Whisk_136

FOOD CURRENTS: THE CASE OF THE BREAKING CHALLAH BRAIDS

ISSUE 136 SEPTEMBER 15, 2013 11 TISHREI 5774

The Kitchen Overlooking Two Oceans:

5Ingredient Recipes

Whisk Journeys to Panama

Leah and Victoria bring you special and effortless dishes

Super quick and elegant salads and sides

Whenever it’s too quiet, we know that the kids must be up to trouble. There may be a mess to clean up later.

On a Yom Tov, whenever the kids used to disappear in my inlaws’ house—something must be very entertaining for a couple of dozen kids to disappear at once—it meant they were playing on the mattresses.

“The mattresses” were a pile of about 20 mattresses and 20 box springs that were stacked, floor to ceiling, in the basement. It’s a lot of fun to play and climb on piles of mattresses. You can make a slide, a tent, a secret club, or just do some old-fashioned jumping.

A lot of little toys and menchkes would go missing between the mattresses. Tears.

Nothing would ever be lost forever (unless it fell through a hole in one of the mattresses). We’d always be left with a lost and found (and plenty of candy wrappers) when the mattresses were cleared out once a year.

In Deal, my in-laws’ sukkah would seat 60 or sleep 20. It seemed like most of the men stuck around until the morning. After the seudah on the first night of Yom Tov, my husband would begin lugging up the mattresses...and box springs. First, he’d help out a relative or guest who perhaps was a little weak, and then one who was perhaps a little lazy. Once he was on a roll, he’d have the entire sukkah set up. The ability to carry a mattress is a science.

Once you have it down, carrying 40 of them from a basement to a deck is no problem.

I suppose someone else was in charge of the pillows and blankets. That was the really tough job.

Now for the food. While the women were chatting in the den, or trying to put overtired kids to bed, the men would begin the second meal of the evening of watermelon and chocolate cake. (We had finished dessert and said Birkat Hamazon less than an hour prior.)

Not everyone has the luxury of having a cozy sukkah on a rear deck, or the ability to step back inside their home for a midnight snack of chocolate cake. In “Eight Extra Hands” on page 18, you’ll hear how the Jews of Panama City, who all live in high-

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rises, celebrate Yom Tov with only one sukkah per building. Leah told me that her relatives in São Paulo, Brazil, who also live in a high-rise, can’t even build a sukkah in the courtyard. The residents of the building vote every year whether to permit the Jews to build a sukkah. For the past four years, the other residents in the building have voted against it. So, they need to leave home, come to New York, or rent a house in a suburban neighborhood that’s 90 minutes away, so they can have a sukkah. Others go to communal sukkot.

This sure makes you appreciate being able to pass your homecooked dishes right through the kitchen window.

Or even better...my in-laws’ new neighbors in Lakewood have a retractable roof in their dinette area. Press a button and the roof is replaced by schach.

Even though I love convenience, and I think that all of us would love to add that feature to our homes (Let’s extend the kitchen too while the construction crew is here), I’m still thinking about the courtyard sukkot in Panama. I think that there’s something very special about being able to reconnect with neighbors and plan meals together. If two Jewish ladies (let alone 16) can agree on a menu, they must all get along.

By the time you’re reading this edition of Whisk, we know that you probably don’t want to shop anymore, but there are many more meals to serve. That’s why Leah and I bring you 5-ingredient recipes on page 8. Fewer ingredients doesn’t mean less special. But it does mean that you might already have everything you need right in the pantry. Need more menu ideas?

Turn the page for our visual key to some of the special-for-YomTov dishes we’ve featured over the past five weeks.

Chag Sameach, Victoria Dwek victoria@amimagazine.org

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email phone conversation in person

reader's kitchen

text message

I know I can speak for all the Whisk columnists when I say that we love corresponding with you, whether it’s by email, by phone, or when we bump into each other in person. Let's carry on the conversation. — V.

Not All Eggs are the Same

What's for Lunch?

Which should I use for the best results in recipes?

Is it possible for a meal to take just a few minutes to prepare?

Good Morning!

First I want to tell you that I love all aspects of Whisk. It’s always the first thing I turn to when I get Ami. My married children are all busy making Yom Tov menus from the magazine recipes.

When baking, what size eggs are used in the recipes? It can make a big difference in most baking recipes.

Thank you.

Sarah Krieger Dear Sarah, It does make a difference, especially when making cookies.

Large eggs are always used.

Kosher salt is also always used. I know that a lot of readers are still pulling out the table salt from their pantries while cooking. 1 teaspoon kosher salt = ⅓ teaspoon table salt.

