Cold Asparagus with Walnuts

Tie the asparagus in serving bunches and stand in a high pot with several inches of salted water. Bring to the boil, cover and let cook just until tender (6 - 8 minutes). Drain well and arrange on a serving dish. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the asparagus, lifting the asparagus so the dressing penetrates. Sprinkle with pepper, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.

Tongue in Wine Sauce

Remove the fatty end of the tongue (and reserve for future use in soup or stew). Place the tongue in a large kettle, add the stock and then add enough water to cover. Add 5 of the bay leaves, the peppercorns and the dill. Bring to a boil, reduce the flame and cook until the tongue is soft (about 2 hours). Peel under cold running water and let cool.

In a saucepan, boil the wine with the remaining bay leaves until the wine is reduced by half. Remove from the flame, add the margarine and the paprika, mixing well. While the sauce is still hot, sprinkle over the cornflour, mix well and continue to mix until the sauce thickens. Slice the tongue thinly and heat the slices in the sauce. Serve hot.

Egg Barley - Tarhonya

Put the flour on a large pastry board and make a well in the center of the pile.

Lightly beat together the egg, salt, oil, and 1 Tbsp. water. Drop this mixture into the well and work the mixture with the hands, folding the four over the egg mixture until the dough can be rolled into a ball. Knead this mixture by folding the dough over towards the body. Press with the heel of the hand and give a slight turn. Fold, press and turn again and continue this process until the dough is smooth and elastic.

Divide the dough into 2 balls and let stand, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Then grate the balls on the coarse side of a grater, letting the gratings fall on a clean towel. Continue to move the grater so that the dough spreads to one thin layer over the entire cloth. Let stand and dry for 6-8 hours.

Melt 3/4 cup of the butter in a large skillet. When thoroughly hot, add the grains, stirring with a wooden spoon to brown evenly. The finished grains should be barely browned. Add the paprika, saute for 2 minutes longer and then just cover with stock. Cover and simmer until the grains are soft (30-40 minutes). Drain whatever liquids remain. Add the remaining butter, toss, season to taste with salt and pepper and serve at once.

* Note: If serving the egg barley with a meat-based meal, substitute parve margarine for the butter.

Cucumber Salad - Ugorkasalata

Place the sliced cucumbers in a glass bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt, stirring. Let stand for 1 hour and then drain the accumulated liquids. Dry the cucumber slices on paper toweling and then return to the bowl. Combine the wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, paprika and pepper and mix well. Pour over the cucumbers, tossing well. Sprinkle the cumin and parsley over the top. Serve lightly chilled or at room temperature.

Sorrel and Raisin Pie

Roll out the pastry dough and fill a 9" (23 cm) pie tin with the larger portion. Chill well.

Combine the sorrel with the sultanas, raisins, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and mix well. Fill the chilled pie crust with this mixture. Cover the pie with the remaining pastry, pinching the crusts together. Brush the top with the egg mixture, pierce the crust twice with a fork and bake in a hot oven until the top is well browned (about 25 minutes). Serve hot with light cream or well chilled with heavy cream.

* Note: If serving the pie with a meat-based meal, substitute parve cream for the sweet cream.

Duck with Horseradish

grated horseradish and lemon wedges for garnish

Sprinkle the duck with flour. In a heavy saucepan, melt the shortening and brown the duck on all sides. Add the stock and 1 cup of the grated horseradish and simmer gently until the duck is tender. Remove the duck, let cool for 15 minutes and carve, arranging the pieces on a preheated serving platter.

Skim the fat from the surface of the pan liquids and pour a small amount over the bird. Serve the remaining gravy in a separate bowl. Garnish with grated horseradish and lemon wedges.

Potato Pancakes - Ratzelech

Combine the potatoes, onion and apple and place the mixture, a large handful at a time into a towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.

Combine the potato mixture with the egg yolks, sugar and just enough flour to thicken the mixture to the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Add the salt and pepper and mix well.

Beat the egg whites stiff and fold these into the mixture.

In a large heavy skillet, heat the shortening (there should be about 1/2" [1 cm] of shortening in the skillet). Drop the pancakes into the shortening from a tablespoon, fry over a moderate flame until the first side has browned (5-7 minutes) and then turn and brown the other side. Drain on paper toweling, sprinkle over with salt to taste and serve hot with applesauce.

Fruited Rice Pudding

Cook the rice in 2 cups of water for 30 minutes. Drain and add the sugar and shortening.

While the rice is cooking, oil a heatproof casserole with a 4-5 cup capacity. In a mixing bowl, combine the nuts, fruits and honey. Arrange half of this mixture in the casserole so that it covers the bottom and comes up the sides. Spoon half the rice over the fruit mixture and over this spoon the remaining fruits and honey. Top with the remaining rice and cover with aluminum foil.

Place the casserole on a rack inside a large pot, pour in boiling water to come 3/4 up the sides of the pudding dish, cover the pot and steam for 45 minutes.

