4th night of the 9 days - Thursday night is Pizza Night!

Every Thursday night in my home is known as Pizza night.  It started off as a take out Pizza night to make life easier for me with Shabbos cooking coming up etc... How it ended up being homemade Pizza Night I will never know! But somehow my kids managed to convince me that this recipe is better than the take out pizza... Now any mother knows that a compliment like that is rare with kids in the kitchen! So somehow its become a Thursday night regular...

This recipe I learned back in High School (thanks Miri!).  Its so simple and so good. Sometimes I get my kids to make the dough and then I just make the sauce (get them to grate the cheese!!!) and wallah in the oven it goes!

Pizza Recipe

Ingredients:

Dough:

3 cups flour

1 pkt instant yeast (10grams)

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbls sugar

1 1/4 cups warm water

Method:

You can knead this dough by hand or with an electric mixer. 

1.  In a large bowl dissolve yeast water and sugar.  Allow to rest for a few minutes until it starts to bubble.

2.   Stir in 1 cup of flour, add the salt, mix some more and then the rest of the flour.

3. Mix until all the ingredients are just combined and stop.  Dont kneed.  

4.  Cover the dough and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

5.  After 10 minutes, kneed the dough for 5 minutes.  

6.  Cover the dough with a layer of oil and place in a well greased bowl.  Cover and allow to rise for about 1 hour.

7.  Divide the dough into 2 balls or leave to make one large pizza (in the picture bellow I doubled the recipe)

Pizza Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pepper diced into little pieces

1 small onion chopped

1 tin chopped peeled tomatoes (or 4-6 fresh tomatoes chopped)

1 tsp origano

1 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp crushed garlic

1 tsp salt

2 tbls oil

Olives (optional)

Method:

1.  In a pan, heat up the oil.

2.  Add peppers and onions and fry till start turning golden.

3.  Add the spices (and olives) and mix.

4.  Add Tomatoes and mix. (if using fresh tomatoes, you might want to add 1/2 cup of water- use your discrepancy)

5.  Lower heat and cook for about 20 minutes. 

Spread the Pizza Sauce on Dough and add cheese.  Bake in preheated oven of 180C (360F) for about 25 minutes...

Serve Immediately...

Enjoy!

Orit

XXX

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Parshas Devarim

In this weeks Parsha, Moshe Rabeinu reminds us of H-shems promise to Avraham Avinu that we will be as many as the stars.

This is a three layered dessert- yummy goey brownies, vanilla ice-cream, topped with chocolate ganache and decorated with star sprinkles!

Brownie Recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margerine

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Method:

1.  Pre-heat oven to 180C (360F)

2.  In the bowl of an electric beater place margerine, sugar and vanilla and beat.

3.  All while beating, add the eggs one at a time.

4.  Allow to beat for a few minutes until becomes light and fluffy.

5.  Add the rest of the ingredients and beat on low to prevent the dry ingredients from flying around.

6.  Place in a well greased or lined oven proof dish.

7.  Bake for 25 minutes

8.  Allow to cool.

Vanilla layer:

For this layer you can either get shop bought vanilla ice-cream or what I did was whip up 1 cup of Riches whip and use that.  Put on top of the brownie and try even the top up as much as possible.

Chocolate Ganache:

340 grms chocolate (12 ounces)

1 cup parev cream

Method:

Melt the chocolate and cream together and mix.  Allow to stand for a few minutes to cool off and thicken.  Once Thickened a bit and is cool pour over the ice cream.

Decorate with star sprinkles

Place on freezer and take out 10 minutes before serving.

Hope you have a wonderful Shabbos!

Orit

xxx

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Day 3 of the 9 days- Tuna Puffs and Mac 'n Cheese

These Tuna puffs are so delicious and the kids literally eat them out of the frying pan!

