Category Archives: Family Recipes

Noodles and Dumplings

Homemade cut noodles

Grandma used to make her own noodles. We’d come into her house at holiday time and, amongst the containers of fragrant hoska, beigli,  and miscellaneous cookies she had ready for us, there’d often be a tray of hand-cut noodles sprinkled with flour. We knew they were being readies for some of our favorite dishes, like Cabbage Noodles or Cottage Cheese Noodles (no Italian-style pasta for us back then!)

cut noodles

Ingredients for homemade hand-cut noodles

  • 6 cups flour
  • 2 large eggs
  • salt
  • water

Mix flour, salt, and eggs. Add enough water to hold dough together without it being sticky. Cover and let rest for a while. Roll thin and let dry. Cut in strips and flour. (Very good for cabbage noodles)

Meatless Main Dishes, Noodles and Dumplings

Lentils with Noodles (Rishta)

Lentils with Noodles, or Rishta,  is a Middle-eastern dish that can be served as a one-dish meal or as a side dish with meats, other vegetables, or salads. The aroma and favor of the crushed coriander seeds gives an exotic touch to what otherwise might be a very plain dish. It is very filling and satisfying.

lentils with noodles (rishta)

Rishta / Lentils with Noodles Ingredients

  • 1/2 – 3/4 lb. lentils
  • Salt
  • 2 onions, finely chopped
  • Olive oil
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
  • black pepper
  • 3/4 lb. noodles or tagliatelle
  • 2 T butter

Cook lentils in salted water to cover until soft and water is absorbed. Drain thoroughly.

Fry onions in 1 T oil until golden. Add garlic and coriander, and continue to fry gently for 2 minutes until coriander releases its fragrance. Add to the lentils and season with salt and pepper.

Cook noodles in boiling, salted water until just tender. Drain and add to lentils. Stir in butter and mix well.

Vegan version

Omit the butter. I enjoy the flavor of 1-2 T of nutritional yeast added to the final dish in place of the butter.


Appetizers, Vegan Versions

Garbanzo Dip (Hummus)

Garbanzo or chickpea dip is known as hummus, a Middle Eastern food that is eaten with pita bread and is rich in iron, vitamin B6,  and fiber. The proteins of the garbanzo beans and sesame seeds complement each other, making it a very nutritious food.

Ingredients for Garbanzo Dip (Hummus)

  • 2 cups cooked garbanzos/chick peas (reserve liquid)
  • 1/3 cup sesame tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2-3 T lemon or lime juice
  • 1/4 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/4 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/3 cup black olives, chopped (optional) or
  • 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil (optional)
  • 2 T olive oil (optional)

Blend or process garbanzos, sesame tahini, garlic, salt, lemon or lime juice, and seasonings until smooth, using some of the reserved liquid from the garbanzo beans if thinning is required. You want a paste that is thick and smooth, not runny.

For variety, try adding either the chopped black olives or chopped sun-dried tomatoes to your dip, although plain hummus is just plain good.

Chill. Drizzle the olive oil on top and serve with pita bread triangles, crackers, or as a dip for vegetable crudites such as celery sticks, carrot spears, and sliced red peppers. .
Garbanzo beans

Soups and Stews, Vegetables and Salads

Green Bean Soup

Ingredients for Green Bean Soup

  • 2 cups green beans, diagonally sliced
  • 2-3 strips bacon or side pork
  • 2 T flour
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • pinch of cayenne
  • 1/2 t paprika
  • 1/4 t garlic powder
  • 1 T vinegar
  • 2 T sour cream

Preparing Green Bean Soup

Cook the green beans till tender. Fry the bacon until fairly crisp. Remove bacon from pan and add the flour to the grease and brown well, stirring constantly. Add a bit of bean juice to flour to moisten and make a smooth paste. Add flour mix to beans. Season.

Simmer till thickened. Add vinegar and cream just before serving. Servings: 4

Note: To convert this into a vegan soup:

  1. Omit the bacon or side pork and instead heat a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan and add the flour to it and brown to make a roux, adding a pinch of smoked paprika to lend the soup a rich, smoky flavor.
  2. Substitute the sour cream with a simple cashew sour cream made by blending until smooth and creamy 1/4 cup soaked and drained raw cashews (soak for 1 to 3 hours), 1 T unsweetened almond milk or other plant-based milk substitute, 2 tsp lemon juice and/or apple cider vinegar, and salt to taste.
Soups and Stews, Vegetables and Salads

Potato Soup

  • 4 potatoes, cubed
  • 4 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • water as needed
  • 4 cups milk
  • 8 slices bacon, crisp, crumbled
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 T parsley

Cover potatoes, celery and onion with water. Cook till tender. Add milk. Stir in bacon. Season. Serve with parsley. Servings: 4

Breads and Pancakes

English Muffins

  • 1 pkg. active dry yeast
  • 4-5 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 2 t salt
  • 3/4 cup milk combined with 1/4 cup water
  • 1 T soft unsalted butter

Soften yeast in a small bowl with 1 tsp each flour and sugar in 1/4 cup lukewarm water for 15 minutes. Sift together 4 cups flour, rest of sugar and salt. Heat the milk and water mixture to lukewarm; stir into flour mixture. Add yeast mixture and butter and combine until it forms a ball.

