Jewish Fusion

After enjoying Israeli falafel for decades, it struck me that the basic ingredients of falafel, namely the fried chickpea mixture could be flavored with all sorts of seasonings, not just the standard Middle Eastern ones. So, here is my Italian variety. Falafel usually is served in pita bread but for this recipe, I recommend using Italian bread or rolls, cut as for an Italian meatball sandwich. I highly recommend purchasing a falafel maker, usually available at Middle Eastern grocery stores. A falafel maker is a spring-loaded kitchen gadget that helps you shape the falafel into uniformly shaped disks, which you can then eject directly into the oil.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dried chickpeas, (garbanzo beans) soaked overnight,
  cooked for ½ hour, then drained
  OR
  1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans, drained
  1-teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  1 Tablespoon flour
  Tablespoon Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
  1/3 cup bulgur soaked, then squeezed of almost all water content
  1-teaspoon baking powder
  3 cloves garlic, finely minced
  1 medium egg
  3 Tablespoons, finely chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
  ½ teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
  2 Tablespoons dried basil OR 3 Tablespoons fresh finely chopped basil
  4 dashes cayenne pepper
  1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Optional Garnishes:

• Roma tomatoes, sliced ¼-inch thick
  Shredded lettuce
  Sautéed sliced onions
  Sautéed sliced bell pepper
  Thinly sliced Mozzarella or Provolone cheese
  Gardinara mix (hot or mild….your choice)
  Your favorite prepared marinara sauce, heated

Directions:

• Put the chickpeas in a 2-quart soup pot, add the water, and bring to a boil.
  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.
  Drain the chickpeas and reserve the liquid.
  OR if using canned garbanzos, go directly to the next step.

• Grind the chickpeas through the coarse blade of a meat grinder or pulse in a food processor. Remove to a bowl.
  In the bowl, mix together all the ingredients.
  Add salt to taste.
  The mixture should be the consistency of cooked oatmeal.
  If it is too loose, add a little more flour.
  Form into 1-inch balls, then flatten each slightly in your hand to make a patty.
  In a deep saucepan or a wok, heat 3 inches of oil to 375º F.
  Make one falafel ball as a test to determine if it will hold together in the oil. If it tends to fall apart, add a little more flour.
  Deep-fry in batches until golden.
  Using a skimmer, transfer to paper towels to drain.
  Tuck into warm pita bread or fold into a wrap, along with whichever additions you choose.

Alternatively, serve the falafel balls as an appetizer with marinara sauce for dipping.

Makes 24 – 30 individual falafel balls.

Also of interest…Israeli Falafel Recipe, Potato Latkes, Chopped Liver, Kugel, Pierogies

This delicious roasted chicken recipe can be prepared in about 2 hours.

Ingredients:

• 1 lemon
  1 roasting chicken, about 5 pounds
  Grated zest of 1 lemon, then lemon cut into quarters
  Grated zest of 1 orange, then orange cut into quarters
  3 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger root
  Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  5 tablespoons olive oil
  4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  ½ cup fresh orange juice
  3 tablespoons honey
  Orange sections for garnish

Directions

• Preheat an oven to 350º F.
  Cut the lemon into quarters.
  Rub the outside of the chicken with one of the lemon quarters, then discard.
  In a small bowl, stir together the lemon and orange zests and 1 tablespoon of the grated ginger.
  Rub this mixture evenly in the cavity.
  Put the lemon and orange quarters inside the chicken.
  Place the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan.
  Sprinkle it with salt and pepper.
  In the now-empty small bowl, combine the melted margarine or olive oil, lemon and orange juices, honey, and the remaining 2 tablespoons ginger. Mix well.
  Place the chicken in the oven and roast, basting with the citrus juice mixture at least 4 times during cooking, until the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.
  Transfer to a serving platter and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Carve the chicken. Garnish with orange sections.
  Variation: Use 4 tablespoons pomegranate juice in place of the lemon juice.

from Cucina Ebraica: Flavors of the Italian Jewish Kitchen, by Joyce Goldstein

These kreplach are made with readily available Chinese pot stickers. Theyare so much easier to prepare and lighter than old-fashioned kreplach. The emphasis in this recipe is on the filling, rather than the dough. These are not triangular in shaped but rather are like little sacks filled with delicious potato/onion filling.(more on shaping the shu-mai is needed)

Ingredients:

• 3 cups potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
  1 large garlic clove, peeled
  Salt
  2 cups onions, coarsely chopped
  3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  1 Tablespoon light olive vegetable oil, plus additional for frying
  4 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  Freshly ground black pepper
  24 wonton wrappers
  Flour for dusting

