Ingredients:
Cold cuts of your choice (I use salami and turkey)
Puff Pastry Dough (I use Pepperidge Farm’s puff pastry sheets)
Condiments of your choice (I use mayo and yellow mustard)
1 Egg Yolk
Sesame Seeds

Directions:
Allow the pastry dough to defrost (however you still want it to be firm so you can work with the dough) then roll it out on a slightly greased cookie sheet. Layer the condiments and cold cuts in whatever order you like. Then roll the dough like a jelly roll. Cut some slits along the top and spread the egg yolk on top and sprinkle on some sesame seeds before baking it in the oven on 350′ for about 45 minutes to an hour.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

I have been obsessed with herring since I was a kid. The texture of the fish combined with the tang of shmaltz and those delicious onions mixed in may be the only reason I loved to go to shul.  Usually when telling someone I love herring, I am accosted with comments such as “ewwwww, that is disgusting,” or “You are like an old Jewish man!”  As of late, herring seems to have become quite popular with the younger generation.  There are special websites www.shmaltzking.com where you can order gourmet quality herring in shmaltz or wine sauce.  You can also go to your local fish store, where you can order the herring filet and make the herring yourself.  This trend has become very popular in many communities.  Recently, there was an article on a guy in NYC who will only date women who love herring - it kind of  makes you wonder why he is almost 40 and can’t find his soul mate.  Either way, I like it all; I like reading the articles related to herring, I like looking at the websites of all the herring I can order, and most of all, I love to eat that slimy delicious treat you always find at an orthodox shul’s lunch.

My brother in law Yaak happens to be one of my favorite cooks. It may be the fact that he enjoys food as much as I do. Lately, our mutual thrill of food is herring. Friday night I feasted on 2 of the best types of  herring I have ever had, courtesy of Yaak. One was the original flavor and the second, a cilantro version.  The fillet was perfectly moist, the shmalts (oil) had seeped into the fish just enough to give it extra smoothness with out making it to mushy.  The onions had absorbed all the flavor of the fish and shmaltz and yet, it still maintained a satisfying crunch when you bit into it. Yaak and I grabbed some crackers, which in case you did not know happens to be the best accompaniment to this food. In one sitting we happily crunched and munched our way through most of the Herring dish.

Recipe for Standard Schmaltz:

Ingredients:
Herring fillets from the kosher market  (do this 48 hours prior to serving)
1 onion
Canola oil

Directions:
Cut the onion into bite size slices. Place 1/2 onion at the bottom of a small sealable container.
Pour oil from herring tray into container and add more canola oil to coat onions. Slice herring into 1/2 to 1 inch strips then add herring to container and add 2nd 1/2 of onion and more canola oil to coat.
Seal and refrigerate. Best served with whole wheat snacker crackers (very crispy and hold up well will scooping/dipping) Add cilantro to the above recipe for a cilantro version.

~ Recipe submitted by Aura Schwartz of Beauty and Food

The following recipe has been adapted from “Food from the Family Tree” by Pat Bell and Bonnie Rasmussen. These squares are very tasty and perfect for summer, just the right combination of salty and fresh, light yet filling.

Ingredients:
1 cup finely chopped onion
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon butter
3 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup flour (I used Whole Wheat)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
4 tablespoons minced fresh basil or 1 tablespoon crumbled dried
½ teaspoon finely grated nutmeg
350g frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used 5% fat ‘Bulgarit’ cheese)
1 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno (I used parmesan instead)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small saucepan cook the onion and garlic in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until they are softened.
3. In a large bowl beat the eggs with the milk until the mixture is well blended, stir in the flour, baking powder, thyme, basil and nutmeg, then fold in the onion mixture, spinach and cheeses.
4. Spread the mixture in a 9-by-12-inch baking dish, well coated with cooking spray, and bake it for 30 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned and the mixture pulls away slightly for the sides of the dish.
5. Let the mixture cool in the dish on a rack for a few minutes and then cut it into bite-size squares for hors d’oeuvres or larger squares for brunch.

