Fleishigs Magazine Issue 005 - March 2019

M E D I U M D O N E

ISSUE

W E ’ R E

A

W E L L

YOU DON’T KNOW BEANS. THE CHOLENT DIARIES.

MAR. 2019

THE MOM AND THE MIXOLOGIST.

N 005

WHEN IT COMES TO FLAVOR, CHEF ISA AC DOESN’T MAKE SACRIFICES

THE

KIDDUSH ISSUE

USA $5.99 / Canada $6.99 / UK £5 Australia $9 / SA R90 / Israel 25

GREAT MEALS start with

GREAT MEAT

™

From Butcher’s Cut to basics, visit growandbehold.com/fleishigs for great meats delivered to your door and 400+ recipes to inspire your next great meal.

Pasture Raised

No Hormones or Antibiotics

Family Farms

Let’s Talk Meat! 1-888-790-5781

You Man The Grill Let Bevel Man The Bill

Bevel's custom POS system caters directly to your food establishment.

Track reservations, table orders and inventory, all with the swipe of an iPad. Never fear a split bill again.

888.650.6444 WWW.BEVELPAYMENT.COM

CONTENTS

20

CHOLENT CRAWL

10

Join our food journey and peek into the cultural phenomenon that is Thursday night cholent.

13

EDITOR’S LETTER How do you kiddush?

40

FROM SYRIA WITH LOVE

61

A Syrian feast for the ages and a non-traditional meat hamantaschen.

MODERN HEIMISH: CHINESE FEAST When it comes to flavor, Chef Isaac doesn’t make sacrifices.

Fleishigs

MIRIAM PASCAL. Miriam led our inaugural food crawl, dedicated to all things cholent. Miriam's passion in the quest for the perfect cholent was inspiring.

We spent four Thursday nights visiting countless restaurants, delis and takeout spots in multiple cities and met many food personalities along the way. You can watch the adventure and get an inside look into our epic cholent crawl @Fleishigsmag on Instagram.

MARCH 2019

30

SOURDOUGH Everything you need to know about our favorite bread trend.

38

THIS AIN’T THE SHTETL: AN UNCOMMON KIDDUSH Heshy Jay, of Scoop Events, takes back Shabbos day.

72 6

COOKBOOK REVIEW The 100 Most Jewish Foods: A Highly Debatable List

46

A step-by-step guide to making the perfect kokosh cake.

GUEST EDITOR

28

TRADITION! TRADITION! Herring.

KOKOSH TAKES THE CAKE

GE

BUTCHERS CUT: KOLICHEL Our go-to cholent meat.

66

THE MOM & THE MIXOLOGIST

68

L’CHAIM! CHAMPAGNE FOR ALL

70

TOP 5: KIDDUSH EDITION

79 80 82

RECIPE INDEX INTERVIEW LAST BITE

w w w.f leishigs.com

WHEN IT HAS TO BE

Your Butcher is Waiting to Hear From You! Prefer to have your meat order processed directly through the butcher department? Have a question about a particular cut or cooking method? Who better to reach out to than your local Gourmet Glatt meat department manager?

Email your questions, comments or meat order any time of the day or night. butcher@gourmetglatt.com (Cedarhurst) butcher@gourmetglattwoodmere.com (Woodmere) butcher@gourmetglattbrooklyn.com (Boro Park) butcher@gourmetglattlakewood.com (Lakewood)

> Rack of Veal

Pick up this recipe card at a Gourmet Glatt near you.

For meals guaranteed to impress, start with tender, delicious meats from Gourmet Glatt.

137 Spruce Street Cedarhurst, New York T: 516-569-2662

1030 Railroad Ave Woodmere, New York T: 516-295-6901

Shop online at GourmetGlattOnline.com

1274 39th Street Brooklyn, New York T: 718-437-3000

/gourmetglatt

1700 Madison Avenue Lakewood, New Jersey T: 732-961-1700

Get a year of Fleishig goodness & save up to 24% off the newstand rate.

($66 value)

Best Deal

2 year subscription

22

ISSUES

only

$

99

00 *

($132 value)

Mail information to Fleishigs LLC, 530 Arlington Rd, Cedarhurst NY 11516. email hello@fleishigs.com for more information or visit www.fleishigs.com to subscribe. *Includes shipping in the U.S. Outside the U.S. Standard Shipping Rates apply.

Canada: $22 per year, International: $35 per year.

D O N E

5500

W E L L

$

Gift Subscrition

Personal Subscrition

Name Address City/State/Zip Phone Email Credit Card Information (or pay by check or money order) Credit Card Number Expiration Date

Security Code

A

only

A R E

11

ISSUES

*

W E

1 year subscription

M E D I U M

Enjoy the discount, and getting the inside scoop on all things meat before your sister-in-law, your mother-in-law, and the yenta next door. Hmmm, delicious.

Fleishigs

If you take advantage of this offer, you’ll have issues.

Visa / Mastercard / American Express Name on Card Address City/State/Zip

order online: fleishigs.com | email: hello@fleishigs.com

editor's letter

EDITOR IN CHIEF Shifra Klein

KIDDUSH ISSUE

HOW DO YOU KIDDUSH?

K

iddush, in essence, is defined as “sanctification” and refers to the blessing made before a holiday, Shabbos or celebratory meal. We hold a cup of brimming wine and make a blessing praising and thanking Hashem for the wine in our hands and the significance of the day or occasion being celebrated.

As Jews, Kiddush is such a big part of our lives. Weekly Shabbos meals, the birth of a new child, a bar mitzvah and wedding all commence with kiddush. Today kiddush doesn’t only refer to the actual act of blessing the wine, but more so, the celebration itself.

So...how do you kiddush? How do you celebrate? Traditional kiddushim have elements of herring, gefilte fish, crackers, chopped liver, cholent, potato kugel and sprinkle cookies. My love of herring was formed at the many kiddushim I attended as a child. There really is nothing like a salty snacker-style cracker topped with schmaltz herring and a few slices of raw onion. In this issue, Faigy Murray shares her version of herring amped up with some jalapeño pepper and we even topped some of sourdough expert Chaya Suri Leitner’s bread with lemon-caper studded herring (recipe and step-by-step technique on page 30). Turn to page 38 to read famed writer Maira Kalman’s thoughts on herring.

There is no food more symbolic of a kiddush than cholent. Miriam Pascal joined our quest to discover what makes the perfect cholent, where you can get it and how you can recreate it at home. One of the classics we enjoyed on our cholent crawl, was yapchik, a savory dish that brings together the best of potato kugel and cholent and took my husband Shlomo a full year to perfect. We recently tried his time-tested recipe with our new favorite cholent cut, kolichel, and had amazing results.

While there’s nothing like tradition, a little bit of modern thrown into the classics can make these magical moments unforgettable. That is where visionary event planner Heshy Jay comes in and offers up his take on kiddush that is truly inspired by modern cuisine. His fare screams perfection, but is easy to execute; he shares some amazing tips that will help you plan your next kiddush with confidence. Over at Modern Heimish, Chef Isaac Bernstein shares his love of Chinese food (essentially Jewish food, no?) and I was privileged enough to spend the day watching him create the Chinese-kiddush fusion you see on page 72. It was beyond our expectations.

Of course, it was Purim, the ultimate feast and true kiddush of the Jewish calendar year that really inspired the theme of this month’s issue. Turn to page 79 to see how we turn various kiddush recipes into Purim mishloach manot ideas, and don’t forget to check out Jacqueline Elbaz’s Syrian feast and lachmagine hamantaschen. If we are going to serve up hamantaschen this year, it’s gotta be Fleishigs.

