Just what the doctor ordered! Good old-fashioned Jewish vegetable soup.

When I inquired with Efi what he would like for lunch I was expected to hear last nights Shabbos dinner, as is the norm, however it was vegetable soup that he wanted! We are both under the weather at the moment and on lock down at home conditioning ourselves with various medications.

I can’t say I was thrilled with the thought of having soup for lunch however got cracking in the kitchen.

I decided to make soup from what vegetables I had in the house. I was not planning to eat from it originally however as the ingredients started going in one by one I had a feeling that this was going to be a good one… I even returned to the stove for seconds!

1 Onion

Half Butternut chopped

5 cups chopped spinach/Swiss chard

3 carrots cut in rings

Good vegetable stock

Tsp Tumeric

½ cup Chickpeas

½ cup sweet corn

Dried black limes

Black Limes

Sauté the onions till they are just translucent adding the carrots and Swiss chard, and finally the butternut. Here you can add 1 black lime. Cover with just enough boiling water and let simmer for the vegetables to soften, approximately 15 minutes. Prepare approximately 500ml of vegetable stock and pour into your pot with a tsp of Turmeric and let simmer for another 15 minutes. Do not stir too much to try and keep the vegetables whole if you want to serve the soup with chunky pieces. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve with yesterdays left over Challah or hot country bread. 

Strawberry shortbread cookies

I prepared this one very quickly as the apple crumble I prepared on the Thursday for Shabbos did not last for even 30 minutes and I was left with mere crumbs.

I needed a something easy to prepare while I was prepping Shabbos dinner at the same time, challenging!

However I was very pleased with how little time it takes to actually prepare this shortbread, its only the 1 hour it takes to bake in the oven that you should keep in mind.

This is a recipe I took from Carine Goren’s book ‘Sweet secrets’ which I have adapted over time. Not because I do not like it, I am just one of those types who must change every recipe to suite my needs, hence why I say a recipe is only a guide and there are no rules!

250g unsalted butter, melted

½ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt

2 ½ cups flour (I substituted 1 cup of flour with whole wheat flour here)

For the filling – a jam of your choice or even chocolate spread, date spread etc

Preheat the over to 150C.

Mix the melted butter together with the sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Add the flour and mix to form a soft dough.

Press half the dough in your baking dish as the base, fill with jam and cover with the remaining dough. This is easily done by just pressing pieces of dough in the palm of your hands and placing it next to each other, don’t worry about how it comes out cause it all merges together and smooth’s out while in the oven.  

Bake for 1 hour.

Sprinkle with sugar to decorate although I have never done this to limit our sugar intake and for us it is perfect. Slice like a pizza to serve. 

Good Shabbos and good health to all!

This Shabbos I am particularly happy cause I almost did not make it! I was originally scheduled for a team building work function but had to cancel as I am fighting the flu, which Efi has now too. So it was just two sick children spending Shabbos together but I tell you, I could not be happier!

I prepared something to cheer up the spirits! Efi’s and my favorite – roasted Aubergine Salad!

I sadly do not yet have a gas stove whereby I can flame roast the Aubergine, I therefore try and get a similar effect by placing the aubergine under the oven grill. It does not produce that same flame roast taste but it will do for now.

Once a skewer can easily be inserted the aubergine is ready to be sliced open and the contents prepared for the salad. Just give it a good few slices each way, drizzle a fair amount of olive oil and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. I added an Israeli salad to this for this Shabbos but it is really up to you how you would like to serve it, I don’t believe there is any rule to this! There is an Arab saying that says if your future bride cannot prepare an eggplant in 50 different ways, don’t marry her! So get creative!

 I love drizzling tahini sauce over this salad and soaking it all up with Challah bread! 

Couscous is just divine, healthy and so easy to prepare! I prepare the instant kind but I really do not see anything wrong with using a good quality instant couscous. The secret is to ensure that after it has soaked up all the liquid to fluff it up with a fork and drizzle of olive oil, you do not want to stir it around as it will just turn to porridge.

It always amazes me all the different ways that you can dress up couscous with your favorite vegetables, turn it into salads and eat it hot or cold.

After roasting my vegetables of choice in the oven, I tossed them together with some chickpeas and a Harrief that I bought from Oded’s kitchen (local deli in Woodstock, Cape Town, however his products are sold at all Farmer Markets and many stores around Cape Town). 

