Jewish Fusion

Here’s a quick and easy potato latkes recipe that you’ve probably never considered before.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
  1 medium onion
  4 cloves garlic, minced
  ¾ cup packed fresh basil leaves, very finely chopped
  3 eggs whisked
  ½ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
  2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  1 teaspoon salt
  ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
  Coat a 12-cup muffin pan with cooking spray.
  Peel potatoes, then grate them in a food processor using the grating disk.
  In a colander, rinse the grated potatoes under cold water.
  Squeeze out the water in small batches between your hands over the sink to remove excess moisture.
  Then grate onion in the food processor.
  Stir in garlic, basil, egg substitute, cheese, oil, salt and pepper.
  Place a ½ cup of the potato mixture into each muffin cup, packing the mixture firmly.
  Bake the latkes until lightly browned and firm, 45 to 50 minutes.
  Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes before unmolding.

Recipe adapted from EatingWell.com

If ever a dish were a celebration of spring, this one is. This stew offers a fabulous assortment of vegetables enhanced with the richness of meat juices and bits of cooked meat. It’s like a giant minestrone. Crumbled matzah is added at the end to absorb the fragrant juices.

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds fresh fava beans, shelled
  1 or 2 Cardoons, trimmed of strings and cut into 1-inch pieces and parboiled in lemon water for 5 minutes
  8 carrots, diced
  I small Savoy cabbage, cored and cut into 1¼ inch pieces
  4 turnips, diced
  ½ head young celery with leaves, diced
  1 celery root, peeled and diced
  1 bulb fennel, with leaves, diced
  2 Tablespoons ground dried unsprayed role petals (optional)
  2 teaspoons ground coriander
  1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  8 cloves garlic, minced
  3 white onions, diced
  1 teaspoon salt
  8 teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro
  1½ cups chopped fresh dill
  1½ cups chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  ¼ cup olive oil
  1 Tablespoon harissa
  1 teaspoon ground tumeric
  1 ½ pounds of beef brisket
  2 pounds lamb shoulder, boned and cubed
  4 fresh artichoke hearts, diced
  2 pounds spinach, stemmed and cut into 1¼ inch pieces
  1/3 cup chopped mint
  4 matzah squares

Directions:

• Cook the fava beans in boiling water for 2 minutes; drain.
  Pinch the beans from their skin. Set aside.
  In a large bowl, combine the cardoons, carrots, cabbage, turnips, celery, celery root, and fennel.
  Add the ground rose petals, if using, the ground coriander, pepper, half the minced garlic, the onions, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the chopped fresh cilantro. Add half of the dill and parsley. Mix well.
  In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat and stir in the harissa, the remaining garlic, and the turmeric.

• Add the meats and sauté for 5 minutes to coat with oil and spices.
• Add the mixed vegetables.
• Add water to cover and simmer I hour.
• Add the artichoke hearts, spinach or chard, and fava beans.
• Cover and cook for I hour.
• Add the mint and the rest of the dill, fresh coriander, and parsley.
• Cook 15 minutes longer.
• Break the matzah into quarters and place on top of the vegetables. Serve hot or warm.

Note. Dried rose petals can be found in some spice and herb shops. They are also packaged as a tea. If you can’t find them, you may leave them out.

Adapted from Saffron Shores, Jewish Cooking of the Southern Mediterranean by Joyce Goldstein.

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.

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