The Shabbat Table is the latest CJN column from noted chef and food blogger Norene Gilletz. Click here for last week’s recipes.
Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom! This is the last Shabbat before Passover – that means no Chinese food during Pesach for at least eight days. So before the onslaught of gefilte fish, matzah ball soup, kugels, roast chicken and brisket begins, it’s time to enjoy a Chinese-style Shabbat. This Shabbos, let’s do it Chinese-style!
In the mood for meatballs? My Honey Garlic Meatballs from Healthy Helpings (formerly published as MealLeaniYumm) are absolutely amazing!
What about serving some of my delicious Chinese Chicken and Corn Soup from the same cookbook? So quick, so easy, and it’s ready in minutes!
Norene’s No-Fry ‘Fried Rice’
Adapted from The New Food Processor Bible (Whitecap)
My friend Elaine Kaplan loves this dish, and so do her guests! It’s great for vegetarians and is oven-ready in minutes. (Note: Elaine is the project director for the cookbook, A Ta’am to Remember (see next recipe).
2 cups uncooked rice
1 to 2 Tbsp oil
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 green or red bell pepper, halved
2 cups mushrooms
1 can (8 oz/250 ml) water chestnuts
1 can (8 oz/250 ml) sliced bamboo shoots
4 cups liquid (reserved juices from canned vegetables, plus cold water)
Salt and pepper to taste
1. Combine rice, oil, soup mix and soy sauce in a large sprayed casserole. Mix well.
2. Insert slicer into food processor. Slice peppers and mushrooms, using light pressure. Drain canned vegetables and reserve liquid. Slice water chestnuts, using firm pressure.
3. Combine all ingredients in casserole and mix well.
4. Cover and bake in a preheated 350 F oven about 1 hour, or until all liquid is absorbed. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings. Keeps 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheats well. May be frozen or prepared in advance.
Variation: Replace onion soup mix with 2 chopped onions. Add 1/2 cup each of chopped carrots and celery. Coarsely chop vegetables on the steel blade, using quick on/off pulses. Add 1 cup firm tofu, cut in 1/2-inch cubes.
Honey Garlic Chicken Wings & Ribs (Bernice Krieger, z”l)
Source: A Ta’am to Remember: Recipes & Recollections from the Terraces of Baycrest
2 dozen chicken wings (about 4 lbs/1.8 kg)
2 lbs/1 kg short ribs (Miami ribs)
Salt to taste
1 jar (12 oz/341 ml) dry garlic spare rib sauce
2 Tbsp honey
1. Rinse chicken wings and short ribs and pat dry. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
2. Arrange in a single layer on a boiling rack over a foil-lined pan.
3. Broil 4 inches from heat on both sides until browned. Discard drippings.
4. Transfer wings and ribs to a large sprayed roasting pan.
5. Combine sauce and honey in a small bowl. Pour evenly over wings and ribs.
6. Cover and bake at 350 F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours, until tender, basting occasionally.
Yield: 6 servings. Reheats and/or freezes well.
Terrace Tips:
- One pound (500 g) of chicken wings contains about 6 wings.
- Miami ribs are short ribs (flanken) that have been sliced very thinly, about 1/4-inch thick. Substitute beef ribs if you prefer.
- Homemade Honey Garlic Sauce: Dissolve 1 tsp instant chicken soup mix in 1 cup water. Add 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup ketchup, 1/4 cup honey and 1 Tbsp dried onion flakes. Mix together and pour over wings in Step 5.
Bernice reminisced: “From 1931 to 1943, my parents and grandparents owned a variety store at the bus terminal at Bay and Dundas, as well as a restaurant next door where we served full-course meals… Martin’s Butcher Shop supplied our meat, which was delivered by horse and wagon. Our restaurant was truly family-run. A Jewish chef, my grandmother (who was a great cook) as well as my father worked in the kitchen. My grandfather was the greeter, because he was so outgoing. I worked as a cashier and waitress from age 20 to 23. I also wrote out copies of the menus by hand. We all worked shifts. Mine started at 6 a.m. and finished at 4:30 in the afternoon!”
Choco-Chew-Chews
Adapted from Second Helpings Please!
6 pkg (170 g) chocolate chips (about 1 cup)
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup chow mein noodles
1. Melt chocolate chips over hot water. Remove from heat and add coconut and noodles. Stir until well coated.
2. Drop from a teaspoon onto a baking sheet that has been lined with waxed paper or parchment paper.
Refrigerate for 1 hour.
Yield: 3 dozen
Norene Gilletz is the leading author of kosher cookbooks in Canada. She is the author of eleven 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].
Photo: The Jacked Up Grill