(Originally published on My Jewish Learning)

I grew up eating my mother’s American tabbouleh–starchy, lemon-doused bulgur salad. This was the 1980s, when many American Jews were incorporating “Israeli-style” foods into their culinary repertoire. But while my mom’s tabbouleh was delicious, I later discovered that it hardly resembled the authentic version, which features a higher ratio of painstakingly chopped fresh parsley and tomatoes to grains of bulgur.

Tabbouleh, which comes from the Arabic word tabil (”to spice”), is not actually an Israeli or Jewish dish, per se.

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(Originally published at My Jewish Learning)

Russians had been drinking tea for fewer than 175 years when Klonimos Wolf Wissotzky founded the Wissotzky Tea Company in 1849 at the age of 25. His timing could not have been better. According to The Story of Tea: A Cultural History and Drinking Guide by Mary Lou and Robert J. Heiss, it was not until 1689 that a “measurable exchange of goods and materials, including Chinese tea, began to flow between China and Russia.”

Prior to that Russians drank sbiten–a concoction of herbs and honey steeped in hot water. But by the late 19th century, tea was “hot” in Russia and Wissotzky–a young Russian Jew living in Moscow–quickly emerged as one of the country’s most prosperous tea distributors. Wissotzky’s was even named the exclusive tea supplier for the Emperor’s Court.

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Originally published on My Jewish Learning

Blintzes are most often described in relation to other foods. They are “like pancakes” but thinner, “like Russian blini” except without the yeast, or “like crepes,” just folded a little differently. Still, blintzes are a delicacy all their own. Originally from the Ukraine, fillings like cheese, potato, and kasha were folded inside the blintz wrappers (or bletlach, “leaves” in Yiddish) and fried until golden brown. In The World of Jewish Cooking, Rabbi Gil Marks writes that, “As with other filled foods, blintzes provided a great way of transforming leftovers into a special dish or stretching scarce resources.”

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Welcome to Part II of the “Worm Diaries: Chronicles of an Apartment-dwelling Vermicomposter.”  In the last episode, I wondered whether putting bread in my worm bin rendered it as chametz for Passover.  (Click here for the answer.)

This time around, my question is about coffee – as in, is it possible to over-caffeinate my worms?  As work-from-home freelancers, my husband and I make a pot of coffee just about every morning.  That means, almost every afternoon, I dump a fresh pile of coffee grounds into our compost bin.  Like me, the worms seem to love the stuff – favoring it over crushed egg shells, the ends of a cereal box, and even minced up vegetable bits.  But while I haven’t noticed any serious behavioral changes (is it even possible to notice behavioral changes in worms?), I worry that our coffee habit might have negative impacts on “the babies.”  (God, please protect my future children from their future over-protective Jewish mother.  Amen.)

Any advice – anecdotal or otherwise – from more-seasoned composters would be greatly appreciated!

Photo from Wikimedia

As Mia Rut’s recent post mentioned, this weekend’s Brooklyn Food Conference was a rip-roaring, inspirational, 1000+ person success – a true testament to the power of grassroots organizing and the vibrancy of the sustainable food world.  For those folks who missed the conference, or are – for some odd reason – looking for even *more* reasons to be inspired, look no further than the recent article in Jewish Woman Magazine, which introduces readers to more than a dozen amazing and pioneering women who are changing the face of the Jewish environmental movement, from the ground up.

The line up includes several Hazon staffers, volunteers, and friends (like farmer, Emily Freed and food activist, Devorah Kimelman-Block, pictured above.)  Read the excerpt below, and check out the full article here.

“The green movement is increasingly devising ways to address such practical needs as healthy food, energy-saving buildings and sustainable small business. These efforts join the movement’s traditional concerns, from the toxic chemicals Rachel Carson warned of in her pioneering 1962 book, Silent Spring, to wildlife conservation and the air pollution now seen as driving global warming. Across this environmental spectrum, Jewish women are leading innovation at local, national and international levels.”

x-posted from My Jewish Learning

Like many Jewish travelers, I have a tendency to seek out the Jewish connections in any city I visit. Stumbling across a generations-old deli, say, or a stone building etched with a Star of David from its former life as a synagogue, helps me feel at home when I am abroad. For Jews spending time in Rome, no trip is complete without a trek to the Roman Ghetto and a taste of Carciofi alla Giudia, literally “Jewish Style Artichokes.”

