(Unless otherwise noted, these are Doreen's recipes)

Vegan Strawberry Mousse
Strawberry Lady Charlotte
Roast Picania
Pineapple Upside Down Cake with fresh pineapple
Papaya and Pepper Soup
Vegan Vichyssoise Soup
Truite au Bleu
Focaccia Bread
Savoury Beetroot Tarte Tatin
Herbed Grissini (breadsticks) Twists
Lasagna Rolls with Vegan Ricotta Cheese.
Perogen
Steamed Fish Chinese Style
Green Lentil Chopped 'Liver' (Vegan)
Cauliflower Salad with (Vegan) Mayonnaise
Apple Strudel
Easy Vegan Carrot Cake
Conch-style salad
Grilled Trout
Lior's Doughnuts (Sufganiyot)
Apple Pancakes - without oil
Vegan Mushroom and Leek Pie (Phyllo Dough)
Limor's Onion Loaf
Vegan Cheese Cake
Vegan Blueberry Muffins
Vegan Carrot Cake
Easy Passover Chocolate Cake
Matzo Meal Pancakes
Laura's Curried Fish
Carrot Soup with Caramelized Pumpkin Seeds
Spelt Pancakes
How to Flip an Omelette
Roast Turkey Breast 2
Roast Sirloin
Barbecued Chicken wings
Vegan Chocolate Cake
Gravlax with Mustard Sauce
Braised Fennel with capers and olives
Chicken Marbella
Strawberry pancakes
Cuban Bread
Spatchcock Chicken
Lemon Mousse
Vegan Sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts)
Roast Duck and Apple Sauce
Banana Flambe
June 2015 - Birthday Chocolate Cake
Profiteroles
Melktert - Mom's Lemon Custard Pie
Whole Wheat Challah
Fennel Soup
Jackie's Cheesecake
Roast Turkey Breast with Pear Slices
Strawberries and Spinach Salad
Beets - two recipes
Sugar-free Lemon Meringue Pie
May 2009 - Chicken in the oven with lots of gravy
January 2009 - Fennel and Orange Salad
October 2008 - Orange and Beetroot Soup
September 2008 - Rum Raisin Bread (good for a sweet New Year)
April 2008 - Passover Muffins
February 2008 - Tsholent
January 2008 - Makluba
January 2008 - Lettuce soup
December 2007 - Potato/zucchini latkes
Cousin Viv Klaff's Lemon Chicken

VEGAN STRAWBERRY MOUSSE

Here is anotherdessert from the dinner on Friday night before our 60^th wedding anniversary (see the menu)

Prep time: 20 mins

Serves: 3 cups

1 cup fresh strawberries, roughly chopped

¼ cup granulated sugar

1 tsp lemon zest

5 Tbs water

1 Tbs corn flour

½ small container Rich’s whipping cream

Place strawberries and sugar in a pot and set aside until liquid forms, then over medium heat, cook the strawberries. Using a wooden spoon or potato masher crush the strawberries when soft.

Meanwhile combine the water and corn flour to make a slurry. Add the mixture to the strawberries. Cook while stirring until mixture thickens. Remove from flame and mix in the lemon zest. Set aside to cool completely.

Whip cream and when stiff use a spatula to carefully fold in the strawberries.

Transfer the mousse into 3 pretty glass jars or cups and let them set in the fridge for 40-50 minutes.

Before serving, top with fresh strawberries.

STRAWBERRY LADY CHARLOTTE

Adapted from https://www.pardonyourfrench.com/strawberry-charlotte-cake/

This was also served on the Friday night before our 60^th wedding anniversary (see the menu) . Walking in Netanya, we saw Boudoir Biscuits (“lady fingers”) displayed in a French-run store. Lady Charlotte quickly came to mind. With great enthusiasm I bought two packets… and then had to figure out how to prepare it. Somewhat complicated, but the hardest part was getting the lady fingers to stand upright. It was a huge success.

For the soaking syrup :
150 ml water
1 lime/lemon
¼ cup + 2 Tbs sugar

For the strawberry mousse:
700 g strawberries, divided: 400 for the puree and 300g to decorate
¼ cup + 2 Tbs sugar

2 Tbs strawberry jam

¼ cup water
1 ½ packets powdered gelatine

1 ¼ cup whipping cream (30%)

MAKE THE SOAKING SYRUP: In a small saucepan, heat the water with the sugar and the zest of the lime. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

PREPARE THE STRAWBERRY PUREE: Wash and drain the strawberries.Take 400g strawberries and cut off the stalks and white parts, then puree with the jam in a food processor or in a blender. Strain the puree and discard the seeds.

In a medium-sized sauce pan, heat the strawberry puree with the sugar and simmer on low heat, whisking until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has thickened slightly.

Place the water in another small pot and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it bloom for 10 minutes. Carefully heat, stirring occasionally, but do not let it boil. Set aside to cool a little then whisk it into the strawberry puree. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Line a 20cm round spring form cake pan with parchment paper
Cut off the bottom of the ladyfingers so they will stand slightly higher than the pan. Keep the cut off pieces.
Take a ladyfinger and soak the flat side in the syrup. Place the dry rounded-side facing out against the side of the pan and soaked side facing inward. Repeat, arranging the ladyfingers snugly around the sides of pan, avoiding gaps. You should use about 18-19 ladyfingers to fill the entire rim. Place the rest of the ladyfingers and cut off pieces, also soaked, in one layer at the bottom of the pan, with the rounded-side facing down and flat size facing up so there are no gaps.

MAKE THE MOUSSE: In a large mixing bowl, whip up the cream to a firm peak. Gently fold in the strawberry puree, using a spatula. Do not overmix: stop mixing where the mousse is evenly pink in color and no lumps are visible, but the mixture still has to feel airy and foamy.

ASSEMBLE THE CAKE: Set aside 4 strawberries to decorate before serving. Slice the rest of the strawberries into quarters.

Pour half the strawberry mousse inside the ladyfinger mold. Place the cut strawberries in one layer on the mousse. Ladle the rest of the mousse into the pan, and smooth the top with the spatula.

Place the Charlotte cake in the fridge to set for at least 4 hours, even overnight.

TO SERVE: Right before serving, slice the 4 strawberries into fan shapes and place them on top of the cake to decorate.

To serve, carefully remove the Charlotte cake from the spring form mold, and place on a serving tray. If chilled enough, the cake should be easy to work with. If it is too soft (and starts to fall), give it more time in the fridge before you try to unmold it.

When on the serving tray, you can tie a ribbon around the Charlotte cake. Not too tight, but just enough to keep the cake together and make it look festive..

picania40

ROAST PICANIA

Picania, known also as rump or sirloin cap (שייטל) is a Brazilian cut and perfect for a dinner when there is much to prepare. Don’t be put off by the long list of ingredients; it is quite simple to prepare.

On the Friday night before our 60^th wedding anniversary only a few family members were able to attend, so instead of a celebration, I wanted to show that even though 60 years ago I had no idea about cooking, I had learnt a thing or two in the ensuing years. Click here for the menu. The main course was to be vegan steaks for the vegans and vegetarians and a roast for the omnivores. At Tiv Taam the butcher suggested Picania – a cut we had never heard of. But the size and price were right so we bought it, and then had to search how to prepare it. It was delicious.

Prep time: 20 minutes

Roasting time: 1¼- 1½ hours

Serves: 10

2 kg picania

5 crushed garlic cloves

½ cup olive oil

1 Tbs Dijon mustard (Optional)

Coarse salt, grey is preferable, but kosher okay

Freshly ground black pepper

2-3 sprigs rosemary

2-3 sprigs fresh thyme

½ cup good red wine

1 cup beef broth

4 medium onions, cut into thick circles

3 medium carrots, halved then halved lengthwise

5 large champignon mushrooms, halved

½ cup cooked chickpeas

Rinse meat in cold water and dry very quickly.

Rub the picania with coarse salt and black pepper on all sides.
Mix the crushed garlic, olive oil and mustard in a bowl, and rub into the picania.

The meat can be covered and refrigerated overnight at this point. Take it out 2 hours before roasting.

Preheat the oven to 200° C. It is important for the oven to be very hot when you put in the meat.

Oil a deep pan and arrange the onion, carrot and mushrooms in it.

Place the picania on top of the vegetables and cover with the marinade; sprinkle with fresh rosemary and thyme. Place in oven and roast for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 180° C. Combine the wine and beef broth and pour half over the meat. Baste occasionally with pan juices and wine-broth.

Add chickpeas to roast after 1 hour. After another 15 minutes check internal temperature of meat. 135° C for medium rare and 145° C for medium.

Remove the pan from the oven and let meat rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Serve with roast potatoes together with the vegetables and gravy in the pan.

NOTE: For a vegan version, substitute tofu or seitan, adding more vegetables to the mix.

PINEAPPLE UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE WITH FRESH PINEAPPLE

Based on www.MelanieCooks.com

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1hour

Serves: 12

1/2 cup butter, melted

Scant cup brown sugar

3 1/2 cups fresh pineapple chunks

2 2/3 cups flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1Tbs baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2/3 cup canola oil

1 1/2 cups milk

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 175°.

Pour melted butter into a non-stick 23x30 cm baking pan and coat the bottom of the pan.

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the melted butter. Add the pineapple chunks to the pan and distribute them in an even layer.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl and stir to combine.

Combine the oil, milk, eggs and vanilla and add to the flour mixture. Mix the ingredient thoroughly until smooth (either by hand with a spoon or with an electric mixer).

Pour the batter evenly into the pan over the pineapple layer.

Put the pineapple cake in the oven and bake for 1 hour.

Remove the cake for the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the sides of the pan to make sure the cake sides are separated from the pan.

Put a large platter or baking sheet over the cake pan and quickly flip the cake over. Carefully lift the baking pan off the inverted cake. Enjoy

NOTE: If using canned pineapples, drain them before using.

Aviv dani PAPAYA AND YELLOW PEPPER SOUP

Aviv Ron prepared this soup – he used “secret ingredients” - peppers picked by Aviv and Danielle at their volunteer work:

Ingredients:

Papaya – one big or 2 small ones

Yellow peppers – 6

Onion – 1 big or 2 small

Garlic – 4 cloves

Water – 750 cc

Olive oil – 2 Tbs.

Spices:

Vegan chicken soup powder – 2 Tbs.

Indian Masala – 2 tsp.

Curry – 1 tsp.

Cumin – 1/2 tsp.

Ginger – 1 tsb

Nutmeg – ¼ tsp.

Chili – a little bit to taste (optional, when in doubt – don’t add)

Salt/white pepper to taste

Instructions:

Roast peppers in the oven – about 45 minutes in 150 degrees, until brown in all sides and ready to peel. Take out and leave to sweat inside a bag or a tightly closed pot, until a bit cool and ready to peel.

In the meantime - Dice onion – sauté in olive oil

Peel the papaya, remove seeds (if you are lucky, Granny and Saba have seedless papayas!) and cut to cubes

Slice garlic

Add garlic and papaya to the pot

Add spices and mix every couple of minutes for about 15 minutes

When papaya is very soft – add water and chicken soup powder, bring to boil and lower heat to simmer.

Peel, deseed and dice the yellow pepper – add to the pot

Simmer in low heat for another 15 minutes

Taste and correct spices. Has to have a bit of an “oomph” but not too spicy. Ensure enough salt to balance the sweetness.

Grind with a hand-stick blender until smooth.

Serve hot or cold, decorate with drops of silan (date syrup) or balsamic vinaigrette.

Optional garnish in the center of the plate:

Mix of finely chopped parsley, coriander (optional), garlic, hot chili peppers in lemon juice, olive oil and salt!

VEGAN VICHYSSOISE SOUP

Easy and delicious

Soup is good food, a comforting food. Following the horrendous attack by Hamas on innocent revelers at a music festival and the slaughter and kidnapping of civilians, children, women and elderly, we needed much comfort. We went to a market of produce brought from the Gaza Envelope and came back with a large amount of fennel; obviously I was going to make fennel soup for Shabbat dinner at the Rons. When I learnt that Dani doesn't like fennel I also made, for the first time, Vichyssoise Soup as we had also bought leeks. Dani was delighted. She had spent the day as a volunteer picking tomatoes and besides being exhausted had formed an allergy and potato and leek soup was exactly what she wanted.

Oil, olive or canola, to cover the bottom of the pot

3 leeks, white parts only, sliced into rings

1 onion, sliced

5 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

White pepper to taste

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1 heaped tablespoon parave chicken soup powder

5 cups chicken broth

1 bay leaf

Snipped chives or parsley for serving

Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add leeks and onion and sauté until wilted.

Stir in potatoes; season with white pepper. Add bay leaf and stir well; cook for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Pour in chicken broth. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and cover; cook for about 30 minutes. Remove bay leaf.

