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Beyond Blitzes: A Culinary Show and Tell

Celebrating our Jewish mixed multitude: recipes beyond blitzes

This event was kindly hosted by Learning Coordinator Diana Ralph. We've put together all the receipes used during the event, so that you can cook your way across the Jewish world!

Argentinian Empandas

By OrH member Tom Grana

Empanadas are a dish of Spanish origin, and as such are found all over the world in former Spanish colonies, from South America to the Philippines. This particular recipe is an Argentinian/Bolivian variety and uses mushrooms and kale for the filling. Yum!

Tom says: If you are short on time or not one for making dough, you can buy premade empanda discs at a Latin American store. They're called tapas de empanadas."

Ingredients

For the dough:

  • 6 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup cold water

For the mushroom and kale filling:

  • 1 pound of mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 4 kale leaves
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 teaspoons grapeseed oil (or another cooking oil)

    Preparation

To make the dough:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  2. Combine the flour with the salt in a large bowl.
  3. Add the oil and the water and knead until dough forms. If the dough requires, add more water.
  4. Cover and refrigerate dough for 10 minutes.

 

To make the filling:

  1. Heat a large pan on the stove to medium heat.
  2. Add 2 teaspoons of grapeseed oil to the pan.
  3. Sauté the mushrooms until they begin to brown; this will take about 10-15 minutes.
  4. Add the kale and garlic and stir well to combine the mixture.
  5. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes.
  6. Remove from heat and season filling with lime. Salt and pepper filling to taste then set aside to cool. 

 

To make the empanada:

  1. Layer 1 tablespoon of mushroom and kale mixture into a circle of dough.
  2. Seal the empanada around the filling and set it aside.
  3. Repeat this with remaining filling and dough.
  4. Cook empanadas in oven until golden brown.
  5. Allow 5-10 minutes for them to cool.
  6. Enjoy!

French Ratatouille

By OrH member Martine Waisvisz

Try making this elegant French dish on a warm summer day! The perfect way to go from your garden to your kitchen. Ratatouille is the quintessential vegetarian summer stovetop recipe. Don't believe us? Make it yourself and see!

Yield: Serves 8 (about 2 quarts)

Prep Time: 20 minutes.

Cook Time: 1-2 hours

Ingredients

  • 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for serving
  • 1 1/2 pounds eggplant (1 large or 2 mediums), cubed
  • 1 1/2 pounds zucchini, cubed
  • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
  • 1 pound of tomatoes (3-4 medium), cubed
  • 1 large bell pepper, cubed
  • Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced, plus more for serving
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Herbes de Provence
  • Ras El Hanout (optional)
  • Chili pepper (optional)

Preparation

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
  2. Add the eggplant, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook stirring occasionally, until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer eggplant* to a large bowl.
  3. Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pot. Add the zucchini, season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer zucchini* to the bowl with the eggplant.
  4. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and the onion, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and just beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes.
  5. Add the garlic, thyme, herbs de Provence, Raw El Hanout, chilli pepper, and bay leaf and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  6. Add the tomatoes and bell peppers. Add the reserved eggplant and zucchini and gently stir to combine.
  7. Bring to simmer, then turn down the heat to medium-low. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for at least 20 minutes or up to 1 1/2 hours. A shorter cooking time will leave the vegetables in larger, more distinct pieces; longer cooking time will break the vegetables down into a silky stew.
  8. Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. Just before serving, stir in basil leaves and sprinkle some olive oil.

 

*The reason why you usually cook the vegetables at different time is because the pot might not be large enough.

Martine says: "This recipe can be doubled. You can add different spices. I personally like to use “Ras El Hanout”, a spice from Morocco usually used with couscous. I also use “Herbes de Provence”and a little bit of chili pepper. Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It can also be frozen."

Scottish Mince & Tatties

By OrH member Jean Hanson

Jean says: "Mince refers to minced or ground beef, flavorfully stewed, and tatties, of course, are potatoes"

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ pounds very lean ground beef (or chicken or turkey)
  • 2 large onions
  • Water (plus 1 tsp mushroom or dark soy sauce if chicken or turkey is used)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2-3 carrots, scrubbed and diced
  • 1 cup diced turnip
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with a little water
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • ½ cup finely chopped parsley

Preparation

  1. In a large pot,  brown the meat, breaking it up with a fork, so that no large clumps remain.
  2. Add onions and sauté for another 5 minutes, until onions become transparent.
  3. Add enough water so that you can see it through the meat, but not so much that it “drowns” the mince. (If you have used ground turkey or chicken, add the soy sauce to the water.)  
  4. Add seasonings to taste.
  5. Bring to a boil, cover and turn down heat, and simmer for another 30 minutes.
  6. Add the carrots and turnip.
  7. Simmer for another 30 minutes until the turnips are tender.
  8. Thicken with cornstarch and water mixture.
  9. Just before serving, add peas and parsley. Serve with potatoes, boiled and left in chunks or mashed. 

Sutlach (Milk Pudding)

By friend of OrH, Lydia Nacawa

Sutlach, also known as Mahalepi, is a Middle Eastern (Syrian) aromatic milk pudding popular with Sephardic and Mizrachi Jews and often eaten on Shavuot. This version is made with orange blossom and fig syrup!

Prep Time: 5 minutes.

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

For the Pudding:

  • 8 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 1 1/2 cups cornflour
  • 1 tsp mastic resin crushed with 2 tsp sugar
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups crushed pistachios unsalted

For the Syrup:

 

  • 3 cups sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 4-5 tbsp orange blossom water
  •  For fig syrup: 8 figs skins removed and halved per 1 cup syrup (optional)

Preparation

To Make the Pudding:

  1. Whisk cornflour in 1 cup milk until dissolved. Set aside.
  2. Add rest of milk to a large heavy bottom pot, over medium heat. Bring to a boil, mixing occasionally to prevent scorching.
  3. Once milk comes to a boil, stir in dissolved cornflour. Continue stirring until milk thickens.
  4. Remove from heat and stir in the crushed mastic resin. Gradually add cream and mix until well incorporated.
  5. Pour pudding into individual bowls or in a large casserole dish. Allow pudding to cool before placing in refrigerator to set.

 

To Make the Syrup:

  1. Add sugar and water to a medium size pot over medium high heat.
  2. Bring to boil. Once the sugar water comes to a boil, stir in blossom water and reduce heat.
  3. Simmer 5 minutes.
  4. If making non-fig syrup, pour into a jar and refrigerate until ready to serve. 
  5. To make the fig syrup, add 1 cup of syrup to a pot along with sliced figs. Simmer, about 10 minutes, or until figs begin to burst. Gently crush figs with the back of a fork. Pour syrup into a jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

Serve cold pudding drizzled with syrup. Now that's a dessert worth staying up for!


Lydia says: "For the Chorek [a sweet bread roll], the one which seems to most closely resemble the one my Nonna made can be found here.  Please use the variation using butter only.  Yummm, butter. For the Satlach, the one that I can find online that most resembles what Nonna would make can be found here. Enjoy!"

- Lydia, in memory of Fortunée Sakal-Nacawa

Fri, 29 March 2024