STICKY CHICKEN AND JEWELLED RICE

STICKY CHICKEN AND JEWELLED RICE When all you want is a light chicken dish with lots of flavour, try this one. CHICKEN 1½kg deboned chicken thighs or breasts 3 Tbls sesame oil 3 Tbls vegetable oil 2 red onions, cut into eighths with leaves separated 1 red pepper, sliced into thin strips 250g mushrooms, sliced 1 tsp crushed garlic 5cm piece of fresh ginger, finely grated SAUCE ¾ cup tomato sauce (ketchup) ⅓ cup soy sauce 3 Tbls rice vinegar 1 red chilli, chopped (hot) 3 Tbls brown sugar 2…

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STUFFED SIDE BOLO

MAIN COURSES One of my favourite cuts of meat is the side bolo. Yes, it may be a little small, but it’s so tender and so forgiving. This recipe serves 5–6 people. INGREDIENTS 1 large side bolo, butterflied (ask your butcher to remove the sinew in the middle and to add 4 or 5 elastic cooking bands to your order) STUFFING 1 large onion, grated 250g chopped mushrooms 1 packet Ina Paarman stuffing WET SPICE RUB ⅓ cup honey or date syrup 1 Tbl coarse pepper ⅓ cup vegetable oil…

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PUFF PASTRY EVERYTHING CANVAS

PUFF PASTRY EVERYTHING CANVAS INGREDIENTS 1 roll puff pastry ½ cup “everything” bagel spice ½ cup of your favourite pesto (coriander and chilli works well) 1 cup firm mayonnaise (or hummus as a substitute) Fresh asparagus, blanched and cut into 2–3cm pieces 250–300g smoked salmon Handful of capers Handful of pitted olives 1 red onion, finely sliced Assorted fresh baby herbs Crushed black pepper Egg wash (for the border) METHOD Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll out the pastry slightly to form a rectangular piece, making sure the edges are…

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ONION TARTE TATIN

I love onions – they just give food such a wonderful flavour. Whether raw, pickled, fried or caramelised, they taste so good. So let’s try this dish! INGREDIENTS 4 large onions, cut into 4 slices with rings intact 3 Tbls olive oil 2 Tbls non-dairy margarine 3 Tbls honey 1 Tbl balsamic vinegar 1 Tbl fresh thyme, finely chopped Salt and pepper to taste 1 roll puff pastry (450g) METHOD Preheat the oven to 210°C. In an ovenproof frying pan (a round wrought-iron or griddle pan works well), heat the…

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CUCUMBER SOUP – SERVED HOT OR COLD

Cucumbers were on special! “Buy them, the kids love them,” I thought. However, I had to buy a whole box. After sharing with family, I still had many left. How on earth were we going to get through them before they went soft? Here’s how! INGREDIENTS 2 large onions, roughly chopped 3 Tbls olive oil 3 English cucumbers, roughly chopped 3 large potatoes, cut into 1 cm cubes 1 tsp mild curry powder (or hot if you prefer it spicier) ¼ cup vegetable stock powder (Ina Paarman recommended) 2 litres…

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CRUNCHY APPLE, MINT AND POMEGRANATE SALAD

Make up the salad dressing first. This way you can place the sliced apples in half of the dressing to prevent them from turning brown. HONEY AND LIME DRESSING ¼ cup fresh lime juice 3 Tbls honey 1 tsp Dijon mustard 1 clove fresh garlic, crushed ½ tsp salt ¼ tsp ground black pepper ¼ tsp cinnamon ½ cup olive or sunflower oil 2 Tbls mayonnaise SALAD 2 large Granny Smith apples, cored and finely sliced (skin on) 500g white shredded cabbage 20–25g fresh mint, finely chopped 2 sticks of…

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A Sweet New Year

IN-HOUSE CHEF BY SHARON LURIE AKA “THE KOSHER BUTCHER’S WIFE” Where food, family and favourites come together. There is something so magical about Rosh Hashanah. The kitchen becomes Grand Central Station. Every family member develops an urgent need to wander through, lift a lid, peek in the oven and ask, “What you making? Can I taste?” And before you turn around, your teiglach are finished, your apple cake has had a knife lift, and your fishballs mysteriously took wings. However, it’s a special time where the warmth of family togetherness…

