I want to make a fantastic kosher dinner. Recipes needed!
April 10, 2013 10:30 PM Subscribe
I'm having a date night at home on Saturday with my wife, which means I'm cookin' dinner and making dessert from scratch. Would like to knock her socks off with a fantastic, romantic meal. The catch: we keep kosher. We're not very strict, but don't mix milk and meat products in the same meal. And I know my way around a kitchen, but am not a professional chef. So if you have an awesome recipe (or three,) that doesn't require a super-high skill level, I'd be grateful if you'd share them!
I'm open to any recipes that don't mix meat and milk. (Or ones that do where I can substitute ingredients to fit the bill.) Dairy, non-dairy, vegetarian and/or meat dishes are perfectly fine.
I'm open to any recipes that don't mix meat and milk. (Or ones that do where I can substitute ingredients to fit the bill.) Dairy, non-dairy, vegetarian and/or meat dishes are perfectly fine.
Or a slight variation of the above: Poached salmon in white wine, steamed broccoli (al dente, not soggy), and quinoa made with vegetable stock. It's simple, but it is a very flavorful, tasty, healthy meal.
posted by mosk at 11:21 PM on April 10, 2013
posted by mosk at 11:21 PM on April 10, 2013
I'm surprised you don't have more suggestions! Having a long history of cooking for vegos, this is an easy one for me. I am including 3 recipes that always get me lots of silent, dedicated eating followed by satisfied expressions of yumminess. Om nom nom. Recipes are long and there are many ingredients, but it's actually not hard to cook these, don't get discouraged!
Mushroom risotto
1.25 - 1.4 litres chicken stock (I use Massel stock cubes which, despite being chicken/beef flavoured, are entirely vego. I am pretty sure something like this exists in NY too)
30g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1.5 cups (350g) arborio rice
125ml (1/2 cup) white wine (the rest goes in the chef & diners)
about 450g mushrooms, assorted varieties (I usually use shiitake, button and swiss brown but anything really)
2 tbsp butter
100g parmesan, grated
salt & pepper
Boil stock & keep simmering. In a large pan, melt butter & oil together. Add onion & cook until soft but not coloured (fairly low heat). Add rice and stir to coat the rice in butter and onions. Add wine, simmer until absorbed. Stir in mushrooms, add a ladleful of stock. Cook on low heat, stirring almost constantly, adding more stock as required. Keep going until the rice is soft and creamy but still slightly firm (about 20 min). Remove from heat. Stir in butter and half the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand for a few minutes. Serve with remaining parmesan sprinkled on top. Serves 4 so you will have yummy leftovers.
Sex salad
This actually has another name in the cookbook, but was renamed by some friends who love it so much I made it for their wedding. Originally from Joy of Cooking but I have modified their recipe somewhat.
Salad:
about 160g rocket (arugula)
1 small head radicchio
2 chicory/Belgian endive
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples
40g pecans, chopped
Wash the rocket and tear up a bit if it's really long. Tear the radicchio into bite-sized pieces. Peel off the leaves of the endive and slice them into long strips. Combine everything together in a nice big salad bowl. Core and thinly slice the apples (no need to peel) and toss them in too. Add the pecans on top.
Dressing:
60ml apple cider vinegar
60ml sour cream
60ml buttermilk
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
pinch of ground red pepper/chilli flakes
salt & pepper to taste
125ml olive oil
Whisk all ingredients except olive oil together. It helps if the honey is warm (but not hot). Then add the olive oil slowly, whisking it in as you go.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss it lightly together. The recipe says it serves 4/6 so halve if you want, otherwise more leftovers!
Gooey chocolate puddings
This is from Nigella. I am not Jewish so am not sure if eggs are ok with dairy - the internets not being authoritative on this matter. But this is one of the most decadent desserts ever and your wife will adore you.
