This section includes both vegetarian, meat and fish main dishes. I have found that tofu is a great substitute
for wherever I would usually use diced chicken breast. It works best, of
course, when you marinade the tofu cubes first.
My vegetarian son has also discovered how to
use seitan, and I will include one delicious recipe with it as a substitute.
When I first came to Israel, and after I
stopped being a vegetarian, there was very little red meat around, or maybe I
just couldn’t afford it, so I had to learn how to make chicken in 1,001 different
ways. I even bought a small cookbook of that name. I will not provide them all,
only those that I use often and that have proved themselves.
Mushroom and Quinoa Pilaf
I needed a vegan dish for the Passover Seder meal. If you are of European origin (Ashkenazi), you cannot eat pulses during Passover; but quinoa is not a pulse and not a grain. It is a vegetable, so it can be used. I am cooking ahead of the Seder night, so that tomorrow I can focus on setting the table, whatever. Thus I know that it turned out delicious. I just hope that it reheats well. I made double the quantities below and hope to feed 12 people!
Grilled White Fish Fillets with Coconut Milk
Salmon with couscous & a tomato and olive salsa
Chicken in Lemon Sauce
Chicken in White Wine
Humble Pie
Cottage Pie
Lentil Loaf
Children's Meat Loaf
We all love this – nothing sophisticated about it. I also have a vegetarian lentil loaf and that will be added soon.
Chicken with Vermouth
Ginger Chicken Noodles
Honey and Garlic Chicken
Tandoori Chicken
Being Tandoori, it does include yoghurt, but I find goat’s yoghurt is perfect. Fresh ginger is infinitely better than powdered.
Mushroom Stroganoff
I needed a vegan dish for the Passover Seder meal. If you are of European origin (Ashkenazi), you cannot eat pulses during Passover; but quinoa is not a pulse and not a grain. It is a vegetable, so it can be used. I am cooking ahead of the Seder night, so that tomorrow I can focus on setting the table, whatever. Thus I know that it turned out delicious. I just hope that it reheats well. I made double the quantities below and hope to feed 12 people!
Ingredients
§ 10 gm dried porcini mushrooms
§ 3 Tbsp boiling water
§ 500 gm mixed mushrooms
§ 1 large red onion
§ 1 Tbsp olive oil
§ 6 Tbsp semi-sweet white wine. If you don’t have this, use white wine together with Vermouth.
§ 1 tsp ground nutmeg
§ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the quinoa
§ 1 cup quinoa
§ 1 Tbsp olive oil
§ 2 cups liquid (I used a mushroom broth made with the stalks of the chopped mushrooms – see step 3)
§ 1 Tbsp vegetable soup powder
§ 1 cm fresh ginger
§ Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Steps
1. Put the porcini mushrooms in a small bowl together with the 3 Tbsp of boiling water. Let it soak for half-an-hour.
2. Meanwhile, take all your mushrooms and chop them finely.
3. Don’t throw away the stalks, etc. Put them in a saucepan with 2 cups liquid and bring to the boil. Let it simmer for about 40 minutes.
4. Line a wire sieve with a double sheet of kitchen paper, put the sieve over a small bowl, and strain the porcini mushrooms.
5. Squeeze the mushrooms dry and chop them finely.
6. Put the liquid in a small jar and keep for later.
7. Chop the onion finely.
8. Heat the olive oil and gently cook the onions for about five minutes.
9. Add the mushrooms, wine, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook over a low heat for about 40 minutes. Leave the pan uncovered as you want all the liquid to evaporate.
10. While the mushrooms are cooking, prepare the quinoa. Follow these instructions so that you have a really tasty quinoa without any bitterness.
