The 300 dishes in the delightfully, delicious cookbook “Kosher Delicious: Great Recipes for Living” range from contemporary to very traditional. They are user friendly, straightforward and call for ingredients that are readily available.
Assembled by the parent-teacher body of Maimonides Academy in Los Angeles, the chapters are arranged by course from hors d’eouvres to desserts, with scrumptious recipes for soups, salads and main dishes in between. Vegetable sushi and tuna pate with pesto, share the appetizer chapter with chopped liver and hummus. This illustrates the range of cutting-edge kosher cooking.
Asian Fish Steaks, Challah Soufflé and Hazelnut Brot Cookies are just some of the recipes that you will want to add to your repertoire of cooking. I wish, however, there were notes preceding the recipes that would give the reader and cook a more personal history of each dish.
Most recipes are accompanied by serving suggestions, helpful tips and menus suggestions for the holidays. “Kosher Delicious” reinforces the philosophy that we nurture our spirituality and soul every time we share a meal, not only our stomachs.
“Kosher Delicious: Great Recipes for Living” edited by Diana Kastenbaum and Penny Brenner (384 pages, Jonathan David Publishers, $29.95).
Asian Fish Steaks | Serves 6
2 lbs. salmon or halibut
2 Tbs. parsley, chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 Tbs. ketchup
1/2 tsp. oregano
2 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place fish in a shallow baking dish. Combine parsley, orange juice, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, ketchup, oregano, oil and pepper in a bowl. Pour marinade over fish. Cover and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Remove baking dish from refrigerator and place in oven. Bake uncovered 30-40 minutes, or grill 8-10 minutes per side.
Challah Souffle | Serves 8 to 10
butter
1 loaf egg bread, sliced
4 oz. grated cheddar cheese
4 oz. grated Monterey cheese
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
3 scallions, sliced
12 eggs
2 1/2 cups milk
Butter both sides of bread slices. Line a 2-quart glass baking dish with a layer of bread slices. Cover with 2 ounces of the cheddar and 2 ounces of the Monterey cheese. Lay another layer of bread on top. Top with mushrooms, scallions and remaining cheese.
Whisk eggs with milk in a bowl until well-combined. Pour over bread mixture. Cover with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator overnight.
Bake soufflé the next day in a preheated 350-degree oven, uncovered, for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until puffed and golden.
Hazelnut Brot Cookies | Makes 25-30 cookies
3 large eggs
1 cup canola oil
1 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped hazelnuts
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together the eggs, canola oil and sugar. Add the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and vanilla. Mix well. Stir in the hazelnuts.
Shape the cookie dough into two logs, approximately the diameter you would like the cookies to be. Place the logs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake the logs for 20-25 minutes.
Remove the logs from the oven, slice and turn cookies on their sides. Place the cookies back into the oven until toasted golden brown. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool.