The Rev beat you to the punch. lol But thanks anyway. :)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Caroline B-C" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "The Sandbox Discussion List" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Thursday, October 09, 2003 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Sndbox] i found a new religion
Ok, here you go (but it is kinda long):
Greg Hopper wrote:
> I don't have WORD....so I couldn't open it. :(
Recipes for a Sephardic dinner
Most of these recipes are from the Sephardic Jews of Spain directly or
through the traditions of Salonika. Recipes that the refugees from Spain
may have made in Italy and Egypt have been added to mostly round out the
meal. I suggest adding a side dish of green vegetables – especially
something with a sauce like green beans in tomato sauce for example- to
go with the chicken.
Loubia
From The Book of Jewish Food
Serves 6-8
1 lb black-eyed peas, soaked for 1 hour
salt
1 mild red onion, chopped
-or- 2 garlic cloves, minced or crushed in a press
4 Tablespoons chopped flat-leafed parsley
black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin (optional)
5 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
Boil the drained peas for about 20 minutes, or until tender, adding salt
towards the end.
Drain, then add the rest of the ingredients and mix well.
Massapan (variation for stuffing dates)
From The Book of Jewish Food The Book of Jewish
This is the classic Judeo-Spanish way of making marzipan, starting with
sugar syrup…. The usual way is to start with blanched almonds, but
commercial ground almonds will also do well. A tiny drop of almond
extract approximates the flavor once obtained by adding a few bitter
almonds.
(C’s note- some ingredients and procedure were omitted from this recipe
because they were not required for stuffing dates)
5 ½ cups (500 g) ground almonds
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
Juice of 1 lemon
2 -3 drops almond extract
Grind the almonds as finely as you can in the food processor, or use
ground almonds
Boil the sugar and water with the lemon juice in a pan for 5-10 minutes,
until the syrup is thick enough to coat a spoon and sticky. Be careful
not to let it caramelize. It must not color or it will be too hard.
Add the almonds and almond extract and stir vigorously over low heat for
2-3 minutes, until the paste no longer sticks to the pan. Let it cool.
Instructions for stuffing dates:
Use a soft variety of dried dates, Make a slit in each with a
sharp-pointed knife and remove the pits. (C’s note- or use pitted dates
and cut each in half)… Take small lumps of massapan – about the size of
a quail’s egg – and press each one into the opening of each date so that
the date remains a little open and the almond paste is visible.
Rodanchas
From The Sephardic Kitchen
1 lb pumpkin or Hubbard squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup ground walnuts – plus finely chopped walnuts for sprinkling
2 lbs filo dough
1 cup olive oil or melted unsalted butter
1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon cold water (egg wash)
1. Put the pumpkin or squash into a pot of boiling water to cover and
cook until soft and mashable (about 20 minutes). Alternately, stem the
pumpkin or squash in a vegetable steamer until cooked through. When the
vegetable has completely cooked, drain and mash.
2. Return the mashed pumpkin to the saucepan and add the sugar and
spices. Cook over low heat until the mixture is thick and pasty and the
water has evaporated. This can take as little as 20 minutes or as long
as 1 hour, depending on how much liquid the vegetable retains. Pumpkin
takes longer than to cook than Hubbard squash.
3. When the mixture is ready, remove from heat and stir in the ground
walnuts. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
4. When the filling has cooled sufficiently, you can start the pastries.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two well-oiled cookie sheets.
5. Place one sheet of filo dough on a flat surface. Cover the rest with
a damp towel to prevent drying as you work. Have oil or melted butter
and a pastry brush at your side while you work. Brush the oil or butter
over the sheet of filo. Place a second sheet over the first and repeat
brushing
6. Take 1 heaping teaspoon filling and lay it in a pencil-thin line
across the longer part of one side of the filo sheets (see diagram on
attached sheet)
7. Fold the two short ends of the filo over the filling to seal it in
(see diagram)
8. Roll up the sheet lengthwise like a thin tube and coil it as shown in
the appropriate diagram on the attached sheet.
9. Using a spatula, carefully lay the rodancha on a prepared cookie
sheet. Repeat steps 5 through 9 with the remaining filo dough and filling.
10. Brush the rodanchas with the egg wash and sprinkle lightly with the
finely chopped walnuts. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until they are golden
brown. Cool to room temperature before serving.
