Bites of Insight: Toasted sesame oil has a delicious unique flavor and is best in Asian dishes. It has a shorter shelf life because it is toasted so keep it refrigerated and it will last three to six months.

Ingredients

2 Tbs sesame or dark toasted sesame oil
1 cup carrot, diced (1 large)
¼ cup string beans, cut into ½-inch pieces
2 cups long grain brown rice, precooked*
¼ cup frozen peas or string beans (cut into ½-inch pieces)
2 eggs, scrambled and chopped
¼ cup scallions, chopped (2 scallions)
1 Tbs fresh ginger juice (3-inch piece)
2 Tbs soy sauce
½ cup peanuts, roasted and chopped or almond slivers

Directions

Preheat oil in pan. Add carrots and string beans, cover, and sauté for 2 minutes on medium heat.
Layer remaining ingredients by adding rice, frozen peas, scrambled eggs, and chopped scallions. Cover without stirring and simmer for 3-4 minutes. If rice is hard and dry, add 1-2 Tbs of water at a time to rehydrate.
Without peeling the ginger, grate it on a fine metal grater such as a handheld cheese grater. Squeeze this ball of ginger over rice mixture to distribute juice evenly. Discard remains. Drizzle in soy sauce and add nuts. Now stir rice thoroughly, making sure all ingredients are distributed evenly. Adjust seasoning with additional soy sauce and ginger according to your preference.

*Use refrigerated leftover long grain rice that has gotten a bit dry for best results!

Notes

Serves 4-6

A KosherEye Signature Recipe

This traditional Italian specialty is one of our favorites – and can be prepared parve, meat or dairy. However, we especially enjoy serving it with a dairy meal.

Ingredients

2 cups raw Arborio Rice
4 ounces mushrooms, chopped
4 Tbsps. butter or olive oil
2 onions, minced
1/2 cup medium or dry white wine
6 cups vegetable broth, like Imagine No Chicken Broth
2 ounces parmesan cheese (optional for dairy)
salt/pepper

Directions

Directions
Saute onion in oil- add rice and sauté until coated
Gently warm broth in a pot on range, until it is simmering
Add dry white wine, stir for about 2 minutes
Add 2 cups hot broth
Keep stirring, gradually adding more broth about 1 cup at a time
Add mushrooms, stirring and continue cooking about 15 min

Notes

Optional: Just before serving stir in parmesan cheese.
If you would like to make this a meat dish, use real chicken broth and olive oil; omit addition of parmesan cheese.

Serves about 8-10 as a side dish; Serve warm

This can be prepared parve, dairy or meat

Recipe, kosher, dairy, parve or meat

Adapted from The New Jewish Table by Ellen Kassoff Gray and Todd Gray

Todd: We like to use red bliss potatoes because they are less starchy than russets or Idahos, and therefore caramelize well, so they lend themselves perfectly to roasting You can substitute with low-starch potatoes, like Yukon Golds or fingerlings. Cloves of garlic cooked in their skins add an interesting element to the dish (if you peel them, they would burn). If you press down on the sides of them with the side of your forks, the flesh should pop out easily. Eating a bit of roasted garlic with each bite of potato is just a delight.

Ingredients

1 pound Red Bliss new potatoes
1/2 cup canola oil
12 whole garlic cloves, in their skins
1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
2 large sprigs fresh rosemary, broken into 3-inch pieces

Directions

Blanch the potatoes. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to boiling over high heat. Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into quarters. Drop the potatoes into the boiling water and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside to dry (pat dry with a kitchen towel if they don't air-dry quickly—they need to be dry in order to brown evenly).

Roast the potatoes. Heat the oil in a 14-inch ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Add the potatoes and cook without stirring until caramelized (slightly golden)—about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic cloves. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast until the potatoes are cooked through and browned evenly—8 to 10 minutes.

Season the potatoes. Remove the pan with the potatoes from the oven and add the butter and rosemary; stir until the butter is melted and well incorporated. Add the salt and pepper; taste the potatoes and add more salt or pepper if you wish. Drain on paper towels, transfer to a serving bowl, and serve.

Serves 4 to 6

Notes

Roasting Potatoes:
Ellen: Knowing how to roast potatoes perfectly, so they are brown and crisp on the outside and fluffy on the inside, is a telltale sign of a good cook.
Todd: There's really not that much to it. You have to start out with a low-starch potato. When I use red bliss potatoes, I don't bother to peel them because the skins are thin and look so nice. I quarter them, blanch them in boiling water for several minutes, dry them, sauté them in hot oil to caramelize them on all sides, oven roast them, and then finish them with some butter (or olive oil) and rosemary.

