Jewish Food Festival at the JCC in Richmond, VA

Yesterday was the first day of the annual two day Jewish Food Festival, held at the JCC (5403 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23226 – Tel: 804.285.6500), presented by Knesset Beth Israel (6300 Patterson Avenue, Richmond, VA 23226 – Tel: 804.288.7953) with supervision by the Moro d’Asro, Rabbi Dovid Asher.

One of the various stations preparing food in the kitchen

Carrot kugel, broccoli kugel, latkes and stuffed peppers… MmmmMMm!

Donut Holes, Homentashen, Menorah Cookies, Rugelach and more!

There was so much to choose, but I started with a plate of brisket, potato latkes and a ouple of knishesk. I followed with a combination of lamb and turkey shawarma with roasted vegetables wrapped in a laffa. The portion were nice sized, in fact I’m afraid the only way to get rid of the weight I gained would be to walk all the way back to Brooklyn.

Among the various booth, and being a foodie, there was one which really got my attention, Ginger Juice…

It was hard to decide which flavor to buy…

I tasted various of their juices, including Giving made from beets, pears and ginger. It reminded me so much of my mother’s (aleha haShalom) borsht – a taste nobody had ever been able to replicate…. until now. Another flavor I liked was Goodness which consisted of kale, apple, celery and mint. Who knew kale and celery could taste this good?!?!? When I finally got ready to go home, I picked up a bottle of Glitzy (pineapple, apple, pear). Needless to say, it didn’t last very long.

This event was truly a feast for the palate, the eyes and the nose!

CS

Recipes We’ve Enjoyed During the Holy Days – Part 1

I cooked up a storm this season since we’ve had lots of guests at meals meal during the Holy Days. These can, however, be made and enjoyed at any time and they’ll be perfect no matter what the occasion!

Let me start with an appetizer that went over very well:

Sesame Chicken Toasts

Serves 12

Photo from: Simply Southern - With a Dash of Kosher Soul

Ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 boneless skinless chicken breast half
• 1 egg, beaten
• 3 green onions, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 12-15 slices white sandwich bread, crust removed and cut into 8 triangles
• 1/2 cup sesame seeds
• Vegetable oil

Directions

1. Process chicken in food processor until finely chopped. Add egg, green onion, garlic, cilantro, broth, pepper, and salt. Pulse a few times to mix well.
2. Scatter sesame seeds onto a plate. Sread a thick layer of chicken mixture over bread pieces. Press spread side into seeds making an even covering.
3. Heat 1/2 oil in a skillet until hot. Quickly fry triangles for 2-3 minutes on both sides. turning once until golden browned. Drain toasts on paper towels.

Toast may be prepared in advance. Store in refrigerator for 3 days or frozen up to a month. Thaw overninght in refrigerator. Reheat in hot oven for 5 minutes.

Roasted Summer Vegetables

(Adapted from The Big Book of One Pot)

Serves 4

Photo from: The Big Book of One Pot

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 fennel bulb, cut into wedges
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 2 beefsteak tomatoes, cut into wedges
• 1 eggplant, thickly sliced
• 2 zucchini, thickly sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 1 orange bell pepper, seeded and cut into chunks
• 4 garlic cloves
• 4 fresh rosemary sprigs
• ground black pepper
• crusty bread, to serve

Directions

1. Brush an ovenproof dish with a little oil. Arrange the fennel, onions, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini and bell peppers in the dish and tuck the garlic cloves and rosemary sprigs among them.Drizzle with the remaining oil and season to taste with pepper.
2. Roast the vegetables in a preheated oven at 400 F, for 10 minutes. Turn the vegetables over, return the dish to the oven and roast for another 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and beginning to turn golden brown.
3. Serve the vegetables straight from the dish or transfer to a warm serving platter. Serve immediately, with crusty bread to soak up the juices.

(Adapted from: The Big Book of One Pot. When I made this dish I tripled it, as we had 11 people at the particular meal).

My guests were very pleased with the above dishes, I hope you will enjoy as well.

SYR

EXTRA, EXTRA! Contest, Contest!!!

Starting today and running until September 20, one of you – gentle readers – will have the chance to win 2 Jack’s Gourmet Variety Packs ($100.00 value)…

and a Jack’s Gourmet cap…

What do you have to do to win all these? How about sending us your best recipes using Jack’s Gourmet. sausages. The contest runs through September 20th, winner will be chosen by Chef Jack Silberstein and Dr. Alan Bronner (Jack’s Gourmet owners) and will be announced on these pages on Monday October 3rd. send in your recipes to kosherscene@gmail.com. If you care to accompany your entry with a good photo of the finished dish, we’ll feature it right here on our blog. To get an idea of what we are looking for go here, if you scroll down to the bottom of the page you’ll find some interesting recipes, including two of our own.

