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... 

Parshas Masei

Hashem commands Moshe to write down the name of the 40 places Bnei Yisrael trekked through to get to Eretz Yisrael in their 40 years in the midbar.

This Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie is shaped into one huge cookie and decorated with icing to resemble a map showing their route from Yetziat Mitzrayim till eventually getting to Eretz Yisrael.

I copied this map....

Oatmeal Chocolate chip cookies

Ingredients:

1 cup margerine

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanila

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 pinch salt

2 cups flour

2 cups oat meal

2 cups chocolate chips

Method:

1.  Preheat oven to 180C (360 F)

2. Cream margerine vanila and sugar.

3. While still beating, add eggs one at a time. Beat till nice and fluffy.

4.  Add the rest of the ingredients and mix.

5.  Grease a baking tray and shape the dough into a giant square cookie

6.  Bake for about 15 minutes of until starts turning a golden colour.

7.  Place wax paper over cake and draw the map.

8.  cut out the sea bits

9.  Make blue icing mixing 1 cup icing sugar, 2 tbls water and blue food colouring.  

10.  Colour in the seas.

11.  Now cut out the tip of 'Israel'.

12.  Make green food colouring by mixing 1/2 cup icing sugar, 1 tbls water and green food colouring.

13.  Colour in Israel.  I also coloured in  where Har Sinai is in green.

14.  To mark the route, mix 1/2 cup icing sugar with 1/2 tbls water and food colouring.  This will be a thicker icing making it easier to write with.

Hoping you have a wonderful Shabbos!

Orit 

xxx

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Parshas Matos

Hashem tells Moshe to get an army ready, as the time has come to attack the nation of Midyan.  Thousands of men from each shevet (tzadikim only) get ready for battle.  

These are shields and arrows made of puff pastry, custard and a bit of fruit to decorate.

Ingredients:

1 roll puff pastry 

custard powder 

rice milk (or any parev milk to make the custard)

sugar (for custard)

fruit to decorate

Method:

1.  Roll out the puff pastry and cut into squares. 

2.  Slit the edges as shown to make 2 L shapes.

3.  Fold the edges over as shown...

Cut out little arrows as well... at least one for every shield...

4.  At this point you can brush with some egg and sprinkle with sugar.  But you dont have to. 

5.  Bake in oven preheated to 180 C (360F) for about 10-15 minutes or until starts turning golden.

6.  Using the back of a wooden spoon, punch down the middle of the shield to make space for the custard.

7.  Make custard according to package instructions and fill the middle of the 'shields'.

8.  Decorate with fruit.

Hoping you have a wonderful Shabbos!

Orit

xxx

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Parshas Balak

Balak tries to curse Bnei Yisrael but all he could do was praise the tents of the Jews' Ma Tovu Ohalecha Yaakov' The tents were all facing in different directions, not looking into each others tents. 

These are chocolate mousse pyramids.

Ingredients:

2 cups chocolate chips

1 cup riches whip

2 Tbls margerine

Method:

1.  On wax paper, make a rectangle Measuring 30cm x 8cm (about 15"x4")

2.  Fold in half to mark where the middle is.  This is to make it easier to find the middle when folding the chocolate.

3.  Make two of these templates.

4.  In a double boiler, melt 1 cup chocolate.  once melted pour half the chocolate on first template and spread to fill rectangle.  

5.  To get the right angle, fold in half and hold top part up against a wall.  It will take 5 minutes for this to set. Now repeat with second template.

6.  Once set rest, I rested them in the oven on the grills.  Just don't forget them there and turn the oven on!

7. Pour the rest of the chocolate into the double boiler with margarine and melt.  

8.  In the meantime, place the Riches Whip in the bowl of a mixer and beat till it forms peaks.  

9.  Now with the beater still on, pour the chocolate into the cream and beat till combined.

10.  scoop the mousse into the chocolate molds. 

11.  Wrap tight and freeze.

12.  Using a knife that was heated in hot water slice little tents.  Make sure the knife is very hot and very sharp, otherwise the chocolate will break with the pressure.

Wishing you a wonderful Shabbos!

Orit 

XXX

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Parshas Chukas

In this weeks Parsha we learn about the 'Para Aduma'- literally a red cow.  We learn that if there is a red cow, one should bring to Mishkan and offer as Korban.  The ashes are sprinkled over the person that wants to become tahor-pure again. This is the only way that a person that came to touch a dead body can become Tahor again.  

Red Velvet cake Recipe

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups cake flour

2 Tbls cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup parev milk(I used rice milk)

1 Table lemon juice

2 Tbls red food colouring + more for icing

1/2 cup soft margarine

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tsp spirit vinegar

Method:

1.  Grease 2 round cake pans and line the bottom with baking paper.  I didnt have 2 the same size and it was fine.

2.  Preheat oven to 180C (360F)

3.  In a mixing bowl mix flour, cocoa and salt.

4.  In another bowl mix rice milk and lemon juice.

5.  In the bowl of a mixer, beat margarine to soften.

6.  Add the sugar and beat for a minute.  Scrape down sides and beat again for another minute.

7.  While still beating, add the eggs one at a time.

8.  Add Vanilla essence

9.  Mix food colouring into the rice milk mixture.

10.  With the mixer on low, add the flour and milk alternatively in three batches- ie: 1/3 flour then 1/2 milk, then 1/3 flour, rest of milk, rest of flour.

11.  In a small bowl place the baking soda and  add the vinegar to it.  It will bubble.  work quickly now, add to the batter and mix in by hand quickly.  

12.  Divide into the two prepared pans and place in middle rack of oven.

13. Bake for 25-30 minutes-or until a toothpick comes out clean.

14.  Once baked, allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes and then transfer to cooling rack.

Allow to cool properly.

Once cooled you can shape the cake into a cow.  Cut one of the cakes into a figure 8-one side bigger than the other- and place on top of the other cake.  use the extra pieces to cut ears for the cow.

Ice with whipped Richs Whip.  If not using Richs make sure its sweet enough on its own, otherwise add sugar.  I split the whip into two batches and made 2 different shades of red.  This made the cow look a little but more like a cow.  

When cutting into the cake you can see how velvety the cake looks... so delicious!

Wishing you all a wonderful Shabbos!

Orit

XXX

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