I then added the couscous to this and gave it a good toss. 

This is a great dish to eat from the following day too!

As a side dish, roasted cauliflower dressed in Tahini and roasted pine nuts. The cauliflower only needs to be blanched for 2 minutes in boiling water and transferred quickly to ice cold water. Brush with olive oil and in the oven it goes. A healthier version of deep fried cauliflower florets.

I did a bit or roasted skinless chicken thighs with this seasoned only with salt and pepper this time round as the harrief in the couscous added enough flavors to this meal.

So that’s it! Good Shabbos and Shabbat Shalom! x

Apple Crumble

Last Shabbos I was told by my man that I should bake on Thursday evenings so that there is cake for Shabbos. So the good wifey that I am I did just that, except that we still don’t actually have cake for Shabbos!! In fact it went so fast that I could not even take a pic of what the Apply Crumble looks like after it comes out of the oven! It lasted a whole 12 minutes from the time he got hold of it (okay I did help him out a little but I promise, I only got to eat about a fraction of the Apple Crumble pie compared to Efi!).  So I shall take it as a compliment, it is that good!

I am going to have to look at some seriously good hiding places if I ever want a cake to last till Shabbos!

6 apples, peeled and cored and sliced

30g butter

 1Tblsp sugar

1Tblsp honey

1 vanilla pod

200g flour

140g butter

50g demerera sugar

Preheat over 200C

In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sugar and the scraped out vanilla paste from the vanilla pod and add sliced apples and cook till soft.

Transfer the apples to an ovenproof dish or smaller individual dishes if you like.

For the topping, sift the flour into a large bowl and stir in the sugar.

Add the diced butter and rub together to make breadcrumbs.

Sprinkle the topping over the apples and place in oven.

Bake for 25 mins or until topping is brown.

Serve with cream or ice cream or eat it on its own just like we did! J

Israeli carrot cake

Why do I call it ‘Israeli’ carrot cake, cause here in South Africa it is typically known to be topped with a thick layer of icing and this version does not require it as it is very moist on its own, however there is no rule to it either, a recipe is only a guide so by all means do as you wish.

This recipe was also passed down from my mother-in-law, she recited it so quick and easily without blinking an eyelid, which left me most, impressed. This was just 2 years back when baking brought on the feeling of nervousness and some serious butterflies to my stomach!

I must admit however, now days I can do it blind folded, well I have had plenty of practice since I am summoned to prepare this carrot cake at least once a month! I am certainly not complaining… J

4 eggs

½ cup grated carrot

1/2tsp cinnamon

1 cup oil

1 ½ cup sugar

1 ½ cup flour

10g baking powder

Mix all ingredients together well and bake at 180C.

It’s as simple as that!!!

Funny how my man heard the time go on the oven signaling that bake time was finished at the same time signaling to me that he was on his way to confirm if the cake was ‘kosher’!

Spicy Chicken livers for Shabbos

This week I decided to go for something verrrrry simple without compromising. Chicken livers… the easiest thing on earth to make. A dish you can experiment to your hearts content and with minimal time!

I was lucky to knock off work 30 minutes earlier than usual compliments of the boss, funny how you get this time handed to you when you least expect it thinking I could of used this time just last week when I was preparing the moussaka or what I was contemplating making for this Shabbos, Sofrito (but I will leave that for next Shabbos). So here I was thinking I have more time on my hands than I ever wished for, I used it to my advantage and went for a 10km run, got home, showered and cooked dinner all in a nick of time! J

This Shabbos dinner will take no more than 45 minutes at a push, and I am talking preparation, cooking times, salads, table set up the works!  So here goes…

The spicy chicken livers will benefit greatly if you can marinate for as long as possible in grinded peri-peri flakes, chili and paprika as long as you can afford, 2 hours will do. A bit of onion rings first in the pan until soft then the livers. They really do not have to go any longer than 10 minutes cause you do not want them dried out.

I served this with a rice dish.  Simply made by browning a little onion in a pot before adding the rice grains for 2 mins, add boiling water just to cover and turn the heat down to half.  Add celery and carrot ( I added peas too this time but it is really up to you what vegie you would like) and let boil till no water is left. Add 1 cup of chicken stock (I prefer to keep this to a minimum this time round as I am already preparing a spicy dish and wanted to compliment this with a more milder flavor side) and cover pot with a dishcloth and turn the heat right down and simmer till there is no more liquid left, remove from heat.