Tried one of our recipes? Let us know!

10

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

@Fleishigsmag

@Fleishigsmag

EDITOR Elisheva Taitz PROOFREADER Chava Witkes Shterna Karp DESIGN estudio-5.com PRODUCTION estudio-5.com PHOTOGRAPHER Schneur Menaker FOOD STYLIST Chaya Rappaport KITCHEN ASSISTANT Devorah Kahan MARKETING & BRANDING Mann Sales Co. TEST KITCHEN SPONSOR Gourmet Glatt RABBINICAL AUTHORITY www.ok.org

www.fleishigs.com

Comments & Questions: Hello@fleishigs.com Advertising & Partnerships: Shlomo@fleishigs.com All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form without prior written permission from the publisher is prohibited.

Fleishigs magazine assumes no responsibility for content or kashrut of articles and advertisements in the magazine, or for the content of books. Fleishigs magazine is not responsible for typographical errors.

Thank you to Fishseddy.com for providing many of the beautiful dishes used to photograph recipes for this issue. Visit www.fishseddy.com or Fishseddy the store at 889 Broadway at 19th Street in NYC for flatware, dining ware, kitchenware, silverware, linens and more.

Bitayavon, Shifra

Hello@fleishigs.com

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Shlomo Klein

@Fleishigsmagazine w w w.f leishigs.com

Mommy’s Pulled Beef Tacos - Serves 8 You will need:

• Chuck stew meat -4 lbs. cut into chunks.

• Olive oil - 2 tablespoons • Salt - 1 tsp or to taste • Del Campo Garlic Pepper - 1 tsp • Del Campo Adobo Spice - 1 tsp • Del Campo Fajita Spice - 1 tsp • Del Campo Chili Powder - 1 Tbsp • Garlic - 4 cloves fresh, chopped • Onion - fresh, chopped • Tomato sauce - 2 cups • Barbecue sauce - 1 cup • DELCAMPO GOURMET MINI TACO SHELLS - 24 shells

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Heat oil in large frying pan .

3. Add meat to hot oil a few chunks at a time, and brown on all sides.

4. Remove browned chunks to a large, oven-safe casserole. Continue browning until all chunks are used.

5. Sprinkle salt and pepper on beef chunks.

6. Add all remaining Ingredients.

7. Cover casserole tightly, place in hot oven.

8. Bake until the meat is "fall-apart" and can be pulled apart easily with 2 forks. (Approx 2 ½ hours) 9. Stir shredded meat into sauce until well blended.

10. Fill taco shells with approximately 2 Tbsp meat.

11. Top with shredded lettuce.

Leftover meat can be refrigerated or frozen. Expect people to ask for seconds and thirds!

BUTCHER'S CUT

M

OU

T

Kolichel

R G O -T

OLENT

EA

O

CH

BY SHIFRA & SHLOMO KLEIN

PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCHNEUR MENAKER

Y

ears before we started Fleishigs, kolichel was always our go-to cholent meat. Recently, we have expanded our kolichel horizons from simple cholent meat to so much more. It surprised us that in a home where we are constantly cooking meat (we do work on Fleishigs magazine, after all), it took us this long to discover the perks of this unique cut.

Kolichel, calachel or kalakel (as spelled on the Grow & Behold website) is a football-shaped, inexpensive shoulder roast, also known as the chuck tender, that is sometimes sold as imitation cheek meat or cholent meat. It is a roast that shines when braised—cooked in liquid at a low temperature for a long time—and then shredded. Cut into large chunks, placed whole in cholent, or braised with exotic spices and shredded, kolichel takes center stage.

Kolichel tends to be available in two sizes (depending where it is cut from) and the smaller one is always

cut one line

under 10 dollars, which makes this cut budget-friendly and perfect for a young family. When we make larger cholents, we use two small kolichels or one large one. Recently, kolichel has graduated from being the star of the cholent to being used for pulled beef as well.

Instead of using second-cut brisket or french roast, we prepare pulled beef recipes using kolichel, which yielded tremendous results.

We share our family’s basic cholent recipe with notes and variations, as well as some exotic internationally flavored pulled beef recipes. Most impressive though is Shlomo’s yapchik recipe, which has been tested and retested in so many ways. We are currently working on the perfect crockpot yapchik (coming in our Pesach issue). For years, we have consistently used flanken in this recipe. But considering the rising cost of flanken, now considered a prime cut, we knew we had to test our family's favorite recipe with the versatile cut of kolichel. We were thrilled with the results.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

13

BUTCHER'S CUT

Ropa Vieja 14

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

Shawarma Pulled Beef MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

15

COMFORT FOOD AT IT'S BEST

Yapchik

16

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

BUTCHER'S CUT

Shawarma Pulled Beef Serves: 6

Yapchik Serves: 8-12 Yapchik, a Polish or Hungarian version of cholent, has been one of Shlomo’s obsessions this past year.

We investigated the origin of this dish and have gotten conflicting responses. However, we do know that the Skverer Rebbe has been serving it at his tish (table), for many years. Essentially a meat stuffed potato kugel, yapchik is a true Jewish comfort food. Shredded potato, some onion, meat, salt and pepper...sounds basic enough? To prepare, yapchik is pretty simple.

On the other hand, coming up with the ultimate, fool-proof yapchik was not as easy. It took many trials and taste-tests to get this right.

8 large russet potatoes 1 Spanish onion 7 eggs 1 cup water 1¼ cups olive oil 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon salt 1½ pounds kolichel, cubed Preheat oven to 425°F. Using a kugel blade, process potatoes and onions. Note: A kugel blade. comes with only some food processor brands. If you don’t have one, grate the potatoes and onions with the grater attachment and then pulse the mixture using the “s” blade until the mixture is fully mixed. Do not over process as that will turn the mixture into liquid.

Remove mixture from food processor and place in mixing bowl.

Process eggs, water, oil and salt in the food processor and pour into the potato-onion mixture.

Add the meat into the mixing bowl and combine everything together. Pour in a 9x13 baking pan.

Bake uncovered for 1½ hours.

Lower oven temperature to 200°F. Cover baking pan well with 2 layers of silver foil to lock in the moisture. Bake for 6 more hours.

1 (2-pound) kolichel ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 large Spanish onion, thinly sliced 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 2 tablespoons shawarma spice blend ¼ cup tomato paste ¼ cup honey 1 cup beer 2 cups chicken stock Pita bread, tahini, Israeli salad, pomegranate seeds, lemon wedges and parsley, for serving Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a pot over medium heat.

Add oil and sear meat on all sides until golden brown. Set meat aside.

Lower heat to medium-low and add onions. Saute for 15 minutes, until onions have softened and slightly caramelized.

Add garlic and shawarma spice blend and saute another 5 minutes.

Add tomato paste and saute for 5 minutes to caramelize the tomato paste.

Add honey, beer and chicken stock and bring to a boil. Lower heat and add reserved kolichel to pot. Cover pot and place in oven. Cook for 3 hours.

Remove from oven. Shred meat in the sauce, and serve with choice of accompaniments. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top.

Ropa Vieja

1 cup beer or white wine 1 cup chicken stock or water 2 tablespoons honey Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Coat kolichel with salt and pepper.

Add oil to pot and sear meat on all sides, until golden brown. Remove and set aside to add once sauce is formed.

