Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom! The High Holidays are now over and hopefully, so is the feasting. It’s time to get back to healthy eating once again and there’s no better time to start than on Shabbat. Almost everyone I know is fed up with eating brisket, chicken, and meatballs. Instead, why not serve your Shabbos guests some fabulous vegetarian dishes instead of the fat-laden meats, starchy sides, and sweet, rich desserts that were served throughout yontif?
My dear friend, Gloria Kobrin, always prepares the most glorious food each Shabbat. In addition to her creative repertoire of delicious dishes from a variety of world cuisines, she always includes a selection of scrumptious vegetarian dishes.
Last year I was fortunate to be a guest in her New York apartment. Gloria has a fabulous, huge kitchen, which is divided into several preparation areas, with one large area for meat and another for dairy. She has duplicate spices set up on shallow shelves in each area so the spices are in a single layer so they are easy to access when she’s cooking. Gloria has multiple electrical appliances, assorted dishes, platters and bowls, and tons of gadgets. One of my favourite things in her kitchen is the way that the multiple electrical outlets are installed in each area, almost at eye level, making it easy to plug in whatever appliance you need (e.g., blender, food processor), without having to push and pull them around to reach an electrical outlet. Brilliant!
Gloria’s website, www.KosherByGloria.com, is a terrific resource for kosher recipes. Our conversations always revolve around food, discussing the latest cookbooks, the wide world of recipes, and our favourite cooking utensils – especially spatulas of all sizes and shapes.
To add a delightful touch of international elegance to your Shabbat table, try Gloria’s Orange, Red Onion, Avocado & Olive Salad and her String Beans Almondine. Her recipe for Brussels Sprouts mixed with toasted walnuts is extremely popular with her fans and can be served at room temperature, perfect when serving a crowd. Ratatouille-Filled Acorn Squash makes a wonderful meatless main or side dish and Gloria gives explicit step-by-step directions in her terrific videos (video tutorials follow many of her recipes).
For dessert, check out Gloria’s excellent video on how to make Poached Pears in Red Wine and Cinnamon:
GLORIA’S ORANGE, RED ONION, AVOCADO AND OLIVE SALAD
Color, texture, flavor – this Turkish salad has it all. Sumac adds an intriguing fruity sour note; the cumin and thyme add earthiness and the mint adds freshness to this light and unusual salad. It’s great for a crowd because the hearty ingredients lend themselves to pre-plating.
Prep time: 20 minutes. Skill level: Easy.
Note: Use toasted sunflower seeds if anyone is allergic to nuts.
6 large naval oranges
3 ripe Haas avocados, peeled, pitted, and sliced thinly
2 medium red onions, peeled, halved and sliced thinly
24 pitted Kalamata olives
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons ground sumac
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 small bunch fresh mint leaves
pinch salt optional
Equipment:
1 serrated knife
1 medium mixing bowl
1 small mixing bowl
1 shallow serving platter
1. Peel oranges using the serrated knife. Remove all the pith. Cut oranges into thin rounds.
Remove any pits and place oranges into mixing bowl.
2. Add sliced avocados, onions and olives. Pour the olive oil over all. Toss gently.
3. Mix the sumac, cumin and thyme together. Sprinkle them over the salad.
Toss gently again. Taste. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt if desired.
4. Arrange salad attractively in serving dish. Sprinkle with toasted nuts or sunflower seeds.
5. Garnish with mint leaves. Serve at room temperature.
Yield: 8 servings.
GLORIA’S RATATOUILLE-FILLED ACORN SQUASH
Squash your hesitations about squash! The way the natural sweetness of acorn squash mingles
with the textured Ratatouille will elevate a traditional French recipe to a divine dinner!
1 large onion peeled, cored, quartered and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large red pepper rinsed, seeded and diced
1 1/4 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 large zucchini, rinsed, trimmed, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 large Italian plum tomatoes rinsed, juiced and thinly sliced
1 tsp sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
4 medium acorn squash, halved and seeded
Step-by-step tutorial:
GLORIA’S BRUSSELS SPROUTS
The dill and the walnuts enhance the sprout’s wonderful flavor! Use small Brussels sprouts and steam
them gently.
40 small Brussels sprouts
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 3/4 cups toasted walnuts
2 tablespoons fresh dill
4 or 5 turns of the pepper mill
Step-by-step tutorial:
GLORIA’S STRING BEANS ALMONDINE
Toasted almonds give everything more flavor and crunch!
Prep time: 20 minutes. Skill level: Easy.
3 pounds fresh haricots verts or green beans
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons non-hydrogenated non-dairy margarine
1 1/2 cups sliced almonds toasted
Freshly ground black pepper optional
Equipment:
1 large skillet with cover
tongs
1 colander
1 large mixing bowl filled with ice
1. Cut off the root ends of the beans. I like the look of the pointy ends; but if you don’t, cut those off as well. Rinse beans thoroughly.
2. Fill skillet with 3 inches of water. Add salt and bring to a boil. Carefully, pour beans into the skillet. Return water to a boil and cover skillet. Cook beans about 5 minutes or until they are bright green.
To test for doneness- remove one bean with a tongs and bite it. It should be crisp- tender. Remember that the beans will continue to cook until you shock them with ice.
3. When beans are cooked, drain them in colander and then place them in a mixing bowl filled with ice.
Turn the beans around with a spoon so that the ice touches all the beans. When they are cold, drain beans again in the colander and pat them dry.
4. Melt margarine (or butter for a dairy meal) in skillet over medium high heat. Return beans to skillet.
5. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the beans and toss until they are heated through. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or at room temperature.
Yield: 3 pounds (8-10 servings)
Norene Gilletz is the leading author of kosher cookbooks in Canada. She is the author of twelve cookbooks and divides her time between work as a food writer, food manufacturer, consultant, spokesperson, cooking instructor, lecturer, and cookbook editor. Norene lives in Toronto, Canada and her motto is “Food that’s good for you should taste good!” For more information, visit her website or email her at [email protected].