Health Salad

Small head white cabbage
1/2 stalk celery, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 carrot, sliced
1/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

1.Shred cabbage.
2.Mix all other ingredients and pour over cabbage. Toss and chill.

Second Avenue Deli's Potato Salad adapted

3 pounds red potatoes
3/4 cup finely chopped onions
3/8 cup vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup shredded carrot

1. Boil potatoes until firm, but soft. Drain and take off skin. Cut into chunks.
2. While potatoes are still warm, add onion.
3. Make a vinaigrette using vinegar, sugar, salt and pepper. Mix in with warm potatoes.
4. Gently stir in mayonnaise and carrot. Chill.

Grilled Eggplant, Onions and Peppers

From Joyce Goldstein's Tapas

Extra virgin olive oil for rubbing + 1/2 cup
2 globe eggplants
2 red bell peppers
3 large tomatoes
1/4 cup sherry vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
Salt & pepper
1/4 cup chopped parsley
Chopped fresh oregano

1. Preaheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Put onions in small baking pan and rub with a bit of olive oil. Roast until tender, at least one hour. Remove from oven, let cool, then peel and slice 1/2 inch thick.
3. Prick eggplants, place in separate baking pan and roast alongside onions, turning occasionally for 45 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Peel and tear eggplant into large strips. Drain in colendar.
4. Roast bell peppers. Transfer to a bowl and let rest for 20 minuttes. Peel peppers. Discard seeds and membrane. Cut into 1/2 inch strips.
5. Roast tomatoes for about 15 minutes. Scrape off peel and cut into strips.
6. Combine onions, eggplant, roasted peppers and tomatoes in large bowl. Whisk together 1/2 cup oil, vinegar and garlic. Season with salt & pepper. Pour over eggplant and toss gently to coat.
7. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with parsley and oregano and serve at room temperature.

Caponata

2 small eggplants
4-5 peppers (red, orange or yellow), roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup raisins
1 can tomato paste
1 large can Roma tomatoes
1-2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
Oil

Pour 1-2 tablespoons of oil in a large frying pan. Saute onions. Remove when soft and brown to a large serving bowl.
Pour some more oil into pan and saute peppers. When peppers are almost done, toss in garlic and raisins. When peppers are soft, place them in the serving bowl with the onions. Add a bit more oil to the pan and saute the eggplant. Add salt and pepper to taste. When eggplant is soft and cooked through, put the onions and peppers back in the pan. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Cook for five minutes. Place back in serving bowl.
Cool before serving. Should be served at room temperature. This dish also tastes better after a day or two.
Can be served as a vegetable or can be put over pasta.

Barbecue Chicken

1 chicken, 2-4 pounds or chicken parts

Marinade Ingredients
1/2 cup to 3/4 cup ketchup (depending on size of chicken)
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoon brown sugar or 4 tablespoons tamarind paste
5 shakes liquid smoke
pepper to taste

Cut up chicken or use chicken parts and place in a large bowl.
Stir all marinade ingredients together and pour over chicken until thoroughly coated.
Place chicken on a baking sheet or broiler tray and bake in 375 degree oven for 40-45 minutes or on grill until skin is browned and crisp. If using grill, turn when skin is browned. If baking in oven, no turning is necessary.

Crescent Roll Knishes, Oven Baked Brussel Sprouts and Easy as Sweet Potato Pie

Crescent Roll Knishes

2 cans crescent rolls
Instant mashed potatoes
1 clove garlic, crushed
salt
pepper

Make 6 servings of mashed potatoes according to package directions. Add crushed garlic.
Open can of crescent rolls. Roll out 2 squares at a time to half its thickness.
Cut into 2 to 4 rectangular pieces, depending on the size of knish that you want.
Place a dollop of mashed potatoes in the center of a piece of crescent roll dough. Gather at bottom and form a patty. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at the temperature on the crescent roll can for 12 to 15 minutes. Watch and take out when lightly browned.

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2 pounds brussel sprouts
Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Clean and dry brussel sprouts. Take off any damaged bottom leaves.
In a large metal baking pan, place brussel sprouts and coat with a few tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt & pepper.
Be sure to turn brussel sprouts midway through cooking. Roast 35 minutes or until browned and caralized.

