from: Spike's and Jamie's Recipe Collection

Many of these recipes have not yet been added to the recipe web site - so you are getting a "sneak peak" of future additions. We hope you enjoy these recipes.

Spike's comments are in {{brackets}}

Shalom, from Spike the Grate and Jamie the Webmistress

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KOSHER CHICKEN A LA KING

“Since the kosher laws prohibit the cooking of milk with meat or fowl, chicken a la king was a forbidden dish until clever cooks found out how to omit the cream and still succeed with the taste. This recipe, created by Chef Otto Gromer of the Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel, is fit not only for a king, but even for a rabbi.”

The Israeli Cookbook, published 1964.

1 large chicken (about 5 lbs.)
7 1/2 tbsp margarine
3 tbsp flour
1 1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 clove garlic, minced
dash of white pepper
dash of mace or nutmeg
1 fleshy green pepper
1 red pimiento
1 cup sliced mushrooms
2 egg yolks

Cut up the chicken and cook in a shallow pan with water to cover about 35 minutes, or until the meat can be removed from the bones and diced into 1-inch chunks. Reduce the stock to 1 1/2 cups by boiling briskly. Melt 3 tbsp of margarine, add the flour, and when the mixture bubbles, stir in the chicken stock and wine. Flavor with the garlic, white pepper, and made or nutmeg. Dice the pepper and pimiento, add the mushrooms, and sauté in 3 more tablespoons margarine. Add to the chicken and keep hot. Put the chicken stock sauce into a blender. Slowly add the remaining margarine and the egg yolks, and blend until the mixture is white. Add this sauce to the remaining ingredients, and mix carefully. Serve in patty shells.

Serves 6

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ONIONS AND PRUNES

{{The French Jews of Alsace were known for their interesting mixtures of veggies and fruits. This one is very good. Try it!}}

1 1/2 pounds firm onions
4 tbsp margarine
1 lb prunes

Select onions about the size of prunes. Peel and sauté them gently in the margarine over low heat. Soak the prunes for 30 minutes, and then add to the onions. Cook until tender (20 to 30 minutes). If necessary, a very little water may be added to keep the ingredients from frying quickly.

Serves 6.

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THE FREEDOM FRUITCAKE

During the siege of Jerusalem, no food or water came into the city for weeks.

The fruits dried on their trees. The wife of the President, Mrs. Ben-Zwi, gathered the dried fruits, added some items that were in their pantry, and fed it to the children.

{{This recipe uses self-rising flour. To make a supply of it, mix the following ingredients:

8 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons Baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt

Combine ingredients and sift them together 3 times. Store in a well-sealed plastic bag. Use in any recipe calling for self-rising flour.}}

Freedom Fruit Cake:
2 cups self-rising flour 
1/2 cup water
1 egg
1 cup chopped dried figs
1/2 cup grated carob or chopped dates
2 large apples, chopped
1 tsp cinnamon
dash ginger
dash allspice
dash cloves
1 cup sugar, plus powdered sugar for topping 

Mix the flour, water, and egg, and let the dough rest for a few hours. Roll it out and stretch it as thinly as possible. In a greased baking dish, alternate layers of the dough with layers of the fruits, sprinkling the fruit with spices and sugar. Bake at 350 F. for 50 to 60 minutes. Sprinkle the top pastry with powdered sugar immediately after it is baked. Cut while the cake is still warm.

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OKRA IN TOMATO SAUCE

1 lb minced meat
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup olive oil
2 onions, chopped fine
2 lbs young, fresh okra
2 lbs fresh tomatoes
2 tsp sugar
salt and pepper to taste
juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix the meat with the garlic and make into meat balls the size of marbles. Fry in the oil. Remove the meat balls. Fry the onions. Remove. Cut the stem top and tip from each pod and fry lightly in the oil. Grate the tomatoes and add. Season with the sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook until the okra is almost soft (12-15 minutes). Stir in the lemon juice, then cover with the meatballs. Cover the pot and simmer over very low heat until the sauce is thick (about 30 minutes). Serve hot or cold, with rice that has been cooked in chicken broth. Serves 8.

