Israeli Cooking : Humous, Felafel, etc

Lebane - Middle Eastern Yogurt Cheese

2009-05-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

4 cups of homemade Leban (Middle Eastern yoghurt)
1 tsp salt
Cheesecloth, or new cotton cloth

Procedure:
Pour the homemade yoghurt into the cheesecloth and fold up the corners. Twist the cheesecloth and tie up the cloth with a string. Hang the cloth in the kitchen over a deep dish to catch the whey that will drip out slowly. Let the yoghurt in the cloth hang for at least 8 hours, or overnight.

The next morning, unwrap the cloth and carefully scoop out the cheese into a container; refrigerate.

To serve:
Use as you would for cream cheese as a spread, either plain or add herbs. You can also sweeten the cheese with sugar and top with sugared berries for a tasty dessert. This can also be used as the base filling for homemade cheesecake.

Leban - Middle Eastern Yogurt

2009-05-28T11:34:00.000-07:00

1 Gallon (2 liters) 3% (or higher) Milk
5-6 tblsp of good Bulgarian yoghurt or a natural nothing artifically added yoghurt of your choice!

Procedure:
Pour the milk into a large heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil. Turn off heat and let the milk set until it is cool, skimming off the dried skin that accumlates on top. The milk is cool enough when you can insert your little finger into the milk and be able to count to ten comfortably. This is the trick of my Aunt Linda, a terrific cook of Middle Eastern food!

Put the starter yoghurt into a small mixing bowl and add the cooled milk to this mixture 1 tablespoon at a time. Add several spoons and mix well. Whisk this starter mixture into the saucepan. Pour the milk into a clean gallon jar and cover tight with a lid. Wrap a large Turkish towel, including the bottom of the jar, and set in a warm corner without drafts and leave there for at least 8 hours. The yoghurt should be set. Put in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours before using.

Shavuot Cheesecakes

2009-05-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

2 lb. container non-fat, preferably Middle Eastern "Lebane" - plain yogurt- at room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla flavoring
Prepared cookie crust
Fresh fruit, sweetened, set aside to weep a bit
Fresh Whipped cream (non-fat)

To the yogurt combine sugar, eggs and vanilla flavoring. Beat with mixer until smooth. Pour into cookie crust and bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. Serve chilled (or room temperature) with sweetened fresh fruit on each serving, and a dollop of fresh whipped cream (non-fat of course!).

Below is a great video about Shavuot and cheesecake.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=surglUxi-Ac

Harvest Fruit Salad, Figs, & Vanilla-Honeyed Lebane

2008-09-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year - the end of the harvest is near. The fruit and vegetable markets are overflowing with an abundance of a brilliant array of color.

This is a good time of year to take advantage of eating fruits and serving them up in an attractive manner - appealing to your family and visiting friends.

This is a favorite of mine when invited to a barbeque or any kind of end of the summer get-together. Purchase a variety of fruits, including a small watermelon, a melon or two.

Harvest Fruit Salad

Cut the watermelon as shown in the picture below. When halved, use a melon baller and make as many balls as possible. Whatever is left on the bottom and sides, simply scoop out and transfer to a container for another use later. Next, use your melon baller for the other melons and add to the halved watermelons. Cut up the remainder fruits in smaller chunks. Add whole cherries, berries, grapes whole.

VANILLA-HONEYED LEBANE
To 1 cup Leban - or use an all natural low-fat unflavored yogurt - add the following:

1 tsp vanilla (use a good one)

1 tablespoon honey (or more, to taste)

Stir to mix well and put it in a small serving bowl. Serve a spoon or two over the fruit salad.

FIGS & HONEYED LEBANE

To your prepared 1/2 cup Lebane (Middle Eastern homemade yogurt cream cheese) add:

dash of vanilla

1-2 Tablespoon honey (to taste)

Mash in ingredients to Lebane and mix well. Halve the figs carefully; take about 1/2 teaspoon of honeyed Lebane to the top of the figs. Add 1/2 walnut if desired.

