Rosh Hashanah is coming

Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are the most important of all Jewish Holidays and the only holidays that are purely religious, as they are not related to any historical or natural event.

The Shofar, a well known symbol of Rosh Hashanah, is one of the earliest instruments used in Jewish music. Usually made from a rams horn, a shofar can also be made from the horns of other animals, including those of a goat or sheep. It is the one musical instrument that has not changed in over 5,000 years.

Honey Cake recipe:

3 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour

1/4 tspn salt

1 1/2 tspn baking powder

1 tspn baking soda

2 tspn ground cinnamon

1 1/2 tspn ground allspice

4 eggs

3/4 cup white sugar

4 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups honey

1/2 cup strong brewed coffee

1/2 cup almonds

1/2 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups honey

2 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 cup water

1/2 tspn lemon zest

2 ounces slivered almonds for topping


DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

2. Sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and allspice. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, gradually adding the sugar. Beat until thick and light in color, about 5 minutes. Beat in the oil, honey and coffee. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Chop the almonds coarsely and mix with raisins. Stir into batter.

3. Oil the two pans and line the bottom with waxed paper. Oil again. Fill each pan with batter to within 1 - 1 1/4 inches from the top. Bake for 65 to 75 minutes until cake tests done. Do not overbake. Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pan.

4. To Make Glaze: Boil together 1 1/2 cups honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and water. When glaze reaches a thick consistency, remove from heat and drizzle over cake. Sprinkle with almond slivers.

More Rosh Hashanah recipe can be found here-
http://www.chefkosher.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=627&Itemid=80
and here-
http://www.recipezaar.com/recipes/rosh-hashana

Great Brocolli & Cheese Quiche

I've tried this recipe from www.chefkosher.com and it was great.
5 stars, worth trying!

Potato latkes. Not only for Hannukah!

This week's Kosher recipe: POTATO LATKES & ONION

* 6 potatoes

* 1 onion

* 4 eggs

* 3 tbsps.

* matza meal

* salt and pepper to taste

* 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Grate by hand potatoes and onion.

Add eggs and then dry ingredients.

Fry in hot oil.

Replace two of the potatoes with zucchini for lighter pancakes.

Gondi - delicious Persian dumplings

Gondi (גונדי) is eaten by most Iranian Jewish families during their Shabbat dinners. Prepared as dumplings that are cooked and served in chicken soup, Gondi is the traditional side dish or appetizer Iranian Jews enjoy. It is eaten along with a Middle Eastern bread as well as raw green vegetables including mint, watercress, and basil. Gondi is typically served in a hot bowl of chicken soup with some families also adding in potatoes and a turkey leg. Many confuse gondi for matzah balls because of a similar appearance

Ingredients
1 cup rice (the sticky type of rice)
1 cup chopped dill
1 tb dry teragon
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
2 onions
6 dry lemons (can be found in middle east food shops)
2 lb. ground turkey (or beef or any mix)
Directions1. Chop the onions and fry.2. Mix all ingredients (except the dry lemon) in a bowl.3. In a large pot prepare a clear soup (or any kind of soup you like).4. While the soup is boiling make bowls. It should be at about the size of a tennis ball. Drop the balls carefully into the soup.5. Cook for about half an hour, then break the dry lemons and mix with the soup and cook for another half an hour.

recipe by www.chefkosher.com

strawberry cake

When it comes to strawberry cake, there are a shocking lack of recipes that are truly made from scratch....
We'll present you this simple version:

Ingredients:
1 (18.25-ounce) box white cake mix
1 (3-ounce) box strawberry-flavored instant gelatin
1 (15-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
4 large eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
Strawberry cream cheese frosting, recipe follows
Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 (10-ounce) package frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed and pureed
1/2 teaspoon strawberry extract7 cups confectioners’ sugarFreshly sliced strawberries, for garnish, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans.
In a large bowl, combine cake mix and gelatin. Add pureed strawberries, eggs, oil, and water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Pour into prepared pans, and bake for 20 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
For the frosting:In a large bowl, beat butter and cream cheese at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Beat in 1/4 cup of the strawberry puree and the vanilla extract. (The rest of the puree is leftover but can be used in smoothies or on ice cream for a delicious treat.) Gradually add confectioners’ sugar, beating until smooth.
Spread frosting in between layers and on top and sides of cake. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries, if desired.
Cook Time 20 min
8 servings

