In the virtues of my childhood most of the inhabitants - if not all - came from Morocco.
Therefore the customs in almost all the houses were very similar.
Today this is no longer the case, but as a child I did not get to know or experience the customs of Ashkenazi Jewry.
Over the years I feel how the distinction between the testimonies is slowly disappearing.
Everyone adopts everyone's customs, also because some of us, like me, have married spouses from a different denomination, and the mixing of denominations is embodied in our lives and our children.
To my delight, my children are both Sephardic and Ashkenazi, and my hope is that their children will be a new generation that shows even more tolerance and respect towards people from different backgrounds.
Still, there is something that has been preserved and will be preserved as distinct for any community, and I mean of course foods.
They are the ones who will always be familiar and identified with their community, and the fun in the variety is that anyone can incorporate another’s food and embrace it into their hearts and minds.
In honor of the crucible we live in, in honor of the heterogeneous life side by side and in honor of adopting different characteristics, get some Ashkenazi recipes that I have adopted for myself.
chopped liver
Delightful spread.
Chopped liver, Photo: Assaf Carla
Materials:
1 kg of fresh liver (for kosher keepers: roast the livers before frying)
5 large onions, sliced
2 hard-boiled eggs
Salt
black pepper
Frying oil
Fry the onion in a hot pan over medium heat until browned, and remove to a colander or absorbent paper.
In the same pan, fry the livers well on both sides, and allow to cool at room temperature.
Only when the liver and onion have cooled, transfer all the ingredients to a blender or meat grinder and grind in pulses until a paste-like, but still lumpy texture is obtained.
At the end of the grinding, it is advisable to check the seasoning (salt and pepper) and correct if necessary.
It is recommended to serve with toast.
Crepe stuffed with meat
To fill:
500 grams of ground beef
3 onions, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin
A handful of chopped parsley
Salt
pepper
For dough:
600 grams of flour
4 eggs
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup water
1 teaspoon salt
Begin by preparing the filling.
Fry all the ingredients (except the parsley) well in a hot pan, and after browning, mix with the parsley and transfer to a colander so that the liquids come out.
Now, for the dough and the preparation of the crepe yourself: put all the ingredients together for at least 10 minutes, until you get a texture of a flexible and smooth dough.
Set the dough aside for half an hour to rest, after which roll it out to a uniform surface - try to make it as thin as possible.
If there is a pasta machine, it can be used.
Cut circles out of the dough, and in the center of each circle put a teaspoon of the filling.
Close in a semicircle, firmly press the ends together and place on a floured surface.
The dumpling adds a lot.
The crepe in the soup, Photo: Assaf Carla
Boil a pot of water with a little salt or chicken broth and cook the dumplings for 5 minutes, until they float to the top.
If you cooked in chicken soup, you can of course serve the dumplings in the soup.
If you have cooked in water, dry the dumplings and fry them on each side in a pan with a little oil, until browned.
It is recommended to sprinkle over fried onions (fry two large onions sliced with a little salt and sugar or sesame seeds, until browned).
Roast beef
Melts in the mouth.
Roast beef, Photo: Assaf Carla
Materials:
2 kg roast beef (shoulder)
3 bay leaves
5 grains of allspice
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 celery stalks with leaves
For the sauce:
2 large onions, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and diced
2 tomatoes, grated
1 Thyme branch
1 teaspoon brown sugar
Salt
black pepper
1 glass of red wine
2 glasses of water
In a large pot with hot water cook the piece of meat with bay leaves, allspice, salt and celery for 3 hours, until the meat is tender.
Remove the meat and refrigerate for a few hours to make it easy to slice into thin slices.
Now, for the sauce: In a flat pan or high skillet, fry the onions and carrots over low heat, until softened.
Add the tomatoes and spices, fry for another 2 minutes, add the wine and glasses of water, bring to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes, without a lid.
Lower the heat to a medium flame, place the slices of meat in the sauce and cook for 20 minutes, uncovered.
Apple and dried fruit cake (Kegel)
The sweet version.
Apple and dried fruit cake (Kegel), Photo: Assaf Carla
The traditional Kegel has different ingredients and different versions.
Some refer to it as a savory pie based on potatoes or noodles, and some as a sweet cake.
The common denominator for all of them is that the traditional preparation was in a pot on a Shabbat plate.
We changed the face of the traditional kegel and turned it into an apple and dried fruit cake, suitable for every day, including Saturday.
Materials:
1 packet of wide noodles
2 tablespoons oil
2 apples, peeled and sliced
1 tablespoon honey
A handful of white raisins
A handful of black plums, pitted and cut into cubes
A handful of cranberries
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup demerara sugar
1/4 cup oil
1 teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of ground nutmeg
A pinch of ground cloves
Stick or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Pinch of salt
Powdered sugar for serving
You can add nuts and any dried fruit you like
Cook the noodles in boiling water with salt for about 5 minutes, strain and refrigerate in cold water.
Mix the noodles in a bowl with the 2 tablespoons of oil, add the apples, honey and dried fruit and mix lightly.
In a mixer or with a whisk, beat the eggs, sugars, the rest of the oil and spices.
Transfer to the noodle bowl and mix until smooth.
Transfer the mixture to a round pan or English cake (slightly greased), and bake for 35 minutes at 160 degrees.
Remove from the oven and allow the kegel to cool slightly.
At the end of the cooling, sprinkle over powdered sugar and serve.
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