Meanwhile don’t forget to send us in your ideas for avoiding the back to school blues to: kosherscene@gmail.com. Why not send us photos of unusual and interesting lunchboxes.

We will publish the best photos and ideas and pick a winner who will receive:

• 1 carton of juice boxes
• 1 dozen assorted fruit roll-ups
• 1 lunch box

Keep those recipes and ideas coming, gentle reader. get to work!

CS

Cioppino

This past Monday eve, SYR and I attended Lévana‘s Dinner and a Show: Light Italian Feast. As usual it was enjoyable, educational and absolutely DELICIOUS! Certainly one of the best cooking classes I’ve ever attended.

We especially liked the Cioppino and Lévana graciously allowed us to post her recipe:

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic
• 4 ribs celery, peeled
• 2 red peppers
• 1 large onion, quartered
• 1 fennel bulb, quartered, centers removed, sliced-thin
• 3 leeks, darkest parts removed
• 1 large can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups dry white wine
• 6 cups water
• 6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground
• 2 good pinches saffron
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon anise and fennel seeds
• Good pinch cloves
• Good pinch red pepper flakes
• 2 2-ounce can anchovies, drained and rinsed

• 1 side salmon (about 3 pounds), cut in large cubes
• 1 pound flaked mock crab
• 1 large bunch flat parsley, minced

Directions

Heat the oil in a heavy wide bottom pot. In a food processor coarsely grind the garlic, celery, pepper and onion. Add the ground mixture to the pot, with the leeks, and sautè until translucent. Reduce to medium and cook for 30 minutes. Add the fish and parsley and cook just 5 more minutes. Ladle into soup bowls, and serve with good toasted bread or croutons.

Though it took me more 60 years to even taste fish, I can assure you (as does, SYR) that these was an incredibly tasty soup with a rich array of subtle flavors. Considering the ingredients… I can actually say…. it’s good for you, as well!

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Chef Haim Dadi – The Dream Concrete

Since he was very young, Haim Dadi knew what he wanted to do. His parents had a restaurant in Israel and whenever he visited their place – as a child – he loved the hustle and bustle, the aromas, the sounds of the patrons.  He is currently Chef/Partner of 18 Restaurant on 81st Street and 2nd Avenue. I’ve watched and followed him through every area of his restaurant and – as amiable as he is outside the cooking area – it is in the kitchen that he truly comes alive as he cooks, as he talks to his staff, as he experiments with more delicious ways of preparing his fare.

I spoke to Chef Haim recently to find out what makes him tick, what it is that spurs him on. Twenty five years ago he opened his first restaurant in Beersheva with his brother, serving mostly shawarma and a few other grilled items. Three years later, he arrived in New York and opened his first venture in Forest Hills – Tel Aviv Haktanah, though very successful he did not get along with his partner.

He left for a place in Manhattan called Shelanu, which eventually evolved into Mr. Broadway. It started out with a limited Israeli menu, yet considering the demographics in and around its location, it did not work too well. Over a period of seven years they slowly introduced various new types: deli, Chinese, shawarma and sushi. With the addition of all those cuisines Mr. Broadway, soon had one of the largest menus in Manhattan. With very moderate prices and the rich selection they expanded over the years and became a very successful venture, a fixture of the New York kosher Scene.

About a year ago, Chef Dadi was ready for bigger challenges. Together with Sidney Cohen he opened up 18 Restaurant on the premises of what used to be the high end Turquoise. In spite of the high quality of its servings, Turquoise had become a victim of the new recession.

Walking into 18, with its turquoise wall and aquarium, opposite an antiqued stone wall and red fixtures, gives the impression of an upscale expensive place. A quick look, however, at the menu immediately dispels the notion of “expensive.” The food served here is of higher quality than at his former place and in the year since they’ve opened they managed to gather a faithful following that fills the restaurant every day at lunch and dinner. The sushi is superb, and coming from someone who never touched fish until two years ago, someone who never thought he’d ever taste sushi, you can take it as very high praise indeed. I can never resist ordering Chef Haim’s Yemenite Meat Soup, or his juicy hamburgers. He doesn’t serve exotic dishes, instead he specializes in a wholesome array including Eastern European, Mediterranean, sushi and deli selections. He envisions 18 as a purveyor of high quality food at reasonable prices and… the concept works!

As a young child, Haim Dadi had a dream; as a man, he’s made the dream concrete!

CS

Lamb Soup

I like lamb, it is one of my favorite meats. Whether in a soup or in any other form, if a dish has lamb in it I just have to try it. Whether it’s those superb  Slow Roasted Lamb Chops at Mike’s Bistro or the Lamb Soup at Yummy Grill, SYR and I – hardcore carnivores both – are in total agreement that lamb is in a class of its own, we love it!

