Itt‘ fel
Old•World Recipes With Healthy 1Wist
By LESLYE MICHLIN BORDEN
Rosh Hashanah was always a
very special occasion at my
grandmother's house. Our whole
family gathered there. Squeaky
clean, dressed in new outfits, we all
were on our very best behavior,
ready to start the New Year right.
Grandma did everything to
make the occasion momentous. For
weeks in advance, she cooked all
her best recipes, a crown-shaped
challah to "head" the new year,
spicy, sweet cherry soup, brisket
with a delicious ginger raisin sauce,
and potato knishes. Every dish had
some sweetness, to emphasize her
desire that we all be inscribed for a
sweet new year.
This Rosh Hashanah, I want to
create an unforgettable occasion for
my assembled family. I want to
prepare a meal like Grandma's, but
without the fat and cholestrol that
typified her best recipes.
It is easy to make challah
without eggs. Use egg substitute
instead of whole eggs. Make sure to
select a brand of egg substitute that
is not high in oil. Find the one that
is almost 100 percent egg whites.
Grandma's cherry soup needs
no adaptation whatever. A
combination of cherries, water, and
spices, it's easy to prepare the day
before.
Instead of making brisket with
ginger raisin sauce, try the same
sauce on a breast of turkey. It's low
in fat, cholesterol and calories. On
turkey, this sauce tastes even better
than on brisket.
Potato knishes are everyone's
favorite. Grandma used to make
them with schmaltz and gribens,
rendered chicken fat and delicious
bits of cooked chicken skin,
definitely forbidden foods for today's
health conscious eaters.
No Cholesterol
"Yolkless" Challah Rolls
1 packet dry yeast
1 1/4 cups very warm water (about
110 degrees)
honey
5 cups unbleached white flour
3/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 cup egg substitute (equivalent
to 2 eggs)
3 tablespoons canola oil
sesame seeds
1 egg white
In a small glass bowl, combine
the yeast with the water. Add a half
teaspoon of honey. Stir well and set
aside. After about 5 minutes, the
yeast should be bubbling. Now it's
ready to use.
In a large ceramic mixing bowl,
combine 3 cups of flour and the
salt. Make a well in the center and
add the yeast mixture. Mix
thoroughly, scraping the sides of the
bowl when necessary.
Add 3 tablespoons honey, 1/2
cup flour, the egg substitute, and
the oil. Continue stirring. Work in
another 1/2 cup flour. Combine all
these ingredients well. The dough
should be sticky.
Rub another 1/2 cup of flour into
your pastry cloth. Remove the
dough from the bowl and place on
the floured cloth. Knead until the
dough is smooth and elastic, about
10 minutes.
Wash out the bowl in which you
mixed the dough. Dry it carefully
and spray the inside with a
vegetable spray. Place the kneaded
dough into the greased bowl. Cover
with a clean, damp towel and let
rise in a warm place, free from
drafts, until the dough comes up to
the top of the bowl (or doubles in
size), about 1 1/2 hours.
Preparing a meal like
Grandma's, without the
fat and cholesterol.
Heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Spray 2 12-cup muffin pans with
vegetable spray.
When the dough has risen,
punch it down and turn out onto the
pastry cloth. Divide into two equal
parts. Put one half back into the
bowl and cover while you are
working with the other half.
Sprinkle yur pastry cloth with 1/4
cup flour. Divide the first piece of
dough into 12 pieces. Divide one
piece into three small pieces. Roll
each of these into 8-inch long
ropes. Press the top ends together
and braid the three. Form the roll by
placing the braid into the muffin
cup, starting at the outside edge.
Coil the braid in a circle, working
toward the center. Tuck the ends
inside the center. Repeat with the
remaining 11 pieces. Cover the
formed rolls with a damp towel.
Then shape the other half of dough,
using the last 1/4 cup of flour on the
pastry cloth. Let the rolls rise until
double, less than one hour. The first
pan may be ready for the oven
before the second one has finished
rising.
