Shavuos’ Minhagim: Morocco

A good friend emailed me a link yesterday with some Moroccan Shavuos‘ customs and explanations. I found them fascinating. I believe you will too, gentle reader, especially after master photographer – former Chairman of Fashion Institute of Technology’s Photo Department – Irving Schild, graciously allowed us to use two of his photos, taken during a recent trip to Morocco with the Manhattan Sephardic Congregation:

The magic, the enchantment, of Jewish life in Morocco - as seen through Irving Schild's camera lens...

Darké Aboténou 

26 Iyar 5771 – May 30, 2011 – Perashat Naso

Netibot Hama’arab – e”H Ribi Eliyahou Bitton s”t

Traditions of Shabu’ot

20) We have the minhag to save masot from Pesah, and on Shabu’ot they would crush them and mix them with milk and honey and after Shaharit of Shabu’ot they would eat this. We use milk and honey because they are compared to the Tora as Hazal say (Shir haShirim 4:11)  “Debash vehalab tahat leshonekh” – “Honey and Milk under your tongue.” So as milk and honey linger in your mouth, so too the Tora should constantly linger on your tongue. See more in Midrash Shir haShirim 11, Noheg beHokhma p.202, Nahagu ha’Am p.106, Yahadut haMaghreb (Shabu’ot), and Shemo Yosef Siman 143 by Ribi Yosef Benoualid zs”l, 1907.

21) On Shabu’ot we make a special dish called in Arabic “lhrabel” made from masa meal, sugar and mint, and they would form this mixture into long ovals to eat after Shaharit (see below for an example and the recipe found on www.dafina.net). This also corresponds to what is written “debash vehalab tahat leshonekh,” – “Honey and milk under your tongue” and this is why we eat more sweet foods than normal on Shabu’ot, in honour of the Tora and its misvot. See Osrot haMaghreb (Shabu’ot).

22) Many have the tradition to prepare a cooked food from the intestines of a cow [T.N. they would use it as casing for a sort of sausage called in Arabic ‘Lkrisa] in honour of Shabu’ot. It was known that this was one of the tastiest meals, so they made it in honour of theHag. Also, Hazal tell us that half of the hag should be dedicated to Hashem (i.e. Tefila and studying Tora) while the other half to ourselves, (i.e. eating and singing) so they ate this dish for ‘oneg – enjoyment of the hag. See Osrot haMaghreb (Shabu’ot).

[On the first day of Shabu’ot some, especially those from Mogador, have the custom of making l’Ada – Lintria (wide pasta, tagliatelle) with pieces of lamb and fried onions with raisins.]

Courtyard, in Morocco - photo by: Irving Schild

We’d love to hear about your Shavuos minhagim. We also want to remind you about our Shavuos Recipe Contest, you can a nice package of cholov Yisroel cheese selections. Email us at:

kosherscene@gmail.com

CS

Shavuos Recipes

The Shavuos Recipe Contest, which we announced on May 12th, has so far netted only 11 entries. Come now, gentle readers, we know there are some great cooks out there, please send us your favorite dairy recipes for a chance to win a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses.

Meanwhile, having attended Lévana’s delicious Shavuos themed Dinner and a Show this past Monday, she graciously agreed to share two recipes:

Photo by: levanacooks.com

Cold Watercress Soup Recipe

Cold soups would always be a thrill if only they were made with full-bodied and full-flavored veggies, as they are here. No stock or broth whatsoever! Bouillon cubes? Let’s not even go there!

There are several variations you might enjoy on this theme, keeping as always a short and sweet ingredient selection: Broccoli, spinach, kale, asparagus instead of the watercress and zucchini; potatoes, turnips, parsnips, cauliflower instead of the celery root. Play with all the possibilities!