Cool slightly then puree. It’s okay to have a few chunks of potato.

If served hot, sprinkle with chives or parsley.

Can also be served cool.

TRUITE AU BLEU

Only make with fresh trout. Traditionally it is supposed to be caught, knocked on the head, gutted and left to soak in vinegar a short while. Happily the trout we buy at the fish shop is dead and gutted and still tastes amazing. Try to get pink trout if possible and don’t wash skin.

2 trout

1 carrot

1 onion

3 whole cloves

½ cup dry white wine

¼ cup wine vinegar

Bouquet garni (bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley)

Salt and pepper

1 liter boiling water or enough to cover fish.

Put all ingredients, except fish, in a large shallow frying pan and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Remove vegetables and spices. Gently immerse the fish and make sure they are covered with water. Switch off heat. Cover pan with a lid and then cover with a towel. Leave for 20 minutes. Carefully remove from pan and drain.

Serve with boiled potatoes and lemon wedges. We like to serve it accompanied by sauce tartare – mayonnaise, capers, finely grated onion and lemon juice – or melted butter if you wish.

Absolutely delicious.

See here for a recipe for grilled trout

FOCACCIA

The Best, Easiest Focaccia Bread Recipe

A recipe from Alexandracooks.com

Eitan and I love to entertain. When we decided to make seafood paella, I just knew that I had to make focaccia as part of the appetizers. This recipe is incredibly easy and unusually, I made no changes. I made it over three days but it can be made the night before.

512g all purpose or bread flour (I used both)

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons instant yeast,

2 cups lukewarm water, made by combining 1/2 cup boiling water with 1 1/2 cups cold water

4 tablespoons olive oil, divided

Flaky sea salt

1 to 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and instant yeast. Add the water. Using a rubber spatula, mix until the liquid is absorbed and the ingredients form a sticky dough ball. (I needed a little more water to combine all the ingredients.) Rub the surface of the dough lightly with olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator overnight or for as long as three-four days.

Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper and coat lightly with olive oil.

Pour 2 tablespoons of oil onto the pan. Using two forks deflate the dough by releasing it from the sides of the bowl and pulling it toward the center. Rotate the bowl in quarter turns as you deflate, turning the mass into a rough ball. Place dough into prepared pan. Roll the dough ball in the oil to coat it all over, forming a rough ball. Let the dough rest for 3 to 4 hours depending on the temperature of your kitchen.

Because I had used more than the 2 cups liquid recommended, the dough was really soft and didn’t form a ball. I just turned it over and over until it was coated with oil No need to cover for this room temperature rise.

Preheat oven to highest setting 220C. Sprinkle the rosemary leaves liberally over the dough. Pour 2 tablespoons of oil over dough. Rub your fingers with oil to coat them, then press straight down to create deep dimples all over. If necessary, gently stretch the dough as you dimple to allow the dough to fill the pan. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the underside is golden and crisp. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer the focaccia to a cooling rack. Let it cool for 10 minutes before cutting and serving;

Because the focaccia was cold by supper time, I placed the focaccia in a preheated 375C oven, sprayed it with water and heated the focaccia for 10 minutes. We cut it into squares and served it with small bowls of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A hit.

The following day it was fine heated in the microwave.

SAVOURY BEETROOT TARTE TANIN

Based on https://www.delicious.com.au/

When I got mixed up between Yom Yerushalyim (which we don’t celebrate) and Shavuot, I was up at 3.00am preparing for a festive dinner with Vered and Aviv, Louise, later Caroline and even later Morris – and I had forgotten that our dish washer machine was on the blink. The following week (Shavuot, and with dish washer fixed) we had Vered and family with Gal, and Moran and family over to celebrate Shavuot. The first tarte was prepared first by me and the second by Maayan. The tarte is impressive to look at and very tasty. Good at room temperature

4 small beetroots, with young leaves to serve*

3 sprigs thyme

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs water

Salt and pepper

40g grams unsalted butter

2 Tbs soft brown sugar

¼ cup white balsamic vinegar

1 sheet chilled pastry, cut into a disc to easily cover the pie dish

WHIPPED RICOTTA

250g ricotta, drained

¼ cup thickened cream

2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked

20g parmesan, finely grated

Finely grated zest of ½ lemon

METHOD

1. Preheat oven to 220°C.

2. For whipped ricotta, place all ingredients into a food processor, season, and blitz to a smooth, spreadable consistency. Refrigerate until needed.

3. Place the beetroot in an ovenproof dish together with the thyme, olive oil, water and season with salt and pepper. Cover with aluminum foil and seal but leave a few openings in the foil.

Roast 35-40 minutes until tender. Allow to cool enough to handle, and then peel away skin. Halve each beetroot, if really small or slice into 2.5cm pieces.

·In a 20cm ovenproof non-stick frypan, place butter, sugar and vinegar. Over medium heat cook 2-3 minutes until sugar has dissolved and syrup thickened.

·Place beetroot cut-side down in syrup. Make sure the bottom is covered with the beetroot pieces. Top with pastry disc, tucking in the edge of pastry and removing any overlapping pieces.* *

·Bake 20-25 minutes or until golden. Rest 5 minutes, then flip onto serving dish. Place balls of ricotta and beetroot leaves strategically around the tarte. . Best to cut it with a pizza cutter.

·
NOTE:

*The beetroot we find at the supermarket are always large and need to be quartered at least before roasting.

** Roll out left over pastry and cut into round or squares, top with a sharp grated cheese, a slice of tomato and black pepper and bake with tarte.

HERBED GRISSINI TWISTS

What could be more appropriate for a dinner party after returning from Tuscany than grissini? This recipe is from my cookbook A Potpourri of Memories. The breadsticks were delicious, but best eaten the same day.

3 cups bread flour

1 Tbs. sugar

1 ½ Tbs. finely chopped fresh basil/ 1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. dried oregano

1 ½ Tbs. chopped parsley

¾ tsp. salt

2 ¼ tsp. dried yeast

1 cup warm water

1 Tbs. olive oil

(I Tbs. brandy optional but adds nice flavor)

1 egg white

1 tsp. water

Place the first seven ingredients in a food processor; pulse to blend. With processor running, add water, oil and brandy through chute. Process until dough forms a ball and leaves the side of the processor, adding a little more water or flour if necessary.

Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead lightly for a few seconds. Place in a large oiled bowl and let rise for 40 minutes until doubled in size*

Punch dough down on a floured surface. Roll dough into a rectangle and with a pizza cutter and ruler cut into about 14 strips, about 1 ½ cm wide. Let dough relax 5 minutes. Lift a strip and carefully stretch it until doubled in size. If dough doesn’t stretch let it rest for a few more minutes. Fold each strip in half and form a plait by slightly stretching and twisting each end in opposite directions. Place on a baking pan topped with either a silicone sheet or baking parchment. If plaits start curling, straighten out when all plaits are on the baking sheet

Heat oven to 200C.

Cover grissini and let rise for 15 minutes or until puffy. Combine egg white and water and gently brush over sticks.

Bake in oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan.

*NOTE: I heat a narrow glass with water to just boiling in the microwave and then place the bowl of dough next to it to rise..

Some twists will be crunchy, others soft. If you have any left the next day, dry them out in a very low oven until very crisp.

LASAGNA ROLLS STUFFED WITH VEGAN RICOTTA CHEESE

I woke up one morning earlier this week with the thought that I wanted to make stuffed calamari. We invited Vered and Aviv who were delighted to come. But what to make for the vegan part of their family? It also had to be stuffed something. This stuffed rolled lasagna was a winner. First you have to prepare the Vegan Ricotta cheese

Vegan Ricotta Cheese

1 cup cashews soaked overnight (see Note)

1 block firm tofu

2 Tbs nutritional yeast

1-2 Tbs lemon juice

1 tsp salt

Good grind black pepper

Soak cashews overnight in water then drain when ready to use.

Wrap paper towels around the tofu and place a heavy object on top. Let it sit for at least 30 minutes,

In the food processor first blend the cashew nuts. Then add chunked tofu, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Process the mixture until smooth, scraping the sides of the food processor with a spatula as necessary. The final mixture should be creamy and fluffy, with a slight texture that melts in your mouth. Adjust seasonings if necessary.

Serve: Enjoy as-is as a dip or use in any recipe of choice! (Lasagna rolls below). Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 7 days or freeze for up to two months.

Notes: Cashews: If you forget to soak your cashews ahead of time overnight, you can either cover them in boiling water and let sit for 20 minutes, or cover them with water and microwave for 3 minutes, then let sit for 3-5 minutes before draining. If you have a cashew allergy, you can also replace the cashews with blanched slivered almonds, macadamia nuts, or pine nuts.

Sweet: you can use this ricotta in sweet applications as well, but reduce the nutritional yeast to only 1 tablespoon and leave out black pepper

Lasagna rolls with stuffed Ricotta cheese.

1/2 Tbs oil

1 onion sliced thinly

2 garlic cloves, crushed

3-4 fresh mushrooms, sliced thinly (optional)

1/2 Tbs soy sauce

100 g leaf spinach (fresh or frozen)

1 1/2 cups (360 g) marinara sauce (see Notes)

12 small lasagna noodles (Osem Perfecto 14x9 is ideal)

200 /vegan ricotta cheese

1/2 tsp paprika (optional)

Salt and black pepper to taste

Grated vegan cheese for topping

Cook the lasagna noodles in a large pot (filled with salted boiling water) according to package instructions, or until al dente. Remove lasagna to a bowl of cold water, and then drainthem on dish towels separating the leaves if necessary.

Ladle a layer of marinara sauce in the bottom of a 28x22 cm baking dish Set aside.

While the lasagna noodles cook, heat oil in a pan over medium heat and add the sliced onion, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté for about 4 minutes. Then add soy sauce and spinach. Cook until spinach wilted (if fresh) or liquid evaporates (if frozen).

Spread a heaped teaspoon of ricotta cheese on each lasagna leaf and squash it down. Top it with the spinach mixture. Roll up each lasagna noodle lengthwise and place it seam-side down in the baking dish, one roll next to the other.

Ladle the remaining marinara sauce over the lasagna noodles.

Top with grated yellow vegan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil.

The lasagna can be made ahead of time to this point and refrigerated until needed.

Heat oven to 175C degrees and remove lasagna pan from fridge

Bake for 20-25 minutes then uncover, and bake 10 minutes more.

NOTES

You can use your favorite tomato sauce instead of marinara sauce. We added some vegan cream to smooth out the taste

If you aren't a fan of mushrooms, simply leave them out.

PEROGEN

We have just returned from two visits to Poland for bridge. Finding ourselves in the land of *pierogi" again conjured up for Eitan memories (that either his mother or the cook used to make) of perogen in soup. But what the Polish call perogi are more like ravioli and not the crisp baked or fried perogen he remembered. Eventually I googled “South Africa perogen” and found a recipe on this site https://mondaymorningcookingclub.com.au/recipe/meat-pies-perogen

which I halved but was still too much for us, but the recipe said they can be frozen. If reheated they should be done in the oven, not in the microwave which makes them soggy.

1 Tbs olive oil

1 small onion chopped

Sprinkling of oregano

250 mince meat

¼ cup canned tomatoes

Squeeze of ketchup

½ Tbs Worcestershire sauce

2 rolls of bought pareve puff pastry

Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan. Saute the onion until soft then add the garlic and oregano. Continue to stir over a low heat until fragrant and soft.

Add the mincemeat, the canned tomato, ketchup and Worcestershire sauce and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring from time to time. The mixture should be quite dry (not runny like a sauce). Add more tomato, salt and pepper to taste if necessary. Let cool.

Blend in a food processor to an even consistency.

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking tray with a silicone pad and oil lightly

Unroll pastry and cut into rounds with a diameter of 7-8 cms (a drinking glass will probably be suitable) and place on baking tray. Place 1 teaspoon of mixture to one side of the circle and fold the other side over to close. Press edges down with a fork to seal well.

Very lightly spray with oil and bake for about 30 minutes until golden.

Serve with soup and have a discussion whether the perogen should be in the soup or eaten with the soup. Enjoy!

Note: For a vegan version boil a potato in a little water until very soft. Drain. Fry a small chopped onion in oil or vegan margarine until golden and mash with potato. Season to taste. Cut squares from the pastry and fold over and seal with a kiss, sorry with a fork. Oil lightly and bake until golden. The different shape is to differentiate it from the meat version.

*Pierogi are filled dumplings made by wrapping unleavened dough around a savoury or sweet filling and cooking in boiling water. They are often pan-fried before serving. (Wikipedia)

Red tilapia

STEAMED FISH CHINESE STYLE

This was originally a pre-birthday dinner for Eitan’s 82nd birthday. It was so successful that I bought another fish, froze and defrosted it and made it a second time.