Before placing the rolls in the
oven, beat the egg white with a little
water. Brush a little of this mixutre
onto each roll, taking care not to get
it near the edge of the pan (or the
roll will stick to the pan). Sprinkle
with a few sesame seeds. Bake 15
to 20 minutes, or until golden
brown. Cool on wire racks. Remove
from pans when still slightly warm.
If you want to reheat the rolls,
place them in a paper bag. Moisten
the outside of the bag with water.
Place in the oven and heat until the
bag is dry.
Makes 24 rolls.
Sweet Cherry Soup
3 16-ounce canned sweet
cherries, undrained
4 cups water
1 /2 cup sugar
juice of one lemon
2 cinnamon sticks
1 cup red wine, preferably
Bordeaux
Place cherries, water, sugar,
lemon juice, and cinnamon sticks in
a pot large enough to hold all the
ingredients. Bring to a boil, then
cover and simmer 10 minutes (The
cherries should keep their shape).
Cool and refrigerate at least 4
hours, or overnight.
To serve, remove the cinnamon
sticks. Add the red wine. Ladle into
chilled bowls or goblets.
Makes 12 servings.
Turkey Breast With
Ginger Raisin Sauce
3-pound breast of turkey (with
bone)
non-fat chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground white pepper
garlic powder
1 onion, sliced thinly
1 /2 cup cider vinegar
water
1 cup golden raisins
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup
3 bay leaves
3 whole cloves
4 gingersnaps, broken into pieces
Sprinkle the turkey breast with
salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
Prepare a roasting pan or Dutch
oven large enough to hold the
turkey breast comfortably by
spraying it with vegetable spray. In
this pan, heat a few tablespoons of
non-fat chicken broth. When the
broth is hot, add the turkey and the
onions. Brown them, adding more
broth as necessary, so the turkey
does not stick to the pan.
When the turkey is brown on all
sides and the onions have wilted
and are starting to turn golden
brown, add the remaining
ingredients, except for the
gingersnaps. Cover and simmer for
two hours. Or bake at 325 degrees
for 2 hours. After an hour, turn the
breast so both sides can cook in
the delicious sauce. Add more water
or chicken broth as necessary to
keep the sauce from burning.
When the turkey is tender,
place the gingersnaps in a small
bowl. Add 1/2 cup water and mix
well. Stir this into the pan and cook
one half hour longer. Cool. Then
slice and refrigerate.
To serve, reheat the sliced
turkey, covered, until the sauce is
hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Makes 8 servings.
(No-Fat, No-Cholesterol)
Almost Potato Knishes
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and
cut into pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 onion, chopped
non-fat chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste
Place the potato pieces in a
medium saucepan. Cover with cold
water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Cover
and bring to a boil. Reduce heat,
and simmer, covered, until the
potatoes are soft, about 20 minutes.
While the potatoes are cooking,
prepare the onions. Spray a
medium non-stick frying pan with
vegetable spray. Add 1/2 cup non-fat
chicken broth to it. When the broth
is hot, add the onions. Cook them
until the broth evaporates and the
onions are browned. Add more
broth if the broth cooks away and
the onions are not yet brown.
When the potatoes are ready,
drain them from the cooking liquid.
Save some of this liquid. Mash
them with a potato masher or hand
mixer. Add the browned onions and
salt and pepper to taste. If the
potatoes seem too thick, add some
of the cooking liquid or more non-fat
chicken broth. Continue mixing until
the potatoes have a smooth
consistency.
To make muffins, spray 8 cups
of a 12-cup muffin pan with
vegetable spray. Heat oven to 400
degrees. Fill the prepared cups with
the potato mixture. Sprinkle with
paprika, if desired. Bake for 20
minutes. Potatoes will puff up
slightly. Let them cool in the pan
before trying to remove. May be
frozen at this point. To serve, reheat,
covered, until warm.
Leslye Michlin Borden is a former
Detroiter who specializes in
healthful kosher cuisine.
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
L-7