Matzo Ball Soup

Matzo Ball Soup
Recipe adapted from Bon Appétit

Ingredients

  1. Chicken Stock

  2. Matzo-ball Mixture
    3 large eggs, beaten to blend
    3/4 cup matzo meal
    1/4 cup schmaltz (chicken fat), melted
    3 tablespoons club soda
    1 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt or coarse sea salt

  3. Final Assembly
    2 small carrots, peeled, sliced ¼” thick on a diagonal
    Kosher salt or coarse sea salt
    Coarsely ground fresh black pepper

Preparation
Chicken Stock can be made 2 days ahead. You should have about 8 cups.

Matzo-ball Mixture can be made 1 day ahead. Mix eggs, matzo meal, schmaltz, club soda, and salt in a medium bowl (mixture will resemble wet sand; it will firm up as it rests). Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Final Assembly: Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Scoop out 2-tablespoonful portions matzo-ball mixture and, using wet hands, gently roll into balls. Add matzo balls to water and reduce heat so water is at a gentle simmer (too much bouncing around will break them up). Cover pot, and let your matzo balls simmer until they are cooked through and starting to sink, 20–25 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring chicken stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Add carrots; season with salt. Reduce heat and simmer until carrots are tender, 5–7 minutes.

Remove from heat, add your desired number of matzo balls, and voilà!

Bitter Herbs Salad

Borrowed from Martha Rose Schulman and The New York Times, this bitter herbs salad (and dressing!) is a go-to favorite. It was originally published as a recommendation for Passover, however we continue to make this salad time and time again regardless of the occasion. 

Bitter Herbs Salad
Adapted from The New York Times

Ingredients
2 hearts of romaine lettuce
1 head radicchio
2 endives
2 cups arugula
1 celery stalk, sliced thin
2 scallions, sliced thin
chopped parsley, to taste
chopped fresh dill, to taste
chopped fresh mint, to taste (optional)
1 garlic clove
Kosher salt or coarse sea salt, to taste
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Preparation
Wash and dry the romaine lettuce leaves and break into medium pieces. Separate the radicchio leaves and cut into medium pieces. Rinse and dry the endives and slice crosswise about 3/4 inch thick. Toss together all of the greens, the celery and the scallions in a large salad bowl and sprinkle the herbs over the top.

Skin the garlic clove, cut in half and remove green shoots. Place in a mortar and pestle with a generous pinch of salt and mash to a paste. Work in the lemon juice and then the olive oil. Taste and adjust salt. Transfer to a jar until ready to serve the salad.

Just before serving, shake the dressing in the jar, pour over the salad and toss.

California Cioppino

California Cioppino
San Francisco A La Carte, The Junior League of San Francisco

Ingredients
2 freshly cooked whole crabs, approximately 1 ½ to 2 pounds each
24 clams, well scrubbed
3 cups dry white wine
⅓ cup olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped
2 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
3 ounces tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried basil, or 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
2 pounds fresh white fish such as sea bass, rock cod, halibut, ling cod, cut into large pieces
¾ pound scallops
¾ pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
Chopped fresh parsley

Preparation
Remove the legs and claws from the crab and break the body in half, reserving as much of the soft, mustard-colored center (“crab butter”) as possible. Set crab pieces aside and force the crab butter through a sieve into a small bowl. Set aside. 

Place the clams in a pan, add 1 cup of wine, and steam, covered, over medium heat for 4 to 6 minutes or until clams open. Remove clams, discarding any that do not open. Strain the stock through cheesecloth and reserve.

In an 8-quart heatproof casserole or a kettle, heat the oil. Add the onion, garlic, and green pepper and saute over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for approximately 5 minutes or until vegetables start to soften. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, remaining 2 cups of wine, pepper, herbs, and clam stock. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Add the fish, scallops, shrimp, crab, and crab butter. Simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until all of the seafood is cooked. Do not stir. Add the clams and heat for a scant 1 minute. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately from the cooking pot.

Cinnamon Noodle Kugel

Cinnamon Noodle Kugel
Recipe from Lila Hershey - Serves 8

Ingredients
1 package wide egg noodles
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup golden raisins
2 eggs, whisked
2 cups milk
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation
Boil noodles in salted water until done, around 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat your oven to 350°.

Mix together cottage cheese, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and sour cream. Add beaten eggs, milk, and vanilla. Lastly, add your noodles. Butter a glass baking dish, and add your Kugel mixture. Dot the top of your mixture with butter.

Place in oven, uncovered, for about one hour. Check occasionally to make sure the top of your Kugel is not too brown. When your Kugel is done, a knife will come out fairly clean.

Lila Hershey’s Brisket

Lila Hershey’s Brisket
Recipe serves 8

Ingredients
1 beef brisket, 5-8 pounds, trimmed of all fat
24oz. ketchup
1 package onion soup mix

Preparation
Place trimmed brisket into a large roasting pan. Mix together ketchup and onion soup mix, and coat your brisket thoroughly.

Cover your roasting pan with foil, and let marinate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.

Place covered pan into a 275° oven, and roast for 6 to 8 hours. Cook time will depend on how large the brisket is, however you can easily check to see if it is finished, as your meat should fall apart easily using a fork.