Serve the squares hot, at room temperature or chilled. Serves 12 as an hors d’oeuvre or 6 as a brunch dish.

~ Recipe submitted by Joanne Mandel of the delicious food blog, Eat Love Jump

I have been slacking in the kitchen these past few months and wanted a fresh new recipe for dinner. I called up my sister in law Sarrit who told me about the following tasty dish her mom often makes. I am a huge fan of my mother in laws cooking so I knew without a doubt it would taste great however I also know that some of her dishes can be somewhat complicated so I was relieved to find out that this one is not only rich with flavor but is also easy to make. I served the fish with couscous and a fresh garden salad.

Ingredients:
Tilapia, either whole or fillets
Cumin
Black Pepper
Paprika
Salt
olive oil
1 onion sliced
1 tomato sliced
several potatoes sliced thinly

Directions:
Pour some olive oil and the above listed spices into a 9 x 13 inch pan and mix the potato, onion, and tomato slices with olive oil mixture to coat them. Then layer the potato, onion, and tomato slices in the pan. Rub the WHOLE tilapia or tilapia filets with the same olive oil/spice mixture and put the rubbed tilapia on top of the layered vegetables. Bake at 350 degrees, checking after 45 minutes to see if potatoes are done.

* If you are not using a whole tilapia, and instead are using fillets, check the fish after about 20 minutes and if it is ready take the fillets off of the vegetables and set aside. Return the pan with the vegetables back into the oven and bake until potatoes are ready (soft). Then place fillets back on top of vegetables and serve.

~ Frida Zipor’s recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Two of my favourite dishes are kugel and quiche, so when a friend of mine presented me with a recipe that was essentially those two combined into one beautiful work of culinary art, you can imagine I was pretty darn excited. I’ve had to alter the recipe to make it work the way I’d like, but with these changes, it comes out very nicely. This is another dish that my two children will eat without complaint which automatically turns it into one of my favourites. Aside from tasting great when it’s first made, it is also quite tasty the next day, even served cold. For this reason, we’ve found this is a great dish for Shabbes or any Yom Tov.

Ingredients:

Crust:
2-3 medium Potatoes, peeled and grated
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 tsp Salt

Filling:
1/2 lb Broccoli, sliced thinly
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Onion, chopped
3 Large Eggs
1 cup Milk or Cream
1/2 Cup Grated Cheese
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Basil
Paprika for dusting

Directions:
Combine ingredients for crust in a large bowl. When thoroughly mixed, form into a crust in a 9 inch pie dish, pressing down the bottom but not the sides. Bake at 400F for 30 minutes. Cover and continue baking for another 10 minutes. While crust is baking, prepare the filling; Saute onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and basil until translucent. Add broccoli, stir and cover, cooking about 5 minutes, or until tender. When the crust has finished baking, spread half of the cheese on the bottom of the crust. Spread cooked vegetables on top, and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Beat eggs and milk together and pour over top. Dust with Paprika. Bake uncovered at 375F for 35 minutes.

~ Recipe submitted by Moishe Callow of Stay At Home Tatty

Ingredients:
Broccoli (frozen or fresh)
Spinach (frozen or fresh)
Mushrooms
4 eggs
2 tablespoons mayo
salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon of onion soup mix
a hanful of cornflake crumbs for the topping
Pie crust

Directions:
Cook the broccoli & spinach. Then add the remaining ingredients and mix it so it’s combined fully. Pour into pie crust and sprinkle on the cornflake crumbs then bake it uncovered for an hour on 350.

~ Recipe submitted by Tova Berger

My wife really loves Scalloped Potatoes. As a matter of fact it’s her favorite dish, and if it were up to her we’d probably eat it at least once a week. The only problem for us is that we live in an area where the availability of kosher cheese is equal to that of Vancouver Canucks Stanley Cup Rings. That is to say it isn’t available. It was always an assumption of ours that good Scalloped Potatoes needed cheese, but I’m happy to announce that this is not the case. This dish rivals the best cheese filled potato dishes out there, and if you happen to live in a place where pareve margarine is available, this dish could be either pareve or even fleishig. Of course, if you’re having a dairy meal, you can go ahead and use good old fashioned butter. I’ve also had this dish where we put cheese on top with just about 10 minutes left in the cooking time and it came out delicious. Both of my children really like this dish as well, and as anyone who has two children under the age of three can tell you, if they’ll eat it all up and then tell you it was yummy, it’s a good thing.