125g best quality dark chocolate, finely chopped (I use Lindt 85% dark)
125g unsalted butter
3 large eggs
150g sugar
35g plain flour
butter & flour for preparing ramekins
Put the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and put the bowl over a (smaller) pan of simmering water. Stir, first occasionally and then more frequently, until melted. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until just blended. Gradually whisk in the melted butter and chocolate. Set aside to rest. Grease four 250ml ramekins with butter and add a bit of flour to coat the butter. (If you haven't done this before, turn the ramekin gently on its side and then around until coated all over.) Preheat the oven to 200C about half an hour before you want to eat pudding. Leave cooking them till you've finished everything else, they don't take long and it builds anticipation. Pour the mixture into the ramekins and put them on a baking sheet (cookie tray) in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are firm and cracking slightly, edges set. Nigella says "Serve immediately and consider providing a jug of cold, cold cream for people to pour into their pudding's hotly deliquescing interior as they eat". Having been raised American, not British, I substitute really top quality vanilla ice cream and can concur, it is an amazing experience. Oh yes, this makes 4, certain theme in cookbooks. This may not be a problem.
If the eggs are no-go, Nigella helpfully has another dessert which isn't quite as amazing, but is still pretty good.
Ricotta with honey and toasted pine nuts
"This doesn't really count as a recipe; it's more a suggestion. Cut about 350g fresh ricotta into wedges or oblong chunks (fresh, unsalty goat's cheese, sliced, works just as well) and arrange them on a plate. Dribble a couple of teaspoons of good, clear honey over them and then sprinkle over about 50g pine nuts which you've first toasted till golden and waxily fragrant in a hot, oil-less pan."
I am now hungry again, and it is bedtime. I think I will have to have a snack first.
posted by Athanassiel at 4:57 AM on April 11, 2013 [5 favorites]
Mushroom risotto
1.25 - 1.4 litres chicken stock (I use Massel stock cubes which, despite being chicken/beef flavoured, are entirely vego. I am pretty sure something like this exists in NY too)
30g butter
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1.5 cups (350g) arborio rice
125ml (1/2 cup) white wine (the rest goes in the chef & diners)
about 450g mushrooms, assorted varieties (I usually use shiitake, button and swiss brown but anything really)
2 tbsp butter
100g parmesan, grated
salt & pepper
Boil stock & keep simmering. In a large pan, melt butter & oil together. Add onion & cook until soft but not coloured (fairly low heat). Add rice and stir to coat the rice in butter and onions. Add wine, simmer until absorbed. Stir in mushrooms, add a ladleful of stock. Cook on low heat, stirring almost constantly, adding more stock as required. Keep going until the rice is soft and creamy but still slightly firm (about 20 min). Remove from heat. Stir in butter and half the parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand for a few minutes. Serve with remaining parmesan sprinkled on top. Serves 4 so you will have yummy leftovers.
Sex salad
This actually has another name in the cookbook, but was renamed by some friends who love it so much I made it for their wedding. Originally from Joy of Cooking but I have modified their recipe somewhat.
Salad:
about 160g rocket (arugula)
1 small head radicchio
2 chicory/Belgian endive
2 Granny Smith or other tart apples
40g pecans, chopped
Wash the rocket and tear up a bit if it's really long. Tear the radicchio into bite-sized pieces. Peel off the leaves of the endive and slice them into long strips. Combine everything together in a nice big salad bowl. Core and thinly slice the apples (no need to peel) and toss them in too. Add the pecans on top.
Dressing:
60ml apple cider vinegar
60ml sour cream
60ml buttermilk
3 tbsp honey
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
pinch of ground red pepper/chilli flakes
salt & pepper to taste
125ml olive oil
Whisk all ingredients except olive oil together. It helps if the honey is warm (but not hot). Then add the olive oil slowly, whisking it in as you go.
Pour the dressing over the salad and toss it lightly together. The recipe says it serves 4/6 so halve if you want, otherwise more leftovers!
Gooey chocolate puddings
This is from Nigella. I am not Jewish so am not sure if eggs are ok with dairy - the internets not being authoritative on this matter. But this is one of the most decadent desserts ever and your wife will adore you.
