Ingredients:
3/4 of a bag of barley
3-4 potatoes, scrubbed and sliced into pieces
1 large sweet potato, skin on kept whole!
1 onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, diced
Meat (flankin on the bone or off)
Kishka (I use Benzies)
2-3 eggs in shell not boiled (I toss a few eggs in, cuz it browns and tastes awesome when mixed in or on the side, once served.)
1 jalapeño (if the mood strikes)
Cumin
Onion Soup Mix
3 handfuls of salt (ok maybe not handfuls, but lots of salt!)
Black Pepper
Paprika
Schug (according to how much spiciness you would like)

Directions:
Place potatoes, onion and garlic into the crockpot. Then add the barley, meat and kishka. Fill the crockpot with water and add the spices. Then add the eggs slowly so they don’t break. Cook on high for 1-2 hours then set on low for Shabbat.

~ Recipe submitted by Erez Safar

Growing up in an Ashkenazic household I was exposed to the following spices: salt, pepper, garlic and paprika. I honestly did not realize that there was more to season with. Then I married my husband and he wanted more flavor. His mother is Yemenite and cooks with cumin, turmeric, chawaig and an assortment of herbs that I had never tasted before such as cilantro and mint. I will never forget the silence at the table the first time I asked for ketchup with my turkey. It was over a Thanksgiving meal and not the best way to introduce myself to my future mother in law. I soon realized that ketchup is an ashkenazic staple for a reason, you need it to add some kick to the mostly bland food being prepared. Eager to fulfill my role as wifey I ran out and stocked up on all the spices I had seen in her kitchen, not knowing what most of them were for. It’s been a slow process but I now know that cilantro is a great addition to corn salad and salsa and that turmeric goes great with eggs. Oddly enough it was my Ashkenaz sister who gave me the following recipe for chicken soup. You can serve this as soup or prepare some rice in a separate pot and pour some of the liquid on top of the rice along with the chicken pieces and it’s a full meal. (trust me, this will score you points with anyone who wants some flavor other than just salt and pepper!)

Ingredients:
carrots
sweet potato
zucchini
1 whole tomato with the top cut off
1 onion diced
1 onion whole
garlic, diced
chicken (I use 2 dark pieces and 2 white pieces)
cilantro (chopped up)
dill (keep in bunch whole)

Directions:
Saute the diced onions and garlic. Then add the remaining veggies along with the dill and cilantro, leaving some cilantro to add before serving. Place the chicken in the pot then fill with water. Spice with salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic, some chicken soup mix (I use the one without msg) and some chawaig

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

This was previously posted on www.ou.org

Think gazpacho is a potchke? Not this recipe, it tastes even better using seasoned canned tomatoes than fresh, healthier because cooked tomatoes have a higher level of antioxidants and it’s so much easier!

SOUP:

Ingredients:
1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes seasoned with garlic
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
dash liquid hot pepper sauce, optional
1 cup water

CURRY CREAM:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup (pareve) sour cream
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
2 teaspoons curry powder
green onions, cilantro or parsley, chopped, optional

Directions:
1. Place all soup ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor. Process until well blended but not pureed. Remove to a 2 quart plastic container. Stir in up to 1 cup water until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate several hours or overnight, if possible.
2. In a small bowl, stir together ingredients for Curry Cream sauce. Set aside until ready to serve.
3. Serve cold, topped with a small dollop of Curry Cream and chopped green onions, cilantro or parsley, if desired.

Makes: 4-6 servings

~ Recipe submitted by Renee Chernin

Ingredients:
4 heads garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 10 ounce boxes frozen artichoke hearts
1 large head celery root, grated
1/3 cup olive oil
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves only
3 sprigs thyme, leaves only
Good pinch saffron
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt to taste
Ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup chopped chives

Directions:
Cut off the points of the garlic heads. Rub with the olive oil. Wrap in foil, cut sides down, and roast in a preheated 400 degree oven until browned and soft.
Bring 3 quarts of water to boil in a heavy pot. Squeeze the flesh out of the garlic heads into the pot. Add the artichokes, celery root, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, saffron, turmeric and salt to taste. Bring back to boil, then reduce to medium. Cook, covered, 30 minutes. Puree the soup with an immersion blender. Add ground pepper to taste and chives. Adjust consistency and seasonings. Serve hot. Delicious chilled too.