1 whole fish with head and tail intact*

6 slices ginger slivered with peeler plus 2 Tbs julienned

2 scallions/garlic leaves julienned, white and green parts separate

8 sprigs cilantro**

¼ cup canola and sesame oil

¼ cup water

¼ cup soy sauce

1 Tbs rice vinegar

Pinch sugar

Salt and white pepper

You can steam the fish whole with or without a few deep slits on each side. If scoring, combine slivered ginger and white parts of scallions with salt and white pepper and stuff inside slits and inside of fish.

Boil water in a steamer making sure water will not touch fish. Place fish in steamer, cover and steam for 10 minutes. Remove from steamer onto a platter.

Spread ½ julienned ginger, green parts of scallions and cilantro (parsley, basil) over fish.

Heat oils and add other half of ginger and heat. Add the water, soy sauce, rice vinegar and pinch of sugar and bring to boil. Pour over fish and serve immediately with rice on the side.

*I used a red tilapia just under 1 kilo. This is an inexpesive white fleshed fish without a ‘fishy’ odour that might overwhelm the spices used. Any non-oily fish is suitable.

** Eitan doesn’t like cilantro so I used parsley and basil instead

GREEN LENTIL CHOPPED ‘LIVER’ (Vegan)

Chopped liver is traditionally (at least in our family) an important part of the Passover seder meal. To enable the vegans in our family to enjoy chopped liver Doreen prepared a vegan version, which even most of the meat eaters prefer to the real thing!

Yield 3 cups

1 cup dried green lentils

2 cups parave chicken broth

1 cup walnuts, lightly toasted

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1-2 green marrows finely sliced

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

1 tablespoon almond butter

½ teaspoon Wellington’s Worchestershire sauce

Salt and pepper

1. Bring lentils and chicken broth to a boil in large pan.

2. Cover and reduce to simmer.

3. Stir occasionally for 30 minutes or until tender.

4. Leave lid off to dry lentils.

5. Lightly toast walnuts in a dry frying pan. Remove walnuts from pan.

6. Saute marrow in canola oil for a few minutes, then add sliced onions, stirring from time to time until vegetables soft.

7. Process walnuts in food processor, then onions and marrow and lastly lentils, processing until smooth. Add almond butter and Wellington’s.

8. Add salt and pepper to taste.

9. Chill for 8 hours, unmold onto baby leaf lettuce.

10. Garnish with pickled cucumbers and serve with hazeret (chrain, horseradish) or beetroot relish on crackers and celery sticks.

CAULIFLOWER (POTATO) SALAD WITH (VEGAN) MAYONNAISE

When our family comes for Friday night supper, salads are always an important beginning to the meal. For a recent meal I cut penne pasta into small pieces and added tomato, basil, wine vinegar and olive oil for a salad. Another was Eitan’s delicious lettuce salad with beet toppings and arugula from our garden. And then the highly successful cauliflower salad, below.

½ Cauliflower head, cut into small florets

2 tbs capers, sliced

3 pickled cucumbers diced small

½ red onion diced small

Chopped parsley

1 tsp lemon juice

Mayonnaise ** - real or vegan

Steam cauliflower until florets are soft. Drain well and pat dry.

Combine remaining vegetables with cauliflower and add about 1/2 cup mayonnaise to cauliflower mixture.

NOTE: You can add a diced boiled potato to the salad

**VEGAN MAYONNAISE

1 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp salt

½ tsp mustard powder- optional

Make sure the oil and milk are at room temperature.

Combine all the ingredients in a blender cup and place the immersion blender so that it sits firmly on the bottom of the cup, and pulse until the mayo emulsifies. Once most of the vegan mayo has emulsified you can move the blender up and down to incorporate any oil that is sitting on the top.

Taste the mayo and add more salt if needed. If it’s too thick, add more milk or lemon juice and if it’s too watery, add more oil. Pulse again until the mayo has the perfect consistency.

Use the mayonnaise immediately or the leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.

APPLE STRUDEL

When preparing for Friday night dinner, I told Eitan I would be making an apple cake. His eyes lit up remembering Vienna and he exclaimed 'Apple Strudel!
Adapted from https://cookiesandcups.com/apple-strudel

Serves 6

3-4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced 1/4-inch thick

2 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp vanilla

⅔ cup brown sugar not packed or ½ cup Brown Truvia

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 Tbs all-purpose flour

1 sheet puff pastry**

1 egg

¼ cup milk

Top with ground cinnamon and 1/8 cup coarse sugar

NOTE**Refrigerated puff pastry is now available at supermarkets. Otherwise use frozen puff pastry thawed in the fridge

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, vanilla, sugar, cinnamon, flour. Stir to coat evenly.

Place the pastry on a sheet of parchment and roll out slightly

Place the sheet with the pastry on a baking sheet

Spread the apple mixture evenly down the center of the pastry, lengthwise.

Slice the sides of the pastry into strips of about 1 1/2 cm thickness at about a 45 degree angle. Starting at the bottom, fold a strip to the middle and wet the end. Repeat from the other side and continue sealing lightly with water each time.

If you have pastry without apple at the end cut off the pastry and seal top and bottom.

Whisk together the egg and the milk. Lightly brush the top of the pastry with the egg wash.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and coarse sugar if desired.
Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, until golden brown and apple juice oozes out of spaces.

Serve warm or at room temperature with custard.

vegan carrot cake EASY VEGAN CARROT CAKE

Adapted from https://www.noracooks.com/

During the Guardians of the Wall campaign, May 2021, when travelling on the roads didn’t seem safe, the Rons came for Friday night supper. “Together is our favourite place to be” is not only a cute slogan on our 26^th Family Reunion T-shirts but a reality, strengthening the family ties and the feeling of togetherness.

3 cups grated carrots

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

Heaped ½ cup brown sugar/brown Truvia

Heaped ½ cup white sugar

2 tsps baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

2 tsps cinnamon

½ tsp ground ginger

Good grate of nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

½ cup canola oil

1 cup applesauce/crushed pineapple

¾ cup non-dairy milk

1 Tbs vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare 2 round 8-inch cake pans by lining the bottom with parchment paper and oiling it.

Grate carrots finely and set aside until ready.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients and mix well.

Combine oil, applesauce, milk and vanilla and whisk to combine. Add liquid to grated carrots and mix well, loosening the carrot mixture.

Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and combine lightly.

Spoon the cake batter evenly between the prepared pans, then bake for 35-45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean and the tops of the cakes are set. Remove from the oven, and allow to cool completely before carefully removing from the pans.

Frost with VEGAN VANILLA FROSTING:

3 cups icing sugar, sifted

50 grams of (coconut) margarine

50 grams of Tofutti

A few drops of hot water, just enough to combine.

Whip until light and frost the cake.

This recipe is much simpler than the one below, but just as delicious.

CONCH-STYLE SALAD (Ceviche)

When we lived in Nassau Bahamas our favorite treat was conch salad made with a good squeeze of a local sour orange, prepared by the side of the road, and then taken home in as plastic bag to enjoy. Local lore attributed certain benefits to conch salad and no self-respecting Bahamian would go on a date without first eating conch salad.

This is my kosher version of that salad.

300g frozen Nile Perch

At least ½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup orange juice

1 large onion chopped

1 red/green pepper chopped

2 hot peppers chopped finely

3 bay leaves

5 peppercorns

1 tsp salt

Good grind black pepper

1 tomato chopped

Cut almost defrosted fish into bite-size pieces. Add chopped onion. Marinade it in lemon and orange juice, and peppers with bay leaves and peppercorns. Add more lemon juice as liquid is absorbed. Can be prepared overnight. Before serving add cut tomatoes and adjust seasonings.

Rumoured to be good the next day if you are fortunate to have leftovers.

GRILLED TROUT

With the weather unseasonably warm, no doubt due to global warming, and with our growing awareness to eat sustainable fish, we sat on our verandah and enjoyed grilled trout. It was a welcome change from trout fried in lots of butter. Delicious and easy.

2 whole trout, cleaned

Olive oil

Sea salt

Black pepper

½ lemon thinly sliced

½ onion thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 sprigs rosemary

2 sprigs thyme

Preheat an outdoor grill on high heat and oil the grate well.

Sprinkle inside of trout cavities with black pepper and a little salt. Place the lemon and onion slices along with crushed garlic, a sprig of rosemary and thyme into cavity of each trout.

Rub each trout generously with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Tie up each trout so stuffing won’t fall out.

Turn preheated grill down to low and place the trout directly onto the grill. Cook until flesh flakes easily and the skins are browned, 6 to 7 minutes per side, flipping once.

LIOR'S DOUGHNUTS (SUFGANIYOT)

(Makes about 30 small donuts.)

2 ½ cups (350 grams) self-raising flour (or all-purpose flour + 2 teaspoons baking powder)

4 tablespoons sugar¹

1 cup plain yogurt (240 ml)²

2 large eggs²

Grated lemon/orange zest

2 teaspoons lemon juice

Combine the flour and sugar in a large bowl.

Whisk together the yoghurt, eggs, zest and lemon juice in a bowl.

Pour the liquid ingredients onto the dry ingredients and with your hands mix until you get a very sticky dough. Continue mixing with your hands until all the flour has been integrated. It may seem that there is too much flour, but slowly add the flour from the edges of the bowl. Don’t worry the dough will be sticky.

Place baking paper on a counter top and flour well. Spread the dough on the paper and pat to a thickness of 1.5 cm. Flour the dough and cut circles with a floured cake cutter or drinking "shot" glass.

In a deep frying pan or pot pour vegetable oil to a height of 4 cm and heat on high. Carefully place cut dough into the hot oil and fry for a minute or two. When the edges turn golden turn over and fry for another half minute. Remove from the oil, drain, and place on absorbent paper on a dish.

Doughnuts can be served dusted with icing sugar, or with jam, maple syrup etc.

NOTES:

1. 1. Sugar free: Replace the sugar with a sweetener.

2. 2. Vegan: Replace the yogurt with a non-dairy yoghurt, and the eggs with an egg substitute or apple sauce or mashed banana etc.

3. 3. Can be reheated in microwave

4. 4. Recipe can be halved

APPLE PANCAKES - WITHOUT OIL

I’m always a little hesitant to use applesauce to replace oil – the results are not always excellent. But this recipe was really good. If you want you can replace applesauce with ¼ cup canola oil. Makes about 12 pancakes. Can be frozen. Don’t really need any toppings.

1½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar/sweetener

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Pinch salt

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

2 large eggs

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup shredded Granny Smith apple

In a large mixing bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Whisk milk, eggs, applesauce and cinnamon. Stir in shredded apple

Add to flour mixture, and mix to combine, adding a little more liquid if it looks too dry.

Preheat a flat griddle over medium-low heat.

Scoop ¼ cup of pancake batter onto griddle. Let pancakes cook until bubbles form before flipping.

Cook other side until golden brown.

adapted from https://thestayathomechef.com/

Vegan Pie VEGAN MUSHROOM AND LEEK PIE (Phyllo Dough)

This is a combination of two recipes. I wanted to make my vegan granddaughters something special for Friday night dinner, similar to a fish pie I had made the previous day for a brunch for friends.

¼ cup couscous/1 cup cooked rice/ bulgur

5 Tbs olive oil

1 tsp white wine vinegar/ cider vinegar

225 gr mushrooms, sliced

2 cups leeks, white and light green parts, cut lengthwise and sliced into half moons

1 cup diced fennel

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp tomato paste

Salt and pepper

2 Tbs soy sauce/hoisin sauce

½ cup creamy almond butter

¼ cup chopped dill/parsley/cilantro

1 packet vegan puff pastry (phyllo), frozen and thawed in fridge.

Melted margarine as needed

Place couscous in a bowl and just cover with boiling water then, let sit.

In large frying pan heat 3 Tbs olive oil over medium high heat and add mushrooms, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add an additional 1 Tbs olive oil, leeks and chopped fennel and cook until fennel soft, turning often. Stir in thyme, garlic, tomato paste, herbs, salt and pepper and cook for a few more minutes.

Add soy sauce to deglaze, loosening browned bits from bottom of pan. Remove from stove and let cool.

Add couscous and almond butter to mushrooms. Mix well and adjust flavourings if necessary

On a floured surface place puff pastry and roll out to a 35 cm square. Then cut it into two rectangles one 16 cm wide, the other 19cm. Melt some margarine. Now pack mushroom mixture along middle of narrow piece, leaving about 2.5 cm edge all around. Brush margarine along the edges.

If you have a lattice cutter roll it firmly down the middle of the wider piece. If not just make slits lengthwise along the pastry with a sharp knife or scissors. Carefully pick it up and place it on top of the other piece.

Turn sides of pastry up and press down with a fork. Brush everything with melted margarine and place in oven for about 45 minutes until golden brown. It looks and tastes fantastic.

