The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook (9 page)

BOOK: The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook
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3. Remove meat from pot, and strain stock through a colander into a large bowl. Set bowl aside.
4. Chop the meat and cartilage (discard bones), mix with chopped garlic, and place in the bottom of a shallow pan or serving dish. Arrange egg slices on top, and pour strained cooking liquid over the meat and eggs. Refrigerate until completely jellied and firm (it should have the consistency of Jell-O). Serve cold, with lemon wedges and red horseradish.
Note:
Sharon also likes to eat p'tcha hot, like a soup. Rena did not grow up with it and doesn't want to know anything about it.

Stuffed Mushrooms
MAKES ABOUT
20
This specialty from our catering menu is a big hit at parties.
20 large mushrooms, thoroughly scrubbed (choose mushrooms about 1½ to 2 inches in diameter)
3 tablespoons corn oil
STUFFING INGREDIENTS
4 slices white bread
⅝ pound very lean chopmeat (about 1 cup)
1 cup seasoned bread crumbs
¾ cup very finely chopped mushrooms (use the stalks)
1 cup very finely chopped onion
¼ cup very finely chopped sweet red pepper
1 tablespoon very finely chopped dill, or parsley, if you prefer
2 tablespoons very finely chopped scallions
1 tablespoon very finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
3 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1½ teaspoons salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1. Remove mushroom stalks, wash thoroughly, and chop for stuffing. Set aside. Clean mushroom caps very thoroughly by scraping them with a knife under cold running water.
2. Pour corn oil into a large skillet, and, on high heat, quickly brown mushroom cap bottoms (place with hollow side up). Remove to a platter with a slotted spoon, and set aside.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut white bread into 1-inch cubes, place cubes in a colander, and soak in cold running water to soften. Squeeze out excess moisture, and, in a large bowl, work the bread and meat together with your hands.
4. Add all remaining stuffing ingredients, and combine very thoroughly. Stuff about 3 tablespoons of this mixture into each mushroom cap, forming it into a perfect mound.
5. Place stuffed mushrooms in a baking dish, and bake for 30 minutes or until they're crisp on top and the stuffing is thoroughly cooked. Serve hot or cold. Cold, they're especially good marinated in a vinaigrette.
Note:
Vegetables and herbs in the stuffing ingredients—mushroom stalks, onions, red pepper, dill or parsley, scallions, and garlic—should be chopped into ⅛-inch pieces. The best way to do this is to chop them first by hand, then toss them into a food processor and pulse a few times.
VINAIGRETTE
1 tablespoon very finely chopped scallions
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
Fresh-cracked pepper to taste
Combine all above ingredients and distribute evenly over mushrooms.
Variation:
You can follow the identical procedure to stuff green peppers. Cut the peppers in half. Remove seeds, and cut away ribs, keeping the stems
intact if possible (they look nice). Brown the bottoms in hot oil. Stuff each half level to the top instead of creating mounds, and bake for 40 minutes. Stuffed green peppers are also good cold, marinated in a vinaigrette. The amount of stuffing in the above recipe will be ample for 5 peppers (10 halves). To create a pretty platter, use a mix of green, red, and yellow peppers.

Mediterranean Medley
Abe's passionate commitment to Zionism included enthusiasm for Israeli cuisine, which Jewish settlers adapted from Middle Eastern neighbors and made their own. Israel's signature dishes utilize indigenous Mediterranean vegetables, enhanced by olive oil, garlic, and lemon juice. Chunks of warm, doughy, fresh-baked pita bread are their essential accompaniment.

Rectangles, another neighborhood favorite.

Tahini Sauce
SERVES
6
Tahini sauce is a staple ingredient of Middle Eastern cuisines. It's also great on its own, as a dip served with raw vegetables and/or pita bread triangles.
1 cup tahini paste
*
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh garlic
¼ cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup cold water
¼ teaspoon paprika
FOR GARNISH
Paprika
Finely chopped fresh parsley
1. Open tahini paste carefully to prevent oil from splashing. Pour contents into a bowl, and blend oil and paste thoroughly before measuring. If it's very thick, you may have to do this in a food processor or blender.
2. Put all ingredients, except garnish, in a food processor or blender to create a thin, smooth, and creamy sauce. Serve chilled. Sprinkle lightly with paprika, and garnish with parsley.