Prepare sauce by adding onions, peppers and garlic to pot. Sauté for 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender and translucent, but not yet caramelized.

Add whole peeled tomatoes, cumin, oregano and cinnamon. Stir with vegetables and cook, covered, over medium heat for 5 minutes. Uncover pot and add beer (or wine), chicken stock and honey.

Bring to a boil. Add reserved meat.

Cover pot, place in oven and bake for 3 hours.

Shred and serve with prepared rice, black beans and fried plantains.

Alternatively, serve on tacos with guacamole.

Fried Sweet Plantains Heat a 1-inch of oil in a large sauté pan over medium-heat. Peel 2 yellow, ripe plantains and slice into 2-inch rounds.

Fry for 4 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.

Serves: 6 Ropa vieja is one of the national dishes of Cuba, but is also popular in parts of the Caribbean. It consists of shredded or pulled beef with vegetables, traditionally served with rice. We also like to add some warmed black beans and fried sweet plantains or serve it on tacos with guacamole.

1 (3-pound) kolichel ¼ cup canola oil 1 tablespoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 large onion, thinly sliced 1 green pepper, thinly sliced 1 red pepper, thinly sliced 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced, optional 6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced 1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes 1 tablespoon ground cumin 1 tablespoon dried oregano 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

No Dutch Oven?

No Problem!

Simply sear meat in a large pot or saute pan. Prepare sauce in the same pot. Place meat in a 9x13 pan and cover with prepared sauce. Cover pan tightly with foil and proceed with recipe by cooking meat for 3 hours in oven.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

17

BUTCHER'S CUT

Basic Cholent

Serves: 12 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 large onion, diced 1½-2 pounds kolichel 1 cup dried cholent beans 1 cup barley 2 tablespoons kosher salt 1 tablespoon onion powder 1 tablespoon paprika 1 tablespoon garlic 1 tablespoon ketchup 1 tablespoon barbecue sauce 1 teaspoon cumin 1 teaspoon black pepper 10 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks Water to cover Optional add-ons: Marrow bones or neck bones (adds richness) Kishka (such as Meal Mart prepared kishka) Eggs Potato kugel Navel pastrami Rice Kasha

COMFORT FOOD AT IT'S BEST

Set a 10-quart crockpot on high, and add the oil and onions. Cover and allow onions to cook for about 15 minutes or so (feel free to skip this step on a busy day).

Place kolichel on top of the onions (keeping it whole ensures it stays moist and juicy). Add spices, potatoes, barley and beans. Cover with water.

Cook on high for 6-8 hours.

Before Shabbos, set the crockpot to low (if water has evaporated, add just enough to cover).

18

Fleishigs

Editor’s Note: My parents are vegetarian and make an amazing vegetarian cholent. One of their secrets is adding a log of prepared polenta inside the cholent. Polenta works wonderfully as a gluten-free option in lieu of barley and traditional kishka.

-Elisheva Taitz

MARCH 2019

Lighter Cholent? Omit beans.

Replace with brown rice or chickpeas.

Kolichel Alternatives: Pot roast or chuck roast (sometimes sold with a bone) work well here too. We also use flanken ends that we discovered on www.growandbehold.com. These chunks are the end cuts of flanken (short rib), have a bit less meat, but lots of fat that adds tons of flavor to any braised meat dishes.

w w w.f leishigs.com

l Cho ent

20

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

FOOD TRAVELER I believe that people are divided into two groups: those who think of cholent as part of shabbos lunch, and those who actively participate in the Thursday night cholent “scene.” If you’re in the second camp, you’re probably nodding your head, thinking about how fun a cholent crawl must be. If you’re in the first group, however, you may be scratching your head, wondering what this is all about.

Allow me to introduce you to the cultural phenomenon that is the Thursday Night Cholent Scene.

BY MIRIAM PASCAL

a Cr wl

Restaurants that specialize in traditional Ashkenazi Jewish fare are packed with people (okay, mostly men, if stereotypes are to be believed) enjoying an array of foods that you might consider exclusively for shabbos. Cholent is usually the star, with the necessary accompaniments of potato kugel and kishka. As you’ll soon see, each place has different offerings, but the one thing they all have in common is that it’s not just about the food.

It’s about the “matzav,” or vibe. It’s about chilling, chatting, and in some cases (as Shlomo Klein will attest) making new friends and business connections.

To properly research this article, we undertook a big challenge: four Thursdays, four towns, lots and lots of cholent. Here’s what we learned along the way.

Miriam Pascal is the founder of www.overtimecook.com and cookbook author of Something Sweet and Real Life Kosher Cooking. You can follow her daily food adventures on Instagram @overtimecook.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

21

FOOD TRAVELER

Cholent Styles: While these are the basics, a style of cholent is never set in stone.

There are many traditions and variations within these styles,

American:

Ketchup or barbecue sauce, more barley than beans, potatoes, spices.

Heimish:

Flavor relies on the beans, meat and bones, very few additions

Sephardic:

Week #1:

Brooklyn

Spices, garlic, potatoes, chickpeas, meat, eggs and/or rice. Beans are often optional.

22

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

Essen NY Deli stood out for its combination of Jewish deli, traditional Jewish fare and really good sesame chicken.

The first stop of the night was Essen NY Deli, located in Flatbush. It’s an old school Jewish deli, where they smoke and cure their own deli meats, and in contrast to the more casual atmosphere of other spots we visited, waiters served our cholent, kugel, kreplach, sesame chicken (and so much more) on real dishes with a side of pickles and slaw. Their cholent is full of barley and American style with barbecue and ketchup undertones.

We recommend ordering their famed honey beef (homemade, steamed pastrami doused with honey barbecue sauce), their crunchy on-point sesame chicken and an open faced knish topped with tender braised brisket and savory gravy. If you come late Thursday night (they are open till 2

AM), be prepared to wait.

Next, we made our way to Williamsburg, home of the famed Gottlieb’s Restaurant. It doesn’t get more nostalgic than this. Walking into the restaurant, you feel as though you’ve stepped back at least five decades in time. The food at Gottlieb’s is traditional, with a self-serve selection of two basic cholents, potato kugel and gala, also known as p’tcha (made of calves bones and garlic), or, as I like to call it, “fleishig jello.” The cholents we tasted, one was pretty much all beans -- the other all barley, were minimally spiced and pretty basic. Some of our crawl crew got a kick out of the paprika stewed giblets (a.k.a. pipeklach) and a few brave foodies tasted the p’tcha.

Our third stop, also in Williamsburg, w w w.f leishigs.com

cholent, outstanding overnight potato kugel, braised flanken, jachnun, deli roll, kishka, coleslaw and pickles. We also noshed on some grieven (deep fried chicken skins), sweet and peppery Yerushalmi kugel, and (as recommended by the staff) succulent pastrami flatbread topped with caramelized onions and barbecue sauce.

By midnight, we were really full, and really tired. Determined to finish what we started, we headed to our final destination for the evening: Boro Park’s Dips. With no appetite left, we kept our meal at Dips simple. We order both types of cholent (flanken and regular), a piece of overnight kugel, and a layered potato and pastrami kugel to go. We tasted both kinds of cholent, straight out of a to-go container, and couldn’t help it but take second (and third) bites. This was a testament to how much we enjoyed Dips’ cholent. What made the heimish style cholent standout was its spot-on texture (right of amount of beans and barley, tender meat) and flavor, which really defines why cholent is such a cultural phenomenon.