Pollo Relleno con Trahanas
C’s note- In order to avoid the possibility of food poisoning, the
stuffing will not be cooked inside of the birds. I have inserted
directions to complete the cooking of the bulgur stuffing into those of
the original recipe.
2 small chickens, 3 ½ to 4 lbs each
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup bulgur
3 cups boiling chicken stock or water plus ½ cup chicken stock, water,
or dry white wine to deglaze (optional)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large clove garlic, peeled and finely chopped (C suggests using more –
2 or 3 cloves)
2 chicken livers, chopped
1 Tablespoon chopped celery leaves
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
¼ finely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Wash and dry each chicken, (remove the livers from the giblet packet),
and set aside the rest of the giblets for another purpose. Season the
cavity of both chickens with salt and black pepper and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
Place the chickens on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Pour 1
Tablespoon olive oil over each chicken and sprinkle with salt and black
pepper.
Roast 15 minutes. Pour 1/3 cup of the remaining chicken stock over the
chickens and roast 20 minutes longer.
Turn the chickens over,. With the breasts facing downward and the backs
up. Sprinkle each side of the chicken with salt and pepper and pour
another 1/3 cup of stock over the birds. Return to the oven and roast
another 20 minutes.
Turn the chickens over and pour the remaining 1/3 cup of stock over the
birds. Continue to roast another 25-30 minutes or until the chickens are
golden brown. Baste every 7 or 8 minutes with the liquids that have
accumulated at the bottom of the roasting pan. Test for doneness by
inserting a skewer or toothpick into the place where the thigh and
drumstick are joined. If the juices run yellow, the chicken in done.
(C’s note – we will use a thermometer and check to make sure the thigh
joint is flexible)
While the chicken is in the oven, cook the bulgur stuffing:
Put the bulgur in a medium saucepan. Pour two cups boiling stock or
water over the bulgur and allow it to sit, covered for 15 minutes over
low heat. Drain off any excess liquid not absorbed by the grain.
While the bulgur is cooking, heat 3 Tablespoons oil over medium-high
heat in a skillet and sauté the onion until sift and translucent (5-7
minutes), Reduce the heat and add the garlic and chopped chicken livers.
Cook until no trace of pink remains in the meat, stirring constantly to
prevent burning. Pour the contents of the skillet over the bulgur and
continue to heat on low.
Once the bulgur is done, add the celery leaves, parsley, mint, and lemon
juice to the bulgur mixture and stir to combine everything thoroughly.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
When the chickens have finished roasting, remove them from the oven and
transfer the birds to a platter. Pour the liquid from the roasting pan
into a cup with a fat-skimming spout. Pour the liquid through the spout
into a small saucepan. The fat will remain in the cup. If you wish,
deglaze the roasting pan with ½ cup stock, water, or white wine by
placing the pan over medium heat on the stove top and scraping up the
browned bits from the pan. (C’s note- I generally just add the
deglazing liquid to the hot pan and scrape away. It’s quick and dirty –
but it works.) Add this to the liquid in the saucepan. Stir liquids
together and pour into a sauceboat. This will be the gravy for the meat.
Pizza Dolce Romana
The Book of Jewish Food
These meltingly soft pastries, full of almonds, pine nuts, raisins, and
chopped candid citrus peel, are a very old specialty of Rome, where they
are made for all the holidays and especially for Rosh Hashanah
3 ½ cups flour
½ cup sugar
8 oz unsalted butter, softened
5-8 Tablespoons white wine, preferably sweet
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup slivered or coarsely chopped almonds
1/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped candied citrus peel
confectioners’ sugar to sprinkle on
In a large bowl, mix the flour and butter and sugar and work into a
soft dough with the butter. (You may use a food processor at this stage,
then turn out into a bowl). Add just enough wine -- a tablespoon at a
time – to make the dough hold together. Then, work in the almonds,
raisins, and citrus peel. Shape into little round cakes, about 2 ½
inches in diameter, pressing the mixture firmly between your palms.
Place on oiled baking sheets or on waxed or parchment paper and bake in
a preheated 325 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. They will still be soft
and hardly colored, but they firm up when they cool. Do not try to
remove them until they are firm. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar.
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