Creating stuffed foods to celebrate our Torah

This column missed inclusion in our Sukkot edition. Its Torah-shaped recipes remain an inspiration, even after Simchat Torah.

When I had a garden, I used to grow about 2 dozen cabbages of all kinds. They grew beautifully and were astonishingly huge — once one weighed in at 13 pounds!

I made tons of cole slaw and then tons of stuffed cabbage and gave it to friends and relatives and stocked the freezer. I would take it out for Simchat Torah and then make other rolled foods that looked like the Torah scrolls. My kids would help make 10 commandment cookies and we would have an appropriately shaped dinner feast — except that the kids hated stuffed cabbage and only wanted to eat the cookies.

As a child, I do not remember eating rolled foods on Simchat Torah. I remember eating candy apples at the synagogue, and I have a vague memory of the difficulty of marching around while carrying the small Torah we had been given and, all the while, trying to eat that candy apple!

It’s fun to reflect on the kinds of foods we can create for this holiday if we want to reflect the shape of the Torah — blintzes for breakfast, veggie burritos for lunch, stuffed cabbage for dinner, rugelach for dessert. There are many dishes that can echo that shape and remind us, in a fun way, what the holiday is about.

Baby Eggplant with Caramelized Onions and Tomatoes (Pareve)

6 to 8 baby or small eggplants

2 large onions, Vidalia are nice in this, thinly sliced

3 Tbsp. Canola oil

1 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced

4 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half

1 small jar (4 oz.) sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

4 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided

2 tsp. sugar, divided

1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Kosher salt

Freshly ground pepper

OPTIONAL: 1/4 cup fresh basil, finely chopped

Fresh or dried oregano to taste

1/3 to 1 cup water

1/2 to 2/3 cup Bread crumbs

NOTE: You can add different things to this such as cooked rice, couscous, quinoa

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a large roasting pan. Set aside.

Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise. Scoop out a trough along the center of the eggplant, leaving a 1/2-inch shell all around. Chop the scooped eggplant pieces, place in a bowl, sprinkle lightly with salt, cover and refrigerate. Sprinkle the eggplant shells with salt and place face down on paper towels.

Peel and dice the onions. Heat a large skillet and add the canola oil. Add the onions and cook over medium-low heat for 15 to 25 minutes, until caramelized and deep golden. Add the garlic, chopped eggplant pieces, and the fresh tomatoes. Heat 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chopped, sun-dried tomatoes and heat until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add half the sugar and half the lemon juice, the parsley and, other herbs. Add salt and pepper, taste, and adjust seasonings. Remove from heat.

Mix the olive oil with the rest of the sugar and the lemon juice. Set aside.

Rinse the eggplant shells and place, cut side up, in the roasting pan. Fill each eggplant with the mixture and then drizzle with the olive oil/lemon juice. Pour 1/3 to 1/2 cup of water around the edge of the pan. Cover tightly with foil and place in the oven. Let roast for 20 minutes. Uncover and baste with the liquid. Add more water if needed. Cover and roast for an additional 15 to 20 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle some breadcrumbs over the eggplants. Roast an additional 10 to 20 minutes, uncovered, until the eggplant is tender. If tops begin to burn, lower the heat to 375 and tent with foil. Remove from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serves 6 to 12.

Stuffed Grape Leaves (Pareve)

This is best prepared the day before. Cut several lemons into wedges to serve with this dish.

1 large jar of grape leaves

1 cup long grain brown or white rice

4 onions, finely diced

2/3 cup olive oil

2 cups warm water

Juice of one large lemon

40 to 50 grape leaves

1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts, chopped

1/2 tsp. salt, to taste

1 clove garlic, finely minced

1 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. allspice

2 Tbsp. parsley flakes

2 Tbsp. dill

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh mint leaves

Sauté the onions in the olive oil until golden. Add the dry rice, nuts, spices and herbs. Mix well. Add 3/4 cup of the warm water and mix again. Cover and simmer until all the water is absorbed. Cool slightly.

Stuff the grape leaves by placing a teaspoonful of the rice mixture into the center of the leaf. Fold the bottom up, the sides in and then roll up the leaf. Set aside.

Place the rolls close together, seam side down, in a deep, frying pan or a soup pot. Add the rest of the water and the lemon juice. Water should barely cover the rolls. Place a heatproof plate over the rolls so they won’t unroll. Cover the pot. Simmer over low heat for about 40 to 60 minutes.

Check frequently and add more water and lemon juice as needed. Cool, refrigerate and chill overnight. Serve with lemon wedges. Makes 40 to 50 stuffed leaves.

Easy Melt-In-Your-Mouth-Rugelach (Dairy)

8 oz cream cheese, softened, (brick style)

1 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 cup cinnamon/sugar mixture, 3 to 4 Tbsp. cinnamon and Enough sugar for 1 cup

OPTIONAL: Use as much as you like of each of the following

Chopped walnuts

Raisins

Apricot jam

Raspberry jam

Mini chocolate chips

Beat cream cheese and butter together until smooth. Add flour and mix well. Divide into 4 parts, wrap each part in plastic wrap or waxed paper and chill overnight.

Lightly sprinkle your work area with sugar. Roll out one part of the dough at a time and keep the rest refrigerated. Sprinkle the circle of dough with cinnamon and sugar and add raisins and nuts. Cut the circle into 12 wedges and roll up each wedge from the wide end to the point. Place on a parchment lined, rimmed baking sheet.

Repeat the rolling process with another ball of dough. This time, spread apricot jam over the circle and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Cut and form as above.

Use raspberry jam and nuts for the next circle and repeat the cutting and rolling process. Use mini chocolate chips, with or without nuts, and maybe raspberry or apricot jam, for the last circle of dough.

Place the rugelach on an ungreased cookie sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture or just plain sugar. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown. Makes about 48 pieces.

NOTE: Be creative with your fillings. Nutella, almond butter and apricot jam, peach preserves and ground hazelnuts, blueberry preserves or cherry preserves are all delicious.

Zucchini Stuffed Tomatoes (Dairy)

6 medium tomatoes, about 3 inches in diameter

3 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 cup diced mushrooms

2 to 4 cloves garlic, finely minced

3/4 cup bread crumbs

2 cups finely shredded zucchini

2 cups cooked couscous, quinoa, rice, or farro

Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup finely shredded cheese of your choice

Freshly grated parmesan cheese

Cut off the tops of the tomatoes, straight across. Set aside. Grease a Pyrex or ceramic dish that is just big enough to hold the tomatoes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Scoop out the pulp and the seeds into a bowl and set aside. Sprinkle the insides of the tomato shells with a bit of salt and turn upside down on several thicknesses of paper towels. Let drain for 10 to 15 minutes. Chop the remaining pulp and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet and add the butter and olive oil. Add the onions and sauté until golden. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 10 to 15 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the mushrooms and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed. Add the zucchini and tomato pulp and cook until the zucchini is wilted and there is liquid in the pan. Add the couscous or quinoa and mix well. Add the breadcrumbs and mix well, cooking until heated through, about one minute.

Remove from the heat and add the shredded cheese. Mix well and set aside. Rinse the salt from the tomatoes and dry the insides. Fill each tomato with the stuffing and sprinkle more cheese over the top. Top with the reserved tomato tops.

Place in the prepared baking dish and bake for 20 to30 minutes until the tomato skins split a little and the top looks golden. Serves 6.

Write: Columnist@TheJewishStar.com