Archive for the 'Passover' Category

25
Mar
15

Passover Cooking with Susie Fishbein at Pomegranate – Part 1


Last evening Pomegranate featured cookbook author Susie Fishbein, who demonstrated some delicious Passover recipes. The demo was well attended by an enrapt audience, who got to enjoy some succulent dishes, following the cooking demonstration.

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SuFishPom1

She demoed three dishes: Chimichurri Steak Salad, Tershi in Pessach Couscous and Pulled Barbecue Beef Tacos.

Chimichurri Steak Salad

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 – 2 lbs shoulder London Broil
  • 6 cloves fresh garlic
  • 1 (1/2 inch) slice red onion
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 4 oz mache and other salad greens
  • 1/2 small kohlrabi, peeled, cut into matchsticks
  • 1/4 small fennel, shaved into paper thin slices
  • 1 Persian cucumber, w/skin , cut into thin slices
  • 2 Shishito peppers, cut into thin slices on the diagonal
  • 4 – 5 cherry tomatoes
  • 1 slice Pomegranate Pickled Lemon, finely chopped

Dressing

  • 2 tbsp Pomegranate Chimichurri Dip
  • 2 tbsp Extra Virgin olive oil or Zeta brand Basil And Garlic flavored olive oil
  • fresh parsley, chopped for garnish
  • 1 tbsp water

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Directions

  1. Pat the meat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor(or mini chop) fitted the metal “s” blade, pulse the garlic and red onion . Add the parsley, lemon juice, vinegar, oregano, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Pulse again. Rub this paste all over one side of the steak. Allow to marinate while you prepare the salad.
  3. Place the salad greens onto a platter. Top with the kohlrabi, fennel, cucumber, peppers, and tomatoes. Toss. Sprinkle on the chopped lemon.
  4. Heat the oil in a grill pan. Add the steak, Sear for 6-7 minutes. Using tongs, turnover and sear on the other side for 7 minutes. Remove to cutting board. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, thinly slice on the diagonal. Arrange over the salad.
  5. In a small bowl, whisk the chimichurri dip, olive oil, and water. Drizzle over the salad. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

27
Feb
13

This Evening’s Radio Show, a Book Review & a Recipe


This evening – Wednesday, the 27th of February – at 10:00 pm (Eastern Time) we will be talking to Leah Schapira and Victoria Dweck, the co-authors of the cookbook: Passover Made Easy: Favorite Triple-Tested Recipes on our BlogTalkRadio.com/kosherscene segment.

Easy to prepare, delicious recipes. What more can you ask?

Easy to prepare, delicious recipes. What more can you ask?

Leah and her first cookbook already appeared in this pages, and she also was our guest on BlogTalkRadio in 2011. Victoria Dweck is the Managing Director of AMI MAGAZINE‘s Whisk (the weekly food section – a magazine on its own!). Their backgrounds and customs may be very different BUT, their love of food makes them an unbeatable team.

Looking through their new cookbook with sections on:

  • Food and Wine Pairing
  • Seder Night
  • Building Blocks
  • Starters
  • Soups and Salads
  • Main Dishes
  • Side Dishes
  • Brunch and Dairy
  • Desserts
  • Replacement Index

…it is obvious this book will please the seasoned as well as the new bride who’s just starting to cook! The recipes from Meatballs in Blueberry Sauce to Brisket Eggrolls (my mouth is watering already!) and Antipasti Rolls, from Orange Soup to Butternut Squash Salad and Lime-Infused Pear Salad, from Eggplant-Wrapped Chicken to Veal Chops in White Wine Sauce and Braised Short Ribs in Homemade Duck Sauce are sure to enhance ANY Seder meal!

With side dishes like Stuffed Onions or Potato and Flanken Kugel, with breakfast goodies like Banana French Toast or Pineapple Pie; with desserts like Frozen Lemon Wafer Cake or Truffled Grapes this is the perfect gift to yourself, your family or Seder host (you can purchase this cookbook here).

