Slice Of Life

By Eileen Goltz

As the clock tick-tocks toward the High Holy Days, everyone who’s ever had to plan what seems like 3,000 yom tov meals knows that the main dish is most likely going to be a brisket, chicken, and/or turkey. It’s the first course and desserts that tend to send us all into a panic. While I’m a huge fan of gefilte fish (A&B Famous is my favorite), sometimes I just want to have something apple-licious after the apples and honey.

The following recipes are all holiday-perfect as well as year-round delicious, not just because you can whip each of them up in under 20 minutes but because they are tasty, different, and, most importantly, can be made the day before or in the morning before you head out to shul.

 

Rosh Hashanah Sliders

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 cup finely chopped tart apple

5 green onions, sliced thin

2 Tbsp. chopped dried cranberries or dried cherries

1 tsp. poultry seasoning

½ tsp. sage

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. ground pepper

2 Tbsp. apple juice or water

1 lb. ground chicken or turkey

4 tsp. Dijon honey mustard

8 mini challahs, split

Leaf lettuce

Dried apple chips

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the chopped apple, green onions, chopped cherries or cranberries, poultry seasoning, sage, pepper, salt, and apple juice. Add the ground turkey or chicken; mix to combine and then shape into 8 mini burgers no more than 1/3-inch thick. Grease and heat a grill pan and cook each mini burger for about two minutes on each side, no more. You can press them slightly. Remove immediately and place them on a cookie sheet. You can prepare these up to two days prior to serving by keeping them in a covered container in the refrigerator, or up to two weeks ahead if they are frozen.

Before serving, place the cookie sheet in a preheated 350°F oven and heat for 10 minutes or until cooked throughout. To serve, place the split challah rolls on eight plates and spread the Dijon honey mustard on the bottom of the roll. Place lettuce on top of the mustard and then place a hot mini burger on top. Serve with dried apple chips.

 

Apple Maple Bites

Makes 20—24 pieces

Ingredients:

1 lb. smoked turkey breast, cut into bite size cubes

â…“ cup maple syrup (use the ready stuff)

1 Tbsp. honey mustard

½ tsp. dried crushed sage leaves

2 apples (or pears), sliced

20—24 mini thin pretzel sticks

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the turkey chunks on a rimmed baking tray. In a bowl, combine maple syrup, mustard, and sage and apples or pears. Place an apple or pear slice on top of the turkey chunk and bake for five minutes, just until warm. Drizzle any remaining glaze over the top of the apples and then use the pretzels as a “toothpick.” Place on a serving plate and serve.

 

Honey-Roasted App Wrap

Serves 6

Ingredients:

â…“ cup crunchy peanut butter

3 Tbsp. honey

3 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1½ cups chopped cooked chicken

1 chopped red or Golden Delicious apple

1 cup sliced red seedless grapes

6 whole Romaine lettuce leaves

½ cup honey-roasted peanuts

3 sliced green onions

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey, and mayonnaise. Add the chicken, apple, and grapes. Mix to combine. To serve, place a whole lettuce leaf on a salad plate and divide chicken mixture between the six plates; top with honey-roasted peanuts and sliced green onions.

Note: You can use a tortilla or flat bread and roll the salad inside, cut in half, and serve it as a sandwich if you are using this as an evening meal.

 

Avocado Apple And Smoked Turkey Bruchette

Serves 12. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Ingredients:

1 cup smoked turkey, chopped into small pieces

1 Granny Smith apple

¼ cup celery

2 Tbsp. mayonnaise

1 loaf French bread cut into 12 1-inch slices

olive oil

1 avocado

¼ cup sliced green onion

2 Tbsp. chopped parsley

onion salt and black pepper to taste

juice of 1 small lemon or large lime

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the smoked turkey, chopped apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Set the mixture aside. Brush the slices of French bread with a little olive oil and place them on a cookie sheet. Bake just until golden. Set aside to cool. In a bowl, combine the avocado, green onion, parsley, onion salt, black pepper, and lemon or lime juice. Mash to combine, but leave it chunky. Spoon and spread the avocado mixture over the top of the bread slice and then top with the turkey mixture.

 

Apple Slices With Chicken Or Turkey Salad

Serves 8. This recipe can be doubled or tripled.

Ingredients:

3 unpeeled tart apples, cored and sliced into rounds, 16 slices

1 Tbsp. lime or lemon juice, fresh only

4 thick slices sliced hickory-smoked turkey or chicken breast, cut in quarters (16 pieces)

½ cup jicama, cut into matchsticks

½ cup raisins

â…“ cup mayonnaise

1 tsp. curry powder

½ cup pecans

â…“ cup pareve sour cream

salt and pepper

Directions:

In a bowl, combine the apple slices and lemon or lime juice. Toss to coat and then place them on paper towels to dry. Set them aside. In a bowl, combine the jicama, raisins, mayonnaise, curry, pecans, and pareve sour cream, and mix to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place two slices of apple on the plate and place a slice of turkey on top. Then place a scoop of the fruit/nut mixture over the top.

© Eileen Goltz

Eileen Goltz is a freelance kosher foods writer. She graduated from Indiana University and the Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Paris. She lectures on various food-related topics across the U.S. and Canada and writes columns for the CJN in Chicago, kosherscoop.com, and the OU Shabbat Shalom website, www.ou.org. She also wrote the Perfectly Pareve Cookbook (Feldheim).

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