medium skillet
Oven to table serving dish
DIRECTIONS

1. Drain tofu and put it on a plate. Cover tofu with waxed paper and weight it down with a large heavy can. Check tofu after an hour or so and pour off liquid. Continue to weight it down until tofu has shrunk in size and given up most of its liquid. Starting from the smaller end, slice it into eight pieces and arrange them in a single layer in a dish that can hold the marinade.
2. Pour tamari, crushed pineapple, two teaspoons sesame oil and molasses into mixing bowl. Stir well.
3. Add all remaining ingredients except for sesame seeds. Stir marinade and pour over tofu slices. Marinate for two or three hours before turning slices over and marinating again. This can be done overnight.
4. Spread about ½  cup flour on a flat surface. Gently remove tofu slices from marinade and dredge them in flour shaking off any excess.
5. Pour just enough vegetable oil in skillet to cover bottom of pan. Add remaining teaspoon sesame oil. Heat over medium flame. Brown tofu slices on each side until they are golden brown. Arrange in a single or overlapping layer in serving dish. Set aside.
6. Remove cinnamon stick and add marinade ingredients to skillet. Sauté until onions and peppers are soft. Add a little more vegetable oil if necessary. Pour sautéed vegetables over tofu slices. Add sesame seeds to same pan and stir quickly until they toast. Sprinkle seeds over tofu. Serve hot or at room temperature.