Pascale's Kitchen: Portable eats

Everyone wants to do something to help the war effort. As with Jews throughout time, nothing soothes like home cooked foods, especially those you can bring directly to the soldiers.

Today’s first recipe is for roast chicken and potatoes. This was my kids’ favorite meal when they were growing up. Nowadays, they have been called up for miluim – reserve duty – like everyone else. The key to the success of this recipe is cooking the chicken in the oven at a slightly lower temperature for a long time. This way, you end up with crispy chicken and perfect potatoes that are soft on the inside. 

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The second recipe is for rice served with a tasty pecan, raisin, and sautéed onion mixture, which turns plain white rice into a fun, celebratory dish. 

The third recipe is for matbucha, a cooked tomato-and-pepper salad made with garlic and chili peppers. If you want your matbucha to have an incredible roasted flavor, you can char the peppers over an open flame on your stove top before adding them to the pot. If you don’t want it to be too spicy, all you have to do is reduce the amount of chili pepper or add more tomatoes and bell peppers. 

May we all see happier and safer days soon.

Roast Chicken and Potatoes 

Serves 6-8.

• 1 whole chicken (1.3-1.5 kg.)
• 5-6 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and quartered or cut into pieces

Sauce:

• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 8 cloves of garlic, whole or finely chopped
• 1 spicy chili pepper, optional
• ¾ cup sweet-and-spicy chili sauce
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce
• 1 Tbsp. silan
• 2 Tbsp. tomato paste or 1 large tomato, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ½ - ¾ cup water

Chicken rub:

• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. spicy paprika
• ½ Tbsp. turmeric
• 1 Tbsp. cumin

Place all the sauce ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Add the potatoes and make sure they are well covered in the sauce. Transfer to an oven-proof dish.

Rinse the chicken well and pat it dry. Add the chicken rub ingredients to a small bowl and mix well. Massage the rub all over the chicken, then place the chicken on top of the potatoes. 

Cover with baking paper, then secure with aluminum foil (with the shiny side facing down). Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 180° for 60 minutes. Then, lower the temperature to 150° and cook for at least another 2 hours. Baste the chicken with the juice every once in a while. 

Remove the foil and baking paper, baste the chicken and potatoes with the juice, and cook for another 30 minutes so that the chicken will be nice and crispy.

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Time: 3.5 hours 
• Status: Meat

Rice with Pecans and Onions

Serves 6-8.

• 3 Tbsp. oil
• 2 cups Persian rice, rinsed
• ½ tsp. salt
• 4 cups boiling water

Onion mixture:

• 4 Tbsp. oil
• 2 large onions, thinly sliced
• 100 gr. slivered almonds
• 50 gr. raisins
• 50 gr. pecans
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• ½ cup honey
• 3-4 cups water

Heat the oil in a medium pot, then add the rinsed rice and sauté until it starts to turn golden. Add the salt, stir, and then pour in the boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Lower the heat and cook for 15-20 minutes. 

To prepare the onion mixture: Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion pieces. Sauté the onions until they turn golden brown. 

Add the rest of the onion mixture ingredients, give them a stir, and then continue cooking for another 5-6 minutes over low-medium heat. Transfer the mixture to a serving dish and serve with the rice. 

• Level of difficulty: Easy
• Time: 30 minutes 
• Status: Parve

Matbucha 

Serves 10.

• 10 large very ripe tomatoes
• 2 green bell peppers
• 2 spicy green peppers
• ½ cup canola oil
• 10 cloves of garlic, whole or crushed
• 1 Tbsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
• 1 tsp. cumin, optional
• 1 tsp. spicy chili pepper

At the bottom of each tomato, make 2 incisions in the shape of an X. Pour boiling water into a large bowl and then add the tomatoes. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes in the hot water until you see the skin separating from the tomatoes. Drain the tomatoes, remove the skins, and then chop the tomatoes into small pieces. 

Chop the bell and spicy peppers into small pieces. Heat the oil in a large pan and sauté the peppers over low heat for a few minutes. 

Add the garlic and tomatoes. Stir, then add the salt and sugar. Cook for at least 30 minutes, stirring often and mashing the tomatoes. 

Add the paprika and cumin; if you wish, also add the spicy chili pepper. Stir and then lower the heat and continue cooking for at least another hour. Stir the matbucha every once in a while, until the liquid evaporates and the mixture thickens. Let the matbucha cool down, then transfer it to an air-tight container. 

• Level of difficulty: Medium
• Time: 2.5 hours 
• Status: Parve

Translated by Hannah Hochner.