Serve with salads of your choice.

Good Shabbos and Shabath Shalom!

Date cookies (aka squashed flies)

This is my man’s favorite cookie, which he asks for on a regular basis. Luckily for me they are the easiest cookies to make and requires very little time, skill and ingredients! The recipe can very easily be doubled to make a bigger batch.

200g flour

pinch of salt

50g sugar

50g butter

1 egg separated

4-6Tblsp milk

Date spread (however this can be substituted to a filling of your choice)

Sift all the dry ingredients; rub in the butter to form crumbs. Add the egg yolk and milk and stir with fork and fingers till it forms a ball.

Roll the dough out on floured surface, spread filling on one side then cover with the other side. Cut in square shapes and brush with the beaten egg white.

Bake at 190C for approximately 15 minutes. 

Warning: They do not last long! Enjoy!

Baharat spice mix

I wanted to share the below as I cook with Baharat quite a lot. When my cooking adventures first began I had never heard of such a spice and neither did I find it at any supermarket. Then it is someone else who had asked me what this spice is that i decided that it needed to be shared.

The word ‘Baharat’ is actually Arabic for “spices” and it is the generic name for the mix of powdered spices however refers more to the mix of spices used in Lebanese, Syrian and Iraqi cuisines.

The best recipe for Baharat spice I found in ‘The book of new Israeli food’ by Janna Gur.

Ensure that you use the whole spice of each that you can roast and grind down yourself for freshest results. All the ingredients are mixed together and then stored in an airtight container.

1Tblsp ground cardamom

1Tblsp ground black pepper

1/2Tbsp ground all spice

1Tblsp ground cinnamon

1Tblsp ground dry ginger

1/2Tblsp ground nutmeg

Moussaka all the way from Greece!

Moussaka is an authentic Greek dish but with time it found its way to Israel via Turkey. And thank goodness…

Last night was a special Shabbos! For one we had a guest and the other I made one awesome Moussaka!

This was only the fourth time I had ever made Moussaka so not a lot of practice behind me. Nervous, yes I was somewhat because I have failed twice horribly and the 3^rd time was not a dish that I could really rave about. And here I was giving it a go again with a Guest! Brave, very brave! But I had a good feeling…

Now this campaign was a tight one, very tight!  I finished at the office late, rushed through to pick up my aunty Lilla and back to City Center. Efi had the job of going to fight for the Challah bread and due to him being a little ill he is a lot slower than usual so this was a really touch a go challenge for him! Alas I am pleased to say that he very proudly walked out of Checkers with the very last Challah bread safely under his arm away from any other Jewish prying hands.

Meanwhile I had arrived home and got cracking in the kitchen immediately as you might know or will soon know, Moussaka is a time consuming dish to prepare! I am going to make it as simple for you as possible as after my 4^th attempt I am now confident to prepare this dish at anytime when requested to do so without sweat beads dripping down my forehead!

Ingredients:

2 Aubergine

2 small Onion

1 can Chopped tomato or prepare 4 -5 fresh chopped tomatoes

Tomato paste

Red pepper

Paprika, Baharat, salt & Pepper

½ Tblsp sugar

1 tsp Lemon Juice

Chicken soup

500g Lamb or Beef mince

Flour

2 Eggs

Right, so you need to prepare this dish in sections in order to be successful without getting in over your head. Firstly cut the Aubergine in rings (leave the skin on) and sprinkle salt over and let stand for 1 hour. While you wait for the Aubergine you can prepare everything else. Gently fry some onion, add the meat mince and just cook for really 5 mins, don’t let it dry out cause remember you will be placing it all in a casserole dish in the oven where it will get more time to cook. When the mince has just started turning brown, like 5 mins, season with a ½ Tblsp Paprika, 1 tsp Baharat spice mix, salt and pepper. Remove the mince mix form the pan and place a dish on its own.

Now to prepare the tomato mix. Gently fry the onion, add your chopped red pepper, and chopped tomatoes and gently cook till it just becomes soft. Prepare 3 cups of Chicken soup/stock and add the tin of tomato paste and pour this in the pan with tomato mix and let simmer for a few minutes. Sprinkle the sugar and lemon juice and stir. Pour out this sauce mix into another separate container to use later, a jug worked well for me.

