ANT KATZ

4 GREAT PESACH RECIPES & MORE ON SHARON BELOW

Having written nine bestselling cookbooks, foodie, author and TV personality, Sharon Glass has gained a loyal following with her simple, fuss-free approach to food.

Her travels around the world have inspired her to translate a variety of culinary influences into her recipes. Sharon believes in achieving an optimal balance between taste and nutrition and in her recipes uses fresh ingredients available in well-stocked supermarkets.

Having successfully run her own cookery school for 29 years, Sharon has been labelled South Africa’s Domestic Goddess (Sunday Times, 2009) and rightly so!

Asian chicken kneidlach soup

Full of flavour, do yourselves a favour and make a huge pot of this soup. You will see that there is no stock powder and that it is the salt that gives it the flavour. Packed with punch and slightly different because of some unusual ingredients, this will definitely be a hit. Top up the water if necessary. It’s the bones in the chicken that give it so much flavour.

Ingredients:

1 packet chicken backs (3-4)
1 packet giblets, necks and gizzards
4 whole lemongrass stalks, halved lengthwise
2 whole celery sticks
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 onion, halved
4 carrots, thinly sliced
1 piece fresh ginger, peeled and halved
8-10 cups cold water
1-2 tbs salt
250g white mushrooms, sliced (reserve for later)
2 tbs shredded carrots for decoration
Italian parsley for decoration

Method:

Place the chicken backs, giblets and remaining ingredients (except for the mushrooms and salt) into a stock pot. Add the cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer with lid on for 2-3 hours. Add salt to taste.

Strain the soup and place the broth back into the pot. Add the mushrooms. Bring the soup to a boil, uncovered, on medium high heat and then allow the soup to reduce for about 30 minutes to intensify the flavour.

Makes 2 litres

Kneidlach

My granny’s no-fail kneidlach recipe makes these light and fluffy. The secret is to add salt to the water and to not open the pot. Don’t roll them too large or they will be too big when cooked. They can be cooked and frozen in a Tupperware after they have been cooled. Reheat them in the soup. A family favourite!

Ingredients:

4 jumbo eggs
3 tbs chicken fat (schmaltz)
1 flat tsp sugar
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp salt
125g (300 ml) Rakusens medium matzo meal
¾ cup cold water

Method:

Beat eggs very, very well with a hand beater.

Add schmaltz and then beat eggs again. Add sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, matzo meal and water and mix until very soft consistency is formed.

Refrigerate for 1 hour (for matzo meal to absorb liquid).

Bring 4 litres of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 tbs salt. Shape into small balls with wet hands, drop into boiling water and cover with the lid. Turn stove to low and simmer (do not boil) for 20 minutes without removing the lid.

Keep in the water and remove with a slotted spoon, when ready to serve.

Makes approximately 15-20 balls

To serve: Place the kneidlach in a bowl, pour soup over kneidle and top with a handful of fresh parsley and shredded carrots to decorate.

Lettuce chicken tortillas with coleslaw & avo cream

Of course these should be served in tortillas, but a much healthier and carb-free option is to serve them in crispy lettuce cups. So easy to make, these chicken tortillas make the perfect lunch or dinner! 

Ingredients:

500g chicken fillets, cut into very thin strips
½ tsp chopped garlic

½ tsp ground cumin
2 tbs olive oil
3 tbs fresh lime or lemon juice
Salt and black pepper
1 whole iceberg lettuce, leaves separated

Method:

Mix garlic, cumin, olive oil, lime juice and salt and pepper together in medium bowl.

Toss the chicken strips in the marinade to coat and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Heat a large grilling pan on high heat. Grill chicken in batches until cooked through.

Avo cream dressing:

Ingredients: 

1 medium avocado
2 tbs mayonnaise
½ cup Italian salad dressing
Pinch of fresh chilli (optional)
Salt and pepper

Method:

Process all ingredients for dressing in a food processor or with hand blender until smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Coleslaw:

Ingredients:

500g ready-shredded carrot and cabbage coleslaw mix
2 tbs Italian parsley, chopped

Method:

Place coleslaw mix in a large bowl and toss with ½ of the avocado cream dressing just before serving. 