—Victoria

One Recipe, Three Dishes One reader's time-saving tip

Dear Victoria, Recently I came across a back issue where there was a request for suggestions for “working moms.” You pointed out that you need not be a working mom to appreciate timesaving tips. One of my favorite time-saving ideas is what I call a “universal recipe.” A number of dishes I make follow the same recipe with just the main ingredient changed. For example: I use the same kugel recipe with broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach. I make tons of these before Yom Tov, and remember the recipe by heart. They freeze terrifically. I do the same thing with my universal quiche with mushrooms, sweet potatoes, or tomatoes and onions.

All the best, Devora G.

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Hi, Victoria.

Firstly, I want to thank you for creating Whisk on such a high standard, yet it is so friendly and inviting. I enjoy reading Whisk: I enjoy looking at the pictures and I definitely enjoy creating some of the recipes!!

Now, I need your help!

I got married a couple of weeks ago, and meanwhile we’re still invited to my parents/in-laws for supper. My problem is lunch.

I get home from work at three, at the same time as my husband.

(We both leave the house before nine), so when I get home, I need to quickly throw together a tasty, filling, and halfway presentable meal—which is proving to be quite a tall order!

I hope you’ll be able to help me, perhaps by publishing some recipes in Whisk for quick and easy yet nice lunches?

Waiting to hear from you, Chavi Dear Chavi, Until we do have some lunch recipes, here are some ideas.

I’m assuming you’re in the US. First, I think you should invest in a panini maker. They’re inexpensive, and you can have gourmet hot sandwiches ready in three minutes. Keep the bread in the freezer (it doesn’t need to defrost first) and have different sandwich fillings ready to load into your sandwiches (look at some restaurant menus to see what kind of panini fillings you both like).

Want to serve a salad on the side? Keep a couple of your favorite salad dressings in jars in your fridge. Why should you make a small batch every day when they’ll last for a while? If you don’t want to start chopping at 3 p.m., chop a few extra veggies when you’re making dinner and keep them in plastic containers in the fridge. I hope these gets you started.

—Victoria

FOR THE KITCHEN 'N MORE

When you are published in Reader’s Kitchen, you can win! This week, reader Devora G., who shared her time-saving idea, wins a Rice Cube. Keep telling us about the recipes you've tried and share your recipe tips, and you can win, too! Prizes are sponsored by The Kitchen Clique, 3011 Avenue L, Brooklyn.

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#1 BESTSELLING

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5 ingredients

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OR LESS

LEAH AND VICTORIA BRING YOU YOM-TOV-WORTHY DISHES WHILE BARELY OPENING THE PANTRY RECIPES BY LEAH SCHAPIRA AND VICTORIA DWEK PHOTOS BY DAN ENGONGORO 11 TISHREI 5774

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Leah and Victoria explain the inspiration behind these festive recipes with limited ingredients.

VICTORIA: When I prepare food in advance for Yom Tov, it’s okay if a dish requires a lot of ingredients and/or steps. But let’s get real. When I cook right before and on Yom Tov, I want recipes that are as simple as possible.

LEAH: So I told Victoria let's strip down some recipes to the basics. Some people might think that a recipe has to be complicated or involve a lot of ingredients for the food to be really tasty. Yet adding more ingredients doesn’t necessarily result in a better tasting dish.

VICTORIA: Absolutely.

LEAH: I’ve also come to the conclusion that it’s not the time you spend cooking that's difficult. It’s the cleaning up afterward. Fewer ingredients = less mess.

VICTORIA: A couple of these dishes can be varied by adding another ingredient or two. We've included some ideas. Look for the number "6."

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about the cooking technique Leah and I used in the French Roast with Fresh Spice Rub introduced in our Passover Made Easy book. (After the success of that roast, my husband is upset if I prepare it any other way.)

Chef Mike wasn’t too happy. “If I saw that recipe, I would rip it out of the book. A roast is meant to be cooked uncovered, without any liquid. You can't call anything else a roast... although I’m sure it tastes delicious.”

LEAH: Isn’t the taste more important than anything else?

LEAH: I think they're perfect with five and don't need anymore. (Oil, salt, and pepper are free.)

VICTORIA: For sure! I’ll still be covering my roast. But it was still worth trying out Chef Mike’s advice. And it was a success! Try it on page 12.

VICTORIA: True, especially when it comes to meat. Remember when I told you that I picked Chef Mike Gershkovich’s brain on the topic of meat preparation (Whisk, Issue #131)? I told him

LEAH: My search for 5-ingredient recipes began when my neighbor brought out her index box of recipes.

I was in heaven! I love reading people’s handwritten notes and

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YOM TOV PREP JUST GOT EASIER CHAT recipes, especially the ones with torn edges and cooking oil spills that read “Bubbie’s Rugelach.” It’s also fun to see which recipes my friends wrote down when they were newly married but would never look at now (like the recipe for chicken soup). I did suggest to my neighbor that her teenage daughter type up the recipes from her index box, although they would lose their charm.