It’s almost 1AM and the first week of our cholent crawl was in the books. *Leil shishi, literally translates to Thursday night and refers to the common practice of enjoying Shabbos food Thursday night. was Grill on Lee. By the time we arrived, the restaurant was starting to get pretty busy (the cholent scene really starts happening later on at night). We order a large selection of “leil shishi”* items, including the VIP cholent platter- a hefty meal of flavorful, paprika-laced cholent, overnight kugel, tender flanken, jachnun, cholent eggs, kishka, coleslaw and pickles. We also tried the yapchik, surprisingly authentic sesame chicken and “kishka balls”. Kishka balls are exactly what they sound like, typical heimish kishka that is quite sweet and smothered in a gravy that Shlomo describes “like a cholent sauce.”

We were pretty full after three cholent stops, but we headed to Boro Park next, to try out VIP Grill. It was about 11:30 PM when we arrived, and the place was already packed! We order the aptly named VIP Platter, which comes with heimish-style

A cholent is not just a stew with beans. It is a fundamental core in a Shabbos observant home.

As Shabbos sets in, the scent of cholent permeates the air in hundreds of thousands of homes.

A whole generation of children are associating the smell of cholent with family, love and connection. This creates strong memories that later become the nostalgia that keeps them safely connected to Shabbos and their Jewish identity. Thank you Fleishigs Magazine for this wonderful cholent journey.

GRILL ON LEE:

The bustling crowd was more diverse than you’d expect. To top it off, dinner came with a show, as an aspiring singer saw the commotion at our table and asked us to help “make his song viral.”

DIPS:

Many of the places we visited were old favorites, but this one had a more modern vibe. While waiting for our food, we saw a delivery order being prepared for Uber eats. It’s 2019 and you can now order your cholent and Yapchik from an app!

-Adine Miles a.k.a. Flatbush Girl MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

23

Week #2:

Lakewood

FOOD TRAVELER

We arrived at our first stop, Snaps, to a warm welcome from the owner, who brought out a bottle of vodka to make a l’chaim. This seemed like a promising start to our evening. Time for the food: we ordered two types of cholent (lamb and regular), overnight kugel, and a whole bunch of favorites like sesame chicken, the Reuben sandwich, double crunch chicken fingers, and their famous Ramen Bowl. The lamb cholent was the surprise hit of the night. The lamb he used (trade secrets, so we can’t share) provides a richness and deep indescribable flavor that made us all go in for seconds.

Next stop: Glatt Gourmet. An old school Lakewood spot, with no Instagram handle for us to tag, was filled with Yeshiva guys. This is a restaurant known for their massive Thursday night buffet, where one can choose from a large assortment of chicken dishes, various appetizers, and of course, cholent, kugel and kishka. We tried all of the above, plus gala, liver, and three kinds of lukshen (noodle) kugel. The chopped liver was the winner at Glatt Gourmet.

Our third stop of the night was Yapchik. The place is large, but packed. We tried the VIP cholent special, with traditional cholent, overnight kugel, hot pastrami, coleslaw, pickles, and our personal

Yapchik: Chef Berish shows us around their vast

array of options. One corner has a self-serve Chinese buffet, behind the showcase is the beautifully arranged gourmet heimish food and the cholent specials are ordered at the counter. Another corner has a buffet of baked goods made in house, and a large fridge full of takeout items to buy for shabbos.

When a restaurant is named Yapchik, you assume they take traditional Shabbos food (and yapchik) very seriously, and that certainly is the case here!

24

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

Crawls are epic. They are fun and even better when you’re with friends!

At the Thursday night Lakewood cholent crawl, I had the time of my life.

The lamb cholent at Snaps was amazing and had no commercial taste at all.

But, I need to take a moment to talk about the gala at Glatt Gourmet.

Yes! I eat gala and I’m not afraid of the calf jelly. It was delicious. Just enough garlic and black pepper ratio and extremely fresh.

–Faigy Murray @mykitchen_mystudio

Snaps: Owner Yussie Weisz talks to us about his Lekovod Shabbos Kodesh initiative. The idea is that by repeating this phrase as you cook, you transform your work into a mitzvah. You’ll be reminded of this often on Thursday nights, because the phrase is printed on all the placemats, as well as the free pins and stickers they give out.

Dlux: we came too late to experience this place in full, but according to fans who eat here weekly, this is one of the best deals in town, with all-you-can-eat cholent, kugel, kishka and Chinese food for $12.99. w w w.f leishigs.com

Monsey Week #3:

favorite, yapchik. We also tasted the liver, some ate it on the grieven (described by the manager as “kosher chicharones”), while others opted for keichel (thick crackers), pastrami rolled kishka, and an assortment of homemade pastries.

We were pretty full by the time we left Yapchik (midnight), but we had other stops to make.

We headed around the corner to Glatt Bite, where we ordered their cholent, kugel and kishka special.

We also tried some wontons, poppers and wings, before rushing out to make one last stop. At this point, it was already 12:45 AM, but luckily Dlux was right around the corner, so we made it just before closing time. We arrived too late to take advantage of the all-youcan-eat option, so we ordered a cholent special (cholent, kugel and kishka), and enjoy it for just a few minutes before the clock hit before the clock hit 1AM. Week #2 conclusion? Lakewood doesn't mess around.

The no-potato cholent at Dlux and Glatt Bite were quite similar and flavorful, with an intensity that cholent is famous for.

We met at our first stop, Nussy’s, a popular monsey spot with a large menu and a tiny seating area. We tried multiple types of cholent, as well as some other menu selections, including onion kugel, grilled kishka, and everyone’s favorite dish here: yapchik. Nussy’s offers three types of cholent: regular, barley and pastrami. All three were delicious, though quite similar. The regular is a typical heimish sans potato, basic spiced cholent done right. The barley (sans-potato) had less beans and was therefore a bit lighter, while the pastrami had strong peppery, smoky notes that provided a rich, luxurious taste.

Next, we made our way around the corner to Monsey BBQ, a shawarma restaurant. They add cholent and kugel to their menu on Thursday nights, and we tred those along with some of their regular menu items, including lamb shawarma.

After that, we headed over to Kosher Castle, a Monsey institution, where we ordered the VIP cholent platter. This one came with cholent, potato kugel, kishka, flanken, jachnun, cholent eggs, coleslaw, pickles, and surprisingly, sliced bread. We also tried some other Thursday night offerings, like deli roll and gala.

One thing we noticed at this point was that every cholent spot was pretty quiet.

We wondered, “Where are all of the people?” and aren’t sure if Monsey is less into the “cholent scene” than the other towns we visited or perhaps it was a quiet night?

Next on the cholent crawl was the most unique spot on our itinerary: the mini-mart at the On the Go - Shell Gas Station.

Their takeout counter is normally milchig (don’t worry, they sell Fleishigs magazine!), but on Thursday night they serve a full array of pareve cholent, kugel, yapchik and kishka, alongside the baked ziti and salads. We ordered pretty much all of the Thursday night menu, and ate it standing at the counter. We found it to be pretty impressive for pareve food found in a gas station mini-mart! The cholent was spiced just right (not at all spicy) but had hints of paprika and garlic, which we all enjoyed.

