Roasted Eggplant, Tomato and Mushroom Gratin

Because of allergies, we don’t have a traditional smoked-fish feast at our annual Yom Kippur break-the-fast. It’s always a vegetarian/dairy meal. I always make mujadarah, my friend Susan always brings her most fabulous kugel in the world and there’s always a salad — usually tomato, also egg salad.

The rest changes from time to time. Once I served spinach gnocchi. Often, spinach pie.

This year I am serving this Eggplant, Tomato and Mushroom Gratin. I’ve made it several times this summer because I planted eggplants and tomatoes in my garden and there was a bounty!

So, with the last of my crop — this wonderful dish. It’s perfect for the occasion. I can make it two days ahead. It’s suitable for any dairy meal but looks festive enough for the holiday.

Roasted Eggplant, Tomato, Mushroom Gratin

•  1 medium eggplant

• 4 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 2-3 tomatoes, sliced (or about 2 dozen cherry tomatoes cut in half)

• 4-6 ounces mushrooms, sliced

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

• 1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese

• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese 

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the eggplant into slices about 3/8- inch thick. Brush the slices lightly, using about 3-4 tablespoons of the olive oil. Place the slices on a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 16-18 minutes or until the eggplant is softened and slightly browned, turning the slices once. Reduce the oven heat to 375 degrees. Use any remaining olive oil to place a film of oil in a baking dish and place the eggplant slices in the baking dish. Cover with the tomato slices and mushrooms. Scatter the top with the basil, parsley, Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake for about 25 minutes or until top is golden brown. 

Makes 4-6 servings

Peach Torte

I usually make the classic, old-fashioned Italian-prune-plum torte during Rosh Hashanah.

But the holiday is so early this year that we’re still in the peak of peach season. So I adapted my recipe in order to use the most perfect end-of-August peaches.

Maybe I’ll make plum torte for break-the-fast.

Peach Torte

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 2/3 cup plus one teaspoon sugar

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 large egg

• 1/2 cup buttermilk or unflavored yogurt

• 3 peaches or nectarines

• lemon juice (about one tablespoon)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar on medium speed for 3-4 minutes or until creamy and well blended. Mix the flour, lemon peel, salt, baking powder and baking soda together. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and beat for a minute or two at medium speed until well blended. Add the egg and buttermilk and beat at medium speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth and creamy. Spoon the batter into the prepared springform pan. Slice the fruit and arrange the slices on top of the cake, pressing them slightly into the batter. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the top of the cake. Sprinkle with the remaining teaspoon of sugar. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until browned, set and crispy. Let cool.

Makes 8 servings

Chicken with Date Honey, Ginger and Orange

I know brisket is traditional for Rosh Hashanah but have you seen the price of brisket this year?

Yikes!

How about chicken instead?

Please don’t say “ho hum.” Chicken absolutely doesn’t have to be boring.

For example — this recipe for chicken with honey and a little spike of fresh ginger. Plus some refreshing orange.

I’ve made this dish with both bee honey and date honey (silan). Either way, it’s a perfect choice for Rosh Hashanah.

Chicken with Date Honey, Ginger and Orange

• one cut up chicken (or 6-8 pieces)

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

• 1/2 cup orange juice

• 1/4 cup date honey (or substitute regular honey)

• 1 large shallot, chopped

• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh ginger

• 1 teaspoon grated fresh orange peel

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh chili pepper, optional (or use a pinch of cayenne pepper)

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

• salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat in an ovenproof pan. Dry the chicken pieces and cook them a few at a time in the pan until they brown lightly, about 6-8 minutes. Mix the orange juice and date honey and pour over the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with the shallot, ginger, orange peel, chili pepper, rosemary and salt to taste. Place the pan in the oven and cook for 35-40 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Serve the chicken with the pan juices.

Makes 6 servings 

Pepper Jam

My garden runneth over.

The tomatoes are nearing perfection, and I have loads of them. That’s for next week.

The eggplants have been amazing. Ditto the green and yellow string beans.

The basil, rosemary, thyme and mint have been glorious.

Ok, I had some fabulous squash blossoms but the zucchini and yellow squash — eh! Not so good.

But the chili peppers! Oh my. I planted several kind: cayenne, jalapeno, poblano, serrano and hatch. And I have so many peppers that I could open a farm market and make a few bucks.

With the abundance last year I made salsa a lot and used the peppers for various recipes. This year I gave a lot of peppers away. Still had more than enough to make salsa and then some.

So I made jam.

Yes, jam. Sweet, hot, sticky, unusual.

It took a few tries until I got it right. But oh my, it turned out to be the big summer bonus this year.

Delicious.

So far I’ve served it several times with cheese (the best kinds are spreadable tangy cheeses such as mascarpone, goat cheese or sheep cheese, but plain old cream cheese would work).