LIMOR'S ONION LOAF

Daughter Vered was coming for lunch and I was planning a hamburger lunch – both meat and vegetarian – when Eitan started talking about an onion loaf. I seemed to remember that onion bread should be made with dried onions and spent a good few hours looking for alternatives. Then Someone began placing printouts of Onion Loaf recipes on my desk.

Oh, not a loaf of bread! So a few more searches for fried Onion Loaf only to find they all used a pancake mix. But I don’t use packaged mixes.

Then I remembered that Limor had made onion rings. This is her recipe. Great Success and not oily.

Serves 4

Vered

3 large onions

1 cup all-purpose flour

At least 3/4 cup beer / soda water. But beer is best

Salt and pepper

Oil for frying.

Peel the onions, leaving the root in place; it holds the onions together while slicing. Then slice thinly. I used the thickest cut on my mandolin. Separate the rings and place in a bowl.

In the meantime heat a large pot with vegetable oil until bubbles appear around a wooden spoon when it is placed in the oil.

In another bowl combine the flour salt and pepper and beer to make a thick mixture. Then pour it over the onions and mix well. Adjust the consistency if necessary, adding more beer or flour so batter just coats onions rings.

With tongs grab rings and place them in the hot oil. They stick together in clumps. Turn over to brown on both sides, brown but slightly soft. Then remove to a paper-lined plate. Cover with foil and keep warm until ready to serve. You can also put them in a loaf pan and heat in a warm oven for about 8 minutes.

THE BEST VEGAN CHEESECAKE

Based on the recipe by https://www.noracooks.com/

With three vegans and two vegetarians in the family, Shavuot, when milk products are traditionally eaten, was a challenging time. This cheesecake, without cheese, had even the carnivores calling for more.

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE BASE

1 ½ cups fine oats, almonds, cornflakes

5 Tablespoons/70g (coconut) margarine

(¼ cup sugar), if needed

FOR THE FILLING

2 containers Tofutti vegan cheese

1 container (200 ml) coconut cream

1 cup sugar

3 Tbs cornflour

1 tsp vanilla essence

2 Tbs lemon juice

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F

FOR THE BASE

Butter a pie dish.

Grind oats, almonds cornflakes in food processor. Add melted margarine, and sugar if necessary.

With a spoon pat down crumbs evenly in pie pan. Sprinkle with a little orange juice if too dry. Place in oven for 10 minutes.

FOR THE FILLING

Place Tofutti in bowl of mix master. Beat cheese until light and fluffy.

Now add the rest of the filling ingredients and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. Taste to be sure it is sweet enough

Once it's completely smooth, pour into prepared pie pan.

TO BAKE

Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes. Do not open the oven door during this time. The cheese should be set, but slightly soft to touch. Turn off the heat, and let it sit in the oven for 10 more minutes

Remove from the oven, and let it cool before moving to the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours, uncovered, preferably overnight.

To serve bring back to room temperature, slice and serve as is or with strawberry coulis or a berry topping.

STRAWBERRY COULIS

300 g strawberries

1 heaped Tbs sugar/sweetener

Few drops lemon juice

1 Tbs water

Wash and hull strawberries. Place in saucepan with other ingredients and simmer gently for about 10 minutes until strawberries are squishy squashed. Add more sugar if not sweet enough. Blend and strain. Keeps well in fridge or freezer.

VEGAN BLUEBERRY MUFFINS

Granddaughter Lotem Segoli prepared these delicious vegan blueberry muffins for a family dinner. She followed a recipe she found on the internet site www.mydarlingvegan.com. Lotem substitued almond milk for soy milk, but any non-dairy milk should be suitable.
Try it. Recommended!
Click for recipe

VEGAN CARROT CAKE

When I got tired of making vegan chocolate cakes (delicious even for non-vegans) one after the other, I looked for another recipe. This carrot cake is excellent.

2 cups all purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

Pinch salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

Good grate of nutmeg

2 and 1/3 cups (255g) grated carrot

1 and 1/2 cups (300g) Brown Sugar

2 Flax eggs (2 Tbs ground Flaxseed with 6 Tbs water)

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs apple cider vinegar

(¼ cup finely chopped glazed ginger) optional

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Grease two 7 or 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Oil and flour lightly.

Peel and grate carrots.

Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a mixmaster bowl. Mix with paddle beater.

Prepare the flax eggs, by mixing 2 Tbs ground flaxseed with 6 Tbs water and let sit for a minute or two.

Combine the oil, vanilla, apple cider vinegar (and ginger) then add to the mixing bowl. Beat to combine.

Add the flax eggs and mix again.

Let the batter sit for a minute or two so that the carrots can release moisture into the batter. It is much thicker than an ordinary cake batter.

(*If your batter is still too dry to mix after letting it sit for a couple of minutes (and only if it’s too dry to mix after sitting for a few minutes) then add in a little non-dairy milk, only as much as you need to get the batter to a wet enough consistency so that it can mix properly).

Divide the mixture between the two pans and spread evenly.

Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool completely before removing from pans.

Ice cake by spreading a thin layer between the two cakes and then on the top and sides. Decorate with crushed walnuts and put into fridge to set.

ICING SUGAR

200 g icing sugar

Good dollop margarine

Good dollop tofutti

Lemon zest

Enough boiling water to combine.

Beat well

Add more icing sugar if too thin.

NOTE

The mixture has to be just wet enough so you can spread it over the bottom of the cake pans with a spatula.

I substituted ¼ cup Brown Truvia for ½ cup of the brown sugar.

I added a grated apple for moisture.

I would have added finely chopped glazed ginger but my granddaughters don’t like it.

For an easier recipe, see here.

EASY PASSOVER CHOCOLATE CAKE

Adapted from "Little Meals" by Rozanne Gold (Villard Books, 1993).

8 eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup sugar/sweetener

3 Tbs canola oil

2 Tbs cold coffee (liquid)

Few drops vanilla extract

1 grated rind of small orange

1/2 cup flaked almonds, toasted and finely ground

*2 Tbs matzo meal

Preheat oven to 350'F/175C. Oil a spring form cake tin and dust with matzo meal (see Note*).

Separate 6 eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff and set aside.

In Mixmaster bowl combine 6 egg yolks and remaining 2 whole eggs with the cocoa, sugar, oil, coffee, vanilla extract and orange rind. Then beat this cocoa mixture until light in color.

Mix the ground almonds with matzo meal and then fold into cocoa mixture.

Beat egg whites again until stiff. Add some of the cocoa mixture to stiffly beaten egg whites then with rubber spatula lightly fold egg whites into cocoa mixture.

Pour into prepared cake tin. Bake for 25 minutes. Be careful not to overbake.

Remove from oven and allow cake to cool. You can sprinkle with

icing sugar, but fine without it. Serve with fresh berries and ice cream.

(I made half the quantity and it was a little thin but just fine.)

*NOTE:

Grind 4 Tbs matzo meal in a spice grinder/blender to make it fine. Set aside 2 Tbs of matzo meal for cake. Oil the spring form pan with vegetable oil then dust with the remaining matzo meal.

MATZO MEAL PANCAKES FOR PASSOVER

Makes 16 pancakes

6 eggs

1 ½ cups milk with water or buttermilk, if you wish

Good pinch salt

2 Tbs sugar/sweetener

1 apple/pear peeled and finely grated

Few drops vanilla essence

1 cup matzo meal

Beat eggs, then add liquid, salt, sweetener, grated apple and vanilla and stir to combine well. Add matzo meal and mix well. Let rest 10-15 minutes.

Fry on a medium hot skillet with a little oil, ¼ cup mixture makes one pancake.

Serve immediately, with maple syrup, strawberries or whatever.

NOTE: The pancakes are a little grainy (not unpleasantly so). For a smoother pancake zap matzo meal in a food processor for a finer texture.

curried fish LAURA’S CURRIED FISH

Jewish holidays in Israel have a rhythm of their own. Our best holiday is Pesach (usually by me) (chopped liver, gefilte fish and roast turkey) then comes Rosh Hashanah (whoever gives in first prepares the dinner). We used to Break the Yom Kippur Fast by my uncle Julius and Laura. We waited in anticipation for milk and soda water with babke (memories of my grandmother Mary), then chopped herring and kichel and of course the curried fish. Laura prepared hers without raisins because the children didn’t like it. The different foods give each holiday their special flavor and curried fish is the best flavor I can think of!

While searching for similar recipes on the internet I was surprised to see that curried pickled fish is a South African Cape Malay traditional dish for Easter. And I thought it was Jewish, but admit that it doesn’t appear in any of my old Jewish recipes books. When talking to my good friend Aura Greenberg, on holiday in Mexico, I mentioned I was making curried fish. She replied that they are there with ex-South African friends and were talking about it only a few days before.

½ k or so of any firm white fish that will hold its shape is good. Nile Perch is excellent for this recipe. Dry fish well. Dip first in beaten egg and then in flour. I use ground cornflakes and fine oats with salt and pepper. Fry fish in canola oil then drain..

Boil together:

1 1/4 cups vinegar

½ of 3/4 cup water

½ of 3/4 cup sugar (or sugar/stevia mix)

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper

3 bay leaves

6 peppercorns

1 tsp coriander

½ tsp turmeric

2 1/2 Tbs mild curry powder

3 sliced onions

1/2 cup golden raisins

Boil everything together for a few minutes. Taste after a few minutes to adjust amount of sugar, water and curry.

Pour over fried fish, cool and refrigerate overnight. Delicious.

CARROT SOUP WITH CARAMELIZED PUMPKIN SEEDS

To celebrate our 55^th wedding anniversary we had some friends over for cocktails and a light buffet. The evening ended with everyone imbibing Vered’s delicious Mojitis and enjoying the prepared banquet (see Menu). Food was plentiful and delicious but the carrot soup was a particular success.

2 Tbs oil (olive/canola)

1 heaped tsp each ground coriander, ginger and mild curry powder

½ tsp cinnamon

2 sliced onions

3 cups unpeeled sliced carrots

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 peppers, red/yellow/orange (grilled and skinned) (See NOTE)

½ tsp black pepper

7-8 cups boiling water

(1 Tbs chicken soup powder)

Chopped parsley/dill to garnish

Heat oil and fry coriander, ginger, curry and cinnamon. Add onions and saute until wilted, 3-4 minutes. Add carrots, sweet potato, peppers, ground black pepper and chicken soup powder. Stir. Add water and bring soup to boil. Simmer for 20 minutes. Blend soup and strain for extra creaminess. Return to pot and adjust seasonings and desired thickness. Serve with yoghurt preferably infused with saffron for the colour, chopped parsley or dill and caramelized pumpkin seeds if you are feeling energetic.

NOTES:

1. The soup tastes much better if peppers are charred and skinned before adding. They can, however, be thickly diced and fried until soft; if not fried until well done and soft they will give a raw taste to the soup.

2. I chop and change all ingredients when I cook, but have found that at least 1 sweet potato in this recipe is essential for a great taste.

CARAMELIZED PUMPKIN SEEDS

1 Tbs oil of your choice
60g pumpkin seeds
1 Tbs maple syrup
½ Tbs soft brown sugar
½ tsp salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 big pinch cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F. Line an oven tray with a silicone liner or baking parchment and brush with oil. Put the pumpkin seeds in a bowl with all the other ingredients, spread over the tray so they don’t clump and bake for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times, and roast to a nice, golden colour. Leave to cool down.

SPELT PANCAKES

With many people trying to reduce the amount of wheat they eat, spelt is a good alternative. An ancient grain with a nutty taste it is easier to digest than wheat flour. Not suitable for celiacs or those with gluten allergies.

1 ¾ cup Spelt flour

2 Tbs sugar or 1 Tbs substitute

1 Tbs baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

Pinch salt

1 egg

1 ½ cups milk/ non-dairy milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 Tbs canola

Sift dry ingredients. Combine liquid ingredients and add to flour mixture. Combine lightly and let sit for 15 minutes.

Pour ¼ cup a time on a very lightly oiled skillet. Flip carefully over when holes appear on surface

NOTE: Can add fresh or thawed drained blueberries, dotting pancakes as soon as the mix is poured into skillet.

Click here for a recipe for Strawberry Pancakes

How to Flip an Omelette

When master chef Doreen is at home I am allowed to prepare three dishes: boiled eggs, poached eggs and omelettes. I am not willing to divulge the secrets of my cooking, but can share with you how to flip an omelette.
flipping an omelette

Click on the picture

ROAST TURKEY BREAST

A perennial favorite, simple to prepare and delicious. Serves 8-10.

