The Shabbat Table: Plan, prepare, plate

Mushroom Chicken
Mushroom Chicken

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! With Passover looming, Amy Stopnicki plans to keeps her Shabbat menu for the next week or two as simple as possible. Amy, the author of Kosher Taste, shares her formula for success in three simple steps: Plan. Prepare. Plate.

Kosher Taste
Kosher Taste

The mother of four, Amy Stopnicki juggles a busy career as an event planner and her family life, but she loves to share her ideas, tricks and strategies in the kitchen. “The warmth of a beautifully set Shabbos table, friends and family together enjoying time and food and the satisfaction when guests dig in for seconds or when your kids enjoy a new dish – it makes the effort all worthwhile.”

Amy’s first book, Gathered Around the Table, was a fundraising project of Netivot Hatorah Day School in Toronto, which she co-edited with Shana Dale Aronson. Amy’s recipe for Apricot Chicken is wonderful for Shabbat if you’re looking for something different:

Each recipe in her beautiful new cookbook, Kosher Taste, follows the same easy-to-follow format:

Plan: “My weekly planning, and even my next Shabbos, usually begins on Sunday. That doesn’t mean I am making my whole Shabbos but I may decide to bake a cake, a pumpkin loaf or even some muffins for the freezer. I usually make what my family calls ‘the soup of the week.’ Friday night is always chicken soup in my house, so this is the chance I have to try any alternate soups.”

Prepare: Amy usually takes Sundays as an opportunity to prep her vegetables and plan her menu for the week. “I do my first shopping on Tuesday or Wednesday and my final fresh produce shopping on Fridays. If I know my Shabbos plans by Tuesday or Wednesday, I will usually start making a Shabbos dish or two at the same time as I am making dinner. As a general rule, when I plan to cook and freeze in advance, these are the foods I start with: Soups. Baked goods. Meats and some sides.”

She adds: “The foods that I don’t usually make in advance are saucy chickens and vegetables. If frozen well, most foods can stay for up to 6 months. If you do want to save time and freeze a saucy chicken, I recommend freezing it in the sauce before cooking, then you can take it out, let it thaw, and it’s ready to cook.”

Amy Stopnicki
Amy Stopnicki

Here is a list of what Amy does for different foods:

  • Cookies and baked goods: Take them out 30-60 minutes before serving.
  • Soups: Take them out 1-2 hours before serving. Let thaw until they release from the container, then transfer directly to a stockpot and defrost on a medium/medium-low heat.
  • Meats and meatballs: These can be taken out 6-8 hours before serving. Let thaw in the sink and reheat when thawed.
  • If you have frozen a soufflé or kugel: I recommend removing from the freezer and putting directly into a warm oven. This will help to control the liquid and bring it back to the texture you intended the dish to have.

Plate: Amy likes her food to look elegant. “There are two ways that I usually serve, either plated (each individual person gets their own plate already decorated and ready to eat) or family style (each dish is plattered and placed on the table for everyone to serve themselves). Either way, I like the food to be presented beautifully.”

She adds: “Fresh herbs are a great way to add flavour. They are also helpful when making your food look good. I love all fresh herbs and use them to garnish when they are featured in a specific recipe. I try to have fresh basil and mint in my house at all times…keep in mind that all fresh herbs need to be cleaned and checked very well for Kashrut purposes.”


SPLIT PEA SOUP WITH CORN

Status: Pareve

Yield: Serves 10-12

Plan 

This soup is comfort food for a cold day. Just make and store. It keeps for up to a week in the refrigerator, and also freezes well.

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

3 large carrots, diced

16 cups water

1 lb dry green split peas, rinsed and drained

1 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups canned corn niblets

Prepare

1. In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium-high heat.

2. Sauté onion, celery and carrots for 5 minutes.

3. Add water and bring to a boil.

4. Stir in split peas and simmer for 45-60 minutes, slightly covered.

5. Add seasonings and purée soup to desired consistency.

6. Add in canned corn and stir.

Plate

Serve it on its own or add sautéed salami pieces for a completely different soup that is delicious.


MUSHROOM CHICKEN

Status: Meat

Yield: Serves 6-8

Plan

The sauce for this chicken can be made and stored for later use. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week, or frozen for up to three months. The chicken can be grilled, if you prefer.

Chicken

8 chicken breasts (boneless, skinless), sliced in half horizontally

2 Tbsp canola oil

salt and pepper to season chicken

Sauce

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 onion, sliced

16 oz mushrooms, cleaned and checked, sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup white wine

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup cold water

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Coat chicken with oil, salt and pepper.

3. Bake for 10 minutes on each side, or until chicken is cooked through.

4. To prepare mushroom sauce, heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.

5. Sauté onions until translucent.

6. Add mushrooms and sauté for another 5 minutes.

7. Add soy sauce and wine, and let reduce for an additional 5 minutes.

8. Mix in flour and cold water, adding slowly to mushroom mixture in stages.

9. Mix continuously until sauce thickens. Pour over chicken.

Plate

Serve this for a weekday or Friday night dinner. Always add sauce directly before serving. It can also be served over your favourite steak or salmon.


SESAME GREEN BEANS

Status: Pareve

Yield: Serves 6-8

Plan

Green beans are a terrific vegetable to have stocked in your fridge. Take them out and they can be cooked and delicious in minutes. To save time, I buy the French green beans because they don’t need to be trimmed.

2 lbs French green beans

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp sesame oil

2 tsp canola oil

1-2 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp sesame seeds

2 Tbsp black sesame seeds

Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare

1. Boil green beans in medium stockpot until bright green in colour, approximately 7 minutes.

2. Combine remaining ingredients in a small jar or cruet.

3. Pour dressing over green beans and toss. 

Plate

These can be served warm, cold or even at room temperature. Great as a side for all occasions.


CHICKEN FRIED RICE WITH MANGO AND PINE NUTS 

Status: Meat

Yield: Serves 6-8

Plan

If you are looking for a different side dish, this is a great one to try. If you don’t like mangoes, you can leave them out or replace with corn niblets, and it will still be a hit.

1 1/2 cups rice (basmati preferred)

2-3 Tbsp canola oil

2 chicken breasts, diced in 1/2-inch cubes

4 green onions, cleaned and checked, chopped

1 red bell pepper, diced

3-4 cloves garlic, finely diced

4 Tbsp soy sauce

3 Tbsp honey

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

Salt, pepper and cayenne to taste

2 mangoes, diced

1/4 cup pine nuts

Prepare

1. Prepare rice according to package directions.

2. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet.

3. Add chicken breast and cook for approximately 4-5 minutes or until almost cooked.

4. Add green onions, bell pepper and garlic and sauté for another 2-3 minutes.

5. Mix in soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar and prepared rice.

6. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne as desired.

7. Stir in mangoes and pine nuts before serving.

Plate

This rice can be served warm or at room temperature. Make it for Friday night dinner and serve it again at room temperature with your Shabbos lunch. Use some fresh chopped celery for added texture.


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].