Sarah Kaplan Drus's Kugel Yerusahalmi - Jerusalem Kugel ( Parve)

Ingredients:

• 4 1/2 cups water
• 1 Tbsp. salt
• 3/4 Tbsp. black pepper
• 1 pound (400 grams) fine egg noodles
• 2/3 cup oil
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 4 eggs

Preparation:

1. Grease a baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius).
3. In a pot, bring water, salt and pepper to a boil. Add noodles. Cover pot. Reduce flame to low. Cook until water is absorbed.
4. Your careful attention (be careful not to burn yourself) and patience (don’t leave this unattended) is needed to make the caramel. Place oil and sugar in a light-colored (so you can see the color of the melting sugar), heavy-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. Slowly the sugar will start to turn yellowish-brown and combine with the oil. If the sugar turns dark brown too quickly, turn the heat down. Stir until a bubbly, liquid caramel has formed. Then immediately pour caramel over cooked noodles and continue stirring until thoroughly blended.
5. Let cool for a few minutes. Then add eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition.
6. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit (180 degrees Celsius) until nicely browned.
7. When done, remove immediately from pan.

Serving Suggestions: This kugel can be served hot, warm or cold.

NOTE: This recipe got a poor review because someone had trouble making the caramel. I rewrote the caramel instructions above and tested the recipe again. It worked beautifully for me, and my son is enjoying a piece of the kugel right now. According to Bon Appétit Magazine, caramelizing sugar is “one of the trickiest techniques to master.” It may take some practice to get the caramel to the right color (undercooked caramel has a weak flavor and overcooked caramel has a burnt flavor). But once you get the hang of it, making this kugel will be easy for you.

Sydney Baker's Potato Salad with Dill and Dijon Mustard

Spanish explorers introduced potato salad to Europe during the 1500s. The earliest versions were made from boiled potatoes mixed with wine or vinegar and spices. The America version we are familiar with arrived with European settlers. The earliest recipes for potato salad were published during the mid 1800s and were made by coating boiled potatoes in a dressing made from vinegar, oil and herbs. Culinary historians believe this mixture was influenced by German cuisine, which tends to be a mix of spicy, sour and sweet. Mayonnaise was likely introduced to potato salad recipes around the 1920s and 1930s when brands like Best Foods, Miracle Whip and Hellman’s rose in popularity.


I made this potato salad over the weekend for Memorial Day and was reminded how delicious it is. When the weather warms up and we start our yearly outdoor feasting, this is one of my go-to chilled salad recipes. It’s evolved a bit over the years; I used to make it with mayonnaise only, but recently I started subbing half the mayo for Greek yogurt to lighten it up a bit. I think the substitute actually improves the flavor, and it definitely cuts down on calories. Whole grain Dijon mustard and fresh dill are game-changers here, they take an otherwise ordinary potato salad recipe to a whole new level. Don’t use regular Dijon mustard, the flavor is too sharp for this recipe. Whole grain is milder.


My husband loves this salad, he calls it “dangerously good.” Dangerous, because once we start eating it we can’t stop! If you’re making this for a barbecue or sharing at a picnic, you can easily double the recipe to feed more people. Looking for a dairy-free recipe? Substitute mayo or vegenaise for the Greek yogurt. Enjoy!








Potato Salad with Dill and Dijon

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs red new potatoes cut into 1-inch chunks (peeled or unpeeled)
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup mayonnaise or vegenaise
3 tbsp chopped fresh dill, minced
1 1/2 tbsp white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
1 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard (make sure it's whole grain!)
2 1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt (or more to taste) plus 2 tsp salt for potato cooking water
1/4 tsp black pepper (or more to taste)
Sprig of fresh dill to garnish (optional)



Prep Time: 45 Minutes


Total Time: 1 Hour 15 Minutes


Servings: 4


Kosher Key: Dairy





You can use peeled or unpeeled potatoes in this salad. If you decide not to peel them, make sure you scrub them very well to get rid of any residual dirt. Boil 3 quarts of water with 2 tsp salt. Add the new potato chunks to the salted water and bring back to a boil. Simmer for about 10 minutes until they become fork tender. Keep a close eye on them to make sure they don't overcook. As soon as they are tender, drain the potatoes, return them to the warm pot so they will dry out, and let them return to room temperature.
In a bowl, whisk together Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, fresh dill, vinegar, whole grain Dijon mustard, sugar, salt and pepper to make a dressing. 