Shvuot Recipes

Jewish holiday Shavuot traditions include eating dairy products suchascheesecakes and cream puffs which are grounded in honor ofMosesreceiving the Torah on Mt. Sinai.Here you can find nice Shavuot recipes, at http://www.chefkosher.com/

About Shavuot at youtube

• Pictures tagged with Shavuot at Flickr

Shavuot Blueberry Cheesecake Recipe

Ingredients:
Crust-
0.25 cup pecans (finely chopped)
0.25 almonds (finely chopped)
0.25 cup walnuts (finely chopped)
¾ cup vanilla wafers (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons melted butter
Filling-
1.5 lbs cream cheese
1 1/3 cups sugar
5 large eggs
16 ounces sour cream
0.25 cup flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1 can blueberry pie filling

Directions

1. Pre- heat the oven to 325 deg. Mix all crust ingredients together, press into the bottom and 1 ½” up the sides of a 9” spring form pan. Then set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl- beat cream cheese til it’s fluffy and light. Add sugar (a little at a time) and beat til creamy. Add 1 egg at a time (beating after each one). Add flour, vanilla extract and the lemon juice. Mix well. Add sour cream and beat til smooth.
3. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust. Place into the oven on the middle rack and back at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 10-15 minutes. When time is up prop open the oven door and let cheesecake sit in the oven for one hour. Remove and allow cheesecake to cool and refrigerate overnight. Top with blueberry pie filling.
(makes 8 servings)

Amba recipe

As I wrote at my last post, I tried to find an Amba recipe.
After I checked many recipes in Hebrew, I discovered that in many recipes they ask you to use the amba spice, which is probably quite rare outside Israel. But I managed to find the following recipe for Iraqi style amba which is supposed to be good as well:

2 KG of cooked mango (it should be soft)
slice the mango to long, thin slices
put inside large bowl with water and lemon juice (out of lemon...)
a few hours later the mango is softer. add salt and curry spice. mix well.
If it's bitter- add more lemon and salt.
Let it sizzle in the jar for a few hours.
Put in the fridge.

What do you know about Amba?

A few days ago I tasted "Amba" - it's a kind of a condiment (or a sauce) popular at Iraqi jews' food. It's really tangy, it's made from mango, turmeric and fenugreek along with other spices.

Amba is great with falafel or shwarma in a pita.

I'll try to get a good recipe in the next few days to publish here.

A bit about latkes

Latkes - some call them Potato pancakes (spelled in Yiddish- לאַטקעס) are shallow-fried pancakes of grated potato and egg, often flavored with grated onion. Latkes can be topped with a variety of condiments, ranging from the savory (like sour cream) to the sweet (like applesauce or sugar), or they may be served ungarnished. Latkes are sometimes made from mashed potatoes to produce pancake-shaped croquettes.


Latkes are traditionally eaten during Hanukkah. The oil for cooking the latkes is a reminder of the miraculous oil that lasted for eight days when the Temple of Jerusalem was rededicated.
If I may note- I think latkes are great througout the year and not only for Hanukkah!

Let's get to the recipe:

4 cups peeled, grated potatoes

1 large onion, chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons flour

2 eggs pepper to taste

2 teaspoons chopped chives (optional)


Wash, peel, and grate the potatoes. Squeeze out liquid. Combine with onion, salt, flour, and pepper (and chives). Lightly beat the egg, and stir into the mixture.
Heat the oil in a skillet, and spoon in tablespoons of the mixture to make medium sized patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown lightly on the other. Repeat with the rest of the mixture.
Serve with applesauce, cottage cheese, yogurt, or sour cream.

Another Kosher blog

I noticed a new blog that's also dealing with Kosher cooking.
I thought you might want to have a look-
http://kosherrecipes.livejournal.com/

But don't forget to come back here!
My blog is better for sure!

Passover is here!

A Passover small flash game - shoot the chametz

A funny hagada by Angelmeir - in Hebrew

Chocolate Matzo Mousse Recipe

Ingredients

1. 10 matzo sheets
2. 1 cup red wine \ chocolate liquer
3. 1 cup heavy cream8 oz bittersweet chocolate
4. 1/4 cup chopped nuts

Directions

1. Heat the cream to boiling point. Add the chocolate and stir. Remove from heat, stirring until all chocolate has melted. Cool and refrigerate. Whip after cooling.

