Recipes For The Holiday Table

Copyright 1994 Miami Herald
From Knight-Ridder/Tribune Information Services
Selected and Prepared by Tribune Media Services

By Felicia Gressette
Knight-Ridder Newspapers




DUTCH CHICKEN SOUP

(Miami resident Betty Otten learned to make this soup when she lived in Holland and
belonged to the Folkingestraat Synagogue in Groningen.) 

1 3-pound chicken
3 1/2 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
2 leeks, diced (divided use)
8 carrots, diced (divided use)
4 celery stalks, diced (divided use)
1 parsnip 

Meatballs:
1/4 pound lean ground beef
1 raw egg
1 teaspoon water
One-third cup bread crumbs
Dash of curry powder 

To finish:
1/2 pound angel hair pasta 

Start the soup: Rinse chicken well under cold running water; remove giblets and set
aside for another use. Place chicken, water, salt, 1 leek, 4 carrots, 2 celery stalks and
parsnip in a large soup pot, bring to a boil, skim foam well, then lower heat and simmer
for 4 hours.

Strain the soup, discard the vegetables and reserve the chicken for other use, if desired
(it will be pretty cooked out).

Return soup to pot, then add remaining leek, carrots and celery and bring to a simmer.

Make meatballs: Wet hands and combine ingredients well, but do not overhandle
mixture. Form into meatballs about the size of a quarter. Add to soup and cook about 20
minutes.

Finish the soup: Meanwhile, cook pasta in a separate large pot of boiling water. Drain,
then add to soup.

Passover variation: Use matzoh meal in meatballs and make very small kneidels
(matzoh balls), using recipe on matzoh meal box and adding minced parsley. Add
chopped dill at end before serving.

Serves 6.

Nutritional information per serving: 315 calories; 23 grams protein; 35 grams
carbohydrate; 9 grams fat; 25 percent of calories as fat; 0.3 grams fiber; 53 milligrams
cholesterol; 1090 milligrams sodium. Exchanges: 2.1 bread, 2.4 meat, 0.6 fat.





BRISKET OF BEEF

(Steve Petusevsky shared this family favorite for the holiday table. Brisket improves
when it's made ahead, sliced and gently reheated. It can also be frozen.) 

1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1 2&1/2- to 3-pound first-cut brisket of beef
2 large onions, diced
2 large carrots, diced
2 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup vegatable, poultry, or beef stock
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons ketchup 

In a Dutch oven or roasting pan with a heavy bottom, heat the oil until almost
smoking. Add the brisket and cook, turning, until browned on both sides. Add onions,
carrots and garlic and saute until golden brown. Add tomato paste and continue to
brown. Add wine, stock, bay leaves, vinegar, sugar and ketchup. Cover and simmer for
1&1/2 to 2 hours, until tender. Season with salt and pepper as desired. Serves 6 to 8.

Nutritional information per serving: 416 calories; 40 grams protein; 13 grams
carbohydrate; 21 grams fat; 46 percent of calories as fat; 2 grams fiber; 121 milligrams
cholesterol; 287 milligrams sodium.





ORANGE HONEY CHICKEN

(Pearl Steinberg notes that this chicken freezes beautifully; she often makes a double
batch for that purpose. ``It's much better than almost any other chicken.'' If you're
watching your fat, you can bake the chicken until light brown, instead of frying it.) 

2 broiler-fryer chickens, 3 to 3&1/2 pounds each, cut into 8 pieces
2 eggs
2 tablespoons water
1 cup matzoh meal
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
4 tablespoons oil for frying (may need a little more)
1 cup hot water
1 cup honey
1 6-ounce can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed but not diluted
2 oranges, sliced very thinly 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat eggs and 2 tablespoons water slightly in shallow dish. Mix matzoh meal, salt and
pepper in a second shallow dish. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Dip chicken pieces in
eggs, then in seasoned matzoh meal. Fry chicken pieces in hot oil until golden brown.
Remove to roaster pan. Mix hot water, honey and orange juice concentrate and pour
over chicken. Cover pan and bake in oven for 45 minutes or until tender.