Some of the recipes on the following pages are inspired by conversations with our neighbors; we combined a couple of ideas and adapted others.

So thanks to Toby, Hudy, Hadassah, and Ruti. Here's to many more food conversations!

POMEGRANATE SUGAR SNAP PEAS Some recipes don’t need to be followed exactly. My neighbor prepares these without the pomegranate seeds and scallions, but the combo is perfect together. —Leah 1 pound sugar snap peas 3 garlic cloves, crushed (or 3 frozen cubes) 1 teaspoon salt 2 to 3 tablespoons oil ½ cup pomegranate arils 2 scallions, chopped

1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. On a baking sheet, add sugar snap peas, garlic, and salt. Toss to combine.

Spread in an even layer and bake for 20 minutes.

2. In a large bowl, combine sugar snap peas, oil, pomegranate arils, and scallions. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Yield: serves 4

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ROSEMARY VEAL ROAST My neighbor told me that crushed rosemary makes the house smell so good when she’s preparing this recipe.

And she was right. —Leah

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1 (2-pound) boneless veal roast 1 cup ginger ale 1 cup honey ½ cup Dijon mustard 1½ teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed ¼ cup oil 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon black pepper

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1. Place veal roast in a large container or large resealable plastic bag.

2. In a small bowl, combine ginger ale, honey, Dijon mustard, rosemary, oil, salt, and pepper. Pour over roast. Cover (or seal bag) and refrigerate for 2 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Place roast in a baking pan with the marinade. Cover and bake for 2½ hours.

Let cool before slicing, and reheat in the sauce.

Yield: serves 6 to 8

The first time I made this version of couscous, I wanted to fill it with tons of earthy, comforting vegetables, including a roasted butternut squash. When a butternut squash is involved though, nothing is quick. I roast it first to soften, then with peeling, seeding, chopping, and roasting again...the salad was taking time.

Out it goes. Sorry squash, we’ll include you next time. —Victoria

(6.) If I we'd add an ingredient to this salad, I’d go back to the butternut squash or perhaps the simpler-toprepare but just as comforting roasted, diced sweet potatoes. I’d also like some toasted sliced almonds for crunch.

BALSAMIC COUSCOUS AND MUSHROOM SALAD

1 (8.8-ounce package) Israeli couscous 16 ounces baby bella mush rooms, sliced Mushroom Marinade: 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon olive oil ½ teaspoon salt Pinch coarse black pepper Dressing: 1 tablespoon olive oil 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar ½ tablespoon whole grain mustard (can substitute Dijon mustard) ½ teaspoon salt Pinch coarse black pepper 1 teaspoon dried or 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (basil, parsley, or thyme)

If you want to make this ahead of time, but still enjoy it hot, it can be warmed, covered, in the oven. Otherwise, serve at room temperature.

1. Prepare couscous according to package instructions.

2. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Add mushrooms to a medium bowl.

Add balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper and let marinade for 10 minutes.

3. Remove mushrooms to prepared baking sheet and bake for 18 minutes. Drain.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, whole grain mustard, salt, pepper, and herbs.

5. In a large bowl, combine couscous, mushrooms, and dressing.

Toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if necessary.

Yield: serves 4 to 6

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Family Fun in the Kitchen: The perfect Chol Hamoed dairy meal for all in the family!

During the long Sukkos vacation from school, after the marathon of Yontif followed by Shabbos and the leftovers are all gone, going back into the kitchen might be a challenge.

With three days of Chol Hamoed this year, consider calling upon the whole family to offer a helping hand.

Below you will find three simple, tasty recipes – perfect for the whole family to enjoy and to create great memories together.

For additional easy and family-friendly recipes, please visit www.tnuva.com.

White Bean and Kashkaval Cheese Salad Makes 6 servings Preparation time: 25 minutes

Chocolate Truffles

Cheese Muffins Makes 12 servings Preparation time: 5 minutes

Makes 40 chocolate balls Preparation time: 10 minutes

Ingredients: Ingredients: 2 cups of frozen white beans 3 cups of water 1 clove of peeled garlic 2 tablespoons of olive oil 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar 1/3 cup of Tnuva Kashkaval Cheese 1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes 6 large black pitted olives 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley 2 teaspoons of fresh chopped basil 2 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon of sugar A pinch of salt 1 teaspoon sumac

1 1/2 cups of flour 2/3 cup of corn meal or polenta 1 tablespoon of sugar 3 teaspoons of baking powder 1/2 teaspoon of salt 2 eggs 1 cup of buttermilk 1 teaspoon of chili powder (optional) 3 1/2 tablespoons of Tnuva Butter (1.7oz.)