With 60 easy to make, mouth watering recipes it was hard to choose just one to share with you, gentle reader, but as an incurable chocolate addict I think the following dessert is just perfect:

Chocolate Crackel  Sandwiches

(From page 112…)

Detail of photo by Daniel Lailah on page 113

Detail of photo by Daniel Lailah, on page 113

Yield: 9 sandwiches

Ingredients

  • 4 cups confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla sugar (optional)
  • 2/3 cup cocoa (scant)
  • pinch salt
  • 4 egg whites
  • 3 cups walnuts halves, toasted

Chocolate Ice Cream Mousse

  • 15 ounces bittersweet chocolate
  • 9 eggs, separated
  • 2 1/4 cups sugar, divided
  • 3/4 cup oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. In the bowl of a standard mixer (or using a hand mixer), combine confectioners’ sugar, vanilla sugar, and cocoa. Add the salt and egg whites. Beat well. Add the walnuts and mix until incorporated. Do not let the batter sit.
  3. Immediately spoon full tablespoons of batter onto each baking sheet. There should be 6 cookies per sheet for a toal of 18 large cookies (the cookies spread). Bake for 12 – 15 minutes.
  4. Prepare chocolate ice cream mousse: Line a 9×13 inch baking pan with parchment paper or plastic wrap. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler over low heat. In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine egg yolks, 1 cup sugar, oil, and melted chocolate. Process until well combined.
  5. In a bowl of an electric mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff, gradually adding the remaining 1 1/4 cups sugar. Add lemon juice. Lower speed and add chocolate mixture.
  6. Pour ice cream into prepared pan. Freeze until firm,
  7. Assemble the ice cream sandwiches: Pair the cookies that are the most even-sized. Using a deep cookie cutter the size of a cookie cut the ice cream. The ice cream should stick to the sides of the cutter; when you lift the cutter, the ice cream should come with it. Push it out onto a cookie. Sandwich it with the matching cookie. Freeze.

Hot Chocolate Sauce

  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1/2 cup cocoa, sifted
  • pinch salt
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  1. In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine the sugars, cocoa, salt. water, and oil. Bring to a boil. Lower heat, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens to desired consistency.

TIDBITCoca-Cola makes a special batch of soda for Passover using real sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup, which is kitnyiot. A yellow cap identifies the special bottles.

These crackels are a simply delicious cookie that work well either on their own or paired with ice cream. There’s just one rule. Once you mix the batter, drop it into the cookie sheet immediately. If it sits in the bowl, the batter becomes thick and chunky and result in cookies that aren’t as appealing. I haven’t yet figured out a way to reverse that – so work quickly!

Confess! I can see you salivating as you read the recipe, so… enjoy.

Don’t forget to tune us in, this evening, at 10:00pm (Eastern Time) on BlogTalkRadio.com/kosherscene. Meanwhile, in case you missed, just listen to the archive of our last show with Esther Zafrani?

CS

05
Apr
12

Great Chefs – Great Passover Recipes


From Chef David KolotkinCorporate Chef for the Prime Hospitality Group

Almond Crusted Veal Chop

Non-gebrochs – serves 2

Ingredients

  • 2 12oz bone in veal chops, ask your butcher for center cuts, or from the loin end
  • 1 egg, beaten (eggwash)
  • 1 cup finely ground almonds

Brine

  • 2 qts water
  • ½ cup kosher salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 pc bay leaf
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • 30 pc black peppercorn
  • 1 star anise
  • 8 pc clove

Directions

  1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Combine ingredients 4-11 and bring to a simmer for 10 minutes.
  3. Cool the brine by placing in an ice bath.
  4. When the brine is cool, submerge the veal chops in the brine and refrigerate for 5 hours.
  5. Remove the veal chops, pat dry.
  6. On only 1 side (presentation side), brush with the egg wash, then dredge in the ground almonds.
  7. Over medium heat, brown in a large skillet with enough oil to coat the pan, almond side first. When lightly brown, turn over and brown the other side.
  8. Place in a 350 degree oven for approx 15-20 minutes. I prefer to cook this to medium

—–x)0(x—–

From Chef Jeff Nathan, Owner/Chef at Abigael’s

Chicken Milanese with Tomato
and Arugula Salad

Gebrochs – serves 2

Tomato Salad

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 ripe tomatoes, preferably 2 red and 2 yellow, cut into 1/2-inch dice
  • 2 tablespoon fresh basil, cut in thin ribbons
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 12 ounces arugula, washed and dried, torn into bite-sized pieces

Chicken

  • 4 8-ounce skinless and boneless chicken cutlets
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup matzo flour (also called matzo cake flour)
  • 2 cups Jeff Nathan Passover Panko flakes, or 1/2 cup matzo meal & 1/2 cup matzo farfale
  • 3 large eggs, beaten with 2 teaspoons water
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400°F.

