Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom! Fall is in the air and it’s time to think of heartier meals to serve for Shabbat. I thought it would be fun to serve some scrumptious “Secret Restaurant Recipes,” using mix-and-match recipes from different kosher restaurants around the world.

Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek, co-authors of the popular Made Easy cookbook series, explored the kitchens of restaurants from Miami to Manhattan, from L.A. to London. Their book, Secret Restaurant Recipes from the World’s Top Kosher Restaurants (Artscroll), contains a collection of 80 amazing recipes from 65 Kosher restaurants around the globe, including Canada, the US, Mexico, Italy, Panama, and Israel. Adapted for the home cook, Leah and Victoria include recipes, tips, techniques, and cooking secrets from today’s most acclaimed kosher chefs, as well as magnificent photos.

Looking for something new to serve? Enjoy a taste of Jerusalem with salad ideas from the famed Café Rimon and Red Heifer bistros, or Rockport Salad from Milk Street Café in Boston. Try Eggplant Chicken in Garlic Sauce from Segal’s Oasis Grill in Phoenix. If you’re in the mood for dairy, try poutine from PizzaPita Pasta Bar in Montreal. For dessert, what about Zeppoli Cinnamon Doughnuts from Tierra Sur, at the Herzog Winery in Oxnard, CA?

Schapira and Dwek write: “This book isn’t only for the nights when you want to recreate that dinner for two at home. Restaurants also mean family time, so there are lots of family-friendly options too. And of course, we also bring restaurant inspiration to our Shabbat and holiday meals, and more.”

PORTOBELLO MUSHROOM SOUP (Pareve)

Restaurant: Omni Jewels & Java Café, Toronto.

Sautéed portobello mushrooms are cooked in a homemade vegetable stock and blended until smooth. This is Java’s iconic soup that’s been on the menu for the past 12 years.

The salt content of commercial vegetable stocks and your own homemade stock will vary. No matter which you’re using, taste after blending to determine the right amount of additional salt needed, if any.

2 Tbsp oil

1 large sweet onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 lbs (about 8 large) Portobello mushrooms, gills removed, finely diced

10 cups homemade vegetable stock (recipe follows), divided

Kosher salt, to taste (see Note)

Pinch coarse black pepper

1. Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is soft, about 7 minutes.
2. Lower heat, add mushrooms, and cook very slowly, until most of the mushroom liquid has evaporated, 20-25 minutes. (Patience when eliminating the water in the mushrooms in this step will make the difference between a rich and flavorful soup and a watery soup.)
3. Add 2 cups stock and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add remaining vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Cook for 45-60 minutes.
4. Puree in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 8 servings

Note: The salt content of commercial vegetable stocks and your own homemade stock will vary. No matter which you’re using, taste after blending to determine the right amount of additional salt needed, if any.

HOMEMADE VEGETABLE STOCK (Pareve)

At Java, this broth is a must-have base for soups, sauces, and many other dishes.

A variety of vegetables (onions, carrots, celery, zucchini, cabbage, and/or green beans)

Your choice of seasoning (kosher salt, pepper, garlic, and bay leaves)

1.Place vegetables and seasonings into a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.

2. Reduce heat and let simmer for 1 hour. Strain. Your broth is now ready to use.

Note: Cremini and baby bella mushrooms are simply younger (and hence, smaller) versions of portobello (creminis are the smallest; baby bellas are a week more mature). Because full-sized Portobellos ripen further, their gills darken. To save time, you can use pre-washed and sliced baby bella mushrooms in this recipe instead of portobellos. You will still need to dice them finely. All sizes of the mushroom have a flavor that’s much more intense than their white button cousins.

CHINESE-STYLE GLAZED CORNED BEEF (Meat)

Yussi’s (2 locations in Lakewood, N.J.)

Owner: Yussi Weisz

Executive chef: Shmuli Schwinger

Yussi Weisz is the king of takeout in Lakewood. The original location, Yussi’s Deli, buzzes on Thursdays and Fridays, when local residents pop in for their Shabbos must-haves: six varieties of hummus, coleslaw, spicy mayo, herring, chicken with kishka, pepper-crusted roast, and the most popular meat: this Chinese-Style Glazed Corned Beef, with its sweet and salty Asian glaze.

Construction for the first Yussi’s location began on September 11, 2001. The deli and takeout opened the following January. Yussi was only 21 years old at the time. As a yeshivah boy, he had been known for making and selling a good cholent.

4-5 lb first cut pickled corned beef

1 cup low sodium soy sauce

1 cup duck sauce

2 Tbsp chopped garlic

1 1/4 cups brown sugar

1/4 cup teriyaki sauce

14 tsp red #40 (food coloring), optional

1. Add corned beef to a large pot. Cover generously with water. Bring water to a boil over high heat and let cook for 2 hours. Remove from heat and let corned beef cool in the water. At this point, the pot can be covered and left to cool in the refrigerator overnight if desired.
2. In a medium bowl or jar, combine soy sauce, duck sauce, garlic, brown sugar, teriyaki sauce, and red #40 (optional).
3. Preheat oven to 375 F.
4. Place corned beef on a baking sheet. Cover very well with sauce. Bake for 30 minutes, or until edges crisp up. Let cool before slicing.

Yield: 8-10 servings

SESAME CHICKEN (Meat)

Kosher Chinese Express, Manalapan, N.J.

Owner/chef: Dianfei Jiang

Kosher Chinese Express is a family business, now in its second generation. The sesame chicken has been one of the most popular dishes on the menu for all of the restaurant’s 21 years in business. You’ll love these double-fried dark chicken nuggets, with a sweet and salty glaze, sprinkled with sesame seeds.

2 lb boneless dark chicken thighs, cut into 1/2–inch squares (you can also make this with boneless chicken breasts)

2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Pinch coarse black pepper
1 egg white

1/3 cup cornstarch

Oil, for frying

Sesame seeds, for sprinkling

Sauce:

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 scallion, finely chopped

1/2 cup water

3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

5 Tbsp sugar

5 Tbsp white or rice vinegar

2 Tbsp cornstarch, dissolved in 1/4 cup water

1. Place chicken into a medium bowl. Add water to cover; add baking soda. Stir; marinate for 1 hour to tenderize. Rinse chicken well.
2. In a medium bowl, combine chicken, salt, pepper, and egg white. Sprinkle in cornstarch and stir to coat the chicken.
3. Heat oil in a wok. When hot, fry chicken in batches, about 3 minutes. Drain each batch as you dry additional chicken. Return each back to wok and fry again until crispy, 3-4 minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm. Pour off oil from wok, leaving about 1 Tbsp to prepare the sauce.
4. Prepare the sauce: Heat oil in a clean wok over high heat. Add garlic and scallion. Stir for 1-2 minutes, being careful no to burn. Add water, soy sauce, sugar and vinegar. Bring to a boil and adds in cornstarch mixture, cooking until sauce is thick and sticky. Add in chicken and toss to coat. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Yield: 4 servings

Notes:

• To add some spice to your sesame chicken, add some chili oil while sautéing the garlic.
• In place of the soy sauce, the restaurant uses a Chinese “brown sauce,” otherwise known as “the mother sauce” or “base sauce.” Brown sauce is an American soy-based sauce. It’s usually made out of chicken stock and soy sauce, and flavored with aromatics such as garlic and ginger. Light soy sauce is a good replacement in this version. You can make your own by adding 1 tsp chopped garlic, 1 tsp minced ginger, 1 chopped scallion, 4 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 Tbsp sugar, and 2 Tbsp cooking wine to 1 cup boiling chicken or vegetable stock. Let sit until cool and strain through a sieve.

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].