Known for their delicate chrysanthemum shape and crispy, salt-kissed taste, fried artichokes are a popular dish in restaurants across Italy’s largest city. Their history however, stems back to 16th century, when Roman Jews were confined to an overcrowded, impoverished ghetto. Deep fried artichokes might seem like a delicacy now, but according to Matthew Goodman who authored, Jewish Food: The World at Table, “food [in the ghetto] was scarce [and] frying was the cheapest and easiest option of food preparations.”

More and recipe, below the jump…

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This article was originally published in The Forward.

Three months into planning our wedding, my fiancé and I found ourselves playing the unlikely role of matchmaker. As a farmers’ market shopping, eco-minded Jew, I wanted the food at our reception to be fresh, local and organic. Meanwhile, my fiancé’s Orthodox family required anything we served to have the kosher stamp of approval. After several weeks of searching for a caterer who could meet our needs, only to be disappointed by self-proclaimed “gourmet” companies that charged budget-blowing prices for the same-old uninspired entrees gussied up with a sprig of rosemary, it was time for plan B.

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Yosh and I got a worm composter for our wedding – it’s true, we are just that dorky!  For the last week or so (yes, we got married in November, but the composter arrived in mid-February, and I finally got around to getting the worms last week), I’ve been the proud mom of a brood of about 1,000 wriggling, very hungry worms.

They live in the Worm Factory, pictured above (p.s. definitely not our kitchen), and  I couldn’t be more excited.  Yosh on the other hand, is a bit more squeamish about the whole thing, though I can’t blame him.  He suffered through a bit of worm trauma when his last roommate neglected to properly feed worms, and the bin quickly self destructed.

But aside from the nachas I feel over the little munchies - which was a definitely surprise – I was certainly not counting on our compost bin bringing up halachic (Jewish law) questions.  Then Passover entered the horizon.

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Last year, we brought you savory hamentashen – the three-cornered cookie that eschews the sugar in the dough in favor of dried herbs and a delicious, mushroom and onion filling.  This year, I offer two new innovations in hamantashen making – both results of a little hamantashen-baking party my husband and I hosted at our place today.

Behold #1: The Minitashen.  It’s bite-sized, which seriously ups its cuteness factor, packed with flavor (Nutella in this case), and it is the perfect solution to excess dough.  

See below the jump for more….

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(x-posted from the Forward)

The first time I came face to face — or rather, spoon to mouth — with a bowl of cholent, at the age of 24, I had no idea what it was. While I was growing up in a nonobservant home, my family had no need for such a meal, a hearty stew that simmers overnight in a pre-lit oven or slow cooker without transgressing the prohibition against cooking on the Sabbath. But as I learned (and tasted) more, I discovered a dish that can wrap even the coldest late-winter afternoon in warmth and comfort, and one that makes a valuable addition to any Jewish cook’s repertoire.

The custom of honoring the Sabbath with a hot meal is revered in Jewish tradition, but the Torah complicates things by stating, “You shall kindle no fire throughout your habitations upon the sabbath day” (Exodus 35:3). As early as the fourth century, Jewish cooks began to perform culinary acrobatics to circumvent this halachic conundrum — finding ways to get hot food on the table without lighting a new fire. Renowned cookbook author Joan Nathan wrote in her book “Jewish Cooking in America”:

“For centuries, on Friday mornings [Jews] would assemble [their stews]. The dish was covered with a cloth or mixture of flour and water to form a crust. It started cooking on Friday before sunset and [was] left to warm all night over coals in a hot oven….”