But we’ve also eaten this with grilled beef ribs and steak.

Perfect.

I’ll be including a dish of this jam alongside the apples and honey this Rosh Hashanah.

You can eliminate the bell pepper in the recipe. I happened to have one and wanted to use it. One pound of any kind of peppers will do.

Pepper Jam

• 1 pound mixed chili peppers and/or chili peppers and one red bell pepper

• boiling water

• 2-1/2 cups sugar

• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers. Chop the peppers coarsely and place the pieces in a bowl. Pour enough boiling water over the peppers to cover them. Let rest for 10 minutes. Drain the peppers, discard the water and process the peppers to tiny pieces in a food processor. Spoon the chopped peppers into a saucepan. Add the sugar, apple cider vinegar and salt, stir to blend the ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat lower so that the ingredients cook at a simmer. Cook for about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the pan from the heat. Do not be concerned if the mixture seems thin. It will thicken as it cools — if it is not as thick as jam when cooled, simmer the ingredients for 5-10 more minutes. Spoon the jam into jars and store in the refrigerator.

Makes about 2 cups

Poached Green Figs with Orange Juice and Honey

The early Jewish holidays this year mean one big delicious bonus for us, fresh fig eaters that we are. This luscious fruit will still be in season.

In keeping with Rosh Hashanah I recently poached some fresh figs using honey (also, some ginger, whole cloves and orange peel for LOTS of flavor). The result was ….. oh-my! worthy. It’s on my dessert menu this year.

Poached Green Figs with Orange Juice and Honey

• 1 cup orange juice

• 1 cup water

• 1/4 cup honey

• 1/2-inch chunk peeled fresh ginger, coarsely chopped

• 6 whole cloves

• 2 2-inch strips orange peel

• 8-10 fresh green figs

• ice cream, whipped cream, sorbet, optional

Place the juice, water and honey in a saucepan. Add the ginger, cloves and orange peel and bring the liquid to a boil. Stir to blend the liquids, lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the figs and simmer for another 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let the ingredients cool. Remove the figs from the pan and cut each in half. Set aside. Strain the ingredients in the pan. Discard the solid ingredients. Pour the liquid back into the pan and cook over high heat for 5-6 minutes or until the liquid is syrupy (the consistency of maple syrup). Let the syrup cool. Before serving, some of the fig halves in serving dishes, pour some poaching syrup on top. Place some ice cream, whipped cream or sorbet on top.

Makes 4-6 servings

Romanian Cornmeal Cheese Cake

My grandmother occasionally made a fabulous cornmeal dish — she called it mamaliga, the national dish of Romania — and served it with sweetened, mashed farmer cheese and sour cream. Sometimes with a drizzle of maple syrup over everything.

I never knew it as Malai, a classic Romanian Shavuot treat, but that’s what it was. But it wasn’t her usual, plain “cornmeal mush” because it also had eggs and sugar mixed into the batter.

All I knew was how delicious it tasted.

So, over the years I experimented over and over until I made a version that tastes something like what I remember.

Here it is, in time for Shavuot.

Romanian MALAI

The Batter:

• 6 tablespoons butter

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup finely ground cornmeal

• 1/3 cup sugar

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup milk, half-and-half or buttermilk

• 2 large eggs

• filling

• sour cream, whipped cream, ice cream, etc. optional

• extra sugar or maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch cake pan. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool. In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to distribute the ingredients evenly. Add the milk, eggs and cooled, melted butter and mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly blended. Spoon one half of the cornmeal mixture into the prepared pan and spread the batter to make it even. Top with the filling. Top with the remaining batter (spread the batter to make a smooth, even top crust). Bake for 35-40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the cake is set.

Serve the cake warm, room temperature or slightly chilled. Serve plain or topped with sour cream (traditional), whipped cream or ice cream. (I add about 2 teaspoons of sugar for each cup of sour cream used as a garnish).

Makes 8-10 servings

THE Filling:

• 1 pound farmer’s cheese

• 1 large egg

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon peel

Mix the farmer’s cheese, egg, sugar and lemon peel until the ingredients are well blended.

Marinated Avocados

Here’s a simple, easy-to-prepare, inexpensive nibble that’s terrific with cocktails or just for sitting around on a summer afternoon. Or for watching the Superbowl. Or as a first bite for break-the-fast.

It’s so easy to make stuff like this. I’m done relying on supermarket salads bars.

Marinated Avocados

• 2 ripe Haas avocados

• 1 medium clove garlic, finely chopped

• 1 tablespoon chopped red onion

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 to 1-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Peel the avocados and cut the flesh into bite size pieces. Place the pieces in a bowl. Add the garlic, red onion and parsley and toss the ingredients to distribute them evenly. Pour in the olive oil and one tablespoon lemon juice; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired. Let marinate for at least one hour. Best served at room temperature.

