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Welcome to Spike's & Jamie's "Spike’s Good Eatin’ Recipe Collection Archives"!!  Here we store all the back issues of the original "Spike’s Good Eatin’ Recipe Collection" and of the "Spike’s Jewish Good Eatin’ Recipe Collection". These newsletters were written by Spike (Jann McCormick) and published by Jamie from 2000 until Spike's death in 2008.  Spike loved to cook and share her cooking with those she loved.  Sharing her recipes was the next best thing.

[Spike’s Jewish Good Eatin’ Recipes]  [Spike’s Good Eatin’ Recipe Collection]  

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

Shalom, from Spike the Grate and Jamie the Webmistress

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[] Passover is fast approaching. We know that nearly everybody has family recipes; however, sometimes they need to be supplemented or refreshed. Some of these may help. []

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[] For the perfect appetizer, we offer the following: []

GEFILTE FISH PATE
A classic Jewish dish, this elegant and easy gefilte fish version is cooked in a bundt pan, cooled, and sliced into appetizers.

1-1/2 pounds whitefish fillets
1-1/2 pounds pike fillets
4 medium sweet onions, peeled and diced (about 2 pounds)
3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
4 large eggs
2 cups cold water
6 tablespoons matzoh meal
1 tablespoon salt or to taste
2 teaspoons ground white pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 large carrots, peeled and grated
Parsley for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 F. Spray a 12-cup bundt pan with vegetable oil.

Place whitefish and pike fillets in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Pulse to a fine grind, but do not puree.

Gently sautè the sweet onion in the oil until translucent, but not browned. Let cool to room temperature.

In a large bowl, combine fish, onion, eggs, water, matzoh meal, salt, pepper, and sugar on medium speed with an electric mixer for about 15 minutes. Add grated carrot and mix well.

Pour into prepared bundt pan and smooth the top. Place the bundt pan into a larger pan. Pour 2 inches of water into the bottom of the larger pan to create a water bath around the bundt pan. Bake for 1 hour. Remove, cover with aluminum foil and bake an additional 1 hour or until center is solid.

When done, let cool on a rack or trivet for 5 minutes, then invert gelfilte fish onto a serving platter. Refrigerate 4 hours or overnight.

Garnish with parsley. Slice and serve as an appetizer.

Yield: 20 appetizer servings

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[] Here is “Jewish penicillin” at its finest! It is good even when you are healthy! []

ABSOLUTE BEST PASSOVER CHICKEN BROTH

1 whole (3-4 pounds) Empire chicken (the best - but any fresh chicken
will do)
1 medium turnip quartered
2 leeks white part only cleaned thoroughly and quartered
1 small rutabaga quartered
3 ribs of celery with leaves halved
12 parsley stems
2 large carrots quartered
2 large onions quartered
8 peppercorns crushed
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Kosher or coarse salt
Salt and pepper to taste

Clean the chicken and discard giblets or any other presents you've been given in the cavity. Salt the entire chicken inside and out liberally with kosher or coarse salt. Let chicken stand for 35 minutes. Wash salt from chicken and place in a medium to large stockpot. Cover chicken with all the other ingredients except salt and pepper. Cover with 4 or 5 quarts of cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then immediately reduce the heat to simmer. Simmer for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, occasionally skimming the foam from the top. Remove the chicken to a large platter when it is still firm and not falling apart. Remove the meat from the chicken and save for sandwiches (no bread during Passover!) and salads. Then take the bones and return them to the pot and simmer for one more hour. Strain the soup into a large bowl and discard everything in the strainer. Refrigerate long enough to allow hardened fat to form on surface, then simply remove the fat. Bring back up to heat with salt and pepper to taste.

Note: You can add more vegetables at this point or start the process again for a really rich broth. That's the way Chinese chicken stock is prepared sometimes using as many as six or eight chickens.

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[] Brisket is always good for the Seder, or really, for any other nice dinner. Here are a couple of recipes. []

BEEF BRISKET WITH ONION-LEMON MARMALADE & SWEET POTATOES Cooked long and slow, beef brisket becomes incredibly tender. This recipe makes its own sweet and sour pan gravy.

1 beef brisket (5 to 6 pounds)
2 medium-size onions, thinly sliced
2 medium-size lemons, thinly sliced
1 cup port wine or apple juice
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon dry marjoram leaves
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
8 to 10 medium-size sweet potatoes (about 5 pounds total)
8 kale leaves, rinsed and drained, optional

Trim and discard excess fat from beef brisket. In a 12- by 18-inch roasting pan, place onion slices and 3/4 of lemon slices; enclose remaining lemon in plastic wrap and chill. Lay beef brisket on top of onion and lemon. Mix together port wine or apple juice, brown sugar, and marjoram; stir until sugar dissolves, then pour evenly over brisket. Sprinkle brisket with pepper and cover roasting pan tightly with foil. Bake in a 300 degrees F. oven until brisket is very tender when pierced, about 4 hours.

Meanwhile, about 1-1/2 hours before beef brisket is scheduled to be done, pierce each sweet potato with a fork and set on oven rack alongside or above brisket. When brisket is tender, uncover pan and return it to the oven to brown the meat slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove beef brisket from pan and place on a platter; keep warm. When sweet potatoes are soft when pressed, remove them from oven, add to brisket platter, and keep warm.