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Disney has found a way to infiltrate breakfast, by branding eggs with images of Mickey Mouse and other loveable Disney characters.  These eggs are (naturally, I suppose) neither cage free nor organic – but they sure put the fun back in breakfunfast.  I have many questions, but I’ll start with three:

1. What is Disney thinking, offering customers a daily opportunity to crack Mickey’s head open?

2. Is there anything scarier than waking up in the morning and opening up your egg carton to find MICKEY MOUSE GRINNING UP AT YOU?

2. Does anyone else shudder at the inevitability of a Jewish knock-off product?  Magen David stamped eggs?  Menorah stamped eggs? Rebbe stamped eggs?  I think I’ll stick to oatmeal.

Photo credit: Serious Eats

x-posted from Jewcy.

How did Dominique Courbe, a non-Jewish, second-generation butcher from Normandy end up behind the counter at the only kosher French brasserie and butcher shop in Manhattan, Le Marais? And how did his boss, Jose Meirelles, a former banker from Portugal, end up owning said restaurant?

Ironically, these two men are changing the landscape of kosher meat in New York City, offering high-quality, aged meats and a diverse selection that is virtually impossible to find in other kosher establishments. I spoke with Courbe and Meirelles about their decidedly unorthodox career paths, the inspiration behind what they do, and the “meat alchemy” that goes into making a kosher filet mignon.  Read on.

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According to Raymond Sokolov’s book, Why We Eat What We Eat, “Before Columbus, there were no apples in the Americas. Settlers brought seeds and grafts, hoping to recreate their old way of life.”  Any American who has ever given a teacher an apple (or seen a movie where such an exchange occurred), uttered the words, “an apple a day…” or traversed the produce section of a grocery store or farmers’ market knows that those early settlers succeeded, big time.  It’s a good thing too, because, as the apple wove its way into American life and culture, delicious things occurred – like the apple crisp.

Homemade apple crisps arguably rank among the humblest desserts on the planet, containing nothing more than fruit, fat, sugar, and flour. I like that in a sweet.  With a crisp, there is no need for the bells and whistles of a layered trifle.  They don’t require batter to be scooped evenly onto baking sheets like a cookie and, unlike making crème brulee, there’s definitely no blow torch necessary. It is undoubtedly the crisp’s heimish (Yiddish for “homey” or “comfortable”) nature that makes it a Shabbat dinner favorite, served either as a dessert or during the meal as an alternative to kugel.

That said, because of their simplicity, people sometimes classify crisps as a bit boring – like the cousin you invite over to eat out of obligation, rather than his or her sparkling wit and dinner conversation.  But gussied up with just a touch of crystallized ginger and a scoop of freshly whipped cream, the apple crisp holds its own at any table.

Find more photos and my recipe for Apple and Pear Crisp below the jump…

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For folks who do not get The Jewish Week in New York, I wanted to share this cute article that was written about me and Hazon.  It also gives a bit of insight into the ever-emerging new Jewish food movement.  I’m a bit afraid/embarrassed that my obsession over not serving strawberries at my November wedding might seem weird to some people – but I know readers of this blog will understand!

She is What She Eats
By: Randi Sherman
12/17/08

At Leah Koenig’s wedding last month, the details had to be just right. The groom, musician Yoshie Fruchter, understandably insisted the music be good, easy enough. And Koenig wanted the menu to be good, a more difficult task considering her strict stipulations.

“I couldn’t find a caterer who could make food kosher enough for me, my husband and our guests, and who cared about the food being organic and seasonal,” said Koenig. One caterer who fit the criteria couldn’t handle the size of the party. The caterer for the JCC in Manhattan, who Koenig was excited to work with, suggested strawberry shortcake, but the berries were out of season and wouldn’t be locally grown.

To get the caterers to work with her, Koenig suggested apple crisp with vanilla ice cream instead. Anna Stevenson, a friend and former colleague, provided butternut squash, beets and potatoes for the meal from the Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center in Connecticut. Guests, some dressed as carrots and peas to honor Koenig’s tradition of sometimes dressing up in carrot costume for coworkers’ weddings, praised the food served at the meal. Koenig calls it her “crowning glory.”

While a fruit’s seasonality might not be a factor for most brides, to 26-year-old Koenig, serving strawberries in mid-to-late fall is nearly sacrilege.

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