Archive for March, 2008
March Meat Woes: Part I (Kosher)
Agriprocessors - the controversial kosher meat company - has recently been hit with a barrage of fines, citations, accusations and legal troubles, coming from all fronts including all three branches of the US government, as well as civil society.
Here’s a rundown of the latest:
Violations of Workers’ Rights. On March 20, the Iowa Division of Labor Services issued a $182,000 fine for 39 citations to the Postville, IA plant of Agriprocessors, the world’s largest kosher meat processor, for violations of worker health and safety regulations including labeling of hazardous chemicals, emergency response issues and programs for respirator use and blood borne pathogen issues. The company has 15 days to respond to the citations and fines. Although counsel for Agriprocessors said “any valid concerns raised by the Division of Labor Services have been immediately addressed,” the citations resulted from two inspections, one as recent as Feb 11, 2008.
4 Comments »Aunt Toni’s Energy Bar
Thanks to Elena Sigman for this guest post.
My Tante Toni (may her memory be a sweet blessing) made a dish for Purim, called noun, which I haven’t seen since the 70s. It was my favorite treat at her house: a plate of sweet, sticky pieces of noun cut in the shape of diamonds about one-and-a-half inches long. I guessed it was made of honey and chopped nuts and dates, but I was never sure of the recipe. It was dark brown and chewy and even though it was super-sweet it was also somehow tangy. The plate was passed around the table at the end of our Purim seudah, and it was quickly finished. The batches were never big.
Tante Toni had blue eyes that were two different colors because one was hers and the other was glass. The glass eye was bluer and bigger and her real eye was smaller and more hazel. At home in the evening, she wore a hairnet in order to preserve her coiffure from erev Shabbos, after she came home from the beauty parlor, until the next Friday morning when she’d get her hair done again. She was a smart, compact woman, barely taller than my child self, but she walked with a spine so straight no runway model could match it. She never tried to make chit chat with me. When I was a kid I would occasionally sleep over at her apartment on Friday night. After dinner she read the B’nai Brith Messenger cover to cover in her high-backed chair, and I read my book (Agatha Christie mysteries one year, Pearl S. Buck novels the next) on the couch until the Shabbos clock clicked off the light.
Yid.Dish: Rice Gelato
I never fancied myself a desert person - for most of my life, I’ve chosen the extra bowl of pasta over the ice cream. But after receiving an ice cream maker as a gift, I felt compelled to buy David Lebovitz’ beautiful book on ice creams, sorbets, granitas, and other sugary treats, Perfect Scoop. Owning this book might just turn me over to the sweet side.
Lebovitz’ recipe for Rice Gelato especially caught my eye. It’s rich and creamy but has a substantive texture lacking from most ice creams - think rice pudding or risotto. And while it’s not exactly healthy, it is a perfectly decadent treat for celebrating Purim.
Recipe below the jump
Queen Esther the Vegetarian?
In this week’s Jerusalem Post, Dr. Richard Schwartz writes:
“Queen Esther, the heroine of the Purim story, was a vegetarian while she lived in the palace of King Achashverosh. She was thus able to avoid violating the kosher dietary laws while keeping her Jewish identity secret.”
Well, sort of. As a vegetarian and a woman, I find Dr. Schwartz’s line of logic tempting. Hooray! Queen Esther, the sassy savior of the Jewish people, loved tofu! But he has the midrash backwards.
There are actually conflicting opinions about what Esther chose to eat and refuse in the palace (one commentator suggests that she was actually served pork!). But the midrash that stuck is that she ate beans and legumes. If this was the case, then Queen Esther avoided meat so as to not violate the kosher laws in her non-Jewish surroundings. Her intention would not have been to eschew all flesh, as Dr. Schwartz suggests, just the non-kosher kind.
Even if she wasn’t a card-carrying PETA member, Queen Esther’s diaspora diet gives us a glimpse into the strength of her character. She maintained her sense of self, even within a palace that was undoubtedly filled with temptations. The lesson to take away is not that all Jews should be vegetarians (though many could benefit from eating less meat!), but that defending one’s core values is the deepest form of heroism.
In honor of Queen Esther, here’s a recipe for Persian Stuffed Peppers by Chef Gil Marks, author of a mind-bogglingly comprehensive book of vegetarian Jewish recipes, Olive Trees and Honey.
Yid.Dish: Persian Chiffon Cake
The saffron in the cake adds not only its distinctive beautiful color but also an elegant earthiness. Remember, rosewater and orange blossom water (which can be found in the baking sections of most grocery stores) are exotic and potent. A little goes a long way.