~ Recipe submitted by Levana Kirschenbaum of www.levanacooks.com for more great passover recipes go to, Levana cooks for Passover!

Ingredients:
1/3 cup olive oil
1 large onion, quartered
2 large leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced
6 ribs celery, peeled
4 cups sliced domestic mushrooms
4 cups sliced shiitaki mushroom caps (discard stems)
1 1/2 cups dried sherry (liquor stores)
3 tbsp fresh grated ginger
3 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
2 sprigs tarragon, leaves only, chopped
Salt to taste
3 quarts (12 cups) water
1/3 cup potato starch, dissolved in a little cold water
Ground pepper to taste

Directions:
Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. In a food processor, using the pulse button, coarsely chop the onion, leeks and celery. Add to the hot oil and sauté until translucent. Add the mushrooms and sauté until most of the liquids evaporate. Add all but last 2 ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook, covered, for 30 minutes. Add the potato starch mixture and pepper and cook just a few more minutes, until the soup thickens a little. With an immersion blender, puree about 1 third of the soup, leaving the rest chunky. Adjust consistency and seasonings. Served hot or chilled.

~ Recipe submitted by Levana Kirschenbaum of www.levanacooks.com for more great passover recipes go to, Levana cooks for Passover!

Ingredients:

1.5 cups of small chopped veggies (onion, peppers, celery, and carrots)
2 garlic cloves (or more, to taste)
28 oz can of tomato’s
1 can of white kidney beans or romano beans (drained and rinsed)
1 small can of beans in tomato sauce
4 cups of veggie broth
1 pound of gnocchi
Sweet Basil
Italian Seasoning
Black Pepper
Hot Pepper Flakes
1/4 loaf of stale french bread

Directions:

In a medium to large pot over medium high heat:
Cook chopped veggies, garlic and a couple of shakes of black pepper until fragrant
Add tomato’s - stir, use back of spoon to break up tomato’s
Add white kidney beans/romano beans, stir
Add broth - stir
Add sweet basil (about 5 or 6 leafs), stir
Add more black pepper - a couple of shakes, stir
Add chopped up bread
Lower heat to minimum, let simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally

Return to a boil, add gnocchi, when gnocchi begins to rise (about 3 minutes) to the top, lower heat to minimum. Spoon into bowls … enjoy!

~ Recipe submitted by ROB/TONI CRANMER

When it’s cold outside there is nothing better than warming up inside with a thick and flavorful soup. The leeks and apples in this recipe give the more mild butternut squash a zesty kick of flavor.

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash peeled and cut into cubes
3 green apples peeled and cut into cubes
1 leek, white part only, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tablespoon of olive oil
6 1/2 cups chicken stock or 2 (14 1/2-ounce) cans low-sodium chicken broth mixed with 3 cups water
pine nuts
cinnamon
chili powder
coriander
salt

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot and saute the leeks until slightly golden. Add the diced garlic. Continue to saute for another 2 minutes. Then add the butternut squash cubes and the apple cubes. Cook for about 5 minutes on high flame. Add the salt, coriander, chili powder and cinnamon, and cook for a few minutes. Then add the stock and simmer on low flame until the butternut squash cubes and the apple cubes are tender, about 40 minutes. Once is has cooked, you can either use an immersion blender to make it smooth or transfer in batches to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Return to the pot, reheat to serving temperature, and season with salt. You can garnish each portion with some of the pine nuts. I like to add ginger and some additional cinnamon when serving.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons of margarine
1 onion diced
2 carrots diced
1 butternut squash cut into chunks
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Saute the diced onion with the margarine. Add the butternut squash chunks and the diced carrots. Add some salt and pepper to taste. Cook until they have browned. Then add 5 cups of water and boil and simmer until the veggies are soft. When it’s ready puree it and serve with some toasted pine nuts or some sour cream.

~ Recipe submitted by Tova Berger

Ingredients:

- two bags of pea soup mix

- 3 carrots

- 2 sweet potatoes

- 3 white potatoes

- 1 large onion

- 3 to 4 stalks of celery

- 11 cups of water

Directions:

Peel and dice up the veggies as you like. I like to leave the onion whole, as well as the celery and the remaining vegetables I dice up small. Add spices such as salt, pepper, paprika, garlic & onion powder. Then pour in the water, boil and once boil let simmer for about an hour. If you want to make this fleishig, you can add meat as well.

~ Recipe submitted by Nina Safar