Friday Night Dinner

[ChallaMama]

Firstly I am so enthused at this board and very greatful to have it.

I'm fully aware of the scary times going on right now and wanted to start a thread on a lighter note. Inspired by a PP on another thread who made me laugh about rollmops!

I did not grow up celebrating Shabbat but as a non religious Jewish person have come to it as a way to connect with my culture and heritage. Plus I LOVE FOOD.

So...please feel free to describe your favourite Friday Night Dinner menu and any traditions you have.

My best menu is:
All home made (taught during lockdown):

Challa
Baba Ganoush
Chicken Soup

Perfect roast chicken and gravy
Evelyn Rose's honeyed carrots
Roasted Cauliflower with Pomegranates and Tahina sauce (inspired by Ottolenghi)
Persian Rice (still a work in progress)
Green beans with flaked almonds
Apple crumble with custard.

Not home made - Yorkshire Puds. Kids love them and I know they are more Sunday roast than FND!

Traditions are: candles, kiddush and going around the table saying what you're greatful for this week. Any acts of kindness you've done or seen and everyone has to tell a joke!

It sets our weekends off to a nice cosy start.

That's lovely!

Dh is a dab hand at making challah so is dd but she likes making rainbow ones.
We have roast chicken or cholent if I have a busy work day as it can just be bunged in the slow cooker.

Can I ask what the rollmops joke was? My grandmother liked rollmops.

May I suggest some sliced shallots and lemon with your green beans and almonds? I don’t think you’ll regret it.

I need to have a go at making challah.

@Stressedgiraffe rainbow challah sounds so good!
@saturnspinkhoop thanks for the tip!
There was no joke as such. I recall a PP said something along the lines of we can use this space to discuss latkes and rollmops and it made me smile - as I always like to talk about food!

I love rollmops/pickled herring and gefilte fish. I miss my DMs cooking, I don't really make anything traditional since my parents passed away and DH isn't Jewish. I will make more of an effort!

Hello 👋 I love food! Friday night dinner :

kiddush
challah
dips (usually shop bought at the moment, varies but usually fried liver and onions, tomato dip, aubergine dip)
chicken soup, lokshen and croutons , sometimes knaidlech
Roast chicken in sauce, roast paprika potatoes, green beans in garlic soya sauce, roast broccoli
ice cream

we sing a lot of zemiros, sometimes have a kumsitz after, save fancy drinks like fruit juice for shabbos, sometimes play games with the kids like would you rather or I went to the shops and I bought…

With the challah dough I sometimes make kuchen and have made cinnamon buns as well depending on if I make a sweet challah dough or a normal one

@Purpleavocado I do think we pass on our Jewish culture through our food. We come from all over the world as a people so have such a wealth of cuisines to choose from. It's fantastic. I'm so heartwarming to read what you wrote.

@EllaDisenchanted your menu sounds superb and the singing and the games such fun! My kids love the would you rather game!

I thought this was about the tv series! Which was perfection. And I recognised myself

Roast chicken. It is always roast chicken at my parents' house.

Mum used to mix Tomor with loads of herbs and crushed garlic, and stuffed it between the skin and the breast.

Best. Ever.

@ChallaMama I thought this was going to be about the Channel 4 comedy series of the same name!

The writer is from a Jewish family too.

I can't do pickled herring. My father used to snack on it all the time. The thought of it in my mouth makes me want to gag.

Dinner to me is definitely roast chicken. Then everything else depends on what my husband cooks 😁

I usually have a lot of guests.

Home made challah.

Chatzilim (babaganoush), chummus, techina. Chopped and fried gefilta fish. (i buy the frozen rolls and fry those). Or bake them in tomato sauce. Or salmon of some type, cut fillets in half. Morrocan fish or salmon.

Or i do chicken soup with shkedi marok (osem yellow croutons), matza balls.

Chicken pcs of some sort.

Potato kugel, butternut squash kugel, roast potaotoes, rice, orzo, farfel....lots of options for sides.

Sauteed green beans.

Dessert:
choc chip sticks, crumble, choc chip cookies, brownies, coffee cake, almond slice...always fresh fruit platter as well, sometimes ice cream or sorbet.

I don't like rollmops either. I promise I am Jewish!!!

Always challah, roast chicken and vegetables for us. The rest varies.

My DC love kneidlach, so if we have soup kneidlach are always expected. I use my grandmother’s recipe, which famously includes helpful instructions like “add enough matzo meal to make a loose mixture” without any indication of quantity. The schmaltz (chicken fat) has also been replaced with vegetable oil.

I'm Ashky and DH is Balkan Sephardi so we have a bit of a mix.

If I'm in charge, it's:

Challah
Matzoh ball soup
Baked salmon
Roast potatoes
Cholent in winter
Apple crumble

If it's DH turn to cook, it's:

Challah
Baba ghanoush
Bourekas or buñuelos
Matboucha
Roasted peppers
Chraiyme (sp?) with white fish
That white cornflour dessert with rosewater, which I've forgotten the name of

DM used to keep schmaltz in the fridge, and use it for roasting potatoes.

@PurpleChrayne is it Malabi?

I'm loving reading all your menus and taking inspiration!

@DownNative Lol re the TV show. I loved it.
The salt in the water and Jim - 'Shalom!'

The actors that played the mum dad and one of the brothers were not even Jewish (and the other half Jewish) but they were so believable, really great to watch and hilarious.

RIP Paul 'hello bambinos' Ritter what a great and talented actor.

Challah with lots of butter (we’re not strictly kosher) and soup. Chicken or meatballs. A crumble for pudding. If other family are doing it, there’s always a plate of pickled cucumber in the middle of the table that no one ever touches! Those pickles have probably been going since my grandmother was alive!

Ah yes the Pickles. We call them Chamutzim (sours)

@challamama Yes! Malabi 😁

Ha it might have been me that mentioned rollmops, they are a subject of much controversy in my family. They are practically DMs favourite food, DSis has banned them from the house because the smell makes her nauseous.

"Proper" dinner has to be chicken soup, with matzo balls and lochen, I like carrots in it but no peas which I know some odd people do. Followed by roast chicken, definitely with parsnips.

But I'm not averse to soup, and a big pile of potato salad, salmon cutlets / fish balls / smoked salmon / bagels etc. especially when it's warmer or when I'm lazier.

@VerityUnreasonble I think it was you!

Peas in chicken soup?! Noooooo
Thinly sliced carrots though- 100% yes.

Those pickled cucumber would be gone in a flash in my house. Everyone but my daughter loves then.

I like your menu best. It has most of my favourite things.

I do this too! I make a lot of Pan de Calabaza (Sephardic spiced pumpkin challah) and the dough makes the best cinnamon rolls.