I used to write once in a while for JCarrot, yet over the past few months, I have returned to bystander status. Ironically, it’s because I’ve been sucked further into the world (quite happily) of food. I am enrolled at the Natural Gourmet Institute in NYC. Their Chef’s Training Program program focuses on specifically on health-supportive food. They do a great job of training us to work in professional kitchens, to become private chefs and to really follow and pursue our dreams.
One of the most eye opening things I’ve been exposed to is all sorts of types of sea vegetables. Kombu, arame, hijiki, wakame, and my new favorite, agar. Using agar enables us to create dishes that would otherwise utilize gelatin, as it sets in a similar way. And for those scientists out there, it’s the same stuff you grow cultures in the lab.
Asian desserts called Kantens are delicious. They are the jello I never ate as a child, as I didn’t want to eat gelatin. And the best part is that you can flavor it any way you like. My favorite (for now) is poached pears in a good fruit juice, and then agar cooked into the juice to set it. To use it, you have to dissolve the agar flakes completely, or you will get chunky bits in your jello, which is not desirable.
As my time at Adamah (the Jewish farming fellowship) fellow came to a close, I felt like our season as farmers also came full circle. For me personally, the experience on the farm also marked my transformation from an Artistic Administrator for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra (a fancy-clothes wearing, stress filled employee) to a pickler, meditator, Carhartt-wearing farmer and much more chill person as well.
At the beginning of Adamah in September, when the weather was still warm (though it’s hard to remember back that far!), we went to our field, the Sadeh, on a Monday morning to take part in the shechting (kosher slaughter) of nine of our male goats. It was an incredibly challenging day, to say the least – and even more surreal because just one day before we’d hosted “Feast in the Field,” a beautiful brunch complete with fancy food from the Sadeh and celebration, all in the same location. That said, the shechting took place with intention and with respect, not unlike the experience I had almost one year earlier at the Hazon Food Conference, where we shechted three goats.
On a recent Hazon Food Conference Executive Committee phone call, we started talking about the conference menu (which is going to be amazing, by the way). We got into a discussion about whether or not to serve the requisite tomatoes at the conference with our bagel brunch. After all, can one really have bagels and cream cheese without tomatoes and cucumber? On the other hand, if all of the other produce is local and organic, then why should we make this one exception? On yet the other hand, we could potentially use this conundrum as an opportunity to educate the community about seasonal and local food (the tomatoes would have to be flown in from Mexico), and talk about methods of food preservation. Bingo.
Tonight I made myself a very simple, and surprisingly wonderful dinner: roasted potatoes with cherry tomatoes, cucumber, chives and parsley in a lemon olive-oil vinaigrette. It was so simple, so fast – and the contrast of the warm, creamy potatoes with the crisp cucumber and acidic tomatoes was perfect for a summer evening. I finished off my meal with a few slices of locally grown (and very tasty) watermelon.
The meal was a reminder to me about the beauty of eating fresh, local produce. And while I know it’s not the most well-balanced meal, I was eating alone while I cleaned out my apartment before moving from Chicago to the East Coast.
Every kid remembers a time when their parents urged them to “Eat your vegetables.” But what about “Eat your ice cream or you’re not leaving the table?”
Vegetable ice cream. I know it’s a radical concept, but I proved recently to my dinner guests that this unexpected combination of fresh spring peas and sweet cream actually tastes amazing together. I am a huge fan of green pea soup, puree, anything to do with peas. As a child, I would sneak a handful of frozen peas while my mom was making dinner, and I still love popping them in my mouth whenever I’m cooking with them. If you are lucky enough to have fresh peas, then by all means, use them, but frozen peas will definitely do the job here.
As usual, I turned to my trusty ice cream cookbook, David Liebovitz’s Perfect Scoop
, for inspiration (remember the indulgent rice gelato I tried during Purim?). From there, I let my improvisation run wild. This ice cream screams spring, and with a fresh burst of mint, you will be sure to impress your friends and family. They may even demand second helpings of their veggies!
I’ve only had my copy of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family
for a few weeks, and already the book is stained and a bit worn. I think that’s a good sign.
As the title might suggest, this book is a family affair. Author Judy Bart Kancigor beautifully describes how the book came into existence, stemming from a desire to pass on her family’s food traditions. As a result, almost every recipe has a story, which can be a bit overwhelming at times, but ultimately brings the recipes to life. It’s not just a cookbook; you feel invited in, as though you’re taking part in the Rabinowitz family tradition by making this food. And the pictures are great – a time-capsule of American Jewish life opened to reveal many embarrassing hairstyles and equally embarrassing bar mitzvah pictures.
More and recipes for banana bread and sesame crusted chicken below the jump.
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
As much as I love hosting Shabbat dinners, by Friday night, I am completely exhausted. I often pull together a quick meal, hoping that I have chicken soup and a homemade challah leftover in the freezer from a previous week. This upsets me, because I’d love to have the time to cook all day on Friday in preparation for Shabbat, but with my demanding job, it doesn’t happen all that often right now.
However, by Sunday, I am rearing to go, ready to make a great meal from scratch. I recently decided to have a dinner party, and to make everything, from bread to homemade ice cream. It was not difficult to invite friends to this meal. Luckily, living in Chicago, I have a large kitchen (probably the size of many NY studios), so it’s not a problem for me to cook all day and make a huge mess.
Mushroom Soup recipe below the jump.
When winter hits full force in Chicago, I retreat to my kitchen. At this time of year, I crave warm, comforting food – and I often try and use up whatever I already have in my apartment so that I don’t have to head out in the snow and bitter cold to go to the store.
Just the other day, I bought a bag of apples, quite a few of which had bruised spots. Did I throw them out? Of course not. My philosophy is: when life gives you bruised apples, you make applesauce.
Apples & Berry Sauce
I am not a professionally trained chef, but I love food. I love reading about it, cooking it, feeding myself, feeding others, talking about it, buying it, and growing it (presuming it’s not 6 degrees below zero in Chicago).
One of my favorite cookbooks is Mark Bittman’s amazingly practical: How To Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food, which features straightforward techniques and an encyclopedic listing of all different types of food. I’ve found that Bittman’s philosophy holds true to the way I like to cook; quick and satisfying - like his Noodles with Peanut Sauce.
This recipe works as well for a quick meal as it does for entertaining large groups. I’ve found that the vegetarians at my Shabbat lunch table appreciate a hearty pile of saucy noodles just for them, especially when I add spicy baked tofu for an extra boost of protein. And as long as I have all of the ingredients at home (most of which I like keeping around in my kitchen anyway), it takes only a few minutes to whip up. The best part is, many of the items can be substituted or modified. Don’t have tofu? What about seitan or tempeh? Or chicken? Don’t have noodles? Try rice? Served hot or cold, this dish is virtually impossible to mess up – even for novice cooks. B’tai Avon!