  1. To make the tomato salad, whisk the lemon juice and oil in a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano, and rosemary and toss. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, while preparing the chicken.
  2. Place the chicken breasts between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Using a heavy mallet or rolling pin, pound the meaty part of each cutlet until about 1/2-inch thick.  Season the cutlets with salt and pepper
  3. Place the matzo flour in a shallow dish, the egg mixture in a second shallow dish, and the Passover Panko or matzo meal mixed with the matzo farfale in a third shallow dish. Coat each cutlet with the matzo flour, then the egg wash, and then the Panko or matzo meal.
  4. Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add the cutlets and cook, turning once, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Place the browned cutlets on a large baking sheet. Bake until they feel firm when pressed in the centers, 5 to 8 minutes.
  5. Just before serving, add the arugula to the tomato salad and mix. For each serving, place a cutlet on a dinner plate, and heap the tomato salad on top. Serve immediately, with a wedge of lemon.

Enjoy, gentle reader,enjoy!

CS

04
Apr
12

Simplicity and Elegance Rolled Into One – Cooking with Lévana Kirschenbaum


Traditionally women have slaved away cleaning and cooking for Passover, almost making this season into something akin to an Egyptians’ Revenge. While there is no doubt that celebrating the sedorim (aside from the religious reasons) is beautiful, getting there is not easy. While we can’t make your cleaning either easier or faster, Lévana – in the video below – shows us how to cook faster, easier and still enjoy a feast!

Lévana regales us with three fast, delicious, wholesome recipes from her new book: The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen – Glorious Meals Pure and Simple

Chicken and Swiss Chard

  • 8 serving pieces chicken (2 pieces per person, for example: 6 thighs, 6 drumsticks, 4 half breasts – 16 pieces, total for 8 people) with skin on.
  • 2 teaspoons turmeric
  • 2 large bunches of Swiss chard, leaves and ribs sliced thin
  • 3 cups water

Place all ingredients in a wide heavy pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the flame to medium and cook covered for about an hour. Transfer the chicken pieces onto a platter. If the sauce is not thick enough, reduce it on a high flame, uncovered , just a few minutes until it reaches the consistency of maple syrup. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings.

Salmon in Pomegranate Sweet-&-Sour Sauce

Sweet-and sour combinations work beautifully with salmon. The onions caramelize and contribute a sweet counterpoint to the vinegar. Another quick and delicious dish, just the way it I like it – one pan, one step.

  • 1 whole side salmon, no skin, no bones, about 3 1/2 pounds, trimmed
  • 1 large red onion, sliced very thin (use the food processor)
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup pomegranate juice
  • 1/4 cup unfiltered apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Place the salmon in a pan just large enough to accommodate the fish in one layer. Scatter the onions on top and on the sides of the fish. Mix the oil, juice, vinegar, tomato paste, salt, pepper and turmeric in a bowl, and pour over the fish. Cook about 20 minutes, or a tiny bit more until the fish flakes easily and the liquids thicken. Serve hot or at room temperature. Makes 8 main course servings or a dozen or more course servings.

Chocolate Dipped Fruits

  • Bananas, orange, strawberries, pinneapple cubes, banana segments
  • 2 cups very good quality semisweet chocolate chips
  • 2 tablespoons oil

2 cups very good quality semisweet chocolate chips plus tablespoons vegetable oil. Melt in a small saucepan, on a very low flame, stirring, until just melted. Let cool just a few minutes, then dip only half way the fruit of your choice: strawberries, orange segments, pineapple cubes, banana segments etc… Arrange the dipped fruit on a platter sprayed with vegetable spray (to prevent the chocolate from sticking). Serve at room temperature.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

03
Apr
12

Holy Macaroons and More!


Last year we wrote a couple of times about a line of delightful new products, Matzel Toff. This brand specializes in covering matzah with toffee and an excellent chocolate. While chocolate covered matzah is far from being a new idea, the way Matzel Toff executes it is more than worthy of even a very sophisticated palate.

About six weeks ago, we got their latest offerings Matzel Bits! and Holy Macaroon!. While both SYR and I felt it was a great product, we never got around to post it (a serious oversight, we are thoroughly ashamed of!!!).