Ingredients:
5 Large Potatoes
3/4 cup Chopped Onion
3 Tbsp Butter(or pareve margarine if it’s a meat meal)
1/4 cup Flour
1 3/4 cup Chicken Broth(use pareve chicken broth if you’re using butter)
2 Tbsp Mayonnaise
3/4 tsp Salt
1/8 tsp Pepper

Directions:
1. Wash, peel, and slice potatoes thinly(about 1/2 cm thick)
2. In a greased casserole dish layer potatoes and chopped onion
3. In a saucepan melt butter and stir in flour until smooth
4. Add remaining ingredients to saucepan gradually and stir until sauce has thickened
5. Pour sauce over potatoes and bake at 325F for 2 hours

~ Recipe submitted by Moishe Callow of Stay At Home Tatte

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups boiling water
2 TBSP onion soup mix (msg free)
1 TBSP chicken soup powder (msg free)
salt
pepper
olive oil

Directions:
Put some olive oil in a small pot. Heat up oil, then add quinoa and stir for a few minutes.
Add in boiling water and spices and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer on low for 25 minutes

* Please note: This is a Passover friendly recipe. Each community has different traditions regarding Passover, check with your Rabbi to verify your communities particular customs.

~ Recipe submitted by Sarrit Kovacs

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 medium red potato, diced
1/2 medium onion or 1 small onion, diced
1/4 cup frozen peas
1/2 tsp (approx) dried ginger, or about 1tsp fresh grated (to suit taste)
2 tsp prepared curry powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp olive oil (approximately)
chili powder or chili peppers to taste, start with one teaspoon (optional)
1 tbsp butter or margarine (approximately)
1 3/4 cup water
Salt and pepper to taste
Garam Masala (optional garnish)
Chopped Cilantro (optional garnish)
fried egg(s)

Directions:
Heat olive oil and butter in a sauce pan. When hot, add onions and potatoes and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Sautee until onions are translucent. Add cinnamon, curry powder, chili peppers (if using) and ginger, and cook until fragrant.

Add water and bring to a boil. Add salt and pepper to taste, and turn heat down to medium/medium low, cover pot, and simmer about 15 - 20 minutes, until quinoa has absorbed all the water. Quinoa will be translucent and break away slightly from the more opaque circular germ when it is done. As a side note, it’s almost impossible to overcook quinoa, so no need to worry if it’s your first time! Stir in frozen peas, and cover.

While quinoa is cooking, cook eggs according to taste (I like any style of egg with a runny center for this dish).

When eggs are finish, fluff quinoa with a fork and serve alongside eggs for a nice brunch dish or a light supper. Sprinkle with garam masala and cilantro, if desired.

**Note: This is a Passover friendly recipe. Each community has different traditions regarding Passover, check with your Rabbi to verify your communities particular customs. If you are Ashkenazi, you can simply use olive oil for Pesach if no margarine is available. If you want a more “authentic” Indian flavor, use a little bit of Ghee (clarified butter) or regular butter for a dairy dish. This dish can also be made with any number of veggies you have on hand. Steamed, chopped cauliflower, diced carrots, diced tomatoes or sauteed sliced mushrooms can also be good additions. If using more than two kinds of veggies do not use more than 1/4 cup of each.

~ Recipe submitted by Allaya Diep

Ingredients:
White potatoes, diced
Sweet potatoes, diced
Olive oil
Paprika
Onion Soup Mix

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the potatoes in a pan. Drizzle on olive oil. Season with paprika and onion soup mix. Bake for about 1 hour until you can pierce with a fork.

~ Recipe submitted by Esty Adler Wolbe