Caldo Godro – Sephardic Cheese and Tomato Paste Dip

 

Caldo godro is a Sephardic term in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish), used to describe a warm (=caldo), thick (=godro) broth, which is actually more of a warm dip than a broth.

Leeks with Rice

After the fairly heavy meals of Thanksgiving weekend, I opted for a lighter, vegetarian dish. As I had some nice fresh leeks at hand, I recalled a simple and tasty dish from the Sephardic cuisine:  “Prassa con Arroz”, i.e. “leeks with rice” – and was quickly set on making it.
The dish includes mostly leeks, with very few other ingredients and minimal seasoning, which let the unique fresh, oniony leeks flavor shine.

Filo Triangles with Zucchini-Tomato Filling

The following tasty and crispy filo triangles are a quicker version of the Sephardic savory “Boyos” pastries (click HERE for recipe), which require a fairly lengthy preparation of their delicate dough. Here, I’ve used store-bought filo pastry, and filled it with the traditional tasty zucchini-tomato filling, which is also used for making “Burekitas” (click HERE for recipe).

Sephardic Fried Eggplant with Vinegar Parsley Sauce

The following recipe comes from the Sephardic cuisine*, of which I mentioned here quite a few times. Its name in Ladino (Judeo-Spanish) is “peshkado de tierra” i.e. “fish of the earth”, as the eggplants are cooked in the same manner as fried fish (as shown in THIS post). The dish was served as a vegetarian substitute when fresh fish was scarce, or as the main dish for Friday’s lunch, with the more elaborated Shabbat’s evening dinner in mind, which always included fish and meat dishes.

Sephardic Spaghetti and Cheese Bake

Unlike last week’s time consuming recipe, the following recipe requires very little effort or ingredients.
The original bake, which is known in the Sephardic cuisine as “Makarron reynado”, is a simple mix of cooked spaghetti, Feta cheese, eggs and milk, baked until set and golden.

Candied Pomelo Rind

The following recipe came from my maternal grandmother, who was raised in the Sephardic Jewish community of Izmir. The making of jams, confitures and sweets was an important part of every household, and the guests were greeted with an assortment of small plates of these delicacies, along with coffee and cold water.

Burekitas – Sephardic Savory Pastries

Burekitas are a type of small hand pies that are well known in any Sephardic household.

Pearl Onions Sephardic Style

This simple yet complex side dish is typical to traditional Sephardic cooking: very few ingredients and seasonings, slowly cooked and caramelized in the oven, creating a fragrant and tasty dish.
Granted, this is not a dish you would quickly make, but if you’re home on a cold winter’s day, just place it in the oven and wait for the wonderful results.

Zucchini Cheese Bake with Hazelnut Topping

This light, fresh and tasty bake is quick and easy to assemble. It can be served warm or cold, as an appetizer or a vegetarian entrée, or cut into small cubes and served as finger food.