The immersion blender is a wonderfully nifty tool, inexpensive and portable (it will fit in a drawer), that allows you to blend your soup directly and in one shot right in your pot. No transferring, no mess. Just make sure there are no bones in the soup, or you will break your blade.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 large leeks, sliced
• 1 large celery knob, diced
• 2 large zucchini, cut in large chunks
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 quarts (8 cups) water
• 2 cups dry white wine
• Salt to taste
• 4 bunches watercress, stems and leaves
• Good pinch nutmeg
• 4 cups cold milk or non-dairy milk
• Pepper to taste

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a wide heavy pot. Add the leeks and sauté until translucent.
2. Add the celery, zucchini, turmeric, water, wine and salt, and bring to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, 30 minutes.
4. Stir in the watercress and cook only a few seconds, until wilted. Turn off the flame.
5. The remaining ingredients and cream the soup with an immersion blender. Adjust the texture and seasonings.
6. Chill the soup.

As a kid growing up in Montevideo, Uruguay, I had to contend with two major handicaps:

• The first neighborhood we lived in was mostly Italian and we were the only Jews in our building, the lone Jewboy was a natural target…
• I was extremely overweight and couldn’t run too well, that much better for the nabe’s bullies.

My saintly mother (aleha Hasholom!) decided she’d become the best Italian cook in the neighborhood. Why? So that everyone would want to be invited over for a meal and thus, out of pure self interest, stop beating up the very fat Jewish kid… One of the favorites was polenta, here’s Lévana’s own version:

Polenta Casserole au Gratin Recipe

Please ignore those insipid cooked polenta rolls you find in the supermarket: Making the polenta base takes minutes, and is the bulk of the work for this delicious dish, which will serve a good dozen guests! Au Gratin just means it is topped with a crust: Yum!

This is only one of the wonderful polenta possiblities: You will love to explore them, as it is not only delicious but very nutritious, and gluten-free to boot. You can:

• Eat the polenta as is, hot and un-assembled (in other words, only the first step of the recipe) as the grain for a main course.
• Thin it with a little water, garlic and minced basil, maybe a couple diced tomatoes for a great soup
• Cut the cooled polenta in cubes or triangles and put it right under your broiler flame
• Make other fillings: Roasted diced vegetables (mushrooms, eggplant, red pepper, fennel, artichoke hearts, etc…..
• Make it dairy-free. Cook it in water or dairy-free milk, and/or substitute some white wine for some of the water or milk.

Ingredients

• 9 cups milk, low-fat OK
• A few drops olive oil
• Salt to taste (remember the cheese is salty, so very little please)
• 3 cups coarse cornmeal
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan or other strong cheese
• 6 cloves garlic
• 1 cup basil leaves, packed
• 1 large red onion
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 5 cups canned crushed tomatoes
• Good pinch dried pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper to taste

Topping

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs, gluten-free OK
• 3 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Boil water, oil, and salt in a large pot. Add the cornmeal and stir until thick. This should take about ten minutes.
2. Stir in the cheese.
3. Pour the mixture into a greased cookie sheet, in a layer no more than half an inch thick. You might fill one and a half cookie sheets. Let the polenta cool.
4. Preheat oven to 425°F.
5. While the polenta is cooling, make the sauce: in a food processor, coarsely grind the garlic, basil and onion. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the remaining sauce ingredients.
6. Grease an 11-by-14-inch lasagna pan. Make one layer polenta, making sure you leave no blank spaces. Add half the sauce.
7. Repeat: one layer polenta, one layer sauce. Bake the casserole for about 45 minutes, or until the dish looks bubbly and hot.
8. Mix the bread crumbs with the butter, and sprinkle over the dish. Bake another 10 minutes.
9. Let cool slightly before cutting into squares. Makes a dozen servings.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy AND don’t forget to send us your favorite Shavuos recipes (there is a nice selection of cholov Yisroel cheeses as the prize for the best!) to:

kosherscene@gmail.com

Meanwhile, check out Lévana’s pages for more Shavuos delicacies.

CS

RELATED POSTS

shavuos recipes – part 2 

————–

shavuos recipes – part 2

shavuos recipes – part 1

and for prize winning cheese cake recipes: and the winner is…

Live! From 18…

This evening’s broadcast will be live from Manhattan’s 18 Restaurant (240 E 81st St, New York NY10065; Tel: 212.517.2400), starting at 7:30 – Eastern Time – we will be on the air until 8:30. Our guests include: Tammy Cohen from 18, Gil Marks – author of the Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, cooking guru and cookbook author extraordinaire Chef Levana Kirschenbaum, Kim Amzallag from Kosher Inspired Magazine and blogger Esti Berkowitz from Prime Time Parenting.