Recipe: Kosher, side dish

By Rebbitzin Rifki Freundlich

Choose any combination of vegetables and colors, grilled or roasted. To serve: arrange by color.
"I serve mine on a square, white serving piece. This dish can be served at room temperature and is therefore perfect for Shabbat lunch".

Ingredients

Suggested Vegetables for Grilling:

Green: diagonal slices of washed (not peeled) zucchini
Yellow: diagonal slices of washed (not peeled) yellow squash
Red: purple-sliced onion
Yellow/Orange/Red: peppers flayed, seeded and cut into 4 pieces or
Assortedcolors of mini peppers- seeded and halved
ExtraVirgin olive oil, salt, garlic powder

SuggestedVegetables for Oven Roasting
Red: beets- peeled (with gloves on) and sliced
Green: baby/petite zucchini or pencil-thin asparagus (appropriately checked) or garlic sautéed green beans
Orange: petite carrots with stems still on top

Directions

Grilling:
Drizzle olive oil and shake spices over prepared vegetables. Grill (or roast) cleaned, drained vegetables by color. "As I'm grilling or roasting, I keep the vegetables separated by color so that serving in rows of color will be easier. An outside grill or the Nordic grill pan on the stove can be used."

Oven Roasting:
Red: Arrange beets on parchment on a cookie sheet and roast at 425 until juice is running and slices are tender.

Green: Arrange Baby/petite zucchini on a cookie sheet and roast at 425 until skin just begins to blacken and blister
Or roast pencil-thin asparagus (appropriately checked)
Or prepare garlic sautéed green beans
"I make these in a frying pan as follows: Heat olive oil in pan and add 2-3 bags of petite green beans. After 5 minutes, add 4-6 frozen garlic cubes* and sauté for another 7 minutes or until some beans begin to blacken and crisp."
Orange Petite carrots- Arrange flat on a cookie sheet and roast at 425 until carrots are soft.

Notes

Separate vegetables by color, and if possible, present on a white serving platter. Delicious at room temperature.

Recipe, Kosher, vegetables, parve, grill or oven roast

Adapted from a Zojirushi Bread Machine recipe

Ingredients

3 cups Strawberries cut into 2-4 pieces each (If frozen berries are used, defrost before adding to the ingredients.
¾ cup sugar
1 Tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

Lightly mash strawberries before adding to the baking pan
Select the JAM course and press the start button
When the course completes, remove the pan and carefully remove the jam with a silicone or rubber spatula. The jam will thicken when refrigerated, but will remain pourable. It is delicious on toast, yogurt and ice cream or blintzes.

Notes

For more Zojirushi Virtuoso recipes visit: Zojirushi Virtuoso Recipes

Recipe, strawberry jam, made in bread machine, kosher

By Rachel Willen, foodfixkitchen.com

A simple preparation that yields a mouth wateringly tender potato with a crispy shell. Just as satisfying as mashed potatoes, but without all the butter and cream.

Ingredients

16-20 small red potatoes (2-inches in diameter)
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

Wash the potatoes thoroughly, lightly scrubbing with a sponge or vegetable brush because you will be eating the skin. Place the washed potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by an extra two inches. Bring to a boil then turn down to a gentle boil and cook for 10-12 minutes or until they are tender, but not too soft, when pierced with a toothpick. You don't want to test them with a fork because they may break apart. Use a toothpick, skewer or cake tester. The potato is done when the item inserted goes in easily and slides out easily.

Drain the potatoes. Take one potato at a time, place it on a flat surface and gently smash or crush it down with your palm, not enough to flatten it completely, but enough to crack the skin in several places and create an thick "disk" of a potato. Again, don't smash it so that it will fall apart, you want it to maintain it's integrity so you can pick it up whole. Repeat with all the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a cast iron, or other heavy skillet over a medium-high flame. Add 1 tablespoon of canola oil and 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or enough of both oils to cover the bottom of the pan with about ¼ inch of oil. When the oil is heated and shimmering, place the potatoes, flattened side down, in the pan. Resist the urge to move them around and let them crisp and brown sufficiently before you do, 1-2 minutes. A good sign that they've "seared" is that if you shake the pan, they will slide around.

When they are a nice crispy brown, turn them and brown them on the other side.
Remove potatoes from pan, and place them on a plate lined with a paper towel. Season again with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve hot.