To serve: Fill the lettuce cups with some chicken. Top with coleslaw. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Serves 4-6

Tuna fish balls with homemade mayonnaise

What’s nicer than a little fish ball for lunch with a salad? These are perfect for taking to work too. Originally made with tinned salmon, I have substituted tuna this time because the price is just prohibitive. These fish balls are quick and easy and are only lightly fried in a very thin layer of oil.

Once you have made this mayonnaise you will never buy store-bought mayonnaise again. Not only is it half the price, but it is preservative-free. It keeps in the fridge for about 4-5 days, and takes only minutes to make.

Ingredients:

400g fresh hake
Salt
2 x 170g tins tuna, drained
3-4 tbs mayonnaise (homemade below)
1 pickled cucumber, chopped
2 tbs Italian parsley, chopped
1 whole egg
Salt and black pepper
Sunflower oil for frying

Method:

Place the hake in a pot of cold water with some salt and bring to the boil. Boil for about 10-15 minutes on medium-low heat. Once fish is cooked, remove from the pot, cool well and flake with a fork into a large bowl.

Add the remaining ingredients, except the oil and mix well.

Heat a little sunflower oil in a shallow frying pan on high heat. Shape into small balls with a tablespoon. Fry on both sides until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

Home-made mayonnaise: 

Ingredients:

1 jumbo egg
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 heaped tsps wholegrain mustard
½ tsp salt
250ml light olive oil – half sunflower and half olive

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a narrow jug and place the blender at the bottom of the jug.

Turn on the blender. Count to 20 and leave the blender at the bottom of the jug.

Then slowly bring the blender up until it begins to emulsify and thicken. Keep refrigerated.

Makes 8-10 fish cakes

NOTE: These can be warmed in a 140°C oven before serving if you are not serving immediately. Serve with remaining mayonnaise.

Pesach apple crumble

At Pesach I hate spending time making complicated desserts and I find that the ones with fruit always go down well. This easy apple crumble is quite delicious without using any cake meal.

There is a little bit of syrup or honey for sugar and the whole thing can be assembled in 20 minutes. It can be made ahead of time and keep refrigerated until ready to bake. I make it the day before, remove it from the fridge an hour before and then bake it when I’m ready, because it’s yummy served warm!

Ingredients:

6 large red apples, peeled, cored and cut into large chunks
2 + 3 tbs butter or coconut oil
2 tbs honey/golden syrup
2 tsp ground cinnamon
150g ground almonds
½ cup flaked almonds
1 tsp ginger
2-3 tbs honey/golden syrup 
1½ tsp vanilla essence
Pinch of salt 

Method:

Preheat oven to 190°C.
Spray an ovenproof dish.

Peel and core the apples and cut them into large chunks. Heat a large frying pan and add the butter or coconut oil. Add the apples, the syrup and the cinnamon and cook on high heat until the apples are browned and juicy. Shake the pan while cooking. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.

Meanwhile toss the ground almonds, flaked almonds and ginger together in a bowl.

Melt the butter or coconut oil and add the honey/syrup and the vanilla essence.

Stir into the dry ingredients.

Refrigerate for about 15 minutes to chill the mixture.

Place the apples in a greased dish. Dot with the crumble mixture. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbling and golden. 

Serves 6

NOTE: If the apples are small then use at least 8.

More about Sharon Glass

The launch of the all-natural, Sharon Glass Seasoning Salt in 2014, the very first in a range of spices, has gained her an even larger audience.

Sharon, pictured right, continues to teach cooking lessons in her thriving cooking school, as well as travel worldwide to do demonstrations and grow her brand while she pens her 10^th book.

• All Sharon’s books are published by ATV cc and are available at leading bookstores nationwide. They are also available for purchase online at www.atv.co.za or www.sharonglass.co.za

   

• Sharon Glass Seasoning Salt is available for purchase from leading retailers in Johannesburg as well as online from www.sharonglass.co.za

   

• Watch episodes of Sharon’s own TV shows on YouTube (www.youtube.com)

   

• Visit www.sharonglass.co.za for regular updates, lists of lessons and cooking tips.

   

• Join Sharon’s Facebook fan page (www.facebook.com/sharonglassrecipes) and follow her on Twitter (@SharonGlassChef), Instagram (@SharonGlassChef), and Pinterest (www.pinterest.com/sharonglasschef).