Place the cooled potato chunks in a salad bowl. Add dressing. Stir gently to combine until all potato pieces are evenly coated with the dressing. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. 



Chill salad in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold.
Note: This recipe is gluten free when you you use GF-certified packaged products. To make the recipe dairy free, replace the Greek yogurt with mayonnaise or vegenaise. 

Sydney Baker 's Zucchini Parmesan Crisps

Total Time:50 min
Prep:20 min
Cook:30 min

Yield:4 servings, serving size 1/2 cup

Ingredients
Cooking spray
2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound total)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan (3/4-ounce)
1/4 cup plain dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Slice the zucchini into 1/4-inch thick rounds. In a medium bowl, toss the zucchini with the oil. In a small bowl, combine the Parmesan, bread crumbs, salt, and a few turns of pepper. Dip each round into the Parmesan mixture, coating it evenly on both sides, pressing the coating on to stick, and place in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake the zucchini rounds until browned and crisp, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove with spatula. Serve immediately.

World Jewish Spice Primer

Advieh
Persian Jewish cooks turn to a blend of cinnamon, cardamom, and dried rose petals to flavor dishes both savory (like pilafs and stews) and sweet (like rice pudding and charoset). Some variations also include ginger, while others incorporate more traditionally savory spices like cumin and coriander.

Baharat
Used throughout the Middle East, baharat is a catchall spice blend that varies widely from region to region, and from kitchen to kitchen. It typically includes some combination of cumin, black peppercorns, coriander, cinnamon, and ginger. Other spices (everything from cloves and mint to sumac) are then added to enliven and personalize the blend. Baharat is typically used as a rub or mix-in for meat, fish, and chicken dishes, and is also a wonderful flavor enhancer for rice and hearty soups.

Berbere
Ethiopian cooking can be quite fiery, thanks to a blend of very hot African bird’s-eye chilies and other flavorful spices. The additional spices range widely, but often include other chilies, cardamom, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, fenugreek, turmeric, and cloves. Berbere is added to many stews (called wots), both meat-based and vegetarian.

Caraway
This floral, slightly bitter spice is perhaps best known for the role it plays in flavoring rye bread. In America, as Jewish-style ryes began to rely on higher percentages of wheat flour, caraway became the dominant flavor. But caraway, which is a close relative of parsley, has other traditional uses in Ashkenazi cuisine, primarily as a mix-in for sauerkraut and braised cabbage, soups, potato dishes, and noodles.

Dill
Many iconic Ashkenazi dishes, from chicken soup and cucumber pickles to dumplings and salmon patties, are flavored with dill. Often, cooks turn to the verdant fresh version, but robustly-flavored dried dill seed is also liberally used.

Dukkah
According to Gil Marks’s Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, this Egyptian spice blend gets its name from the Arabic word meaning “to pound.” The foundation of ground, toasted nuts (often hazelnuts, peanuts, or pistachios) and sesame seeds separates this mix from others. The nuts are typically paired with some combination of fragrant spices like cumin, coriander, nigella seeds, and mint. Dukkah can be used as a nutty coating for fish or a topping for eggs but is most often served alongside olive oil as a dip for bread or pita.

Harissa
Tunisian and Moroccan home cooks add fiery heat and vibrant flavor to a wide variety of tagines, couscous dishes, and stews with harissa. It comes in two forms, a wet paste and a dry spice blend, with chiles and garlic serving as the foundation of both. Cumin, coriander, and paprika are common mix-ins.

Hawaij (savory) 
Yemenite Jews rely on this blend of turmeric, cumin, cardamom, and black peppercorns to flavor a wide variety of dishes including grilled chicken, fish, lamb, and beef. The classic Yemenite chicken or beef soup, marak temani, is also flavored (and colored golden, thanks to the turmeric) with savory hawaij.

Hawaij (coffee)
In Yemen, coffee also gets the hawaij treatment, though the blend is distinctly sweeter than the soup version. It typically combines cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and sometimes turmeric and black peppercorns. A pinch added to coffee grounds perfumes the entire pot.

Paprika
Hungarian Jewish cooking gets its distinctive earthy flavor and rosy color from paprika. From goulash and paprikash to cholent and roast chicken, it is hard to imagine a traditional Ashkenazi Shabbat table without the bright red, finely ground capsicum.