1 cup of Tnuva Swiss or Tnuva Edam Cheeses, grated 4 stalks of green onion, thinly chopped Instructions: 1.

Instructions: 1.

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Boil water on the stove, then add beans and garlic. Bring to a boil again and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until beans are soft.

Drain beans and transfer to a large bowl. Remove the garlic.

Pour olive oil and vinegar onto the beans. Mix and let cool.

Cut the Tnuva Kashkaval cheese into cubes and chop the sundried tomatoes and olives into small pieces. Mix cheese, tomatoes and olives into the bowl with the beans with chopped parsley and basil.

Beat the remaining oil with a tablespoon of lemon juice, sugar and salt. Pour the dressing onto the salad and mix gently. Cover salad and refrigerate for at least 2 hours in order to let flavors set.

Before serving, sprinkle sumac onto the salad and transfer into a nice serving dish.

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Heat oven to 350째F. Grease muffin tin and sprinkle lightly with a bit of flour.

In a large bowl, mix flour, polenta, sugar, baking powder and salt.

In a separate bowl, blend butter, eggs, buttermilk and chili powder into one mixture.

Add the flour mixture into the batter and mix well. Fold in the green onions and 2/3 of the grated cheese into the batter.

Stir until the mixture is uniform.

Divide the dough evenly into each groove of the muffin tin and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until the muffins are golden. Test with a toothpick to ensure the inside is fully baked. Set to cool onto a cooling rack.

Ingredients: 1.5 oz. bittersweet chocolate 3.5 oz. white chocolate 1/2 of cup Tnuva Butter 9 oz. package of tea biscuits 2 containers Tnuva Chocolate Pudding Snacks Toppings: Colored or chocolate sprinkles, Shredded coconut Instructions:

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Melt bittersweet chocolate, white chocolate and Tnuva Butter in a microwave or double broiler on low heat. Stir until formed into a smooth mixture and transfer into a bowl.

Place the tea biscuits into a food processor and pulverize into powder. Add to the melted chocolate mixture in bowl and mix well.

Blend in the Tnuva Chocolate Pudding Snacks until smooth. Cover the bowl and place in refrigerator for 2 hours, or until mixture is firm.

Form 1 1/2-inch balls and roll in sprinkles or coconut to coat chocolate balls. Store in a covered container in the refrigerator.

ZUCCHINI RIBBON SALAD Your basic, everyday peeler isn’t only for peeling vegetables. You can also use it to create pretty ribbons with zucchini, carrots, cucumbers, and even eggplants (a little tougher). In this salad, the acid in the rice vinegar will cook the zucchini, so you don’t have to. Just give it a few minutes of marinating time. —Victoria

HERB-CRUSTED BRICK ROAST

2 zucchini 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 tablespoons rice vinegar 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, plus more for garnish 1 tablespoon brown sugar 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon salt Pinch coarse black pepper 1. Using a swiss peeler, slice strips down each side of the zucchini, creating pretty ribbons. Stop when you reach the seeds. Place zucchini strips in a large bowl.

2. In the jar of a mini-chopper or food processor, combine olive oil, rice vinegar, sesame seeds, brown sugar, soy sauce, salt, and pepper.

Blend to combine. The sesame seeds will blend into the dressing but there will still be some small bits.

3. Toss zucchini with dressing and garnish with additional sesame seeds.

So, if covering a roast is the wrong way to prepare it, what’s the right way? Here you go. All you really need is salt and pepper, but I’ve tried this with cumin and garlic powder too, and loved the results.

This version is friendly to a wider variety of palates. A roast cooked at this temperature will stay pinkish even when it's well done.

—Victoria 1 (3-pound) brick or French roast Salt and coarse black pepper to taste 3 tablespoons oil 1 tablespoon dried parsley 1 tablespoon dried basil 1 tablespoon garlic powder

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Yield: serves 4

1. Season roast generously with salt and pepper.

2. Preheat the oven to 250ºF. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add spices and stir to combine. When oil is hot, sear roast for 5 to 7 minutes on each side to create a nice crust. (Searing does NOT seal in juices, but it does create a flavorful crust for the roast.) If some of the spices fall off, you

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can add more and sear it for an extra few seconds so they stick to the crust.

3. Place roast on top of a broiler pan, or a rack inside a roasting pan (so the roast doesn’t sit in its own liquid as it cooks). Roast 4 hours or until roast registers 135ºF on a meat thermometer for medium-rare.

Roast until 140ºF for medium.

Yield: serves 8

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(6.) If I were adding a sixth ingredient to this salad, I’d add some color, either by adding a yellow squash, thinly sliced radishes, or halved grape tomatoes (I love the ones that come in orange, purple, and yellow).

Snow peas will also work great with this Asian-inspired dressing.

Make the dressing before Yom Tov. Toss it all together up to a couple of hours before serving.