Matzel Bits! is made with Parve dark chocolate (kosher for Passover). Starting with Streit’s finest matzah, they cover it with a layer of delicious toffee and the whole confection is then covered with dark chocolate (made from Passover sugar, Passover chocolate liquor, and Passover chocolate cocoa butter.

Holy Macaroon! is a very good, dairy, coconut macaroon covered in dark chocolate and topped with dried cranberries. Frankly, I do not much like traditional macaroons, even as a kid I couldn’t stand them. These macaroons, however, are quite good and make for an interesting variation of a traditional Passover sweet.

You can order the items online at http://matzeltoff.com/ or you can pick it up at a variety of stores. In the New York area you can find these products at Pomegranate in Brooklyn, Zabar’s and Eli’s in Manhattan and many more.

Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

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Matzel Toff

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01
Apr
12

Passover The Healthy Way


The author of Passover The Healthy Way is a Registered Dietitian, Certified Diabetes Educator and Certified Dietitian-Nutritionist. She provides Medical Nutrition Therapy for weight management, diabetes and other medical conditions to both adults and children. With such experience one would expect Bonnie R. Giller‘s cookbook to be filled with succulent and nutritious dishes. You know something? If that’s what you expect you will certainly love this cookbook!

It has gebrochs and non-gebrochs recipes (though the gebrochs outnumber the non-gebrochs). The featured dishes are divided into eight categories:

  • Soups and Other Meats
  • Fish
  • Vegetables
  • Side Dishes
  • Kugels
  • Dairy Dishes
  • Desserts & Baked Goods

It includes 5 Appendixes:

  • Measurement Equivalents
  • Tips for Sodium Reuction
  • Cooking and Baking
  • Substitutions
  • Food Labeling Terms

Mrs. Giller has graciously allowed us to share one of her poultry recipes:

Photo by the cookbook author: Bonnie R. Giller

Matzo Stuffed Chicken Cutlets

(Gebrochs) – Serves 10

10 (5 oz.) boneless chicken breasts

Stuffing:

1/2 tsp. olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
5 whole matzo boards finely broken
1/2 cup medium dry Concord wine
1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 egg white
1/2 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. pepper

Sauce:

1/3 cup low fat mayonnaise
2 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp honey

  1. Suate onion in olive oil until tender, but not browned.
  2. Add broken matzohs and toast lightly.
  3. Cmbine wine, egg white, seasonings, and chicken broth to matzoh mixture.
  4. Mix well until matzoh is soft and mixture is heated through.
  5. 5. Take 1/4 cup of stuffing, place in the middle of each chicken cutlet and roll. Secure with toothpick, if needed.
  6. Combine mayonnaise, ketchup and honey in a bowl. Mix well. Spread on top of chicken cutlet rolls.
  7. Bake at 350 F. for 30 to 40 minutes.

Serving size: 1 (4 0z.) stuffed chicken cutlet
Exchanges per Serving: 4 Meat, 1 Starch, 1/2 Fat

Nutrition Facts

Calories: 266                                                                                                 Cholesterol: 83 mg
Total Fat: 4.5 gm                                                                                                 Protein: 36 gm
Saturated Fat: 1 gm                                                                               Carbohydrate: 17 mg
Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.5 gm                                                                 Dietary Fiber: 2 gm
Monounsaturated Fat: 0.5 gm                                                                     Sodium: 198 mg

You may order this book at: www.passoverthehealthyway.com.Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!

CS

24
Apr
11

Rolled Chicken


For the first part of Pessach I was in Lakewood, NJ, where three of my children and their families reside. During a break between mincha and maariv on the second evening, the learned discussion somehow veered to foods of our youth, dishes no longer served, since today they would rightfully be considered as “a heart attack on a plate” as my friend put it. We spoke of gribenes, three inch thick matzoh kugel, matzebrei made with oodles of eggs and quite a few more dishes of yore. Oyyy… they were truly delicious. What made them so, what delivered their heavenly aroma was chicken fat!

Gribenes were made by deep frying pieces of chicken skin in chicken fat… Yeap, I can see most of my readers recoiling in horror at the mere thought. Don’t worry, gentle reader, I haven’t touched these in quite a few decades nor do I advocate a return to them. But, I do wonder why – now that we consume far healthier fare – why is it that the percentage of obesity is far higher and the average age for passing on to the next plane has not significantly changed since I was a kid?

