Food And Remembrance
Fresh Mediterranean flavors for a fresh, new season.
A
ANNABEL COHEN
Special to the Jewish News
juice, gingerroot, soy sauce, mustard,
pepper sauce, coriander, salt and pep-
per in a medium bowl and whisk well.
Aril is a month of profound
Pour the liquid into and then place
remembrances: Passover,
the chicken breasts in a large zipper-
Israel Memorial Day, Israel
style bag and turn several times to
Independence Day, and
coat the chicken. Marinate in the
Holocaust Day.
refrigerator for 2 hours and remove
Yom HaShoah, commemorated
for 30 minutes before grilling (do not
Sunday, April 18, is the anniversary of marinate overnight — it will be too
the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto uprising,
. long).
and is the official day to remember the
Make vinaigrette: Place the tomatoes
destruction of the six million Jews
in the pitcher of a blender or bowl of a
during the Holocaust.
food processor. Add the paste and
There really are no better times to
vinegar and blend or process until
gather with family and the Jewish
smooth. With the motor running,
community to solemnly remember
drizzle in the olive oil until incorporat-
and to rejoice. Like the Israelis, light
ed. Stop the motor, add the capers,
six candles on Yom HaShoah — one
parsley, salt and pepper and blend or
for each million of the six million who process for about 2 seconds to com-
perished.
bine. Pour the mixture into a bowl or
And do as the Israeli's do on Israel's
small pitcher until ready to serve (you
Independence Day celebrate with
may make this up to 2 days ahead and
good food and good friends. The
keep chilled until ready to serve).
recipes below are a wonderful way to
Heat grill to medium-high. Remove
bring in the spring with the flavors of
the chicken from the bag and place
Israel and the Mediterranean.
directly on the hot grate. Grill for
about 4-6 minutes on each side until
GRILLED CHICKEN BREASTS
the chicken is just cooked through (do
. not over-cook).
WITH TOMATO VINAGRETTE
Serve hot, warm or at room tempera-
Chicken:
ture
with a large spoonful of vinaigrette
1/3 cup olive oil
over
the top (with or without salad
2 t. minced garlic
greens, if desired). Makes 8 servings.
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 T. minced gingerroot (peeled or
LABNEH WITH GARLIC
unpeeled)
AND CUCUMBER
2 T. soy sauce
Labneh, served all over Israel, is essen-
tially strained yogurt that is eaten as a
1 T. Dijon mustard
spread on pita triangles or chips. This
1 T. hot red pepper sauce (such as
version
includes the extra kick of garlic
Tabasco)
and fresh cucumbers.
1 t. ground coriander
cheesecloth
1 t. kosher salt
4 cups plain regular yogurt (not fat-
1/2 t. ground black pepper
free or light)
8-12 (about 3 pounds) boneless
2 cups fine chopped, seeded English
chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat or seedless cucumber (do not peel)
Vinaigrette:
1 t. fresh minced garlic
1 can (about 14 oz.) diced tomatoes,
kosher salt to taste
drained
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T. tomato paste
Place a colander over a large bowl.
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Line the colander with 3 layers of
cheesecloth. Transfer the yogurt to the
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
lined colander. Cover the colander
1 T. drained capers
with plastic wrap and chill for .8 hours
1 T. dried parsley flakes
or more (the water will drain from the
kosher salt and pepper to taste
yogurt, leaving a thick mixture).
Combine the oil, garlic, lemon
When the mixture is thick, spoon
the yogurt into a medium bowl and
stir in the cucumber, garlic and salt.
(Note: if the cucumber still has seeds,
the mixture will become watery. To
remove seeds, cut the cucumber in
_half lengthwise and use a teaspoon to
scoop out all the seeds).
Transfer the mixture to a low bowl
or plate and drizzle the olive oil over.
Serve with pita triangles or vegetables
crudites.
BROILED TOMATO SALAD
WITH ROASTED PEPPERS,
TUNA AND CAPERS
6-8 large ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2-
inch-thick slices
2-3 yellow bell peppers
2 cans (6 1/2 oz. each) white tuna in
water, drained
2 T drained capers
1/4 extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
kosher salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup fresh minced parsley, garnish
Preheat broiler. Spray one or two
baking sheets well with non-stick
cooking spray. Arrange the tomato
slices on the baking sheet and broil in
the middle of the oven for about 8
minutes, or until the tomato is black-
ened in some spots. Set aside to cool.
Reduce heat to 475F and spray
another baking sheet with non-stick
cooking spray. Cut the bell peppers in
half lengthwise and remove the seeds
and stem. Arrange the peppers Cut.side
down on the baking sheet and roast
the pepper for about 15 minutes or
until the peppers are softened and the
skin is dark in spots.
Remove the peppers from the oven
and cool to the touch. Use your fin-
gers to peel away as much of the skin
as possible. Cut the peppers into thin
strips.
Assemble the salad: Arrange the
tomatoes on a large ceramic or glass
platter. Break up the tuna and sprinkle
over the tomatoes. Arrange the pepper
strips over the tuna and sprinkle the
capers over all. Drizzle the olive oil
and lemon juice over the salad and
season to taste with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the parsley over and serve
the salad at room temperature. Makes
8 servings.
GRILLED VEGETABLES WITH
FRESH MOZZARELLA
The fresh mozzarella called for here is
packaged in water. It is very white,
soft and sold in tiny balls (about the
size of cherry tomatoes) or larger egg-
shaped balls, about as large as a plum
tomato. Use either one, though I've
written the recipe here to use the larg-
er balls.
12 garlic cloves, peeled
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 medium zucchini (about 1/2
pound) cut in half lengthwise
1 eggplant (about 1 pound), sliced
into 1/4-inch rounds
2 red bell peppers, halved lengthwise,
seeds and stems removed
4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise,
stem end removed
1 bunch (about 1 pound) asparagus
spears, tough ends cut off
kosher salt and pepper to taste
3 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 "balls" fresh mozzarella, cut into
1 /2-inch cubes
Preheat oven to 350F. Using a 12-
inch square of heavy-duty foil or 2
sheets of regular foil, arrange the garlic
in the center of the foil and drizzle a
couple of tablespoons of oil over.
Gather the foil over the garlic to form
a packet and bake the garlic for 30
minutes while you prepare the grilled
vegetables.
Heat grill to medium-high. Brush
the vegetables very lightly with olive
oil and grill them until charred a bit
and tender-crisp, turning them once
or twice to cook on all sides. The
asparagus and zucchini will cook
quicker than the other vegetables.
Remove the vegetables to a cutting
board and cut them, diagonally, into
thin strips. Arrange the vegetables on a
large platter and season lightly with
salt and pepper.
FOOD on page 52
4/ 9
2004
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