What We're Cooking for Shabbos: 2004 - 2006

[bloviatrix]

On the cholent thread, Comfort Me discusses his menus for shabbos.

I'm having a dairy Shabbas dinner -- homemade macaroni and cheese (made with sharp cheddar and gruyer) red cabbage and apples, a big salad, and a pineapple upside down cake. All I'll have to do when I get home is make the cake and put the mac in the oven.

Lunch tomorrow is chicken soup, chicken salad, lima bean salad, challah with whipped honey, and "garbage" cookies.

Which got me thinking. There are a bunch of us who cook shabbos meals week in and week out. And sometimes, we get to point where we have brain lock and are at a loss for what to make. So, why not start a thread where we can share our meals for that week and give suggestions to those in need of inspiration.

My menu for this week:

Tonight will be broiled shoulder steaks with a spice rub, a basmati-red lentil pilaf (union square restaurant cookbook), roasted cauliflower, and roasted fingerling potatoes tossed with duck fat and sea salt. Haven't decided what dessert will be.

Tomorrow lunch will be a large salad with slices of herbed grilled chicken bought from the kosher market.

[Gifted Gourmet]

By way of a fairly straightforward bit of history on the reasoning about food for Shabbos (or Shabbat, modern day Hebrew pronunciation), may I offer those of you who would like to delve into what this is all about:

Shabbos and its meals

That said, this is the one meal into which I put forth considerable (for me!) effort and attention .... for tonight, I made a chicken soup with noodles, Greek salad (without feta because it is dairy and the meal was meat), roasted chicken with garlic and herbs along with new baby potatoes and carrots, acorn squash stuffed with a fresh cranberry, citrus, apple stuffing (more autumnal but who cares??), fresh roasted asparagus with a lemon sauce, and a fresh strawberry sorbet made from the first of the Watsonville berries ... well received!

[bloviatrix]

I'm not feeling very motivated today. So, I'm making easy food that doesn't neceesarily match.

Tonight's dinner will be:

Aisan spinach salad w/smoked chicken apple sausages (as I type this I realize I forgot to pick up apples at the market. I'll have to run out again)

Brisket (2nd cut) in a tomato-vegatable sauce

Wild Rice and Orzo salad with walnuts and scallions

Roasted tomatoes with garlic and thyme

Strawberry sorbet (blovie got a good deal on strawberries -- it was up to me to figure out what to do with them)

Tomorrow's lunch will be a kosher interpretation of a chef's salad (no cheese, just deli meat) and homemade pickles that have curing for 2 weeks.

I think the wine will be a Rioja.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I'm not feeling very motivated today.  So, I'm making easy food that doesn't neceesarily match.

Because my primary focus this weekend is on a Mother's Day brunch I am making for my mother and family, tonight's dinner is less than elegant:

The Atlanta heat is revving up so I have opted out of the soup for tonight ...

Salad is hearts of palm with tomatoes, cucumber, red onions, calamata olives, red peppers and onions, and a vinaigrette redolent of olive oil and wine vinegar and garlic ...

Main course is also simple: chicken breast schnitzel with tiny red potatoes in a pasley and garlic "butter"...

fresh roasted asparus mimosa ... and a fresh strawberry shortcake (because I found superlative Watsonville, Ca., berries and could not resist!

Wine? Moscato d'Asti by Bartenura (I know alcohol tinged gingerale!)

[bloviatrix]

The Moscato d'Asti will go great with the strawberry shortcake.

[FoodieRD]

Blovi- the chicken apple sausages sound great- can you post the recipe (I can't bring them in from the outside- the Kosher House thing)- thanks!

[bloviatrix]

I don't know where in NJ you are, but some kosher butchers actually carry them. I got mine at Fisher Brothers on W. 72nd st on the UWS -- they make theirs in-house. The recipe comes from the new issue of Food & Wine. Here's the link.

[Comfort Me]

I'm sorry I missed this thread before Shabbat, but appreciate the invitation! I wouldn't have had much to add, though, because I spent all day Friday making a wedding cake, and had accepted invitations to others' homes to keep from loosing my mind!

My hostess Friday night served the most spectaculat chicken dish I have ever eaten -- a recipe from her mother -- called Chicken Diable. It isn't like others I have eaten. It was marinated in a mixture of margerine, honey, French's mustard, salt, pepper, and curry powder. The chicken was grilled, the generous quantity of marinade boiled and served as a sauce. I must have eaten 1 1/2 pounds of boneless breast!

But today is Sunday -- the day I usually make out my menus for the next Shabbat. And mine for the next week are:

Dinner

We have guests coming early, so I'm planning some late-afternoon appetizers in addition to my usual dinenr.