Pickles - Homemade

2008-07-04T19:56:00.000-07:00

Middle Eastern homemade pickles are offered as a simple appetizer to a number of Israeli restaurants. Using large jars to pickle the vegetables, they look pretty with a combination of cut up turnips, cauliflower, baby eggplants, cucumbers, cabbage, carrots, onions, red peppers, garlic and even hard boiled eggs. Below is a typical pickling brine used:

Cut up your own combination of the following:
1 large beet, peeled and quartered
onion - white or red
cauliflower, broken into florets
green cabbage cut into 2-inch chunks
cucumbers
turnips
red peppers, sliced
carrots - cut into thick slices
garlic - left whole

Brine
4 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
4 1/2 tablespoons coarse or kosher salt (no iodine)
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or 1 small dried pepper
10 whole peppercorns
1 tsp mustard seeds

1. Fill a 1-quart jar with the vegetable of choice, placing the quartered beet on the bottom (if desired), red pepper flakes or dried pepper
2. Bring the water, vinegar, salt, and garlic to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Pour the mixture over the vegetables. Close the jar tightly. Set aside in a cool, dark place for 3 full days (72 hours). Store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 months.

Malawach

2008-04-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

Malawach is one of a number of dishes brought to Israel by the Jews from Yemen. This is also a real favorite with Israeli's as it is so easy to cook up for a quick breakfast, lunch, or snack.

4 cups flour
1-1/4 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick margarine
tomato sauce (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Mix flour, water, and salt until dough becomes soft. Add more flour if dough is sticky. Cut dough into two sections. Knead and roll each section into a 20x20 inch sheet. Spread margarine on the sheets. Fold each sheet like an envelope with ends meeting at center. Repeat folding process to get two layers of folds. Cover with a paper towel, let sit for 1/2 hour. Cut each sheet into 10 parts. Form each piece of dough to the shape of your frying pan and fry until golden brown on both sides.

Serve with tomato sauce or sour cream.

Israeli Pita

2008-03-22T19:23:00.000-07:00

INGREDIENTS:
2 packages dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups all-purpose flour

PREPARATION:
1. Mix together yeast, sugar and lukewarm water. Let stand for 10 minutes in a warm place.

2. Mix together flour and salt. Add to yeast mixture.

3. Mix well. Knead.

4. Place dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover, and leave in a warm place for one hour or until the dough has doubled in volume.

5. Punch down the dough. Knead. Divide into 20 small balls.

6. Roll out each ball thinly on a floured surface. Place pitot on an ungreased cookie sheet, cover, leave in a warm place, and let rise for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit (260 degrees Celsius). Place cookie sheet on the bottom rack of the oven. Bake for a few minutes until the pitot puff up.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:Serve pita warm with hummus and Israeli salad.

STORAGE SUGGESTIONS:After the pitot are completely cool, they can be stored in food storage bags in the refrigerator or freezer.

(recipe by Giora Shimoni)

Crustless Mushroom & Wilted Greens Quiche

2008-03-02T21:05:00.000-08:00

1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1/2 head of garlic, roasted in the oven in olive oil
Olive oil
Greens (spinach, mustard, other), chopped fine
6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped very fine
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 cup Half & Half
4 eggs
1/2 cup Feta cheese
1 cup grated cheese (your choice)
Thin Slices of red peppers
Nutmeg

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Saute the mushrooms, onions, and add the roasted garlic in frying pan at the last minute. Add seasonsings and greens, stirring for a couple of minutes until the greens are wilted.

Whisk the eggs and half & Half. Add the ingredients from the frying pan to the cream cheese mixture in a large mixing bowl. Pour all of this into a greased baking dish. Bake Quiche for 15 minutes and then turn down oven to 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until it is set in the center.

Shakshuka!

2008-03-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

A Sephardi favorite. No Middle Eastern restaurant menu is complete without it, though Hungarians also delight in this dish with the addition of lots of paprika. Leshakshek means "to shake" in Hebrew. Every cook from North Africa has his or her own personal version of this egg and tomato dish. Whatever vegetable is used, it must be fresh, not canned.

