Newspaper Page Text
New recipes for rhe holidays
Helen Nash, lecturer, teacher
and author of “Kosher Cuisine,” in
her quest for variations within the
Jewish traditions, offers new ideas
to help celebrate Rosh Hashana
and Yom Kippur.
She offers suggestions for the
family dinner traditionally enjoyed
on Rosh Hashana, and for the
breaking of the fast on Yom Kip
pur, which she treats as a break
fast. The following dishes are
offered as alternatives or additions
to customary New Year menus:
For Yom Kippur
Challah
Marinated Salmon
Marlene's Monkey Bread
Challah
Challah is one of the delights of
a Friday night or holiday meal.
Don’t be afraid to make it. You
will be surprised how easy and
enjoyable it becomes once you know
the process. On Rosh Hashana I add
raisins to the challah and make
them round.
2 1/4 cups warm water
(100°F to 115°F )
2 pkgs. active dry yeast, about 2
tbsps.
1/3 cup plus 2 tbsps. sugar
2 eggs plus 1 yolk, at
room temperature
1 1/4 tbsp. salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 tbsps. unsalted marga
rine, at room temperature
about 8 cups unbleached flour
3/4 cup raisins
Glaze
I egg yolk mixed with I tbsp.
water
I suggest you use an electric
mixer with a dough hook and two
12-by-16-inch baking sheets.
Pour warm water into an elec
tric-mixer bowl; add yeast and one
tablespoon of the sugar and stir
lightly. Cover with a towel and
leave in a draft-free place for about
10 to 15 minutes, or until bubbles
appear. (This is called proofing the
yeast to make sure it is still active.)
Add to this yeast mixture the
rest of the sugar, eggs and egg yolk,
salt, vegetable oil, two tablespoons
ol the margarine and 7 1/2 cups of
the flour. Knead with dough hook
at low to medium speed for about
10 minutes, adding more flour as
necessary to make a Firm dough.
Turn dough out onto a pastry
board and knead further with the
heel of your hand, adding more
flour as needed until dough does
not stick to board or hands and is
smooth and elastic.
Wash and dry mixer bowl. Grease
with remaining 1/2 tablespoon
margarine and place dough in it,
turning to coat all sides. Cover
bowl with a towel. Set in a draft-
free, warm place (80° to 100°F ),
such as a food warmer or lightly
heated, then cooled-down oven.
until double in bulk, about I 1/2
hours.
For Braided Loaves: Punch
dough and divide it into 12 equal
pieces. Take three pieces of dough
at a time and roll these out on a
pastry board into ropes about lOto
12 inches long. Be sure to make
ends thinner than center to give
bread a better shape. Pinch ends of
the three ropes together, braid to
the other end and seal well.
For Round Loaves: Punch dough
down and knead in raisins. Divide
into four equal pieces. Take one
piece at a time and divide in half.
Roll into ropes about 10 to 11
inches long. Form first rope into a
tight circle and pinch ends closed.
Wrap second rope around first and
pinch ends closed.
Place two chaliahs on each bak
ing sheet. Proceed in the same
fashion with the remaining dough.
Cover chaliahs with a towel and let
rise in a draft-free place for about
35 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350° F. Brush
chaliahs with glaze. Bake in center
of oven for about 35 minutes, or
until golden. Let cool on racks.
Makes four medium braided or
round loaves.
Note: To make challah with fresh
yeast, dissolve crumbled yeast in
lukewarm water (80° to 90° F) and
proceed in same fashion. If you do
not have two ovens, your second
batch of chaliahs will have a lighter
texture because the rising time will
be longer.
To freeze, when completely cool,
wrap in plastic wrap, then in foil
and place in a plastic bag. Defrost
ing will not be necessary. Remove
wrappings and place challah direct
ly on rack of a 350° F preheated
oven, for about 20 minutes, or
until heated through. Challah also
keeps fresh for several days with
out freezing.
This is an adaptation of a popu
lar pickled salmon dish, which I
find too vinegary and spongy. In
my version, the fish is first steamed,
then marinated, giving it a delicate
texture and flavor. Serve it with
dark bread.