11. Put the quinoa in a fine mesh sieve and rinse it vigorously with water, to get rid of the bitterness. Let in drain.
12. Peel and thinly slice the ginger root.
13. Heat the olive oil in a saucepan and add the drained quinoa. Let it cook for one minute.
14. Add the mushroom stock, mixed with 1 Tbsp vegetable soup powder, ginger, salt and pepper.
15. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
16. Turn off the heat and let the quinoa stand for 5 minutes.
17. Check that it is cooked. Mine still had some liquid, though it was cooked, so I simply drained it off.
18. Mix the quinoa and mushrooms together and serve.
19. If you need to precook and reheat, sprinkle some of the reserved porcini mushroom liquid on top before warming.
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Grilled White Fish Fillets with Coconut Milk
This dish is light and very tasty. It serves four people.
Ingredients
§ 8 white fish fillets (such as Sole)
§ Salt and pepper
§ 6 Tbsp olive oil
§ 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice – use 1 lemon
§ 1 can coconut milk (400 ml)
§ 1 tsp Baharat – this is a Middle Eastern spice mix containing Paprika, Coriander, Black Pepper, Cumin, Cinnamon, Cayenne Pepper, Cloves, Nutmeg, and Cardomom.
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Steps
1. Start the grill on its highest heat. Mine takes 20 minutes to heat up!
2. Grease or line a large baking dish or grill pan.
3. Place the fillets on this, skin side down.
4. Sprinkle each with a little salt and freshly ground pepper.
5. Mix together the oil and lemon juice, and spoon over the fish.
6. Sprinkle a little Baharat on each fillet. This gives it a slight kick.
7. Pour over the coconut milk.
8. Let it stand for a while.
9. When the grill is hot, put the pan on the highest rung of the oven.
10. This takes up to 20 minutes to complete. My grill is a bit dodgy, so in other grills it might be faster. The fish should flake easily when tested with a fork.
Serve with whole-grain rice (pour some of the pan juices over the rice) and green salad.
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Salmon with couscous & a tomato and olive salsa
This is from the legendary Delia Smith.
Ingredients
> 4 x 150 gm boned and skinned fillets of salmon
> 150 gm medium couscous
> 20 ml dry white wine
> 3 pinches of saffron stamens
> 1 egg, beaten
> Salt and freshly milled black pepper
Tomato and Olive Salsa
> 225 gm tomatoes
> 75 gm black olives
> 1 large clove garlic
> 110 ml olive oil
> 1 Tbsp lemon juice
> 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar
> 1 tsp grain mustard
> 1 Tbsp chopped parsley
> Salt and freshly milled black pepper
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Steps
very small. b. Pit the olives and then chop them the same size as the tomatoes. c. Crush the garlic with 1 tsp rock salt, and then add the mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, and plenty of black pepper. d. About half an hour before serving, add the tomatoes, olives and chopped parsley. 12. When ready to eat, pre-heat the oven to 90 degrees C, and bake the salmon fillets for 15 to 20 minutes. 13. Serve each one with the salsa, and serve the remaining salsa separately. |
This is so simple. The original recipe called for frying the chicken pieces first; but I had this as it splutters fat all over the place (and mostly on me). So this is an oven version, and is delicious.
Ingredients
§ 1 clean chicken, cut in about 8 pieces
§ Salt and pepper (omit the salt if the chicken is koshered)
Sauce
§ I clove of garlic, crushed
§ 1 tsp salt (if it isn’t a kosher chicken)
§ ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
§ 3 Tbsp olive oil
§ 1 onion, either grated or chopped very small.
Garnish
§ Chopped parsley
§ Lemon wedges
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Steps
1. Combine all the sauce ingredients and let it stand for as long as possible so that the flavours are well-blended.
2. Put on the oven to heat up, at 180°C.
3. Arrange the chicken pieces, in an oven tray skin,-side down.
4. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
5. Place the chicken in the oven, in the middle of the oven.
6. After 40 minutes, take the pan put of the oven and carefully turn each chicken piece over, so that the skin is showing.
7. Put the chicken back in the oven for another 20 minutes. If the sauce seems to be disappearing, turn the oven down to 170°C.
8. After the chicken has cooked an hour, it should be a lovely golden brown. Take it out and serve.
9. The sauce is delicious, so either pour it over the chicken, or serve it as a stand-alone sauce.
10.Garnish the chicken with the lemon wedges, and sprinkle parsley on top.