2. Wet each matzo sheet with wine or liquer, to your taste. Make sure to get them soaked, but not soggy!

3. Prepare the cake by layering one matzo sheet, spreading mousse on top and continuing this. When done spread mousse on sides and top.

4. Sprinkle nuts, refrigerate overnight

Recipe credit: link

Recipes for Passover

חג פסח שמח!

Chag Pesach Sameach!

I attach here a list of recipes for Passover:

(these are external links)

Traditional Passover Recipes

• Traditional Haroset


• Ashkenazi Charoset


• Israeli Chasroset


• Potato Matzah BallsMeaty Matzah Balls


• Simple Matzah Balls


• Traditional Matzah balls


• Matzah Brei


• Tzimmes


• Matzo Balls


• Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls


• Asian Chicken Soup


• Traditional Horseradish Recipe


• Mild Horseradish for Passover


• Salted Lemon Savoury


• Matza Balls in Vinegar


• Salmon Gefilte Fish


• Homemade Gefilte Fish

Chraime

Chraime is a popular Sephardic fish and vegetable casserole . It can also be eaten as an entrée. Normally served with challah.

I LOVE eating Chraime. In Israel there are some restaurants that serve it.

I found these recipes for Chraime:

CHRAIME (MOROCCAN FISH)--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
INGREDIENTS

2 POUNDS TILAPIA

2 LEMONS FOR LEMON JUICE

HARISSA SAUCE

4 CLOVES SLICED GARLIC

2 JALAPENOS

1 CUP CHOPPED CILANTRO

SALT

PEPPER

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL

DIRECTIONS

Pour fresh lemon juice over 2 pounds of fresh Tilapia and let sit for 10 minutes. On stove, simmer garlic, jalapenos and Harissa sauce in Extra Virgin Olive Oil for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, raise heat on the stove. Add in tomatoes, salt and pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes on high heat. After 10 minutes, add half the cilantro. Add fish, then add the rest of the cilantro. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes on low heat. After 20-30 minutes, the Chraime is ready to serve.

links:

another link can be found here

A restaurant at Tel Aviv that serves Chraime

The story of Moses - for children

As passover arrives, I searched after a story for children that tells about Moses (I also had to refresh my memory a bit...)
I found this version which I thought was nice. I decided to put it here for you and for just in case I'll want to use it again sometime in the future.

"Pharaoh, the King of Egypt, had made a law that every boy baby of the Hebrew race should be killed, and there was great sorrow because of it. But when Moses was born, his mother managed to hide him for three months, then she made a cradle, or little ark, and putting him into it, carried him down to a river and hid the cradle among the reeds there.
Soon after this, Pharaoh's daughter came with her maidens to the river-side, and when she saw the beautiful child, she sent one of her maidens to bring it to her.
She took the little boy to the palace and named him Moses, and he became a great man among the Egyptians; he knew, however, that he belonged to the Hebrew race, and when he saw how badly his own people were treated, he tried to help them; but at last he was obliged to leave Egypt, and becme a shepherd, taking care of the flocks of a priest called Jethro. He also married Jethro's daughter.
After a time, God spoke to Moses out of a burning bush, and told him that he must go and rescue his people from the cruel Egyptians. Moses thought he could not do this; but God promised to help him, and to show him what he would be able to do with that help, God turned the rod which Moses carried into a serpent. Then God told Moses to pick the serpent up by the tail, and as he did so, it became a rod again. He showed him another sign, also; but Moses was still afraid, because he could not talk well and thought that Pharaoh would not listen to him. So God told him to take his brother Aaron for a spokesman.
Moses and Aaron, therefore, went into Egypt, where they called together the chief men among their own people, the Hebrews, or Israelites, and told them what God had commanded. Moses also did the miracles which God had given him power to do, and the people believed that God had sent him.
After this Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh, and told him that it was the Lord's command that he should let the Israelites go. Pharaoh knew nothing about God, and became very angry, saying that Moses and Aaron kept the people from their work by telling them such things; and he treated the poor Israelites worse than before.
But Moses had faith in God; so he was able to perform before the king the wonderful things that he had done before his own people; still, Pharaoh would not let the children of Israel go.
Then Moses turned the waters of the rivers into blood; and after that he caused large numbers of frogs to run over the land and through the houses, doing great harm. He also brought locusts and other insects to be a pest to the people, and caused many of the useful animals which belonged to the Egyptians to grow sick and die, doing all these wonders with the rod which God had given him. But Pharaoh would not listen to him.
Then God commanded Moses again, and he brought other plagues upon the Egyptians; but Pharaoh would not give up.
At last, however, God sent a still more terrible trouble; for the first-born of every Egyptian family, and even the first-born among their flocks, died; although the Israelites, who were constantly praying to the Lord and making sacrifices, were spared, as they had been all the time.
Then Pharaoh was frightened into obeying God, and he let the Israelites go; so they started at once for the land of Canaan, and the Lord guided them by a cloud, which at night looked like a pillar of fire.
When the Israelites had reached the Red Sea, they found that Pharaoh was pursuing them with a large army. But God commanded Moses to stretch forth his rod over the sea; he did so, and the waters parted, making a high wall upon either side, so that the children of Israel passed through and reached the other side in safety. Pharaoh and his hosts followed and were all drowned.
When the children of Israel saw that they were safe, they sang a beautiful song of praise to God, and then they went on their way again.
After they had traveled for some time, they were in need of bread and meat, and they complained about Moses because he had brought them to a land where they had not enough to eat. But God sent them plenty of quails and also a substance which they could use for bread. Later, when they wanted water, the Lord commanded Moses, and he struck a rock with his rod, and pure water poured out of it, so that the thirsty people and their animals had all that they wanted.
In this way God took care of them as they journeyed through the new and strange country toward the promised land, and Moses became the law-giver of the Israelites, receiving his commandments from God.

