What does summer mean to me?
Hot days, warm nights, afternoon thunderstorms, fresh corn on the cob, the smell of grilled meat, fireworks, the Independence Day Stampede Parade in Greeley (which bring with it the smell of meat on the hoof), swimming suits, juicy tomatoes, and picnics in long green grass. And at Bonai it also means mosquitoes and the Great Cholent Debate. Who wants to eat cholent in the hot dog days of summer? The answer is no one in theory but everyone in practice.
But before we get to that…let’s back up and ask, what is cholent? Some people will tell you that cholent must have potatoes, or beans, or barley, or onions, or meat, or all of those to be the real deal. They are wrong. Cholent, or chamin as it is called by Sephardim, is a casserole meal that is prepared and started cooking well before Shabbat comes in on Friday and eaten for lunch after services on Saturday. I have heard of some people who eat cholent as a bedtime snack before retiring on Friday night (on Kibbutz Revivim some young people would sneak into the kitchen through an open window on Friday nights and take a bowl of cooked but still soupy cholent to eat as an accompaniment to Goldstar beer) and those who eat cholent both for lunch and the third meal on Shabbat day. And although traditional Ashekanazi cholent does contain potatoes, beans, onions, barley, and meat – in proportions according to the maker’s wallet and taste – it can contain just about anything. I have been served cholent consisting of chickpeas, chunks of tofu, and strips of seaweed. My grandmother liked to make, as a special treat, hers with one giant knaidel, or matzah ball, in it. Sephardim traditionally use rice instead of barley; many people (Rabbi Marc included) like to make theirs with sweet potatoes; some people (Rabbi Marc included in this category, too) make theirs with Marmite (which is a fermented yeast paste popular with about half the Brits in the world and almost no one else.)
If you’ve been eating Bonai’s Kiddush lunches consistently, you have probably noticed that I don’t go in much for traditional cholent. Sometimes I make a cooked-all-day chili or vegetable stew; sometimes it has spinach or red rice; sometimes it is full of mushrooms and fresh garlic. In the summer I try to make it a little lighter and full of vegetables and in the winter make it heartier with more potatoes and grains. And this season it has been, and will continue to be, full of the delicious, fresh, organic produce that we are getting from Red Wagon Farm as our share of the CSA (community supported agriculture.) As of this writing (two weeks into the CSA season) we’ve had turnip coconut milk curry cholent and mushroom red rice chili cholent (which used turnips, garlic scapes, and spring shallots from Red Wagon.) You can expect to see more of these unusual cholent variations over the next several months, and into fall and winter as we use produce that I freeze and bring out as the dark, cold days approach. So, if you come to Bonai on the weeks that there is a full lunch, you can expect a cholent; just don’t expect a traditional stick-to-your-ribs-and-the-pot barley, potato, onion one.
Happy summer and happy eating.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Sunday, June 07, 2009
On the Importance of Taking a Break
Yesterday I took a break. I don't mean a sit-down-for-five-minutes kind of break. I don't even mean a sneak-in-a-nap-while-everyone-else-is-sleeping break. I mean a Break. I went to another town (Niwot) by myself, looked in the shops (all two of them) by myself, ate in a fabulous restaurant (ColTerra, amazing) by myself, and slept (at the Niwot Inn) by myself. And for a brief time, fewer than 24 hours, I didn't take care of anyone but myself. No computer, no phone calls, no meals to make, mouths to feed, noses to wipe. No clothes to wash, dishes to wash, baths to give, behaviour to correct, tears to dry. Just me and what I wanted to do. Now, as a lifestyle I can't say I recommend it but as a break - perfect. Home, in all its busy chaos, seems so much sweeter after a short time away. The little voices calling mama, the hugs and kisses, and my own bed and pillow are so welcome. Ah, break is over, back to real life. Good.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Sour What?
So you were given a bag of some leaves and told it was sorrel. It sounds like some kind of exercise injury, as in, "Oh, I overdid it at the gym and now I have a sore el." It looks like the rough cousin of baby lettuce. It smells a little lemony and it tastes crisp and pungent. What now?
You can make it into soup: the French do it (and purists insist that only French sorrel can be used for a proper sorrel soup.) The Russians do it, calling it schav or sour grass soup and serve it cold with a dollop of sour cream. The Poles do it and call it szczaw, also sour grass soup, and serve it hot. Usually around Passover you can find jars of schav on the grocery store shelves - in the bottle it looks like a slightly green broth with shredded grass in it and tastes like a sour spinach soup. A good sorrel soup is something uplifting, though. Here is a very quick, very simple, very summery sorrel soup recipe. Call it what you like and watch your guests slurp it up quickly.