Skim off and discard fat from pan juices. Place the roasting pan over high heat; boil juices, uncovered, stirring often. As the mixture thickens, reduce heat to medium and stir constantly; cook until thick and shiny, and reduced to about 1-1/2 cups, 20 to 30 minutes. Spoon marmalade over beef brisket, then garnish with reserved chilled lemon slices. Decorate platter with kale leaves. To serve, slice beef brisket across grain.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings.

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TRADITIONAL YIDDISH BRISKET

6 to 8 pounds beef brisket
3 to 4 cloves of crushed garlic
7 to 8 carrots, peeled and cubed
3 to 4 parsnips, peeled and cubed
2 to 3 onions, diced
2 to 3 pounds potatoes, peeled (can be whole or cubed)
Whole peppercorns
5 to 6 bay leaves
All the dill you can find (you can never have too much)
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Flour for dredging

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Rub the crushed garlic cloves into the roast, or cut slits and inset cloves of garlic directly into the meat. Combine salt and pepper and flour (I use a large plastic bag) and coat the brisket with this mixture.

Place all of the vegetables in the bottom of a large Dutch oven (use the heavy enamel on cast iron one for even heat distribution). Add the peppercorns and the bay leaves. Place the brisket, fat side up, on top of the bed of vegetables. Place the dill on top of the brisket. Place in oven at 375 degrees F for about 15 minutes.

Add enough water to now cover some of the vegetables -- you want to create some steam to soften and moisten the meat, but not too much. Cover roaster. Reduce heat to 325 deg. F.

Roast for about 45 minutes per pound of brisket, or until the meat is done.

Serves 8

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[] The asparagus seems inordinately good this year. The fat stalks are so sweet and very tender, as well. []

ASPARAGUS WITH LEMON MATZO CRUMBLE

Asparagus
4 pounds asparagus
4 tablespoons melted pareve margarine
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Matzo Crumble
4 tablespoons pareve margarine
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 green onions, finely chopped
2 cups matzo meal
1/2 teaspoon salt

To cook asparagus: Cut off the woody stems of asparagus, leaving spears about 6-inches long. If stalks are thick, peel with a vegetable peeler, pulling from stem end toward tip. (Thin spears do not need peeling.) Separate into bundles of 6 to 8 spears each with tips pointing in the same direction. Tie with string.

In a large skillet, bring 1-inch salted water to a boil. Add asparagus and cook until tender, 3 to 6 minutes after water comes to a boil. Timing depends on size and age of spears. Remove bundles, cut string and run asparagus until cold water to stop the cooking. Blot with paper towels. (Asparagus may be refrigerated overnight wrapped in paper towels. Bring to room temperature before reheating.

To make crumble: In a large microwave-safe bowl, heat margarine and oil on HIGH (100 percent) one minute or until margarine is melted. Stir in garlic, lemon juice, green onions, matzo meal, and salt. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH (100 percent) 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until dry and crisp. (Crumble may be refrigerated up to 3 days or frozen up to 2 weeks. Bring to room temperature.)

Before serving: Arrange cooked asparagus on microwave-safe platter. Sprinkle with salt. Cover with waxed paper and microwave on HIGH (100 percent) 2 to 4 minutes or until heated through. Heat margarine and lemon juice until melted. Drizzle over asparagus. Sprinkle crumble across the center.

Makes 10 to 12 servings.

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[] Here’s a nice dessert. Be especially careful with the whites and then with folding it into the other stuff. []

BANANA PASSOVER SPONGE CAKE

7 eggs
1/4 cup potato starch
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped walnuts
3/4 cup cake meal
1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 ripe)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Beat yolks with sugar until creamy. Add the mashed bananas, beat well.

In a separate bowl, whip egg whites until stiff. Add cake meal, potato starch and salt to yolk mixture. Fold in egg whites into this mixture. Gently fold in flavoring. Pour batter into an angel food pan. Bake at 325 degrees F. for about one hour. Cool upside down for about 30 minutes or until cooled. Cut in half with knife. Ice with real whipped cream or cool whip. Top with bananas and a few walnuts.

Yield: 8 servings

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[] This is also a nice side dish. []

POTATO AND VEGETABLE KUGEL

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 pound yellow squash
2 large carrots, peeled
2 large baking potatoes
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 cup matzo meal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet, add onion, and sautè over medium low heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Coarsely grate squash and carrots. Transfer to a large bowl and add sautèed onion. Peel and coarsely grate potatoes, put in large strainer, and squeeze out excess liquid; add to bowl of vegetables. Add eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, paprika, and matzo meal. Generously grease an 8-inch square pan or a 7-cup baking dish. Heat briefly in oven, then add vegetable mixture. Sprinkle with 1 teaspoon oil, then shake a little paprika on top. Bake about 1 hour or until brown and set.

Serves 6-8

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[]Serve this sweet fruit melange on the Seder plate for Passover and as a side dish. Also makes a great topper for ice cream, plain cakes, and puddings. []

NEW AMERICAN HAROSET

2 Granny Smith apples
Juice of one-half lemon
1/2 cup fresh mango, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Port or sweet wine

Peel, core, and dice the apples and sprinkle with the lemon juice.

Place the apples, mango, pecans, cinnamon, honey, and wine in a food processor. Pulse once or twice just to break up. Let sit for the flavors to meld.

Serve this sweet fruit melange on the Seder plate and as a side dish.

Yield: About 2 cups

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To all of our readers and their families, we wish you a joyful holiday.

Chag Sameach,

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