Easy as Sweet Potato Pie

2 large cans yams, drained
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained
1 bag marshmallows
1 egg, beaten
butter for greasing pan

Butter a large casserole dish.
Mash drained yams well. Mix in beaten egg. Stir in pineapple.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 25 minutes. Remove and top with marshmallows.
Set broiler to high.
Place casserole under broiler until marshmallows are brown.

Marinated Onions, Sweet & Sour Cipolline Onions,Eggplant parmigiana

Marinated Onions

2 large onions
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1-2 teaspoons sugar, depending on sweetness of onions
1/4 teaspoon salt

Slice onions into half. Slice each half into very thin slices. Mix oil, vinegar and sugar together.Pour over onions and let marinate at room temperature for 3-4 hours before refrigerating.

Sweet and Sour Cipolline Onions

2 pounds cipolline onions
4 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Boil water in large saucepan. Blanch onions for a minute or two, immediately remove and place in ice water. Remove skins.
Mix onions, sugar, vinegar, olive oil and salt on a baking sheet.
Bake for 30 minutes until onions caramelize. Turn midway through baking and do not let burn.

Eggplant Parmigiana

2 large eggplants
Salt, pepper
1 pound mozzarella cheese
2 pounds ricotta cheese
1 can crushed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt
few grinds pepper
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove garlic
Olive oil

Cut eggplant into thin rounds. Salt and allow water to come out. Rinse and dry. Brush each slice with olive oil. Lightly salt each slice.
On an oiled baking sheet, place eggplant. You will have to do this in several shifts. Preheat broiler.
Broil eggplant until browned on one side. Flip over, lightly salt other side. Brown until done and place on platter to cool. Do the same with the remaining eggplant.

Make sauce. Place crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and tomato sauce in large saucepan. Add basil, oregano, crushed garlic, salt and sugar. Heat until boiled. Continue cooking for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve.

Shred mozzarella cheese. Mix ricotta cheese with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.

In a large casserole dish, place several tablespoons of cooked tomato sauce. Place eggplant slices to form the first layer. Put tomato sauce over eggplant. Put shredded cheese over that, followed by several dollops of ricotta cheese. Repeat layering process. When the last layer of eggplant is placed on top, put sauce on top of it followed only by mozzarella cheese, not ricotta.

Cover with foil and heat in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. Take foil off for the last 10 minutes until the top is brown.

Baked Glazed Salmon

2-3 pound salmon fillet (with or without skin)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons mustard (whole grain or deli)
Vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Place aluminum foil on a cookie sheet and coat with a thin layer of vegetable oil.
In a small bowl, mix together mustard and brown sugar.
Put salmon on cookie sheet and coat top with mustard/sugar glaze.
Bake in oven for 10 minutes and check if top is golden brown. Cook an additional five minutes, if necessary. Check to make sure that glaze doesn't burn. Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes.

Oven Roasted Broccoli

2 heads broccoli, cut into florets

2-3 tablespoons olive oil

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place broccoli florets in metal baking dish and toss with oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top.

Bake for 30 minutes, watching to make sure that broccoli doesn't burn.

Lenice's Red Cabbage, Cole Slaw, Mango Salsa

Lenice's Red Cabbage

1 medium head red cabbage, shredded
Several strips of bacon, cut small and rendered. Reserve 3 tblspns of fat
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into chunks
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 generous tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Add all ingredients to the hot bacon drippings and cover tightly. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally. Cook 15-25 minutes, depending if you like the cabbage crisp or not.

Rosenbloom Family Cole Slaw

1 medium head green cabbage
2 tablespoons minced onion
2 tablespoons minced green pepper
1 carrot, shredded
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup mayonnaise
1-2 tablespoons vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt

Shred cabbage finely. Mix all other ingredients together and pour over cabbage in a large mixing bowl. Refrigerate and allow flavors to blend at least 3 hours before serving.

Mango Salsa

Our family loves this salsa. It can be used as an accompaniment to turkey or grilled tuna.

3 mangoes, ripe
1 small bunch cilantro
1 small red onion
1/2 small jalepeno pepper
5 tablespoons lime juice
salt
1 can drained and rinsed black beans.