Lastly the Aubergine before the dish goes in the oven, so now is the time to warm the oven to 190C. Rinse the sliced Aubergine under cold water to wash off the excess salt. Have one dish for your eggs and another for the flour. Dip the Aubergine in egg mixture followed by flour mixture and into the pan. Prepare a plate with either brown paper or serviette napkins to soak up any excess oil when the aubergine comes out the pan. I find I need to wipe the pan out with a paper napkin too between each frying session or the left over flour just burns black. This is quite a delicate part of the dish and requires all your attention and everything you need right next to the stove top!

Once each Aubergine has been dipped and cooked you can prepare the assembling in a casserole dish.

A layer of the Aubergine goes at the very bottom on the dish, followed by a layer of the mince meat mixture and that followed by the tomato sauce mix, you should be able to repeat this once again as long as your final layer on top is the tomato sauce mix.

 Move the dish into the hot oven and bake for approximately 15-20 minutes. I switch on the grill for a further 5 minutes to give that final look. And there is your very easy Kosher Moussaka! Yum!

Serve this with a traditional Israeli salad and you will have guests coming back for more and more and more. 

what was cooking for Shabbos (compliments of Efi)

What Efi was cooking for Shabbos…

No credit to me this week, that goes to my Efi who gave me the day off  as I had a challenging week at work and was not able to see the gym much,  therefore while he was cooking for Shabbos I was sweating it away on the gyms treadmill! And boy what a treat Shabbos was this week!

Efi prepared an absolutely stunning rice dish with green garden peas, this is simply done by lightly frying some onion and then adding the rice for approximately 2 mins before covering with water and turning the heat down. After 5 mins top up the liquid with chicken soup mix, add your garden peas, cover the pot with a tea towel and keep an eye on it till all the liquid has cooked away.

The main dish for the evening was ‘Jerusalem Mix’.  This was made by roughly chopped onions, potatoes and pumpkin pieces tosses in a lightly oiled pan with added rosemary, parsley and approximately 1 TBLSP Baharat spice (this is the key ingredient in this dish). As soon as the potatoes start feeling soft, the chopped chicken breast and chicken liver can be added and tossed all together until cooked through.

This was all served with the usual Israeli salad and a couple of other kosher salads picked up at the local kosher kitchen. Shabbat Shalom everyone! 

Marble cake

It’s cake time! And since there is nothing sweet in the house at the moment my man will be very pleased to hear that!

I have decided to make a very simple one tonight, well for myself anyway as I have made this cake many times.

To me this is called Batya’s Marble cake as she passed this recipe on to me whilst I was in Israel.

Ingredients:              5 eggs

                                    1½ cups sugar

                                    1 cup oil

                                    1¾ cups flour

                                    1 cup Orange Juice

                                    tsp vanilla essence

                                    10-15g vanilla sugar

                                    10-15g baking powder

                                    1 tbsp cocoa powder

Method:

Dissolve the cocoa powder with vanilla sugar in hot water and set aside.

Separate egg whites from egg yolks.

In a mixer, whip the egg whites and slowly add the sugar till it form stiff peaks.

Stir the egg yolks together with oil, orange juice, baking powder, vanilla essence, and flour.

Add the first mixture to the second mixture and fold carefully.

Pour this mixture in a greased baking dish (the dish must be large enough for it to grow at least an inch or more) pour over the cocoa mixture and back in 180C oven for approximately 25 mins. 

It is Wednesday, so that means...

Right, it is Wednesday and that time of the week when you need to start planning what’s cooking for Shabbos! I find this necessary if you are holding a full time demanding job where anything could change at a drop of a hat, therefore preparation is key! Depending what is on your wish list will determine how much work you have to put in from today.

I start my preparation by first deciding what it is that I would like serve for Shabbos, this is done by Wednesday normally, of which is followed by grocery shopping to ensure all ingredients are on hand should you not have them already stocked in your kitchen. Depending on what you would like to prepare you might look at starting it from Thursday already, this way I do not put too much pressure on myself on Friday cause at the end of the day I still want to enjoy myself!

So this Friday it has been requested that I prepare Mosaka for Shabbos!

Now this is not a dish I have great experience in, in fact I have only prepared this dish 4 times! It is a very time consuming dish, but absolutely delicious. I have already mentally drawn up my shopping list for when I make my next stop near the grocery and mentally also preparing myself for this feat! So until I speak again on Friday….