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Chicken in White Wine
This is a simple and classic dish that can use up any spare white wine you may have.
Ingredients
> 1 chicken, cut into portions
> Optional: 200 gm seedless white grapes
Marinade
> 175 ml dry white wins
> 2 Tbsp olive oil
> 2 Tbsp chopped parsley
> 2 Tbsp chopped spring onions or shallots
> Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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Steps
1. Prick the chicken all over with a fork.
2. Lay the chicken pieces in the baking tray, skin side down.
3. Mix the marinade ingredients and spoon over the chicken to coat it well.
4. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 4 hours.
5. Heat the oven to 175°C to 180°C.
6. Put the chicken on a middle shelf and bake for 40 minutes.
7. Take the chicken out of the oven and turn each piece over.
8. Spoon the marinade from the bottom of the pan over the chicken.
9. As an optional addition, add white seedless grapes to the pan when you turn the chicken over.
10. Put back in the oven and cook for a further 20 minutes, until the skin is gold and crisp.
This goes well with baked potatoes (cooked in the same oven as the dish, but placed in the oven ½ hour previously) and a green salad.
Serves 5
Any leftover sauce after cooking can be frozen and reused as a sauce when cooking chicken breasts.
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Humble Pie
This is a great vegetarian version of cottage or shepherd’s pie, but made with seitan. This is my vegetarian son’s recipe, and he has requested that I not change the text.
Ingredients
> 2 good onions
> 4 largish carrots, or 5 smallish ones
> 3-4 stalks of celery
> 1 pack of minced seitan
> 4 medium or 3 large potatoes
> ~50g margarine
> 1 small pack tomato concentrate
> 1 tsp Baharat
> 1 tsp Paprika
> 0.5 tsp Cumin
> salt and pepper
> some olive oil for cooking
> water
> Optional: a flat teaspoon of Marmite
Equipment
> Big frying pan for the vegetables
> Medium pot to cook the potatoes
> Medium oven dish (I like single-use tin foil ones)
> Potato masher
> Fork, wooden spoon
> Chopping board and a good knife
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Steps
1. Peel the potatoes, and cut them into cubes. They don't need to be too small, but they should be more or less the same size.
2. Put the potato cubes into the pot, add some salt and cover with water (about a cm above the potatoes), then put on the fire.
3. Finely chop the onions. Remember to wash your hands before you wipe your eyes.
4. Put some olive oil in the frying pan, put it on the fire and add the onions.
5. Peel the carrots. Once the carrots are peeled, turn the flame down under the onions.
6. Finely chop the carrots. I usually do half across the length, then 4 across the length of each half, and finely chop. Add the carrots to the onions in the pan. Stir things around a bit.
7. Clean the celery, removing the wide bit at the bottom and the leaves at the top.
8. Finely chop the celery, also into very small bits. All the fine chopping is so that people don't notice you're putting celery in their food. Everyone loves the taste of celery, they just don't like knowing it's there. Celery is the big trick in soup powder.
9. Add the celery to the onions and carrots in the pan. Stir occasionally.
10. At some point, the potatoes will boil. When they do, turn down the flame underneath them.
11. Chop up the seitan so that it's in smaller bits and add it to the vegetable pan. Turn the heat back up and let it all fry a little.
12. Check the potatoes with a fork to see if they're ready. If they are, turn the flame off and leave them to sit there while you do more important things.
13. After a minute or two, turn the heat back down and add the spices, salt and pepper to the pan. Stir around for a little more, until they're all mixed in nicely.
14. At this point, the vegetable mixture may seem a bit dry. That's normal, and we'll add water in a minute. Add the tomato paste, and add the Marmite if you want to. Mix it in and add a little water. The mixture shouldn't be watery, but it should be a little sticky.
15. Let it sit on a low flame while you sort out the potatoes. Mix it occasionally and add some more water if needed.
16. Drain the water from the potatoes. Be careful, steam goes up.
17. Put the margarine in the pot with the potatoes and mash. Add salt and pepper and continue to mash until it's all nice and smooth.