Whenever I go to 18 Restaurant, whatever else I may eat, I gotta have the Yemenite Meat Soup. Tasty and just spicy enough!

They have all been on our show before, except for Mrs. Berkowitz (who is a fascinating individual in her own right), but are back per listeners’ requests. What better venue than to have all of them together in one place, having a nice conversation, enjoying a meal and delighting you with their knowledge, humor and passion for all things food?

Won’t you join us, this evening at 7:30pm, at 18 Restaurant (240 E 81st St, New York NY10065; Tel: 212.517.2400) where you can meet our guests in person and partake of the restaurants delicious, yet reasonably priced fare?

Last Wednesday, we had the pleasure of hosting master photographer Irving Schild. He spoke to us about a fascinating new book project, he’s currently working on, about Jewish communities coming back to life in Eastern Europe, as well as some others prospering in more exotic parts of the globe. If you missed that show you can hear the archive here at: Talking with Irving Schild.

Even if you can’t come to the restaurant you can still hear us this evening from 7:30 to 8:30 pm on http://www.blogtalkradio.com/kosherscene. We’ll be wait’n for ya!

CS

A Cookbook for our Times

Fame and fortune come and go these days in a twittered flurry of viral activity signifying not much at all. The famous and infamous become blurred distinctions as we dismiss events with hurried trigger happy flicks of ADHD fingertips itching for the next headline or news byte. We live in a society ruled by obsolescence, disposability, surface chic and ‘what’s in it for me?’ priorities.

It’s hard not to get caught up in the frenzied momentum of the transitory inane; yet some rare individuals manage to adapt to the paroxysm while maintaining their intrinsic skill-set, talents, passions and beliefs. Some of these self possessed champions rarer still can reach out and teach with mass appeal, sharing wisdom, talent and their years of expertise so that even the maniacally distracted stop and take notice.

There is no better master teacher in the culinary world than Levana Kirschenbaum. The woman is a firebrand of positive delightful anecdotal information on fresh healthy wholesome easy ways to cook delicious meals. In her new cookbook, which I got a sneak peak of, Levana holds nothing back. All her collective years of experience are evident in this latest cookbook gem.

With more than 350 recipes in its general index, it includes over 250 delicious gluten-free adaptations and more than 250 Passover friendly dishes. All of these use natural, healthy, wholesome ingredients; what could be better at a time when we becoming increasingly health conscious about our food intake?

The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen is a precious dowry of cooking essentials that any loving mother would pass down to her daughter as a loving legacy of easy and healthful food preparation. This tell all manifest destiny of healthy cooking has wonderful recipes, with multiple variations on a theme, detailed with beautiful pictures, formatted for ease of use, organized and indexed for quick referencing and recipe selection. It’s like all her collections rolled into one, you’re going to love it and come back to it as ‘the source’ time and again for preparing delicious nearly effortless meals. I’ll bet it goes digital! For now you can see it on the shelves by June 1st. Don’t miss it!

Pasta with mock crab , artichokes, and olives. Photo by: Meir Pliskin

SYR

21st Annual Hiloula Dinner

Last evening, the Manhattan Sephardic Congregation held its 21st Annua Lag Ba’Omerl Dinner. The venue was the Museum of Jewish Heritage next to Manhattan’s Battery Park. It started with a very nice smorgasboard, befitting the occasion and the venue, combined with a superb selection of top wines and other potables. The main speaker at the dinner was Harav Joseph Sitruk SHLIT”A – Chief Rabbi of France – who flew in specifically for this weekend’s events at the Congregation.

