Dairy Delights: A Simply Delicious Shavuot

Select recipes from Sara Finkel's latest culinary collection Simply Delicious

stuffed zucchini boats

Easy and quick, with a gourmet presentation. Zucchini is a low calorie vegetable that is rich in both potassium and vitamin A.

4 medium zucchini
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 large onion, diced
4–5 tablespoons oil
1 cup bread crumbs
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 red or green pepper, diced
1/4 teaspoon pepper

Cut zucchini in half, lengthwise, and scoop out insides, leaving a ¼-inch shell. Sprinkle zucchini shells lightly with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cut scooped insides into small pieces. Saute onion in 2 tablespoons oil. Remove from heat and mix with zucchini pieces, bread crumbs, 2/3 of the shredded cheese, red or green pepper, remaining salt, and pepper. Fill zucchini shells with mixture. Drizzle about a teaspoon of oil on top of each one. Sprinkle with remaining shredded cheese and place in a baking dish. Cover and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 40–45 minutes until tender. Remove cover for last 15 minutes of baking.

Serves 8.

dairy moussaka

A delightful appetizer or even a luncheon main dish.

1 large eggplants, unpeeled and sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons cold water
flour, for dipping
oil, for frying

CHEESE FILLING

4 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
8 ounces cottage cheese
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chopped parsley, optional

TOMATO SAUCE

1 c1/2 cups tomato sauce
2 tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, sliced
1 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2–3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt, scant
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and let stand ½ hour. Rinse off lightly. Combine eggs with water and dip each slice in mixture. Then dip in flour. Fry slices in oil on each side until golden. To prepare filling, mix together cheddar cheese, cottage cheese, feta cheese, beaten egg, bread crumbs, garlic, and parsley. Put a layer of eggplant slices in a greased baking pan. Place a tablespoonful of filling on each slice and cover with a second slice. Sauté sliced onion in oil until tender. Add remaining ingredients for sauce and simmer 2 minutes. Pour over eggplant slices. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 20 minutes.

Serves 8.

Tip:
To prepare a pot of cooked barley, simply combine 1 cup barley with 2 1/2 cups water. Add salt and 1 tablespoon of oil, cover, and cook for approximately 1 1/2 hours.

ruchie's special pickled salmon

Ruchie Stern served this marvelous dish when I visited her Edison, NJ home. Everyone enjoyed its delicious flavor.

1 2 1/2-pound salmon, cut into 8 slices

PICKLING SAUCE

1 cup vinegar
1 1/2 cups water
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons pickling spice
3/4 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced

Combine vinegar, water, sugar, pickling spice, ketchup, salt, and pepper in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil. Add salmon, cover, and cook for about 15 minutes. Let cool. With a spatula, transfer salmon to a Pyrex dish. Place thin circles of Spanish onion on top of salmon. Strain the liquid that remains in the pot and pour over fish. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 8.

Note: Prepare fish 2–3 days in advance to enhance the flavor. Keeps refrigerated for more than a week.

pumpkin soup

This is a marvelous, satisfying soup, made famous by the Jerusalem Ramada Renaissance Hotel. Perfect for special occasions.

2 large onions, sliced
4 tablespoons oil
7 cups water
1 1/2 pounds pumpkin, cubed
1 medium white potato, cubed
2 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
1 tablespoon pareve chicken soup mix
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
1/2 cup sweet cream or nondairy creamer
3 tablespoons margarine, optional
pine nuts for garnish, optional

In a stainless steel pot saute onions in oil until golden. Add the water, pumpkin, potato, and sweet potatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover, lower heat, and simmer for about 35 minutes. With a hand blender, purée vegetables until smooth. Add soup mix, salt, and pepper and continue simmering for an additional ten minutes. Stir in cream or non-dairy creamer and remove from heat. Serve sprinkled with pine nuts. For a richer flavor, stir in 3 tablespoons of margarine while hot. Serves 10.

cheese and bell pepper pashtida

A combination of sautéed peppers and cheeses that adds a nice touch to a dairy meal.

CRUST

2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup margarine
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water

FILLING

4 large bell peppers, assorted
colors, cut into strips
2 large onions, sliced
3 tablespoons oil
1 cup sour cream or plain yogurt
1 egg, beaten
3 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded
3 ounces feta cheese, shredded
salt and pepper, to taste

Combine crust ingredients and mix well to form a dough. Roll out 3/4 of dough and spread in a greased or lined 9x13-inch baking pan. Sauté peppers and onions in oil for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Lower heat, cover, and continue to steam until tender. If necessary, add a few tablespoons of water to prevent burning. Let cool. Add sour cream, egg, cheddar cheese, feta cheese, salt, and pepper. Mix together well and spread evenly on dough. Roll out remaining 1/4 piece of dough and make lattice top as follows: Cut dough into 1/4-inch strips. Place strips over filling, about 1 inch apart, first vertically, then horizontally. Bake in a 350° oven for 45 minutes.

miri's fabulous cheesecake

Before each holiday I received this special cheesecake from my friend Miri as a token of our friendship. This is a large, delicious cheesecake that you'll love, with a topping that includes instant vanilla pudding for an especially rich flavor.

CRUST

1 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder

FILLING

6 eggs, separated
3 8-ounce containers cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup flour

TOPPING

1 8-ounce container whipped topping
3 tablespoons instant vanilla pudding

To make the crust, cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Blend in flour and baking powder. Roll out dough and spread into a lined 11x14-inch baking pan. Beat egg yolks for filling until light. Add cream cheese, sugar, milk, vanilla, pudding mix, sour cream or yogurt, and flour. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into mixture. Pour mixture onto dough in pan. Bake in a preheated 400° oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat and continue baking at 350° for 40 minutes. To make topping, whip topping and fold in instant vanilla pudding mix. Spread over top of cake when finished baking.

Serves 24–30.

Sara Finkel's first cookbook, Classic Kosher Cooking, has been a bestseller and all-time favorite in Jewish homes throughout the world. In her latest culinary collection Simply Delicious the author presents us with a sparkling array of new recipes, plus the same ease of preparation and spectacular results that made her first book famous. An expert cook, she combines decades of experience with vast culinary knowledge to create a tantalizing collection of classic and contemporary kosher recipes. Click here to buy Classic Kosher Cooking: Simply Delicious online at a discount price.