(for another recipe, and story, see the recipe from Doreen's cookbook)

1 turkey breast

2 Tbs soy sauce

2 Tbs balsamic vinegar

1 Tbs olive oil

3 chopped cloves garlic

2 bayleaves

3 peppercorns

Grated ginger/ ½ tsp ginger powder

1 Tbs silan/pomegranate/grape syrup/even honey

Good shake of 5 Spices powder/ ½ tsp cinnamon in a pinch

Freshly ground black pepper

Before roasting:

Sliced fresh pears

Sweet red paprika

Mix marinade together in a flat-bottomed dish and place turkey breast inside, making sure marinade enters all the little pockets in the breast. Cover and refrigerate for the day or even overnight.

One hour before roasting, remove from fridge. Heat oven to 375F/170C. When read, prepare a length of aluminum foil big enough to wrap around the turkey breast and oil the foil liberally with canola oil. Place turkey breast on foil and tuck pears in pockets and under turkey. Pour in marinade. Fold foil over and crimp. Roast for 30 minutes then open and sprinkle with sweet red paprika for a nice colour. Roast for another 10 minutes.

Do not overcook. If you have a food thermometer, internal temperature should not be more than 74C/165F.

Slice and serve with marinade which we will now call gravy and any pears that have popped out.

In the same oven about 30 minutes before roasting turkey, prepare a plate of vegetables – quartered potatoes with skin on, carrots, fennel, sweet potatoes, cauliflower florets, butternut squash – anything to fill the dish. Sprinkle liberally with olive oil and turn veggies to make sure they are well coated. Top with some kosher salt and a generous amount of rosemary leaves. Roast uncovered in the oven, turning once. It should take 1 – 1 ¼ hours to be nicely browned. If ready before the turkey, remove from oven and tent with foil.

(for another recipe, and story, see the recipe from Doreen's cookbook)

ROAST SIRLOIN

1 ½ kg sirloin with layer of fat on one side

4 cloves garlic, slivered

Sprigs of rosemary and thyme

Scant cup of white flour and dry mustard if available with lots of freshly ground black pepper

1 onion cut in half

Take meat out of fridge at least 1 ½ hours before roasting. Make slits all over meat and insert garlic slivers, rosemary and thyme.

Rub flour mixture over fat and rest of meat. Place meat fat side down. Tuck onions underneath.

Preheat oven to 220 degrees centigrade/430 fahrenheit and roast meat for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 190 degrees and roast for about another 30 minutes, turning roast over half way through cooking. Remove from oven and tent with foil, allowing to rest for at least 15 minutes. Make gravy from pan juices.

Best served as medium rare – internal temperature of 57-60 centigrade/

135-140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Picture: BBC Good Food

BEST BARBECUED CHICKEN WINGS

March 2019 - With winter almost over and warmer days, it's the time to think of barbecuing again. The only problem with chicken wings are remaining feathers. The best way to get rid of them is to cut them off with a scissors. This recipe is the easiest and also delicious.

20 chicken wings

½ cup chopped green onions/garlic leaves

¼ cup soy sauce

Scant ¼ cup Balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs sesame oil

3 Tbs Silan date syrup/molasses

2 Tbs grated ginger/1 Tbs dry powder

2 Tbs Dijon mustard

4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp hot sauce/ hot pepper to taste

Good shake 5 Spice powder

Combine all ingredients in a large container. Add the wings, tossing to coat.

Cover and refrigerate up to 1 day

Best is to barbecue.

Baking is also an option:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C

Arrange the wings in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Bake for 15 minutes, turn, baste, and bake for another 15 minutes.
Increase the temperature to 200 degrees and bake for another 15 minutes, or until crispy and browned.

THE BEST VEGAN CHOCOLATE CAKE

from www.noracooks.com 16 servings

When our newly discovered cousin Devra Hock came to spend the weekend to meet our family, we found out that it was her birthday. Faced with preparing dinner for omnivores, vegetarians and vegans, I couldn’t manage the prospect of baking two separate cakes. This recipe looked good and no-one knew it was vegan. It was moist and light. A success and best of all Zoe could decorate it.

Chocolate Cake

1 cup unsweetened almond milk

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

3/4 cup cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

Pinch salt

1/2 cup canola oil

2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce*

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup boiling water

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 ¾ cups margarine

2-3 cups icing sugar

1 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/8-1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk*

For the Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175C). Line two 8-inch cake pans* with parchment, grease and flour lightly.

To 1 cup almond milk add the tablespoon of vinegar. Stir slightly and set aside to curdle.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. With paddle attachment of mixer mix to combine.

Combine the oil, applesauce, vanilla and milk/vinegar mixture, then add to flour mixture. Mix on medium speed with a hand mixer or with the paddle attachment until well combined.

Lower the speed and carefully pour in the boiling water, continuing to mix into the cake batter until combined. The batter will seem very runny at this point.

Divide the batter evenly between the cake pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. When cool carefully remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely before frosting.

For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

Sift the cocoa powder into to a mixer bowl. Add the softened margarine and mix until creamed, stirring occasionally until evenly combined..

Add half of the powdered sugar and half of the almond milk, and mix until combined. Add the rest of the powdered sugar and vanilla extract. Mix starting on low, and turn to high. Mix until fluffy and light.

If the frosting seems too dry, add more milk, a tablespoon or two at a time. If the frosting seems too wet and doesn't hold its shape, add more powdered sugar until it thickens up.

Frost the cake and decorate..

* NOTES: 9-inch pans will also work but the cake won’t be as high.

I used soy milk because that is what I had. If you don’t have applesauce just increase the oil to ¾ cup.

I added a clump of Tofutti spread to the frosting.

For another chocolate cake recipe - decidedly not vegan - click here

(Doreen) When preparing a family feast to celebrate granddaughter Ilai’s 12^th birthday and son Moran’s 47th birthday, I went out of my way to make special things, like gravlax. Because this is less salty than smoked salmon we prefer it.

Scale and de-bone salmon, leaving skin intact. Tweezers are useful for taking out bones! Cut broadside in two equal pieces. Wipe dry with a paper towel. Combine sugar, salt and peppercorns. Line a deep glass dish with a little of the mixture and some dill. Place salmon skin side down in dish. Sprinkle mixture and dill thickly over salmon. Cover with second piece of salmon, matching thin side to thick and spread any remaining ingredients over top. Cover with plastic wrap and place a light brick on top. Place in cool place for 5 hours. Drain off liquid, and return brick in place. Refrigerate for about another 48 hours, turning fish around at least twice during that period, draining any liquid..

Taste. If too salty, scrape off the top layer. Slice thinly. Decorate with lemon slices and fresh dill. Keeps for up to 2 weeks.

1 Cup vegetable/chicken stock
1 Tbs capers, drained and chopped
2 Tbs (about 5 pitted) calamata olives, pitted and chopped
A few fronds of chopped thyme leaves
1 tsp sugar
Juice of 1 orange as needed

Wash and dry fennel.Cut off flat bottom and the tops (reserve any leafy fronds for garnish). Cut each fennel from top to bottom into four slices about 2.5cm wide, in half if fennel are thin.

In a large frying pan heat two and a half tablespoons of oil on a medium high heat. Add fennel with some black pepper. Cook for five or six minutes, turning once, to brown nicely on both sides. Some of the pieces may fall apart. Don’t worry; cook them with the rest of the fennel. Add more oil if necessary.

Pour in the remaining oil, add the garlic and fry for a few minutes, being careful not to let it burn. Lower the heat to medium, and add lemon juice and red wine vinegar. Add the tomato, ½ cup of the stock, the capers, olives, thyme and sugar. Cover the pan cook for at least 15 minutes, adding remaining stock as necessary. Turn fennel over at least once and cook until fennel is soft and the sauce has thickened. (You may need to remove the lid and increase the heat for the last two or three minutes to reduce liquid.) Taste. If too acidic add some fresh orange juice to smooth out flavor; it may need a little salt.

Fennel can be served warm or refrigerated for up to three days at this point. To serve, bring to room temperature and serve with crusty bread.

The chicken needs marinating for at least a day, preferably two, to soften and flavour properly.

5 thighs+ 9 legs or 2 chickens with skin or just plenty of legs
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp fresh oregano, torn, plus extra for garnish/good sprinkling of summer savory/herbs de provence
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1 cup pitted green olives
1/3 cup capers, plus 2 Tbsp of the juice

Good grind of black pepper
1 cup dry white wine/ 1Tbs cider vinegar +1 Tbs lemon juice topped with water to make 1 cup

What to do with a surfeit of strawberries? Well after you have eaten Strawberry and Spinach Salad (in Recipes, below), after eating delicious strawberries sprinkled with the best Balsamic Vinegar and after you have dipped firm strawberries in melted chocolate, you can make Strawberry Pancakes. And if any are left over, fresh or frozen, make Strawberry Sauce,

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour in the milk, oil, egg and vanilla, and mix until well blended. Stir in the strawberries.

Heat a large griddle over low-medium heat, and coat lightly with oil. Pour ¼ cup batter per pancake. Cook over medium low heat so strawberries will come out nice and mushy. Flip with a spatula when bubbles appear in the center. Cook until golden brown on the other side.

Combine all ingredients in a pot with a thick base. Bring to boil, stirring until thickened. Adjust taste if necessary and cook until strawberries are soft. Let mixture cool slightly then mash a little with a potato masher. Serve cool over any pancakes, cheese cakes and also yoghurt.

After Eitan was hospitalized for a bleeding ulcer that included a blood transfusion, raising his iron level became a challenge. The iron tablets he took restricted having milk products and whole wheat flour (which is a staple for us) and the need to cut down on fats. This bread recipe taken and adapted from Bernard Clayton’s New Complete Book of Breads is a winner – even my maid who refuses to taste anything I make loved this bread.

Place 4 cups flour in a mixmaster bowl; add yeast, salt and sugar and blend with flat paddle. Pour in hot water and beat for 3 minutes.

Add remaining flour, ½ cup a time until dough takes shape and is no longer sticky.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave to rise 15 minutes. In winter I heat a glass of water in the microwave then place the bowl inside together with the hot water.

Punch down dough and on work surface cut into 2 pieces, shaping each one into a round. Cut an “X” with scissors or sharp knife. Place dough on baking sheet spread with cornmeal. Place in a cold oven. Place a large pan of boiling water underneath and switch on oven to 200C. Check after 40-50 minutes and bake until the loaves are a deep golden brown and sound hollow when thumped on bottom.

Note: There was no bread flour in my cupboard and only a limited amount of all purpose flour. After searching for something not whole wheat, I substituted 1 cup semolina flour for all purpose flour. The bread was delicious, soft inside with a delicious crispy crust. Since there is no fat, the bread stales quickly but freezes well.

Make the marinade (see below) and pour it over and inside the chicken.

Take chicken out of fridge about 2 hours before roasting. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place a roasting rack on top of it. Then place the chicken splayed out on the rack so that the thigh and legs point inwards and the breast is pushed high. Tuck the wing under the breast.

Heat the oven to highest heat and then place chicken in oven and roast for 35-40 minutes. When the breast meat reaches 65C/150F take the chicken out. Cool slightly and carve.

Pour the remaining marinade from the roasting pan into a small pot, add any leftover marinade and heat, boil for 10 minutes, adjust seasoning and serve with chicken and rice.

Peel the garlic then add to a food processor with the other ingredients and process until fairly smooth.

Spread over and inside chicken, leaving uncovered overnight in fridge. Take out and bring to room temperature. Pat dry before putting in hot 220C/425F oven for about 40 minutes until thermometer inserted in breast shows 65C/150F

Having a lemon tree can be quite a burden. After handing our lemons to family, friends and neighbours – people on the street were suspicious of my offer – what do you do? Lemon curd, lemon chicken, lemon pie and then of course there is lemon mousse. This one has a lot of steps but is delicious, light and airy. Serves 10.

In a mixmaster beat egg yolks, sugar/sweeteners, lemon zest and juice until the sugar/sweeteners have dissolved and the mixture has thickened a little.

Place the cold water in a small heavy based saucepan and sprinkle the gelatine over it. Let stand to soften, about 10 minutes. Heat, without stirring, over low heat until gelatine has dissolved. Remove from the heat and leave to cool slightly.

In a separate bowl, lightly whip the cream until soft peaks form when the beater is removed. Stir the dissolved gelatine into the whipped cream and fold it into the egg yolk mixture.

Beat the egg whites in a separate bowl until soft peaks form when the beater is removed.

Place the bowl with the egg yolks inside a bigger bowl filled with ice cold water. Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the egg yolk mixture with a metal spoon. Stir the mixture until it begins to thicken, then pour into a glass bowl and refrigerate for two hours, or until set.

Vered invited us to join her family together with Moran’s family to light the first Channukah candle. She had seen a suitable recipe on the internet* and the kids were going to help her prepare the doughnuts. Since both her daughters are vegan the thought of vegan doughnuts was not appealing. How wrong we were. They were arguably the best sufganiyot we have ever tasted – light and tasty. This recipe makes 20 medium sufganiyot (jelly doughnuts).

In a mix master combine flour, yeast and sugar. Combine grated orange peel, oil and milk and add to flour, mixing on lowest speed until mixture comes together. Add salt and brandy and mix for 10 minutes more until dough is pliable and slightly sticky. Transfer to a large oiled bowl and cover with nylon wrap or a slightly damp towel. Let rise for 1 hour or until doubled in size.

Heat canola oil in large round pot to 150C degrees or when a wooden spoon is placed in the oil small bubbles appear by the shaft of the spoon. If the bubbles are large the oil is too hot so reduce flame and wait two minutes.

Carefully place sufganiyot in oil, making sure that the side that was upmost on the tray is placed down into the oil. Let the sufganiyot fry for two minutes, making sure they don’t turn over. When there are no more bubbles by the dough carefully turn them over and continue frying until the bubbles again disappear.

If you need to fry the sufganiyot in two rounds make sure to heat the oil again before placing the second round in the oil.

When ready to serve dust lightly by passing icing sugar through a sieve. Let guests make their own holes in the sufganiyot and fill with jam of their choice – strawberry or red fruits are best.

ROAST DUCK and APPLE SAUCE
(Doreen:)
Somewhat complicated but simply delicious.

My grandson Maayan recently remarked that he has never eaten roast duck at home. That was the impetus for me to finally prepare the 2 ducks sitting in my freezer. It was rated “Restaurant quality” by Vered and had the approval of Maayan and the rest of the family. What else could I want?

Defrost 2 ducks (about 2k each), so they will be thawed the night before roasting. Burn any feathers (yuk!) and cut out excess fat. Rinse and dry well. Prick skin all over with a sharp pointed knife, being careful not to cut into meat. Make a marinade with ginger, garlic, a little soy sauce and balsamic vinegar, pepper and salt and rub into meat in cavity and over skin. Place ducks on a roasting tray in a roasting pan and place under a fan to dry if possible. Leave uncovered in fridge overnight. Take out 2 hours before roasting. Heat oven to 180C. Place ducks, breast side up, on the roasting rack, and pour about 2 cups boiling water over skin but not into cavity. Place in oven.

After 30 minutes pour off liquid, reserving ½ cup for marinade. Add concentrated OJ (or juice from an orange and some grated zest) and a dollop of honey to the reserved hot water and baste skin. Turn duck over and baste every time you turn it. It should be ready after 1 ½ hours, looking gorgeously crisp and tender. The juices from the fattest part of the thigh should run faintly rosy when the duck is pricked. Switch off oven and leave in oven for 20 minutes to rest.

Serves 4- 5 people per duck.

Apple sauce is a must. You can buy the stuff, but homemade sauce is great. Take 3-4 GrannySmith green apples. Pare and chop into small cubes or grate on a large grater. Place apples in a thick bottomed saucepan; add ¼ cup concentrated apple juice and an equal amount of water to the pan, ½ tsp ground ginger and 2 grinds of cinnamon. Cook over low until apples are really tender and then mash a little with a potato masher. Add a little sugar if still not sweet enough. Cool.
Any sauce left over can be served the next day with either yoghurt or ice-cream.
(It can be made with red apples, but then reduce the amount of concentrated apple juice.)

Some recipes have a season. This is a recipe I recently revived from my cookbook under the title Guavee Flambee.
When we made aliyah in 1965, in summer the country would be overpowered by the smell of ripening guavas. As our agriculture diversified the guavas disappeared and today are a luxury fruit. But bananas are plentiful and delicious and today are grown under netting to reduce the amount of water the bananas need.
Banana Flambe is a party dish particularly suited to Hannukah when singing Suru Hoshech (Banish the Darkness), but good at any time. If you have a portable gas stove that you can bring to the table when you light the bananas, even better.

Serves about 10 people

1 -1 ½ ripe but firm bananas per person
3 Tbs butter
4 Tbs sugar/artificial sweetener
¾ cup orange juice (1 Tbs concentrated OJ intensifies the flavor)
½ cup Contreau/ Rum
Good grate of cinnamon
(Ladle of brandy)

Slice bananas. Heat butter and sugar, stirring until mixture turns light brown. Add Cointreau and ignite (at table if possible). Return to stove and add orange juice and mix well. Add bananas and cinnamon and cook until bananas just turn soft. (At table) add brandy and cook for 1 minute then light. Serve flaming.

VERY MOIST CHOCOLATE CAKE

Aviv and Vered have birthdays in June a week apart. This year (2015) faced with preparing cakes for their birthdays a few days ahead and taking them down to Sde Boqer required some planning. Then getting six grandchildren aged 3-12 to harmoniously ice and decorate 2 cakes (3 kids to a cake taking turns with their little saucer of decorations) required a huge amount of thought and preparation. The surprising results speak for themselves. (Click here for pictures of the children decorating.)
2 cups flour                                                2 cups sugar
¾ cup cocoa powder                                  tsp instant coffee
2 tsp baking soda                                     1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt                                                    2 eggs
1 cup milk                                                1 cup oil
1 cup boiling water                                     1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 180 C.
Oil and flour two round tins. The original recipe calls for 23cm but I had just bought 20cm pans and the cakes rose high, each pan a cake in itself.
Sift dry ingredients together. In another bowl beat eggs, add milk and then oil. Add to dry ingredients and mix well. Add really boiling water and mix and lastly add the vanilla. The mixture is like a thick cream.
Pour into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted knife comes out clean.
When cool brush sides of cake and frost with chocolate frosting.

CHOCOLATE FROSTING
½ k icing sugar                                         ½ cup cocoa powder
75 g (1/3 cup) or less butter at room temperature
A few drops of Cointreau or brandy         1 tsp vanilla essence
Scant teaspoon of instant coffee                1/3 cup hot water

Sift together the icing sugar and cocoa. Add butter and cream; then add liquor and vanilla essence and just enough hot coffee to make a creamy mixture. When frosting, continually insert the blade of a flat knife into hot water to heat and then use to spread the icing.

The cake and icing were moist and delicious!

*If you don’t have caster sugar, just grind sugar in a food processor, and then measure.

Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. Place a small roasting tin in the bottom of the oven to heat.

For the choux pastry: Place the water, sugar and butter into a large saucepan. Heat gently until the butter has melted.

Remove from the heat and beat the mixture vigorously until a smooth paste is formed. Once the mixture comes away from the side of the pan, transfer to a large bowl and leave to cool for 10-15 minutes.

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until the mixture is smooth and glossy and has a soft dropping consistency - you may not need all the egg.

Line a large baking sheet with a silpat and grease. Using a piping bag and plain 1cm/½in nozzle, pipe the mixture into small high balls in lines across the baking sheet. Gently rub the top of each ball with a wet finger to smooth. This also helps to make a crisper top.

Place the baking sheet into the oven. Before closing the oven door, pour half a cup of water into the roasting tin at the bottom of the oven, then quickly shut the door. This helps to create more steam in the oven and make the pastry rise better.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden-brown - if the profiteroles are too pale they will become soggy when cool.

Remove from the oven and turn the oven off. Prick the base of each profiterole with a skewer. Place back onto the baking sheet with the hole in the base facing upwards and return to the oven for five minutes. The warm air from the oven helps to dry out the middle of the profiteroles..

Place the water and sugar into a small saucepan and bring to the boil to make a syrup. Reduce the heat to a simmer and place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl set over the pan. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted. Take the pan off the heat, pour the syrup mixture into the chocolate and stir until smooth and well combined.

Slice the profiteroles almost through and fill with ice cream, Creme Patisserie or whipped cream. Pile high on a plate and pour chocolate sauce over it. It’s a nice thing to let guests do this last minute preparation with you. .

Whip egg yolks, sugar and cornstarch until light. Wet inside of a saucepan then pour in milk. Cut a vanilla bean in half and scrape out inside, or add vanilla paste at this stage. Heat milk to just below boiling. Temper the yolks and milk: While constantly beating, gradually add some hot milk to the eggs, until half milk has been added. Return mixture to saucepan and cook on medium low heat stirring all the time until mixture is thick and creamy and will coat the back of a spoon. Strain into a container and cover with plastic wrap. Cool and then refrigerate.

In May 2015, some energetic members of kibbutz Tzora, including |Les Oshry, Benzie Segal and Mike Levine, initiated and organized a 50-year Reunion of Habonim. This generated tremendous interest and over 200 ex- Habonimites from all over the world came to celebrate.

Pre-reunion excitement was high, with little gatherings everywhere. We were delighted to attend an intimate dinner at the house of Louise and Colin Kessel. Aura and Hilton Greenberg were staying with us so of course they came – as well as some 30 other people. It was an exceptional evening – some people we see regularly, others we hadn’t seen for years, even decades.

WHOLE WHEAT CHALLAH - Doreen

Adapted from All Recipes

When Eitan worked in St Thomas in the early ‘90’s, my dear friend Nina Schafer suggested that I volunteer to work with Mina Orenstein who had just opened an artisan bakery. Even though it meant working through the night without pay (I am definitely a morning person), I loved it. I enjoyed working with dough, the feel and the miracle of a beautifully baked loaf smelling like heaven as it is taken from the oven. A great byproduct was that Mina and I became firm friends.
Mina, who is a vegetarian – even her dogs are vegetarian! - tried introducing whole wheat challah to the local community, without too much success, we had to admit. Initially I was shocked, after all challah should be white and fluffy.
Today when for health reasons we eat only whole grain products, experimenting to find a fluffy, tasty whole wheat challah became a challenge. Below is the result.

2 ½ tsp active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
½ cup agave/ low sugar honey/ honey
4 cups whole wheat flour
¾ cup spelt flour/finely ground quick oats
1 tsp salt
½ cup canola oil /light olive oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence

Combine yeast, water and honey and set aside until frothy. Combine 3 ½ cups of the whole wheat flour, spelt (or oats) and salt in bowl of Mixmaster. Lightly beat the eggs together with the oil; combine with yeast mixture and add to mixing bowl. Beat with flat beater. When combined let rest for 15 minutes. Add vanilla essence, change to dough hook and beat for another 7 minutes, occasionally stopping the machine to check the consistency of the dough. The dough should come away from the sides of the bowl, and although very soft, should not be tacky. Add more flour if necessary, or if too dry add a little water.
Place in a well-oiled bowl and cover with a clean cloth. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour or longer. On a very lightly floured surface, punch dough down and form into a ball. Divide the ball into 2 pieces and then each piece into three. Cover and let rest for about ten minutes.
Roll three pieces into long strips about 30 cm long and braid. I usually lightly pinch the three strands together when I start and after braiding open the beginning and re-braid it for an even effect. Place on an oiled baking pan and cover.
Prepare the other braid and cover. Let stand until light and puffy, about another hour – when you depress the dough with your finger, the indent should remain.
Preheat oven to 175C. When oven hot, paint challah with an egg wash and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds. Bake for 20 minutes then rotate pan and bake for another 20 minutes or until nicely browned and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

NOTE: Children love making challah, so be creative if working with them around.

This soup has an intriguing flavor that people find hard to identify but also find delicious.
For years I have suffered from pockets of swelling below my ankle bone, causing much pain and stiffness in my feet. The orthopedic specialist said to check my heart - my doctor was adamant that my heart was okay. When we went to South Africa, we stayed with Sheenagh and Charles Levy, our cousins and friends. Sheenagh doesn’t eat the nightshades tomatoes, red peppers or potatoes. To my delight after a week of not eating these, I saw my ankle bones for the first time in years! Years ago Eitan had suggested that tomatoes could be the root of my problem but I had said that I couldn’t live without tomatoes, a really basic ingredient of my diet. But to suddenly have ankles and have the stiffness in my feet dissipate was such a bonus that I stopped eating nightshades. By the way, eggplant also belongs to the nightshade (Solanaceae) group. Since I am highly allergic to eggplant, it may explain the negative effect of the other nightshades.

When I prepared this soup this week the supermarkets didn’t have any Jerusalem artichokes so I had to use potatoes. And yes, there were pockets of swelling under my ankles the next morning!

Enough oil to cover bottom of pan (and a blob of butter)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 Fennel bulbs, cleaned and chopped
Handful of Jerusalem artichokes, peeled, chunked and placed in water with a little vinegar to prevent browning. (Use potatoes if Jerusalem artichokes unavailable.)
Finely chopped fennel fronds or parsley to decorate
White or black pepper and Chicken soup powder to taste.

Heat oil to medium and fry garlic and onions until transparent. Add fennel and cook for about 5 minutes, but do not brown. Stir occasionally. Add chopped and drained Jerusalem artichokes (or potatoes). Add freshly ground white or black pepper. Cook for 20 minutes until soft.
Puree with hand blender. Add chicken soup powder to taste.
Serve with chopped greens, almonds and a swirl of light cream or yoghurt for those who want.

