For centuries Jewish cooks have told stories with their food preparation.  Two tubes of pasta or filled crepes (blintzes) placed side by side on a plate  resemble the Torah scrolls which were given to Moses on Mount Sinai and we  celebrate the giving of the Torah on Shavuot.

Manicotti with Tomato Sauce

THE SAUCE:
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 28 ounce can recipe ready tomatoes
1 8 ounce can tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil or 1 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon or more sugar to taste

THE MANICOTTI:
1 box manicotti shells
1 pound ricotta
1/2 pound mozzarella, diced into 1/4 inch cubes
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
2 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs, beaten
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Generous pinch of nutmeg
________________________________________
1.    To make the sauce, heat a 3 quart saucepan over high heat for 15 seconds.  Add the olive oil and heat for 10 seconds.  Add the onions to the hot oil and sauté for 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and sauté the mixture until lightly golden. Do not allow garlic to burn or sauce will be bitter.

2.    Add the remaining sauce ingredients and simmer uncovered for 20-30 or until sauce is thick.

3.    Meanwhile, cook the manicotti shells according to package directions.  Drain and pour cold water over the shells.  Let them sit in the water while you make the filling.

4.    Combine all of the ingredients for the filling in a bowl.

5.    Place a large, plain (#6) tip into a 14 inch pastry bag.  Fold the top of the bag downward to create a 4 inch cuff around the top of the bag. Rest the bag in your hand with your fingers underneath the cuff and the tip touching the countertop. Spoon the filling into the bag.  Unfold the cuff up to enclose the filling.  Bring the top edges together and pleat them closed so no filling oozes out the top.  Place the bag in the crook between your thumb and forefinger and twist the bag until the cheese mixture tightly fills the bag near the tip.

6.    Holding a drained tube in your other hand, place the tip of the bag inside of the tube and squeeze filling the tube from the center out.  Turn the tube around and fill the remaining half of the pasta.

7.    Place some of the sauce in a 13 x 9 baking dish.  As you fill the manicotti, place them in the dish.  When all manicotti are filled, pour the remaining sauce on top, sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese, and bake for 30 minutes at 350F or until bubbling.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fish fillets, skin removed (salmon, sea bass, halibut, or black cod)
• 1/4-cup soy sauce
• 1 Tablespoon light brown sugar
• 6 ounces regular (not lite) beer
• 2 large cloves garlic finely minced
• 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4-6 flour tortillas

Preparation Instructions

1. Cut the fish into 1- inch thick strips.

2. Combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, beer and minced garlic in a Pyrex loaf pan or small casserole. Add the fish and marinate for no more than 1 hour.

3. Combine the chopped pecans, flour, salt and pepper on a plate. Firmly press all sides of the fish into the pecan mixture to coat well.

4. Preheat the oven to 400F.

5. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat 20 seconds. Add the olive oil and butter and heat until the butter is melted and bubbling.

6. Reduce the heat to medium high if the mixture begins to smoke, and add the fish fillets to the pan. Cook on one side for 1-2 minutes until nuts are golden brown.

7. Flip fish over and then place the entire frying pan in the oven and bake for 5 minutes more or until fish is firm but still springy.

8. Cut the fish pieces in half, if desired and then serve on a flour tortilla with some pineapple salsa and Ancho chili –Margarita mayonnaise.

PINEAPPLE MINT SALSA

1/2 ripe pineapple, peeled cored and cut into small dice
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds and inner ribs removed, finely diced
1/3 cup finely diced red onion
1 Tablespoon finely minced Mexican Mint Marigold (or Tarragon)
1 Tablespoon finely minced fresh Mint
Juice of half a lime
Pinch of sugar (optional if pineapple isn’t sweet)

1. Combine all of the ingredients in a small serving bowl and refrigerate until needed.

ANCHO CHILI, MARGARITA MAYONNAISE

1/4 cup Hellmann’s mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Tequila
1/2 teaspoon Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
Fresh lime juice to taste
1/8 -1/4 teaspoon McCormick Ancho chili powder

1. Whisk the mayonnaise in a small bowl until smooth and then add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.

4 Tablespoons margarine (you can use butter if you are not kosher)
2 Tablespoons curry powder
1/4 cup dry white wine
2-3 pounds chicken wing drummettes or chicken cut into 1/8ths
1 cup mango chutney
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 Tablespoon finely chopped scallion
2 Tablespoons finely chopped peanuts

——————————————————————

1.    Melt the margarine in a saucepan and stir in the curry powder.  Cook for 2-3 minutes and add the wine.  Remove from heat.

2.     Remove any excess fat from the chicken parts.  Wash and pat dry.  If using whole wings, discard the tip and cut the two bone section and drummettes apart.

3.    Place the chicken parts in a roasting pan and baste with the curry sauce.  Bake for 20 minutes in a 350F Oven.

4.    Chop up any large pieces of mango in the chutney and then spread the chutney over the chicken parts.  Bake for 30 minutes or until chicken is tender.

