|
|
February 22, 2002
Bubbes'cookbook
Recipes for a healthier Jewish lifestyle.
ANITA TUMMITUK FOOD REPORTER (PURIM)
The National Bubbes' Council has just released its annual cookbook
and this year's edition includes favorite family recipes from the
160-year history of the group.
As usual, there are the standard holiday menu staples, including
roast chicken basted in schmaltz, brisket slow-cooked in schmaltz
and blintzes fried in schmaltz.
But the council, recognizing the changing eating patterns of new
generations, has included a section of "healthy choices"
this year. Included in this innovative chapter are tofu braised
in schmaltz and turnip and whole-wheat pasta stir-fry in a schmaltz
reduction, each certain to tempt even the pickiest traditionalist.
In a slightly controversial move, the council has added recipes
to create kosher versions of otherwise treife foods. Jews who find
it hard to resist the smell of bacon cooking will want to try the
kosher "fakon," in which schmaltz is reduced and poured
into a mold with red-colored gelatin, then sliced thinly to resemble
the forbidden breakfast meat.
Another such recipe is the Mock Lobster. A plastic, lobster-shaped
mold is filled with schmaltz and gefilte fish and served with a
pair of nutcrackers. Mmm.
Always helpful are the council-recommended menus, which guide a
host or hostess through the hospitality process from soup to nuts.
A typical suggestion is the Shabbat dinner for 12 menu, on page
134.
Council recommends beginning with a heavy soup, such as chicken
with matzah balls and extra noodles. (Calculate six large matzah
balls per guest.) A sorbet of plain, dairy-free frozen soy product
swimming in pure dark chocolate sauce cleanses the palate before
the main course of deep-fried whole duck in orange syrup. The cookbook
recommends dark green vegetables, such as spinach in honey sauce
and broccoli fritters with guacamole dip. For a light side dish,
council recommends whipped potatoes with salt-and-vinegar potato
chip crust.
As usual, the annual cookbook saves the best for last, with a substantial
dessert section.
The patented Council Raisin, Chocolate Chip and Maple Syrup Kugel
has been a favorite for years. New in this edition is the lower-fat
Dessert Falafel, made from ground sugar cane and cake flour.
For holidays - but welcome every day of the year - is the Rosh Hashanah
Sweet New Year Honey Cake. The recipe is a standard in Jewish kitchens,
but is enhanced by a hard-candy coating of boiled honey, which gives
the cake an added bite. Served on a slab of crystallized honey,
the piece de resistance is the gravy boat filled with clover honey.
Young and old can't resist the added splash of sweetness. Garnish
with a mint sprig.
Proceeds from the cookbook go to arterial and cardiological research.
^TOP
|
|
