Jewish Soul Food

Janna Gur

CONTENTS

Introduction xi

STARTERS, SALADS, AND NOSHES
Spicy Carrot Salad 2
Pickled Lemons 2
Beet Salad with Cumin and Cinnamon 4
Orange and Black Olives Salad 7
Harissa 7
Blue Ones with Red Ones | Eggplant Salad with Tomatoes and Onions 8
Matboukha | Pepper and Tomato Slow-Cooked Salsa 9
Mashawia | Fresh Tomatoes and Roasted Peppers Salsa 11
Gehakte Leber | Chopped Liver with Lots and Lots of Fried Onions 12
Schmaltz and Gribenes 14
Erez’s Chopped Liver 15
Zibale mit Eyer | Egg and Onion Salad 17
Badrijani Nigvzit | Eggplant Rolls with Walnut and Herb Filling 20
Kuku Sabzi | Herb Frittata 21
Ijeh b’Lahmeh | Herb and Meat Latkes 22
Gefilte Fish 24
Crispy Fish Cakes with Pine Nuts and Fresh Herbs 27
Homemade Pickled Herring 28
Seliodka pod Shuboy | Layered Beet and Herring Salad 30
Forschmak | Herring-Apple Pâté 31
Messayir | Pickled Salad 32
Chershi | Lemony Pumpkin Spread 33
Apio | Celeriac and Carrots in Lemon Sauce 34

COZY SOUPS FOR CHILLY NIGHTS
Krupnik | Mushroom and Barley Soup 39
Israeli Chicken Soup 40
Kneidlach | Matzo Balls 41
Passover Green Chicken Soup 43
Gondi Nohodi | Chickpea and Chicken Dumplings in Turmeric-Lime Broth 44
Gondalach 46
Lentil Stew with Cumin, Garlic, and Coriander 47
Borscht | Beet, Cabbage, and Beef Soup 48
Batata Hamood | Tart Potato and Celery Broth with Meatballs 50
H’rira | Spiced Vegetables and Legume Soup 51
Ras el Hanout Spice Mix 51
Meat Kubbe with a Cheat 52
Beet Soup with Kubbe 55
Pumpkin Soup with Kubbe 57

MEATBALLS, FISH BALLS, AND STUFFED VEGETABLES
Albondigas | Beef and Grilled Eggplant Meatballs 60
Kebab Gerez | Meatballs with Sour Cherries 63 Fesenjan | Meatballs in Walnut and Pomegranate Sauce 65
Herbed Fish Balls with Jerusalem Artichokes, Tomatoes, and Saffron 67
Peppers Stuffed with Rice and Meat 69
Meatballs with Tomatoes, Chickpeas, Swiss Chard, and Eggplants 70
Stuffed Cabbage Rolls with Sauerkraut 71
Mixed Stuffed Vegetables in Pomegranate Sauce 72
Mafroum | Meat and Potato “Sandwiches” 75
Bistil | Potato Patties Stuffed with Spiced Minced Meat 76

BRAISES, POT ROASTS, AND RAGÙS
Beef and Potato Sofrito 81
Barbecued Brisket 82
Goulash | Beef Stewed in Paprika Sauce 83
Plau B’jeej | Chicken with Almonds and Raisins over Red Rice 85
Ushpalau | Beef and Rice Pilaf with Chickpeas, Carrots, and Spices 87
Chicken Tagine with Artichoke Hearts 89
Tanziye | Beef Tagine with Dried Fruits and Nuts 90
Salona | Sweet-and-Sour Fish Casserole with Eggplant and Tomatoes 92
Ingriyi | Sweet-and-Sour Beef and Eggplant Casserole 94
Beef Tongue in a Sweet-and-Sour Sauce 95
North African Fish Stew, Two Ways Moroccan Spicy Fish Ragù 97
Chreime | Tunisian Spicy Fish Ragù 98
Ghormeh Sabzi | Beef and Herb Stew 99

MEATLESS MAINS
Shakshuka | Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce 103
Filfel Chuma 104
Türlü | Mixed Vegetables Casserole 105
Spinach Flan 106
Feta-Stuffed Pepper “Cutlets” 108
Sabzi Polo | Rice Pilaf with Lots and Lots of Fresh Herbs 110
Couscous with Vegetables (or Tuesday Couscous) 114
Tahdig | Rice Pilaf with Dried Apricots and Crispy Potato Crust 117
Mujaddara | Rice with Lentils 119
“Before Shabbat” Pasta Casserole 120
Green Masala Beans 121
Green Masala 121

SAVORY PASTRIES
Ka’ak | Savory Sesame Cookies 124
Adjaruli Khachapuri | Cheese and Egg-Filled Pies 126
Sambousek | Chickpea-Filled Pastry Pockets 129
Káposztás Pogácsa | Caramelized Cabbage Buns 131
Lakhoukh | Panfried Flat Bread 133
Frojalda | Cheese Bread 134
Bouikos con Kashkaval | Mini Cheese Buns 135
Sfikha | Open-Face Meat Bourekas 137
Chukor | Phyllo Spinach and Cheese Pastries 139
Banitza | Phyllo and Cheese Pie 140
Puff Pastry Cheese Bourekas 143

SHABBAT STATE OF MIND
Exiles Cholent 146
T’bit | Stuffed Chicken and Rice Hamin with Honey and Spices 149
T’bit 2 150
Homemade Baharat 150
Vegan Pearl Barley and Silan Hamin 151
Hamin Macaroni | Chicken Noodle Hamin 153
Jerusalem Sweet and Spicy Noodle Kugel 154
Sabich | Egg and Eggplant Shabbat Breakfast Sandwich 158
Kubaneh | Yemenite Slow-Baked Shabbat Bread 161
Zhug 162

CAKES, COOKIES, AND DESSERTS
Fluden with Walnuts, Poppy Seeds, and Apples 167
Vera’s Apfel Kuchen | Apple Cake 169
Honig Lekach | Honey-Flavored Sponge Cake 170
Sweet Cheese Pie 173
Bonnie’s Jam and Pecan Rugelach 174
Chocolate-Cinnamon Babka 179
Chocolate Rugelach 180
Baba bi Tamr | Date-Filled Biscuits 181
Ma’amoul | Walnut-Stuffed Cookies 182
Marochinos | Flourless Double Almond Cookies 185
Szilvás Gombóc | Plum Dumplings 186
Apple and Raisin Strudel 188
Ghraybeh | Orange Blossom Butter Cookies 191
Sutlach (Arroz con Leche) | Sweet Rice Pudding 192
Basbousa | Juicy Semolina, Coconut, and Pistachio Cake 195
Dried Fruit, Pears, and Wine Compote 196
Ashureh | Wheat Berries with Honey, Nuts, and Dried Fruits 197
Mofleta | Sweet Pancake Stacks 199
Nut and Date Coins 201
Bimuelos | Honeyed Hanukkah Puffs 202

Mail Order Sources for Specialty Ingredients 203
Acknowledgments 205
Index 207