3 to 3 1/2 lbs. very fresh
center-cut salmon, filleted
and skinned
2 tbsps. white wine
2 medium onion, sliced thin
15 sprigs dill
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
About 1/2 cup tarragon wine
vinegar
2 bay leaves, crushed
About 1 1/2 tsps. kosher salt
White pepper, freshly ground
Marinated Salmon
I suggest you use a wok with a
cover, a metal rack that fits into it,
a heatproof dish that fits into the
wok, and a 9-by-9-by-2-inch heatproof
glass (Pyrex) dish to hold the fish in
a single layer.
To steam the salmon: Place a
metal rack in the wok, add one
quart water, and bring to a boil
over high heat. Place salmon in a
heatproof glass dish and set on
rack. Season lightly with salt and
pepper. Add wine. Cover and steam
salmon over high heat for about 10
minutes on each side. (The fish
should be undercooked.) Remove
dish and pour off any accumulated
liquid. Let cool, then chill fish well
(it is easier to cut when the salmon
is cold).
Cut fish into two-inch squares.
(They may fall apart.) Arrange in a
glass dish. Scatter onions over
salmon. Snip most of dill, leaving a
few sprigs for garnish, and scatter
over fish. Whisk oil, vinegar, bay
leaves, salt and pepper till well
blended. Season generously. Pour
over salmon, cover with wax paper
and then foil and refrigerate for
two to three days, turning fish once
a day.
Serve salmon at room tempera
ture on a bed of lettuce, without
any juice, but with the onions and
dill. Makes six to eight servings.
Note: Because each brand of
vinegar varies in strength and taste,
start out with less and discover
what you prefer.
“Kosher Cuisine" by Helen
Nash (Random House) is avail
able in book stores or from
Modern Cooking, Dept. A, 784
Park Avenue, NYC 10021. Send
check or Money Order for
$17.95 (plus $1.50 shipping.)
Marlene’s Monkey Bread
This is more of a coffee cake
than a bread. The recipe was given
to me by a Southern friend, who
does not know the explanation for
the name. It is meant to be pulled
apart, not sliced, which is easy to
do since the bread is made of small
circles.
I serve it warm for breakfast,
with a dairy meal, or as a snack. It
freezes well.
1 cup milk
2 pkgs. active dry yeast
(about 2 tbsps.)
8 tbsps. (1 stick) sweet butter, at
room temperature, quartered
1/4 cup sugar
I tsp. salt
About 3 1/2 cups sifted,
unbleached flour
4 1/2 tbsps. sweet butter,
melted
I suggest you use an electric
mixer with a dough hook, a two-
inch round cookie cutter, and a 1 fl
inch gugelhupf mold.
Heat milk in a small saucepan
until lukewarm (100° to 115° F ).
Add yeast, butter pieces, sugar and
salt. Stir; butter does not have to
dissolve. Pour into an electric-mixer
bowl, add three cups of the flour
and knead with a dough hook at
low to medium speed for about 10
minutes, adding more flour as
needed to make a stiff, clastic dough
that does not stick to the bowl.
Grease a metal bowl with some
of the melted butter and place
dough in it, turning to coat all
sides. Cover bowl with a towel. Set
in a draft-free, warm place (80° to
100° F ), such as a food warmer or
lightly heated, then cooled-down
oven, until double in bulk, about I
to I 1/2 hours.
Punch down dough and cut in
half. Roll out each piece into a 10-
inch circle. With a two-inch round
cookie cutter, cut out as many cir
cles as you can.
Grease a gugelhupf mold with
some more of the melted butter,
keeping remaining melted butter
nearby. Dip each circle of dough in
the butter, then place one on top of
the other, buttered sides down, in
the mold. Form scraps into a ball.
roll it out, and repeat. The idea is
to build up layers of circles. Cover
with a towel and leave in a draft-
free place to rise to an inch or so
below the rim.
Preheat oven to 400° F. Bake
bread in center of oven for about
25 to 30 minutes, or until top is
brown. Test with a cake tester in
the center; it should come out dry.
Let cool on a rack until easy to
handle. Invert and serve.
Note: To freeze, let bread cool
completely. Wrap in foil and place
in plastic bag. Leave in freezer till
ready to use. To serve, do not
defrost. Open foil, place bread in
preheated 350° F oven until heated
through.
PAGE 21RH THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE October 3, 1986