Our next stop was Mechel’s, another tiny restaurant where we crowded around a tiny table and sat on folding chairs or perched on cases of drinks. We tried the cholent, kugel, yapchik, shlishkes (a Hungarian delicacy, breadcrumb coated potato-based dumplings), and liver before moving on to our next stop.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

25

This time we headed across town to 306 Southern BBQ, where we saw our first real “matzav” of the night. Their Thursday night special includes cholent, potato kugel, kishka, cole slaw, a pickle and a beer (the first alcohol offering from all of the places we’ve visited, a welcomed treat!). We also tried one of their specialties: smoked brisket and pastrami, which came with all the necessary sandwich accoutrements: bread, sauces, pickles, coleslaw and potato salad. The cholent at 306 was our favorite in Monsey, due to the complex, but subtle barbecue flavor. We also liked the spoton texture achieved by the perfect mix of potato, beans, and barley. The restaurant style atmosphere of 306 Southern BBQ definitely is the classiest and more enjoyable spot we visited on our cholent crawl.

After six stops and a lot of cholent, week #3 is under wraps.

ON THE GO SHELL GAS STATION:

An outsider walking into what appears to be an ordinary gas station mini-mart might think they had just stepped into an alternate universe.

Everything here is kosher, from the pastry showcase, to the pre-made sandwiches, to the coffee, beer, slushy drinks and all of the snacks.

The kosher takeout counter serving dairy fare and salads on a daily basis is what impressed us the most about this gas station! The lack of seating didn’t stop us from tasting the pareve offerings while sipping on some passion fruit slushies.

26

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

Five Towns, NY

Monsey Week #3:

Week #4:

FOOD TRAVELER

Five Towns, NY (Inwood, Woodmere, Cedarhurst, Hewlett & Lawrence) is a hub of kosher culture which has grown substantially in the last decade. Along with the vast growth of kosher options (think four major kosher supermarkets), comes the establishment of the Thursday night cholent scene, which was unheard of in the Five Towns five years ago. Unlike other cities, the cholent scene here takes place at local restaurants that typically specialize in anything but cholent.

Judd’s Memphis’s Kitchen (Cedarhurst) offers up a peppery, barleyfilled cholent that is spot on. He also serves one of our favorite versions of yapchik. We love the beefy, schmaltzy (in a good way) overnight flavor that makes its way into the potato based, cholent alternative, yapchik. Tanami, a local Israeli joint in Lawrence that doles out homemade laffas and incredible falafel pitas, serves up a w w w.f leishigs.com

FOOD TRAVELER

It was amazing to see how many different types of cholent there are. Everyone had their own spin and it really struck me. Obviously, the ones with more fat were the ones that had more flavor. I actually brought my own cholent on the Monsey cholent crawl and it was a lighter, healthier version, but still had fat. My secret? Avocado oil.

Fat is always a good thing. We can’t be so afraid of it. -Malky @comiccook

Grill on Lee's VIP platter combines the ultimate kiddush meal on one platter. Overnight eggs, Yemenite jachnun, flanken, potato kugel, kishka, cholent, coleslaw and pickles make for a memorable meal.

classic cholent. We all couldn’t get enough of Tanami’s piping hot American-style cholent swirled with some creamy, cool hummus: it was a merging of two cultures in the best way possible. West Wing, located in Hewlett, stays open until 1 AM Thursday night.

At West Wing, Thursday night specials include cholent, soups and kugel. What stood out even more than the cholent, was the hawaijbased Yemenite soup, generously loaded with meat and potatoes.

We also enjoyed their famous, uber-crunchy, sweet and sticky chicken wings. Just fifteen minutes from JFK airport, one can find a growing center of kosher options offering up unique Jewish eats.

When friends and family heard that I was embarking on this cholent crawl, they all had one question: Aren’t you sick of cholent already? Well let me tell you folks. It’s almost 2 AM as I sit and finish up the article, and yet I find myself craving...you guessed it - cholent!

THE WINNERS ARE

THE CHOLENT CHRONICLES: AWARDS EDITION BEST CHOLENT OVERALL: Dips

BEST SPECIALTY CHOLENT: Snaps (Lamb Cholent)

BEST KISHKA: Grill on Lee

BEST YAPCHIK: Yapchik

BEST POTATO KUGEL: VIP Grill

BEST CHOPPED LIVER: Glatt Gourmet

BEST SELECTION: Yapchik

BEST VIBE: Essen

Gottlieb's in Williamsburg brings a nostalgic factor and hasn't changed much since they first open decades ago.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

27

COOKBOOK REVIEW

THE 100 MOST JEWISH FOODS:

A HIGHLY DEBATABLE LIST Edited by Alana Newhouse with Stephanie Butnick

W

hat don’t Jews debate? It turns out...not much. Even the top 100 Jewish foods is up for debate.

Beyond the cool, mod-style photos are 25 hilarious illustrations like one that depicts Tom Colicchio’s description of white fish perfectly. “It’s the redheaded stepchild of lox. But the truth is, I actually prefer it.” There is also an honest essay by Liel Leibovitz about treyf that was inspiring to read.

Alana Newhouse, editor in chief of Tablet (a daily online magazine of Jewish culture) brings together a highly debatable list of 100 Jewish foods that is based upon “foods that contain the deepest Jewish significance—the ones that, through the history of our people (however you date it), have been most profoundly inspired by the rhythms of the Jewish calendar and the contingencies of the Jewish experience.”

This book is downright entertaining and the most interesting cookbook we’ve read this year. Each of the 100 foods chosen are shared with fascinating essays written by an array of distinguished personalities and cookbook authors. Gail Simmons shares her love of pickles, Tom Colicchio writes about white fish, author and actress Jill Kargman about wine, and even fashion designer Zac Posen (did you know he recently added cookbook author to his long list of accomplishments?) shares his love of borscht. Ruth Reichl’s account of cooking lamb for Pesach and the kashrus issues she faced was fascinating and meaningful. Even famed restaurateur and author Eric Ripert chimes in with thoughts about gefilte fish, which, in his view, “is not as bad as it’s made out to be!”

The book brings so many different voices and perspectives celebrating what Jewish food is all about, all the while sharing a collection of 60 well-researched beloved recipes by talents like Uri Scheft (babka and kubaneh), Molly Yeh (homemade halva), Einat Admony (challah) and Joan Nathan (roasted chicken, sufganiyot, brisket and chopped liver).

The book is laid out in a straightforward way, making it very easy to read. The recipes are shared in a way that gives the reader a feeling of confidence that the recipes will turn out, and allows the reader to recreate traditions from the Jewish diaspora within their own kitchens.

The book combines typical Ashkenazi fare, like stuffed cabbage and herring, with traditional Sephardic fare, like Yemenite soup and yerba, syrian grape leaves. Unlike traditional cookbooks divided by food categories, this book goes through each dish or ingredient (margarine, tea bags, bazooka gum and kosher sushi, for example) with recipes and/or essays to correspond to each item that made the highly debatable list.

The book combines good food, solid recipes, 100 full color photos, Jewish culture, and personal essays in 304 pages of jam-packed food fun.

Alana Newhouse is the edito-in-chief of Tablet, a daily online magazine of Jewish news, ideas, and culture that launched in 2009.

Prior to Tablet, she spent five years as culture editor of The Forward, where she supervised coverage of books, films, dance, music, art, and ideas. She also started a line of Forward-branded books with W.W. Norton and edited its maiden publication, A Living Lens: Photographs of Jewish Life from the Pages of the Forward. A graduate of Barnard College and Columbia’s Graduate School of Journalism, Newhouse has contributed to the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and Slate.

28

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

PICKLES

BY GAIL SIMMONS  This essay by Gail Simmons is excerpted from The 100 Most Jewish Foods

by Alana Newhouse (Artisan Books).