Peel mango. Dice into 1/4 inch pieces. Chop cilantro. Dice red onion and jalepeno pepper.
Combine. Add beans and then lime juice and salt.

Oven Baked Sweet Potato Slices

Sweet Potatoes (try to use long, thin potatoes, as many as you need)
Vegetable oil to coat baking sheet
Salt

Peel sweet potatoes and slice into 1/4 inch slices.
Coat baking sheet with vegetable oil.
Lightly salt slices with kosher salt.

Bake in a 375 degree oven until the bottoms of the sweet potato slices are brown. Flip each slice over and place back in oven to brown the second side.

Chicken Soup

1 large chicken
1/2 bag organic baby carrots
1 stalk celery
1 medium size onion, without skin
1 turnip, peeled
1 parsnip, peeled
fresh parsley & dill (wrap in cheesecloth)
salt to taste
peppercorns (about 15)
Enough bottled water to cover all

Place all ingredients in large pot. Cover with water.
Partially cover soup and bring to a boil. Skim surface for the first 30 minutes.
Continue cooking for a total of 2 hours.
Remove chicken and all vegetables and strain broth into a clean pot.
Use chicken for chicken salad or use as a boiled chicken.
Discard celery, onion, parsley and dill.
Rinse carrots and place back in the broth. Slice turnips and parsnip and serve with chicken.

Gravlax, Japanese Cabbage Salad

Gravlax

Salmon fillet (2-3 pounds)
1/4 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
1 large bunch dill

Place plastic wrap in an oblong casserole dish large enough to hold salmon. Use one piece of wrap the length of the dish and one piece the width of the dish.

Combine salt and sugar and sprinkle half of this mixture on the bottom of the plastic-wrapped dish along with half of the dill. Place fish fillet on top. Sprinkle remaining salt/sugar on top of salmon along with the rest of the dill. Close plastic wrap over the fish.

Refrigerate for 24 hours. Unwrap and clean off salmon. Slice thinly.
Serve with mustard sauce, chopped purple onions and capers. Additionally, you can have mini-bagels and assorted cream cheeses.

Mustard Sauce

2 tablespoons mustard
1-2 tablespoon white vinegar
2-3 teaspoons sugar

Mix well. Serve as an accompaniment to the gravlax.

Roby's Japanese Cabbage Salad

1 head green cabbage
1 head purple cabbage
6 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup slivered toasted almonds
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds

Dressing
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Toast sesame seeds in pan until brown. Set aside to cool
Place first list of ingredients in a bowl. Combine dressing ingredients and toss with cabbage mixture right before serving.

Guacamole, Remsen Avenue Sugar Cookies

Guacamole

5 or 6 ripe avocados, finely diced
4 or 5 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 medium purple onion
1 large bunch cilantro, chopped
2 slices jalepeno pepper, finely diced (I use pickled peppers from the jar), more if you like it spicier
lime juice to taste (about 1/4 cup or more)
Salt & Pepper to taste

Peel and pit avocado. Dice finely. Add the rest of the ingredients to a large bowl and combine.

Remsen Avenue Sugar Cookies

1 cup Crisco shortening
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tspn. baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups flour
pinch salt
1/3 cup orange juice

1/2 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon, mixed together for topping.

Mix Crisco and sugar together, either by hand or in electric mixer. Add eggs and combine. Add vanilla and orange juice. Combine flour and baking powder. Add to liquid ingredients until blended.
Divide dough into 2 parts and cool in refrigerator. Roll out and use cookie cutters. Place on a greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with topping.Bake at 350 degrees for 10-14 minutes, depending on how brown you like these cookies.
Take off cookie sheet with a spatula and cool.

Keren's Favorite Hummus

1 can garbanzo beans (chickpeas),drained and rinsed
1 or 2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon tahini paste
1 or 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 tablespoons lemon juice
salt (use Maldon's sea salt)
1/2 teaspoon cumin

Place chickpeas, garlic,tahini paste, olive oil and lemon juice in the bowl of a food processor. Add a pinch of salt and cumin. Process until thoroughly blended. If mixture is too thick, add more lemon juice and olive oil.
Serve with vegetables (carrots, celery, broccoli) and pita bread.