125g best quality dark chocolate, finely chopped (I use Lindt 85% dark)
125g unsalted butter
3 large eggs
150g sugar
35g plain flour
butter & flour for preparing ramekins
Put the chocolate and the butter in a bowl and put the bowl over a (smaller) pan of simmering water. Stir, first occasionally and then more frequently, until melted. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar and flour until just blended. Gradually whisk in the melted butter and chocolate. Set aside to rest. Grease four 250ml ramekins with butter and add a bit of flour to coat the butter. (If you haven't done this before, turn the ramekin gently on its side and then around until coated all over.) Preheat the oven to 200C about half an hour before you want to eat pudding. Leave cooking them till you've finished everything else, they don't take long and it builds anticipation. Pour the mixture into the ramekins and put them on a baking sheet (cookie tray) in the oven for 10-12 minutes, until the tops are firm and cracking slightly, edges set. Nigella says "Serve immediately and consider providing a jug of cold, cold cream for people to pour into their pudding's hotly deliquescing interior as they eat". Having been raised American, not British, I substitute really top quality vanilla ice cream and can concur, it is an amazing experience. Oh yes, this makes 4, certain theme in cookbooks. This may not be a problem.
If the eggs are no-go, Nigella helpfully has another dessert which isn't quite as amazing, but is still pretty good.
Ricotta with honey and toasted pine nuts
"This doesn't really count as a recipe; it's more a suggestion. Cut about 350g fresh ricotta into wedges or oblong chunks (fresh, unsalty goat's cheese, sliced, works just as well) and arrange them on a plate. Dribble a couple of teaspoons of good, clear honey over them and then sprinkle over about 50g pine nuts which you've first toasted till golden and waxily fragrant in a hot, oil-less pan."
I am now hungry again, and it is bedtime. I think I will have to have a snack first.
posted by Athanassiel at 4:57 AM on April 11, 2013 [5 favorites]
Just about any dessert (short of, say, a pound cake with 2 sticks butter) will do fine parve if you substitute soy milk and vegetable (canola?) oil. The oil is healthier, too. So take dessert off your worries. If you go for a sorbet, I say try the coconut or chocolate sorbets over the nondairy ice creams.
Chicken marsala? Always a treat, and you can do any white wine instead of marsala.
Schnitzel with (wait, wait) chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil?
posted by skbw at 5:33 AM on April 11, 2013
Chicken marsala? Always a treat, and you can do any white wine instead of marsala.
Schnitzel with (wait, wait) chopped tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil?
posted by skbw at 5:33 AM on April 11, 2013
For soy milk in desserts, make sure you get UNSWEETENED (not original).
You can make one of the Thai curries that calls for coconut milk by definition.
posted by skbw at 5:34 AM on April 11, 2013
You can make one of the Thai curries that calls for coconut milk by definition.
posted by skbw at 5:34 AM on April 11, 2013
Can you grill a steak, salmon filet, or boneless, skinless chicken? Steak requires the ability to test doneness, but you can cheat and cut it open to check. I like boneless, skinless chicken seasoned with meat rub. In all cases, the meat/fish is pan-seared quickly in a hot pan; the chicken and salmon don't take long, steak takes a bit longer, all are best served promptly.
Roasted vegetables - sweet and/or white potatoes, brussel sprouts, beets, kale, mushrooms, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme or rosemary, and roasted at 400. Stir every 15 minutes. They vary in time-to-doneness. My favorite vegetable is green beans, I steam them in a frying pan with a small amount of water, then drain, add olive oil and garlic, and saute them.
Baked potatoes, serve with margarine. Risotto is arborio rice sauteed with olive oil to golden, then cooked with broth and wine. Variations abound. I made it last night with Swanson concentrated broth and white wine, and cheated by using ordinary rice, and not stirring every single second. It was delicious, and it's even better with the arborio, and slower addition of liquids, and more stirring. I don't eat dairy, and when I crave mashed potatoes, I use olive oil or margarine and chicken broth. Not the same as dairy mashed potatoes, but very tasty.
Learn to make potato salad the way your family likes it; it's not hard. Cole slaw is way easy, you can use salad dressing on pre-shredded slaw; I like Trader Joe's Goddess dressing or a sesame-ginger dressing. One of my favorite salads is spinach, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, bacon bits (fake bacon), sliced hard-boiled egg, and a dressing 1 Tb lemon juice, 1 tsp. honey, and 4 Tb olive oil (approximate amounts). The secret to salad is to not drench the salad; use just barely enough to moisten it.
