A Real Shabbos Menu

This week, The Huz and I stayed in for shabbos lunch and had my brother over. I did a little food experimentation, and some of it was good, some of it not so much.

So here's the menu:
1) Homemade challah
2) Baked gefilte fish
3) Beef minestrone soup
4) Butternut squash stuffed with quinoa salad
5) Vanilla cake


Challah

I've discussed my challah recipes with you guys. I think I make some pretty tasty challah. But this week, I didn't feel up to making something that time-consuming. Instead, I experimented. Remember that pizza dough recipe? Well, I decided to try it for making a small batch of challah. Truth be told, if I cut my normal challah recipe to 1/4 it would probably be about as easy. But I didn't have the patience for math. So I went with what I had. The main thing I enjoy about the pizza dough recipe is that I don't have to leave it rising for hours. I did give it 30 minutes to rise after forming the dough and another 20-30 minutes to rise once shaped. I baked it in the oven with a pan of hot water on the bottom rack.

Results? It came out as a pretty good dipping challah. It was really moist, too. I actually was pretty impressed with it. I think that any time I need challah on short notice and don't feel like making enough to do hafrashas challah, this will be my go-to recipe. It definitely wasn't as good as my usual recipe, but it does the trick.


Baked Gefilte Fish

Baked gefilte fish is an idea I got from my magnificent mother-in-law. My favorite thing about baking it instead of boiling is that the texture is a little less...well...mushy. It also makes it easier to season. So for this recipe, I cut up some carrots, celery and onion and put them on the bottom of the pan. I unwrapped the log fish (DO NOT DEFROST) and placed it on top. Then I seasoned it with salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and paprika. I also placed some slices of onion on top. Put a little water in the bottom of the pan and bake it at 350 for about 2 hours.

Result? Tastes like gefilte fish. Only better.


Butternut Squash Stuffed with Quinoa Salad

This was two firsts for me. I've never baked fresh butternut squash and I've never made quinoa as a side dish. The only way I've ever made quinoa was in cholent.

The first thing I did was to cut the squash in half, lengthwise, and remove all the seeds. then I placed it in a pan, sprayed it with a little Pam, and seasoned it with salt, pepper, and a little powdered sage. (I got that idea from a butternut squash soup recipe I saw once. Maybe not my best move.) I put it in the oven, covered, at 350 for about an hour until it was tender enough to eat.

For the quinoa, I cooked it in vegetable stock instead of water. I got that tip from Mrs. B. a bit ago. I made it according to the package directions for the stove top, but I added in some frozen mixed vegetables and spinach. I also seasoned it with a little salt and sage.

When the squash was done, I scooped the quinoa into the center.

Result? Eh. It wasn't bad, but not really fantastic either. I think I should have used acorn squash, left off the sage, and added some onion into the quinoa. Maybe next time, right?



So that was shabbos, ladies and gents.

Have a lovely week! :)