Sorrel Soup, Schav, Szczaw, or Sour Grass Soup
2 cups fresh sorrel leaves
2 Tbs butter
6 cups water or broth
1 clove finely sliced garlic
1/4 cup dryish white wine
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper
(optional, 2 Tbs quick cooking oats)
a warm crusty loaf of fine bread
*a note about these ingredients:
Since this soup is very simple and relies on the pure flavors of each item to shine this is one case when you want to use the freshest ingredients possible. Use only really fresh butter - not butter that has taken on that "fridge odor." Use fresh tender sorrel. Use a fresh garlic clove that has not sprouted. If you use broth use actual stock, not overly salted canned broth or bouillon cubes. Use only kosher salt, it is easier to control quantity and is cleaner. As for the wine, you can use a cheaper wine or one that has been open for a while but you are going to taste it in the soup. So if you don't like the wine to drink, don't put it in your soup.
Melt the butter over medium heat in the bottom of your soup pot. Add the garlic and stir until aromatic - do not brown. Chiffonade the sorrel (stack the leaves and roll into a little cigar then cut into thin slices) and add to the garlic and butter. Cook for a couple minutes until sorrel begins to wilt. Add water or broth and wine. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, sorrel and garlic should be soft. Taste and season with salt and pepper. This soup will be very thin and brothy. If you'd like it thicker, stir in the oats after simmering 10 minutes and simmer another 10-20. Then season as above. Serve warm with the bread. Pull chunks off the bread to dip into the soup.
There are many other options for using your fresh sorrel. Make a green sauce to serve atop your fresh grilled fish. Lightly saute it with baby zucchini slices, fresh from the garden. Chop it and mix it into soaked bulgar with red onion, green peppers, and feta for a hearty salad. Simmer it into a tomato sauce with capers to serve over a vegetable frittata. You can even use it as an interesting flavoring element for a baked custard. Get creative, get cooking, and get sour with your sorrel.
You can make it into soup: the French do it (and purists insist that only French sorrel can be used for a proper sorrel soup.) The Russians do it, calling it schav or sour grass soup and serve it cold with a dollop of sour cream. The Poles do it and call it szczaw, also sour grass soup, and serve it hot. Usually around Passover you can find jars of schav on the grocery store shelves - in the bottle it looks like a slightly green broth with shredded grass in it and tastes like a sour spinach soup. A good sorrel soup is something uplifting, though. Here is a very quick, very simple, very summery sorrel soup recipe. Call it what you like and watch your guests slurp it up quickly.
Sorrel Soup, Schav, Szczaw, or Sour Grass Soup
2 cups fresh sorrel leaves
2 Tbs butter
6 cups water or broth
1 clove finely sliced garlic
1/4 cup dryish white wine
kosher salt to taste
fresh ground black pepper
(optional, 2 Tbs quick cooking oats)
a warm crusty loaf of fine bread
*a note about these ingredients:
Since this soup is very simple and relies on the pure flavors of each item to shine this is one case when you want to use the freshest ingredients possible. Use only really fresh butter - not butter that has taken on that "fridge odor." Use fresh tender sorrel. Use a fresh garlic clove that has not sprouted. If you use broth use actual stock, not overly salted canned broth or bouillon cubes. Use only kosher salt, it is easier to control quantity and is cleaner. As for the wine, you can use a cheaper wine or one that has been open for a while but you are going to taste it in the soup. So if you don't like the wine to drink, don't put it in your soup.
Melt the butter over medium heat in the bottom of your soup pot. Add the garlic and stir until aromatic - do not brown. Chiffonade the sorrel (stack the leaves and roll into a little cigar then cut into thin slices) and add to the garlic and butter. Cook for a couple minutes until sorrel begins to wilt. Add water or broth and wine. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, sorrel and garlic should be soft. Taste and season with salt and pepper. This soup will be very thin and brothy. If you'd like it thicker, stir in the oats after simmering 10 minutes and simmer another 10-20. Then season as above. Serve warm with the bread. Pull chunks off the bread to dip into the soup.
There are many other options for using your fresh sorrel. Make a green sauce to serve atop your fresh grilled fish. Lightly saute it with baby zucchini slices, fresh from the garden. Chop it and mix it into soaked bulgar with red onion, green peppers, and feta for a hearty salad. Simmer it into a tomato sauce with capers to serve over a vegetable frittata. You can even use it as an interesting flavoring element for a baked custard. Get creative, get cooking, and get sour with your sorrel.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
How To Eat That Rhubarb and Why Is There An "H" There?
If you are lucky enough to have grown, been given, or bought some rhubarb lately here is a truly delicious cobbler, inspired by my husband's memories of his nan's (grandma for those who don't speak England-ish) rhubarb and berry treats. It is great served topped with ice cream, whipped cream, custard (very English), heavy cream, milk, or nothing. You can make it vegan/pareve or use butter; make it sweeter or more tart depending on your taste.