Rabbi Raphael Benchimol translating Rabbi Joseph Sitruk's words from French

Also in attendance were Morocco’s Consul Général M. Mohamed Karmoune…

Mr. Mohamed Karmoune

and the President of the Jewish Community of Marrakesh, Jackie Kadosh…

Rabbi Jackie Kadosh

Immediately after Rabbi Sitruk’s speech, Rabbi Benchimol presented Irving Schild (who was not expecting it), with a plaque for his being one of the founders of Manhattan Sephardic Congretation and for his years’ long dedication to it.

Irving and Regina Schild

The dinner was a fund raiser for both the building fund and the yearly operating expenses. Mr. Schild donated 5 photos which he had taken during the Congregation’s trip to Morocco a couple of year’s back. They were auctioned off fetching a total of $36,000, one of them selling at the princely sum of $26,000. All in all the expected goals were more than met.

The food, the presentation was very nice, especially that roast beef. I wish I knew who the caterer was.

At the end of the evening, Irving Schild was presented with yet another surprise. They brought him a cake commemorating his 80th birthday, it had a little camera and a tiny little man sitting atop of it…

Delicious chocolate cake!

Though I am not a member of the Congregation, nor am I of Sephardic extraction myself, I found the people I’d met last week – at Sidney and Tammy Cohen’s – very warm and friendly and I even made some new friends at this dinner. This is a true tribute to the Congregation’s members and to the values Rabbi Benchimol teaches and manages to instill in his congregants.

CS

Popbar

Located in the West Village, in an area full of restaurants (none of which are kosher, unfortunately), Popbar (5 Carmine Street – at 6th Avenue – New York, NY 10014; Tel: 212.255.4874) is a refreshing oasis for the kosher palate. When I say refreshing I mean it literally, especially, now that summer is almost here. They sell popGelato and popSorbetto… Unlike other gelati, their product comes on bars. Unlike other bars, theirs are made with all natural, healthy ingredients… not quite what you get at your friendly supermarket, is it?

An assortment of flavors and your choice of poppings (toppings) and dippings...

The popSorbetto flavors (strawberry, peach, mixed berry, blood orange, lemon, mandarin, pineapple, melon, grapefruit) are made with 70-80% real fruit, with no syrup, no milk and natural fructose, intead of sugar. As a result, not only are they healthier, but they do not taste overly sweet like so many other brands do.

The choice of popGelato flavors is a little larger (chocolate, vanilla, coffee, mint, coconut, hazelnut, giandula, pistachio, almond, banana). They use more milk than cream, as a result these bars have fewer calories and are lighter than regular ice cream.

They also just started producing a new popular item, yogurt strawberry.

All their ingredients are imported from Italy, and when you taste these bars you immediately notice the difference. I tasted a popGelato coffee which they customized for me by dipping it in hazelnuts and dark chocolate…

Decadently delicious!

Decadent, creamy but light, not overly sweet… a feast for the eyes and palate! Then I had a mixed berry popSorbetto. It is made from real strawberry, real raspberry and real blueberry. Not only is this just different from other sorbet bars, it’s faaar better tasting, certainly healthier.

Their poppings (toppings) include: almond, hazelnut, coconut, pistachio and chocolate sprinkles. Their dippings include: dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate.

Before leaving, I picked three flavors to take home: lemon and strawberry (half of it covered in dark chocolate) from the popSorbetto selections and Hazelnut (covered in milk chocolate and hazelnuts), a popGelato selection.

As you can see, I could not resist taking a bite out of the strawberry on the side dipped in chocolate, while CS was setting up to take a photo, and... I'M NOT ASHAMED OF IT!

CS – who loves lemon flavored anything – thought this bar was the best he ever had, while I found the strawberry tasty, juicy, delicious with a true strawberry taste, the dark chocolate dipping was just the right touch. I cut the hazelnut popGelato in half (weeeell, not exactly half), gave one piece to CS (guess which one!), we both thought it was superb, creamy, flavorful and just sweet enough. I guess Popbar will be seeing us a lot.