5.    Place the chicken on a serving platter and reduce the sauce by 1/3.

6.    Pour the sauce over the chicken and sprinkle with the coconut, scallions and peanuts.  Serve.

NOTE:  May be made in advance and reheated in the microwave or oven.  Garnish with the coconut, scallion, and peanuts only after reheating and before serving.

LEMON RICOTTA PANCAKES

1 Tablespoon melted unsalted butter
1-cup whole milk ricotta
2 eggs
2 Tablespoon light brown sugar
Zest of 1/2  medium lemon, finely minced
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8-teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4  teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons whole-wheat flour
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
Unsalted butter for frying
______________________________________________________
1.    Place the 1 Tablespoon of butter in a 1 1/2 quart glass bowl and microwave on high for 40 seconds or until butter is melted.

2.    Add the ricotta and eggs and mix well with a whisk to thoroughly combine.

3.    Add the brown sugar, lemon zest, vanilla, nutmeg and salt as well as the two flours and stir well.

4.    Heat a griddle over medium high heat and rub the end of a stick of butter all over the surface of the pan to coat it well.

5.    Drop heaping Tablespoons of batter on to the griddle and cook for 3 minutes or until the underside of the pancake is golden brown and the top is slightly dry.

6.    Gently flip the pancakes over (it might be easier to use 2 small spatulas to do this) and cook for another 2 minutes until edges are barely crisp and both sides are golden brown.

7.    Serve drizzled with additional melted butter, honey, or a dollop of sour cream if desired.

Yield: About 20 silver dollar sized pancakes

Note: recipe may be doubled if desired.

Tina’s Tidbits:

•    These pancakes are light as air and delicate so turning is best achieved using two spatulas, one in each hand to evenly brown both sides.

•    Whole wheat flour contains more gluten than white flour so less is needed in delicate foods to bind ingredients together.

•    A rasp-type grater like the Micro plane© is perfect for creating fine shards of lemon zest that will flavor the batter evenly without any bitter white pith from the inner peel.

LATKES-POTATO PANCAKES

6-8 large thin skinned potatoes, California long whites or Yukon Gold

3 eggs, beaten well

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2-cup matzo or cracker meal

1 large onion, cut into 8 pieces

Oil for frying

—————————————————————————

1.    Grate the raw potatoes using the large grating disk on a processor or the largest holes on a grater if doing it by hand. Place grated potato in a colander, rinse with cold water and drain while you grate onion.

2.    Combine eggs, salt, pepper and matzo meal in a 3 quart bowl.  Mix thoroughly.

3.    Change to the cutting blade on your processor.  Add onions to the work bowl.  Pulse on and off 5 times.  Add ¼ of the grated potatoes to the onion and pulse on and off to make a coarse paste. Add to the egg mixture and stir to combine.

4.    Add the drained potatoes to the bowl and mix thoroughly using a large spoon or your hands.

5.    Heat a large frying pan or large skillet for 20 seconds.  Add enough oil to cover the pan to a depth of 1/4 inch and heat for an additional 20 seconds. Drop mounds of potato mixture into the pan.  Fry on both sides until golden.  Drain fried latkes on a platter covered with crumpled paper towels.  Serve with applesauce and sour cream.

Tina’s Tidbits:

•    Grated potatoes turn black when exposed to air.  Rinsing the potatoes under running water washes away excess starch and the discoloring culprit.
•    Always grate your potatoes separately from your onions that way you won’t lose any of the flavorful juice when you drain the potatoes
•    The best way to drain fried foods is on a plate covered with crumpled paper towels.  Crumpling gives more surface area for absorption.

2 teaspoons sherry vinegar

2 teaspoons soy sauce

2 teaspoons pink peppercorns

2 teaspoons finely julienned ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

1/8 teaspoon hot red pepper sauce

1/4 cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons chiffonade of cilantro

1/2 medium lemon, sectioned and cut into medium dice

1/2 medium lime, sectioned and cut into medium dice

1 medium orange, sectioned and cut into medium dice

1 medium Texas ruby red grapefruit, sectioned and

cut into medium dice

4 salmon fillets, 5-6 oz. each

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. To make the vinaigrette, mix the first 8 ingredients in a glass bowl. Whisk in 1/4 cup oil in a slow, steady stream. Set aside, reserving 2 Tablespoons.

2. Sprinkle the salmon fillets with salt and pepper and brush with the reserved vinaigrette. Grill over hot coals until done (10 minutes per inch thickness).

3. Stir the remaining 5 ingredients for the vinaigrette into the already combined mixture and spoon over each fillet. Serve immediately.

Tina’s Tidbits:

· To chiffonade an herb, lay the leaves on top of each other, roll then up tight like a cigarette and then slice very thin slices through the roll. The result will be thin wisps of herbs that float through the air like chiffon.

· To section a citrus fruit, cut off the top and bottom peel so you can see the fruit inside. Cut one section of the peel completely off from top to bottom. There should be no white pith adhering to the fruit. Using that first cut as a guide continue to remove the remaining peel in five or six more vertical cuts down the side of the fruit. Now, place your knife parallel to the section membrane and cut to the center. Do the same thing on the other side of that section. It will remove easily. Repeat on the left and right side of each section until all the fruit is removed.