18. Turn the flames off under the vegetables.
19. Taste the mashed potatoes and the contents of the pan (separately) to see if they need anything else. Fix if needed. If something is missing and you don't know what, it's either salt or tomato paste.
20. Pour the entire vegetable mixture into the oven dish. Even it out so that the top is flat, and there are no hills.
21. Spoon the mashed potatoes over it, and even that layer out as well.
22. Put in the oven at about 200 degrees for about 25 minutes, until the top is a nice light brown.
21. Remove from the oven when done, and enjoy.
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Cottage Pie
This is a wonderful Delia Smith recipe. It is called cottage pie because it is made with beef and not lamb (which would make it Shepherd’s Pie). My vegetarian son has given me a very tasty vegetarian version, made with seitan, which will be posted soon.
Ingredients
> 2 medium onions, chopped
> 25 gm (1 oz) olive oil
> 1 large carrot, chopped very small
> 500 gm (1 lb) fresh minced beef
> Salt and freshly ground black pepper
> ½ teaspoon cinnamon
> ½ tsp mixed herbs
> 1 Tbsp fresh chopped parsley
> 1 level Tbsp plain flour
> 1 Tbsp tomato puree
> 275 (10 fl oz) ml hot beef stock
Topping
> 1 kg potatoes, peeled
> 2 medium leeks, washed and chopped
> 50 gm butter or olive oil
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Steps
1. Heat the oven to 200°C (gas mark 6, 400°F)
2. Fry the onions in the olive oil until they are soft.
3. Add the carrot and minced meat and continue cooking for 20 minutes.
Important: At the beginning, keep stirring and breaking up the bits of meat, so they you do not end up with big chunks.
4. Season with salt and pepper, then add the cinnamon, mixed herbs and parsley.
5. Stir in the flour; mix the tomato puree into the stock and add to the meat mixture, and bring to simmering point.
6. Make the topping:
a. Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes.
b. Cook the leeks gently in the butter or olive oil.
c. Mash the potatoes and add the leeks with their fat, and season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Put the meat mixture into a well-greased baking dish.
8. Spread the potato mixture on top.
9. Put in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until the top is gaining colour.
Serves four.
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Lentil Loaf
This is totally vegetarian. It is based on a Delia Smith (wonderful cookbooks) recipe, but as I am currently not eating solaniums, I have adapted it.
Ingredients
> 425 ml vegetable stock
> 75 gm dried split peas
> 50 gm red lentils
> 50 gm brown lentils
> 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
> 1 small stick of celery, finely chopped
> 1 small leek, rinsed and shredded
> 1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
> 2 Tbsp olive oil
> 2 tsp freshly ground garam masala
> 1 large egg, beaten
> 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
> Salt and freshly milled black pepper
> 450 gm loaf tin. I use a silicone version so that the loaf is easy to extract
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Steps
1. Bring the vegetable stock to the boil, add the split peas and lentils, and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the pulses are soft.
2. In the meantime, prepare all the vegetables.
3. Pre-heat the oven to 190°C.
4. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, and use some of it to grease the loaf tin.
5. Add all the vegetables and the garlic to the frying pan and fry for 10 minutes, or until soft and golden.
6. Stir the pulses into the vegetables and tuen off the heat under the pan.
7. Add the garam masala, beaten egg and parsley.
8. Mix well and season.
9. Spoon the mixture into the loaf tin and press it down firmly.
10. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 40 minutes.
11. Let it stand for 15 minutes before you slice and serve it.
This goes well with a salad.
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Children's Meat Loaf
We all love this – nothing sophisticated about it. I also have a vegetarian lentil loaf and that will be added soon.
Ingredients
> ½ kilo minced beef
> 50 gm breadcrumbs
> 4 fl. oz. (120 ml) soy milk
> 1 egg
> 1 small onion, chopped
> 1 clove garlic, crushed
> 1 Tbsp ketchup
> ½ rounded Tbsp chicken soup powder
> Salt and pepper
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Steps
1. Light the oven at 180°C.
2. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly together. I find it best to use my hands.