During last 20 minutes, uncover pan, add orange slices and baste the chicken. The sauce
will thicken and the chicken will take on a lovely honey brown color. Makes 6 to 8
servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 836 calories; 58 grams protein; 80 grams
carbohydrate; 31 grams fat; 34 percent of calories as fat; 2.1 grams fiber; 238 milligrams
cholesterol; 529 milligrams sodium.





CABBAGE NOODLES

(This has been a Steinberg family favorite for about 30 years, Pearl Steinberg says.
Though the recipe calls for 3 large onions, you can add more. ``The secret is as much
onion flavor as possible.'' Serve it hot as a vegetable side dish. ``This is delicious,
whatever you put in there.'') 

3 large onions, sliced
1 medium head cabbage, shredded or grated
1 pound broad egg noodles
1 tablespoon margarine, butter or oil for frying (or nonstick cooking spray)

Seasoning as desired (Steinberg uses salt, pepper, dill, sometimes rosemary, sometimes
garlic powder or a crushed garlic clove)

1 small green pepper, optional 

Cook noodles following directions on box. Drain, rinse with cold water and drain again.
Set aside.

Saute onions in fat until soft and only slightly browned. Add cabbage, stir and continue
to fry until onions and cabbage are medium brown. (If using green pepper, dice and add
with cabbage.)

Add sauteed cabbage mixture to cooked noodles, then season to taste with salt, pepper
and other desired seasonings. Serves 6 to 8.

Nutritional information per serving: 352 calories; 12 grams protein; 64 grams
carbohydrate; 5 grams fat; 13 percent of calories as fat; 2.8 grams fiber; 72 milligrams
cholesterol; 52 milligrams sodium. Exchanges: 1.7 vegetable, 3.7 bread, 0.4 fat.





CARROT TSIMMES

(This recipe is from Steve Petusevsky, a chef friend who writes about cooking with his
children for the Miami Herald food section.) 

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced in large chunks
2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced 1/2-inch thick
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup orange juice
Salt and pepper to taste 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place potatoes and carrots in a roasting pan or ceramic,
ovenproof dish. Sprinkle sugar over top, drizzle with molasses and orange juice and
season with salt and pepper. Cover and roast for 1&1/2 to 2 hours, until vegetables are
tender. Remove cover, raise heat to 450 degrees and cook 10 more minutes until
potatoes are browned. Serves 6 to 8.
Variation: Add 1/2 pound prunes to carrots and potatoes.

Nutritional information per serving: 215 calories; 2 grams protein; 53 grams
carbohydrate; 0.4 grams fat; 2 percent of calories as fat; 6.15 grams fiber; 0 cholesterol; 64
milligrams sodium. Exchanges: 3.3 vegetable, 0.2 fruit, 2.4 bread.





CLAIRE'S HONEY CAKE

(This is Steve Petusevsky's mother's honey cake recipe, and it is yummy.) 

4 eggs
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar
5 tablespoons canola oil
1 pound honey, warmed
1 cup strong black coffee
Zest (grated orange peel) and juice of 1 orange
6 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup walnut halves 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Beat together eggs, sugars, oil, honey, coffee, orange zest
and juice until well-mixed. Sift together all dry ingredients and add gradually to egg
mixture. Be sure it is well mixed. Add chopped walnuts and pour into two greased loaf
pans. Place walnut halves on top of loaves and bake in a preheated, 325-degree oven for
50 minutes to 1 hour, until a toothpick or skewer inserted into the middle of the cake
comes out clean. Makes 2 loaves, each serving 16.

Nutritional information per serving: 246 calories; 4.5 grams protein; 44 grams
carbohydrate; 6.5 grams fat; 23 percent of calories as fat; 1 gram fiber; 26.5 milligrams
cholesterol; 85.5 milligrams sodium. Exchanges: 2.1 bread, 0.1 meat, 1.1 fat.





KNUBEL (Garlic Fish)

(Pearl Steinberg serves this aromatic baked fish as an entree at lunch or dinner during
the holiday week; it's fine with dairy or meat meals. You may, at the end, she says, add
small pieces of Italian bread dipped and turned in the juices. ``Oh, is that good,'' she
says. This is freezable, too, according to Steinberg.) 

