The queen of kosher

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Published: Thu 28 Jan 2021, 4:30 PM

Jamie Geller influences millions every day. Known as the 'Jewish Rachael Ray', and the 'queen of kosher', seven-time best-selling author Jamie Geller is the Founder and CEO of Kosher Network International, the number one global kosher food media company, home to @jamiegeller, JamieGeller.com, featuring over 10,000 recipes, and the viral @jewlishbyjamie how-to videos, with one billion views.

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Slow Braised Brisket and Onions


INGREDIENTS

  • 3 large Spanish onions, thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 (½ kg) whole brisket
  • 3 whole heads of garlic, cut in half to expose the cloves
  • 3 cups beef broth
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Bouquet garni: thyme, parsley and bay leaves tied to celery rib

METHOD


  • Preheat oven to 150°C.
  • Heat a large sauté pan, lightly coated with olive oil, over medium-high heat. Brown onions until dark and very soft. Stir tomato paste in and continue cooking for a few minutes to sear tomato paste. Transfer onions to slow cooker, or if using a Dutch oven, push onions to the side.
  • Season brisket with salt and pepper and brown on both sides in the same pan. Cut brisket in half to fit into a slow cooker.
  • Nestle brisket into pan with onions. Add garlic, broth, and bouquet garni.
  • Cover and braise for 3½ to 4 hours in the oven or 8 hours in slow cooker, or until a fork inserted, comes out with no resistance.
  • Cool brisket before refrigerating for up to 2 days.
  • Scrape off fat, slice brisket. Squeeze garlic out of heads and add to pan juices. Serve with pan juices and onions.
  • To store: slice brisket and store with pan juices in refrigerator.
  • Reheat in a 150°C oven, covered, for 1 hour.

 

Potato Kugel Cups

INGREDIENTS

  • 1½ cups extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 2 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 large potatoes
  • 1 large onion, quartered 

METHOD

  • Preheat oven to 220°C. Liberally oil six glass dessert dishes or custard cups with 1 to 2 tbsp of olive oil each. Place custard cups on a baking pan.
  • Fill a large bowl with cold water and, as you peel potatoes, place them in cold water to prevent browning.
  • Place the pan of cups in the oven to heat up the olive oil.
  • Beat eggs in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper, mix well, and set aside.
  • Pour ¾ cup of olive oil in a small saucepan and place over medium-low heat. Cut potatoes lengthwise so they fit into food processor feed tube. Process potatoes and onions using the blade that creates thin, shoestring-like strips.
  • Transfer potatoes and onions to a large bowl, add egg mixture and heated oil from stovetop, mix very well. Remove any large pieces of potatoes or onions that weren't processed properly.
  • Remove heated cups from the oven and spoon potato mixture evenly into hot, oiled cups.
  • Bake at 220°C for 1 hour. If the sides are still pale, cook for 20 minutes longer until the tops look crunchy and sides are golden and browned. Loosen edges with a knife, unmold and serve on a platter.

TIP: To make this as a pie, bake at 220°C in a 9-inch round glass baking dish for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Stuffed Cabbage

INGREDIENTS

Cabbage and Stuffing

  • 1 (2 kg) head green cabbage
  • ½ kg ground meat
  • ½ cup uncooked rice
  • 1 small onion, (¼ cup) grated
  • 1 (175 ml) can tomato paste, divided
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • ½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper

Tomato Sauce

  • 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, (½ cup) finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 (800 ml) can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 (500 ml) jar apricot preserves
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • ½ kg beef bones (optional)

METHOD

  • Bring a large (9 to 11 litre) pot of water to a boil.Remove cabbage core with a sharp knife.
  • Using tongs, place head of cabbage in simmering water and cook for 6 minutes. Turn cabbage over and cook another 6 minutes, until leaves are just tender.
  • Gently remove from pot, place in a bowl, and set aside until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Gently remove leaves of cabbage.
  • Slice off tough stem at the bottom outer leaves of each cabbage leaf. Chop any remaining cabbage and place in pot of sauce).
  • While cabbage is simmering, combine ground meat, rice, grated onion, ¼ cup tomato paste, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a small mixing bowl. Place, covered, in fridge until ready to fill cabbage. The filling mixture can be made up to 24 hours before filling cabbage leaves.
  • Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until softened. Add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.Add remaining tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, apricot preserves, beef broth, salt and beef bones, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Once sauce is simmering, prepare cabbage rolls.
  • Place ¼ cup of ground meat filling towards the bottom end of 1 cabbage leaf and roll upwards so meat is covered by cabbage. Fold left and right corners toward the centre and continue to roll until sealed. Repeat with remaining meat and cabbage leaves.
  • Gently lay cabbage rolls, seam side down, into simmering sauce and simmer for 1 ½ hours in a covered pot. You can also bake the stuffed cabbage in a covered pot or baking dish, for 1 ½ hours in a preheated 175°C oven.
  • Serve hot immediately or store, covered, in the fridge for up to 48 hours or in the freezer for 2 months.

Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls

INGREDIENTS

Chicken Stock

  • 1 ½ to 2 kg chicken bones
  • 4 or 5 beef marrow bones
  • 5 medium carrots, roughly chopped
  • 2 large parsnips, roughly chopped
  • 2 small turnips, roughly chopped
  • 2 medium parsley roots, quartered
  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
  • Flat-leaf parsley sprigs
  • 1 head garlic, cut in half
  • ½ tsp black peppercorns
  • 2 whole cloves

Soup

  • 1 large zucchini, cut julienne
  • 1 large carrot, peeled, cut julienne
  • 1 large daikon, peeled, cut julienne
  • ½ kg angel hair pasta, cooked and drained, at room temperature
  • Kosher salt

Matzo Balls

  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup seltzer
  • ? cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup matzo meal
  •  

METHOD:

Chicken Stock

  • Place chicken, marrow bones, carrots, parsnips, turnips, parsley roots, onion, and garlic in a 11-litre stockpot. Add water to cover bones and lightly simmer until foam rises to the top. Skim and discard the foam.
  • Add parsley, peppercorns, and cloves and return to simmer, uncovered, over low heat, for 1 hour. Cover and continue simmering stock for an additional 3 hours. Turn off heat and allow stock to steep.
  • Strain vegetables and bones and discard. Cool completely before storing, covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days or freezing for 2 months.

Matzo Balls

  • In a medium mixing bowl beat eggs with a fork for 30 to 60 seconds.
  • Add seltzer and olive oil and beat together another 15 to 30 seconds.
  • Add matzo meal and mix together until just combined, don't overmix. Cover and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or until firm.
  • In a medium sized pot bring 3 litres of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Reduce heat to a simmer.
  • With wet or well-oiled hands, form matzo balls by gently rolling a spoonful of matzo ball batter to approximately 1-inch in diameter in the palm of your hands.
  • Drop matzo balls carefully into simmering salt water one at a time. Cover the pot and cook for 30 to 40 minutes.

Soup

  • To serve soup, remove the surface fat and pour broth into a large pot. Bring to a simmer over low heat and cook until warm, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
  • Place a few pieces of the julienned vegetables and ¼ cup cooked angel hair in each soup bowl and ladle the hot soup over the pasta.
  • Serve immediately.

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