Shavuot is cheesecake time. No need to agonize over recipes - this is the best cheesecake. It must be made in a blender or food processor and works best with Israeli-style cream cheese. It should be baked in a square or rectangular dish to remove portions with a spatula. It is the best cheesecake to adapt into a low/no-sugar recipe (see continuation)

Biscuit Base:
50 g (4 Tbs) melted butter/margarine                         1½ cups biscuit crumbs (Marie or tea biscuits)
1 tsp cinnamon                                                             ½ tsp ginger
Grated rind of 1 orange                                              Orange juice, as needed

Combine biscuit crumbs, cinnamon, ginger, and orange rind. Melt butter and add to crumbs. Butter the base of a large Pyrex dish and pat crumb mixture down with the back of a spoon. If too dry, sprinkle with a little orange juice. Place in oven for 5 minutes while preparing cheese mixture.

Cheese Mixture:
3 eggs                                                                             400 g (14 oz.) nonfat cream cheese
110 g (8 Tbs) butter                                                        3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla essence

Topping:
400 g (14 oz.) yoghurt/sour cream                                                     Few drops vanilla essence

In a food processor place eggs, cream cheese, butter, sugar, and vanilla; blend until creamy. Pour carefully over crumb mixture. Place dish in a bath of hot water and bake in a preheated moderate oven (170°C/325°F), until set, about 40 minutes. Switch off oven and remove cake and bain marie. Combine yoghurt with vanilla and pour very gently over cheese. Return cake to oven for 20 minutes.

LOW SUGAR VERSION:

Either make the biscuit base above, substituting sugarless biscuits for ordinary biscuits, or just thickly butter the pie dish and sprinkle with a few crumbed sugarless biscuits. Shake the pan to remove any crumbs that haven’t stuck.
For the cheese mixture replace the 3/4 cup sugar with 1/2 cup of artificial sweeteners. I use a variety of sweeteners – splenda, stevia and maltitol - which together lessen the after taste. I also use 3% cream cheese. After blending everything, adjust the sweetness according to taste and even add a dollop more cream cheese if too watery. Then blend again.
*
This recipe appears in my cookbook. When we first moved to Hofit we met Morris and the late Jackie Kahn who lived close by in Beit Yannai. Jackie was breathtakingly beautiful, inviting comparisons with Elizabeth Taylor at her best. Our friendship survived Eitan working for Morris and now our son Aviv is working for their son Benjie. The members of both families remain friends as families expand and change.

December 2012: Hans and Lottie Reijzer, our friends from ulpan days nearly 50 years ago, are on a visit to Israel.ctu (see picture ). They joined Vered and family and Louise at our house for Friday night dinner. I had prepared onion soup, roast turkey breast with pears and lemon meringue pie. Hans stumbled into our lounge and went to sleep. It seems the night before he had been in hospital after having lost consciousness at a restaurant where he had eaten something to which he is allergic (red paprika it turns out). Hans did get up when our guests arrived and sat through the dinner barely eating anything – luckily I learnt about the red paprika and left it out. When it came to desserts, he chose to have a slice of Lemon Meringue Pie. He perked up a little and asked for a second helping. His eyes opened, he sat up straight and he was fine. I don’t know what the healing properties of Lemon Meringue Pie are, but try it. The recipe appears on this page. (click here). The others enjoyed the pie but also the turkey breast!

Either one turkey breast or two depending on size. For a really moist turkey, soak in brine for a few hours, drain and then then roast.

Brine: Place enough water in a bowl to cover the turkey breast. The proportion of water to salt is 1 1/2 Tablespoons coarse (kosher) salt to 4 cups water. To this add a clove of garlic, 1 tsp natural silan (date syrup)/honey/brown sugar, black pepper, lemon slices, mustard seeds, a few bayleaves and peppercorns and anything else you fancy. Cover and leave in fridge for a few hours. Drain, rinse and either leave covered in fridge or roast.

Heat oven to 180 Degree C/ 180 F or Mark 5.. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and oil with olive oil. Make a mixture of olive oil, balsamic, soy sauce, black pepper, ginger and five spices if you have and rub it over the turkey breast.

Peel and thickly slice pears and push them into openings of turkey breast. Any pear left over can be placed on top of breast. Close foil loosely and place in oven for 30 minutes. Open foil, sprinkle with sweet paprika and raise oven temperature to brown top for another 10 minutes or until internal temperature is 74C or 165F.

STRAWBERRIES AND SPINACH SALAD - Doreen

When we moved to Netanya one of our big worries was how were we (Eitan) going to coninue growing salad greens. I vetoed Anthony's idea of ripping up the back terrace and bringing in truckloads of sand. Instead he grows his peppers, tomatoes, mangold and spinach in a chest-high trough which means no bending down involved.
This week we picked our first crop of spinach. The strawberries we picked from a tray of a roadside vendor.

Wash spinach and dry. Wash and dehull strawberries. Cut strawberries into halves or quarters depending on size.
Slice a cucumber and some green onions. Combine all ingredients together. Pour over some Balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Delicious.

BEETS - Doreen
Beets have of late become increasingly popular. High in fiber, folate, magnesium and calcium they are considered a super food, even for diabetics.

FRESH BEET SALAD

3 Firm medium beets, peeled and grated thickly
Juice and rind of 1 orange
1 Crisp apple, cubed
1 Stick celery, thinly sliced
½ Orange, peeled, and cubed
2 Tablespoons French dressing

Combine beets and orange juice and marinate until ready to serve. Add apple, celery, orange, and French dressing. Keeps for days.

ROASTED BEETROOT

6 Firm smallish beetroots
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs balsamic vinegar
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Cloves garlic
Generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper
Rosemary and thyme sprigs
(1 Tbs butter – optional)

Preheat oven to 200 C

Peel beets and either halve, quarter or cut into sixths depending on size – they shrink a little. Place in ovenproof dish. Scatter sprigs of thyme and rosemary on top.
Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, garlic and black pepper and pour over beets, turning to coat. Seal with aluminum foil.
Roast for about 45 minutes until tender, turning beets occasionally. They become tender but not soft.

They can be served as a hot side dish, or at room temperature in a salad.
Serve over a bed of greens and broken walnuts. Add a sprinkle of additional balsamic vinegar and salt to taste if necessary. If you have fresh (buffalo) Mozzarella, slice it and it’s even better.

For another recipe for beets, see Aviv Ron's Orange and Beetroot Soup

When we moved to our new apartment in Netanya it had a tree full of misshapen lemons that had horns and spikes and peculiar shapes. But the taste of the lemons was wonderful. So after freezing lemon cubes, endless cups of tea with lemon, giving bags of lemons to neighbors and insisting Anthony pickle some, we were still faced of the problem of abundance. The recipe below, although requiring a few stages has been a hit with everybody, and most people don’t even notice it’s with artificial sweeteners. If you want, just substitute sugar for the sweeteners– but leave the apricot jam in the meringue. You’ll wow everybody! ( Based on a recipefrom www.cdkitchen.com.)

1 cup sweetener (2-3 Tbs sugar + blend of Splenda/Maltitol/Stevia)
1/4heaped cup cornstarch
Pinch salt
2 egg yolks
2 cups hot water
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter

INGREDIENTS FOR MERINGUE
1/3 cup sugar free apricot jam
3 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon Splenda sugar substitute
1 tablespoon cornstarch
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

PREPARATION:

FILLING: In saucepan, combine sugars, cornstarch and salt; stir in egg yolks. Gradually stir in hot water; cook over medium heat, stirring, until boiling and thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in lemon juice and butter. Cool and pour over baked crust. This can be done the day before and refrigerated.

MERINGUE: In a coffee grinder or blender, blend apricot spread and water until smooth. In small saucepan, combine apricot mixture, artificial sweetener and cornstarch; bring to boil. Set aside to cool. In a bowl, beat egg whites until frothy; add cream of tartar and beat 1 minute. Add apricot mixture; beat until stiff peaks form. The jam mixture tends to splash above meringue. Stop machine and re-incorporate.

TO ASSEMBLE:
Pour filling over crust. Spread meringue over filling, sealing well to pastry rim. Make it full of horns to look pretty. Bake in 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) oven for 15 minutes or until nicely browned. If possible leave in oven to cool. Is good the following day as well. Enjoy

CHICKEN IN THE OVEN WITH LOTS OF GRAVY - Doreen

Last Yom HaAtzmaut (Independence Day) our granddaughter Danielle succumbed to kebab on the mangal (barbecue) after years of being vegetarian. On Friday night when they came for dinner she asked for chicken in the oven with lots of gravy, but not Cranberry Chicken. How much is “lots of gravy?” I looked for a recipe that mentioned 2 cups of liquid and adapted it. The chicken was a great success and it seems that 2 cups was just enough.

Ingredients
2 Large chickens, washed dried with fat removed.
1 Lemon
Salt and pepper
A sprig of Rosemary or celery leaves
Sliced carrots, onions, celery, fennel – anything veggie and handy
Olive oil
2 cups chicken stock
100g Butter-flavored margarine
Parsley, chopped finely
Grated lemon rind
Herbs de Provence or oregano, thyme, etc

Preparation:
Heat oven to Mark 6 or 370 degrees F (290 C). These chickens weighed 2 kilos each and took nearly 2 hours. Smaller chickens will need less time, 1 ½ hours usually and perhaps a slightly lower oven temperature.

Remove margarine from fridge and let it soften. Mash with fork and add chopped parsley, grated lemon rind, a good sprinkle of Herbs de Provence, finely chopped celery if you have, and freshly ground pepper.
Take a roasting pan, oil the bottom and place sliced carrots, onions, etc on the bottom. Make sure they are cut into thickish slices but remember a roasting rack must go on top of it.
Take the chickens and rub lemon inside and place the rosemary, celery, etc and the remains of the squeezed lemon. From the leg side, carefully insert your fingers under the skin, separating it from the breast flesh, one side and then the other. Turn the chickens over and do the thigh-side as well. Take 1/8 of the margarine mixture and push it inside each space. Massage it into the flesh as you spread it under the skin. Rub the skin with olive oil and salt and pepper. Place on roasting rack.
Roast in oven for ½ hour. Pour 1 cup of chicken stock over both chickens and return to oven. After another half hour do this again and turn chickens over. After another half hour baste chicken with pan juices. When beautifully crisp turn over and crisp the other side as well.

Switch off oven and open the door and let rest while you prepare the gravy. Pour juices into a thick-bottomed saucepan, skim of oil and taste, adjusting seasonings if necessary. Thicken; I like arrowroot, but a little flour and water will also do well.
Delicious and picture perfect!

During a break from work, I decided to have a luncheon with ex-Eilati friends only. Our Eilat period was a defining experience for forming lasting friendships. We have all since left Eilat and moved to the north. But those hot years in small, far away Eilat where life was quite hard, only we were too young to know it, is a bond between us all.
See This Week's Picture (Jan. 10, 2009)

Large beautiful (and healthy*) fennel bulbs are at their best now. Here is a delicious fresh salad, best served in a glass bowl as the colours are inviting.

Ingredients
2 large fennel bulbs
Bunch arugula (rocket) or baby salad greens
2 large navel oranges, peel and white pith removed, cut into segments
1 red onion, sliced paper thin
Handful of wine-brined black olives, pits removed
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. orange juice
Zest of 1/2 orange
1 Tbsp. salad vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preparation:
Cut away round stalks of fennel, reserving feathery tops. Cut off outer layer and bottom. Cut in half and then in half again. Slice each quarter into thinish slices.
Add olives, oranges, onion, chopped fennel leaves.

Make a salad dressing with olive oil, orange juice, salad vinegar (Salt) and pepper and orange zest. Combine with salad. Add arugula/baby greens when ready to serve.

*Health Benefits:
For the health and nutrient benefits of fennel (including anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects), see this site.

For the second Holiday of Sukkoth we had Granny and Saba for dinner. I felt like making an international meal with flavors of the European kitchen. The problem was that it turned out to be an extremely hot evening so to compensate for the heavy dishes I opted for a cold soup. Leftovers from beetroot salad – both the roots and the liquid it was boiled in - were the natural choice and for it I came across this recipe. This is an opportunity to recommend the site “Recipe Zaar”. I use it often to look for recipes by ingredients because its searching capabilities are superb.
Below is the recipe as it appears on the site . At the end I have added some editorial comments and variations. Enjoy.

Orange and Beetroot Soup With Iced Yoghurt Cubes.