1 lg. onion (finely chopped)
4 eggs
cooking oil
6 medium tomatoes
2 tsps sweet Paprika
salt and pepper to taste

In a large frying pan, saute onion until lightly browned. Slice tomatoes in quarters or grate on largest holes of a grater. Mix grated tomatoes, onion, and paprika and cover and cook over low heat for 25 minutes. Remove cover and break eggs over the surface. Stir gently to and circle around the yolks yolks to separate the eggs; cover and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes until eggs are slightly set. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with sliced baguette bread or fresh pita to sop up the delicious sauce.

Variations: One minced garlic clove may be added to the onion, or 3 to 4 slices of red pimento may be sauteed with the onion.

Middle Eastern Pasta & Vegetables

2008-02-29T22:02:00.000-08:00

Ingredients:

1 pound of Pasta - your choice
Water to cook pasta

Cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1-2 Courgettes or zucchini, cubed
Red and green peppers, sliced very thinly
1 onion, cut up
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup parsley, minced

Cook pasta according to package instructions; drain pasta and set aside.

Saute courgettes, peppers, onions in olive oil; season with spices. Add minced garlic and cherry tomatoes and saute for a couple of minutes. Turn this out onto the drained pasta and toss lightly. Drizzle with more olive oil, and sprinkle with minced parsley; adjust the salt and pepper seasoning.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

2008-02-29T22:01:00.000-08:00

1 bag (8-10 oz) of Black-eyed peas
1 tsp salt

Assemble the salad:
6 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced finely
3-4 large radishes (1/2 Israeli radish!), finely chopped
2-3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped

Dressing:
1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 tsp salt, to taste
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp McCormick's Grill Mates Steak Seasoning
1 tsp McCormick's Salt Free Herb & Garlic Seasoning

Whisk all ingredients for the dressing well. Add this to the salad and stir well.

Procedure:
Place the black-eyed peas in a heavy stock pot with salt; bring to a boil and then turn down to a medium-low boil. Cook the black-eyed peas until they are tender.

Drain the black-eyed peas and set them aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl, add the peas, vegetables, seasonings and dressing.

Serve the black-eyed peas on a platter of salad greens.

Lentil Salad

2008-02-29T22:00:00.000-08:00

1 pkg of Lentils (12 oz.)
Water to cover and cook lentils
1 tsp salt

Saute:
Cooked lentils
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tsps cumin
2 tsps McCormicks Grill Mates Steak Seasoning
1 tsp McCormicks Salt Free Herb & Garlic
4 tblsps olive oil

Assemble Salad:
Seasoned lentils and spices
1 bunch green onions, chopped fine
1 green pepper, chopped fine
Several radishes, chopped fine
1/4 cup Parsley, finely minced

Dressing:
1/8 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 clove minced garlic (optional)

Whisk all ingredients for the dressing well. Add this to the lentil salad and stir well.

Procedure:
Place lentils in large stock pot and cover with water; add salt. Bring to a boil and simmer on low until lentils are tender, but do not fall apart or are mushy. Drain.

Add oil to frying pan and stir in cooked lentils; add cumin, seasonings, pepper and salt and stir well to coat. Set aside to let them cool.

Put cooled lentils in a large mixing bowl. Add all chopped vegetables with dressing and stir well.

Place lentil salad in a pyramid shape on large serving plate atop of variety of colorful salad greens.Top with pinch of coarse salt, fresh ground pepper and chopped parsley. Decorate with roasted red peppers, red onion rings, or fresh green pepper rings.

Middle Eastern Rice

2008-02-29T21:56:00.000-08:00

1/4 cup butter (olive oil can be substituted)
1 cup very thin egg noodles, broken
2 cups Basmati long grain rice
4 cups water
1 tsp salt

In a large pot, add butter and thin egg noodles, and cook over low heat until browned, turning constantly so the butter and pasta do not burn. Add rice and stir well to coat. Add water to this butter and pasta mixture and bring to a boil; turn heat down to low and cook for about 14 minutes, according to the rice package instructions.

