Susie's Favorite Yom Tov Recipes

The following are classic Kosher by Design recipes that are some of Susie Fishbein’s personal favorites, reprinted with permission from her various cookbooks.

Purple Cabbage Salad

Serves: 8-10

This salad also makes a wonderful side dish. It is a beautiful combination of colors and textures. Many men tell me they don’t like fruit on their salad, but for some reason this salad is an exception to that rule.

SALAD

• 16 ounces shredded purple cabbage

• ⅓ cup chopped scallions

• ⅓ cup pine nuts

• 3 carrots, julienned or 1 (8-ounce) bag shredded carrots

• 1 (11-ounce) can mandarin oranges (reserve juice)

• 1-2 handfuls dried cranberries (can be the sweetened kind)

DRESSING

• ¼ cup brown sugar

• ¼ cup red or white wine vinegar

• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon reserved mandarin orange juice

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• 1 vegetable or parve chicken flavor bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon dried consomme powder

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

1. Place the cabbage, scallions, pine nuts, carrots, oranges, and cranberries into a large Ziploc bag. Set aside.

2. In a jar or cruet, mix the brown sugar, vinegar, pepper, salt, reserved orange juice, oil, bouillon cube and garlic powder. Close and shake until thoroughly mixed.

3. Pour over the salad. Refrigerate to let the flavors mix for at least 1 hour. Can prepare early in the day.

Salmon Primavera

Yield: 8-10 servings

A mandoline (hand-held is fine) is a must for paper thin slices. Use a steel-core glove to protect your hands. Make sure your squash and tomatoes have similar diameters.

• 2½-3 pounds salmon filet, with skin and pin bones removed

• Kosher salt

• Freshly ground black pepper

• Honey mustard (I really like Honeycup® brand)

• 2 small zucchini, with skin, very thinly sliced

• 2 small yellow squash, with skin, very thinly sliced

• 4-5 firm Roma or plum tomatoes, very thinly sliced

• ¼ cup unflavored breadcrumbs or panko

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 375˚F. Season the salmon filets with salt and pepper. Spread an even thick coating of the mustard all over the salmon.

2. Place the salmon on a parchment or foil lined baking sheet. Place the fish horizontally in front of you. Starting at the left end of the filet, lay a column of overlapping slices of the zucchini. On the next row lay a column of overlapping slices of the squash — they should be overlapping the zucchini a bit as well. On the next row, lay a column of overlapping slices of tomatoes — they should slightly overlap on the squash. Begin again with the zucchini, followed by the squash and finally the tomato. Continue in this fashion until the whole filet is covered.

3. In a small bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, dill and olive oil. Sprinkle over the top of the vegetables.

4. Cook for 30-35 minutes. Remove one of the vegetables in the thickest part of the filet and test to make sure the fish is done, then cover it back up with the vegetables.

5. Serve hot or at room temperature. Can be refrigerated overnight and brought to room temperature the next day.

Cream of Sweet Potato Soup with Maple Roasted Pecans

Serves: 8-10

I dropped a container off at my neighbor Ed David’s house and got the following message from him on my answering machine. “Hi, it’s Ed, now you’re just showing off.” Nothing more to say except try this recipe.

MAPLE ROASTED PECANS

• 2 tablespoons margarine (or margarine substitute)

• 1 cup chopped pecans

• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup (not pancake syrup)

CREAM OF SWEET POTATO SOUP

• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

• 1 stalk celery, chopped

• 1 leek, white and pale green parts only, chopped

• 1 large shallot, chopped

• 1 medium onion, chopped

• 1½ pounds sweet potatoes, about 3 medium or 2 large, peeled and cut into small chunks

• 6 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock, divided

• ½ cup canned pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Pinch of nutmeg

• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

• 1 cup soy milk or light cream

1. Prepare the pecans: In a small frying pan over medium-low heat, melt the margarine. Add the pecans and maple syrup. Cook, stirring for 4-5 minutes, until roasted. Transfer to a paper towel. The pecans can be made two days in advance and kept in an airtight container.

2. Prepare the soup: In a large pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the celery, leek, shallot and onion until soft and shiny, about 4-6 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes and sauté for 2 minutes longer.

3. Add 4 cups of the stock and bring to a boil.

4. Turn down to a simmer and cook covered for 20-25 minutes, until sweet potatoes are soft. Add in the pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

5. Transfer to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender right in the pot and purée for a full 3 minutes. Add in remaining 2 cups of stock and soy milk or light cream. Purée for 1 minute and heat through.

6. Ladle the soup into bowls. Serve with a small handful of Maple Roasted Pecans in the center of each bowl.

Cauliflower “Popcorn”

Serves: 8

You will pop these gorgeous golden low carb-friendly treats into your mouth like popcorn. The simple high-heat roasting method brings out the natural sugars of the vegetable and the spice combination works great in both flavor and color. Separate the cauliflower over your parchment-lined sheets to catch all the tiny pieces that break off. These are the parts that get almost burnt and are my personal favorites!

• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 2 teaspoons sugar

• ½-¼ teaspoon ground turmeric

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ¼ teaspoon onion powder

• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder

• 6-8 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 heads cauliflower, separated into medium-sized florets, stems discarded

1. Preheat oven to 450˚F. Line a jelly-roll pan or baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, combine the salt, sugar, turmeric, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder and oil. Add cauliflower florets and toss to evenly coat.

3. Place in a single layer onto the prepared sheet.

4. Roast, uncovered, for 30–35 minutes, until the largest pieces can be pierced with a fork. If the tops are starting to get too brown, toss the cauliflower during the cooking process.

THE MOTHER OF JEWISH MEAT

Sweet & Sour Brisket

Serves: 12

So simple yet so delicious, this dish is perfect when you have no time to fuss in the kitchen.

• 1 (32-ounce) jar sauerkraut

• 1 (5-pound) beef brisket

• 1 (28-ounce) can whole, peeled tomatoes

• 1 (16-ounce) box dark brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Pour the sauerkraut over the brisket. Add the tomatoes with their liquid. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

2. Cover with foil and bake for 3 hours.

Jewel-Toned Orzo

Serves: 8-10

• 2 tablespoons margarine (or margarine substitute)

• 2 large onions, cut into

• ¼-inch dice

• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and cut into

• ¼-inch dice

• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼-inch dice

• 8 ounces fresh sliced mushrooms

• ½ cup sweetened dried cranberries

• ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

• ¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

• 1 tablespoon canola oil

• 1 (16-ounce) box orzo

• 1½ teaspoons chicken bouillon powder (can be parve)

1. In a large pan, over medium heat, melt the margarine. Add the onions, peppers, mushrooms and cranberries. Sauté until softened, about 6-8 minutes, making sure not to let the vegetables brown or burn. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium pot, heat the oil. Add the orzo and toast until golden, stirring often. It will be all different shades of brown and have a nutty aroma. Add boiling water to cover by a few inches; add the bouillon powder. Cook until the orzo is al denté, about 8-9 minutes. If the water boils out and the orzo is still too hard, add more hot water ½ cup at a time, stirring to make sure the orzo is not sticking to the bottom of the pot, until orzo is done and water has evaporated.

3. Combine the vegetables with the orzo. Serve hot or at room temperature.