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Sephardic Inspired
Cookbook author offers "whole" foods
Moroccan menu for Rosh Hashanah.
Levana Kirschenbaum
Special to the Jewish News
W
hatever our culinary back-
ground may
be, one thing
unites all cuisines at Rosh
Hashanah time: A sweet
ingredient must be pres-
ent in the dish. It's the
Jewish way to usher in a
sweet year by way of the
kitchen.
The following dishes
are all excerpted from
my latest cookbook,
The Whole Foods Kosher
Kitchen: Glorious Meals
Pure and Simple (www.levanacooks.com/
cookbooks).
KABOCHA SWEET POTATO
SOUP
1 Kabocha squash, about 2 lbs.,
unpeeled, seeded, and cut into large
chunks (use a hammer)
2 large sweet potatoes, cut into
large chunks
1 large red onion, cut into large
chunks
2 cups red lentils or yellow split
peas (for Passover, use 2 large pota-
toes, cut in large chunks)
6 ribs celery, peeled
1 large bunch dill, fronds and
stems
1 /3 cup olive oil
6 bay leaves (or 1 tsp. ground)
1 Tbsp. turmeric
sea salt to taste
3 quarts (12 cups) water
ground pepper to taste
Bring all ingredients to a boil in a
wide, heavy pot. Reduce to medium,
cover and cook 1 1/2 hours. Cream with
an immersion blender. Adjust the tex-
ture and seasonings. Makes 12 ample
servings.
FISH COOKED MOROCCAN-
STYLE
This is precisely the kind of dish where
preserved lemon (your own or store
bought) makes all the difference (the
36
September 6 2012
iN
Like every single recipe in the book
(more than 400), they clearly express
my mindset and the guidelines I strive
to impart to my readers: Streamline,
streamline, streamline.
Streamline the costs;
streamline the steps;
streamline the number of
tools and utensils.
Above all, there's one
thing that affords you all
this streamlining — deli-
ciously, painlessly, effort-
lessly and, of course,
beautifully: Use only the
best (meaning, the real
thing, or whole foods).
Here — for a change of
pace — is my Moroccan menu for Rosh
Hashanah. O
dish has no added salt as the preserved
lemon is enough to season it). No pre-
served lemon? Substitute 1 thinly sliced
lemon, and be prepared for a dish 90
percent as good. Any thick firm fish
will be suitable in this dish.
1 cup water
1 /4 cup olive oil
2 large tomatoes, diced small
1 /2 tsp. red pepper flakes (or to
taste)
good pinch ground cloves
3 bay leaves (or 1/2 tsp. ground)
1 Tbsp. paprika
8 cloves garlic
1 bunch flat parsley
1 small bunch cilantro
1 /2 preserved lemon, skin only,
rinsed
1 red pepper, sliced thin lengthwise
8 serving pieces salmon fillet or
any other thick fish
In a large, wide-bottom pot, bring the
water, oil, tomatoes, red pepper flakes,
cloves, bay leaves, and paprika to a boil.
Meanwhile, coarsely grind the garlic,
parsley, cilantro and preserved lemon in
a food processor, using the pulse button.
Add the ground mixture to the pot, and
stir. Add the red pepper and the fish,
and bring to a boil. Reduce the tempera-
ture to medium,
and cook
covered for 20
minutes. Serve
hot or at room
temperature,
topping each
serving with the
sauce. Makes 8
servings.
CHICKEN IN BARBECUE
SAUCE (GLUTEN FREE)
1 cup good natural-brand ketchup
1 cup pineapple or orange juice
1 /4 cup lemon or lime juice
2-inch piece ginger, peeled
6 large cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. bottled hot sauce (or more
to taste)
8 servings chicken: legs, thighs,
breast halves (allow 2 pieces per serv-
ing, 16 total), or 2 whole chickens
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Process all but last ingredient in a
food processor until smooth. Rub all
over the chicken. Place pieces skin-
side down in a baking dish in one
layer. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes.
Take out the breasts (they should be
done). Turn the dark pieces over, and
bake another 15 minutes. If you are
using whole chickens, bake breast-
side down for 1 hour, turn over and
bake 15 more minutes. If liquids in
pan look too thin, transfer them to a
small saucepan and reduce them on
a high flame just a few minutes until
nice and thick. Pour over the chicken.
Makes 8 servings.
HOT AND SWEET
PARSNIPS
1 dozen very thin parsnips, peeled
and left whole (or 5-6 larger ones,
peeled and quartered lengthwise)
2 cups water
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. sugar or Sucanat (dehy-
drated sugar cane juice)
1 Tbsp. paprika
1 tsp. turmeric
1 /4 tsp cayenne pepper (or less to
taste)
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Place all the ingredients in a wide,
heavy pot, and bring to a boil. Reduce
the heat to medium, cover and cook
for about 20 minutes (or a drop lon-
ger), until the parsnips are tender and
the liquids in the pot have thickened.
Pour the sauce over the parsnips.
Serve hot or at room temperature.
Makes 8 servings.
SPICY CHICKPEA
LETTUCE SALAD (GLUTEN
FREE)
Dressing:
8 cloves garlic
3 ribs celery, peeled
1 jalapeno, stem cut off
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 /2 preserved lemon, skin only,
rinsed (or zest of 2 lemons)
1 /2 cup olive oil
1 /3 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. cumin
1 Tbsp. oregano
bottled hot sauce to taste
Salad:
3 cups canned chickpeas (1 large
can), drained and rinsed
6 plum tomatoes, seeded and
diced small
1 cup pitted Moroccan (oil-cured)
olives
1 /4 cup capers
3 romaine hearts, sliced very thin
Make the dressing: In a food pro-
cessor, finely grind the garlic, celery,
jalapeno, parsley and preserved
lemon. Add the oil, lemon, cumin,
oregano and hot sauce, and pulse just
1-2 times, until combined but still
chunky. Place all the salad ingredients
on a platter. Toss with the dressing.
Serve at room temperature. Makes 8
servings.
COCONUT COOKIES
I am a total nut for coconut. Natural
corn flake crumbs are easy to find in
health food stores and give the cook-
ies their delightful gritty texture and
funky flavor.
1 cup sugar
1 cup margarine spread
2 eggs
3 /4 tsp. baking powder
3 /4 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbsp. lemon zest
Ph cups flour: all-purpose, whole
wheat pastry or spelt (gluten-free:
use any GF flour)
Ph cups natural corn flake
crumbs
2 cups unsweetened grated
coconut, packed
1 /2 cup chopped pecans, optional
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
In a food processor, cream the sugar
and margarine until fluffy and
lemon-colored. Add the eggs, and
cream again until fluffy. Add the bak-
ing powder, baking soda and lemon
zest, and pulse 2-3 times until just
combined. Add the flour gradually,
and pulse each time only until just
combined. Transfer to a bowl, and add
all remaining ingredients, combining
thoroughly by hand. Form walnut-
size balls, and flatten them with your
hand onto a cookie sheet lined with
parchment paper. Bake 25 minutes.
If they haven't crisped once they've
cooled, return them to the oven for
just 2-3 minutes longer. Store at room
temperature in an airtight cookie tin.
Makes about 4 dozen.