Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a holiday for serious fasting — no food or drink for 25 hours. At the end of the day, our thoughts inevitably turn to what we want to eat at sundown to break the fast.
When I spoke with several friends about Yom Kippur foods they remember from growing up, many said their favorite break-the-fast meal was a variety of spicy, ready-to-eat deli foods. Some dishes were homemade and could be prepared several days in advance, while others were picked up at the local deli.
A deli buffet enables you to serve a combination of deli specialties to satisfy everyone. But you don’t have to buy deli food — the recipes that I am suggesting are easy to prepare. My menu is based on our family favorites that are prepared in advance.
Early in the morning, a buffet table is made ready with plates, cutlery and an assortment of bowls and platters.
When the hungry guests arrive, they are met with welcoming cups of Shiitake Mushroom and Barley Soup. The soup is accompanied by slices of raisin-filled challah.
Several homemade salads, including a Scandinavian Herring Potato Salad and a Cauliflower Anchovy Salad, a cheese platter, pickles, olives and more of your deli selections will reward the dedicated fasters.
Instead of the smoked fish that is usually served for the-break-the-fast meal, I have included a recipe for a Pickled Salmon. The fish is poached with pickling spices and served with homemade fresh Tartar Sauce or Tuna Sauce. What I find particularly appealing about this dish is that it can be prepared the day before and served chilled.
Desserts are my specialty, and I plan to do my own baking. Serve Rugelach and a delicious high-rise Coffee and Spice Honey Cake.
Shiitake Mushroom and Barley Soup
Sautéing all the ingredients before adding the stock brings out the intense mushroom flavor of this robust soup.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
3/4 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups vegetable or pareve chicken stock
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons pearl barley
2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
1 tablespoon dry sherry
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Sauté onion, celery and carrots, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add shiitake mushrooms (other fresh mushrooms may be substituted) and garlic; cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, barley, thyme and sherry. Reduce heat to low, cover partially, and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. To serve, ladle into heated soup bowls.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.
Cauliflower Anchovy Salad
Cauliflower’s taste and color are subdued, so the zippy flavor of this salad’s anchovy dressing gives the understated vegetable a dynamic flavor boost.
1 cup Parsley-Anchovy Dressing
(recipe follows)
1 head cauliflower, rinsed
and separated into florets
Prepare Parsley-Anchovy Dressing, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.
In a large saucepan, using a vegetable rack, steam cauliflower until tender when pierced with a fork, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Spoon just enough dressing over cauliflower to moisten and toss. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Parsley-Anchovy Dressing
1/4 small onion, diced
1 can (2 ounces) anchovy fillets, drained
3/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 cups tightly packed parsley sprigs, stems removed (about 1 bunch)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Blend onion, anchovies, olive oil and vinegar in a blender or food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add parsley, a little at a time, and puree until the dressing is a bright green color. Season with pepper to taste.
Transfer to a glass bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill. If dressing thickens after chilling, add additional olive oil and mix well. This will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Makes about 1 1/2 cups.
Pickled Salmon With Two Sauces
3 pounds salmon fillets
4 bay leaves
1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
3 tablespoons pickling spices
6 cups cold water
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 large carrots thinly sliced
1 stalk celery, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon sugar
Tuna Sauce (recipe follows)
Tarter Sauce (recipe follows)
1 lemon, thinly sliced, for garnish
Wrap salmon fillets in cheesecloth and tie ends of cloth with string.
Place bay leaves, peppercorns and pickling spices in a separate square of cheesecloth, tying ends with string to form a pouch.
Add water, onion, carrots, celery, vinegar, salt, sugar and bay leaf mixture in pouch to a heavy pot; bring to a boil. Simmer for 30 minutes; remove pouch from broth.
Gently lower the cheesecloth-wrapped salmon into the simmering broth and cook 3 minutes. Cool fish in broth. When cool, remove fish from broth, unwrap, and transfer to serving plate with large spatula. Serve with Tuna Sauce and/or Tartar Sauce, garnished with lemon slices.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Tuna Sauce
1 (6-ounce) can tuna packed in olive oil, drained
5 flat anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons capers, soaked and rinsed
3/4 cup olive oil
Blend the tuna, anchovies, lemon juice and capers in a food processor or blender, with the metal blade in place, until smooth. Continue processing and pour the olive oil in a steady, thin stream through the feeder tube until it’s the consistency of a thick sauce. Transfer to a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and chill.
Makes about 1 cup.
Tartar Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup diced red onion
3 teaspoons capers, drained and chopped
3 tablespoons fresh basil, julienned
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Mix together the sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon juice, onion, capers, basil in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Makes about 1 cup.
Rugelach
A rolled, filled pastry, rugelach is an old-fashioned European bakery specialty that has found its way into most delis and chic patisseries.
3/4 pound unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
3 1/3 cups pastry flour
2 cups apricot jam
2 cups chopped toasted walnuts or pecans
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar mixed with 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Using an electric mixer, cream butter, powdered sugar and vanilla in a large bowl. Add cream cheese and blend until smooth. Add flour all at once and blend until mixture comes together. Cover bowl with a towel, and refrigerate 2 hours.
Divide dough into 4 equal portions; work with 1 portion at a time and keep the other 3 portions in the refrigerator, covered with a towel. On a lightly floured board, roll out 1 portion into a 1/8-inch thick rectangle (about 13 by 16 inches). Spread with 1/2 cup of the apricot jam and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the walnuts and 1/4 cup of the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Roll dough up along the long edge into a log, cover, and refrigerate. Repeat with remaining 3 portions.
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Line two baking sheets with aluminum foil and grease with butter. Brush the top of each log with egg mixture and sprinkle each with some of the remaining 1 tablespoon cinnamon-sugar mixture. Cut logs into 1-inch slices and place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 30 minutes. Cool slices on wire racks.
Makes about 5 dozen pastries.
Coffee and Spice Honey Cake
From “The Gourmet Jewish Cook” by Judy Zeidler
Be sure to use strong fresh coffee and a generous measure of spices. Then prepare yourself for compliments.
1 pound honey
1 cup sugar
1 cup strong black coffee
1/4 cup vegetable or safflower oil
4 eggs, separated
3 1/2 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
3/4 cup sliced almonds
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Blend the honey, sugar, coffee and oil in a large mixing bowl. Add the egg yolks and beat until light and smooth. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cloves and ginger in a large bowl. Gradually add the flour mixture to the batter, beating until well blended.
Beat the egg whites with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and cream of tartar in a large mixing bowl until soft peaks form. Gently fold the beaten egg whites and the almonds into the batter. Pour the batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Immediately remove the pan from oven and invert it onto a wire rack to cool. With a sharp knife, loosen the cake from the sides and from the tube. Remove the cake from the pan and transfer to a large plate.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Scandinavian Herring Potato Salad
A delectable variation on a Danish favorite, this salad marries the flavors of herring, potatoes, apples and beets, which create a lovely rose hue.
1/3 cup Mustard Mayonnaise (recipe follows)
2 large beets
4 large potatoes
2 cups pickled herring, drained and cubed
2 medium red apples, unpeeled, cored and thinly sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced onions
Prepare Mustard Mayonnaise.
Boil beets and potatoes in separate saucepans until tender. Drain, peel, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes.
Combine beets, potatoes, herring, apples and onions in a large bowl. Toss with just enough Mustard Mayonnaise to moisten. Chill.
Makes 8 servings.
Mustard Mayonnaise
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons dry mustard
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Blend mayonnaise, mustard and lemon juice in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with plastic wrap, and chill. This will keep for several days in the refrigerator.
Makes about 3/4 cup.