Makes 8 hors d’oeuvre servings

Passover Shepherd's Pie with Matzo Crust

I always try to make our Seder meals as festive as possible. Most years (sans pandemic) I roast a turkey and braise a big brisket. Lots of vegetable side dishes. Sometimes the second night is vegetarian. My grandma’s honey-soaked chremslach are a must. Ditto the Manischewitz concord grape wine (along with some lovelier selections).

But during the week — not so much. It’s regular meals. So, maybe meatloaf (with matzo meal substituting for bread crumbs). Or chicken cutlets crusted with coconut. Leftover turkey made into salad. Like that.

From time to time I make this “Shepherd’s Pie” — which really isn’t Shepherd’s Pie because there’s no potato crust. I include the potatoes in the meat mix and gave it a matzo crust. That crust is a crunchy, wonderful thing together with the softer, more tender inside ingredients.

Passover Shepherd’s Pie with Matzo Crust

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1 large clove garlic, chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped

• 1 large Yukon Gold or other all-purpose potato, peeled and chopped

• 1-1/2 pounds ground meat

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, optional (or use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)(or use 1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley)

• 2 tablespoons potato starch

• 1 cup stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)

• 2 matzot

• 1 egg, beaten (or use olive oil)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrots and potato and cook, stirring frequently, for 7-8 minutes, or until softened and beginning to brown. Add the meat, salt, pepper and thyme and continue to cook and stir, breaking up the meat into small pieces, for another 5-6 minutes or until the meat has cooked through. Add the potato starch and stir it into the meat mixture. Pour in the stock and cook, stirring, until the sauce has thickened (about one minute). Spoon the mixture into a rectangular baking dish. Soak the matzot briefly to soften them slightly, then place them on paper toweling and press any excess water from them. Place the soaked matzot on top of the meat. Brush the surface with the beaten egg. Bake for about 25 minutes or until the top is crispy and browned.

Makes 4-6 servings

Passover Carrot Cake

One Passover, decades ago, we decided to forego Aunt Rozzie’s sponge cake, the dessert we had eaten year after year after year at our Seders for as long as I remembered.

We switched to the newer, modern, au courant flourless chocolate cake.

But after years of that we got bored again with the same old same old.

So I began to bake other stuff. Orange-Almond Cake. A Passover version of our family’s treasured recipe for butter cookies. Toasted Almond Napoleon with Balsamic-glazed Bananas. Chocolate Jelly Roll.

Then I experimented with carrot cake.

Winner!

As far as I’m concerned carrot cake is always a winner. You can add a cream-cheese frosting or top it with whipped cream, ice cream or sorbet, but it really doesn’t need any of those. It’s just wonderfully moist and delicious as is. Even this version, suitable for Passover.

Passover Carrot Cake

• 8 large eggs, separated

• 1-1/4 cups sugar

• 6 tablespoons orange juice (or use mango or apple juice)

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup finely chopped almonds

• 1 cup very finely chopped carrots

• 1 cup matzo cake meal

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease a 10-inch springform pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper and lightly grease the paper. Beat the egg yolks and 3/4 cup of sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer set on medium-high, for 3-4 minutes, or until the mixture is thick and pale yellow. Stir in the juice, vanilla, almonds, carrots, cake meal, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt and blend ingredients thoroughly. In a second mixer bowl, beat the egg whites on medium speed until they are frothy. Continue beating, gradually adding the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Beat until the whites are glossy and stand in peaks. Stir about 1/4 of the beaten whites into the yolk mixture. Fold the remaining whites into the yolk mixture. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 45 minutes or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool the cake on a rack.

Makes 10 servings

Green Bean Salad with Orange

Green Bean Salad with Orange

Historians tell us that Queen Esther was a vegetarian, that in order to keep her Jewish identity secret and stay within kashrut, she ate only fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds and grains. Perhaps some dairy products as well.

On Purim we honor this extraordinary woman, who outwitted the evil Haman and saved the Jews of ancient Persia from complete annihilation.

This is often a time when even meat-eaters have a vegetarian meal.

Here’s a salad that would be a delicious starter to any meal, vegetarian or not (the grated cheese is optional). It also makes a nice transition dish to spring — it’s coming!! Serve this dish at room temperature.

Green Bean Salad with Orange

• 1/2 pound green beans

• 1/3 cup chopped red onion

• 1 orange, peeled; segments cut into pieces

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar

• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese or ground almonds, optional

Cook the green beans until they are just fork tender, drain under cold water and let dry on paper towels. Place the green beans in a bowl and add the red onion and orange pieces. Pour in the olive oil and toss the ingredients to coat them with the oil. Pour in the white wine vinegar and Balsamic vinegar and add the rosemary. Toss the ingredients to coat and distribute them evenly. Sprinkle with cheese or nuts if desired. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Makes 4 servings