Another easy meal is soft tacos - homemade-style corn tortillas, toasted on a burner or a frying pan, hamburgers, cut in half to fit into a taco, lots of fresh greens, and my favorite fresh salsa from the grocery. Cheese and sour cream are not necessary if you use great ingredients (ahem, taco bell). This is fast and easy.
One of my favorite cookbooks is Mark Bitman's How to Cook Everything. If I came home to a small steak, risotto and green beans, I would be delighted. If you were to take on some of the routine cooking, especially foods she likes a lot, I'll bet she'd be very pleased.
posted by theora55 at 6:59 AM on April 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Roasted vegetables - sweet and/or white potatoes, brussel sprouts, beets, kale, mushrooms, tossed with olive oil, salt, pepper, thyme or rosemary, and roasted at 400. Stir every 15 minutes. They vary in time-to-doneness. My favorite vegetable is green beans, I steam them in a frying pan with a small amount of water, then drain, add olive oil and garlic, and saute them.
Baked potatoes, serve with margarine. Risotto is arborio rice sauteed with olive oil to golden, then cooked with broth and wine. Variations abound. I made it last night with Swanson concentrated broth and white wine, and cheated by using ordinary rice, and not stirring every single second. It was delicious, and it's even better with the arborio, and slower addition of liquids, and more stirring. I don't eat dairy, and when I crave mashed potatoes, I use olive oil or margarine and chicken broth. Not the same as dairy mashed potatoes, but very tasty.
Learn to make potato salad the way your family likes it; it's not hard. Cole slaw is way easy, you can use salad dressing on pre-shredded slaw; I like Trader Joe's Goddess dressing or a sesame-ginger dressing. One of my favorite salads is spinach, mandarin oranges, sliced almonds, bacon bits (fake bacon), sliced hard-boiled egg, and a dressing 1 Tb lemon juice, 1 tsp. honey, and 4 Tb olive oil (approximate amounts). The secret to salad is to not drench the salad; use just barely enough to moisten it.
Another easy meal is soft tacos - homemade-style corn tortillas, toasted on a burner or a frying pan, hamburgers, cut in half to fit into a taco, lots of fresh greens, and my favorite fresh salsa from the grocery. Cheese and sour cream are not necessary if you use great ingredients (ahem, taco bell). This is fast and easy.
One of my favorite cookbooks is Mark Bitman's How to Cook Everything. If I came home to a small steak, risotto and green beans, I would be delighted. If you were to take on some of the routine cooking, especially foods she likes a lot, I'll bet she'd be very pleased.
posted by theora55 at 6:59 AM on April 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Beef Strips in Rosemary Wine Sauce
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 pounds stir-fry beef (we use shoulder steak), sliced into long thick strips
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup red wine
Directions
Stir together flour with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper on a large plate. Toss beef with flour to coat.
Heat one tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers. Sauté steak in 3 batches, adding one tablespoon for each new batch, until it's no longer pink on the outside, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer batches, as cooked, to a clean plate.
Add remaining tablespoon of oil to skillet. Sauté garlic and rosemary until golden, about one minute. Add wine and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced by about half. Return beef with juices to skillet and cook to warm through and coat with sauce.
Great over orzo or rice.
posted by Mchelly at 7:47 AM on April 11, 2013
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/4 pounds stir-fry beef (we use shoulder steak), sliced into long thick strips
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 cup red wine
Directions
Stir together flour with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper on a large plate. Toss beef with flour to coat.
Heat one tablespoon oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium high heat until it shimmers. Sauté steak in 3 batches, adding one tablespoon for each new batch, until it's no longer pink on the outside, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer batches, as cooked, to a clean plate.
Add remaining tablespoon of oil to skillet. Sauté garlic and rosemary until golden, about one minute. Add wine and 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and boil, scraping up brown bits, until reduced by about half. Return beef with juices to skillet and cook to warm through and coat with sauce.
Great over orzo or rice.
posted by Mchelly at 7:47 AM on April 11, 2013
I have a lovely Kosher meal that I make mostly in the crock-pot.
1 brisket, browned in oil.