Turn out into serving bowl and fluff up rice. Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts or pistacio if desired.

Mejudara (Rice & Lentils)

2008-02-29T21:55:00.000-08:00

6 cups water1 cup of lentils
1/4 cup olive oil
2 onions, sliced thinly2 cups of long grain white rice or long grain brown rice
4 cups of water
1/4 tsp salt
1 tblsp cumin
2 tsps salt
1 tsp finely ground pepper
2-4 cloves minced garlic
3 cups of thick unflavored plain yoghurt (goat or sheep preferred)

You do not need to soak lentils. Put lentils and water and in large stock pot and bring to a boil; simmer until lentils are tender but do not fall apart. Drain the lentils and set aside.

Add rice, water and 1/4 tsp salt in stock pot and bring water to boil; turn heat down to low simmer for 14 minutes or until rice is done. Drier rice is perferred as opposed to mushy.

Meanwhile, place olive oil and onions in a frying pan and saute on low heat until the onions turn a nice brown, but not burned. Add spices and minced garlic and saute another 2 minutes, being careful not to brown or burn the garlic. Reserve about 1/4 cup of onion mixture.

Add the drained lentils to the frying pan onion and spice mixture and toss. Turn rice out into large mixing bowl and add the cooked lentils and spice mixture mixing gently.

Turn this out onto platter in a pyramid shape. Top with reserved onion mixture on top of lentils and rice and sprinkle lightly with minced fresh parsley. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve with a bowl of thick yoghurt and Israeli tomatoe-cucumber salad.

Israeli Pumpkin Soup

2008-02-29T21:53:00.000-08:00

Vegetable or Chicken Stock
2 onions, chopped
3-4 carrots, peeled and chopped fine
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
Olive oil
5-6 cups of fresh pumpkin pieces
Heavy cream
Finely ground nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper

Saute onions and root vegetables in olive oil. Add chicken or vegetable soup stock to a large stock pot and pour in the sauted onions and root vegetables. Add quartered pumpkin pieces. Bring this to a boil and turn down to simmer for about an hour or until the pumpkin is very soft. Take off heat.

Use a soup processor to make a creamy texture. Serve the hot soup with a drizzle of heavy cream in a swirl. Sprinkle finely ground nutmeg and pepper on top.

Beef & Vegetable Soup

2008-02-29T21:52:00.000-08:00

Basic Soup Stock
Beef, cut up into 2-3" cubes
1-2 Beef bones, optional
Leaves and end stalks of whole celery bulb
1 whole onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly cut
1 large head of garlic, peeled and minced
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper

1 cup of selection of favorite root vegetables, diced: potatoes, celery, carrots, parsnips, turnips, etc.
1 cup green beans, fresh or frozen (optional)
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen (optional)
Olive oil
A bit of butter
2 teaspoons of salt (to taste)
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
1 tblsp of Worchestershire Sauce
2 tblsps of A-1 sauce
Dash of hot sauce, optional

In a heavy oiled baking pan, put beef bones and beef chunks. Drizzle olive oil, coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the bones and beef begin to brown.

Crock Pot option: Scrap beef bones and beef into a large croack pot; add celery root, leaves, minced garlic, onions, carrots. Add 2 tsps salt and pepper. Cover with water and bring to a boil and turn down to simmer overnight.

Stock Pot option: Scrap beef bones and beef into a large stock pot. Add celery root, and leaves, minced garlic, carrots, chopped onion to a large stock pot filled with cold water, adding salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours. Discard celery and carrots.

Saute finely in olive oil and a bit of butter root vegetables in frying pan until they begin to brown; add salt and pepper to this mixture and stir to incorporate for a couple of minutes; pour all of this into soup stockpot. Add peas and green beans, if desired. Bring the soup to a boil again and simmer until vegetables are done. Serve steaming hot.