SYR

Hillula d’Rabbi Meir Ba’al Haness

Last evening, SYR and I had the privilege to be at Sidney and Tammy Cohen‘s (partners at 18 Restaurant) apartment in Manhattan. We were there to commemorate the Hilula (yohrtzeit, as we ashkenazim call it) of Rabbi Meir Ba’al Haness. I had never heard of this custom until I got Tammy’s email last week… How I wish I had known of it earlier in my life!

Among walls covered with portraits of a very young Baba Sali (whose haunting eyes seemed to pierce right through me) and Chagall like paintings, the crowd, the tfilot, the candles, the food, made it all very special…

Dips galore, mashed potatoes, fish, couscous, chicken, beef and more...

Who was Rabbi Meir Ba’al Haness? The Babylonian Talmud, in Tractate Gittin 56a relates:

As he [Nero] came close, he shot an arrow towards the east and it fell in Jerusalem. He then shot an arrow to the west and it fell in Jerusalem. [He shot] towards the four points of the compass and it fell in Jerusalem. He then asked a [passing] boy, “Tell me the verse [from Scripture] you learned [today].” He [the boy] said, “I will place my vengeance upon Edom by the hand of my people Israel [Ezekiel 25:14].” He [Nero] said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to destroy His House and lay the blame on me.” He [Nero] ran away and became a proselyte. From him came Rabbi Meir.”

Rabbi Meir, the descendant of a former Roman emperor, eventually became a staunch supporter of Bar Kochba‘s rebellion against the Romans. Why was he called Meir, when tradition says that his name was either Nahori or Misha? “Meir” means “Illuminator,” as someone who illuminated the mind’s eye of students and scholars alike to give them an understanding of both the Written and the Oral Laws, he came to be known as Meir.

“Ba’al Haness” means “Master of Miracles,” why was that name added to him? It is related that on a certain occasion when a pack of wild dogs ran over to tear him apart, Rabbi Meir cried out: “Eloka d’Meir aneini – God of Meir answer me,” the dogs retreated. The Roman guard of a brothel was about to be hanged for having taken a bribe. He was bribed so as to allow Rabbi Meir‘s wife (Bruriah‘s) sister to escape (while still untouched) from the brothel where the Romans had condemned her to live her life in shame (after they killed her parents, the saintly R. Chananya ben Teradyon – one of the 10 martyrs we mention in the kinot of Tisha B’Av – and his wife). As the noose was tightened around the guard’s neck he cried out, “God of Meir answer me,” the rope tore – to everyone’s amazement – and the guard was saved!

Harav Raphael Benchimol, rabbi of the Manhattan Sephardic Congregation, very eloquently told the evening’s participants that the specific date 14th of Nissan (Pessach Sheini). was a very propitious time for asking Rabbi Meir Baal Haness to intercede in one’s behalf. As I walked around the room, I heard touching, gripping stories of people’s prayers being answered. Even over this last weekend in Providence, RI, I heard one such story…

Rabbi Benchimol: "If you need anything, or if you have lost your way, Rabbi Meir Ba'al Haness will help you find it..."

After Ma’ariv, people lit candles – on a specially set up table – while saying twice, “Eloka d’Meir aneini,” as each silently concentrated on his/her requests…

The emotions, the fervor, were contagious...

Meeting friends and friendly strangers, praying with them mincha and later ma’ariv, listening to the Rabbi’s divrey Torah, pouring out my heart as I concentrated on my personal requests – while lighting my candle – the delicious food, the drinks, made this a very inspiring and enchanted evening. Thank you Sidney, thank you Tammy.

Eloka d’Meir aneinU! God of Meir, answer US all!

CS

Never Say This is the Final Road for You…

The Kosher Scene is far more than just food and wine, our Internet Radio guest tomorrow evening will be Irving Schild, Professor Emeritus and former Photography Department Chairman at New York City’s prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology and Chief Photographer for MAD Magazine. During his more than four decades in his chosen field he has traveled to many near and remote, familiar and exotic parts of the world, for his clients as well as his own creative pursuits. We will discuss his current book project on the rebirth of many Jewish communities in Europe, reborn in spite of Hitler’s (Yimach shmo!) attempts to permanently destroy them. He will show us, as the Partisans Song (Zog nisht keyn mol – Never Say) went, that in spite of the odds, in spite of the number of murderous attempts on the Jewish Nation, the Jewish Phoenix always rises from the ashes, from the blood, from the pain, from the tears!