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Dairy and Delicious

The only excuse you need to go all-in on milchigs this Shavuot By: Sharon Lurie Greek Salad This salad served with a milchig meal is my absolute favourite. The crunch of the cucumber, the saltiness of the feta, and the traditional dressing somehow make this such a refreshing salad. Ingredients 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half-moons 250g baby tomatoes, halved 6-8 Israeli cucumbers, sliced into half-moons 1 green bell pepper, cored and sliced into rings 1 handful pitted olives 1½ tsp dried oregano Pinch of salt ¼ cup…

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3 ways with latkes

Gourmet Chef Sharon Lurie What’s Chanukka without a latke? And each day can be different. Below is a three-meat option; however, I can think of so many more. How about Chopped viennas/polony/pastrami mixed into your potato mixture? Latkes with avo and shredded BBQ Chicken, a sandwich latke packed with cooked brisket, sauerkraut and pickles and for the greatest breakfast ever, a fried egg on a latke with grilled tomato gently placed on the egg and a mound of crispy macon to top it all. The latkes in the photograph give…

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Rosh Hashanah Recipe Collection

Let’s talk about the High Holidays… by Sharon Lurie AKA “The Kosher Butcher’s Wife”  First night Rosh Hashanah is Monday 22 September this year. It’s a time of reflection, renewal, and return – when the shofar calls us to wake up spiritually and take stock of where we’ve been… and where we’re headed. Just a week later, the High Holidays reach their crescendo with Yom Kippur—the Day of Atonement. We fast for 25 hours, standing together in prayer, united as one people. It’s intense, soulful, and deeply moving. But the…

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Rib-ticklers

Fall-off-the-bone flavour By: Sharon Lurie Since this is the ‘Education Edition’, I’ve decided to put on my Kosher Butcher’s Wife cap and share some insights into the forequarter – an area I’m especially passionate about. With limited space, I’ve had to refine the selection of cuts I’ll be highlighting. I can already hear you saying, “We’re starting off limited by using only the forequarter.” But if ever there was a case for the saying ‘less is more’, this is it. The forequarter offers more than enough to work with –…

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THE CREAM OF THE CROP

SHAVUOT CHEESECAKES TO SAVOUR  By: Sharon Lurie A while back, I was invited by Michael Leventhal of Greenhill Books to contribute one of my favourite cheesecake recipes to The Ultimate Cheesecake Cookbook, a special project aimed at raising funds for a Jewish cancer charity. Supporting this cause was especially close to my heart, as cancer has deeply touched my own family, with several loved ones having sadly succumbed to the disease. Like so many others who contributed, including Yotam Ottolenghi, Ainsley Harriott, Michel Roux, Nigel Slater, Adeena Sussman, Claudia Roden, and…

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Remembering Redemption

Kosher Gourmet The taste of tradition By: Sharon Lurie With my Pesach kitchen up and running on the patio and my two-plate gas stove working overtime, I’ve been able to freshly freeze my soups, ice creams, and meat dishes right on schedule. My goal? To have a relaxed Seder with my family, who are arriving from near and far. Pesach is built on repetition – reading the Haggadah, setting the Seder plate, and following the same traditions year after year. But that doesn’t mean the Seder meal has to be predictable…

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Royal Recipes

Kosher Gourmet Mouth-wateringly Majestic By: Sharon Lurie Persian style mince in spinach leaves 500g beef mince 1 egg ¾ cup rice, cooked (I used basmati) 1 whole onion, grated 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp salt ½ tsp black pepper 400g BABY spinach leaves Combine all the above ingredients together except the spinach. Don’t overmix. Place the spinach in a large rectangular dish and cover with boiling water. Allow to sit it boiling water for 3 minutes. Drain the water off the spinach and peel off 4 –…

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