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SWEET SOY CHICKEN Chicken thighs are naturally moist, so a little flavoring is all they need. —Leah 3 tablespoons soy sauce 3 tablespoons honey 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon ginger (optional) 1½ pounds boneless chicken thighs

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1. In a bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine soy sauce, honey, garlic powder, and ginger; whisk (or shake) to combine. Add chicken thighs and let marinate for 30 minutes (you can marinate for up to 24 hours, but keep refrigerated).

2. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Remove chicken from marinade and place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake, uncovered, for 10 minutes on each side.

Yield: serves 6

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Meet the Winemaker

By Victoria Dwek

Josh Hexter of Psagot Winery the-line equipment from our crusher, to our press, to the temperature-controlled tanks and hydraulic punch-down equipment, to our temperature and humiditycontrolled barrel rooms.

Josh Hexter

W

hat kind of grapes do you grow in your vineyards?

We grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Chardonnay.

Does your winery have a specific type of soil that’s suited to those grapes?

The Psagot vineyards in the Binyamin region of Israel are planted on hard, rocky limestone terrain which is terraced in the Mediterranean Greek-Italian fashion. We drillholessothatthevine’srootswouldtake hold well below the ground surface.

What kind of education did you need to obtain to be a winemaker?

I became interested in winemaking in early 2000. I read everything I could get my hands on and started making wine at home (I’d buy grapes from the Galilee, Golan, and Judean Hills). I realized that to really be proficient, one had to understand the biology and chemistry that is at the core of winemaking. I completed my winemaking coursework with UC Davis via their distant learning program.

Like many technical pursuits, it’s the continual application of the science with the occasional mixing in of the creative artsy side of things that has the potential to create something special.

What kind of technology do you use in your winemaking?

We have a basic lab to check sugar, pH, TA (total acidity), SO2 (sulfur dioxide), VA (volatile acidity), etc. We use top-of-

We know that winemaking is very seasonal. How does your schedule differ in different seasons?

The winery is always busy—if you are not harvesting and fermenting, you’re racking wines in barrels, or performing blending trials, or beginning to work in the fields, or doing the least enjoyed aspect of winemaking: the bottling. We are producing up to 200,000 bottles a year, so there’s always something that needs doing.

What is your role in the company?

I am one of the founders, and I work hands-on with Yaakov Berg (CEO) in defining the quality and style of the Psagot wines.

 Psagot CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Enjoy it wit h grilled chicken or meat , or rich pastas  Psagot CHARDONNAY

Enjoy it wit h light ly flav ored veal , fish, or chicken

 Psagot MERLOT

What’s your favorite part of the job?

Working on the blends. I enjoy doing the early blends (which we do around four months after harvest) and the final blends of the wines prior to bottling. It’s a very challenging job to bring out the best in each one of our wines.

When do you taste wines?

The best time is in the morning on an empty stomach. We work on all our blends at this time. The senses are at their peak as they are not fatigued after a long day and are heightened due to the body’s hunger.

Which bottle do you open when you want to enjoy wine?

Am I having it on its own? Then I like Shiraz. Is it cool or hot? If hot, I like cool crisp whites like Sauvignon Blanc. Is it with food? It depends on the food, but Merlot often goes well with the foods I like.

Enjoy it wit h veal or chicken dishes.

What’s your idea of the perfect meal you like to enjoy with a glass of wine?

A perfectly cooked steak, medium-rare, and a simple green salad with a bold Cabernet wine, like Psagot’s Single Vineyard CS-Psagot.

Do you cook?

I grill. My wife does the cooking.

How does she use wines?

She’ll tell me what she’s making and what type of wine she needs, and I’ll open a bottle to match what she needs—the remaining wine will then be enjoyed with the dish or meal. So the pairing started in the kitchen and then makes it to the table.

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Eight Extra Hands

Want to prepare lavish Yom Tov meals without chopping a vegetable? Join the ladies of

Panama City

BY VICTORIA DWEK PHOTOGRAPHY BY MORRIS ANTEBI

The view of the Pacific Ocean from Rachelle’s kitchen window Panamanian Jews live in high-rises in Panama City.You can find an apartment for $400,000 to $800,000 USD, although more expansive quarters range in price from $1,000,000 to 2,000,000.

E

very year, about a week before Sukkot, the ladies of Bahia del Rosa, a 30-story high-rise condominium in Panama City, have a meeting.

“I want to make a chicken with sviha (eggplant).”

“I can make the roast.”

“Who can make the mechshe (stuffed squash)?”

“I’ll make a salad and dessert.”

There are 30 families who live in the grand tower; each apartment is an entire floor. Of the 30 families, 16 are Jewish, and they all share one huge sukkah which is constructed in the building’s courtyard.

To send the food down the 30 stories, the Shabbat elevator is used.