This recipe can also be used to make a gorgeous batch of cupcakes. Make each one a work of art by decorating the tops with non-sprayed rose petals and dried, candied orange rind.
Pork Buns for Purim?
Almost three weeks into our trip to Vietnam, and I’ve lost count how many times we’ve uttered the following statement: “That was the best meal we’ve had in Vietnam.” Undoubtedly, things have greatly improved since my last post - basically since we reached the central part of the country. Vegetarian restaurants are plentiful in Hue (well, maybe plentiful is an understatement, but we found and ate in two, both of which charged local prices and were excellent), and in Hoi An, where we are now, every menu we look at as numerous veggie options.
One of the highlights of our stay in Hoi An was an all-day cooking course, but I will wait until we’re home to write about it, so I can post corresponding photos.
So which meal was truly the best? It’s hard to remember them all. We continually go over them in our heads, comparing this salad and this entree and this whatever else. I will truly miss Vietnamese cuisine when we go home, even though good restaurants are not far from our home, but still, it’s just not the same.
My only regret is that we can’t make it to Ho Chi Minh City for Purim tomorrow night. There is a Chabad House there, and it would have been fun to celebrate there, but we couldn’t change our schedule around. So chag sameach. We will try to find something resembling Hamentaschen, but I don’t think a pork bun would suffice.
Kosher Food: Made in China
The JTA reported this week about the growing push amongst Chinese food companies to get kosher certification. The companies, it seems, are eager to tap into the (also growing) $11.5 billion US kosher industry. Moreover, they seek the additional “stamp of approval” kosher certification provides, which they hope will calm consumer fears about Chinese imports after a string of recent recalls.
For the most part, the relationship between Chinese food companies and the kosher industry seems mutually beneficial. But I found it interesting to note the growing power the OU and other certifiers have over these companies. Author Alison Klayman reports:
Not everything runs smoothly in the kosher business in China.
Eat Your (Organic) Veggies: Interview with Ella Heeks
What would you say if someone offered you a box of fresh, organic fruits and vegetables delivered to your home every week? Ella Heeks is willing to wager you might be interested.
Heeks is the Managing Director of Abel & Cole, an Organic Delivery Service in England. Through Abel & Cole, customers order a weekly bounty of pesticide-free produce and schedule its delivery to fit into their busy lives. It’s convenience and ethical eating, waiting patiently on the porch.
While you can find Organic Delivery Services in most American cities, Brits have taken a particular liking to their weekly veg box - and also to ODS pioneer Abel & Cole. 30-year old Heeks spoke with The Jew & The Carrot about working with an idealistic company, soaking up farmer wisdom, and Able & Cole’s response to some customer’s requests that they boycott Israeli-grown produce. Read more »
The Whole Megillah - Purim Recipes and Resources
Purim is coming! If you haven’t yet perfected your hamantaschen filling technique and are still contemplating dressing as Tickle Me Elmo on Purim night - not to worry. The Jew & The Carrot presents our favorite Purim recipes and resources from around the Jewish blogosphere.
And while you’re checking out these sites, take a peek at The Jew & The Carrot’s Healthy, Sustainable Purim Resources and our Cafe Press Gear - a beautiful line of tote bags, mugs, aprons, T-shirts, journals, note cards and more all emblazoned with a gorgeous “Eat, be Satisfied, and Bless” decal. The note cards would make a particularly sexy addition to your mishloach manot gifts.
Purim Recipes and Resources from the Jewish Blogosphere
In Mol Araan, a Jewish food blog in Yiddish and English suggests a hemp-based filling for hamantaschen, sweetened with agave, coconut milk, and cardamom.
The Parve Baker eschews making hamantaschen for Purim. Like ripe tomatoes in August and the mango tree outside her former graduate school home in Indonesia, there are simply too many to go around! Instead, she gives us a recipe for Queen Esther’s Crown - a “slightly sweet challah dough stuffed with a mixture of chopped onions, poppy seeds, salt, and oil.”
BFruitfull suggests a list of half bottles of kosher wine, that could be tucked into mishloach manot baskets.
My Jewish Learning offers a recipe for a cinnamon-spiced vegetarian bean stew for a festive Purim meal.
Corned Beef & Cabbage Shabbat
Long before “green Shabbat” referred to stacking biodegradable dishes on the synagogue kiddush table, “Corned beef and Cabbage” became my family’s green Shabbat.
