Kiddush is the blessing over the wine. Kiddush is also the name of a post Sabbath morning services reception which begins with the recitation of the kiddush blessing. Kiddushes which are actually open house parties are a feature of synagogue life. At many synagogues there is a kiddush every week. Sometimes a congregant will sponsor … Continue reading
For some reason, the cheese kreplach has been overshadowed by it’s better known “relation,” the cheese blintz. That is too bad because cheese kreplach are soooo symbolic.Here’s just a few meaning that have been attached to these soft, doughy stuffed triangles. Shavuot is in the third month-that’s when you count from Nissan. The Torah tells … Continue reading
Tu Bishvat which is on Shabbat is the time to pray for a good etrog. An etrog, the citron, the Biblical “fruit of the goodly tree” is one of the four species used during the holiday of Succoth and finding a good one is no simple matter. As there are an almost infinite variety … Continue reading
Offal is the British name for animal gut, what we Americans euphemistically call or organ or “variety meats.’ I prefer the British term because it sounds like “awful” which is the opinion most people have of this type of food. Because organ meats are high in fat and cholesterol lots of people won’t touch the … Continue reading
Don’t think we food bloggers don’t work hard. I attempted this recipe at least three times before hitting upon the winning formula. My first batch, made with old fashioned farmer cheese was leaden. After that I tried a recipe that included milk and ended up runny, but I didn’t give up. I persisted and … Continue reading
Though nobody knows for certain whether Mother Sarah braided six strand challot in her tent, these lovely edible macrames have been featured on Ashkenazi Shabbos tables for centuries, maybe even longer. The number six is no accident. On the Shabbos table there are two loaves. That means if each one is fashioned from six strands … Continue reading
I’m not a gefilte fish lover. I’ve been known to refuse the stuff even when it’s dressed up like a fishy petite four.But gefilte fish isn’t something to sneer at. It is actually a reflection of Jewish culinary genius.Since Shabbos means fish but the Sabbath laws forbid using a utensil to separate the bones from the flesh (you can … Continue reading
As far as I know there is no special reason to eat knaidlach on Succos. Knaidlach which are also called matzo balls actually belong to Passover though, amazingly some Hassidic Jews won’t eat them then because they are made from matzos which have come into contact with water. On Succos we don’t have any such rules. … Continue reading
Now I understand why nobody makes Teiglach anymore. You know, Teiglach, that ancient Lithuanian Jewish Rosh Hashana delicacy assembled from hundreds of tiny balls of honey soaked dough. My eyes light up when a recipe is labeled “easy” and “quick.” Teiglach is clearly not this. Teiglach harkens back to a time when women rolled their … Continue reading
For years I looked at those women in the supermarket whose carts were piled high with margarine, sugar and flour with a mixture of awe and disgust. What could one possibly do with 12 sacks of flour, a dozen bars of margarine and enough white sugar to cause permament tooth decay and ADHD? Then I became … Continue reading