In their sukkah, there will probably be at least 100 people at every meal, adding in a few more families for the ones who have all their young married children moving in, and subtracting a few for the ones who are eating at other relatives' homes. With 16 women cooking, though, there’s always plenty of food and lots of variety.

Rachelle Harari is one of those 16 ladies. As the mother of a young family,

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with only two children and no guests, she’s not expected to prepare as many dishes as some of the matriarchs whose large extended families will be using many more plates.

“No one gets upset if one person is cooking expensive roasts, and another is just making rice?” I ask Rachelle.

In Panama, the difference in cost between meat and rice is not a small one.

Panamanian cows are very lean, and the terrain is very hilly, so they build up a lot of muscle as they climb up and down, resulting in very tough meat. A lot of native Panamanians might be accustomed to the texture, but those who want good meat splurge for cuts which are imported from the US.

The price? One hundred dollars for a three-pound Brick roast. Rachelle buys only imported meats, including roasts, rib eye steaks, and brisket.

Rachelle assures me there is no tension between the ladies if one is cooking more and one is cooking less. “We love it. We’re not together all year long, so we look forward to Sukkot,” she says. “Everyone in the building has a great time—plus all their guests. My mother-in-law lives in the same building as me, and her brother and his family will be here. One floor down, my neighbor’s daughter is coming with her kids.”

AT YOUR SERVICE If you think that cooking for 100 people is overwhelming, Rachelle assures me that it’s not. Every household has lots and lots of help. In fact, the first few times I tried to reach Rachelle, a voice answered the phone in Spanish to tell me that the “Señora no está.” In Panama, the Jews are the upper class and labor is very cheap.

My husband, who once traveled to Panama with his father, told me, “Even though we were staying at the Intercontinental [Hotel], we were the guests of Moussa Harari. He lent us one of his servants, whose name was

The Panama Canal is a 20-minute drive away from the city center. Most of the Panamanian Jewish men work there, in the Canal Free Zone, where imports and exports are not taxed.

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Orlando Barkas, for our weeklong stay.

Orlando wore a kippah when he was with us. One night, we came down to the lobby of the hotel at 1:00 a.m., and were shocked to see him sitting on the couch.

We thought he had gone home. ‘I am here for whatever you need,’ he told us.

Whenever we went to sleep, he’d just sit there, waiting for us in the lobby in case we needed something in the middle of the night.”

That’s one of the things Rachelle loves about living in Panama. “We’re like ladies who lunch. There is a maid to do the cooking, another maid to iron the clothing, male maids who do the heavier cleaning, chauffeurs, and nannies. We own a boat and go to our beach house for many weekends. It’s a totally different life,” she tells me.

The climate is warm year-round, averaging 85 degrees. Most families own a second home in Coronado, a resort town about 90 minutes from Panama City.

Because there are no seasons, vacation time can be any weekend, all year long.

During the Yom Tov season, though, the Coronado shul is closed. Everyone is home; they don’t want to be away from their main synagogues in the city.

VERTICAL LIVING There are 11,000 Jews in Panama City. The vast majority are Orthodox and Sephardic, all with the same last names and culinary repertoire as the Syrian Jews of Flatbush and Deal.

Most Jews live in high-rise buildings in three different neighborhoods; each with its own synagogue. There is a fourth shul with a small congregation of Ashkenazim. Because the buildings in each neighborhood are close together, it’s never more than a five-minute walk to shul. Other neighborhoods are about a 20-minute walk away from each other— not too far.

Most of the men work in the Colón Free Trade Zone, an area near the Panama Canal where manufactured goods can be imported and exported without being taxed. Because of the location’s

Nothing is very far away in the city. Shul is, at the most, a five-minute walk away.

accessibility to both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans via the Panama Canal, the zone is the hub for trade in Central and South America and the Caribbean.

ONLY IN PANAMA Although imported foods are pricey, Central American produce is both exotic and inexpensive, thanks to the country’s fertile volcanic soil and consistent climate,

which allows for year-round growing.

“We get to enjoy fresh hearts of palm— they're so much more delicious than the canned ones,” Rachelle tells me. “You can cut them up, add some lemon, olive oil, and salt and eat them raw, or slice and put them on the grill. There’s also the mamón chino (rambutan). It’s a red, hairy fruit which looks like a lychee when you cut it open. It’s amazing.”

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cook the rice. Then we add olives, capers, onions, celery, garlic, peppers, scallions... everything. That’s a weeknight dish.”