Copyright © 2019.

As far back as I can remember, full-sour dill pickles have been the single most important food in my life.

There’s no other flavor as satisfying, or that defines my family and my Jewish heritage as perfectly, as a pickle. Allow me to explain: My mother was a fabulous cook. Growing up in Toronto, I was spoiled by the freshly made meals she prepared each day. My father, on the other hand, could barely boil water.

But somehow he managed to become our family pickle maker.

Each year in late summer, when Kirby cucumbers came into season, my father would drag home a giant bushel from the market, and for two days my mother’s kitchen would become his pickling lab. I cannot imagine our fridge or cellar without a jar or twelve of his full-sour, dillweed-infused, lip-smacking, face-­puckering pickles. We ate them all year round, after school or as midnight snacks, with burgers or roast turkey, piled onto platters and served every Friday night for Shabbat, but also on Rosh Hashanah, Passover, and Hanukkah. No holiday table was complete without them.

In my early twenties, I moved to New York for culinary school. One afternoon, tired and homesick, I went to the Lower East Side looking for a pickle to curb my craving.

After tasting a few from the area’s last remaining pickle sellers, I landed on one that did the trick. It wasn’t quite as sour as my father’s; its crunchy exterior didn’t give way to a softer, intensely fermented center exactly as I had hoped, but it came close. And so for the next ten years, I loyally schlepped jars home to my Chelsea apartment whenever time allowed. When I got married in 2008 (to a fellow pickle enthusiast), it seemed only fitting that my father make a hundred jars of pickles to give to our guests as a memento, but the logistics of importing so many pickles across the border in their precious liquid proved insurmountable. So I pleaded with my pickle dealer to sell me jars of his pickles to custom-label for the occasion.

He reluctantly agreed, and the wedding went off without a hitch.

A few years later, my husband and I had a daughter. As I watched my friends struggle with picky eaters and infinite demands for candy and sweets, a slow and steady fear took hold. What if my child didn’t like pickles? Thankfully, my husband’s and my predisposed taste buds were passed down to yet another generation, and at five years old, my daughter counts pickles among her favorite foods. We eat them together when I get home from work, on every Jewish holiday, and whenever we see them on restaurant menus. She demands them in her lunch and once in a while for breakfast, too. I couldn’t be more proud. She equates them with her grandfather, and I hope that in time, she will come to think of them as I do: as a vital link to our past and to the generations of Jewish pickle eaters who came before us.

Turn to page

82

for pickle recipe

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

29

SOUR DOUGH

30

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

SOUR DOUGH

SOURDOUGH

BY CHAYA SURI LEITNER

DEBUNKING MYTHS The sour flavor depends on the process you use to prepare the dough and the end result can be either mild or tangy.

Once you have an established starter, you don’t need to “baby” and feed it every day. You can store it in the fridge and feed it once a week.

Baking sourdough bread may seem like a lengthy or daunting process, but in reality it is effortless once you understand the process.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

31

SOUR DOUGH

SOURDOUGH TOPPED WITH SHMALTZ HERRING, CHEF ISAAC'S PICKLED CHILIS, CAPERS AND LEMON ZEST

SOURDOUGH WITH A NONDAIRY SOUR CREAM SHMEAR; TOPPED WITH PICKLED SALMON, RADISH, RED ONIONS SLICES, SCALLIONS AND POPPY SEEDS

HERRING IS HAVING ITS MOMENT: There is no greater kiddush food and alcoholic chaser than briny, acidic herring. Serving traditionally Jewish herring on sourdough with ingredients like capers, lemon zest and radishes is what 2019 kiddush feasting is all about.

32

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

SOUR DOUGH

SOURDOUGH:

MY JOURNEY W

hen I came across a beautiful photo of sourdough bread about five years ago, all I could think about was serving this fresh, crusty bread alongside duck rillette and mostarda at my next party. Without knowing when, where or why the party was happening, I was sure about what I was serving. All I needed to do was find out how to make it. I started doing research and and scoured the web for any information on sourdough. Since there were limited resources available at the time, I decided to experiment on my own based on some bits and pieces of information I encountered on different websites. Upon learning that sourdough is actually healthy, my determination to succeed only intensified. Over time I started to understand the process in great depth. After months of persistent effort and lots of trial and quite a bit of error, my bread was looking good enough to post on my Instagram feed. I branched out from basic sourdough and experimented with sourdough babka, sourdough pie and even sourdough croissants.

Chaya Suri @spiceandzest offers in-person workshops, which will soon be available online, on everything sourdough.

Her workshops are thorough and chockfull of information.

Her classes are delivered on a very basic, comprehensible level so that anyone can learn the art from beginning to end in a matter of hours. Over the past 4 years, Chaya Suri has successfully taught over one thousand participants, most of whom are masters of the art today as a result. For more information on her workshops as well as many first hand-tips and tricks, visit her website spiceandzest.com.

As I slowly built a following by sharing my process on Instagram, people started reaching out to me with questions about sourdough and requests to teach them the tricks of the trade. At first, I was hesitant, but decided to take the plunge and hosted my very first sourdough workshop over four years ago. I created a process that allows me to keep it simple and prevent the typical overwhelming feelings that arise when faced with lots of new and detailed information. Many people who come to my workshop are "newbies" who know nothing about this process and will be baking their own sourdough breads in their home in less than a week. I’ve had other participants who already bake sourdough and want to brush up and perfect their skills, and they walk away from my workshop with new information to help them improve their sourdough baking. As of today, I've taught over one thousand people and I feel tremendous joy and satisfaction when I see the beautiful sourdough creations that my students create.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

33

SOUR DOUGH

SOURDOUGH? WHAT'S THAT? C

irca 2011, that would have been my answer to any question about sourdough bread. Back then, the question was rarely asked because there was very little awareness about this age-old process.

Currently, sourdough is experiencing a resurgence in popularity, and everyone from novice baker to highend restaurant wants in on the trend. Besides being beautiful and delicious, sourdough bread is known to be a whole lot healthier than any commercial bread you can find on the shelf.

Unlike standard supermarket yeast (a.k.a. commercial yeast), sourdough bread is made using a starter: wild yeast. It is a natural yeast formed by a 7-10 day process of mixing flour and water called fermentation.

In addition to its unique texture and taste, fermented dough has a lot of health benefits.

Wheat kernels are full of vital minerals, like vitamin K, zinc, potassium and magnesium. However, there are two substances in wheat, phytic acid and gluten, that effect the absorption of these minerals; they make it hard to digest the good stuff and are a leading factor in gluten intolerance. Fermenting the wheat is the solution.

Fermentation (making your own starter versus using commercial yeast) breaks down the phytic acid and gluten in the dough, allowing for easier digestion and deeply flavored bread.

34

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

SOUR DOUGH

SOURDOUGH: WORDS TO KNOW AUTOLYSE

CRUMB

The step in which flour and water are mixed until just combined and allowed to rest before adding salt, leavening, or further ingredients.

Crumb refers to the texture of the inside of baked goods.

BANNETON Banneton baskets are also known as brotform or proofing baskets. They are typically used for doughs that are too soft or wet to maintain their shape.

BULK RISE This step is the first fermentation period of the dough after the initial mixing of flour, starter and water and often comes after a period of kneading.

BOULE Boule is a French word that refers to the ball-like, traditional shape of French bread.