3. Put the mixture into a 1IB loaf tin and level the surface.
4. Put into the oven and bake for 1 ½ hours.
5. Remove from the oven and let the meat loaf stand for 5 mins at room temperature.
6. Pour off the excess fat.
Goes great with potato salad.
Serves 4
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Chicken with Vermouth
We all love this, and it does translate well to tofu.
Ingredients
> 350 gm skinless chicken breasts (= 3 chicken schnitzels pre-prepared by the supermarket), cut into bite-sized cubes
> Flour, seasoned well with salt and freshly ground pepper
> 4 Tbsp oil
> 1 onion, finely chopped
> 3 fl. 0z (100 ml) sweet vermouth
> 1 tsp tomato puree
> Pinch of mace
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Steps
1. Toss the cubes of chicken breast in the seasoned flour. I find it easiest to dump them into a bag and shake.
2. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the chicken and fry until brown.
3. Remove the cubes from the pan.
4. Add more oil, if required, and gently cook the onion until soft and golden.
5. Add the vermouth, tomato puree and mace, stir well and simmer on a low flame until the sauce is syrupy. This takes about 3 minutes.
6. Return the cubes to the pan and heat through until warm.
7. Serve immediately.
This goes well with a green salad.
Serves 3- 4
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Ginger Chicken Noodles
This is one of those really tasty dishes that work well for vegetarians – and no dairy involved either.
Ingredients
> 2 Tbsp rice wine
> 2 tsp cornflour
> 350 gm skinless chicken breasts (= 3 chicken schnitzels pre-prepared by the supermarket), cut into bite-sized cubes
> 175 – 200 gm egg noodles
> 2 Tbsp oil (I use olive)
> 1 medium onion, thinly sliced or chopped
> 3 cm fresh ginger, peeled and finely diced
> 5 Tbsp frozen peas
> 125 gm fresh cashew nuts, dry roasted in a small frying pan and then chopped. (You can put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin.)
Sauce
> 100 ml chicken stock
> 2 Tbsp soy sauce
> 1 Tbsp (about ½ lemon) freshly squeezed lemon juice
> 1 Tbsp sesame oil
> 2 tsp soft brown sugar
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Steps
1. Put the rice wine and cornflour into a bowl and mix well. Add the chicken or tofu cubes to the bowl, stir well and set aside to marinate.
2. Prepare the remaining ingredients and the sauce.
3. Prepare the noodles, according to the instructions on the packet; drain and shake dry.
4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok, add the onions and ginger and fry until soft and golden.
5. If necessary, add a little bit more of oil. Add the chicken and stir-fry until golden all around.
6. Add the peas and fry for about 3-4 minutes, until the peas are just cooked.
7. Add the drained noodles and the sauce, stir well and heat through thoroughly.
8. Add the cashew nuts and stir.
This has its own built-in carbohydrate.
Serves 3 to 4
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Honey and Garlic Chicken
I love this dish. I always serve it at New Year because of the honey, but it is great anytime.
Ingredients
8 chicken joints (can be 1 jointed chicken)
Marinade/sauce:
> 75 gm marge
> 2 Tbsp malt vinegar (I prefer the distilled white type)
> 2 level Tbsp honey
> 2 cloves garlic, skinned and crushed
> ~ 2 level tsp salt (if chicken not kosher)
> ½ level tsp dried marjoram
> ½ tsp dry mustard (mustard powder)
> ~ 8 grinds of black pepper
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Steps
1. Wipe the chicken joints and place them skin down in a lined baking tray.
2. Warm the butter or marge in a small saucepan until just melted. This step is not needed if you are using oil.
3. Add the remaining marinade ingredients to the fat and stir until blended.
4. Spoon the marinade over the chicken joints and leave for as long as possible (30 minutes minimum but can be overnight).
5. Heat the oven to 180°C.
6. Put the chicken in the oven for 40 minutes.
7. After 40 minutes, turn each piece over.
If the sauce is drying out, turn the oven down to 170°C.