(above; and below, left) Panama’s largest shul, Congregation Shevet Achim, where Rabbi Sion Levy, zt”l, led the community for 57 years. There will be standing room only on the Yomim Tovim, when everyone is in town. (below, right) Congregation Ahavat Sion

Besides the traditional Syrian foods, Rachelle prepares ceviche and chicken soup for Shabbat—but it’s not the chicken soup that we know. It’s Panamanian chicken soup, called sancocho, and it’s filled with exotic root vegetables I’ve never heard of before, like ñamé and otoe. Yucas, which sometimes pop up in our American groceries, are a Panamanian staple. The soup also includes corn, called mazorca, but Rachelle explains that corn in Panama doesn’t taste the same as corn in the US. It isn’t sweet; rather, it’s pretty bland until cooked into the soup, where it soaks up all the flavors.

Rachelle uses the native corvina fish to make ceviche. “That’s the fish of our country. It’s better than sea bass. I just add fresh lime, salt, spicy chili pepper, and onion, then leave it in the refrigerator for at least six hours before serving. The salt and the lime cook the fish, so it’s not the

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same as eating it raw.”

Rachelle also uses culantro in both the soup and the ceviche, which is an herb that’s a little different from the cilantro that we know.

“We only cook for Shabbat though...the maids cook during the week.”

On Sunday through Thursday, dinner is as easy as turning on a fire or placing the meat in the pan. “We just give them our cookbooks and tell them what we want,” Rachelle explains.

Rachelle has been living in Panama since she got married nine years ago.

Her husband, as a born Panamanian, loves a good arroz con pollo. “It’s made using a grain called achiote. You fry it in oil, and the oil turns red. That oil is first used to sear the chicken and later to stir-fry vegetables and toast the rice.

After searing, the chicken is boiled and shredded. The resulting stock is used to

11 TISHREI 5774

JUST A CHAUFFEURED RIDE AWAY Is it hard to find kosher products in Panama? Not today. There are two kosher supermarkets and all of the meat sold is Beit Yosef.

“In my husband’s grandmother’s time, though, there was no kosher meat. ” Rachelle tells me. Although the community was strictly Orthodox when they arrived from Syria, during the midcentury there was a spiritual decline.

And while they remained was always traditional and close-knit, kashrut and Shabbat observance was very weak.

“That all changed a little over 60 years ago, when Rabbi Sion Levy, zt”l, came to Panama. He made the Panamanian community what it is today,” Rachelle says.

As a result of Rabby Levy’s efforts, everything kosher is just a drive—or a chauffeured ride—away.

Rabbi Sion Levy, the venerated chief rabbi, passed away in 2008 after leading the community for 57 years—he is singlehandedly responsible for the spiritual revitalization of the country, and for building the institutions that service the community today.

Rabbi Levy came from Israel to Panama with one purpose: to save the community spiritually, and he did. One of his goals was for future rabbis to be homegrown from the Panamanian community. Because business is so lucrative in Panama, it’s harder for the boys to make the decision to forgo the luxurious lifestyle that everyone enjoys and stay in kollel. Today, though, there is a small kollel in Panama City and more than 50 boys from Panama learn in Lakewood.

Those boys hope to return to service the community and continue the legacy of Rabbi Levy. 

1. The base of this ceviche is Panama’s native corvina fish. Dice it up.

2. Add some finely diced onion...

3. ...and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Ceviche Rachelle says that the lime is what “cooks” the fish.

4. Add some salt, which also helps to “cook” the fish.

5. Remove the seeds and ribs from a hot chili pepper.

6. Chop it up very finely.

7. Add some culantro, a cousin of cilantro.

8. Mix it all together and refrigerate for at least 6 hours.

Panamanian Chicken Soup

Our photographer popped in on Rachelle as she prepared some Panamanian dishes for Shabbat.

This soup, called sancocho, is special because of its many exotic root vegetables, including yuca, otoe, mazorca, and ñamé.

3. Sear the chicken in the same pot.

1. Start by sautéing an onion.

2. Add celery and carrots (not so exotic so far).

4. Add all the sautéed vegetables and chicken to the stock.

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Food Currents

By Racheli Sofer

The Sous Chef Whisk responds to your cooking queries

C. Schwarz asks: After I place my beautifully shaped challos in the oven to bake, the braids break when swelling in the heat of the oven, and the challah looks pretty awful and misshaped.

The taste is great…but they look so strange.

I use oval shaped challah pans. Can you help my deformed challah?

 TAMAR ANSH, AUTHOR OF A TASTE OF CHALLAH (FELDHEIM) RESPONDS: Gluten is a protein in the grain we use (in this case, wheat) that is vital and necessary for breads/ challos to rise properly. It is not enough to say that there is gluten in the dough; one must also properly activate it. Activating the gluten is simple: The dough must be kneaded. Yes, you may have kneaded it, but if you did not knead it sufficiently, you did not activate the gluten enough to make a discernible difference.

Well, no more!

All you have to do from now on is the following: When making your dough, after it has become a dough, knead it for 8 to 10 minutes.

