Goulash gravy pareve

Well here a very short and quick “how to” for a matching gravy to accompany the meat loaf. (Besides I’m starving…..it’s Taanis Esther….). Again, the * marks all ingredients which better be cut on a pareve board due to the fact that they will later go into the food processer.

 You need:

1 onion, 1-2 red sweet pepper(s)*, 1 yellow sweet pepper, 3 tomatoes*, 3 potatoes, 2 carrots, some roast gravy powder dissolved in water (about 2-3dl), salt, pepper, paprika (lots), red wine, oil.

Chop onion, peel red pepper(s) and tomatoes. Put peeled pepper(s) and tomatoes in mixer until well blended. 

Stir-fry onions in a pan, add red wine and then the blended paprika/tomato. In case this is to dry add some water.

Now cut the potatoes, carrots and yellow peppers in the shape you like (I usually do large chunks for the potatoes, smaller ones for the carrots and fine strips for the peppers).

After about 10 Minutes add gravy and potatoes. Let boil some more minutes. Add spices to your liking. Generally it takes quite some paprika to get the right taste so don’t be shy…..At the very end add the yellow sweet pepper.

Well, that is about it. Enjoy.

Chocolate Fondue – pareve

I bought every child’s dream…..a chocolate fondue set. Not that this is in any way necessary in life, but it does stir up happy childhood memories of ravenous uncontrolled chocolate consumption and being awfully sick afterwards…..well, the first part is definitely the better

The only reason I write this is because I am testing whether it is possible to serve this on shabbat. I really wonder whether the chocolate sauce will survive the plata…..don’t worry I’ll keep you posted!

Voilà here come the findings:

The chocolate sauce can be easily heated on shabbos by pouring hot water from the samowar into a large bowl and then putting the fondue bowl into that hot water (bain-marie method). This seems to be in line with halacha, too (I checked in “Hilchos Schabbos” by Rav Posen, where heating by hot water is discussed, e.g. heating the contents of a baby bottle). No plata needed at all.

In an orthodox household you will not be able to use the stand with the candle that comes with the fondue set for keeping it warm on shabbos, as the candle gets too hot (and many other considerations).

But if heated in the above mentioned way you can get the chocolate hot enough to stay warm for some time and can still put the bowl onto the stand (without candle) just for the sake of style. If you do not own a fondue set, you can improvise with a heat resistant bowl and small forks.

Anyway chocolate fondue is never lasting for hours….it’s just too good!

How to: Melt pareve chocolate by bain-marie method. You can add some soy-cream or other pareve cream to reduce sweetness and make it more creamy. Let cool in bowl. Cut different fruits in small cubes to dip into the chocolate (you can also take cookies, marshmallows etc.). Set aside. Heat again during main course……so it will be ready for dessert. Serve and enjoy. (If children are present: make sure your fine white linen is safely put away or covered with plastic foil )

Lima bean stew with meatballs and potato dumplings

This is basically a stew with potato and meat dumplings where the individual parts are later on joined, making it an “all in one pot” recipe.

It is fleishig, but if you take pareve broth cubes and leave away the meatballs it is completely pareve.

Please note that the lima beans need to be soaked overnigth! The recipe serves two to three persons depending on what you serve before and after

Start with the potato dumplings:

1 kg potatoes, 2 eggs, 125 gr. flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, salt, pepper, nutmeg, some fresh or dried thyme and rosemary.

Peel potatoes, cook till well done in salt water, mash in a bowl, let cool. Add eggs, flour and all seasonings. Boil saltwater in a big pot. Shape dumplings of equal size. Simmer dumplings in hot (no rolling boil) saltwater for about 10 minutes. (Best try with one dumpling first, cook it and then slice it in two to check whether it is well done on the inside. You might need to prolongate cooking time if your dumplings are rather large or adjust heat if it falls apart.)

Next the stew:

250 gr. dried lima beans (soaked in water overnight. You can take any other bean variety you like or even mixed beans), 2 tomatoes diced, 1 sweet corncob sliced, 1 onion minced, 2 carrots sliced, 1/2 celery root diced, 1 celery peeled and diced, oil, 1 kosher beef broth cube, 1/2 cup white wine, fresh parsley, pepper, paprika, chilli.

Cook lima beans in saltwater until half done (about 10-15 minutes). Rinse and set aside. Heat oil in a pan, add onions, stir well until golden. Add the rest of the veggies except tomatoes and sweet corn, sauté for some minutes, cool with white wine. Dissolve broth cube in water, add to veggies (abot 1.5 litres, or until you have a clear broth), then add tomatoes, sweet corn, lima beans, pepper, paprika and chilli. Cook for about 30 minutes. You wil have to check whether all ingredients are well done and adjust the seasonings to your taste. (Keep parsley for decoration)

Then the meatballs:

250 gr. minced meat, 1 egg, bread crumbs (about 2 tablespoons), salt, pepper, paprika, oil for skillet.

Combine minced meat, egg and bread crumbs, let sit for 15 minutes. The mixture should now be dry enough to form dumplings without sticking too much to your fingers, but still moist in touch. Form all dumplings, heat oil in a skillet, fry until done on all sides.

In a big pan or heat-resistant dish mix together stew, potato dumplings and meatballs. Sprinkle with parsley and enjoy!