Matbucha

Hummos

Mock-liver (the grean bean recipe, not the eggplant)

Homemade pita

Tabouleh

Moroccan meatballs in a spicy tomato sauce with olives and chickpeas

Couscous with pine nuts and sultanas

Marinated Carrots

Steamed fresh fava beans

More pita

Pears poached in white wine with alspice, clove, and peppercorns

Carmelcorn

Lunch

Challah with honey

More mock liver

Chilled avacado soup garnished with chives and sour "cream"

Homemade salmon sausage with diced kosher fake crab and citrus horseradish

Tropical chicken salad in pineapple bowls

Cold fruit compote with parve pound cake

Maxine Siegel Handelman has written a childrens book called The Shabbat Angels, the moral of which is that to ensure a peaceful Shabbat by doing something for Shabbat (i.e. kids picking up their rooms, cooking, cleaning house, etc.) every day. (It's a beautiful book -- Maxine is a friend of mine -- buy it!) The book makes me feel proud of the way I prepare -- Monday I'll make my shopping list. Tuesday I'll roll and freeze the meetballs, Wednesday I'll poach the chicken, make the matbucha, hummos, and mock liver. Thursday I'll poach the pears, cut the pineapples and make the chicken salad, make the tabouleh, defrost the sausages, and make and chill the soup. (Thursday nights are always my late-night!) Friday morning I'll make the pita dough. When i get home at 2:45, I'll do everything else. Is it any wonder I need Shabbat rest. But I do look forward to Shabbat -- starting on Saturday night!

[bloviatrix]

Aidan -- You're making the rest of us look bad. The only times I start planning my menu in advance is if I'm entertaining. And "advance" for me is Tuesday. Otherwise, I try to have the protein determined by the time I go to sleep on Wednesday night so I can pull something out of the freezer, if necessary.

BTW, can you share the recipe for the salmon sausages? Those sound good.

Final thought -- they served an excellent cholent at the shul kiddush this week. You would have enjoyed it.

[Comfort Me]

I'm feeling so OVERWHELMED!

My house looks like the Cossaks left because of conditions! My refrigerator couldn't hold another raddish. I still have to cook the meatballs and make the pita and tabouleh. My cleaning lady was there when I left for work, so when I get home I'll also have to set the table. THe weather sucks here, raining constantly. My workplace has exploded in political backstabbing, infighting, and name calling, and all I really want to do right now is close my door and cry.

And I just remembered that I didn't put grape juice in the fridge to chill.

You know how to make G-d laugh, don't you?

Tell Her your plans!

[Rabbi Ribeye]

A teeny addition to the flow . . .

Was telling GG just this morning that I recently returned from Zingerman's in Ann Arbor with a most extraordinary cruet of apple-honey vinegar. (No, no hechser, but hey, apples and honey, so perhaps the sentiment will compensate.)

As all great vinegars, this one was palate-enliveningly sip-worthy. Started like a fine balsamic and lingered on the tongue as lightest honey.

I instantly thought of the enhancement of two favorite simple Shabbos desserts: chocolate mousse and apple-currant-marsala compote -- how the simplest drizzle of my new discovery would add a refreshing dimension of "I can't name that flavor" delicate tartness to the basic sweetness of the desserts.

[Gifted Gourmet]

With RR's sentiment in mind, I might want to drizzle a bit of that Zingerman's "Nectar of the Gods" over my field greens for Shabbos.. or is that gilding the lily? Nah, going to drink it "neat" from the bottle!

Thanks for your contribution to this thread, RR!

[Comfort Me]

I'm feeling better now. Sorry for the catharsis earlier.

Rab Rib: I once tasted the most wonderful vinegar -- not hecsured -- from a Chinese market. The name translated into "Apple Health Vinegar, or some such name. When I tasted it, I was blown away. I've never had such a sweet, velvety vinegar in my life. I went back a few weeks later for more, and they looked at me like I had two heads. It must have been one of those Apple HEalth Vinegars that only appear on the shelves once every hundred years, like Brigadoon!

[Mabelline]

As per usual, I need some help; I went to ask moses.com, and the links on googullet, but I cannot find hechsered vinegar. I know I'm probably looking all wrong, but now I'm intrigued. Please edify me, someone.