Tuna Puffs Recipe:

Ingredients: 

4 cans tuna

4 eggs

4 Tbls flour

salt

pepper

chopped veggies (optional)-I used chopped pepper and sweet corn.

oil for frying

Method:

1.  Chop the vegetables into tiny pieces (dont chop the corn)

2.  Mix all the ingredients together and spice with salt and pepper to taste.

3.  Heat pan and add oil.  

4.  Shape the puffs using 2 spoons and place in pan.

5. Fry until a golden brown turning only once.

Mac 'n Cheese Recipe:

Ingredients:

500g uncooked pasta

80 grams butter

4 Tbls flour

2 cups milk

salt 

pepper

mushroom soup powder (optional)

sliced tomatoes

grated cheese

Method:

1.  Cook pasta in boiling water till al dante.

2.  In a saucepan melt the butter on medium high heat.  

3.  Once melted, add flour and stir.

4. Add spices and 2 Tbls mushroom soup (if using).

5.  Take the pan off the heat and add the milk all while stirring.

6.  Lower heat, place on heat and keep stirring until starts thickening.

7.  Pour over pasta.  Place in oven safe dish.  Place sliced tomatoes ontop and sprinkle with cheese.

8.  Bake in preheated oven on 180 C(360F) for half an hour.

Enjoy!!

xxx

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Day 2 of nine days- Moroccan fish and couscous

Rosh Chodesh by us is couscous night.  Its a minhag my mother got from her mother, and I would imagine her  mother got it from her mother and so on.  My mother was born in Morocco.  They didn't have instant Couscous like we have these days.  I still remember in the good old days watching my mother and her mother (and my fathers mother too for that matter) making couscous.  Steaming the grains in a double boiler, then breaking it up by hand by rubbing two clumps against each other, and then steaming it again!

Lucky these days all we have to do is add some boiling water, season and break apart with a fork.

Usually we serve the couscous with a large chicken and chunky veg soup, sometimes lamb chops, sometimes even ousoubuku (adar).  For Rosh Chodesh Av, I serve with Moroccan fish.  This time I minced the fish and made fish balls, but really the same sauce can be used for fish steaks as well.  

Moroccan Fish recipe

Ingredients:

30 grams tomato paste

3 cloves of garlic sliced into medium this slices

2 TBLS chopped fresh parsley

2 TBLS chopped fresh coriander

tumeric

white pepper

paprika

salt

cumin

warm water

egg

750 grams Hake fillets (or what ever fish you usually use for gefilte fish-otherwise get ready minced fish)

sliced veggies of your choice- I used potatoes, butternut and carrots

Method:

1.  In a wide shallow pot, place the tomato paste, 2 Tbls chopped parsley and 2 Tbls chopped corriander and garlic and half a cup of water.  Place on stove set to medium high.  Omce it starts to boil, add the sliced veggies and stir.

2.  In a bowl, place 2 cups hot water, 2 TBLS paprika, 1/2 tsp tumeric, 1/2 tsp cumin salt and pepper to taste. Mix and add to bubbling pot of veggies and stir.

3.  In a food precessor place the fish and mince.  Once minced add 1 egg, 2 dashes tumeric and 2 dashes paprika. blend again for a minute to mix all together.  

4.  Form balls from the fish mixture and place in the bubbling pot.  You'll have to move the veggies around to fit the balls, but in the end you'll find space for all the fish.

5.  Bring down cooking temp to low medium and allow to simmer for at least half an hour- or until the vegetables are soft.

Make couscous according to package instructions

enjoy!!

Nine days menu 1 Salad bar

During the first 9 days of the Jewish month of Av, a time for mourning the destruction of the Beis Hamikdash,we don't drink wine or eat meat and chicken (other than on Shabbos).  I will bli neder try posting daily some menu ideas....

On the first night I made a salad bar.  Light and Yummy.  For this you really dont need a recipe.  Its all that you have at home chopped up into different bowls and let everyone make their own salad.

Some topping ideas are, crumbed mushrooms, soya products like palony, sliced fruit, nuts, boiled eggs, olives, different cheeses etc... really the list is endless...

Serve with bread or crackers...