HOOCH Hooch is a layer of liquid that sometimes accumulates on the top of the sourdough starter. It often has a component of alcohol to it due to infrequent feedings or stress on the sourdough starter. It can be poured off just before a feeding to rid the starter of any off flavors.

HYDRATION The ratio of water to flour in a sourdough starter or bread dough. The hydration is calculated by dividing the total amount of water by the total amount of flour.

LEAVEN A sourdough leavening agent made from a sourdough mother culture.

SCORING Scoring is slashing the dough with a blade or a sharp knife to allow the bread to expand during baking.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

35

SOUR DOUGH

SOURDOUGH STARTER

THE PROCESS

Starting a sourdough starter generally takes anywhere from 5-10 days depending on the environment. Keep in mind that in cooler settings it can take as long as 14 days, while it can take as little as 5 days in really warm settings.

To start your starter you need: 1. A container (anything but stainless steel) 2. Food scale 3. Good quality unbleached flour 4. Rice flour 5. Water 6. Dutch oven pot 7. Lots of patience Starter Recipe: You need to feed your starter every day, twice a day. This generally takes anywhere from 5-10 days.

4 ounces whole grain flour 4 ounces lukewarm water Start by mixing the whole grain flour and water in a non-reactive container (at least 1 quart in size) into a thick paste. Cover with a dish towel or plastic wrap and seal with a rubber band. Place mixture in warm spot.

After 24 hours, discard half the starter and mix in equal amounts (4 ounces, in weight) of all-purpose flour and water.

Each day, repeat this process and add equal amounts of all-purpose flour and water by weight (I like to recommend 40 grams to start with) and mix it well.

The starter is active when it has doubled in size, has a tangy aroma, and has many bubbles.

Take what you need from this starter to make your first sourdough bread.

Once the starter is active you can either store it in the fridge, where it will hibernate, or proceed to bake immediately. When storing starter in your fridge, remember to feed it once a week to maintain sourdough life.

Tip: Try the “floating test” to see if your starter is ready to use. Simply drop a spoonful of starter in a cup of water and if it floats to the top your starter is ready. Keep in mind, whole grain flours are heavier so they won’t float.

PREPARING TO BAKE If your starter has been hibernating in the fridge, you can reactivate it by feeding the starter 6-8 hours prior to baking, and then waiting until it’s active and bubbly. Once your starter is bubbly and active, you are ready to bake. Prepare the dough according to recipe.

Basic artisan - 73% hydration 100g leaven (bubbly sourdough starter) 400g white whole wheat bread flour 100g whole wheat flour 365g warm water (330g for initial dough +35g for when adding salt) 10g salt Equal amounts white whole wheat and rice flour, for shaping dough Preparing the Dough: In a large bowl combine 100g leaven and 330g of water, whole wheat and bread flours and mix until well incorporated.

Autolyse: Cover the bowl and leave to rest. After 30-40 minutes of rest, add 30g of water and 10g salt, and knead until salt and water is combined into dough.

Bulk Rise (a.k.a. ‘bulk ferment’): Cover and set the bowl in a warm area (75-80°F) for 3-4 hours or for 6-8 hours in a cooler place.

During the bulk rise, perform a “stretch and fold” every 30-60 minutes for the duration of the bulk rise time period. Grab the underside of the dough, stretch it out and fold back over itself. Do this twice for every stretch and fold you perform.

Bench Rest: Scoop the dough onto the countertop. Lightly flour the top of the dough.

Very gently turn over the dough so the floured side is face down, fold the dough on all 4 ends and gently shape

36

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

into a round boule. Leave to rest for 20 minutes. The edges should be round and thick (it's okay if it flattens a little) but they should not taper off. If they do taper off or flatten, reshape and let sit for another 20 minutes.

Shaping: Sprinkle a lined bowl or banneton with 50/50 flour blend of rice and white wheat flour. Fold bottom third up, right side third over, left side third over, top third over and then roll the entire loaf over and gently pull toward you, letting tension form. Then place loaf upside down in the prepared bowl. Let it rise, covered with a dish towel, for 3-4 hours at room temperature or place in refrigerator for 8-24 hours (known as ‘retard’).

Baking: Place your Dutch oven in a cold oven and preheat to 500°F. Place a sheet of parchment paper over work surface or kitchen counter. Lightly dust with flour. Gently invert bread from bowl onto parchment paper. Score the top of the bread, using a lame or razor (alternatively, you can also use a knife), and gently place the dough into the Dutch oven.

Bake at 500°F covered for 20 minutes. Remove lid, lower temperature to 450°F and continue to bake for an additional 20-30 minutes until crust is a rich dark amber color.

Let it cool on wire rack.

w w w.f leishigs.com

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

37

HERRING

TRADITION! TRADITION!

BY MAIRA KALMAN  This essay

by Maira Kalman is excerpted from The 100 Most Jewish Foods

by Alana Newhouse (Artisan Books).

Copyright © 2019.

Herring have been swimming around in large schools for thousands of years. Occasionally, a predator comes and eats them. And yet they survive. The ultimate Jewish experience.

The ultimate Jewish fish.

Everyone in my family ate herring, except for me. They stank. They were oily and, in my opinion, hairy. Though I know a fish can’t be hairy. But when my mother would eat a piece, I would see all these hairlike bones sticking out of her mouth. Herring were eaten with boiled potatoes. Sour cream. Thick slices of dark bread. The way they ate them for dinner in the little village of Lenin in Belarus. A family sitting around a table in a grubby shack, eating smelly fish. They were eaten with arguments and accusations. Or gentle love. With millions of questions being asked.

The family left Belarus. And came to Palestine.

There was plenty of herring eating there. Then my parents moved us from what was by then Israel to Riverdale, in the Bronx. There were plenty of Jews there. No need to pine for that. Sunday was brunch day for everyone.

My father would take me to buy the food for the brunch. Rugelach from Mother’s Bake Shop. Knishes from Liebman’s Deli. But most important was the trip to Daitch supermarket.

There we bought bagels, cream cheese, tomatoes, nova. And the herring.

The deli counterman would plunge a big twopronged fork into a pickled herring and, with a deft motion, place it on the wooden cutting board and slice it into pieces. Then they were spilled into a container that was filled with cream and onions. The cream and onions were, to me, the only good part. We brought the herring home and had our own version of sitting around a table. Some arguments.

Some silence. Some singing. A messy mix of inexplicable actions and emotions. With a certain amount of festive exuberance and cultural comfort. And so it went. And so it still goes.

When Chekhov died, his body was sent to the funeral in a refrigerated train car full of herring. They accompanied the great writer to his end. The fish were innocently sitting in their boxes next to the big box of Chekhov.

That is enough to make you like them. And now I actually do.

38

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

JALAPEÑO HERRING

SOUR DOUGH

BY FAIGY MURRAY

Herring is one of those things that most women will shake their heads at. I, on the other hand, run toward it! My father would always bring herring home on Sunday mornings, and as a little girl I remember clutching my cracker waiting for him to give me a piece. The saltiness of the herring and the smooth creamy bite is the ultimate explosion of flavors.

Utter perfection!

After I got married I used to occasionally indulge in herring, but never together with my husband or kids. I never even knew my husband liked herring, until a few years ago when he came home from a kiddush in shul and told me he had the best herring. “Herring?? You don’t even likeit!" I said. He shared that there was one specific type he thoroughly enjoyed! Talk about high expectations.