Knead on floured board, adding enough flour to keep it from sticking, for 10-15 minutes. Transfer to a large buttered bowl, turn to coat with butter, and let rise, covered with plastic wrap, in a warm place, for 45 minutes or till doubled. Punch down and knead to expel air bubbles.

Roll out 1/4″ thick on floured board and cut into 3″ rounds. Let rise, covered, for 30-45 minutes. In a lightly buttered heavy pan, cook muffins over moderately high heat, turning them, for 6 minutes. in all, or until browned on both sides. Place on a baking sheet and bake in preheated 300ºF oven for 15 minutes. Makes 12 muffins.

Meat and Poultry, Soups and Stews

Goulash Soup

A hearty Hungarian beef soup.

  • 1 lb. stewing beef, cubed
  • 6 cups beef broth
  • 1 small onion, chopped
  • 3 white potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 t paprika
  • salt and pepper

Brown beef well in oil. Add onion and cook until soft. Add paprika and stir for a minute to release fragrance, then throw in the preheated beef broth. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer until beef is tender. Add potatoes and continue simmering until potatoes are tender.

Breads and Pancakes

Oatmeal bread

  • 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 T salt
  • 2 pkg. active dry yeast
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 8-9 cups all-purpose flour

Combine oats, butter salt and 3 cups boiling water. Let mixture cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl let the yeast, 2 T lukewarm water, and sugar sit for 15 minutes or till foamy. Stir this into the oats mixture, add the molasses and 8 cups flour, or enough to make a stiff dough.

Knead for 2 minutes, put in a well-buttered large bowl, and turn it to coat. Let dough rise, covered, for 1 hour or till doubled. Punch down and let rest for 5 minutes. Form the dough into 2 loaves and place in 2 buttered loaf pans. Let rise, covered, for 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 50-60 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Desserts and Sweets

Dark Fruit Cake

This fruit cake has evolved over the years in Mexico to suit the ingredients readily available here. Some years, I can find only raisins and dates and some dried tropical fruits. Often there’s no citron. The nuts are sometimes only a few lowly pecans and almonds supplemented with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  But the recipe is very forgiving and will handle all sorts of substitutions and adjustments to suit ingredient availability.

  • 1 cup mixed dried fruits (apricots, papaya, peaches, mango), cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup raisins, or 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup currants
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup candied citron, cut, or other candied fruit
  • 4 oz. candied cherries, green and red, chopped
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds and/or hazelnuts
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 t allspice
  • 1/2 t nutmeg
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t cloves
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses (or honey)
  • 1/2 cup milk

Cover mixed dried fruits, already cut, with boiling water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain. Mix and set aside the rest of the fruits and nuts. Sift together the flour, baking soda and spices. Beat the shortening with sugar. Stir in eggs, honey and milk. Add flour mixture, fruits and nuts.

Line 2 large loaf pans with foil. Fill pans and bake 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours at 300F. Remove from oven and cool.

Sprinkle with rum and wrap in a layer of waxed paper and then in foil. Store in fridge or cool area and sprinkle once a week with rum. Best if made at least a month, and up to 3 months, before eating.

For a vegan version, simply substitute almond or soy milk for regular milk and 1 T ground flax seeds soaked in 3 T water for 15 minutes for each egg. Use coconut oil in place of regular vegetable oil in either version for an extra taste treat.

Meat and Poultry, Soups and Stews

Ashkenazic Chicken Soup

Ashkenazic Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls with Fresh Dill

  • 2 lb chicken wings or drumsticks
  • 9 cups cold water
  • 1 large onion, peeled
  • 1 large carrot, peeled
  • 1 small parsnip, peeled (opt)
  • 2 celery stalks, including leafy tops
  • 5 parsley sprigs
  • 3 dill sprigs
  • Salt & Pepper
  • 1 T snipped fresh dill

Matzo Balls

  • 2 large eggs
  • 2 T vegetable oil
  • 1/2 cup Matzo meal
  • 1/2 t salt
  • 2 T water or chicken soup
  • 2 quarts salted water for simmering

Combine chicken wings, water, onion, carrot, parsnip, celery, parsley and dill sprigs, and pinch of salt to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Partly cover and simmer 2 hours, skimming occasionally. Skim off excess fat. (Chicken soup can be kept 3 days in refrigerator or can be frozen; reheat before serving.)

Make matzo balls: In a medium bowl, lightly beat eggs with oil. Add matzo meal, salt and stir until smooth. Stir in water, then let mixture stand for 20 minutes so matzo meal absorbs liquid. Bring salted water to a boil. With wet hands, roll about 1 teaspoon of matzo ball mixture between your palms into a ball; mixture will be very soft. Set balls on a plate.

With a rubber spatula, carefully slide balls into boiling water. Cover and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes or until firm. Cover and keep warm until ready to serve. (Matzo balls can be kept 2 days in their cooking liquid in a covered container in refrigerator; reheat gently in cooking liquid or in soup.)

To serve soup, remove chicken wings, onion, celery, parsnip, parsley and dill sprigs. Take meat off bones and add to soup; or reserve for other uses. Add pepper to soup, stir in snipped dill and taste soup for seasoning. Slice carrot and add a few slices to each bowl. With a slotted spoon, add a few matzo balls. Serve hot.

8 servings