Poppy seeds
Called mohn in German and Yiddish, nutty, blue-black poppy seeds are ubiquitous in Central European baked goods, from sweet rolls and cakes to strudel and hamantaschen. The oily seeds are also ground and mixed with egg noodles—served either sweet with sugar, or savory with sautéed cabbage.

Ras el Hanout
Literally translating to “top of the shop,” this complex Moroccan mix traditionally blends the best-quality spices a merchant has to offer. The recipe varies widely depending on who is making it but tends to include at least a dozen (and often many more) distinct spices including ginger, cardamom, cumin, fennel, coriander, cinnamon, star anise, peppercorns, and turmeric. It is typically used for special occasions, flavoring tagines and couscous dishes, or as a rub for meat.

Za’atar
The name za’atar refers to both a fresh herb (wild hyssop) and a tart, earthy spice blend made with the dried herb, as well as sumac, sesame seeds, and salt. Both the herb and the spice are popular in Arabic cooking—a practice that modern Israelis have emulated. The spice blend is sprinkled onto salads, hummus, flatbread, and used as a dry rub for fish, chicken, and meat dishes.

Freda Shabelstoch's Beet and Been Salad ( Pupini Un Biesu Salati)

Sour cream and tart pickles complement earthy beets in this salad made by home cook Maija Kalniņa. This recipe first appeared in our May 2011 issue, with the article Riga Revisited.

SERVES 6-8

Ingredients
1⁄2 cup sour cream
1⁄3 cup mayonnaise
1 tbsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 cups cooked or rinsed, canned kidney beans
1⁄4 cup minced gherkins or dill pickles
4 medium boiled beets, peeled and cut into 12″ cubes
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
2 tbsp. sliced parsley leaves

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayonnaise, and salt until smooth. Add beans, gherkins, and beets, and gently stir until evenly coated. Season with salt and pepper, stir to combine, then transfer to a large bowl or platter. Sprinkle with parsley before serving.

Freda Shabelstock's Rye Bread Pudding ( Maizes Zupa)

A delicious way to use leftover rye bread, this sweet pudding enhances the bread's tangy flavor with the addition of spices and dried fruits.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
10 oz. Latvian or dark rye bread, cut into 1″ cubes (about 3 1⁄2 cups)
1 cup minced dried apricots
3⁄4 cup minced dried prunes
1⁄4 cup sugar, plus more to taste
2 tbsp. packed dark brown sugar
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1⁄4 tsp. ground cloves
1⁄4 tsp. kosher salt
Sweetened whipped cream, to garnish

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 350°.
2.  Place bread on a baking sheet and bake until lightly toasted and dry, about 15 minutes.
3.  Transfer to a medium bowl and pour over 4 cups boiling water; let sit for 20 minutes.
4.  Pass bread mixture through a food mill or coarse strainer into a 4-qt. saucepan; add apricots, prunes, sugars, lemon juice, cinnamon, cloves, and salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. 
5. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and fruit softens, about 15 minutes; season with more sugar, if you like. 
6. Let cool to room temperature; garnish with whipped cream.

Freda Shabelstoch's Layered Herring Salad ( Selyodka Pod Shuboy)

In Poland and Germany, herring is considered a bearer of good fortune. In this recipe, salt-cured herring becomes a lavish centerpiece when layered with apples and a sour cream-mayonnaise dressing.

Salt-cured herring becomes a lavish centerpiece when layered with apples and a sour cream—mayonnaise dressing in this beautiful composed salad.

SERVES 6-8
Ingredients
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 filets salted herring, rinsed and roughly chopped
1⁄2 small yellow onion, minced
2 medium peeled and boiled Yukon Gold potatoes, grated
3 medium boiled carrots, grated
6 hard-boiled eggs, whites and yolks separated, each passed through a fine strainer
1⁄2 Granny Smith apple, cored, peeled, and grated
2 medium boiled beets, peeled and grated
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh dill
Carrot rose, to garnish (optional)

Instructions
Whisk together mayonnaise and sour cream in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper; set aside. Place herring in the bottom of a shallow 1 1⁄2-qt. oval dish, and top with 1⁄3dressing. Sprinkle onions on top, then cover with grated potatoes. Top potatoes with carrots and 1⁄2 the remaining dressing. Combine half the sieved egg yolks and half the sieved whites in a small bowl, then spread over dressing. Top with apples, then beets. Spread remaining dressing over beets to cover. Create three even rows across top of salad with remaining egg yolks and three rows with remaining whites; fill in gaps with rows of dill. Garnish with a carrot rose, if desired.