Adam's Favorite Caesar Salad Dressing

1 clove garlic
2-3 tablespoons Egg Beaters
1 anchovy fillet
1/2 tspn. dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil

Put all ingredients except oil in food processor. Blend. Add olive oil in a slow stream and continue to blend until dressing is emulsified.

Roasted potatoes with mustard dressing adapted from Cooking New American

1/3 cup dijon mustard
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons (or more) balsamic vinegar
2 minced garlic cloves
Chopped rosemary or parsley (1 tspn)
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 to 3 pounds potatoes,1 inch dice

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk mustard, olive oil, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, salt & pepper. Add potatoes and toss to coat. Spread in a single layear on baking pan in a 400 degree oven for 50 to 55 minutes. Toss several times with spatula to brown evenly.

Lemon Chicken adapted from American Masala

4 chicken legs and thighs
2 tblspns. balsamic vinegar
2 lemons, zested, 1 juiced the other cut in wedges
Kosher salt (1 tblspn)
Pepper
2 tblspns sugar
Canola oil

Pierce chicken with fork. Whisk balsamic vinegar, lemon juice with half of lemon zest, salt and pepper. Coat chicken. Refrigerate at least 20 minutes
Mix sugar with remaining lemon zest. Set aside
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Put chicken in oven (convection, if possible) for 15 minutes.
Sprinkle lemon/sugar over chicken. Finish cooking 10 more minutes. Pour lemon juice over all.

Larry's favorite couscous

1 can 14 oz. can chicken broth
1 large onion, diced
1 tblspn. oil
1 1/4 cups couscous (we use whole wheat)
1/2 cup raisins
1 tspn salt
Pepper
Sliced toasted almonds
Mixture of fresh herbs (parsley, mint)about 1/2 cup

Bring chicken broth to a boil. Turn off heat and place couscous in pot. Cover and let sit 5 minutes or more.
Sautee diced onion in oil until brown.
Add all other ingredients and toss.

Spicy salad dressing

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick Jerk seasoning

Mix ingredients by shaking in a jar.

Stephanie's Favorite Stuffing or Mock Derma

1 box Ritz crackers
2 grated carrots
1 stalk celery, grated
1 grated onion (medium)
1 extra large egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil

Use a food processor to crush Ritz crackers. You can also grate the carrots,celery and onions in the food processor. Add egg and oil to the mixture.
Either get a big piece of aluminum foil and empty the mixture onto the foil and form into a log, or grease a baking pan and spread the mixture into it as you would a pudding.
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes or until cooked through.

Our Family's favorite cocktail franks

Little Hot Dogs

1 package Hebrew National cocktail franks
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
3-4 tablespoons raspberry jam or jelly

Place mustard and jam or jelly in saucepan over moderate heat and stir until blended. Put in cocktail franks and cook for 4-5 minutes.

Kasha Varnishkas

Kasha Varnishkas

1 or 2 very large onions (vidalia or spanish)
1 1/4 cup buckwheat groats
1 egg, beaten
Oil
1 1lb package of small bow ties
2 cups water
salt
pepper

Dice onions into 1/4 dice. Sautee onions in a frying pan with a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil. When brown, place into large casserole.
Boil bow ties according to package directions. Drain well.
Place buckwheat groats into a bowl with the beaten egg, and mix well. Put the frying pan from the onions on a high heat and when hot, put in egg-coated buckwheat groats. Keep stirring with a fork until the grains separate..........two to four minutes.
Boil the 2 cups of water. When the water boils, pour it into the pan with the buckwheat groats. Add salt to taste.
Cover the pan and take it off the heat.
When buckwheat groats are steamed through, add them to the onions. Add the drained bow ties. Season with salt & pepper.

Passover Seder

Passover Seder 2008

Harosets
To make harosets, grate several peeled apples (I generally use 4-5), add 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, 1/2 cup of sugar and several tablespoons of malaga wine, kosher for Passover.
Let this sit in the refrigerator overnight and serve at the seder.