Yummy Rhubarb Cobbler
for filling
1 lb rhubarb stalks
1 lb strawberries
2 apples
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
for streusel
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Wash and cut rhubarb into 1/4 inch chunks. Do NOT under any circumstances use the leaves, they are poisonous. Wash and hull strawberries, halve small ones and quarter large ones. Peel, core, and chunk the apples. Toss all the fruit together with sugar and balsamic vinegar. Put in baking dish (I like to use a round, deep-dish one rather than a shallow square one. This is just a matter of aesthetics, though, use what you like best.) Make streusel by combining butter, flour, and sugar until it is the texture of large crumbs. You can do this with your hands or in a mixer. Mix in oatmeal and nutmeg. Put streusel over the top of the fruit and bake at 325 degrees until the topping is browned and the fruit is bubbling around the edges, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes for the juices to gel a bit. This cobbler will be very liquidy when warm - serve with spoons. Enjoy.
You might have noticed that I did not mention to preheat the oven. In this case it is not necessary and is just a waste of energy. To be extra green, ideally you will be baking this while cooking something else, like dinner, to take advantage of the oven already being on. You can also cook this on the grill if you are making dinner outside. Use a dish that can withstand direct heat (and you don't care if it gets smudgy), cover the cobbler with foil, and cook on the top wrack of the grill. Happy eating.
Oh, and as for the h in rhubarb? Its name comes from the fact that it was a foreign plant growing on the banks of the Rha river. So "rhu" from Rha and "barb" from the Greek root meaning foreign (think barbarian). And what, you might ask, was the river Rha? Nothing more or less than the Volga.
Yummy Rhubarb Cobbler
for filling
1 lb rhubarb stalks
1 lb strawberries
2 apples
1 cup sugar
1 Tbs balsamic vinegar
for streusel
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups butter or margarine
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 tsp ground nutmeg
Wash and cut rhubarb into 1/4 inch chunks. Do NOT under any circumstances use the leaves, they are poisonous. Wash and hull strawberries, halve small ones and quarter large ones. Peel, core, and chunk the apples. Toss all the fruit together with sugar and balsamic vinegar. Put in baking dish (I like to use a round, deep-dish one rather than a shallow square one. This is just a matter of aesthetics, though, use what you like best.) Make streusel by combining butter, flour, and sugar until it is the texture of large crumbs. You can do this with your hands or in a mixer. Mix in oatmeal and nutmeg. Put streusel over the top of the fruit and bake at 325 degrees until the topping is browned and the fruit is bubbling around the edges, about 45 minutes to an hour. Remove from oven and let stand a few minutes for the juices to gel a bit. This cobbler will be very liquidy when warm - serve with spoons. Enjoy.
You might have noticed that I did not mention to preheat the oven. In this case it is not necessary and is just a waste of energy. To be extra green, ideally you will be baking this while cooking something else, like dinner, to take advantage of the oven already being on. You can also cook this on the grill if you are making dinner outside. Use a dish that can withstand direct heat (and you don't care if it gets smudgy), cover the cobbler with foil, and cook on the top wrack of the grill. Happy eating.
Oh, and as for the h in rhubarb? Its name comes from the fact that it was a foreign plant growing on the banks of the Rha river. So "rhu" from Rha and "barb" from the Greek root meaning foreign (think barbarian). And what, you might ask, was the river Rha? Nothing more or less than the Volga.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Yum, Yum, Turnips or What To Do With All That Stuff From My CSA
Ok, so if you are getting food from a CSA, as we are, you are probably going to get some items that you a) have never eaten b) think you don't like and c) can't figure out what to do with other than letting them wilt in the back of your vegetable drawer. I will be posting some ideas to help you make delicious comestibles of even the least likely veggies. Today we start with turnips. You probably hear turnips and think of the heavy, hard winter storage turnips that are good for not much more than mashing with potatoes. But the spring ones you might be getting, the Japanese turnips (also known as hakurei turnips, salad turnips, or kabu) are very different and good for quite a lot. Here are suggestions and an actual recipe. Enjoy!
For a very quick cooked vegetable that takes very little prep and can be eaten hot or room temperature try this. Scrub your turnips so that they are clean enough to eat without peeling. Cut them into chunks, try about 1/2" pieces. Toss them with enough olive oil to coat them without making them greasy, a sprinkle of garlic powder, a good shake of salt, some black pepper, and a few good shakes of paprika. Put them on a baking dish and roast at 425 degrees until they are starting to brown. Or instead of those flavors use sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger powder and a dash of soy sauce. Or toss with some chunks of onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, and poppy seeds.