Recently, while going over some old papers I found cooking notes by my long departed mother in them the following recipe:

Yields 4

Ingredients

• 5 1/2 ounces lean tender lamb
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 5 cups chicken soup
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 inch piece lemongrass, sliced into very thin rounds
• 1/4 teaspoon chili paste (I make my own from a recipe I found online, here)
• 8 cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 4 scallions, finely sliced
• 1 3/4 ounces bean sprouts snapped in half
• 2 tablespoons cilantro leaves
• 1 tablespoonolive oil.

 Directions

1. Trim away all the fat from the lamb and slice it thinly. Cut slices into bite sized pieces. Put the meat in a layer on a plate and sprinkle with the garlic and 1 tablespoon soy sauce. Cover it and let marinate for one hour.
2. In a saucepan bring the chicken stock, ginger, lemongrass, remaining soy sauce and the chili paste. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. When ready to serve the soup, drop the tomatoes, scallions, bean sprouts and cilantro leaves into the stock.
4. Heat oil in a skillet, add the lamb and marinade. Strir fry the meat until is no longer red and divide among the 4 bowls.
5. Add the hot soup to each bowl and serve immediately.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy. I did!

CS

Boeuf Bourguignon – “One of the Most Delicious Beef Dishes…”

Originating among France’s Burgundy peasantry, this dish was elevated to the status of haute cuisine by none other than the King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings (as the French press and Kaiser Wilhelm II referred to him) – Auguste Escoffier. Julia Child in her Mastering the Art of French Cooking, refers to Boeuf Bourguignon as ”certainly one of the most delicious beef dishes concocted by man.”

While looking for a kosher version that might do justice to Ms. Child’s praises, I came across this scrumptious recipe in Lévana Kirschenbaum‘s latest book, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen, page 164:

Detail of photo by: Meir Pliskin on page 165 of The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen

Boeuf Bourguignon

Spend a wonderful evening with a few French classics and some wine to go with dinner! By the way, my bourguignon has been included in Joan Schwartz’s charming book, deceptively innocent, called Meat and Potatoes. My secret ingredient is crème de cassis, the wonderful black currant liqueur.

This dish reheats very well and improves with age, so go ahead and make it a day or two ahead.

• 4 pounds beef or bison shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes for stew
• 6 cups water
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled
• 2 cups dry wine
• 1/4 cup crème de cassis
• 2 large tomatoes, diced small
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 6 bay leaves, or 1 teaspoon ground
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only(or throw in the sprigs in whole, but don’t forget to discard them at the end of cooking)
•  2 pounds very thin long carrots, peeled (about 20)
• 20 very small organic potatoes, scrubbed (only organic potatoes are safe with skins on)
• 2 dozen tiny onions, peeled and left whole (frozen OK: they are already peeled)

On a stove top: Place beef, water, and oil in a heavy, wide-bottom pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce to medium and cook covered for 2 hours. Add the garlic, wine, creme de cassis, tomatoes, pepper, and bay leaves and cook for 30 more minutes. Add thyme, carrots, potatoes, and onions and cook for 30 minutes. The meat should be fork tender, Transfer meat and all vegetables on platter with a slotted spoon. If the liquid left in the pot is too thin, reduce it on a high flame until it is thickened, the consistency of maple syrup. Pour the reduced liquid over the whole dish and serve hot. Will make 8 to 10 servings.

With a Crock-Pot: Layer all the ingredients except the water (no water) in a 6-quart Crock-Pot, in the order they were given. Set the Crock-Pot on low in the morning. It will be ready for dinner (10 to 12 hours total cooking time).

Variation: Try the dish using dark stout beer instead of wine, as my daughter in law Ruthie does.

As you taste this you’ll certainly agree with Julia Child’s assessment. So… enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Salmon in Lemon Sauce

It’s hard to believe that until about 21 months ago I had never eaten fish, other than a small piece of gefilte on Friday evenings (and even then, none too willingly!). Having learned how to enjoy them, thanks to Orchideä and the defunct Avenue Plaza Dining (both in Boro Park), I now savor the taste and appreciate the nutritional value of that which for decades I’d considered untouchable, inedible, food.