{{Spike thinks that you could add some file` spices and have gumbo.}}

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KOCH KAESE

4 cups creamed cottage cheese
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp caraway seeds
2 egg yolks, well beaten
1 tbsp flour well mixed into 
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter

Press cheese through a fine sieve. Place in a bowl, cover, and leave at room temperature for 10 days. Stir twice during that time. Now place all ingredients

in a 2-quart sauce pan, bring to a boil, turn the heat to medium-low, and cook until the cheese becomes quite thick, about 3/4 hour. Stir almost constantly during the last 10 minutes. Pour into a dish rinsed in cold water, and chill. If it is to be kept for some time, cover the cheese with a cloth dipped in, and wrung out of beer. This cheese is excellent for rye bread sandwiches and appetizers. Makes 2 cups.

{{Spike thinks one could omit the caraway seeds and add cinnamon, and have a lovely spread for bagels or graham crackers. Spooned onto a snack cracker such as Triscuit or Ritz, with an olive half added, it would be a nice canapé.}}

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TOMATO ASPIC

{{When I was 13 and in love with Irvin (age 14), we were together most of the time that we weren’t in school. His mother invited my family to their house for dinner.

She served tomato aspic. Both Irvin and I thought it was the most horrible substance imaginable. After an interval of 55 years, Irvin came to see me. We were so busy brushing up on our kissing skills, we didn’t think about tomato aspic. I have acquired a taste for it, however, and this recipe is excellent.}}

1 envelope unflavored vegetable gelatin
1/4 cup cold water
2 cups tomato juice
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp salt
1 5sp grated onion
1 tsp sugar
1 bay leaf
1 tbsp chopped celery leaves
1 cup diced raw vegetables
1/4 cup chopped stuffed olives

Soak gelatin in the water for 5 minutes. Place tomato juice and all remaining ingredients except veggies and olives in a saucepan, bring to a boil, and cook 2 minutes. Add gelatin and stir until dissolved. Strain. Chill until it just begins to thicken. Add veggies and olives, and pour into 5 individual molds or one 3-cup mold. Use such veggies as finely diced green pepper, celery, carrots, and grated cabbage. Un-mold the aspic on lettuce, and serve with mayonnaise. Double the recipe for a 1 1/2 quart ring mold. 

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DOBOS TORTE

6 eggs, separated
1 cup super-fine sugar (whirl granulated sugar in blender for about 5 minutes)
1 cup sifted cake flour
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate bits
3 tbsp boiling water
3 eggs, not separated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 pound unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cut out six 8-inch circles of white paper. Place in six 8-inch layer cake pans. If only 3 pans are available, use each pan twice. Grease the paper.

Beat the 6 egg yolks and the super-fine sugar until light and thick. Sift the cake flour and salt over the mixture and fold in lightly. Beat the 6 egg whites until stiff but not dry, and fold into the mixture. Spread the batter evenly over the papers in the pans and bake at 375 F. for about 8 minutes, until a delicate brown. Invert on racks, remove the papers, and cool. This makes 6 thin layers.

Place the chocolate bits and water in the upper part of a double boiler over boiling water until the chocolate is melted. Beat the un-separated eggs and sugar until light and thick. Add to the chocolate and stir until as smooth and thick as a cream sauce. Remove from the heat, add butter and vanilla, and beat until blended. Chill about 15 minutes, until stiff enough to spread. Spread between the layers, but not over the top or sides of the cake. Cover, if desired, with a caramel glaze made by melting 1/2 cup sugar until light brown. Pour over the cake as soon as the sugar melts, and immediately, before it can harden, cut through it with a sharp knife into 12 wedges. If preferred, Chocolate Frosting may be used in place of the glaze. Set the cake in the fridge for 24 hours before serving.

Serves 12.