Here is a little salad that goes great with grilled fish or chicken, fish tacos, marinated tofu - you name it. Grate your turnips with a coarse grater. Toss with a dash of olive oil, the juice from fresh limes, chopped cilantro, finely chopped red onion, and minced jalapeno. If you like your food less spicy use an anaheim or poblano chile instead. Let sit for at least half an hour so the flavors can meld. Season to taste with salt and more lime as needed.
And now a recipe. Coconut Milk Curry With Turnips (did you ever?)
1 bunch turnips (about 5-8)
1 onion
2 stalks celery
1 large sweet potato
2 medium white potatoes
1 can coconut milk
1 cup Jasmine rice
1 cup lentils
2 Tbs curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
4 cups water
Cut turnips and peeled onion into chunks. Slice celery. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks the same size as the turnips and onions. Put all the vegetables into a large pot (this can also be done in a slow cooker or in a casserole in the oven.) Add coconut milk, rice, lentils, spices, and salt. Stir, then add the water. If you are cooking in a pot, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and rice are cooked through. This should take about 1-2 hours. If you are using a slow cooker it will take considerably longer, same with making a casserole on low heat in the oven. You can put this in the oven of Friday afternoon, at 225 degrees, and it will be ready to eat on Saturday for lunch.
For a very quick cooked vegetable that takes very little prep and can be eaten hot or room temperature try this. Scrub your turnips so that they are clean enough to eat without peeling. Cut them into chunks, try about 1/2" pieces. Toss them with enough olive oil to coat them without making them greasy, a sprinkle of garlic powder, a good shake of salt, some black pepper, and a few good shakes of paprika. Put them on a baking dish and roast at 425 degrees until they are starting to brown. Or instead of those flavors use sesame oil, sesame seeds, garlic, ginger powder and a dash of soy sauce. Or toss with some chunks of onion, olive oil, salt, pepper, and poppy seeds.
Here is a little salad that goes great with grilled fish or chicken, fish tacos, marinated tofu - you name it. Grate your turnips with a coarse grater. Toss with a dash of olive oil, the juice from fresh limes, chopped cilantro, finely chopped red onion, and minced jalapeno. If you like your food less spicy use an anaheim or poblano chile instead. Let sit for at least half an hour so the flavors can meld. Season to taste with salt and more lime as needed.
And now a recipe. Coconut Milk Curry With Turnips (did you ever?)
1 bunch turnips (about 5-8)
1 onion
2 stalks celery
1 large sweet potato
2 medium white potatoes
1 can coconut milk
1 cup Jasmine rice
1 cup lentils
2 Tbs curry powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
4 cups water
Cut turnips and peeled onion into chunks. Slice celery. Peel and cut potatoes into chunks the same size as the turnips and onions. Put all the vegetables into a large pot (this can also be done in a slow cooker or in a casserole in the oven.) Add coconut milk, rice, lentils, spices, and salt. Stir, then add the water. If you are cooking in a pot, cover and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the lentils and rice are cooked through. This should take about 1-2 hours. If you are using a slow cooker it will take considerably longer, same with making a casserole on low heat in the oven. You can put this in the oven of Friday afternoon, at 225 degrees, and it will be ready to eat on Saturday for lunch.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Rainy day, popcorn day.
It has been raining on and off for a couple days and the ground is wet, the mood is high, and the air is soft. So I do what is right under those circumstances (as well as almost any other circumstance.) I make popcorn. Today it was plain popcorn cooked in light olive oil in my new Stir Crazy machine, a simple machine bought after being coveted for almost 6 years. A hearty sprinkle of fine popcorn salt and it was perfect. Popcorn is a food that never loses its appeal for me. Must be genetic since my sisters and son are the same - all popcorn, all the time. I've almost got my husband on the bandwagon, too. He likes his coated in caramel but is coming around to salted, buttered, or cheesed. Still raining, corn is ready. Anyone for a game of hearts?
A little ditty about summer festival food...
Oh, curly fries, how I love your greasy starchiness. Oh, funnel cake, your powdered sugar sticks to my fingers and your fatty batter sticks to my ribs. And speaking of ribs, pulled brisket, smoked chicken, bbq sauce, "Smoke Something" t-shirts, meat of all varieties on a stick - what festival would be the same without you? Snow cones, your red yellow green purple blue bright pink colors are shocking and delightful. Who can resist salty popcorn, sweet roasted nuts, cloud puff soft cotton candy, plastic delicious liquid nacho cheese? Not I. Damp fresh smell of roasted corn on the cob, charred smell of teriyaki sauce on a grill, sour pickle smell of hot dogs in their doughy gummy buns. Mmmmm, outdoor summer fair food.
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