Directions:

• Put the potatoes, garlic, and 2 teaspoons salt in a medium-large saucepan.
  Add 2 quarts of cold water and bring to a boil.
  Cook, partially covered, until the potatoes are tender, 15-20 minutes.
  Drain the potatoes, reserving about ½ cup cooking liquid.
  While the potatoes are cooking, in a heavy 9-to10-inch skillet, sauté the onions in 2 Tablespoons butter and 1 Tablespoon oil over medium heat, lifting and tossing them, until they are golden brown, about 15 minutes.
  Mash the potatoes until smooth.
  Return the potatoes to the saucepan.
  With the heat on low, whisk in the fried onions and all of the cooking oil and butter, the remaining 1 Tablespoon butter, and the chives.
  Season well with salt and pepper.
  Let cool, then refrigerate until cold.
  Place a wonton wrapper on a lightly floured surface, leaving the remaining wonton wrappers covered with a damp dish towel.
  Place 1 full Tablespoon of potato/onion filling in the center of the wrapper.
  With water, lightly moisten the surface of the wrapper all around the filling. Now bring up the sides of the wrapper, pleating the edges as necessary, so that they completely surround the filling.
  The finished kreplach will appear like a little open package, surrounding the potato stuffing.
  The stuffing should be visible close to or at the top of the sack.
  Continue making more kreplach, using the remaining filling and wrappers.
  Heat ¼ inch oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet until hot but not smoking.
  Add as many filled wonton sacks as will fit comfortably without crowding the pan.
  As you place each wonton in the skillet, lightly tamp down the bottom so that it sits flat.
  Cook over medium heat until the bottom surfaces of the wontons are crisp and golden, 4-5 minutes.
  Slowly and carefully, add 1/3 cup water to the pan, cover tightly, and let the shu-mai steam until they are fully cooked, about 2 minutes more. The sides should be springy to the touch. Remove the lid, increase the heat, and cook for another minute, until the water evaporates and the wontons are crispy again on the bottom. Cook the remaining kreplach in the same way.
  Serve immediately, accompanied by sour cream.

Yield: 4-6 servings

Machaca is a flavorful combination of shredded beef, eggs, onions, tomatoes and peppers. In Mexico, machaca is made from sun-dried meat. The cattlemen of the north made meat easy to carry on the trail by drying it. Tastier than beef jerky, the meat was first marinated, then cooked, shredded and dried. It can be served in tacos, burritos and in scrambled eggs. However, I recommend left-over brisket or pot roast, which then can be sautéed with the other ingredients. The flavor may be less intense than the authentic Mexican version, but the texture will be much more tender. For those who are not concerned about traditional Jewish dietary restrictions, regular flour tortillas may be used. However, by folding the machaca ingredients in this “Passover tortilla,” is acceptable for the holiday of Passover.

Ingredients:

• For the “tortilla”
• 2 medium sized russet potatoes
• 2 eggs
• 1/4-teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons of potato flour
• 1/3-cup soymilk (I prefer the Silk brand, which is labeled Kosher, and is non-dairy)
• Cooking spray

For the machaca filling:

• 2 cups of left over beef brisket or pot roast, rinsed of its gravy and shredded
• 1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
• 1 medium bell pepper, seeded and cut into thin strips
• 1 can of diced green Ortega chilies
• 1 large can of whole, peeled tomatoes, drained and cut into quarters
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-½ teaspoons of finely minced jalapeno (optional)
• 4 eggs

Directions:

For the tortilla

• In the food processor, using the shredding disk, shred the potatoes.
• Rinse the shredded potatoes under cold water and then squeeze out the potatoes until they are as dry as possible
• Return the potatoes to the food processor with the normal steel blade.
• Add the eggs, the salt, and the soymilk
• Process until the mixture is chopped, but not so fine as to be pureed.
• The texture should be that of a pancake batter. If it seems too thick, add more soymilk.
• Spray a non-stick 10 inch skillet, (on medium high heat) and then add ¼ cup of the potato mixture, spreading it over the surface of the pan quickly
• When the bottom of the tortilla is brown, turn over and brown the second side.

For the machaca filling

• In a skillet, with a small amount of cooking oil, sauté the onions and bell peppers, and if desired, also the jalapeno.
• Add the shredded brisket and continue to sauté until all liquid has evaporated.
• Whisk the eggs.
• Add the eggs to the brisket mixture and continue cooking until the eggs are scrambled.
• Serve the machaca with the potato tortillas Possible additional ingredients for guests to put on their burrito are: salsa, shredded lettuce, sliced avocado.