Jewish Fusion

This lamb shank recipe is mostly of Moroccan origin. However, it has a few surprises. The addition of Chinese five spice seasoning adds some complexity and the use of Israeli pearl couscous makes the disk less grainy than traditional couscous dishes. The little apricot pieces add both color and a pleasant sweetness which enhances the lamb’s flavor.

Ingredients:

• 4 lamb shanks
  2 cups carrots (sliced on the diagonal, ¼ -inch thick)
  2 cups onions, diced
  4 Tablespoons fresh grated ginger
  8 cloves garlic
  ½ cup golden raisins
  ½ cup brown raisins
  1 ½ Tablespoons ground cumin
  ½ Tablespoon Chinese five spice seasoning
  1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
  1 cup Kalamata olives, pitted
  ½ cup lemon preserves, sliced
  1 quart chicken stock
  1 quart veal stock

Directions:

• In a hot casserole, sear lamb shanks until brown and remove.
  Sauté carrots, onions, ginger and garlic for five minutes.
  Add raisins and spices and quickly stir.
  Return lamb to pot and add olives, lemon and stock.
  Bring to a boil, then simmer approximately 2 hours or until tender.
  Season with salt, pepper, and sugar to taste.

Apricot Couscous

• 1 box Israeli (pearl) couscous
  1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
  1 cup dried apricots, finely diced
  ½ cup red bell pepper, finely diced
  1 cup scallions, diced

Follow directions on box for preparation of couscous.
Mix in the cilantro, apricots and scallions just before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Several delicious knish recipes for potato, chicken, beef and turkey sausage knishes.
Ingredients:

• ½ cup flour
  2 tablespoons vegetable oil
  3 tablespoons water
  Pinch of salt

Directions:

• Put half the flour into a mixing bowl and stir in oil with a fork.
  Add water and salt and mix until the mixture forms a dough.
  Toss on a floured board; work in remaining flour, and knead until the dough is smooth and elastic.
  Cover and chill for 1 hour or longer.
  Roll the dough out on a board as thin as possible.
  Pull and stretch it into a long rectangle.
  Cut into 3-inch circles. Put a tablespoon of filling, below, on each circle.

Draw the edges of the circle together over filling and pinch together to seal uncooked knish.
Brush with vegetable oil.

• Bake on a greased baking sheet at 350º F for about 45 minutes, until dough is well browned.

• Potato Knish Filling
  Mash 5 freshly boiled potatoes and mix with 1/3-cup ground crisp cracklings made with chicken skin. (gribines)

• Chicken Knish Filling
  Crumble 2 matzos and soak until soft in 1/4-cup chicken gravy or chicken soup. Combine with 1 cup finely chopped chicken. Season well with salt, pepper and cayenne and add enough chicken fat to make a soft mixture.

• Mexican Knish Filling
  In a 2-quart saucepan, boil 1 quart of water.
  Add 1 pound of stewing beef, cover and cook for 2 hours on a low heat.
  In the last hour, add 1 package of burrito seasoning mix.
  Drain the meat in a colander.
  Shred the meat with a fork
  Squeeze out as much water as possible from the meat.
  Finely dice one medium tomato.
  Finely chop 2 Tablespoons of pickled jalapeno slices (mild or spicy…your choice)
  In a food processor, finely chop one small onion
  Mix together the shredded beef, tomatoes, chopped jalapenos and onion.
  Add salt and pepper to taste.

• Italian Knish Filling
  Finely chop 2 Tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley
  Finely mince 3 garlic cloves.
  Remove the casings from 1 pound of Italian turkey sausage.
  Crumble and brown the meat in a little olive oil.
  Stir in 3 Tablespoons of your favorite Italian pasta sauce.
  Add the parsley and the garlic and cook for 2 minutes.
  Add 1 ½ Tablespoons of seasoned bread crumbs and stir.
  Add salt and pepper to taste.

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

This is a Jewish/Asian fusion alternative to topping a salad with bacon pieces. Although gribines are admittedly high in cholesterol, they add a special crunchiness and flavor that is unique and delicious.

Ingredients:

• The skin and fat of half a small chicken
  2 cups of water.
  1 small onion, cut into 8 parts.
  2 cups of salad greens, plus your favorite salad ingredients
  2 Tablespoons fresh orange juice
  Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  1 teaspoon sesame oil
  1 Tablespoon peanut oil

Directions:

• Cut the chicken skins into narrow strips.
  In a 1-quart sauce pan, place the water, the chicken skins, the chicken fat, and the onion.
  Cover and bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium.
  Allow the ingredients to cook until all the water has evaporated.
  What will remain will be the rendered fat, and the gribines.
  Strain the gribines. Blot off excess oil with paper towels.
  The fat may be refrigerated and saved for other recipes.

Wash and thoroughly dry the salad greens. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the orange juice, salt and pepper. Slowly beat in the sesame and peanut oils. Add the greens and toss thoroughly.

Top with as much of the gribines as you like and serve.

This is a torte recipe that I have been preparing for many years. I am sure that it was originally a contest winner, but I can’t remember where. It is definitely a keeper. You will want to make it over and over again.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  1 cup butter or margarine, at room temperature
  1 cup granulated sugar
  2 large eggs
  1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  ½ cup finely chopped almonds
  2 Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples (6 ounces each), peeled, cored and cut in thin wedges (2 ½ cups)
  ½ cup (6 ounces) apple jelly
  ½ cup sliced almonds

For garnish: Confectioner’s sugar

Directions:

• Place the oven rack at the lowest position; heat oven to 350° degrees F.
  Grease a 9-inch spring form pan.
  Mix flour, cinnamon and nutmeg.
  In a large bowl beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy.
  Beat in eggs one at a time, then lemon juice and vanilla.
  Stir in flour mixture and chopped almonds until well blended.
  Measure out 2/3 cup batter and set aside.
  Spread remainder in bottom of prepared pan.
  Starting ¼ inch from the edge of pan, arrange about 1 ½ cups of the apples in a circle, slightly overlapping.
  Form another circle on top with remaining apples, starting ½ inch from center of pan. Meanwhile melt ¼ cup jelly and brush over apples.
  Drop teaspoonfuls of the reserved batter around outside edge and spread with back of spoon to make a ½ inch border (or pipe through pastry bag fitted with plain round tube with an opening of about ½ inch).
  Fill center of torte with remaining batter.
  Arrange some sliced almonds in center; sprinkle remainder over border.
  Bake 1 hour or until golden.
  Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes. Remove pan sides.
  Melt remaining ¼ cup jelly and brush the apples again.
  Cool completely on rack. Sprinkle border and center with confectioners’ sugar.

Makes 12 servings.