The warm, long afternoons of summer are here, and the third meal of Shabbat, seuda shlishit, always more casual than Friday night dinner and Shabbat lunch, gives us an opportunity to offer lighter foods that are both visually appealing and that profile interesting flavors. The reason we have this third meal on Shabbat is because Moshe used the word “today” three times when referring to eating the manna.
I have gathered a colorful and healthy array of dishes easy to prepare and sure to pique your appetite on even the muggiest summer day, so dig in and savor summer!
Tuna-Red Pepper Mousse Toasts
Ingredients:
- 5 tablespoons unsalted margarine* at room temperature, divided
- One 6-ounce jar olive-oil packed tuna, drained and flaked (Tuscanini)
- ½ cup roasted red pepper, coarsely chopped
- Salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
- Splash red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts
- 24 crostini toasts (Galil Crostino, imported from Italy, are nice)
Directions:
- In a food processor, combine 4 tablespoons of margarine* with the tuna and red pepper; process to a coarse purée.
- Season with salt, pepper and just a little splash of red wine vinegar.
- In a small skillet, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of margarine*. Add the pine nuts and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown.
- Spread tuna mousse on each toast; transfer to a platter. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and serve.
Note: The mousse can be refrigerated overnight but bring to room temperature before serving.
*If you have a dairy processor, use unsalted butter.
Adapted from Fiji Water online
Hearts of Palm Dip
Ingredients:
- 2 14-ounce cans hearts of palm, drained well
- ¼ cup snipped chives
- ½ cup packed Italian (flat) parsley leaves
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Bagel chips and crudités for serving
Directions:
- Place all ingredients except the last one into food processor and pulse until combined.
- Transfer to a serving bowl and serve on a platter with bagel chips and crudités.
Green Eggs and Lox Pinwheels
Ingredients:
- 10 ounces egg salad
- 4 tablespoons basil pesto
- Fine sea salt and black pepper to taste
- 4 whole-grain wraps
- Handful fresh baby spinach, stemmed
- 4 ½ ounces thin-sliced smoked salmon
Directions:
- In a mixing bowl, combine egg salad and pesto; season to taste.
- Divide evenly among wraps, spreading to cover.
- Julienne the baby spinach and scatter over the wraps, then layer over thin slices of smoked salmon.
- Wrap up tightly, then use a sharp knife to slice each wrap into 6-8 pinwheels.
Adapted from Tesco magazine
Stuffed Mini Peppers
Don’t be put off by the ingredient list—this comes together in no time!
Ingredients:
- ⅔ cup warm water
- ⅓ cup uncooked bulgur
- ¼ chopped fresh Italian (flat leaf) parsley
- ¼ cup minced red onion
- ¼ cup dried currants (can substitute chopped craisins)
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- ⅜ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅓ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- 12 multicolor mini peppers, halved and seeded
Directions:
- Combine warm water and bulgur in a small bowl; let stand 30 minutes, then drain well.
- Meanwhile, combine parsley and next 7 ingredients; stir in drained bulgur and mix together.
- Spoon about 1 tablespoon mixture into each pepper half. Arrange on platter to serve.
Adapted from Cooking Light
Favorite Deviled Eggs
Ingredients:
- 12 hard cooked eggs, shelled
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon salt and ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- Sweet paprika to garnish
Directions:
- Halve eggs lengthwise and transfer yolks to a mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients except paprika and mix to combine well.
- Spoon mixture into the egg whites. Alternatively, spoon mixture into a plastic sandwich bag, snip off a corner (do before Shabbat,) and pipe mixture into the whites.
- Sprinkle lightly with paprika and serve.
Mezze Platter With Za’atar Pita
This makes a pretty presentation and offers everyone something to relish.
Ingredients:
- 4 whole-wheat pita breads
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons za’atar
- 1 cup Greek yogurt
- Honey
- 1 cup hummus in a serving bowl
- Hot paprika
- 1 cup marinated artichoke hearts, drained well
- 1 cup sliced roasted red peppers, drained well
- 2 cups assorted olives (Tuscanini has a jar of mixed olives)
- 2 cups multicolored cherry tomatoes
- 4 ounces goat cheese
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Brush both sides of each pita with olive oil and season with za’atar. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet and toast for 5 minutes. Slice each pita into quarters.
- Season the Greek yogurt with honey to taste in a serving bowl.
- To assemble, arrange pita quarters, bowl of yogurt, bowl of hummus sprinkled lightly with hot paprika, artichoke hearts, roasted red peppers, olives, tomatoes and goat cheese on a large serving platter. Enjoy!
Adapted from Pure Wow.
And there you have it—simple, scrumptious seuda shlishit; from our home to yours, b’tay’avon!
Dorene Richman has taught cooking classes, written recipe columns, and was the recipe testing coordinator for the original award-winning “Kosher Palette” cookbook. She is a passionate cook and baker for whom cooking is therapy, as well as being a pescatarian. She can be reached at
dorene.richman@gmail.com