Chremslach (Matzah meal pancakes)

I find these make a good light meal for Good Friday, though my family thinks they are a treat which may miss the point! The recipe says they are probably similar to the meal cakes offered as a sacrifice in the Temple at Jerusalem. The quantities given to serve four are far too small for us - even on a fast day - so I double the recipe.

Ingredients (these are the doubled amounts)
4 eggs
2 level tsps salt
5 fl.oz / 150ml (two-thirds cup) warm water
3 oz / 75g (three-quarters cup) fine matzah meal - I have not tried it, but I think fine wholemeal flour would work just as well
2 level tbsps caster (superfine) sugar

Method
Beat the eggs, salt and 4 tablespoons of the water until thick.
Gradually add the meal and the sugar and enough additional water to make a thick batter that just drops from the spoon.
Fry on each side in 1/4 inch of oil, or a mixture of 2 oz (quarter cup) butter and 1 tbsp oil until golden brown and puffy.

Serve plain, with sugar, or with cinnamon sugar (1 tsp cinnamon to 2 oz / 50g / quarter cup sugar) ... or if you are Angel, with tomato ketchup!

Coconut pyramids

Tevye's favourite. The recipe says "these should be slightly moist inside, crunchy on the outside."

Ingredients
2 eggs
4oz / 125g (half cup) caster (superfine) sugar
juice and rind of half a lemon
8-9oz / 225-250g (3 cups or a little less) fine, unsweetened dessicated (dried and shredded) coconut

Method
Beat the eggs and sugar until creamy, then stir in the lemon juice, rind and coconut.
Form into pyramids using an egg cup moistened inside with cold water to prevent sticking. (If the mixture seems too soft to hold its shape, stir in a little more coconut.)
Bake at Gas Mk.5 (375 deg F / 190 deg C) for 18-20 minutes, until tinged with golden brown.
Do not overcook!

Makes about 16-18

Cinnamon balls

Angel and I both love these sweet, spicy balls traditionally served by Anglo-Jewish families at Passover ... not quite a cake, not quite a biscuit (or cookie) ... but whatever they are, we like them!

Ingredients
2 egg whites
4 oz / 125g (half cup) caster (superfine) sugar
8 oz / 225g (2 cups) ground almonds
1 level tbsp cinnamon
icing (confectioners') sugar for coating

Method
Beat the whites until they form stiff peaks.
Stir in remaining ingredients, mixing until even in colour.
Form into balls with wetted hands.
Bake on a greased tray at Gas Mk.3 (325 deg F / 160 deg C) for 20 minutes, or until just firm to the touch.
Roll in icing sugar while warm and then again when cold.

Ground beef strogonoff

HT: Cay's Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks

This sounds an easy and tasty recipe we would enjoy. I'm going to give it a try next week.

GROUND BEEF STROGANOFF

1 pound ground beef, lean 1 small onion, chopped 1/2 teaspoon garlic salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 10 3/4 ounces cream of mushroom soup, condensed 4 ounces mushroom stems and pieces, drained 3/4 cup sour cream, or yogurt In medium skillet, brown ground beef and onion; drain excess fat. Stir in garlic salt, pepper, soup and mushrooms. Simmer covered, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in sour cream; heat through, but do not boil. Serve over rice, noodles or chow mein noodles.

This week's menu

Inspired by the Meredith's Carnival of Meal Planning I thought I'd post this week's menu, which is basically my menu plan Week 1 with a little variation ... my menus have mutated a little over time. My four week rotation for lunch and dinner is working well, but I do need to get to grips with breakfast, which is at best boring and at worst chaotic with everyone eating separately and Star forgetting (and being forgotton) completely.

Sunday
Lunch: Roast chicken, roast potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts
Dinner: Fish balls and salad

Monday
Lunch: Tortilla pizzas
Dinner: Chicken, mushroom and potato bake, sugar snap peas

Tuesday
Lunch: Cheese on toast
Dinner: Beef casserole and yorkshire pudding

Wednesday
Lunch: Baked potatoes in jackets, baked beans
Dinner: Lamb chops, sauteed cabbage, mashed potato

Thursday
Lunch: Egg mayo sandwiches
Dinner: Breaded chicken strips, chips (= fries), sweetcorn

Friday
Lunch: Macaroni cheese
Dinner: Baked salmon, peas, rice or mashed potatoes

Saturday
Lunch: Burgers and salad
Dinner: Hot chicken and crusty bread

Dorset Apple Cake

Star and I discovered Dorset apple cake (with lashings of whipped cream) a couple of years ago when on holiday in ... yes, you guessed it ... Dorset. I found the recipe in this little book: Favourite Dorset Recipes.

