1. food and drink
2. desserts and baking

Traditional Challah Recipe – Chai Cohen
Ingredients
2 ounces fresh yeast
1 Tbsp- sugar
3 cups lukewarm water
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. Salt
1 bag of flour (strong bread flour -1.5 kilo) + may need to add more depending on
consistency of dough
3 eggs
3/4 cups oil
Topping
Egg
Poppy seeds
Sesame seeds
Onions mixed with oil
Cinnamon and sugar
Place the yeast and sugar in a glass bowl and mix together to form a paste. Pour warm
water over yeast/ sugar paste and set aside for 5-10 minutes. (If your kitchen is cold,
put it on your opened oven door with the oven temperature set at 150 degrees.)
Open flour bag and add sugar and salt to flour.
Place eggs and oil in large bowl (or standing mixer fitted with a dough blade.)
When yeast is bubbly (proofed) add the yeast mixture to the egg mixture. (If the yeast
mixture does not get bubbly then it is dead and you must discard it and make the yeast
mixture again with new yeast.)
Add the flour into the bowl a little at a time. Mix well with dough hook or wooden
spoon. If the dough is still sticky after the bag of flour has been used add more flour
until the dough is no longer sticky.
Knead the dough very well and then add two tablespoons oil and knead the dough
again.
Wet a kitchen dishtowel, wring it out well, and use it to cover the top of the bowl. Let
it rise for one hour.
Punch the dough down and take a piece of dough (about an ounce- size of ping pong
ball) for “L’hafrish Challah”Divide your dough into the amount of challahs you want to make.
Braid the challahs, put into a greased loaf pan and brush with egg.
Allow to rise for one hour and then brush with egg again and put topping on Challah.
Bake in a pre-heated oven on 180 for 40 minutes to an hour or until golden.
La Cucina di Silvia - Cooking for the Soul…
www.cookingforthesoul.com - Tel: +44 7867 802169 - Email:
silvia@cookingforthesoul.com
- Risotto al limone, timo e mascarpone (Lemon, thyme and mascarpone risotto)
Time: 30 min
Ingredients (Serves 6 as a starter or 4 as a main course):
- 5-6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 red onion finely sliced
- 2 crushed cloves of garlic
- Approx. 1 lt. vegetable stock
- 320 gr. Italian Arborio or Carnaroli risotto rice
- Splash of white wine
- 1 lemon (both the juice and the grated zest)
- 2 tbsp of mascarpone cheese
- Small bunch of fresh lemon thyme/thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Parmesan cheese to taste
Cooking Directions:
Heat the oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until the
onion has soften and turned golden, then add the garlic, salt and pepper and stir.
In the meantime prepare the vegetable stock by diluting 2 tablespoons of vegetable
bouillon or 1 stock cube in a separate saucepan with the boiling water, and keep it
simmering over a low flame.
TIP: Alternatively make your own vegetable stock in advance by boiling 3 Lt of
water with: 1 peeled carrot, 1 peeled onion, 1 celery stick, 1 tomato (optional), small
bunch of parsley, 1 courgette and a tablespoon of rock salt. Leave to simmer
uncovered for 1–1 and ½ hours and discard the vegetables at the end.
Add the risotto rice in the saucepan with the onion and garlic and stir until it is
thoroughly coated, add a splash of white wine and continue to stir until the wine is
absorbed. Begin adding the broth to the rice with a ladle until the rice is covered with
liquid. While stirring slowly add the broth, letting it be absorbed by the rice.
After 10 minutes add the lemon zest and juice and the mascarpone cheese and keep on
adding ladles of broth to keep it watery. Leave it to cook for an extra 7-8 minutes.
The cooking time for the risotto is 18-20 minutes. The rice needs to be tender but still
firm to the bite and it needs to be still creamy when the heat is turned off. Once you
turn the heat off, add the thyme and the parmesan cheese. Stir well all the ingredients,
cover, and leave it to set for a couple of minutes.
Sprinkle more grated parmesan cheese and ground black pepper on top, garnish with a
little fresh thyme and serve immediately.
Created by Silvia Nacamulli ©
La Cucina di Silvia - Cooking for the Soul…
www.cookingforthesoul.com - Tel: 07867 802169 - Email:
silvia@cookingforthesoul.com
- Cassola (Ricotta cheese dessert)
Time: 45 min
Ingredients (Serves 6-8 as dessert):
-
3 large eggs
120 gr. white sugar
½ teaspoon of cinnamon
500 gr. ricotta cheese
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
Cooking directions:
Preheat the oven to 190 C.
Beat the eggs with the sugar until you have a creamy consistency, then add the
cinnamon, the ricotta cheese and a pinch of salt. Mix it with well with a whisk until
you reach a creamy and homogeneous consistency.