Perhaps the reason we were not adversely affected by these killer foods was because I remember the family always going for a walk after a meal, in fact we used to walk a lot. When I grew up in Montevideo, Uruguay, elementary school was a mere two blocks away. After lunch, I’d walk 8 blocks to Yeshivas Machzikey Hada’as. When old enough for secondary, five or six of us from the same neighborhood would walk sixteen blocks each way to Liceo Hector Miranda and after lunch we’d walk another 10 blocks to the mesivtah. Only if it rained did we get a ride.

By the time were getting ready to move to the US, Montevideo got its first school that combined limudei kodesh and secular subjects, it went from kindergarten through secondary. The school’s name, showed the Zionist agenda of its founders. It was called, Escuela Dr. Teodor Herzl… I think, gentle reader, you’ll agree with me that such a name for a purportedly frum school just wouldn’t do today, not in the US! But I digress…

Getting back to food, both my daughters are excellent cooks as are my three daughters in law. Just thinking of some of the dishes I’ve enjoyed during the years makes my mouth water. Yes, the fare they serve is far healthier than what I remember growing up with. I was headquartered at my oldest son’s house, where I enjoyed both sedorim, the plethora of delicious dishes and the aromas wafting from the kitchen into the rest of the house was enough to make even the most satiated person hungry for more. Below, is the recipe for one of my daughter in law’s delicacies:

Rolled Chicken

Ingredients

  • 6 chicken cutlets
  • 1 1/2 cup Duck Sauce
  • 8 large potatoes

Filling

  • 6 potatoes
  • 2 onions
  • 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive oil
  • 2 eggs separated
  • 1/2 cup potato starch
  • 1 tablespoon parsley flakes
  • 1/2 tablespoon paprika
  • salt and pepper to taste
Directions
  1. Pound the cutlets until they double in size, cut each in half. Set aside
  2. Peel the the 5 potatoes, boil them and cut in the lenght and cut them again (sideways) for a total of 8 to 10 pieces each. Set aside.
  3. Boil and mash the 6 potatoes for the filling
  4. Sautee the onions in oil.
  5. Beat the egg whites until stiff
  6. Add the egg yolks and sauteed onions to the mashed potatoes.
  7. Fold in the whites.
  8. Add potato starch, parsley flakes, paprika, salt and pepper.
  9. Put some of the potato mixture on each of the cutlets and roll them.
  10. Put the rolled cutlets on two tin pans.
  11. Pour the Duck Sauce over each cutlet.
  12. Take the cut up potatoes and cover any empty space.
  13. Put in preheated 350 F oven, for 1 hour.
Enjoy, gentle reader, enjoy!
CS
14
Apr
11

Passover’s Relevance Today


In the Hebrew calendar year of 2448 (currently, the year is 5771) the Hebrew slaves in Egypt, exited that land under Moses’ leadership. Passover – the Festival of Freedom – has ever since been one of the highlights of the Jewish calendar. With its lengthy preparations, its rituals and the joy expressed at being free, it is unlike any other Jewish Holy Day. Jewish slavery in Egypt ended three thousand three hundred and twenty three years ago, but Jewish history is unfortunately rich in attempt after attempt by various powerful empires (who have since disappeared!) to convert or enslave those accursed, stiff necked, Jews.

In spite of every such try – right through modern times – the stubborn Jew refuses to go away, refuses to convert, refuses to die. Historians are perplexed! The Jew is a total anomaly! Forces far superior have tried their best to destroy him, in vain, only to became themselves little more than the equivalent of a few chapters in learned history tomes. Arnold Toynbee, the late British historian, in his Study of History refers to the Jew as “the fossil of history,” but he is hopelessly wrong… A fossil has been dead for thousands of years while the Jews are and will still be here long after Professor Toynbee will be forgotten, long after the learned Professor ceases to be even a footnote in some book of historical curiosities.

The message of Passover, the longing for freedom, the two thousand years of exile, the praying and crying to return home have paid off. In 1948 (63 years ago!), the State of Israel was officially established by the United Nations. Interestingly enough, Abraham (whom Jews and Arabs descend from) was born in the Hebrew year of… 1948! Was this just a mere coincidence?!?!?

