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Stars in the Sky, Appetites High

By Mishpacha Staff | January 13, 2021

An early Motzaei Shabbos often means a long evening of entertaining and feeding the home crew. Do you find yourself tinkering in the kitchen in that snacking mood, preparing meals that just scream, “Cozy evenings indoors!”? Here’s what we like to serve on these long nights.

Noodles and Quesadillas

Every Motzaei Shabbos, my 17-year–old, Chaim, makes noodles. Some of us like it with cheese melted in the microwave (pet peeve alert, the worst thing to clean. Why can’t they at least soak it when they put it in the sink???). Some like it with sauce and cheese, and some mother in the house insists she doesn’t want any noodles after a Shabbos heavy on food, and then capitulates and takes a bowl with her favorite topping: salt. Don’t judge.

Lately, my friend started a Melaveh Malkah initiative as a zechus for someone, inspiring me to wash. So flour tortilla quesadillas with Estee Kafra’s chocolate sesame butter and Marshmallow Fluff is my contribution to the cause. What did you expect? Gourmet? I just cleaned the kitchen!

—Chaia Frishman, columnist

Homemade Pizza

With no local pizza shop, we often make pizza. For a while I’ve been searching for a real pizza dough recipe. The homemade ones are good, but we find them very bread-y and puffy. I finally found one that’s closer to the taste and texture of a real pizza shop dough — crust and all. Here it is:

Mix 3 cups flour, 1¹⁄₂Tbsp sugar, and 1 tsp yeast. Add 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp warm water and mix until just combined. Add 1 Tbsp olive oil and 1¹⁄₂ tsp salt (that’s the official amount, we add a bit more salt). Mix until the dough forms a ball. Transfer to a lightly oiled bowl and knead for about a minute with lightly oiled hands. Form it into a ball again, drizzle some olive oil on it, and wrap in plastic wrap. Let it sit in the fridge for at least a day. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

When you’re ready to make your pizza, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Top with sauce and cheese and vegetables if you’d like, and bake for 20 minutes.

—Rachel Bachrach, associate editor

Razzles

We often throw together a razzle or smoothie in the blender, usually consisting of some or all of the following: crushed ice, ice cream, coffee, crushed cookies, Rice Krispies, peanut butter, chocolate, milk, and vanilla. If I’m in the mood of being healthy (which is usually not what my kids are in the mood of), we use Greek yogurt in place of some of the milk.

We also do the fruity version: yogurt, granola, coconut, frozen strawberries, frozen mango, milk, vanilla, and orange juice.

There’s no real recipe, just a hodgepodge of pouring and whirring!

—Faigy Grossman, recipe columnist

Baguettes with Cheese Sauce

We do par-baked mini French baguettes with homemade cheese sauce (and a fun family game, of course!). Here’s our cheese sauce recipe.

3–4 slices American cheese
a few handfuls of any other shredded cheese you have on hand
½ cup milk
flour or cornstarch, to thicken

Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer as the mixture thickens. Dip the freshly baked baguettes into it.

—Chaya Perel Nojowitz, graphics

Zoodles with Sauce

After the heavy Shabbos meals, we usually do some version of zoodles (zucchini noodles) with pesto or marinara and cheese, or nachos.

—Chanie Apfelbaum, recipe columnist

Simple but Fun

We usually keep things very simple and either dress up frozen pizza with different toppings or make hot dogs and put them on skewers for the kids.

—Sarina Laghaei, ad design

No-Cream Creamy Pasta

Some weeks, I have the time and energy to make pull-apart cheesy bread or pita chips and fresh soup for Melaveh Malkah. But on weeks when I need to serve something that won’t take too long, I turn to this personalized version of a fabulous pasta recipe I found online. It’s a big hit with the whole family.

2 Tbsp butter
8 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups water
2 cups milk
1 lb (450 g) pasta (we like spirals or elbows)
1 Tbsp pareve chicken soup mix, MSG free
pepper, to taste
⅔ cup shredded cheese
2 tsp parsley
2 tsp basil

Melt butter in a medium pot. Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until lightly browned. Add the water, milk, pasta, chicken soup mix, and pepper. Cook for around 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the cheese, parsley, and basil. Enjoy!

—Bassi Gruen, managing editor

Hot Giant Pretzels

Sometimes we eat milchig “planned-overs” (left over from Thursday or Friday) — lasagna, baked ziti, or any other dish I have on hand. If I’m in a really industrious mood and I have the time, I’ll make these pretzels for my family. They’re always a huge hit!