When 6th grade ended and my best friend, Shauna Ritchie, returned to Ireland with her family, I was devastated. The summer passed and middle school started. Life continued, but not without the distinct sense that something important was missing.
Mid-March arrived, and with Purim over and Pesach still in the future, my mother decided she needed an occasion in the interim to bring our family together. In honor of Shauna, my mom declared the arrival of “Corned Beef and Cabbage” Shabbat - a celebration which, not-coincidentally, coincided with the week of St. Patrick’s Day.
Sophisticated Shalach Manot (Part 2)
On Monday, Chef Gil Marks offered us a delicious array of recipes to fill your shalach manot basket with freshly-baked treats (hamentaschen, of course, but also baklava, almond horns, pecan tassies and even fortune cookies!) Now, he’s back with even more ways to surprise your friends on Purim with creative, DIY shalach manot.
Chef Marks is the author of The James Beard Award-winning, Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World, and the upcoming Encyclopedia of Jewish Food - Next week, Chef Marks will be back with a menu for a Purim Persian Feast!
Themed Gifts:
Besides giving baked goods and confections, theme baskets provide an outlet for your ingenuity.
Try an Italian motif with an assortment of pastas, homemade tomato sauce, pesto, balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, salami, Italian bread or focaccia, biscotti, and a bottle of Italian wine.
For a sushi basket (most of these items can be found in health food stores) include some homemade sushi, short-grain rice, nori (seaweed sheets), rice vinegar, tamari, mirin (sweet rice wine), homemade pickled ginger, wasabi (Japanese horseradish), salmon caviar, dashi (soup stock), sake, and Japanese tea and enclose instructions on how to use everything.
For an English effect use scones, an assortment of marmalades or jams, Cheddar cheese, rice pudding, pound cake, shortbread cookies, English ales and beers, and an array of teas.
After you have gone to the trouble of making and/or purchasing special items for shalachmones, it seems only appropriate to put them into something special…
Are “Green” Fuels Green?
There’s a concept in Jewish tradition called mitzva ha’ba b’aveirah, a mitzvah that gets done as the outcome of a sin is rendered invalid. For instance, one may not blow a stolen shofar on Rosh Hashanah, eat stolen matzah on Passover, or light a stolen menorah on Chanukah. The fact that the mitzvah came out of a sin renders it unacceptable to G-d.
While we already know about the impact biofuels are having on food prices, an article in today’s New York Times makes me wonder if the entire positive impact biofuels will have in the near future is rendered a mitzva ha’ba b’aveirah.
Schools, Food & Community Conference - April 12-13 @ Teacher’s College, Columbia U
This will be a great conference with lots of workshops, networking opportunities, and entertainment! I’ll be showcasing songs from my new CD ‘Eat Like A Rainbow’ (more about that in my next post). Lots of luminaries will be there, including some of our own readers! The 2008 program will focus on strengthening the resolve of children to eat nutritious, fresh foods by:
* connecting holistic food and nutrition messaging in our classrooms, cafeterias, after-school programs, homes, and neighborhoods;
* fostering relationships among school children and their communities that focus on food, cooking, and gardening;
* exploring the nuts and bolts of cross sector (i.e. health, education, foodservice, and agriculture) public and private collaborations; and
* promoting federal, state and local policies that strengthen economic and cultural bonds between local farms and schools, support the development of school gardens, and provide adequate funding for healthy, delicious school lunches for all students.
Yid.Dish: Savory Hamantaschen
Tradition, shmadition, I hate poppy seed hamantaschen. I find this old-world filling to be gritty and saccharine and really just a vile affront to the taste buds. So when a friend suggested bringing a can of the corn syrup-laden stuff to my recent hamantaschen-making party, I kindly (but firmly) let her know that my home is mohn-free.
I don’t think she missed it too much. My kitchen table was strewn with interesting pots of jam (cherry-apricot from the farmers’ market, and blueberry canned last summer by the Adamah fellows), a container of raw honey, another of Nutella, and even a jar of peanut butter brought by a friend who insisted it could be great (it was).
But the highlight of the evening, without a doubt, centered around our experiments with savory hamantaschen - pockets of dough filled with an earthy mixture of sauteed mushrooms, browned onions, and a garlic and basil-infused jack cheese by the Sugar River Cheese Co. Turns out, I’m not the first person (or even the second) to dream up a savory Purim cookie. Still, as we bit in to the warm, herb-flecked treats, it still felt like something of a Jewish food revolution. Poppy seeds, watch your back.
Photos and recipe below the jump…
