With bagels sold on every corner and in the supermarket frozen food section why bother to make them at home? Sadly, many of those so called bagels are nothing more than soft rolls with holes in their middles. In Poland and in the Jewish neighborhoods of the early 20th century US, bagels were crisp on … 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
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
Here’s a little secret you’re unlikely to hear from your financial advisor. Just before Yom Kippur have a friend feed you a slice of honey cake. Two slices even. And not because the sweet carbs will help you fast better. A pre Yom Kippur gift of honey cake, also called Lekach is the secret to a … 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
It feels like the summer has hardly begun but this Shabbat we usher in the month of Elul, the opening act to the High Holiday Season. Elul is a heavy time for Jews. Since Rosh Hashana is the Yom HaDin, the Judgment Day, Elul is the time to prepare for that judgment. The way to do this is … Continue reading
For years, even decades, I avoided baking bread. Bread baking? Me? Bread has strange ingredients like yeast-now what does one do with that? And even stranger instructions. Proof the yeast. What kind of proof? Is this something legal? Punch down the dough Why? What did the dough do to deserve such violence? Meanwhile, my friends had … Continue reading
Amazing as it sounds, Alaska Sourdough Soda bread is cheaper and easier to bake at home than it is to buy, even without a bread machine-unless you happen to live in close proximity to an excellent and extremely inexpensive bakery. I got this recipe from Ruth Allman’s 1979 classic “Alaska Sourdough” a lovely volume that is equal parts … Continue reading
As much as I detest the addiction metaphor , (chochoholic, fashion addict , etc) I can’t find a better way to describe my relationship to sourdough. I’m hooked! Sourdough also known as wild yeast, is of course a magical combination of flour, warm water and a bit of fermented dough . Until commercial yeast became … Continue reading