Take a baking tin, 22x22 cm (8.8x8.8 in) and at least 4 cm (1.6 in) high, and grease
with a thin layer of olive oil on the base and sides. Pour in the ricotta mixture and
place the tin in the oven for about 40 minutes or until it starts turning golden brown.
Remove it from the oven and leave it to rest.
TIP: You will see that it will rise in the oven and will then reduce in size once it is
out of the oven; this is normal, so don’t panic!
Eat the dessert warm or at room temperature. You can serve it on its own or with
some fresh berries on the side.
Created by Silvia Nacamulli ©
Hana Birks
Egg and onion - Japanese style
(serves 4-5 people)
6 x medium eggs/5 large eggs
1 x bunch spring onion
1-2 tablespoons of mayonnaise
1 teaspoon of wasabi powder
Salt
White pepper
1. Hard boil the eggs, cool and peel them.
2. Split the eggs lengthways and scoop out the yolks into a small mixing bowl.
3. Add the mayonnaise, wasabi powder, salt and pepper and mix with the yolks.
4. Stuff the eggs with the wasabi-yolk mixture.
5. Wash and finely chop the spring onion. Scatter over the stuffed eggs as a garnish.
Hana Birks
Mackerel with miso
(serves 2 to 4 people - depends on how many side dishes you serve)
2 mackerel (or other firm-fleshed white fish. Seabass is good for a treat),
approximately 300 g in weight
Fresh root ginger - 20g, peeled, grated and cut into matchsticks
Sake - 2 tablespoons
Water - 300ml
Sugar - 3 tablespoons
Miso - 4 tablespoons
Watercress (to garnish)
1. Clean, gut and de-head the fish. Better still, ask the fishmonger to do this for you.
2. Cut each fish in half (not lengthways, the other way!). Cut a diagonal cross (think
of the Scottish flag not the Swiss flag) into both sides of each fish piece.
3. Pour the water and sake into a frying pan and bring to the boil.
4. Add the fish pieces. When the edges have just started to turn white, add the ginger.
Let it bubble away for a minute.
5. Add the sugar, turn the heat down to medium, cover the frying pan with a lid and
simmer for 8 minutes.
6. Place the miso into a small bowl and add 4 tablespoons of water from the frying
pan. Mix the water and miso together: this makes the miso easier to handle. Tip the
water and miso mixture into the frying pan and stir it into the simmering water. Leave
for 7 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and let the mixture in the pan reduce until there is a thick paste that
is the same sort of texture as a mud face-pack. Be careful not to let the miso burn.
8. Remove from the heat, serve onto plates and add a little watercress to garnish.
Hana Birks
Tsimmes - Japanese style
Serves 4
Butternut squash or pumpkin, de-seeded and peeled - 500g (this is approximately ½
fresh butternut squash or 1 bag of the frozen stuff sold in supermarkets. Life is short why chop?)
Sugar (brown is better, caster will do) - 4 tablespoons
Soysauce - 3 tablespoons ( a little more or less according to taste and how much the
doctor is nagging you over sodium intake)
1. If using fresh pumpkin or butternut squash, grit your teeth and peel, de-seed and
chop into medium sized chunks.
2. Place the chopped squash or pumpkin into a medium sized pan and add enough
water so that 75% of the vegetables are covered.
3. Add the soysauce and the sugar.
4. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until tender.
Hana Birks
Aubergine and green peppers with miso
(Serves 4)
2 x green peppers
1 x aubergine
2 tablespoons of miso
1-2 tablespoons of soysauce (depends on how salty you want this to be.)
1 tablespoon of sugar (brown is better, but caster will do)
Vegetable oil - 2 tablespoons
Fresh root ginger - 20g - - grated (optional)
1. Chop the peppers into large pieces. If you are using the ginger, peel and grate it.
Then take the grated ginger and squeeze the juice into a small cup. Keep the juice and
discard the ginger pulp.
2. Quarter the aubergine lengthways. Cut each quarter into triangular pieces.
3. Heat the oil in a medium-sized saucepan and fry the aubergines and pepper until
they start to go soft. They do not need to be cooked through: they just need to have
some “give”.
3. Add sufficient water to not quite cover the vegetables: the tops should be poking
through. Bring to the boil.
4. Finally, add the miso, soysauce and ginger juice (if using) and let the mixture
simmer with the lid on for approximately 15-20 minutes until reduced.