F

Who can think of a better use of a slow cooker than to make cholent? Apparently, that is what Irving Naxon, the inventor of the forerunner to the slow cooker, actually had in mind. After hearing about his shtetl-born mother’s cholent-cooking efforts, Naxon was inspired to invent a self-contained slowheating element. He called his creation the Naxon Beanery, a cooker named after himself and the food he intended it for— beans. He sold his device to coffee shops and luncheonettes. In 1970, a rival company, actually called “Rival,” bought the rights to the appliance and reintroduced it to the world as the “Crock-Pot”—to be pulled out of the pantry every Friday morning in thousands and thousands of kitchens around the world ever since. |

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QUICK TIP Whisk reader Ettie Joseph says: “After spending many years baking, I can say that the only foolproof method is greasing the pan with Crisco.

It’s an annoying job but not as annoying as watching your cake fall apart. After taking the cake out of the oven, wait 20 minutes, bounce the pan a little to make sure the cake is not stuck, and then turn it over.” Thanks, Ettie!

Chag Sameach, Tamar Ansh

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59%

How the Slow Cooker Came to Be

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If you are using a mixer, turn on a timer. After this first knead, let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Then, reknead for 4 more minutes.

This amount of time for kneading, plus the second knead should take care of your problem of “broken braids.”

Then proceed to braid and let them rise (lightly covered with plastic, while they are rising, so they won’t dry out) as usual. Brush with a beaten egg and bake until the tops and also the bottoms of your challos are browned. Remove to a wire rack to cool. Freeze in good bags until the day of use and enjoy.

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of the “tuna” Americans consume isn’t actually tuna.

Sugar and Spice…

Not Always So Nice

Variety might be the spice of life, but according to the FDA, what their researchers found in our spice cabinets is anything but exciting!

According to a recent study, seven percent of spices tested were contaminated with salmonella that can cause serious illness and even death. The bacteria was most commonly found in coriander, basil, oregano, sesame seeds, pepper, cumin, and curry powder. Ground and cracked spices are slightly more likely to be contaminated than whole spices. Spices get salmonella after they are harvested from plants and are laid on the ground to dry, where birds and other animals come in contact with them. It doesn’t actually take much to get sick—the microbe might be in hibernation and get reactivated when it comes in contact with water in the stomach. Cooking kills salmonella when heated to 160°F.

11 TISHREI 5774

Kitchen Lab What’s the difference between a skillet and a sauté pan?  When should you use each one? The difference is subtle, but significant. A sauté pan, from the French verb meaning “to jump” (sauter) has a wide, flat bottom, and relatively tall, vertical sides. A skillet, on the other hand, has sides that flare outward at an angle. First, if you take a skillet and a sauté pan of equal diameter, the skillet will have 30 percent less cooking area than the sauté pan, thanks to the sloped sides.

The straight sides of a sauté pan allow you to fit a higher volume of liquid into the same amount of oven space, and the straight sides also make it less likely to splash out as you move the pan around or transfer it in and out of the oven. It also allows the lid to fit more tightly, minimizing evaporation.

This extra volume is useful for shallow frying; think: a pan full of meatballs or braising chicken. The skillet is— ironically—the go-to pan for sautéing.

The sloping sides allow you to easily shake the pan, performing the jump-

flip maneuver that is the most efficient way to redistribute food in the pan, ensuring even cooking for all pieces.

It’s a lot harder to sauté in a sauté pan, which requires constant stirring and turning.

A skillet’s sloped sides also help moisture, exuded by cooking meats, evaporate more rapidly, allowing you to sear more efficiently.

So, basically: Skillets offer advantages when sautéing, and a sauté pan offers advantages when shallow frying, moderate-temperature searing (as for chicken pieces), or braising.

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BREAKING BREAD Mrs. Dana Ledereich says: “I just invented an incredibly easy but unbelievable corned beef.

I’d never been successful in making soft, moist corned beef. Somehow it always dried out. By combining tips from several recipes I came up with this, and my kids are still talking about how good it was! And they refuse to eat most meat!”

SUCCULENT CORNED BEEF

1 corned beef 1 bottle of beer

Alternatively, this can also be made in a slow cooker on low. Put the meat and the beer in the crock pot in the morning and come home to a succulent dinner! But 1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Place corned this method only works for small cuts. beef in a baking pan. Pour beer on top.

2. Cover tightly with two layers of foil and Larger cuts curl inside the crock pot and therefore don’t present as nicely. bake overnight (9 hours).

Thank you, Dana, for this super-simple crowd pleaser for Yom Tov!

WIN!

Send in your “Sous Chef” questions and “Breaking Bread” recipes to be entered into a raffle to win a copy of Starters and Sides Made Easy! E-mail racheli@amimagazine.org.

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