Hearty Vegetable Soup

2008-02-29T21:50:00.000-08:00

Leaves and end stalks of whole celery bulb
1 whole onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly cut
1 large head of garlic, peeled and minced

2 tblsps of smoked turkey lunch meat, Kosher salami, or favorite smokey salted meat for good flavor
2 cups fresh whole mushrooms (any kind), sliced
1 cup of selection of favorite root vegetables, diced: potatoes, celery, carrots, parsnips, turnips, etc.
Olive oil
2 teaspoons of salt (to taste)
1 tsp finely ground black pepper
1 tblsp of Worchestershire Sauce
2 tblsps of A-1 sauce
Dash of hot sauce, optional

Add celery root, and leaves, minced garlic, carrots, chopped onion to a large stock pot filled with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours. Discard celery and carrots.

Saute finely chopped smoked salted meat in olive oil and a bit of butter in frying pan first, then add root vegetables, and finally the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to this mixture and stir to incorporate for a couple of minutes; pour all of this into soup stockpot. Bring the soup to a boil again. Serve steaming hot.

Creamy Tomato Soup

2008-02-29T21:46:00.000-08:00

Saute:
2 tblsps butter or margarine
2 tblsps onion, chopped

Blend:
3 tblsps flour
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
dash of garlic salt, basil, oregano, thyme

Remove from heat and gradually whisk in:
2 cups tomato juice or V-8 (Tomato-Vegetable juice)

Bring this to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 1 minute.

Stir hot tomato mixture into:
2 cups cold milk

Heat almost to a boiling point. Serve with a twirl of heavy cream, if desired. Sprinkle a bit of minced parlsey in the center (optional).

NOTE: The recipe can be doubled for a larger pot of soup.

Creamy Garlic & Leek Soup

2008-02-29T21:44:00.000-08:00

This soup is so delicious, I'm sure it is the reason that the Israelites in the desert begged to go back to Egpyt...longing for leeks and garlic...!

Leaves and end stalks of whole celery bulb
1 whole onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly cut
2-3 large heads of garlic, peeled and minced

Olive oil
a little butter
2 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms
2 large leeks, trimmed, halved and washed well between the leaves, and sliced
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon of Worchestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons of A-1
1/2 cup of heavy sweet cream (100 grams)

Add celery, minced garlic, chopped onion to a large stock pot filled with cold water. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours. Discard celery and carrots.

Saute finely chopped smoked salted meat, mushrooms and leeks in olive oil and a bit of butter in frying pan. Add salt and pepper to this mixture and stir to incorporate for a couple of minutes; pour all of this into soup stockpot. Bring the soup to a boil again. Add the heavy sweet cream and stir thoroughly and let it heat through. Serve steaming hot.

Israeli Creamy Garlic Soup

2008-02-29T21:38:00.000-08:00

Leaves and end stalks of whole celery stalk
1 Celeriac (optional, but it adds flavor)
1 whole onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly cut
5-6 large heads of garlic, peeled and minced

Olive oil
a little butter
2 cups of sliced fresh mushrooms
2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of finely ground black pepper
1 Tablespoon of Worchestershire Sauce
2 Tablespoons of A-1
1/2 cup of heavy sweet cream (100 grams)

Procedure:
In a large stock pot, saute chopped onion over low heat for a few minutes; add minced garlic and stir for about a minute. Fill the stock pot with cold water, add the celery and carrots. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat for about 1 1/2 hours. Discard celery and carrots.

Saute finely chopped low-fat smoked turkey, mushrooms in olive oil and a bit of butter in sauce pan. Add salt and pepper to this mixture and stir to incorporate for a couple of minutes; pour all of this into soup stockpot. Bring the soup to a boil again. Add the heavy sweet cream and stir thoroughly and let it heat through. Serve steaming hot.