8. Cook for an additional 20 minutes until golden.
9. Arrange the chicken on a serving dish and remove the fat from the pan liquids. Serve this in a jug next to the chicken.
This goes well with baked potatoes (cooked in the same oven as the dish, but placed in the oven ½ hour previously) and a green salad.
Serves 5
Any leftover sauce after cooking can be frozen and reused as a sauce when cooking chicken breasts.
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Tandoori Chicken
Being Tandoori, it does include yoghurt, but I find goat’s yoghurt is perfect. Fresh ginger is infinitely better than powdered.
Ingredients
> 8 chicken joints (can be 1 jointed chicken)
Marinade
> 225-240 ml plain goat yogurt
> ~ 1 level tsp black pepper
> ~ 2 level tsp salt (if chicken not kosher)
> ~ 1 level tsp chilli powder
> ~ 2 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
> Pinch ground coriander
> 1 large clove garlic, skinned and crushed
> Juice of 1½ lemons
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Steps
1. Wipe the chicken joints and prick the skin with a fork. This lets the marinade penetrate.
2. Season with (salt) and pepper.
3. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt with all the marinade ingredients and mix well.
4. Dip each piece of chicken in the marinade and place in a baking dish skin side down. I line the pan with a cooking sheet.
5. Let it marinate for around 4 hours.
6. Heat the oven to 180°C.
7. Put the chicken in the oven for 40 minutes.
8. After 40 minutes, turn each piece over.
If the sauce is drying out, turn the oven down to 170°C.
9. Cook for an additional 20 minutes until golden.
This goes well with baked potatoes (cooked in the same oven as the dish, but placed in the oven ½ hour previously) or rice, and Indian style spinach.
Serves 5
Tip for quick lunch dish
Any leftover sauce after cooking can be frozen and reused as a sauce when cooking chicken breasts.
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Mushroom Stroganoff
This dish is quick and easy and tastes delicious served with rice or pasta.
Ingredients
> 1 large onion, thinly sliced
> 200 ml vegetable stock
> 600 gm mixed mushrooms (about 4 punnets), cut into medium-size chunks
> 4 garlic cloves, crushed
> 1 rounded Tbsp wholegrain mustard
> 2 tsp tomato puree
> 4 Tbsp soy cream or coconut cream
> Salt and freshly ground pepper
> Optional: freshly chopped parsley
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Steps
1. Put the onion in a saucepan with 100 ml of the stock. Cover and cook until the onion has softened and the liquid evaporated. This takes about 5 minutes.
2. Add the mushrooms, garlic, salt and pepper and stir. Then add the remaining stock, mustard and tomato puree.
3. Cover the pan and cook for a 3 minutes.
4. Remove the lid and cook rapidly until the liquid has been reduced and is syrupy.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the soy cream and parsley.
Serve with rice or pasta rice.
Serves 4
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Red Bean Curry
This is easy to make, and warm and comforting to eat.
Ingredients
> 3 Tbsp olive oil
> 1 large onion, finely chopped
> 1 cinnamon stick
> 2 dried bay leaves
> 3 garlic cloves, crushed
> 1 cm fresh ginger, finely chopped
> ½ tsp ground turmeric
> 1 tsp ground coriander
> 2 tsp ground cumin
> 1 tsp garam masala
> 2 dried red chillies
> 250 gm frozen red kidney beans
> 4 Tbsp (1 small tub) tomato puree
> Water
> Salt
> Optional: freshly chopped coriander leaves, for garnish
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Steps
1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or frying pan.
2. Add the onion, cinnamon, bay leaves, garlic and ginger, and stir-fry for 4-5 minutes.
3. Stir in the turmeric, ground coriander, cumin, garam masala and chillies.
4. Add the kidney beans, tomato puree, and enough water to make a thick sauce.
5. Bring to the boil and cook on a low to medium heat, until the kidney beans are cooked – about 20 minutes.
6. Remove from the heat, season well and garnish with fresh coriander.
Serve with rice or chapatti bread.
Serves 4
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