Cooking with Denise – Fast food for after Yom Kippur!

After a long day without eating, many families enjoy the tradition of breaking the fast together. Denise Phillips puts forward three ideas for easy-to-prepare meals that are gentle on the tummy and require little attention from the host… after Yom Kippur.

Oven Roasted Citrus Salmon with Dill

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Get The Jewish News Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Free Sign Up

Cooking time: 40 minutes

This is a light and tasty main course that is ideal for breaking the fast as it can be enjoyed hot, cold or warm. I like to serve this rustic-style, by leaving the salmon whole and just breaking it into large imperfect pieces so guests can help themselves.

Ingredients

1 medium fennel bulb – thinly sliced

1 orange – very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 lemon – very thinly sliced, seeds removed

1 red chilli – with seeds, thinly sliced

4 sprigs dill – plus more for serving Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1 kg skinless salmon fillet – preferably centre pieces

45ml olive oil Flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 150ºC/300ºF/Gas mark 2.

2. Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chilli, and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow roasting dish. Season well.

3. Season salmon with salt and place on top of fennel mixture. Pour oil over. Roast (uncovered) until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque – for about 40 minutes.

4. Transfer salmon to a platter, breaking it into large pieces as you go.

5. Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs. To serve the stylish way: Season with sea salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs.

Tomato, Cucumber and Pomegranate Salad

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: None

This is a vibrant tomato salad with a Mediterranean twist. Flavoured with a hint of cinnamon and sweetened with pomegranate molasses this salad will certainly wow your guests. Tomatoes and pomegranates are both highly nutritious as they are packed with antioxidants and vitamins, so enjoy for taste and good health. When you deseed the pomegranates, use a bowl to catch the juices for the dressing, but be careful as pomegranate juice stains.

Ingredients

200g cherry tomatoes – cut into ½cm dice

200g plum tomatoes – cut into ½cm dice

1 cucumber – deseeded and chopped or sliced thinly

6 medium vine tomatoes – cut into ½ cm dice

1 red pepper – cut into ½ cm dice

1 small red onion – peeled and finely diced

Dressing

2 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp white wine vinegar 1

½ tablespoons pomegranate molasses

60ml olive oil – plus a little extra to drizzle at the end

Salt and black pepper – to taste

Garnish

2 pomegranates – seeds removed 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves

Method

1. In a large bowl, mix together the tomatoes, cucumber, red pepper and onion and set aside.

2. In a small bowl whisk the garlic, cinnamon, vinegar, pomegranate molasses, olive oil and 1/3 of a teaspoon of salt until well combined. Pour this over the tomatoes and gently mix.

3. Arrange the salad and the juices on a large flat plate.

4. Sprinkle over the pomegranate seeds and oregano and finish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Parev Tarte Au Citron

Preparation time: 20 minutes, plus 30 minutes resting

Cooking time: 50 minutes

25cm (10 inch) deep pie This dessert is perfect after any heavy meal or as part of a buffet. Made with lemon pastry and a generous helping of fresh lemon zest and juice, the balance of sugar produces a very lemony pie without it tasting too sour. I prefer to serve it cold as it is easier to slice. It will freeze once completely cooled, so you can prepare it in advance.

Ingredients

For the lemon pastry

200g plain flour

Pinch of salt

30g icing sugar

100g non-dairy margarine

Zest of 1/2 lemon

1 egg

For the filling

5 eggs – beaten

100g icing sugar

Zest and juice of 3 strained lemons

200ml parev cream

1 teaspoon vanilla essence

Topping

Icing sugar

Method

1. Place all the pastry ingredients in a food processor and mix together until a dough is formed.

2. Wrap in cling film, flatten and place in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes.

3. Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas mark 6.

4. For the filling, whisk the eggs and sugar together until thick, then add the zest, lemon juice and vanilla esssence. In a separate bowl, whisk the cream until thick, and then add to the lemon mixture. Transfer to a large pouring jug.

5. Roll out the pastry onto a lightly cold work surface dusted with flour. Line a deep loose base 23cm baking tin with pastry. Blind bake by lining with foil and adding some baking beans.

6. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and baking beans. Pour the mixture into the cooked pastry. If there seems to be too much filling, let it settle for five minutes and then top up as the mixture will sink.

7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until set and golden. To serve the stylish way: Invert the cooled lemon tart onto a serving plate dusted with icing sugar.