Authentic Israeli Chicken Soup

2008-02-29T21:34:00.000-08:00

1 Whole 2 pound (1 kilo) chicken
Leaves and ends of whole bunch of celery
2 Carrots, washed and chopped roughly
1 Potatoe, washed and quartered
1 cup of chopped orange pumpkin squash (this is the Israeli secret...it really is a great addition)
6 cloves of garlic, minced (more or less - your option)
Celery stalks with leaves, washed & chopped fine
2 Carrots, washed, peeled, chopped fine
1 onion, chopped fine
2 Tablespoons of A-1 Sauce
1 Tablespoon of Worchestershire Sauce
Dash of Hot sauce
1-2 teaspoons of coarse Sea salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon of fresh finely ground pepper (to taste)

In a very large stock pot, add the first 5 ingredients and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and turn down to simmer for about 2-3 hours. (If you use a crock pot, you can do this overnight.) Remove and discard all the vegetables; debone chicken when cooler. Add deboned chicken meat back to the soup.

Meanwhile saute the remainder cut up vegetables, seasonings (except sauces) in a large pan in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add this mixture to the soup. Add sauces, and retaste for more salt and pepper. Bring to a boil again and simmer another 10 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Options (Use less vegetables in the soup for the following): Add prepared matzah balls, dumplings, or add thin or wide noodles the last 10 minutes of cooking.

Lentil & Spinach Soup

2008-02-29T21:33:00.000-08:00

12 oz bag (3/4 pound) of green lentils
3 medium onions, sliced
1/4 cup of olive oil
1/4 pound of fresh spinach
3 teaspoons of cumin
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
1-2 teaspoons of sea salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Lentils do not need to be soaked. Add lentils to large soup pan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and turn it down to a medium simmer, until lentils are soft but do not fall apart.

Meanwhile, slowly saute sliced onions in olive oil in saucepan until they are carmelized. Add spices, minced garlic, salt and pepper and stir for another minute, taking care not to burn. Add all of this to the cooked lentils and bring to a boil again. Boil soup for another couple of mintues. Finally, add the fresh spinach and simmer for about 2 minutes, stirring the soup, taking care not to overcook the spinach.

Serve about 1/2 cup of soup in bowls.

Navy Bean Soup Yerushalmi (Jerusalemite)

2008-02-29T21:29:00.000-08:00

1/2 pound of Navy Beans, soaked overnight
1/4-1/2 cup of smoked turkey, or your favorite Kosher salami or smokey salted meat
3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 onion
3-4 Carrots, diced
3-4 stalks of celery, chopped small
1-2 teaspoon of salt (to taste)
1 teaspoon of fresh finely ground pepper
1 tablespoon of Worchestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon of A1 Sauce
Finely chopped parsley (optional)

Place soaked Navy beans in a large stock pot; cover with cold water. Add leaves of celery and/or celery root. Bring to a boil and turn it to medium simmer until the beans are very soft. Discard celery root and leaves.

Meanwhile, saute smoked turkey or Kosher salami in olive oil in a saucepan. Add onions until softened; stir in chopped carrots and celery, and saute for several minutes. Add salt and pepper. Add contents of saucepan to cooked Navy beans and stir well. Add Worchestershire Sauce and A-1 Sauce and bring to a boil. Season to taste. Serve with finely chopped parsley on top.

Fried Eggplant & Onions

2008-02-29T21:24:00.000-08:00

2 large Eggplants, cut into 1" cubes
1 large onion, cubed
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

In a heavy frying pan, heat up the olive oil, taking care not to smoke it. Add onions and fry until softened; add in eggplant and cook until browned and tender. Turn into serving bowl and season with salt and pepper.

Fried Sliced Eggplant

2008-02-29T21:23:00.000-08:00

2 large Eggplants, sliced width-wise
Salt
Vegetable oil for frying

In a colander, place sliced eggplant and salt each layer. Place a plate on top of the eggplant with a heavy jar or can; set aside to drain for about 30 minutes. Place the slices on paper towels and dry thoroughly.

Heat a heavy frying pan with vegetable oil and fry slices of eggplant until browned on both sides; drain on paper towels. Add salt and pepper.