I rarely buy cookery books as they usually have so few recipes I can use. Tevye doesn't eat non-Kosher foods (pork, bacon, ham, seafood), doesn't like anything spicy, and hates cheese in any shape or form, however well disguised. This rules out a lot! The Favourite Recipes books are cheap enough that even if we only like two or three of the recipes they are worth buying. They are also often sold at tourist spots, so I usually pick them up when we are on holiday. I have several, but as there are over sixty books in the series there is plenty of scope to collect more.

I digress ... back to the recipe. I hadn't made this for some time before today, and had forgotten just how much everyone likes it. The "cake" is something of a cross between an apple cake and an apple crumble. It can be eaten hot or cold, and is at its best with whipped double (heavy) cream.

Ingredients
8 oz self-raising flour
4 oz butter
4 oz caster sugar
8 oz cooking apples, peeled, cored and diced
Grated rind of one lemon (I don't bother with this as I often don't have a lemon to hand)
1 medium egg, beaten
2 oz sultanas (golden raisins) - optional

Method
Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.
Sir in sugar, apples, lemon rind and egg and mix well.
Add sultanas, if desired. (I skip these, as certain picky people in my household don't like them)
Put the mixture into a well greased 8 inch diameter cake tin
Bake at 375deg F or Gas Mark 5 for 30-40 minutes until golden in colour.

Mince pies

This week's Christmas preparations included baking mince pies and apple pies (for he-who-does-not-like-
Christmas-pudding, namely Tevye). The less said about the apple pies the better, as I forgot to set the timer to remind me to turn the gas down part way through cooking them and they got frazzled. Tevye assures me he will still enjoy them, but I'm afraid they are only just the right side of the fine line between edible and inedible. Fortunately the mince pies came out well.

The recipe I use for mince pies comes from Cooking for Your Freezer by Mary Berry (one of a series of slim volumes sold by Marks and Spencer many years ago) ...

Ingredients
1 lb (4 cups) self-raising flour
4 oz (½ cup) butter
4 oz (½ cup) hard margarine
2 oz (¼ cup) lard
1 egg, separated
Milk
1½ lb mincemeat
A little castor sugar

Method
Sieve flour into a bowl (I don't bother with the sieving)
Add butter, margarine and lard cut in small pieces, then rub into the flour until mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs
Add the egg yolk with enough milk to make a firm dough
Knead until blended then chill dough in refrigerator for 20 minutes
Roll out half the dough thinly. Cut out about 35 circles 2¾ inches in diameter and use to line pie tins. (I use slightly larger cutters and get about 30 pies)
Fill with mincemeat
Roll out remaining dough and cutout 35 circles 2¼ inches in diameter for lids
Wet edges of the dough circles in the tin and press the lids on gently to seal.
Brush tops of pies with beaten egg white, dust with a little sugar.
Bake at 400ºF / 200ºC / Gas Mk 6 for 20 minutes, or until pastry is crisp and golden brown.
Leave to cool in tins.

Pies can be frozen. To serve hot (from frozen) replace in tinsand reheat at same temperature for 25 minutes.

I have made my own mincemeat, but decided the ready-made version was just as nice and much easier. It is widely available here, including various luxury varieties. If you want to make your own, this recipe should do nicely. I haven't tried it myself, but it comes from a reliable book - 1000 Freezer Recipes ed. Carole Handslip and Jeni Wright. I bought this used for £1 years ago, and it has become my most used cookery book. Recipes are simple and they work. It also gives both British and American measures, making it a very useful source for kitchen-type translations.

Ingredients
1 lb (4 cups) seedless raisins, finely chopped or minced (ground)
½ lb cooking apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped or minced
4 oz (2/3 cup) candied peel, finely chopped or minced
3/4 lb (2 cups) currants
½ lb (1 1/3 cups) sultanas (seedless white raisins)
6 oz (1 cup, firmly packed) shredded suet
½ teaspoon ground mixed spice (or ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg and ¼ teaspoon of a mixture of ground allspice and cloves)
finely grated rind and juice of 2 lemons
1 b (2 2/3 cups) light brown sugar
6 tablespoons dry cider (dry hard cider)

Method
Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir well to mix. Cover the bowl, leave to stand overnight, then spoon into small rigid containers or freezer-proof jars.

If frozen, thaw at room temperature for 3 hours, then store in the refrigerator. Makes about 5lbs. That would fill an lot of mince pies (about 100). I would only make half quantity.