Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home

by Levy, Faye

• ISBN13: 9780060787844
• ISBN10: 0060787848
• Format: Hardcover
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publications

Summary

Thanks to the ever-increasing number of kosher products available to home cooks, it's never been easier or more satisfying to prepare delicious, wholesome, and healthful kosher meals. In this new collection of exciting recipes, acclaimed journalist, cooking teacher, and cookbook author Faye Levy presents a progressive, upbeat approach to nutritious kosher cuisine that highlights the pleasure of preparing and eating mouthwatering dishes that promote well-being. Kosher foods are being used in more and more American homes, and their abundance and diversity is increasing at an impressive rate. From the traditional to the exotic, from extra-virgin olive oil to tasty cheeses, from spicy condiments to Asian-style sauces, from Latin flavors to Indian, Levy introduces both novice and seasoned cooks to a grand array of international ingredients. By showcasing them in such dishes as Poached Turkey with Mushrooms, Wheat Berries, and Dill; Diced Vegetable Salad with Pepitas and Papaya; Marseilles-Style Fish with Saffron and Fennel; and Turkish Autumn Vegetable Casserole with Chicken, she shows how they will add zest to any menu while maintaining solid nutritional value. With a focus on foods with substantial health benefits, such as nuts, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables, Levy revamps old favorites, turning them into updated wholesome creations, including Springtime Chicken Soup with Asparagus, Fava Beans, and Whole Wheat Matzo Balls; Passover Haroset with Pistachios and Pomegranate Juice; Rosh Hashanah Chicken with Dates and Almonds; and Apple Apricot Whole Wheat Noodle Kugel. She introduces new classics to the festive Jewish kitchen, such as Cucumber, Jicama, and Orange Salad with Black Olives; Buckwheat Blintzes with Goat Cheese and Ratatouille; Spicy White Bean Soup with Kale; Purim Baked Turkey Schnitzel with Sweet-Sour Onion Compote; and Macadamia Orange Cake with Red Berry Sauce. Whether you're cooking for yourself and your family any day of the week or preparing a holiday feast for friends and relatives, Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home is bound to satisfy all your culinary needs. Variety is not only the spice of life; it's also the spice of nourishing menus. The two hundred healthful, tasty, innovative kosher recipes in this book are sure to add inspiration to your menus and variety to your daily eating, as well as zest to the lives of those who share your table.

Excerpts

Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home
200 Recipes for Eating Well on Holidays and Every Day

Quick Broccoli-Vegetable Soup with Garlic and Rice

Makes 4 servings

With a variety of vegetables, this soup fits in nicely with the Sukkot harvest theme. For the soup base, I make use of the broccoli's cooking liquid, with the flavor reinforced by leeks, onions, carrots, and vegetable broth. Instead of rice, you can add other cooked grains, such as barley, wheat berries, bulgur, or whole wheat couscous. To turn the soup into a main course, add 1½ to 2 cups bite-sized pieces of cooked chicken or turkey or 12 ounces cubed tofu or seitan (wheat gluten) and heat through.

Ingredients:

3 cups small broccoli florets and sliced tender stems
Salt
1 large leek (optional), white and light green parts only, quartered lengthwise
1 large onion, chopped (or 2 onions, if omitting leek)
1 large carrot, sliced
3½ cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 large garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
½ teaspoon dried thyme
Freshly ground black pepper
1½ cups hot cooked brown or white rice

Instructions:

Bring 2½ cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add broccoli florets and stems with a small pinch of salt. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes, or until florets are crisp-tender. Transfer florets with a slotted spoon to a bowl, leaving stem slices in pot.

Rinse leek (if using) well to remove sand between layers. Cut into thin slices. Add leek, onion, carrot, and broth to pot. Bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Return broccoli florets to pan. Stir in thyme, black pepper, and salt if needed. Ladle into bowls and top each with a few spoonfuls of rice.

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Braised Calabaza Squash with Chiles and Ginger

Makes 3 to 4 servings

The slight spiciness of ginger and mild chiles complements the sweetness of hard-shelled orange squash. I use a vegetable braising technique, popular among Sephardi and Indian cooks, of cooking the vegetable with very little water so the taste remains concentrated.

Meaty calabaza squash, which can be purchased by the piece in Latin American markets, is a good choice, and so are butternut squash and Japanese kabocha squash. I like to use heart-shaped poblano chiles, which are labeled pasilla chiles in California. They are sometimes mild and sometimes hot, and give the dish a pleasing aroma.

Ingredients:

One 2-pound piece calabaza squash
1 tablespoon canola oil or other vegetable oil
2 onions, chopped
1½ tablespoons chopped peeled ginger
1 or 2 poblano chiles (called pasilla in California), seeds discarded, cut into strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground coriander

Instructions:

Cut squash into pieces and cut off peel with a heavy, sharp knife. Remove any seeds or stringy flesh. Cut flesh into about 1-inch cubes.

Heat oil in a stew pan. Add onions, cover, and sauté over medium-low heat, stirring often, for 5 minutes. Add ginger and chile strips and sauté for 5 more minutes. Add squash pieces and a little salt and pepper. Cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons water, cover, and cook for 15 more minutes or until tender, stirring from time to time and adding water by tablespoons if necessary. Stir in coriander. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve hot or warm.

Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home
200 Recipes for Eating Well on Holidays and Every Day. Copyright © by Faye Levy. Reprinted by permission of HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. All rights reserved. Available now wherever books are sold.

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Excerpted from Healthy Cooking for the Jewish Home: 200 Recipes for Eating Well on Holidays and Every Day by Faye Levy
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.