Monday, March 30, 2009

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

Friday, March 27, 2009

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.

Monday, March 23, 2009

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

Sunday, March 22, 2009

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.