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 regular jar of marinara sauce (I make my own, but a decent jar will do)
1 packet baby carrots
1 packet sliced/washed Mushrooms
1 1/2 packet of peas (optional)
Put the first 4 ingredients in the crock-pot in the morning. Cook on low all day. When you get home, throw the mushrooms (and peas) in. Cook for about 30 minutes, or as long as it will take you to cook some egg noodles.
Toss a salad, have bread if you like.
Easy, tasty, filling.
You can go to the kosher bakery and get a cake, or serve anything with dairy in it about 2 hours after dinner (that's how we always did it.)
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:48 AM on April 11, 2013
1 brisket, browned in oil.
1 packet Lipton Onion Soup Mix
1 regular jar of marinara sauce (I make my own, but a decent jar will do)
1 packet baby carrots
1 packet sliced/washed Mushrooms
1 1/2 packet of peas (optional)
Put the first 4 ingredients in the crock-pot in the morning. Cook on low all day. When you get home, throw the mushrooms (and peas) in. Cook for about 30 minutes, or as long as it will take you to cook some egg noodles.
Toss a salad, have bread if you like.
Easy, tasty, filling.
You can go to the kosher bakery and get a cake, or serve anything with dairy in it about 2 hours after dinner (that's how we always did it.)
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 7:48 AM on April 11, 2013
As a super easy dessert, Lava chocolate chip cakes:
1 box Duncan Hines chocolate chip cookie mix (or your favorite pareve chocolate chip cookie recipe)
1/2 - 2/4 cup chocolate chips
Make cookie dough. Spoon small amount of cookie dough in each hole of a 12-hole muffin tin (just enough to cover the bottom thoroughly)
Melt chocolate chips in a pastry bag or ziplock in the microwave (takes about a minute to a minute and a half, stopping every 20 seconds to squish them around). If using a ziplock, cut off one bottom corner)
Squirt melted chocolate onto each blob of cookie dough, enough to make a big blob but not enough to reach the edges (touching a little is fine).
Cover with remaining cookie dough. If melted chocolate starts to peek out or overflow, just cover it over with more dough.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (until edges are just browned). Run a knife around edges before cooling for easier removal.
posted by Mchelly at 7:53 AM on April 11, 2013
1 box Duncan Hines chocolate chip cookie mix (or your favorite pareve chocolate chip cookie recipe)
1/2 - 2/4 cup chocolate chips
Make cookie dough. Spoon small amount of cookie dough in each hole of a 12-hole muffin tin (just enough to cover the bottom thoroughly)
Melt chocolate chips in a pastry bag or ziplock in the microwave (takes about a minute to a minute and a half, stopping every 20 seconds to squish them around). If using a ziplock, cut off one bottom corner)
Squirt melted chocolate onto each blob of cookie dough, enough to make a big blob but not enough to reach the edges (touching a little is fine).
Cover with remaining cookie dough. If melted chocolate starts to peek out or overflow, just cover it over with more dough.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes (until edges are just browned). Run a knife around edges before cooling for easier removal.
posted by Mchelly at 7:53 AM on April 11, 2013
Response by poster: These are all brilliant. Thanks so much to everyone who has answered so far!
Athanassiel: " I am not Jewish so am not sure if eggs are ok with dairy"
Eggs are fine! They're considered neither milk nor meat and can be used in either kind of meal.
posted by zarq at 8:08 AM on April 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Athanassiel: " I am not Jewish so am not sure if eggs are ok with dairy"
Eggs are fine! They're considered neither milk nor meat and can be used in either kind of meal.
posted by zarq at 8:08 AM on April 11, 2013 [1 favorite]
Amy at What Jew Wanna Eat has some of my favourite kosher recipes out there. Bete'avon!
posted by greatgefilte at 8:56 AM on April 11, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by greatgefilte at 8:56 AM on April 11, 2013 [2 favorites]
Good to know! I actually love food restrictions, it seems to bring out my culinary creativity. If there's not too many, anyway.
posted by Athanassiel at 5:56 PM on April 11, 2013
posted by Athanassiel at 5:56 PM on April 11, 2013
So what did you cook, and did she love it?
posted by Athanassiel at 12:00 AM on April 14, 2013
posted by Athanassiel at 12:00 AM on April 14, 2013
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by honeybee413 at 10:42 PM on April 10, 2013 [2 favorites]