The Jew’s dream of living – once again – in an independent Jewish country may have come to fruition, but the danger to Jewish survival is far from over. The same enemy that threatens to change the face and lifestyle of the West first wants to destroy the Jew, as an appetizer to his final goal of total conquest of the planet. Europe – especially – and the US, have long mislaid their will to fight for their Western values. Europe, the enlightened, has lost its spirituality and with it any reason to defend its lifestyle which has morphed into a search for instant gratification rather than for something of lasting value. Europe, at one time produced great civilizations and empires, it produced immortal works of art, literature and music. But it lost its inner qualities along the way and instead replaced them with emptiness. Its current philosophers, authors, composers do not compare with the masters of yore and – unlike the classics – are unlikely to be remembered within a few centuries from now.

America the mighty, where a strong work ethic and spirituality once propelled it to the undisputed leadership of the free world,  the America that brought to fruition the dreams and longings of everyone thirsting for freedom and a better chance for a happy life, that America, like Europe,  is also badly afflicted with horrible diseases. As a result of a mislabeled, misnamed, liberalism and its associated maladies (all aggravated by an acute case self hating anti-Americanism), that America suddenly moves around like a confused giant, faltering in its way, unfocused in the present, unsure of its future course.

Just as there were some Jews who preferred to stay in Egypt at the time of the Exodus (only 20% of the Jews actually left with Moses), just as there were those who could not imagine the Hebrew tribes would ever form their own independent kingdom, so there are today those who doubt the viability of a Jewish country on Jewish land. Not only are there self -hating “enlightened” Jews inside and outside of Israel, but there are also the doubters and fools who run its government.

The leadership of a country at war, has to do everything in its power to protect its denizens in the most forceful, most efficient manner possible. World opinion be damned, they never have, nor will they ever come to the aid of us Jews at the moment of peril. Looking at Israel’s governments, over the last 20 plus years, one must wonder how pervasive is the horrible malaise that is so prevalent in Europe and other places. Israel was given to the Jewish tribes by Hakodosh Boruch Hu, as promised to Abraham. Instead of vigorously defending their patrimony, instead of vigorously and unequivocally defending the Jewish rights to their own land, today’s leaders bend to the will, to the opinion of the same Europeans who live on soil soaked with centuries of innocent Jewish blood. When in history has appeasement ever worked?!?!? Remember WWII and British PM Neville Chamberlain’s dangerous, foolish, “Peace in our Time” act of appeasement towards Hitler?

When in history has anyone in Christian Europe ever turned the other cheek? Yet that same Europe who never followed its own dogma demands that the Jew turn the other cheek, isn’t that hypocritical? Isn’t that little more than pathological hatred of that stiff necked Jew who refuses to die, who refuses to become a fossil? And yet, Israeli governments – some further than others (I admit!) – are more intent in pleasing the Europeans and liberal Americans than in defending their own people?!?!?

Food symbols of Freedom...

As long as these governments have greater fear of world opinion tha they have regard for their duties as Jews, then perhaps Israel’s hour of redemption has not yet arrived. If Israel is to be no more than a mere Western enclave in the Levant, rather than a proud nation living in its own land of thousands of years, then it may yet again (chas vesholom, sholom vechas, God forbid!!!!) be spit out of its land.

Israel was historically entrusted with a mission, the mission was to become a light unto the nations, a mission that meant fearless pursuit of our values as commanded in the Torah and explained by our Sages. Alas, what we have instead is a country run by political eunuchs with no belief, with no gumption to fulfill their Divine mission. We are about to celebrate Pessach, to commemorate the time the Almighty, Himself, liberated us from slavery and yet… over 3300 years later, in our own country, we still live emotionally enslaved to those who would gladly celebrate our demise.

Yes, we too suffer a serious malaise; we are deficient – as a nation – in our spirituality, in our belief in the Almighty and ourselves. Adapting the mores of other nations, living life in the manner of other nations never worked for the Jew – on the contrary –  it has only led to his getting ruthlessly decimated. Let’s face up to the truth and our responsibilities; we are different, we have a Divine mission! Let us hope that this Pessach we break the chains of spiritual, emotional and intellectual slavery and become truly liberated from our self imposed indenture to others’ bankrupt values. If we do, then and only then, will the West wake up from its complacency and vigorously stand up to those who would take today’s world back to the barbarism of the seventh century of the Current Era.