Josh Katz
Grilled sardines with chilli, garlic and lemon thyme dressing on toasted sourdough
12 x sardines, gutted & butterflied (ask your fishmonger)
4 x slice of white sourdough bread or ciabatta, toasted or grilled
2 x red chilli, finely diced
2 x green chilli, finely diced
2 x garlic clove, minced/crushed
2 x sprigs of lemon thyme, picked
100ml x olive oil
2 x lemons, juiced
½ x bunch of coriander, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
Serves 4
- First make the dressing. Combine the red and green chilli, garlic, picked lemon
thyme leaves, olive oil and lemon juice in a bowl and stir to combine. Season with salt
and pepper.
- Heat a skillet, barbecue or griddle pan until smoking hot. Brush the sardines with
olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook the sardines skin side down for
approximately 2 minutes, until nice charred grill lines appear, before carefully turning
over and finishing for a further one minute.
- To serve, carefully remove the sardines from the grill and place three on top of each
slice of toasted sourdough. Drizzle the dressing over the fish, ensuring enough is
provided to soak into the bread. Sprinkle the chopped coriander over the top.
- Garnish the plate with a wedge of lemon and, if desired, some mixed leaf or soft
herb salad.
Recipes by Denise Phillips: www.jewishcookery.com 01923 836 456
Blueberry Almond Pie
If you are looking for a stylish dessert to impress your guests, you have to make this
recipe. I wrote this for my husband’s surprise birthday party as he loves almonds and
I love blueberries! It is a twist on the French traditional recipe of frangipane but has
the addition of brandy and blueberries.
Don’t be put off making your own pastry ~ if you follow this recipe using a food
processor it only takes 5 minutes to make!
Preparation Time: 25 minutes plus 30 minutes for pastry to refrigerate
Time: 45 minutes
Serves: 8 people
Ingredients
Pastry
280g plain flour
140g margarine
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
1 beaten egg yolk – to glaze pastry
base
For the Filling
280g golden caster sugar
300g ground almonds
260g margarine
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons Kir or brandy
Cooking
Topping
300g fresh blueberries
3 tablespoons blueberry jam
To Serve: Greek Yoghurt, Icing sugar – to taste plus a teaspoon of Kir/ brandy
Method
1) To make the pastry, combine all the ingredients in the food processor. Process
until a ball has formed.
2) Flatten and wrap in cling film. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3) Roll the pastry on a lightly floured surface to fit a 25cm (10 inch) loosebottom tart tin. Line the tin with the pastry.
4) Pre-heat the oven to 200 C/ 400 F/ Gas mark 6.
5) Bake blind by covering the raw pastry with foil and filing with baking beans.
Cook for 20 minutes.
6) Remove the foil and baking beans and glaze the pastry with beaten egg yolk.
7) Return the pastry to oven for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Remove and
set aside to cool.
8) To make the filling combine all the ingredients in a food processor and whiz
together until smooth.
9) Spread the almond paste on the pastry base and bake for 40 minutes or until
golden and crisp.
10) Spread the jam over the pie while still hot ~ it is easier to spread! Leave to
cool and then cover with the fresh blueberries.
To serve the stylish way: Dust with icing sugar and serve with thick yoghurt
mixed with icing sugar and a teaspoon of kir !
Recipes by Denise Phillips: www.jewishcookery.com 01923 836 456
Pear Pyramids with Date Filling and Chocolate Custard
This impressive dessert looks even more attractive sitting in a pool of hot chocolate
custard. Chocolate and pears have a great affinity and this recipe celebrates that. It
can also be served cold with thick cream or yoghurt as part of a buffet tea or even in a
decadent lunch box without the custard! For the best results, use William or
Conference pears that are firm but ripe with no blemishes.
Preparation Time: 40 minutes Cooking Time: 30 minutes Serves: 6 people
Ingredients
For the Filling
Pear Pyramids
75g dried dates
6 pears – peeled and kept whole
Zest of 2 orange
1 packet puff pastry – ready rolled
Juice of 1 orange
1 egg yolk – lightly beaten for glazing
30g dried apricots
Garnish: Icing sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
Chocolate custard
600 ml semi skimmed milk/ soya milk
6 egg yolks
50g sugar
2 teaspoons corn flour
100g plain chocolate, grated or roughly
chopped
Method
1) Place the dates, brandy, orange zest and juice in a small dish. Cover and
microwave on high for 2 minutes and then liquidise this mixture in a food
processor so it becomes a thick paste. Set aside.
2) Peel the pears and take out the cores via the bases. This is best achieved by using a
coring knife. Trim off the bases so that they stand upright then spoon the date
mixture into the core cavity and stuff firmly.
3) Using a 8 cm round cutter make 6 pastry circles.
4) Sit each pear on a circle and brush the exposed pastry with beaten egg yolk.
5) Pre-heat the oven to 220 C / 425 F/ Gas Mark 7.
