Pre-Chanukah Shabbat Menu 12.12.2019
All at once, we are welcoming in official winter, closing out the 2019 year, and celebrating Chanukah!!! Lots going on, and how can you not love it?
I once spent Chanukah in South Africa, where the seasons are the opposite, and chanukah is in summer, where everyone is on holiday at the beaches, I just couldn't wrap my head around that concept!
Happy Chanukahhhh
Love always, MaMenu
Arak + Grapefruit Cocktail
In a pitcher, combine 1/3 cup Arak and 4 cups chilled grapefruit juice, top with seltzer.
Fluffy Challah Dinner Rolls
Adapted from momontimeout.com's dairy recipe to nondairy.
2 tbsp yeast
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup warm water
1 cup oat milk beverage (or almond/soy milk)
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
4-5 cups flour
Combine all ingredients, add flour slowly- as needed.
Let rise for 1 hour.
Form into approx 24 dinner rolls, rise for an additional 20 minutes. Egg wash and top with topping of choice. Bake at 375 for 15-20 minutes. Brush with oil as soon as it comes out of the oven.
Sun-Dried Tomato and Olive Tapenade
Recipe from my dear Sonya Sanford.
Blend:
½ cup sun-dried tomatoes + ⅓ cup kalamata olives + 1 garlic + 1 tbsp lemon + 2 tbsp olive oil + 2 tbsp mayo
Moroccan Fish in Spicy Tomato Sauce
Approx 10 pieces of tilapia
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 15 oz whole peeled tomatoes, chopped down
2 cups water
6 peeled garlic cloves (I kept them whole)
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp cumin
Place all ingredients into a large frying pan (it's ok if the fish gets layered), cover halfway, and simmer for 30 min.
Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or cilantro.
Carrot Cumin and Parsley Salad
15 carrots- peeled and trimmed
Place carrots in a large pot of salted water and cook for 30-40 minutes until tender.
Drain water, cut down to even cubes or use a wavy vegetable cutter and season with:
2 lemons- squeezed
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp sumac
2 tsp paprika
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped.
Shallot, Beetroot and Avocado salad
8 shallots-
Peel and slice 8 shallots and saute them in oil, with about 1 tbsp sugar, on low for 20-30 minutes until caramelized.
6 beets- (unpeeled)
cover each one with oil, and salt, place on a sheet pan and cover the whole pan with foil (I don't bother with individually wrapping each beet)
Bake at 400 degrees for 1 hour - 1.5 hours.
Peel the beets and slice or cube. I sliced perfect thin circles with a mandolin, was a beauty.
Layer spinach or arugula, with the beets, candied shallots and optional avocado, sliced radishes and crunch toppings.
Dressing:
1/2 cup oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
3 tbsp Dvash Date Nectar
2 tsp salt
Chickpea and Celery Soup
Dice 2 onions, and 1 head celery, saute for approx 10 min.
Add 2 cans chick peas and 1 can of another bean of choice.
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes and fill the rest of the (6 qt) pot with water (or stock).
Season with lots of salt and pepper.
Simmer for 1 hour.
Moroccan Chicken and Vegetable Tagine
Got myself a Kook Tagine, and loved loved it!!! So totally fun and showstopping.
I used about 18 boneless chicken thighs.
Seasoned them with equal parts of all of these>>>
cinnamon
paprika
coriander
cumin
salt
pepper
and olive oil
Mix well together, and spice it well! Don't be afraid to go heavy!
I heated the cast iron bottom of the tagine on the stovetop, and seared each of the chicken thighs (took 2 batches) just browning the ends- the inside still totally raw. about 5-8 minutes.
I combined all the chicken thighs together in the tagine- layering it upward, covered and baked it at 350 for 1 hour. When it comes out, and remove the top, the smoke poofs out and its amazing🙂
Normally, you'd put the vegetables into the tagine with the chicken, and bake all together, but I ran out of space so I did the vegetables separately.
Tagine Vegetables
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
Red potatoes, quartered (can use fingerling or baby potatoes too)
2 onions, roughly chopped
Combine these vegetables with the above tagine spices - be generous!! And olive oil.
Cook uncovered in a 9*13- and pack it in- so it steams and bakes together (as opposed to a sheet pan where it roasts)
At 350 for 1.5 hours, until vegetables are completely soft and edges and tops are browning.
Sfenj
by Adassa Kurkus