*
Tahini paste is a concentrate of puréed sesame seeds available in cans or jars at many supermarkets and fine food stores. Any store specializing in Middle Eastern groceries will have it. It's a thick paste, and, generally, the oil will have risen to the top.

Hummus/Tahini
SERVES
6
TO
8
We've prepared this recipe with both canned and fresh-cooked chickpeas, and the latter is much, much tastier. Since chickpeas are easy to cook, we suggest you make them fresh. Similarly, making your own tahini sauce above, rather than buying a prepared product, significantly enhances this dip.
Advance planning is necessary here, because hummus/tahini dip is more flavorful if eaten a day after you've made it; you also need to soak the dried chickpeas overnight.
4 cups cooked chickpeas (to cook dried chickpeas, soak overnight, rinse, drain, and simmer in water with 1 teaspoon salt for 1½ hours or until tender)
¾ cup
tahini sauce
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh garlic
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup water (if you cook the chickpeas, use cooking water)
⅓ cup lemon juice
½ teaspoon cumin
⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
ACCOMPANIMENTS
Toasted pita bread
Cucumbers
Tomato wedges
Black olives (dry-cured or Niçoise)
fresh parsley for garnish
1. Combine all ingredients—except paprika and 1 tablespoon olive oil—in a food processor or blender, and pulse to a smooth texture.
2. Serve well chilled, spread on a plate. Dissolve paprika in the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and drizzle a little on each serving from a spoon. Serve with warm pita bread, cucumber spears, tomato wedges, and olives. A little parsley also makes a nice garnish.
Baba Ganoush
SERVES
6
Eggplant, indigenous to India, traveled via Turkey to Arab countries and Eastern Europe. Today, it is an abundant Israeli crop and a staple ingredient in numerous recipes. Of all eggplant preparations, this is the most ubiquitous in Israeli homes and restaurants.
4 long eggplants (they must be thin enough to fit whole into your broiler; about 1½ pounds each)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup
tahini sauce
(see
Note
and recipe)
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon very finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
Parsley for garnish
Pita bread
1. Wash eggplants, and prick skin in about twenty places with a fork. If you don't, they're liable to explode, creating a mess that is not to be believed.
2. Place whole eggplants in your broiler on a cookie sheet (or line the broiler with aluminum foil). Broil for 50 minutes, turning them about every 12 minutes. They will shrivel, get blackened and blistered, and generally collapse; this is what you want to happen.
3. Slit the eggplants on one side, and place them, slit side down, in a colander over a large bowl to cool and drain. When they've cooled sufficiently to handle comfortably, peel the eggplants, and scoop out the pulp into a bowl. Eggplants are a bit difficult to peel; try not to get any of the burned peel in the bowl. The 4 eggplants should yield about 4 cups of pulp. Return the eggplant to the colander, and drain a bit more liquid. Then put it in a food processor with all remaining ingredients (or mash by hand in a large bowl), and blend to a creamy texture. Chill for several hours before serving. Garnish with parsley, and serve as a dip with warm pita bread.
Note about tahini sauce:
Tahini is a concentrate of puréed sesame seeds, which you can buy in a can or jar at many supermarkets. Any store specializing in Middle Eastern groceries will have it. To prepare the tahini sauce needed for this recipe, follow
the recipe
.
Eggplant Salad
SERVES
6
This Israeli salad is best made a day in advance, allowing the flavors to blend. We must confess, however, it's so good even when just cooked, we can barely resist scarfing it up hot from the skillet.
6 cups peeled eggplant, diced into ¾-inch pieces
Salt for sprinkling on eggplant
2 small cans tomato paste (12 ounces)
4 tablespoons wine vinegar
½ cup dry-cured black olives, pitted (these are very dark black and wrinkled)
1 teaspoon sugar
5 leaves fresh basil, chopped
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
⅔ cup olive oil
⅔ cup green pepper, diced into ¾-inch pieces
2 cups scrubbed mushrooms, chopped into ¾-inch slices, about
3
⁄
16
-inch thick
1 tablespoon finely chopped or crushed fresh garlic
BOOK: The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook
6.57Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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