Last week’s show featured the Puah Institute, we spoke with their Director General, Rabbi Gideon Weitzman, in Jerusalem and Mrs. Leah Davidson, Director of the American branch. We talked about their work on behalf of infertile couples, their free counseling services, their supervision services and more. If you missed it, you can hear the archive here: What is the Puah Institute?

Please listen to our conversation with Irving Schild, photographer extraordinaire. Tune us in at 8:00 pm, tomorrow evening – Wednesday, the 18th of May. You can find us right here: Talking with Irving Schild . Irving is a fascinating personality, this show promises to be interesting, informative while filling every Jewish heart with pride at our quiet revenge against those who would have annihilated us.

CS

Roasted Peppers

For Shabbat and Sunday I was in Providence, RI, for a grandson’s bar mitzvah. My daughter, who invited mostly out of town guests, had me stay at my dear friend Irving Schild, photographer extraordinaire. I arrived mid morning on Friday and soon discovered that Irving not only excels in his chosen profession but he’s also a very good cook.

Among various side dishes he was preparing for Shabbat, as he was helping his wife, was one I always wanted to taste. Easy to make, superbly delicious, it was a dish of Roasted Peppers.

Ingredients

• 3 large red peppers
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• salt and pepper.
• olive oil

Directions

1. Place peppers on a cookie sheet. Put cookie sheet in broiler.
2. Broil until the skin has blackened and blistered.
3. Take out and let it coll until it can be easily handled.
4. Pull of the stem, and peel the peepers.
5. Cut into strips of desired size.
6. Place in a bowl over crushed garlic. Add salt and pepper to taste
7.  Add enough oil to lightly coat.
8. Serve at room temperature.

You’ll find these are delicately flavored, they can be enjoyed by themselves – as I did – or as a side dish.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Date and Nut Bread

I had some dates from Israel and decided to use them in a recipe, I was intrigued by the following one from Elizabeth Wolfe-Cohen‘s Perfect Jewish 

Delicious!!!

Date & Nut Bread

Yields: 12 slices

Directions

• 1 1/2 cups self rising flour, plus a little more for dusting
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 – 1 tsp ground ginger [SYR used 1 tsp]
• 1 1/3 cups chopped dried dates [SYR did not use dried ones]
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda [baking soda]
• 2/3 cup boiling water
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 tsp butter or margarine, softened [SYR used margarine to keep it pareve]
• 1 cup chopped walnuts, pecans or almonds [SYR used walnuts]

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease a 4″x8″ loaf pan. Line the base and and sides with nonstick baking parchment paper to come to 1″ above the sides. Grease again and dust with flour. Sift the flour, salt and ginger into a bowl.

Put the dates into a large bowl with bicarbonate of soda. Pour over the boiling water and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Stir the egg and butter [or margarine if you prefer it pareve] and flour mixture into the date mixture and beat with a wooden spoon until well blended. Stir in the nuts. Pour the mixture into the loaf pan, smoothing the top. Tap the pan gently on a surface to expel any air bubbles.

Bake in the center of the oven for 1 hour or until set and well colored and the bread begins to pull away from the sides of the pan; a knife inserted in the center should come out clean.

Transfer to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes , then leave to cool completely Using the paper as a guide, carefully remove the bread from the pan. If not serving the same day keep in the paper to prevent drying out.To serve, remove the paper from the base and sides, slice thinly.

Prep time: 20 minutes – Bake Time – 1 hour

The bread came out very aromatic, it tasted subtly sweet, we had it with some cholov Yisroel Mascarpone cheese made at Pomegranate Supermarket‘s kitchen and recommended by their resident cheese expert, none other than our good friend Elizabeth Bland. We washed it down with a Herzog Selection Chateneuf 2009, a white semi dry with a fresh, fruity bouquet. The bread was delicious, the Mascarpone just right, and the wine proved a perfect pairing!

CS