Kosher Gourmet
\nBy: Sharon Lurie<\/p>\n
It\u2019s Dreidel, donut, latke and oil time again.<\/p>\n
I can\u2019t help but think somebody must have overheard \u201coy the guilt\u201d eating all this oily fried food and thought they said \u201coy the \u2018gelt\u2019 (money)\u201d and started manufacturing foil covered chocolate coins which have now become common place at Chanukah time. All Jokes aside, we know the importance of Chanukah gelt which goes back generations, how can we forget, reminding our parents of this mitzvah!! We were all children once. Eight days of wonderful honey coloured fried foods, rich in flavour, delicious in taste, pleasing in texture, and leaving you feeling totally content!<\/p>\n
COLD BEETROOT SOUP<\/p>\n
The perfect cold summer soup with the added benefit of increasing blood flow to the muscles. The combination of beetroot and cucumber gives this soup a lovely refreshing taste. Served with boiled potatoes and a dash of extra cream makes for a lovely summer lunch.<\/p>\n
1 x 750g grated pickled beetroot<\/p>\n
1 English cucumber, peeled an roughly chopped<\/p>\n
1 TBL honey<\/p>\n
1 vegetable cube dissolved in \u00bd cup boiling water, set aside to cool<\/p>\n
1 cup cream or non-dairy creamer (I used coconut cream)<\/p>\n
6 – 8 mint leaves (optional, but lovely and fresh)<\/p>\n
Couple of baby potatoes boiled until soft (serve with soup, hot or cold)<\/p>\n
Blend all of the above ingredients (except potatoes) in a liquidiser, food processor,\u00a0or hand blender. Blend until smooth or slightly textured.<\/p>\n
We all know that salads are good for us, but they can get boring after a while. There are only so many times you want to eat the same old lettuce and veggies in your salad before it gets old. I hope these inspire you to create something a little different. However, let\u2019s not forget that crunchy\u00a0toppings add so much in the form of flavour and texture. Hopefully the Ying\u00a0and Yang of these two salads will help you get those inspirational salad ideas back again.<\/p>\n
RUBY ROSE SALAD<\/p>\n
Before you start this salad, decide whether you\u2019re going to chop or slice your fruit and veggies. Always keep the cabbage shredded (not chopped) and use it as the base of your salad.<\/p>\n
300 – 400g shredded red cabbage<\/p>\n
1 cup ruby grapefruit segments (pink flesh)<\/p>\n
1 red plum finely sliced or chopped (optional)<\/p>\n
\u00bd red bell pepper, sliced or chopped<\/p>\n
3 – 4 red radishes sliced or chopped<\/p>\n
8 Strawberries sliced or chopped<\/p>\n
1 Red onion, peeled, sliced or chopped<\/p>\n
2 cups cubed watermelon (1cm x 1cm)<\/p>\n
SALAD DRESSING<\/p>\n
4 large strawberries blended with 1 cup Bobba Shar\u2019s salad dressing.<\/p>\n
OPTIONAL TOPPINGS<\/p>\n
Toasted almonds, sugared pecans, toasted pine nuts, dried cranberries, fried crispy onions, miniature bread croutons.<\/p>\n
EDAMAME AND NECTAGREEN SALAD<\/p>\n
Layer of fresh rocket<\/p>\n
2 Israeli cucumbers (finely sliced)<\/p>\n
Handful or two Edamame beans (shelled)<\/p>\n
1 avocado pear \u2013 thinly sliced<\/p>\n
couple of Snap peas<\/p>\n
Nectarines (grilled to give them a sweet soft texture)<\/p>\n
Handful of blueberries<\/p>\n
OPTIONAL TOPPING<\/p>\n
1 packet ramen noodles crushed before cooking and sprinkled on top of salad raw or for that extra crunch you can brown them in a fat free pan. This is called dry frying. Sprinkle with 2 – 3 Tablespoons sesame seeds.<\/p>\n
Dressing<\/p>\n
\u00bc cup Sesame oil<\/p>\n
\u00bd cup vegetable oil<\/p>\n
2 TBLs Soy sauce<\/p>\n
\u00bd cup brown sugar<\/p>\n
\u00bd cup red wine vinegar<\/p>\n
1 TBL vegetable soup mix<\/p>\n
Combine all the above ingredients and shake in a glass jar.<\/p>\n
CRISPY FRIED ONIONS<\/p>\n
Of all the oily wonderful things I try to avoid during the year but indulge in on Chanukah has to be my fried onion rings! I can never make enough of these!\u00a0As they come out of the frying pan, they\u2019re already in somebody\u2019s mouth.\u00a0To keep them gluten free you can use potato flour instead of regular flour.<\/p>\n
This recipe is for two large onions \u2013 you may have to quadruple the recipe they\u2019re disappear so quickly !<\/p>\n
2 large onions sliced into rings 1cm wide<\/p>\n
BATTER<\/p>\n
\u00bd cup cornflour<\/p>\n
\u00bc cup all-purpose flour<\/p>\n
\u00bc cup rice flour<\/p>\n
1 tsp garlic salt<\/p>\n
\u00bd tsp paprika<\/p>\n
\u00bd cup ice cold water<\/p>\n
1 egg<\/p>\n
Oil for frying<\/p>\n
Combine flours with water, salt, and egg. The batter should have the consistency of thin pancake batter. Dip onion rings into flour and shake off excess flour and dip into batter.\u00a0Heat oil over medium to high heat. Slowly immerse the onion rings into hot oil and deep fry until golden brown.\u00a0They\u2019re at their best when served immediately.\u00a0You can keep them UNCOVERED in a preheated warm oven (60 -70\u00b0C) for about 30 minutes before serving. If you cover them they will use crunch and crispiness.<\/p>\n
PULLED BEEF IN CRISPY TORTILLA<\/p>\n
Chanukah , the festival where all things fried in oil are \u201cgood for you\u201d.\u00a0This tasty pulled beef, spooned into a crispy fried tortilla, filled with crunchy vegetables such as\u00a0corn and cucumber, and covered with velvety\u00a0smooth guacamole is a real texture experience.<\/p>\n
