March 6, 2014
Author: Francis Levine-Grater
I got this recipe in my first year of marriage, and I am celebrating 18 years of happiness! It is perfect for Shavuot or Shabbat lunch in the summer.
Ingredients:
1 jug of tomato juice
2 small cucumbers
Handful of parsley or cilantro
2 small tomatoes, chopped
6 tbs olive oil
6 tbs balsamic vinegar
3 tbs honey
Juice of 2 lemons
Preparation:
Mix wet ingredients together. Add veggies and herbs. Can be left chunky or blended. Enjoy!
March 12, 2013
Author: JDCEntwine
Recipe courtesy of Rachel Tachvilian from Beit Shemesh, Israel. Read more about the JDC and Israel.
Ingredients:
• 4 slices tuna or Nile perch (if available)
• 2-3 ripe tomatoes
• Salt (for marinating fish and for sauce)
• Lemon juice
• 1⁄4 teaspoon turmeric
• 1⁄2 teaspoon chicken-flavored
(meatless/”pareve”) soup mix
• 2-3 cups boiling water, plus more
boiling water if using tuna
• Handful of fresh chopped cilantro
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 long chili pepper, preferably dry, cut
into wide strips
• 1 clove fresh garlic, peeled and
chopped
• About 1⁄4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 tablespoon sweet red paprika
Preparation:
Sprinkle salt and lemon juice over fish and let marinate for 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare sauce by peeling the tomatoes and placing them into a wide pot. Add salt, turmeric, and soup mix and bring to a boil. Mash cooked tomato mixture (can use a potato masher), then add 2-3 cups boiling water to the pot. Bring sauce to a simmer.
Rinse fish: if using tuna, rinse it first with boiling water and then with tap water; if using Nile perch, rinse it
with tap water. Place slices of fish on top of sauce in the wide pot. Lay chopped cilantro, pepper strips, and chopped garlic on top of fish. Bring mixture to a boil. In the meantime, thoroughly combine the oil and sweet paprika in a separate dish and add to the fish mixture. After the fish has boiled for 10 minutes, reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer fish for about 30 minutes more. Serve fish with sauce, hot or at room temperature.
Serves 4 people
May 5, 2014
Author: Traci Des Jardin
Ingredients:
1/2 lb. ground pork (or not!)
1/2 lb. ground beef
1/2-cup Short grain white rice
2 eggs
2 white onions, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1/2 lb. tomatoes, blanched, peeled and diced or 12 ounce can peeled and crushed tomatoes
1 medium zucchini, diced
1 bunch cilantro, picked and chopped
3 sprigs mint leaves, chopped
1-teaspoon ground cumin
1-tablespoon dried oregano (preferably Mexican)
4 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon salt
½ teaspoon pepper
Vegetable oil
Preparation:
Bring to a boil 1 cup of water and pour over the rice, let soak for 20 minutes and then drain. Sweat 1/2 of the onion in scant vegetable oil until soft, let cool and then add to the meat. Add the soaked rice, egg, ½ of the cilantro, ½ of the mint, the cumin, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend everything together very well and form into 1 inch meatballs.
In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, place two tablespoons of oil into the pan and brown the meatballs lightly, remove from the pan and add the onions, garlic, celery and carrots, sweat slightly and add the tomatoes. Add the chicken stock and bring to a simmer, add the meatballs and the mint. Simmer for about 1 hour, season to taste with salt and pepper, add the zucchini and cook for another 10 minutes, garnish with remaining cilantro and serve.
Posted in Soups and Stews
Tags: cilantro, JCCSF, Meatballs, mint, San Francisco, soup, zucchini
May 5, 2014
Author: Tracy Des Jardin
My earliest memories of nopales are of my grandmother’s giant cactus in the backyard which was a big obstacle in our racing around the backyard- one didn’t want to have a mishap and land in that sinister plant. I knew grandma used to make something with the nopales, but I wanted nothing to do with the actual eating of it- I’m guessing I tried it once or twice and there was too great a slime factor for me. But I was an intrepid little prep cook and would spend hours with her in the kitchen carefully peeling the young succulent paddles- and then she would spend hours removing thorns from my little hands.
A few years ago I went down to Mexico to Diana Kennedy’s to cook with her and some of my dear friends. She taught us how to make a delightful Nopales salad- so this recipe is an adaptation of that one. Earlier this year I had occasion to make it for my 11 year old son, much to my surprise he loved it!
Ingredients:
2 pounds young cactus, cut into ½ inch by 2 1/2 inch strips
½ pound tomatoes
1 small white onion
½ cup cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
2-3 limes
1 serrano chile
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 beautiful avocados
Preparation:
Place 1 tablespoon of the oil into a sauté pan and begin to sweat the cactus- add a ¼ cup of water- cover and let cook on medium heat for about 7 minutes, the cactus should have turned dark green- cook for another 5 minutes until the liquid has absorbed back into the cactus- place in a bowl and chill.
Dice the tomato, finely dice the white onion, you’ll need ¼ to ½ cup- reserve the remainder for another use. Finely chop the Serrano chile- mix all together in a bowl along with the cilantro, the lime juice and the remaining olive oil, season well with salt and pepper. When the cactus is cool- add to the bowl, mix well and again adjust the seasoning as needed.
When ready to serve- place in a bowl or platter and place the sliced avocado on top- season the avocado with a squeeze of lime juice and a little coarse salt (Maldon or fleur de sel or any tasty sea salt). Garnish with a few cilantro sprigs.
