Some scrumptious ideas for Yom Tov
Text by Jade Singer, recipes by Sharon Newfield
Sharon Newfield, mother of two wonderful boys, works for Hatzolah and is an avid chef in the kitchen. Despite not being employed as a chef, her meals are always wholesome, delicious, and made with her passion for cooking. Whether it’s a supper during the week, a pop-by cup of tea, or a meal on Shabbos and Yom Tov, all of her guests are excited to be part of her table. Sharon’s love and warmth cannot only be found in her food, but are felt by all those who come within her orbit. She proclaims her home to be open to all, and it is, with no need to call or make an arrangement – one can just pop by, ring the bell, and be sure to enjoy something delicious. People of all ages, from her sons’ friends, her friends, her family, to work colleagues fill her house with laughter and the excitement of a scrumptious little something to nibble on! When you hear the name Sharon Newfield, you can’t help but think: open home, delicious food, surrounded by love and light. Here you will find some special recipes that she has shared for Yom Tov – from her home to your home. Enjoy!
Chunky Fish Salad
Ingredients:
Mixed lettuce
Rosa tomatoes – cut in half lengthways
3 hardboiled eggs – cut into quarters
1 cucumber – peeled, sliced in half lengthwise, with the middle then removed. Slice each cored half into thin slices, to form moon shapes
1 red onion – thinly sliced
1 pkt fresh asparagus – blanched
2 carrots – julienned
1 avocado – cut into slices
200g smoked salmon – sliced into strips
Smoked angel fish – roughly broken up
12 fish balls cut in half
(You can add any fish you like and if you make it milky you can add come chunks of feta cheese)
Method:
Place lettuce on a platter. Place tomatoes, eggs, cucumber, asparagus, onions, and avocado on top of the lettuce. Top with the fishes and pour over dressing just before serving.
Dressing
Ingredients:
¾ cup balsamic vinegar
½ onion
⅔ cup brown sugar
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 cloves crushed garlic
1 tsp salt
Method: Blend all of the ingredients together.
Peri-Peri Chicken Livers
Ingredients:
3 onions – cut in half and thinly sliced
2 tomatoes – chopped
1kg kashered chicken livers
Oil for frying
Peri-peri marinade (Ina Paarman)
Method: Chop onions and fry in oil until soft and golden. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook until mushy. Set aside. Fry livers in oil until cooked. Place half the onion mix in a casserole dish, then top with half the livers, pour over half the bottle of Peri-Peri sauce. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Warm in oven for ½ hour. If you need to heat for longer, add more sauce. Serve with challah or Portuguese rolls.
Roasted Ratatouille (parev)
Preheat oven to 200°C.
In 1 roaster:
10 tomatoes – cut into quarters
2 onions – cut into quarters
6 cloves garlic
Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, freshly ground pepper, and 1 Tbl sugar. Roast for 45 minutes until tomatoes are soft.
In another roaster
6 baby marrow – sliced into rounds
1 egg plant – peeled and cubes
1 red pepper – cubed
1 yellow pepper – cubed
1 pkt mushrooms – cleaned and halved
1 pkt baby corn – washed and cut into chunks
Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Roast for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender.
When tomatoes are roasted, liquidise the roasted tomato mixture, check seasoning, and pour over the roasted vegetables. Nice Idea: Serve the roasted ratatouille over pasta.
Scotch Fillet & Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients:
1 x 3kg scotch fillet
Olive oil
Mixed herbs
Salt
Pepper
Mustard powder
Garlic salt
Method: Mix together the mixed herbs, salt, pepper, mustard powder, and garlic salt – this will be used as a rub. Drizzle oil over the meat and rub the meat with the above spices. Place meat on the braai, cook each side for 20 minutes.
Chunky Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients:
2 onions finely chopped
3 pkts sliced mushrooms
Oil for frying
Salt
Course black pepper
Mustard powder
1 bottle Orley Whip
Method: Fry onions in oil until soft and golden. Add mushrooms and cook until the liquid cooks away. Add Orley Whip and season to taste. If you prefer a runnier sauce you can add more Orley Whip and adjust seasoning.
Chicken Soup
Ingredients:
1 Whole Chicken
2 pkt soup greens (leeks, soup celery, turnips, carrots, etc), peeled, washed, checked
½ a pumpkin, cut into large chunks
10–12 cups water
6 chicken stock cubes
Salt and pepper
Method: Put chicken with water to cover it into a pot and bring to a boil. Remove the chicken and throw away the water. Put the chicken back in the pot with water, soup greens, and crumbled stock cubes. Bring to a boil, turn down, and simmer for 1 to 1½ hours. Remove the cooked chicken and add the pumpkin. Take the skin off the chicken and discard it. Remove the bones from the chicken. Put the chicken back into the soup and discard the bones. When the pumpkin is soft, take the pot off the stove. Liquidise the soup. If the soup is too thick, add some extra hot water. Adjust seasoning.
Kneidlach
Ingredients:
2 Eggs
2 Tbl Chicken Fat
1 Tbl Cold Water
6 Rounded Tbl Matzo Meal
1 Pot Boiling Water with 2 chicken stock cubes added to the water – pot must be half full
Method: Beat eggs lightly in a bowl. Add fat and water and beat again. Add matzo meal. Mix well. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour. Using wet hands, shape mixture into balls. Add the balls to the boiling water. Keep the lid on the pot and continue boiling for 30 minutes without opening the pot. Check to see kneidlach are soft. If not, boil for a few more minutes.
Berry Compote
Ingredients:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 star aniseed (spice – available at Woolworths)
5 pkts strawberries – washed and cut in half
1 tub frozen mixed berries
Method: Defrost berries. Place water, sugar, cinnamon, and star aniseed in a saucepan. Cook on high heat until sugar is dissolved. Continue boiling until liquid is slightly thickened. Take off stove and allow to cool. When cooled, take out the cinnamon stick and the star aniseed, and add 2 packets of strawberries. Liquidise the syrup and the strawberries. Add the remaining strawberries to the berries. Pour over the strawberry sauce and mix through. Serve well chilled.
Coconut Chocolate Brownies
Ingredients:
500g butter/margarine
4x 250ml (800g) sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 x 250ml self-rising flour
250ml cocoa
5ml salt
250ml desiccated coconut
Method: Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease a 36cm x 26cm baking dish. Heat sugar and butter in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter melts. Cool down to room temperature. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Sift the flour, cocoa, and salt together and then stir into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon. Stir in the coconut. Spread the mixture evenly into baking dish. Bake for 35 minutes. Do not over-bake. Cool completely & cut into 5cm squares.
Dessert Board
Place a big bowl of the berry compote, just off centre on a large wooden board. Place some chocolates, marshmallows, dried fruit, blueberries, pomegranate pips, and coconut brownies around the bowl. Add some roses to the centre of the board. When complete, scatter over some rose petals and baby marshmallows.