1\u00bd kg pickled brisket<\/p>\n
1 bottle onion chutney<\/p>\n
1 tsp crushed garlic<\/p>\n
3 TBLs tomato PASTE<\/p>\n
2 TBLs soft brown sugar<\/p>\n
1 beef stock cube dissolved in 1 cup hot water<\/p>\n
Wash the pickled brisket well and place into a crockpot. Combine the onion chutney, garlic and dissolved beef stock and pour over brisket. Cook on high for 4 hours then turn to low and cook for a further 4 hours. The meat should be soft enough to shred and pull apart with two forks. When ready to serve, fold the tortilla in half. Heat the oil and fry the tortilla in a deep frying pan on both sides until golden brown. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towel. Spoon meat into fried tortilla and serve with an assortment of corn, tomato, onion, fresh coriander, guacamole, and chilli.<\/p>\n
SPICY BEEF, FLUFFY RICE AND CRISPY ONIONS<\/p>\n
This combination of textures makes for a delicious meal.\u00a0Heat level from the addition of chilli depends on your family\u2019s taste. This recipe feeds four.<\/p>\n
1kg mince<\/p>\n
Little oil for frying<\/p>\n
2 onions chopped<\/p>\n
1 tsp crushed fresh garlic<\/p>\n
1 tsp finely chopped chillies<\/p>\n
1 sachet tomato paste<\/p>\n
1 tsp sugar<\/p>\n
1 beef stock cube dissolved in 1 cup boiling water<\/p>\n
35g finely chopped fresh coriander<\/p>\n
Salt and pepper to taste<\/p>\n
Fry meat in oil over medium to high heat. When cooked through remove from heat and set aside. To the same pan add a little more oil and fry onions until lightly brown. Add garlic, chilli, tomato paste, sugar, and beef stock in water and mix until well combined. Add the mince back to the onion mix and cook through. Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 mins.\u00a0Switch off heat the. Add the fresh coriander and stir well.\u00a0Allow to sit and absorb all the flavours. Check for salt and pepper.<\/p>\n
Serve with Fluffy Jasmine rice (cooked as per instructions on the packet) and crispy onions.<\/p>\n
SWICY CHICKEN WINGS<\/p>\n
So, what\u2019s SWICY? It\u2019s a combination of sweet and spicy.<\/p>\n
18 chicken wings<\/p>\n
SAUCE<\/p>\n
3 hot red chillies \u2013 chopped<\/p>\n
\u00bd cup honey<\/p>\n
1 tsp crushed garlic<\/p>\n
3 TBLs sesame oil<\/p>\n
2 TBLs soy sauce<\/p>\n
\u00bc cup dhania chutney (Woolworths)<\/p>\n
Pre heat oven to 200\u00b0C. Combine all the above sauce ingredients in a bowl and pour over the chicken wings. Mix well to ensure all then wings are coated. Place the wings onto a lined baking tray. Bake until golden brown and turn wings over to brown on the other side as well. Turn the oven temperature down to 140\u00b0C and continue to cook to ensure they are cooked through and dark golden brown in colour. Try to serve immediately or reduce heat to 60 – 70\u00b0C to keep them warm until serving. No too long, as you don\u2019t want them to dry out.<\/p>\n
SWEET IRREGULAR SHAPED DONUTS<\/strong><\/p>\n When I make anything that\u2019s meant to be perfectly round like a meatball or fish\u00a0ball, I somehow make a point of not being too perfect, because too perfect doesn\u2019t look homemade. Hence these delicious mouthfuls of irregular shaped donuts!<\/p>\n 2\u00bd cups flour<\/p>\n 1 x 10g sachet yeast<\/p>\n 1 TBL sugar<\/p>\n Pinch of salt<\/p>\n 1 cup warm water<\/p>\n 1 egg yolk<\/p>\n Oil for frying<\/p>\n Syringe (5ml)<\/p>\n Apricot jam<\/p>\n Icing sugar for sifting on donuts.<\/p>\n Sift flour, add yeast, sugar, and salt. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the lightly beaten egg yolk and warm water. Knead by hand until smooth.\u00a0Allow to rise until double in size. Roll into balls ( a little smaller than a golf ball) and place onto a floured board. Cover and allow to rise for another about 30 – 40 minutes. Heat oil, over medium to high heat, in a medium sized deep pot. The oil should fill half way up the side of the pot as you want to deep fry the donuts. Fry until golden brown and remove with a slotted spoon. Drain on paper towel. Draw up 5ml of apricot jam and inject into the centre of the donut. Sprinkle with sifted icing sugar.<\/p>\n SHARON LURIE It\u2019s Dreidel, donut, latke and oil time again.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":4906,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[84,92],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4905","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-84","category-november-2023"],"gutentor_comment":0,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4905","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4905"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4905\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4907,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4905\/revisions\/4907"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4906"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4905"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4905"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewishlife.co.za\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4905"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong> AUTHOR
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\nFOOD EDITOR \u2013 Jewish Life
\nRADIO PRESENTER \u2013 Chai FM
\nBobba Shar\u2019s Salad Dressing<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"