Matzo cake

This is a recipe for passover I found at the site ynet. I'll try it this passover.

Ingredients
5 matzos
2/3 C. sweet red wine
For the cream:
3.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate
1 container sweet cream
3 T. sugar

Directions:

The cream: Cook the chocolate with the cream and sugar until the mixture boils and the chocolate completely melts. Remove from the flame and cool. Place in refrigerator and chill.
When the cream is cold, beat it at high speed until it is a light color.
Pour the wine into a shallow pan and dip each matzo in on both sides for a few minutes. Place the matzos on top of each other so that they can absorb the wine.
Place a matzo on a serving platter and spread a fifth of the cream on it. Cover with an additional matzo and spread cream on it as well. Continue layering matzos and cream. Gently press on the last matzo so that the layers will stick to each other and finish with a layer of cream.
Store in the refrigerator. Preferably serve the following day.

Source: ynet.co.il

A cholent Recipe

Cook slowly overnight for a minimum of 10 to 15 hours and get a wonerdful traditional stew.

This recipe was also published at www.chefkosher.com - A kosher recipes site.

Ingredients

• 3 onions, quartered


• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil


• 4 pounds chuck roast, cut into large chunks


• 1 cup dry kidney beans


• 1 cup dried pinto beans


• 1 cup pearl barley



• 5 large potatoes, peeled and cut into thirds


• boiling water to cover


• 2 (1 ounce) packages dry onion and mushroom soup mix


• 2 tablespoons garlic powder


• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a large oven safe pot or roasting pan, saute onions in oil over medium heat.
2. Add meat, and brown well on all sides.
3. Mix in beans; stir continuously until the beans start to shrivel. Stir in the barley. Add potatoes, and add just enough boiling water to cover the meat and potatoes. Mix in dry soup mix and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and simmer partially covered for 20 minutes on stove top.
4. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C).
5. Cover pot tightly, and place in preheated oven. Allow to cook overnight for at least 10 to 15 hours. Check periodically to make sure you have enough liquid to cover; add small amounts of water if needed. Do not stir; stirring will break up the chunks of potatoes.

What's Jewish cuisine?

Wikipedia defines "Jewish cuisine" as follows:

Jewish cuisine is a collection of international cookery traditions linked by Jewish dietary laws (kashrus) and Jewish holiday traditions. Certain foods, notably pork and shellfish, are forbidden; meat and dairy may not be combined, and meat must be ritually slaughtered and salted to remove all traces of blood. Wine and bread are used during Shabbat and Holiday rituals. Jewish cooking varies widely throughout the world due to the use of local ingredients, and local cultural influences have made their mark on Jewish cuisine as well.

Welcome to my new blog

Shalom!
Welcome to my Kosher recipes blog!

In this site of mine I'll focus at traditional Jewish recipes that we all know (or would like to know). There're various ways to make a Chlonet, a Gefilte Fish and whatever Jewish food you can think of. My aim is to share this variety with you.
Please leave any comment you may think of. I hope to get a feedback!