Brisket with tzimmes

1 large brisket (probably 3-5 pounds)
Vegetable oil
2-3 sweet potatoes
1 bag of baby carrots
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup prunes
1-2 cups of water

In a large dutch oven, heat 2-3 tablespoons of oil. When hot, add brisket and brown on both sides. Add onions and continue to cook until onions are lightly browned.
Add sweet potatoes,carrots and prunes. Add 1 cup of water. Cover and place into a 325degree oven for at least 2 to 3 hours. Check every now and then to see if you need to add water. Meat is done when a knife pierces it easily.



Matzoh Crack (from Dori Greenspan)

4-6 unsalted matzohs
2 sticks unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup or more chocolate chips (semisweet)
1 cup slivered almonds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a large cookie sheet completely with foil and then cover the bottom of pan with parchment paper.
Line the bottom of the cookie sheet with matzoh and cut pieces to fit entire pan.
Combine butter and brown sugar in a 3 quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and pour over the matzoh, covering completely.
Place baking sheet in oven and reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes, checking to make sure mixture is not burning.
Remove from oven and sprinkle immediately with chocolate chips. Let stand 5 minutes. If chocolate doesn't melt, place back in oven for several minutes. Spread melted chocolate over matzoh. Sprinkle with slivered almonds. While still warm, break into squares or odd shapes. Chill, still in the pan, in the freezer until set.

Apple Matzoh Pudding

1 package egg matzoh
6 eggs, well beaten
6-8 apples (or more depending on taste)peeled, cored and sliced
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup walnuts
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9x12 baking pan.
Cover matzoh with warm water for a minute or two. Drain and crush.
Beat eggs until well-frothed and add sugar. Stir. Add drained matzoh, walnuts, orange juice, raisins.Add apples.
Bake 45 minutes.

Baked cauliflower with Parmesan cheese

1 large head cauliflower
salt/pepper
Olive Oil
Grated Parmesan cheese

Cut up a well-cleaned cauliflower. Place into a large roasting pan.Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add several tablespoons of good olive oil. Blend olive oil into cauliflower. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over top. Place in a 375 degree oven for 45-60minutes. Check often and turn cauliflower so that it doesn't burn.

Feta Cheese with Onion, peppers and raisins

1 large block of feta cheese
Olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 large onion
2-3 peppers (red or yellow or orange)
1/2 cup raisins.

Cut feta into small chunks.
Saute olive oil in large frying pan with garlic.
Add onions and peppers. Saute until brown and then add raisins.

Place feta in a single layer in a casserole dish with low sides. Top with onion/pepper/raisin mix. Place in 350 oven until cheese is heated through.

Sally Staver's Matzoh Balls

1 cup matzoh meal
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, well beaten
salt & pepper

This recipe can easily be doubled. Beat eggs, add liquids and then matzoh meal. Combine and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Form into balls with wet hands. Boil for 1/2 hour in salted water.

Hirschenfang Style Chopped Liver

1 pound fresh beef liver
1 very large Vidalia or Spanish onion
2 hard boiled eggs
Salt
Pepper
Oil

In a large frying pan, saute sliced onions until caramelized. Remove from pan and reserve.
Saute liver in some vegetable oil.
In the bowl of a food processor, place cooked liver, onions and hard boiled eggs. Add salt and pepper. Pulse 5 or 6 times, until chopped, not blended. Season to taste.


Flourless Chocolate Cake

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chips or chopped
1 stick unsalted butter
5 large eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
1 or 2 tspns. vanilla extract
pinch salt

Icing

8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chips or chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch springform pan with butter.
Melt chocolate with butter in a bowl set over a pot of boiling water. Stir often until smooth.
Remove from heat.
Beat egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Remove from bowl into another.
In the same bowl that you used for egg whites (you don't have to clean it) , beat egg yolks with sugar and vanilla until thick and creamy. Fold chocolate mixture into egg mixture. Add slowly. Fold in egg whites.
Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 35-40 minutes. Cool

Prepare icing. Melt chocolate with the cream in a bowl set over a pot of boiling water. Stir until smooth and do not boil the mixture. Remove from heat and spread over cooled cake. Refrigerate until ready to serve.