Since, I’ve made this recipe a few times because it tastes great and it’s easy:

Photo from: http://moderndayozzieandharriet.blogspot.com

Ingredients

• 4 tbsp. margarine
• 1 lb. salmon filets
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp tarragon
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tsp. fresh chopped parsley
• 1 pinch oregano
• 3 oz. dry white wine
• 2 oz. fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. capers
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cream
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a skillet. Lightly salt and pepper the fish. Cook the fish over medium-high heat for about 4 to 5 minutes on each side.
2. Add the tarragon, garlic, parsley, oregano. When garlic browns add capers, white wine and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Remove fish from fire to a plate keeping it warm as you make the sauce. Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet. Whisk in the cornstarch; when smooth, add the cream and milk, whisking until smooth, cook until it thickens.
4. Simmer for one minute, return the fish to the pan, and reheat for another minute. Top fish with sauce and serve with rice.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

Renewal Benefit Event – Food & Wine Tasting, Cigar Rolling!

CHaZa”L teach that “He who saves one life, it is as if he saved a world!” In this day and age when technology has developed new ways to save lives which mere decades earlier couldn’t be saved, it is now easier to save such worlds, but to do so is still very expensive, resources are not always easy to find and certainly not within most people’s reach. Renewal, an organization based in Borough Park, Brooklyn, is dedicated to just that, finding the means and resources to save lives and future worlds.

This evening, at 7:00pm, there will be a Food and Wine tasting to benefit the organization. Premium wine selections from the famed Herzog Wine Cellars, food from some of our areas top restaurants and hand rolled cigars, all waiting just for you. Enjoy yourself while you hob nob with the veritable who’s who of the Greater New York Jewish Community.

Where?

The View on the Hudson

101 Shad Row, Piermont, NY 10968

When?

This evening at 7:00pm

For tickets and info: Contact Daniella Sabo at: 646-493-9831 or 718-431-9831 or email her at: dsabo@renewal.org

Hope to see you there!

CS

Aromas of Aleppo

Poopa Dweck‘s magnum opus is far more than just an ethnic cookbook. In its pages, the author lovingly brings us the history, the culture, the flavors and aromas of over 2500 years of Syrian Jewry.

As the author tells us in the Preface, the book…

…features dishes that are both disarmingly familiar, exotic, and, above all, healthful.

My community represents a link to a forgotten past. It is one of the few Jewish communities to live through the rise and fall of Moorish Spain and the Ottoman Empire and survive as a modern people in the West while maintaining its venerable traditions. Our soulful culture, with its fervid, tuneful songs and communal celebratory feasts, is at its most vibrant during the Sabbath, holidays, and life cycle events. One of the most artful representations of Aleppian Jewish culture is our food, whose story I have yearned to tell.

By coincidence (is there really such a thing?!?) I was playing Rabbi Moshe Tessone‘s CD Odeh La’El!, as I became engrossed in this coffee table sized, art-book quality tome. The writing is informative and fun, the evocative photography (the colors, the settings, the lighting, the angles, bespeak of a certain rusticity and a sedate elegance at the same time) and the recipes truly introduced me to a world which – as an Ashkenazic Jew – I barely knew. Between this beautiful book and the music I felt transported to another time, to an enchanted region, far from the hustle and bustle of New York and – at least for the moment – life seemed beautiful, simple and far more pure…

Looking through the old photographs, looking at the author’s family, looking at the recipes pictured, almost made me feel as if I was partaking of a holiday meal at her table.

While loeafing though the book I just had to immediately try a recipe. On page 162 I found one that called for some of my leftover matzah meal and tamarind concentrate, which I’d picked up in the nearby Sephardic neighborhood in Brooklyn.

Keftes

Tamarind-Stewed Meatballs

Meatball dishes such as keftes are a tradition all over the Middle East. Some regions use turmeric and others use sumac or lemon and mintas flavoring accents for similar meatballs. Aleppian Jews like to use a combination of tomato sauce and tamarind, the proportions of which can vary according to a family’s preference.

Meatballs:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons matzah meal
• 1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Sauce:

• One 6 ounce can tomato paste, or two 8 ounce cans tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon ou (tamarind concentrate, page 41), homemade or store bought
• Juice of 1 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1. To make the meatballs, combine the the beef, eggs, matzah meal, salt and Aleppo pepper. Mix well by hand. The mixture should be loose and moist so that it can best absorb the sauce and retain a velvety texture. Shape the meat mixture into walnut-size balls.
2. To make the sauce, combine the tomato paste, ou, lemon juice, salt, 1 cup of water, and, if desired, sugar, mix well.
3. In a large ovenproof saucepan, brown the meatballs, one batch at a time, in the oil over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes per batch.
4. Return all the meatballs to the saucepan. Pour the sauce over the meatballs and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes to thicken sauce and allow the flavors to integrate thoroughly.

Variation

For a tangier sauce, increase the ou by 1 1/2 teaspoons and increase the water by 1/2 cup. Or omit the ou altogether for a lighter, more refreshing sauce, especially if you are serving another dish with ou.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy! Sifrah daimeh – “May your table always be plentiful”

CS