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Should You Get Dressed Up as an Israeli Soldier This Purim?
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10 min read
It’s colorful, flavorful, healthy and beyond delicious, and won’t take you forever to make.
Your Purim menu should be colorful, flavorful, healthy and beyond delicious. It should also not take you forever to make. Here is a menu that is bursting in flavor and comes with its own multi-tasking guide on how to cook this meal in the most efficient way possible.
A few tips for you if you are hosting a Purim meal: Do as much as possible days before. Serve fresh fruit for dessert because everyone has eaten their weight in junk food already. Make the focaccia dough in advance and make mini ones for Mishloach manot, put in a mini techina and call it a day!
Can be done days before Purim
Day of Purim:
I know this looks long, but read it and you will see how simple and EASY it is! Everyone has been making sweet hamentashen for Purim, with different typical and unique fillings. Some people have created savory hamentashen filled with ground meat and other goodness. I decided to create focaccia hamentashen because at every Purim meal, people want to have bread, but having challah just feels strange. Here is a bread for your feast that will wow your guests in flavor and appearance!
Cuisine: Baking
Special Diet: Dairy Free, Soy Free
Ingredients:
Directions:
In a large bowl add the flour, semolina flour and mix together. Create a well in the center and add the warm water, yeast and sugar and mix gently. Let foam for 5 minutes.
Mix well, add the salt and 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Kneed in the bowl until it becomes a dough. Place a towel on top and put in a warm place for 25 minutes.
Preheat oven to 425°F. Prepare a large baking sheet pan with parchment paper.
Prepare a large skillet on high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and get hot. Add the peppers, fresh herbs, balsamic vinegar and 2 tablespoons of honey. Let cook for 5 minutes, mixing often.
Roll out dough on sheet pan into a large circle. Add the pepper topping to the center of the dough. Using your fingertips, wet all around the edge of the dough. Join all corners, creating a triangle. Pinch really tightly to ensure it doesn't open during baking.
Brush top with water and a drizzle of olive oil. Sprinkle with zaatar and drizzle the remaining tablespoon of honey. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove, let slightly cool and slice at the table.
Notes & Tips:
This dough does not need to rise that much to be delicious. Feel free to play with this recipe as much as you would like; Here are some alternative ideas; add Bulgarian cheese to the center, use different fresh herbs like cilantro, basil and mint, or only 1 or 2 of the ones listed below, add onions instead of just peppers.
Rhubarb is a species of plant that has pinkish stalks that are crisp like celery with a strong, tart taste and is often prepared as though it were a fruit. I decided to turn it into jam and thus became the inspiration to this salmon dish! If you can’t get rhubarb you can use frozen peaches or mangos, thinly slice them and do the rest of the recipe the same!
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Fish
Special Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Sugar Free
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients:
Directions:
Sprinkle salt and pepper on the fish.
Prepare a large nonstick saute pan on high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and get hot. Add rhubarb, onions and chili pepper and cook for 5 minutes, mixing often. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and honey and mix well and move it all to one corner of the pan.
Add the rest of the olive oil and get hot. Add the fish, face side down and place all the rhubarb jam on top of the pieces.
Add ¾ cup of water and cover. Let cook for 7 minutes.
Remove from pan and add fresh basil right before serve.
Make extra of the garlic and spread it on challah (or bread). Trust me this roasted garlic becomes an addiction!
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian
Special Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients:
Directions:
Notes & Tips:
If you can buy already peeled garlic, it is ideal for this.
You can make this recipe with any version of chicken. I like to roast it whole or anything on the bone, because it is much juicier and creates a lot of liquid.
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Poultry
Special Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Sugar Free
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients:
Directions:
Osso Buco is a veal shank. It is an incredible cut of meat that has a flavorful marrow bone attached to it. Go to any butcher and ask for Osso buco and they will know what you are talking about. This recipe goes great with a brisket or shoulder roast too!
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Meat
Special Diet: Dairy Free, Sugar Free
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients:
Directions:
Notes & Tips:
Natural smokey flavoring comes in a bottle usually in the vinegar section of the supermarket or in specialty spice shops. I use the brand colgin but you can use any you find. I promise it makes the biggest and best difference in this dish!
You can make this coleslaw in advance or right before. I love my coleslaw crunchy so I add the dressing right before but it can last up to 4 days dressed in the fridge and taste divine.
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Vegetarian
Special Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Sugar Free
Ingredients:
Directions:
Notes & Tips:
Feel free to add Bulgarian cheese to it for some color and flavor!
This is just one of those foolproof recipes that you can whip up whenever you need a filling side dish. It will get devoured in minutes.
Course: Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine: Vegan, Vegetarian
Special Diet: Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Sugar Free
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients:
Directions:
Notes & Tips:
You can add any fresh herbs to it if you wish or keep it simple as is. If you don't feel like chopping it at the end, don’t! I just chop it so it feels like rice but it is equally as delicious left in pieces.
For more amazing recipes, visit Chef Zissie’s site at www.chefzissierecipes.com