To Life!
FOOD
Beyond The Bagel
These Yom Kippur recipes can be made ahead and served hot or cold.
Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
F
or most Yom Kippur
fast-breakers, a dairy
meal is in order.
For many, a trip to the local
deli means a "dairy tray" with
everyone's favorites heaped in a
neat array: Lox, smoked sable,
tuna salad, cream cheese "balls,"
sliced cheeses, egg salad, toma-
toes and cucumbers, and the like.
V\Tith a bagful of fresh bagels, it's
wonderful.
Some will even provide dessert
— the omnipresent sour-cream
streusel coffee cake. And, let's
face it, for many who have been
fasting for a day and praying in
shul, this is a simple, delicious
solution to the break-fast host-
ing.
There are those, however,
who want more than just a tray.
Not much more, but some-
thing homemade or original.
Or something, say, hot or eggy.
Maybe a crisp salad or refresh-
ing vegetable. And fresh cut fruit,
of course. Perhaps a little sweet
noodle kugel or fall-inspired des-
sert. Or maybe you're looking to
bring a dish to a break-fast you're
attending.
It's here where a make-ahead
vegetarian omelet or unusual
quiche-like egg casserole enter.
Yom Kippur gives you the least
amount of time to set-up the
meal. There's really no time to
fuss before the last blow of the
shofar sends
starving
crowds — demanding to be fed
— through your front door.
Think outside the bagel and
your meal will be even more
memorable. The following, ,. reci-
pes go with just about anything
else you May serve. They're easy
to understand and fill-out the
meal. And because nearly every
dish is appropriate Served at
room temperature, there's no
mad rush to run home and put
anything in the oven (or course,
if you do have someone \vho
could pop a dish in the oven
while you're gone, even better).
Pear Crisp
Filling:
7 cups peeled, cored ripe green
pear chunks (about +-inch chunks)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
Topping:
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped, shelled pista-
chios (optional)
1/2 cup
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp. butter, cut into pieces
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 2
or 3 quart baking dish (or souf-
flé dish) with nonstick cooking
spray and set aside.
Combine all filling ingredients
in a large bowl and toss well with
your hands. Transfer this to the
baking dish. Set aside.
Combine topping ingredients
in a bowl and "rub" the mixture
with your fingers until uniform.
Sprinkle the mixture over
pears. Bake, uncovered, for
60-75 minutes, until the
filling is bubbly and the
topping is golden.
Serve warm
or at room
temperature.
Makes 8-12
servings.
Baked Harvest Party
Omelet
12 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp. dried parsley flakes
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1/4 tsp. baking powder
2 cups fresh chopped, seeded
tomatoes
1 cup chopped onions
1 1/2 cup chopped green or yel-
low bell pepper
8 oz. mushrooms
2 cups shredded cheese (Swiss,
Cheddar, Havarti, Monterey Jack
are good choices)
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a
12-inch ovenproof skillet or 2 pie
plates well with nonstick cook-
ing spray. In a large bowl, whisk
together the eggs, sour cream,
parsley, salt, pepper and baking
powder. Pour the egg mixture
into the prepared skillet or pie
plate and bake, uncovered, for 15
minutes. Sprinkle the remain-
ing ingredients over the egg
mixture (in the order listed) and
bake, uncovered, for 20 minutes
more or until the eggs are set.
If cooking in a skillet, turn the
skillet over onto a serving dish
to release the omelet. Serve hot
or at room temperature, cut into
wedges. Makes 12 servings.
Spinach and Feta Strata
2 (10-oz.) packages frozen
chopped spinach, thawed
8 cups cubed challah (crusts
removed)
2 cups chopped Spanish or yel-
low onions
2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
(any type)
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 cur) Farmers cheese or small-
curd cottage cheese (drained)
3 cups milk
9 eggs
2 tsp. dried dill weed
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
Spray a 9x13-inch glass or
ceramic baking dish with nonstick
cooking spray. Set aside.
onion (optional)
1 cup frozen corn, thawed
Place the thawed spinach in a
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
colander. Use yoiiir hands (rather
(jarred is fine)
than a spoon), to scoop up some
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
spinach. Press your hands togeth- lengthwise
er to squeeze out as much of the
Prepare dressing: Combine all
water as possible. Repeat until
ingredients in a jar with a tight-
all the spinach is "squeezed!' Set
fitting lid and shake well before
aside.
tossing it with the salad. Note:
Distribute half the chal-
You probably won't need all the
lah cubesin the prepared dish.
dressing, so add half to the salad
Sprinkle the spinach over the
and more to taste if needed.
bread. Then sprinkle the onions
Place each salad ingredient in
over the bread and half the
its own zipper-style bag (you can
cheeses. Top with remaining
combine the lettuce and dill),
bread and remaining cheese.
and chill until just before serv-
Whisk together milk, eggs, dill, ing. Toss salad with dressing and
salt and pepper. Gently pour this
serve. Makes 12 servings.
mixture over the bread and press
the bread into the liquid as much Asparagus Saute with
as possible. Cover with plastic
Asian Drizzle
wrap and chill for 1 hour, up to
Asian Drizzle:
overnight.
1/4 cup soy sauce
To cook, preheat oven to 350F.
1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
Remove plastic and bake, uncov-
1 tsp. sesame oil
ered, for 1 hour, or until golden,
1 Tbsp. minced fresh gingeroot
puffy and set. Serve hot, immedi-
1 Tbsp. chopped scallions
ately, with a large spoon, or warm
Asparagus:
or at room temperature, cut into
3 Tbsp. olive oil
squares. Makes 12 or more serv-
1 tsp. minced garlic
ings.
2 pounds fresh asparagus,
Note: If you serve this directly
tough ends trimmed (about 1 1/2
from the oven, it will be puffy. If
to 2 inches)
you serve this warm or at room
Make drizzle: Combine drizzle
temperature, the dish will set and ingredients in a jar with a tight-
you will be able to cut this into
fitting lid or whisk together
squares, like lasagna.
in small bowl. Set aside. (This
may be made up to a week in
Chopped Romaine Salad
advance).
with Vegetables and Dill
Prepare asparagus: Combine
This salad can prepped up to a oil and garlic in a large nonstick
day ahead and tossed just before
skillet over medium-high heat.
serving.
Saute the garlic for 1 minute. Add
Dressing:
asparagus and saute 4 to 5 min-
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
utes more or until crisp-tender.
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
Serve hot or at room temperature
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
with the drizzle over the top.
1 tsp. salt
Makes 8 servings.
1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
Salad:
8 cups Romaine lettuce, cut
into 1-inch pieces
1 cup chopped fresh dill
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup minced red or Bermuda
Caramelized Bundt
Noodle Kugel
I published this recipe several
years ago - it deserves another
run.
1 pound wide noodles
5 large eggs