A Chef's Menu for Her Non-Foodie Kids

Vered Guttman is a professional chef, but found that her kids are less impressed with her Swiss chard leaves stuffed with lamb and rice in lemon sauce than their friends' moms' simple quesadillas. After realizing that "children don’t want novelty. They want good food they associate with warm, happy family meals [2]," she decided to create a "family menu"—"a list of dishes that work best for us, dishes that I will want to make again and again." Here's what she came up with, along with a few recipes. DoubleX wants to hear your ideas, too. Send us your family menus and recipes [3], and we'll publish our favorites.

Salads and vegetables

Tabbuleh: bulgur, tomato, scallion, herbs, and lemon salad
Fattush: feta, tomato, red onion, grilled pita bread, and sumac
Israeli salad: tomato, Israeli cucumber, onion (with occasional mushroom, lettuce, radish)
Fennel and celery salad
Green beans in tomatoes
Fried cauliflower
Beets in yogurt
Broccoli and pasta in olive oil and garlic
Zucchini torte
Swiss chard and white bean salad

Main courses

Ceviche: tilapia, red onion, cilantro, lemon, and sumac
Salmon fillet in fresh tomato sauce or yogurt sauce
Fish kebab in tahini sauce with tomato salsa
Chicken breast schnitzel
Chicken liver and onion in red wine
Mom’s meatballs
Swiss chard stuffed with beef, in lemon sauce
Grandma’s kibbeh beet soup
Short rib and root vegetable stew, with star anise
Lamb musakah

Side dishes

Grandma’s rice with noodles
Short pasta in beef broth, brown butter and breadcrumbs
polenta
Israeli couscous
Bulgur and lentils (medjadra)
Yams in olive oil

Extras

Hummus
Bouikos: small cheese buns
Spanakopita

Seasonal and holidays

Spring vegetables: fresh peas, baby squash, baby spinach sautéed in olive oil
Fava bean mashed potatoes
Okra in tomatoes
Pomegranate and cilantro salad
Honey cake for Rosh Hashanah
Potato latkes for Hanukkah
Seeds and nuts tart for Tu B’shvat
Poppy seed hamantaschen
Chicken soup with matzo balls

Desserts, cakes, and cookies

Our home cake: vanilla pudding, tea biscuits, and chocolate ganache
Israeli cheesecake
Tahini cake
Date cake
Meringue cake with mascarpone and strawberries
Tahini cookies with fennel seeds

Ceviche

1 pound red snapper or tilapia fillet, as fresh as can be
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
Half bunch of cilantro, leaves only
Hot pepper, thinly sliced, to taste
¼ red onion, finely chopped
2 teaspoons sumac
Kosher salt to taste
Pomegranate seeds, optional
2 radishes, thinly sliced (optional)

Cut the fish into ½ cubes. Mix with the other ingredients, let stand for 30 minutes in the fridge, taste for seasoning and serve.

Tabbuleh

1 cup fine bulgur
2 tomatoes
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Bunch of green onion
½ yellow onion
Large bunch of parsley
½ bunch of cilantro
Large bunch of mint

Put the bulgur in a fine colander and wash in cold water under the faucet. Transfer to a large bowl. Finely chop the tomatoes, and add to the bulgur with all their juices. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, and salt to the bowl and mix. Now chop the green and yellow onions and the herbs. Add to the bowl and mix gently. Let stand for about 15 minutes, until the bulgur soaks all these good juices and tastes.

Beef short rib and root vegetables in red wine

4 pound short ribs, cut to 4-inch sections
Kosher salt
Coarsely ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 parsnips, peeled and cut to 2 inch long pieces
3 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 red onions, peeled and quartered
2 cups red wine
¼ cup soy sauce
¼ cup wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
3 anise stars

Put a heavy pot on high heat. Generously season the ribs with salt and pepper. Add the oil to the pot, and brown the ribs on all sides. (You will probably need to do it in two rounds.) Remove the meat from the pot, and add the vegetables. Sauté the vegetables for three minutes. Add the liquids and star anise to the pot, and bring to boil. Put the ribs back in the pot, and add water to cover, if necessary. Cover the pot, lower the heat, and cook for three hours, until the ribs are soft. Uncover the pot, and let simmer gently for another hour, until the sauce has thickened.

It’s best to prepare this stew a day in advance, to let the flavors deepen.