{{Spike does not know what “dobos” means, but this dessert appears to be quite marvelous! I believe one could make the meringues as stated above, and then fill this with any creamy concoction. Blackberry curd comes to mind. It could be topped with whipped cream.

We recommend whipping the cream (chilled whipping cream, chilled beaters, chilled bowl) until quite thick and then adding a small bit of powdered sugar before the final beating into soft peaks. Granulated sugar added to whipped cream seems to liquefy, and thin the cream excessively.}}

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CANAPES

{{We have Gatherings approximately every six weeks. There are about 30 of us who like to get together, make music, make nice conversations, have hugs and small kisses, and enjoy good food. We all contribute to the menu, which offers many choices. We seldom have anything as “formal” as canapés. Among my Jewish recipes, lurk some self-service spreads and dips that will work quite well at our next Gathering.}} 

Canape bases:

potato chips
tortilla chips
cocktail crackers
small rounds of toasted sourdough bread
small rounds of rye bread (cocktail rye)
raw veggies cut into convenient sizes
chopped olives
minced bell peppers
Mexican salsa
cottage cheese (seasoned with pepper and herbs)
sour cream for toppings
caviar
small pickled veggies

Chopped liver:

1 lb broiled poultry, baby beef, or calf’s liver
2 stalks celery, diced
2 hard-cooked eggs
1 large onion, finely minced
1/3 cups chicken fat
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Remove all gristle and membrane from the liver. Put liver, celery, and eggs through the finest blade of the food chopper three times. Cook the onion in the fat over low heat until soft but not brown. Add to the liver with the salt and pepper. Mix to a smooth paste. If you wish, more fat, salt, and pepper may be added to taste. Makes 3 cups

Chopped herring:

1 large matjes herring, soaked overnight
1 large onion
1 large sour apple, peeled and cored
1 slice white bread
2 tbsp vinegar
1 tsp salad oil
1/16 tsp ground cinnamon
1/16 tsp pepper

remove head and tail from herring. Skin and bone. Grind herring, onion, and apple fine. Soak the bread in the vinegar, mash well, and add. Season with oil, cinnamon, and pepper. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Guacamole:

1 large ripe avocado
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp fresh chili powder
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp finely grated onion
2 tsp mayonnaise

{{Spike has a really neat way of chopping an avocado: cut it in half, and hold the half without the pit in your secondary hand. With your primary hand and a short paring knife, cut squares in the flesh of the avocado, without piercing the rind.

Make, for instance, five longitudinal cuts and seven cuts across those. With a large spoon, scoop out the flesh and put into the waiting bowl. Remove the pit from the other half, and repeat the cutting and spooning process. Now is the time to squirt the lemon juice over the avocado so that it won’t rust while you mash the flesh. It is a very simple matter, now, to mash the flesh with a fork. 

When you want pieces of avocado in your green salad, prepare it the same way. Just be sure you are quick with the lemon – or lime – juice.}}

Mash the avocado as above, until perfectly smooth. Add all the other ingredients except mayonnaise and blend well. Put into a serving dish, and spread the mayo over the top. Chill for no more than 1 hour before serving. If you like, mince a fresh tomato into it, and/or 1/4 cup chopped olives.

Avocado with cream cheese:

1 large ripe avocado
3 oz cream cheese
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp finely grated onion
1/4 tsp salt. 

Prepare avocado as above, mashing with the lemon juice. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until very smooth. You can also add 1/4 cup finely chopped nuts or a minced cucumber.

Cheese and nut spread or dip:

3 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp cream
1 cup finely chopped nut meats
1/8 tsp salt. 

Cream all ingredients until smooth. Form into small balls, chill, and serve on picks. It can also be used as a dip or spread. You can add 1/2 cup of finely minced green bell pepper or 1/4 cup chopped olives.

{{Spike wants to make sure that small plates are provided to the guests so they can avoid being awkward. It is uncomfortable when one is required to balance their champagne, iced tea, soda, or other beverage and their snacks while looking for a place to sit. Further, napkins should be easily available to all.}}

See ya next time!