Remove the cover and let the steam evaporate before removing the inner bowl. Remove the foil, place a serving plate over the rice and invert in one rapid motion so that the pudding will sit on the serving plate. May serve hot, cool or well chilled.

Marinated Mushrooms

In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients except the mushrooms and lettuce leaves. Beat these with a wire whisk until smooth.

Add the mushrooms to the bowl and stir gently with a wooden spoon, making sure all the mushroom slices are coated with the marinade. Refrigerate and let marinate for

1-2 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon and serve on lettuce leaves.

Spinach Soup

Remove the heavy stems from the spinach and wash well under running water. Dry the leaves on paper toweling. Melt the butter in a heavy skillet and saute the spinach leaves until just tender.

In a saucepan, bring the stock just to the point of boiling. Reduce the flame and let simmer gently for 4-5 minutes.

In a small mixing bowl, beat together the eggs, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add 3 Tbsp. of the hot stock and beat well. Add this mixture to the rest of the stock and then add the spinach. Mix briskly, garnish with the cheese and croutons and serve hot.

Fish in Mustard Sauce

Place the fish in a large container, cover with water and add the salt and lemon juice. Let soak for 15-20 minutes, drain and dry well. Discard the water.

Combine the garlic and parsley and add the oil and pepper. Return the fish to its container, pour over the oil mixture and let stand 15 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times.

Grease a piece of heavy brown paper on both sides. Place the paper in a skillet and place over a very low flame. Place the fish on this paper and cook slowly, spooning over tablespoons of the oil mixture periodically until the fish is tender. Transfer the fish to a preheated serving platter and set aside to keep warm.

In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the mustard and flour, stirring until the mixture is even throughout. Then add the remaining oil mixture, stirring constantly. Pour the sauce over the fish just before serving. Serve hot.

Mixed Vegetables - Ghivetch

Because this dish is always better when made in large quantities, this recipe will serve 12 - 15. Always better the day after cooking (and even better the day after that), ghivetch may be served hot, lightly chilled or at room temperature and may be accompanied by yogurt or sour cream. There is a clear relationship between this Romanian dish and French ratatouille.

Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a 5-liter flameproof casserole or Dutch oven, and fry the onions until golden brown.

Add all of the vegetables, herbs and fruits and mix gently, sprinkling with salt and pepper.

In a saucepan, bring the remaining oil to a boil and pour over the vegetables. Cover tightly and cook over a moderate flame until the liquids begin to boil. Transfer to a medium oven until all of the vegetables are cooked and most of the liquids have evaporated (1 - 1 1/2 hours), adding more liquid if the casserole dries out during the cooking. Stir gently once or twice during cooking. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and, if desired, serve with yogurt or sour cream.

Spiced Pear Flan

Beat the butter until creamy and then beat in 2/3 of the sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy. Combine the flour with half of the cinnamon and all but a pinch of the ginger. Sprinkle these over the butter, add the eggs and beat together well.

Transfer the mixture to a 9" (23 cm.) flan mold and smooth over the top. Place in a preheated medium oven and bake until the mixture is firm and has pulled back from the sides. Turn onto a wire rack and allow to come to room temperature.

Put the remaining sugar into a saucepan with 4 1/2 Tbsp. cold water, and heat over a low flame, stirring until the sugar is completely absorbed. Add the pears and remaining spices. Heat until the mixture begins to simmer, cover and cook very gently until the pears are tender and nearly translucent (about 10-15 minutes). Uncover, increase the flame and cook until the liquids are reduced to a glaze. Turn the pears out onto a lightly dampened plate and let cool completely.

Decorate the cooled flan with the pears and serve with generous amounts of whipped cream.

Sauerkraut Soup - Shchi

Rinse the sauerkraut in cold water and drain thoroughly.

Heat the butter and oil together in a large saucepan and gently saute the onion and celery until the onions begin to turn golden. Add the stock, meat and bouquet garni and simmer very gently, uncovered, for 2 hours. Discard the bouquet garni, correct the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste, add the sauerkraut and serve with the whole, peeled potatoes, dill and, if desired, sour cream. (Serves 6 - 8).

Cheese Fritters - Sirniki

Michael Romanov, the first tsar of Russia, claimed that he invented this dish somewhere about 1625. This makes for a nice story, but it simply is not true. Greeks have been dining on fritters made from an identical recipe at least since the time of Plato. However, most Russians remain steadfast in the belief that the dish is theirs.

Mix together the cottage cheese and the white pepper. Let stand for 15 minutes. Place the cheese in toweling or cheesecloth and carefully squeeze as much moisture from it as possible. Rub the dry cheese through a sieve. In a mixing bowl, combine the cheese, flour, egg yolks, sugar and salt. Knead together well and roll into 3" (7 1/2 cm) thick tubes. Refrigerate for about 1 hour and then slice the rolls into 2 1/2 cm. slices.

Melt 2 Tbsp. of the butter in a skillet and fry the slices until golden brown on both sides, adding butter only if the skillet becomes dry. Serve hot with sour cream. (May be served as an appetizer or a dessert).