6) Place on a lined tray with baking parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes or
until golden brown.
7) For the custard, put the milk into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from
the heat.
8) Whisk the egg yolks and sugar together until thick and fluffy. Add the corn flour
and mix well to combine. Gradually pour the milk on to the eggs and sugar,
whisking continuously.
9) Return mixture to saucepan and stir over a very gentle heat, until it coats the back
of a spoon. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir until dissolved. Serve
the custard hot or cold. To cool the custard, pour into a bowl and place dampened
greaseproof paper directly on to the surface to stop a 'skin' from forming. Chill.
To serve the stylish way: Sit the pear pyramid in a pool of chocolate custard on individual
plates and dust with sifted icing sugar.
Recipes by Denise Phillips
www.jewishcookery.com 01923 836 456
Tropical Fruit Meringue Baskets
These little baskets are filled with a tropical fruit concoction of passion fruit, mango and
pineapple and cream. They look very impressive and can be assembled quickly at the last
minute.
I originally wrote this for Peasch but keep it for all year round. To make it parev substitute
the cream with the Toffuti non-dairy cream cheese.
The secret of successful meringues without cracks is to let them cool overnight in the oven.
To add a little finesse, pipe them in identical shapes and exactly the same size eg: hearts,
squares or circles. When they are the same size, they will cook evenly.
Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8 people
Cooking Time: 30 minutes plus cooling
Ingredients
4 egg whites
225g caster sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Filling
200g Whipping double cream
200g pineapple – cut into chunks
4 passion fruit – seed removed
1 mango – peeled and cubed
4 tablespoons icing sugar
1 teaspoon rum or other Kosher for Pesach liquor
Method
1) Preheat the oven to 150 C/ Gas Mark 3.
2) Line two large baking sheets with non-stick baking paper.
3) In a large bowl, whisk the egg whites with an electric whisk until stiff peaks form.
Gradually add the sugar, a tablespoon at a time on a fast speed until the mixture is
thick.
4) Add the vanilla essence.
5) Place 2 tablespoons of mixture onto the prepared baking sheet or use a piping bag
with a wide nozzle to form your desired shape basket/ nest.
6) Repeat to make eight meringues spacing well apart.
7) Bake for 30 minutes or until set.
8) Turn off the heat and leave in the oven to cool.
9) For the filling whisk the cream until thick ~ or if using the toffuti cream cheese
remove from the container.
10) Still in the rum and icing sugar. Divide the mixture between the meringues.
11) Combine the passion fruit, mango and pineapple in a bowl. Spoon the fruit on top.
To serve the stylish way: Dust the plate with icing sugar and serve immediately
Home cooking by Fabienne
Fabienne Viner-Luzzato
020 8444 3033
079 7369 8046
info@homecookingbyfabienne.co.uk
www.homecookingbyfabienne.co.uk
GEFILTEFEST 22nd MAY 2011
RECIPES
Mermouma or chekchouka salad (will double the recipe)
(cooked peppers, tomatoes, and garlic salad)
3 peppers of different colour
6 tomatoes
8 garlic bulbs
2 hot peppers if you like it hot
Paprika
Turmeric
Salt
Sunflower oil
Wash the peppers and tomatoes. Cut the peppers in slices and the tomatoes in 6 pieces. Put
them in a saucepan with the garlic peeled and cut in two. Put the spices and the salt and cover
with oil. Cook the first 20 minutes at high temperature, then lower the temperature and cook
on a medium heat for another hour. Stir regularly. When the salad is cooked the garlic will
have soften and you can mash it with a fork. You can eat this salad as a starter or with some
fried eggs.
Home cooking by Fabienne
Fabienne Viner-Luzzato
Beetroot and pomegranate salad
Ingredients for 6 (will make for 12)
3-4 medium beetroots
2-3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
coarse sea salt
pepper
3 spring onions
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves
1 cup pomegranate seeds
Cut the beetroot into very small dice. Cut the spring onions. Mix with the olive oil, lemon
juice, pepper, and coarse sea salt. Add the coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds, and
serve.
Home cooking by Fabienne
Fabienne Viner-Luzzato
Fish khleimi with harissa sauce
For 6 people, 6 salmon fillet or tuna fillets
5/6 cloves of garlic, chopped
One or two generous serving spoons of harissa (depending on taste)
Turmeric powder
Salt, pepper
Sunflower oil (3/4 table spoons)
Rinse the fish. Mix the chopped garlic, the harissa, salt, pepper, oil together. Put this paste on
the fish and rub it well. Put in an oven tray and cook at 180C for 5 minutes maximum in
order that the fish stays very soft and a bit pink inside.