Notes

Serves 4

Recipe: Kosher, vegetarian, parve

Adapted from a recipe submitted by Rebbetzin Lori Palatnik, JRWP

Ingredients:

Potatoes, cut up
Oil (canola or olive)
Paprika
Hot Paprika
Garlic Powder
Non-stick spray

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut up potatoes (at least 1 large potato per person), leave skins on. Pour some oil over and stir, coating each potato lightly. Sprinkle generously with spices. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Servings: 1 large potato per person

Adapted from a recipe shared by Rebbetzin Lori Palatnik, JRWP
This kugel known as "THE" carrot kugel is A STAR kugel at the Palatnik table

Ingredients:

2 lbs carrots (to save peeling time, use two bags of baby carrots –which do not need kosher certificaton.
5 eggs (I've used less and it's fine)
1 1/2 cups sugar (I use Sucanat; I left this out entirely once and people still asked for more, sometimes I use just 1 C)
1/2 C oil
4 Tablespoons flour (I use barley or spelt... but you can use white too)
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoon vanilla
dash of cinnamon and salt

Topping:

Use equal parts of each, about 6 Tablespoons- but I usually use more)
Unflavored bread crumbs (I use oatmeal)
Vegetable oil
Brown sugar
Dash of cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350
Cook the carrots ( I do this in Zip n' Steam bags usually but you can boil them in water and then save the water to use for chicken soup and its delicious! just more time consuming)

Blend the carrots until they are the consistency of baby food (I use an immersion blender)

Add the remainder of the ingredients and mix well (I use the whisk attachment on the immersion blender)
Bake uncovered for 40 min

Combine the topping ingredients; remove the casserole from oven and add the topping
Bake uncovered another 30 minutes -All done

Pan size: In general, one recipe will fit into an 8x8 pan or Pyrex, or a 9 inch spring form We just serve it with a spoon. This recipe freezes well and can be made Pesach friendly by substituting potato starch for flour and matzah farfel for bread crumbs/oatmeal

8-10 servings

We suggest that when preparing this sauce as a topping for latkes, add the lemon, cloves and ginger just to taste. Also, we suggest a squeeze or two of honey to add extra sweetness!

Ingredients:

4 small red-skinned apples, cored and cut into eighths
4 ripe Bartlett pears, cored and cut into eighths
1 thick slice lemon
1 cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root
1/2 cup water

Directions:

Place apples, pears, lemon, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and water in a large soup pot and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer, stirring often, until apples are completely tender, 15 to 20 minutes. 

If using, remove the lemon, cinnamon stick and whole cloves. Let sauce cool slightly. Transfer to a blender and puree until as smooth as desired. Serve warm, room temperature, or cold. Store in the refrigerator.

Optional:
This sauce does not require cooking. Place all ingredients in a blender, such as a Vitamix and whirl until desired consistency.

Yield:
Approximately 5 cups

by KosherEye.com

Where is it written that freshly grated potatoes are the only way to make great potato latkes? For those of us who are short on time but love the taste of these fried Hanukkah treats, fear not...we have a solution that will produce great latkes in a fraction of the time. We use frozen hash brown potatoes, add some extra ingredients and, presto, crispy, golden, yummy latkes.

Ingredients:

1 16-ounce bag Alexia Hash Brown Potatoes, defrosted if frozen*
1 small onion, grated or to taste
2 large eggs, slightly beaten
Scant 1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt, optional*
Canola oil for frying

Directions:

Squeeze the excess moisture from the defrosted potatoes.

Using a spoon, mix the first 6 ingredients together in a large bowl until thoroughly combined.

Pour about 1/4 inch of oil into a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, drop spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the oil; flatten slightly with the back of the spoon. When the first side is brown and crispy, turn over and brown the other side.  Remove the browned latkes with a slotted spatula  to a platter or large baking sheet pan lined with paper towels to drain.  Continue frying, and adding additional oil with each batch, until done.

Serve warm with homemade apple sauce, sour cream with chives, smoked salmon & cream cheese, or the topping of your choice.

Smoked Salmon & Cream Cheese
Combine 4 ounces of minced smoked salmon or crumbled smoked trout, 2 ounces of softened cream cheese,  2 tablespoons of minced red onion, 1 tablespoon of rinsed, minced capers and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. Use sour cream as needed to thin out the spread. Place a spoonful on top of each latke and sprinkle with chopped fresh dill or add the chopped dill to the mixture.

Notes:

Yield: Makes about 12 large latkes or 24 small ones.

*We added very little salt because Alexia potatoes are pre–seasoned.  We did add additional pepper.

Tips:
Potato mixture can be prepared, covered and refrigerated up to 6 hours before frying.  Stir to combine before using. To re-heat fried latkes: Place the latkes on a cookie sheet and heat in a 400-degree oven until hot.

Recipes: Side Dishes, Potato Latkes, Parve (Dairy Toppings), Kosher