PRETZELS

1 packet (2¼ tsp) dry yeast
3 Tbsp light brown sugar
1⅛ tsp salt
3½ cups warm water, divided
4 cups flour (I use whole wheat pastry; you can also use 3 cups regular flour and 1 cup bread flour)
2 Tbsp baking soda
2 Tbsp margarine or butter, melted (or oil)
2 Tbsp coarse salt

MUSTARD DIP

¹⁄₂ cup Dijon mustard
¼ cup maple syrup
1 Tbsp brown sugar
½ tsp dried parsley flakes, optional

In a bowl, dissolve the yeast, brown sugar, and salt in 1¹⁄₂ cups warm water. Let proof for a few minutes. Place flour in the bowl of your mixer and add yeast mixture. Knead for approximately 8 minutes until dough becomes smooth and elastic. Place in a greased bowl, cover, and rise for 1 hour. (It’s important to knead the dough long enough and to let it rise for enough time. If not, it’ll end up tough and rubbery.)

Combine remaining 2 cups warm water and baking soda in a bowl. Once the dough has risen, cut it into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a long, thin rope. Form into pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda solution. (If you prefer a slightly harder pretzel exterior, blot briefly with paper towel on both sides and sprinkle with topping of your choice before they rise and bake.) Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray. Let rise 15–20 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine ingredients for mustard dip.

Bake pretzels at 450°F (230°C) for crispier pretzels or at 400°F (200°C) for less crispy for 10–12 minutes or until golden brown. Brush with melted margarine or butter and sprinkle with coarse salt. Tastes best eaten straight from the oven. Serve with mustard dip if desired.

Tip: You can make the dough in advance and freeze it. Then just defrost it after Shabbos and you’ll be a step ahead.

Note: You can sprinkle pretzels with garlic salt, cinnamon and sugar, poppy seeds, or whatever you fancy. Personally, I like them best just with coarse salt.

Important note: These pretzels might be hamotzi. To avoid this, you can add a bit of apple juice concentrate to the water when proofing the yeast. Please consult with your rav.

—Brynie Greisman, recipe columnist

Cooking Competition

At the moment I only have two kids at home. Since COVID began, after the Motzaei Shabbos cleanup, my kids set up a cooking competition. They decide what they’re going to make, then they both go at it. It’s adorable. After they’re done, my husband and I judge who made it better. Their favorite Melaveh Malkah dishes are spelt pancakes, spelt pizza, shakshuka, and sourdough cheese paninis. They’ve tried some other dishes too (homemade French fries was the biggest disaster so far). The best part is they’re really learning how to cook. The next step will be getting them to do a better job of cleaning up after themselves…

Adina’s Winning Spelt Sourdough Pizza Panini

2 slices spelt sourdough (or any sliced sourdough or bread you have)
2–4 Tbsp Tuscanini chunked tomatoes in marinara sauce
garlic salt, to taste
1 slice cheddar cheese
1 slice Muenster cheese (or other cheese you like)
2 stalks fresh basil, whole or chopped

Spread chunked tomato on each slice of bread. Season with garlic salt. Place cheese on one slice of bread and top it with basil. Close the sandwich and place in a panini maker for 4–6 minutes, until cheese melts and bread is toasty.

Yehuda’s version: Skip the basil and use two slices of cheddar cheese. One minute before the panini is grilled to perfection, rub a little butter on the top slice of bread, then close the panini maker and cook for one more minute.

—Rorie Weisberg, health columnist

Hot Chocolate Perfection

I go for hot chocolate topped with marshmallows and cinnamon. Drink it next to the fireplace while playing a family game.

—Chaya Suri Leitner, recipe contributor

Fluffy Pancakes

I like to make pancakes, which are quick, easy, and filling. I love the recipe from Kosher by Design Kids in the Kitchen (ArtScroll). It makes perfect pancakes every time.

1¾ cups flour
3½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1½ cups milk
2 eggs
chocolate chips or fresh berries, optional (I like mine straight up)
3 Tbsp butter (I use oil or cooking spray)

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, milk, and eggs. Heat a frying pan with butter, oil, or cooking spray and use a ladle to pour the batter into the hot pan. Wait for bubbles to form, then flip over and cook another 2 minutes. Delicious.

—Nina Feiner, sales manager

Pizza and Sushi

In my house, pizza and sushi are the Melaveh Malkah foods of choice.

—Rivky Kleiman, recipe columnist

Cheesy Cauliflower

This past Motzaei Shabbos, I wanted something light, so I put frozen cauliflower into a colander, defrosted it for a few minutes with warm water, and arranged it in a single layer on a baking sheet. I sprinkled it with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, then added a heavy blanket of shredded cheese. I baked it at 425°F (220°C) for 20–25 minutes.

Have an extra bag of frozen cauliflower ready to go, just in case!

—Chanie Nayman, food editor

Pizza “Rugelach”

We’ve started making pizza “rugelach” using challah dough. I roll out the dough into a rectangle, spread pizza sauce over it, and sprinkle it with shredded mozzarella cheese and Bulgarian cheese. Then I roll it up like a jelly roll, cut it into slices, and bake it for about 15 minutes. We also make hot cocoa in a pot. The smells coming from the kitchen are a great way to encourage the kids to clean up quickly after Shabbos!

—Sara Bonchek, associate editor