10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 teaspoons salt or less
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
6 slices carp or whitefish (about 3 pounds, 1/2 big carp or 1 whole small carp, cut
crosswise into thick slices)
2 tablespoons vegetable shortening 

Finely mince 5 of the garlic cloves and crush the other 5 in a garlic press. Mix all the
garlic with salt, pepper and paprika into a smooth paste. Rub paste into fish very well.

Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

Melt shortening in a baking dish large enough to hold the fish in a single layer. Then
bake fish in a preheated 275-degree oven for 2 hours or until fish is very dry and
browned. Turn fish frequently while baking, being careful not to break. Remove from
oven and allow to cool. Serve cold or may be served warm.

Optional: Cut up a few potatoes into very small pieces and cook with the fish for the last
20 minutes to half-hour, until tender and brown. Serves 6.

Nutritional information per serving: 191 calories; 21 grams protein; 2 grams
carbohydrate; 11 grams fat; 51 percent of calories as fat; 0 fiber; 75 milligrams cholesterol;
769 milligrams sodium.





AUNT ANITA'S COLD FRUIT KUGEL

(This make-ahead sweet pudding is good for break-the-fast because it can be refrigerated
a day or two, then served at room temperature. It's from ``Our Food'' by Anita Hirsch,
Doubleday, 1992.) 

1/2 pound fine egg noodles, cooked
8 ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 pound butter or margarine, at room temperature
8 ounces light sour cream
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs or egg substitutes
2 15-ounce cans mandarin oranges in juice, drained (reserve 1 can for topping)
1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple in juice, drained
1 16-ounce can dark pitted cherries, drained
Cinnamon and sugar (for topping) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cream cheese, butter or margarine, sour cream, sugar, vanilla and eggs in a
blender until well combined. Pour into a bowl and add 1 can of mandarin oranges, the
pineapple, dark cherries and noodles. Combine well. Pour into a 9- by 13-inch baking
dish. Arrange the second drained can of mandarin oranges over the top in rows. Bake
for 45 minutes until golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Makes 30 pieces.

Nutritional information per serving: 149 calories; 3 grams protein; 19 grams
carbohydrate; 7 grams fat; 43 percent of calories as fat; 0.1 grams fiber; 50 milligrams
cholesterol; 82 milligrams sodium.





BLINTZ SOUFFLE

(We found this lovely, gently lightened recipe for break-the-fast in ``Our Food'' by Anita
Hirsch, Doubleday, 1992. It's a dairy dish that will serve 12 to 15.) 

4 eggs or equivalent of egg substitute
1 pound farmer's cheese
1 pound part-skim ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup skim milk
3 tablespoons corn oil
1/2 cup unbleached flour
1&1/2 teaspoons baking powder

Fresh Raspberry Sauce:

1 pint raspberries
2 tablespoons sugar (optional) 

Make the blintz souffle: Spray an 8- by 12-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat
oven to 350 degrees.

Beat 2 of the eggs in a large bowl and add the farmer's cheese, ricotta, sugar and lemon
juice. Mix well and spread over bottom of pan. In the same bowl, combine the
remaining 2 eggs, skim milk, oil, flour and baking powder and beat with a wire whisk
until well combined. The mixture will be thin. Pour this over the cheese mixture
already in the pan. Bake for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove from
oven and cool slightly. Cut into 12 or 15 squares. Serve with Fresh Raspberry Sauce,
strawberries, blueberries or nonfat plain or vanilla yogurt. Serves 12 to 15.

To make the Raspberry Sauce: Mash raspberries in a food mill. Press the berry pulp and
liquid through the mill to eliminate the seeds. Combine the berry puree and sugar to
taste. Makes 2 cups.

Nutritional information per serving: 183 calories; 13 grams protein; 13 grams
carbohydrate; 9 grams fat; 44 percent of calories as fat; 1.1 grams fiber; 86 milligrams
cholesterol; 268 milligrams sodium.





SAVORY VEGETABLE AND NOODLE KUGEL

(Here's a delicious side dish from ``Our Food'' by Anita Hirsch, Doubleday, 1992.) 

1/2 pound broad egg or spinach noodles, cooked
2 to 3 stalks broccoli
1/4 head cauliflower
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1/2 pound low-fat cottage cheese
1 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese (divided)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.