Ingredients:
200 g plain yogurt
1/4 cup chopped chives
500 g small beetroots, scrubbed and trimmed
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 orange
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 liter vegetable stock
3 tablespoons single cream

Preparation:
1, Mix yoghurt and half the chives. Spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid.
2. Place beetroot on a pan, cover with water and boil for 45 mins or until easy to pierce with a knife.
3. When cool remove skins and chop.
4. Heat olive oil and add onion, garlic, thyme, salt and pepper. Sauté for 10 mins then add beetroot, vinegar, zest and stock.
5. Simmer for 10 mins then puree. Stir in cream and season if needed.
6. Transfer to bowls/cups and drop a yoghurt cube in each one and sprinkle with the remaining chives.

My Comments:
1.       Like in many cold soups, coriander (Cusbara) is a wonderful addition. In this case, you can certainly replace the chives in the yoghurt with chopped fresh coriander, and in addition have enough to sprinkle on top. Of course, you should be aware that people are never indifferent to coriander - those who don’t love it, can’t stand it – so keep it optional!
2.      Add intense spices to augment the naturally mild flavor of the beetroot. In addition to chicken stock powder use black pepper, curry, nutmeg and saffron if you happen to have some.
3.      Be generous with the cream. I used much more than the three spoons that are recommended in the recipe.

RUM RAISIN BREAD MIXED IN BREAD MACHINE FOR ROSH HASHANAH AND OTHER HAPPY OCCASIONS

2/3 Cup Raisins /Craisins
3 Tbsp Rum, preferably dark
1 1/8 Cup Buttermilk + about 1 Tbs if necessary to make soft pliable dough
1 Tsp Salt
1 Whole Egg
3 Tbsp Butter, softened
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
3 Cup White Flour
½ Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Cinnamon
¼ Tsp Ginger
2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast

Either soak raisins in rum overnight or microwave for one minute. Drain raisins well, reserving liquid in a measuring cup. Scatter about half of the raisins in the bread pan.

To rum liquid add buttermilk to 1 1/8 cup mark. Pour liquid into bread pan and then remaining ingredients in order listed. Select Light Crust, Raisin Bread cycle. I use the dough cycle only. At beep, when mixing finished, add remaining raisins.

I never actually bake the bread in the bread pan and use the machine only for mixing and rising. (The paddle never came out so I was left with an ugly hole in the bottom of the bread. In addition I don’t like the texture of machine baked bread.)

Oil a 12 Cup Bundt pan or a large loaf pan. Heat oven to Mark 5.

On a floured surface, remove dough from pan and incorporate raisins that have fallen out. Punch down, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. Roll bread out into long rectangle. Working from the long side, roll the dough over, lightly pinching the crease with each roll over. Carefully pick up roll and place in Bundt pan. Cover and let rise for about 30 minutes. Brush with a little buttermilk and oil.
Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes until nicely brown and bread slightly separates from the sides. A few minutes before removing from oven brush again with buttermilk and oil again for a nice shine.
Remove pan and turn pan over. The bread should just fall out. The round loaf looks most attractive.

Delicious with or without butter. Just the thing to enjoy at Louise’s Annual Rosh Hashanah Luncheon and quiz.

Our grandchildren Maayan 4 1/4 and Lotem 2 1/2 stayed to spend hol hamoed Pesach with us after Moran and Mikhal returned to Sde Boqer. Keeping them occupied was a full time job. One of the ways was to cook. After they had helped me make matzo cake, matzo brei and French Toast styled matzo I'd run out of recipes. So when Mayan asked when were we going to make muffins – a traditional breakfast dish that he always helps make – I said I would try and find a suitable recipe. After additions and alterations this was the surprisingly tasty outcome. It also led to a discussion between Anthony and I about the difference in keeping kosher l'pesach and keeping to the spirit of Pesach He remembers his late mother Queenie railing against drinking Coco Cola when ?… years ago it had been made kosher lepesach for the first time. What would she say today at my making muffins with baking soda?

Almost 1/2 cup canola oil
Less than 1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup combination of ground almonds and matzo meal – finely ground in a coffee grinder
1 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup potato starch/flour
1 large mashed banana
1 pear, peeled and grated
1 apple, peeled and grated
1/8 cup raisins
Soda water to thin, if necessary

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, Mark 5. Get grandson to lightly oil muffin tin.
Beat oil with sugar in mixmaster. Get grandson to sift dry ingredients three times. Let grandaughter break eggs, then (after removing egg shells) add eggs one at a time to oil mixture and beat. Add fruit mixture and beat. Add matzo mixture and beat lightly. Add raisins and stir until all just mixed. If mixture too thick, add about 1/8 cup soda water. Pour mixture into suitable container so grandchild can pour batter into muffin tins. Pour into prepared muffins tins and bake for 20 minutes.
Of course you can do this by yourself without help – much quicker and far fewer dishes to wash at the end, but not quite as much fun.
Delicious.

(Eitan: "Jewish cooking" is something of a misnomer, for the Jews living in the various countries adopted the cooking styles of the surrounding population, with modifications demanded by kashrut rules. If there is one Jewish dish it is tsholent, the slow cooking meat and beans dish prepared before the onset of the sabbath and kept warm until eaten lunchtime on Saturday. During the Spanish Inquisition, one of the signs by which Jewish conversos (marranos) could be recognised was "cooking on Fridays such food as is required for the Saturday, and on the latter eating the meat thus cooked on the Friday, as is the manner of the Jews." (read article on tsholent)
There are many family versions of tsholent, depending on the family origins. To the best of our recollection, Doreen's and my family never prepared tsholent after they left Eastern Europe so we have no family tradition. Vered and Lior have given us a start for a new family tsholent.)

Lior loves cooking. She enjoys cooking with Aviv or me, and lately she has begun cooking on her own, needing only occasional help. She can make cakes, salads, pancakes and more. Her favorite TV channel (yes, even more than the Cartoon Network) is the Cooking Channel…
About 2 months ago, Lior slept over at a friend and they had Tsholent (Chamin in Hebrew) there and Lior loved it and wanted to make it. She had been begging Aviv or me to help her make it for weeks until I finally relented… Having never made this dish (nor frankly, liking it very much….) I called two people who I heard make great Tsholent (Yahel Braverman and a friend) and Lior and I spent fun time getting all the ingredients ready and making the Tsholent. We even planted some Lima beans in a pot to see if they will sprout…

It came out great and we had friends over that really enjoyed it too. My Dad Eitan, upon tasting it, said it was delicious and asked Doreen to make some too….

Chickpeas – 250 grams
Kidney Beans – 250 grams
Lima Beans – 250 grams

Soak beans in water for 24-48 hours. Change the water every 12 hours
You can buy canned Chickpeas and then there's no need to soak

Barley
Wheat

Fry 4 large onions in a generous portion of oil with 4 garlic cloves until very dark
Once ready, layer on top:
Beef for stewing, about 200 grams per person, cut into very large pieces
A large bone (like Osobucco)
Potatoes (1-2 per person)
The beans
Barley and wheat

Salt and pepper between the layers as desired
On top, put 1 onion (unpeeled)
Optional additions: pour on top honey or date honey (Silan) and/or several prunes

Fill with water until the food line and boil for 2 hours on the stove top
Skim the froth ….

After 2 hours, removed from stove top and add fresh eggs (1 per person at least)
Put into heated oven with a tightly closed lid (or use foil)
150 degrees C overnight
100 in the morning
Depending on how many hours it will be in the oven, can speed it up by higher heat, or slow it with lower heat (not lower than 100 deg C)

Check that there's still water before you go to bed
And also a bit of water in the morning when you wake up

Should put into oven around 6-7 PM, to be eaten for lunch next day…

January 2008 - A bonus recipe - Makluba
(Doreen had a couple of very interesting tours in mid-January - writers from overseas food magazines. Here is her account of one of those tours, followed by a recipe.)

Doreen writes -

Since I usually work on buses, I jumped at the opportunity to be the guide for a food writer and a photographer of an important overseas magazine. They were guests of the Ministry of Tourism and Amutat Tel Aviv. After they 'did' all the important sights and ate at some of Tel Aviv's best restaurants and met with Tel Aviv's most prominent chefs, I was to guide them around Tel Aviv for two mornings. My initial reaction was panic since there seemed nothing left to show.

Many people say that music is an international language – how much more so is food. Food breaks ethnic and language barriers; taste, colour and smell reach out and beckon and who can explain the feeling of contentment after a good meal. I do know that the Levy family is happiest when eating. Jewish lore says that fragrance goes straight to the soul. Here I had a chance to put all this together and show our guests food for the soul.

Among the places we visited was Cardinal, a tiny chocolate shop on Ibn Gvirol run by Eli Trab. His very shyness and passion for creating a good chocolate captured our hearts.

Visiting Lilith Restaurant in Bet Asia was as inspiring experience. Behind the successful kosher meat restaurant that caters to business people in the area, is a human interest story. Together with the chefs and manager are a group of some 15 young people from Amutat Elem. Elem embraces youth at high risk and besides giving them a safe house and comfort, enables some to learn to be cooks and waiters at Lilith. Not an easy task. While the young people learn responsibility and the kitchen, the chefs have to learn how to deal with distressed youth as well as teach them to be cooks.

We also visited Jaffa, a tiny coffee and book shop in Yaffo. It is jointly run by Dina and Michel, and represents a unique Jewish-Arab enterprise. Here you will meet regulars and passersby, Arabs and Jews who not only come for coffee or food like Makluba, but perhaps for a book, but even more so to express solidarity in the idea that Jew and Arab can live and work side by side.

Makluba: a Palestinian dish that can be prepared vegetarian, with chicken, lamb or beef. Makluba means to turn over.

1/4 cup oil
1 chicken or equivalent cut into at least 12 pieces if possible
3 eggplants, sliced
3 carrots, peeled and chunked
1 small cauliflower, broken into flowerets
3 onions, peeled and sliced thickly
1 tsp Baharat or 1 Tbs chicken soup powder
Salt and pepper
2 cups rice
2 cups water
1/2 cup lightly fried pine nuts

In a large frying pan fry each ingredient separately in order stated, adding more oil if necessary. Take a large pot with a thick base and wipe bottom with oil. Lay slices of eggplant over bottom. Then add chicken, carrots, potatoes, onions, rice and enough water to cover. Add salt and pepper and Baharat. Cover and bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Switch of gas and let stand 10 minutes. Remove lid and place large platter over pot. Carefully turn pot over and lift it up. Makluba. The ingredients should be piled up like a cake. Sprinkle with pine nuts and serve.

Added in November 2015: Since our granddaughters Dani and Lior are strict vegans, makluba by us became vegan.

At a dinner party for Mike and Lorna Belman, friends from Durban we hadn't seen for many years, a winter Lettuce Soup seemed ideal. (see This Week's Picture). Quantities are variable and ingredients flexible, although lettuce is required for the name. The carrot and red pepper give colour

4 Tbs butter
1 onion, sliced
3 cups lettuce (hard outer leaves are fine), sliced
1 cup Chinese cabbage, sliced
1 cup cabbage/ arugala (rocket) mixture
2 carrots, grated
1 red pepper, julienned
1 kohlrabi/ turnip/parsnip, fat julienned
6 cups (parave) chicken soup
Pepper and a little salt

Melt butter and fry onions. After a few minutes add remaining vegetables. When lettuce changes colour, if using soup powder, add it and fry with vegetables. Add water and pepper. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with grated parmesan cheese or croutons.

December 2007 - Channukah

POTATO ZUCCHINI LATKES -- Doreen Levy
This year we celebrated Channukah at our house with some of our family for candle-lighting and food. The soup, pies, lasagna were not a problem, but it's years since I made latkes and agonized over how to prepare them. The thought of all that potato and oil was a deterrent until I found that in the recipe book I wrote A Potpourri of Memories, was a forgotten recipe for Potato Zucchini latkes.

6 Large potatoes
6 Zucchini-like squash
Salt
6 Eggs
1/2 cup self raising flour

Grate zucchini on coarse grater in food processor. Place zucchini and 1/2 teaspoon salt in sieve over bowl and let drain 20 minutes. Grate potatoes on medium grater and dry with paper towel. In the meantime heat oil to hot.

Squeeze drained zucchini to remove as much moisture as possible. Combine with potato and pat dry with paper towel. Beat eggs and add to mixture with flour. You may need to adjust the flour and eggs. Scoop up less than 1/4 cup of mixture and carefully place in hot oil; flatten latkes if they are too high. Fry until browned on both sides. Drain on a paper towel.
(I fried the latkes in deep oil but noticed that other recipes call for a thin generous layer of oil.)
Before putting in the next batch, reheat oil and with sieve scoop out the bits that fell off the latkes.

You can add 1 finely grated onion to the recipe but as I wanted to serve it with cinnamon and apple sauce (which I didn't have in the end) I left out the onion.

There was a frightening amount of mixture in my large bowl, but in the end I didn't even get to taste a latke as they went well - like hot cakes!

Serves 25. You can vary quantities. However you make them they taste just fine.