This technique works perfectly with all citrus fruit although it is somewhat easier with oranges and grapefruit because of their larger size.

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds ground beef
½ medium onion, grated
2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
1 egg
1/3 cup matzo meal
½ cup tomato sauce
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided use
5 onions, thinly sliced
1 quart water
½ cup dark raisins
8 soft pitted prunes
½ cup slivered almonds
2 pounds pumpkin or Hubbard OR Butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2 inch chunks
½ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preparation Instructions

1. Place the meat in a 2 quart mixing bowl and add the onion, parsley, egg, bread crumbs, tomato sauce, salt and pepper and 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil. Mix the mixture well and set aside until ready to make the meatballs.

2. Heat a large Dutch oven and then add the remaining 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Sauté the onions in the oil until golden brown.

3. Add the water to the onions and bring to a boil.

4. Shape the meat into walnut sized balls and drop into the simmering liquid. Cook the balls until firm.

5. Combine the raisins and the prunes in a small glass dish and cover with water. Microwave on high for 3 minutes and let sit while the meatballs cook.

6. When the meat is firm, transfer the meat to a 13 x 9 casserole.

7. Drain the fruits and add them to the casserole along with the almonds and pumpkin.

8. Sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon over the food and bake in a pre-heated 350F oven until the squash is tender and almost all of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve with couscous or quinoa for Passover.

Couscous

1 ½ cups water or chicken broth
1 Tablespoon margarine or butter
1 cup couscous or quinoa

2. Add the couscous and stir to combine. Immediately cover and turn off the heat.

3. Allow the couscous to sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and place in the middle of a large serving platter with the meat and vegetables around it or serve from a bowl for all to take.

Note: For Quinoa, rinse quinoa in cold water twice before using (to remove bitterness of outer hull), cook covered, over low heat for 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed.

Ingredients

• 1 turkey 12-18 pounds
• 5 carrots, coarsely chopped
• 3-4 large o­nions, diced
• 3 stalks of celery, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
• 1/2 pound raw chicken livers, chopped
• 1 28-ounce can crushed peeled tomatoes
• salt, pepper, and paprika to taste
• 2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped or lots of garlic powder to sprinkle over all
• 1 Tablespoon chicken fat or butter

Preparation Instructions

1. Rinse the turkey. Rub a little salt o­n the inside of the turkey cavity.
2. Place the carrots, o­nions, celery, mushrooms, livers and tomatoes in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Season to taste with the seasonings and the garlic being light handed with the salt.
3. Place the turkey breast side up o­n top of the vegetables. Season the turkey lightly with the salt, pepper, and paprika (if you wish, garlic powder can be sprinkled o­n as well.)
4. Rub the Tablespoon of fat all over the turkey skin. Cover with a tent of aluminum foil being sure that the shiny side is facing out.
5. Roast the turkey at 325F for 15-18 minutes per pound or until the internal temperature of the meat is about 180F. Baste often with the juices in the pan. If necessary, you can add some boiling water to the bottom of the pan. Remove from oven and set aside for 15 minutes before carving.
6. Using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables to a microwave-proof casserole and pour the remaining liquid into a container. If refrigerated for a while, the fat will be easy to skim off the top.
7. Slice the turkey. Reheat the vegetables and the gravy if necessary. Serve.

Additional Notes

The sliced turkey will freeze well if you freeze the meat in airtight freezer bags and freeze the gravy seperately.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 – 2 pounds rib eye, shoulder, chuck steak
• 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh garlic or 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• Salt and pepper to taste

1. Mix all of the ingredients together except meat.
2. Cut the meat into 1 1/2 inch cubes and place the cubes in a bowl with the marinade. Marinate at least 1 hour, if not longer.
3. Skewer the meat with any vegetables you desire (I recommend wedges of onion, green pepper, cherry tomatoes and mushroom caps.).
4. Broil over hot coals for 10-15 minutes or until meat is the desired color.
5. Serve with the accompanying sauce if you wish.

SAUCE SATE KATJANG

• 1/2-cup water
• 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tablespoons peanut butter
• 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• Salt to taste

1. Combine water and lemon juice.
2. Whisk peanut butter and slowly add just enough of the water mixture until you get a smooth sauce consistency. Stir in the red pepper flakes and salt. Serve with Sate Manis.

Ingredients

• 1 Tablespoon cumin powder
• 1 Tablespoon curry powder
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• 1 Tablespoon coriander seed, crushed
• 1 Tablespoon black peppercorn, crushed
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large clove of garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon minced fresh oregano
• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Preparation Instructions

1. Combine all of the ingredients for the rub in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
2. Rinse and pat dry the chicken breasts
3. Rub the chicken breasts with some of the spice rub to coat well. Allow to sit for at least 1/2 hour at room temperature. If marinating for several hours, keep food in the refrigerator but bring to room temperature before grilling.
4. Grill the chicken breasts for 3 minutes per side or until firm but springy to the touch.