CS

18
Mar
11

Zeh Tov, Zeh Tov, Zeh OSEM!!!


Every time I think of Israel’s premiere food manufacturer, their old radio jingle immediately comes to mind: Zeh tov, zeh tov, zeh Osem! (It’s good, it’s good, it’s OSEM!). The company says the name OSEM was chosen because it was part of the Kohen Godol‘s prayer on Yom Kippur: “May this be a year of osem.” The prayer asks for a year of plenty, a year of abundance, of prosperity and wealth. Today OSEM is the leading food producing company in Israel and it is majority owned (51%) by Nestlé S.A. of Switzerland.

I strongly suspect that since “osem sounds a lot like the average Israeli’s pronunciation of the English word awesome it may just have something to do with the name choice, unless… unless… it’s an OSEM coincidence… of course.

The company was founded in 1942, 6 years before the establishment of the State in 1948. OSEM whose products have long been available in the US, has now introduced some new Passover items. They make Shmurah, Regular, Whole Wheat, Egg, Egg & Onion, Rye and Light Matzah, Matzhah Ball Mix, Matzah Farfel (regular and whole wheat), Matzah Meal (regular and whole wheat), Matzah Cake Mix and three different flavors of Chocolate Covered Matzah (Raspberry, Orange and Plain). Other kosher for Passover products include two of Israel’s most cherished children’s food products: Bamba (for those who eat kitnyiot only!), and all of Bisli‘s 6 flavors. They also make non-gebroks Soup Croutons, Pickles in Vinegar and Chik Chak Twisted Marshmallows.

This week I got 5 of their products…

Passover Soup Manel Rings, Orange Flavored Chocolate Coated Matzah, Bamba Peanut Snack, Marble Cake and Barbecue Flavored Xtra Long Bissli

Two of my grandkids were visiting and they wasted no time disposing of both the Bamba and the Bissli (just as I expected), they were disappointed there was only one bag of each. Their verdict was quite obvious when these bona fide kids’ snacks connoisseurs screamed out in unison: “More, zeyde, more!”

I found the Marble Cake very moist and flavorful, it also didn’t last long; the Orange Flavored Chocolate Coated Matzah was interesting.  Over Shabbat I’ll savor the croutons. Meanwhile, I can’t wait to taste their Shmurah Matzah on Pessach

I liked these products, they just might become Pessach staples.

CS

28
Mar
10

Let’s not forget the Seder Plate…


Marissa Rosenberg – Marketing Director for Solo, Prime Grill and (soon to open) Prime Ko – has kindly sent us the following recipe by Solo‘s Guest Chef Eli Kirshtein:

The Passover Plate

Place the Charosset on the bottom of a shallow bowl.  Place the brisket cut into a 10 oz portion on top.  Garnish with the mixed herbs and the brined celery.

Zeroah

1 Brisket
1 cp Brown sugar
1 cp Horseradish
1 cp Dijon Mustard

Take the brisket and salt well. Smoke for 1 hour or cook slowly on a charcoal/wood grill. Combine the other ingredients and rub all over the brisket evenly. Wrap in foil and cook fat side up at 200 degrees for 11 hours

Charosset

1 btl Red Wine
¼ cp Dried Figs Small Dice
¼ cp Apples Small Dice
¼ cp Dates Small Dice
¼ cp Marcona Almonds
1 stick Cinnamon
1 Star Anise
1 Bay Leaf
¼ cp Sugar

Reduce wine by half with cinnamon, star anise, bay leaf, and sugar. Strain out the spices. Add the figs, apples, dates, and almonds and reduce by half

Maror

15 Tarragon Leaves
15 Parsley Leaves
15 Cilantro Leaves
15 Mint Leaves
15 Basil Leaves

Combine all.

Karpas

4 Stalks Celery Cut into 1 inch pieces
600 ml Water
50 gr Salt
50 gr Sugar

Combine the water, salt, and sugar till all is dissolved. Add the celery.

Between the above, the hardboiled egg (Beitzah), and the Romaine Lettuce (Chazeret) you have all that you need for the Seder plate!

Enjoy the Seder!!

[As you can see Chef Eli doesn’t believe in heimische recipes either. He’s obviously not afraid of defying convention to create delectable dishes! CS]




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