[Gifted Gourmet]

As per usual, I need some help; I went to ask moses.com, and the links on googullet, but I cannot find hechsered vinegar. I know I'm probably looking all wrong, but now I'm intrigued. Please edify me, someone.

here

and

here

BALSAMIC VIN "KOSHER"MANICARDI     

Balsamic vinegar is the unfermented juice, or "must" of the white Trebbiano grape. The juice is boiled down to a sweet, intensely fruity syrup that is then aged is a series of barrels made from various woods including, chestnut, mulberry, juniper, oak and cherry. It is in this manner of aging that imparts the dark color and pungent sweetness to the vinegar. True balsamic vinegar is aged a minimum of six years and is traditionally made in Modena, a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. Manicardi's assortment of balsamic vinegars include many different quality levels, which are denoted by a number. The higher the number the better the quality. All Manacardi balsamic's are D.O.C. vinegars and are produced in their own facility in Modena. This balsamic is certified Kosher.

and only $52 plus s&h .. whatta steal!!

Moses has his own website, Mabelline? kewl!!

Edited May 14, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[bloviatrix]

In addition to GG's suggestions, Bartenura has two balsamic vinegars. The "regular" and the "reserve." There a couple of fake balsamics to stay away from. Can't remember the brands.

Carmel under the Chef's Choice brand makes red and white wine vinegars. Rice Vinegar from Nikano also has a hecsher.

[bloviatrix]

As usual, I'm procrastinating on getting started. But here's my planned dinner for tonight:

Steamed artichokes w/basil-garlic mayonnaise for dipping

Osso Bucco bianco (Marcella Hazan)

Zuchinni smothered in tomatos and fresh basil (more Marcella)

Asparagus

Bulgur Pilaf

Apricots and Nectarines for dessert

Tomorrow's lunch will be a big salad with strips of grilled chicken.

[Mabelline]

Okay; if I had spelled it right I might have gotten farther.GG, I got that off the top of the page, but it's pretty cool. So, is this right, the hecsher is the mark with the U or K in the circle?

[bloviatrix]

The most common hechshers are the O-U and the O-K. But there are others.

This is a pretty good list according to one of my kashrut experts.

[Mabelline]

Wow, that's fascinating, thanks, all of you. I even know a little about Shavuot now...By the way, I liked the www.AskMoses.com, it's easy to use.

[Gifted Gourmet]

Should you be one of the posters in this thread with an interest in various vinegars, and. in particular, the one mentioned here: Cider vinegar with acacia honey:

the honey of all vinegars

  Rabbi Ribeye: As all great vinegars, this one was palate-enliveningly sip-worthy. Started like a fine balsamic and lingered on the tongue as lightest honey.

Edited May 16, 2004 by Gifted Gourmet (log)

[Comfort Me]

I am not a napper, so on Shabbas, when everyone else is taking their Shabbas nap, I generally curl up in bed with a good cookbook to read. I often save new cookbooks to savor a slow first read on Shabbat!

This week I opened my newerst -- Mediteranean Street Food by Anissa Helco, a Lebanese ex-pat living in London. While a little -- OK, a LOT -- lopsided toward foods from arab cutures, it is a spectacular read and DEFINITELY an inspiration! I also fear she "dumbs down" the spices for a white-bread palate; 2 pounds lamb with 1/2 teaspoon ras al hanout. But I can fix that quite well on my own!

This coming Shabbas I will serve:

Dinner:

Cannelini beans with safron (MSF recipe)

Onion and Parsley Salad (MSF)

Moroccan Kefte (MSF)

Homemade pita

Israeli carrot salad

Ravani

We are invited for Shabbas Lunch, so I only have to worry about dinner this week! Oh, wait. We have young people (7 year olds!) coming over after lunch, so I'll probably make some salted edamame and maybe some carmel corn.

Here's anticipating another wonderful Shabbas!

As they say where I come from: Shalom, y'all!

[Comfort Me]

I changed my mind. Instead of the saffron beans, I'm going to make a rice pilaf with safron, sumac and pinenuts.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I changed my mind.  Instead of the saffron beans, I'm going to make a rice pilaf with safron, sumac and pinenuts.

Thank G-d for this! I was really becoming concerned with the former choice .. but you have rectified the situation just in time! Three days early even!

How you can plan so early always makes me feel totally lethargic by comparison!!

[bloviatrix]

Here's the menu I've decided on for tonight:

Chilled Golden Borscht

Roasted Turkey Breast in apricot sauce

Diced Sweet Potato in a Dijon-White Vinagrette

Sauted Mushrooms w/arugala

Strawberry-balsamic sorbet

Instead of challah, I picked up a sesame pugliese from Alan, my bread guy .

Wine will be a white, probably French

It's going to be hot and steamy tomorrow. So I picked up some Southern Fried Chicken at the market for lunch. We'll do a big green salad with shredded pastrami with it.

Blovie made a 3-bean salad for shalah sheudis.