I set out on a mission to find this “one type.” Every time I went to the grocery store, I would buy various herring brands and a mix of flavors, but every one he tasted the herring I purchased his response was the same. “It’s not like the one at the kiddush.” I knew the caterer of the kiddush and I finally decided to call him. He was too kind and gave me the recipe and technique for making it. It took me months to perfect it and make it to my husband’s satisfaction. I think I can now say that I finally nailed it!

2 17-ounce packages plain brined herring 2 large onions 6 jalapeño peppers 1 tablespoon coarse black pepper 1 tablespoon pickling spice 3 bay leaves Oil Slice the onions and jalapeños into very thin rings, and set aside in a bowl.

Drain the herring, and cut into bite-sized pieces and place in the same bowl.

Mix the remaining ingredients into the herring and then transfer into an air-tight container Pour oil over everything until it just reaches the top of the herring.

Cover tightly and let marinate in the fridge for 5-14 days (the longer it marinates, the better).

Faigy Murray is the editor of Taste Magazine, based in Lakewood, N.J. She is a recipe developer and food photographer who shares the recipes she creates for her husband and children on her popular Instagram page @mykitchen_mystudio.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

39

SYRIAN FEAST

BASBOOSA

ST

UL BO

TH

B

WI

TA

K SKIRT STEA

EH

Be My Guest

R

IN

G

BE

WRITTEN BY CHAVA WITKES

AN

S

LAHA

MA

GE

NE

H

RECIPES BY JACQUELINE ELBAZ

40

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

A

M

AN

S TA

CHE

N

TH

AP

RIC

OTS

SYRIAN FEAST

CROCKPO

S MUSHROOM

S

I

EH

H EC T M

H

BB

RA

I

KI

YEB

W

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

41

SYRIAN FEAST

Y

ou know that friend whose freezer is always full?

The one who never serves frozen fish sticks for dinner? Jacqueline Tawil Elbaz is that friend. The Brooklyn-based private chef has been whipping up batches of kibbeh and jibn ever since she watched her great-grandmother in the kitchen as a kid. “My great-grandmother didn’t know how to read or write English, but she was a crazy chef,” Jacqueline says as she rinses long grains of white rice. She’s at Fleishigs headquarters to demo a Purim seudah that would make Achashverosh jealous.

Of course, like her great-grandmother, grandmother and mother before her, this Syrian powerhouse never measures.

She eyeballs the dried apricots and tamarind paste that she tosses into a saucepan. That’s the way Syrian cooking works: a little bit of this; a little bit of that. “The joke is that nobody’s food is going to come out the same,” Jacqueline explains.

But not everything Jacqueline makes would be recognizable to her Syrian ancestors. “I use cauliflower rice to stuff mechshi—I’ve even made cauliflower lahamagene,” she says.

Oh, and she never adds sugar to her yebra. “The dried fruit is sweet enough!” Since her husband got into health and stopped making his “Ashki cholent” eight years ago, the crockpot is stilled hauled out every Thursday—but for mechshi, the Syrian term for a stuffed vegetable.

“Stuffffed” (with four f’s) was her great aunt’s idea for the name of her food personality and Instagram channel­— because in Syrian tradition, “Everything is stuffed. We stuff the zucchini, the eggplant, the dough; we stuff the freezer; we stuff ourselves.”

In between mincing garlic and checking fresh sprigs of mint, the 36-year-old mom of 4 bemoans the dying art of making-itfrom-scratch. “They’re even selling saltwater for Pesach!” she says. “What’s the matter with us?”

That’s not the way it works in the Elbaz house, where all her kids, aged 12, 11, 6, and 4 know how to cook. “Letting kids into the kitchen is what keeps tradition alive,” Jacqueline says. “I want my future generations to stay connected to our grandparents, our great-grandparents, our Syrian heritage.”

Their time in the kitchen truly pays off, and the Elbaz kids all have keen taste buds. “On Shabbat, my four-year-old cries if I don’t make her lemony artichokes.” Maybe it’s because Jacqueline is that mom who never makes Wacky Mac. “If I need a quick dinner, I pull something out of the freezer,” she says.

(Obviously, Jacqueline owns a chest freezer.)

Want to start cooking Syrian at home? Jacqueline says the first step is to buy a copy of Aromas of Aleppo, the bible of Syrian food written by the legendary Poopa Dwek (plus you might spot the photo of a Tawil bris in there from 1989). The next step is to restock your spice cabinet. Jacqueline has at least fifty spices, including Syrian staples like cumin and allspice, plus a rotation of fun mixes that she’ll pick up at Trader Joe’s. And finally, you need to start cooking 2 days in advance.

“All Syrian food tastes better the next day,” she explains. Sorry, there are no shortcuts here—Syrian food takes hours to cook.

But if you have the time—and patience—here’s the menu for a banquet that would make Queen Esther proud.

42

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

KIBBE MUSHROOMS Syrian butcher shops have already-prepped kibbeh hamda, so you can skip the step of making your own if you have access to a Syrian butcher shop.

Kibbe Hamda: 1 pound very lean ground beef ¾ cup uncooked ground rice (ground by butcher or in a spice grinder) Salt, to taste Filling: ½ pound ground beef 1 tablespoons vegetable oil or schmaltz 2 tablespoons finely chopped celery 1 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoons ground allspice Sauce: 2 (8-ounce) packs mixed mushrooms 1 teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon black pepper 1 tablespoon allspice (or baharat spice blend) Grind rice and meat together. Add salt to taste. Combine filling ingredients well. Mix a little oil and a few drops of fresh lemon juice on a plate. Dip your finger in this mixture to prevent shell from sticking. Roll the shell mixture into 1” ball. Hollow each ball with your finger and fill with about 1 teaspoon of filling.

Close the opening by pinching it together firmly. Kibbes may be frozen prior to cooking and used as needed.

When ready to cook, heat a teaspoon of oil in pot. When hot, add kibbeh balls to brown about 4-6 minutes. Add mushrooms to pot and season with salt, pepper and allspice.

Let mushrooms cook down, about 12 minutes, and add enough water to pot to cover kibbeh halfway. Lower flame to a simmer, cover and cook for 30 minutes.

THE CORNERSTONES 10 staples of a Syrian kitchen 1. Rice 2. Allspice 3. Cinnamon 4. Cumin 5. Fresh lemons 6. Mint 7. Dill 8. Tamarind 9. Tomato paste 10. Aleppo pepper

Notes: The sauce is lemony and acidic. You can customize the flavor to suit your preferred flavor profile by adding apricots, tamarind and some sugar for added sweetness. w w w.f leishigs.com

SYRIAN FEAST

The Lingo

If you want to cook Syrian, you have to talk Syrian Hashu: filling for kibbeh Hamda: outer layer of kibbeh made from ground rice and meat, available at syrian butchers everywhere Yebra: stuffed grape leaves Mechshi: stuffed vegetables Kibbeh: stuffed meat

CROCKPOT MECHSHI Serves: 12 To core zucchini, Jacqueline uses a special, inexpensive plastic tool she purchased at kitchenware shop Kitchen Caboodles in Flatbush, New York.

The tool, popular in Israel, is specially-made to core vegetables for meschi.

Vegetables: 1 pack mini peppers 10 small zucchini Filling (aka hashu): 1 pound of ground beef ⅓ cup rice, soaked for 30 minutes 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon cinnamon, optional 1 teaspoon kosher salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ½ onion, grated Sauce: 3 lemons 2 (14-oz.) cans tomato sauce Dried mint Fresh garlic Cut tops off mini peppers and using a paring knife, gently cut out seeds and pith.

Slice zucchini in half and core out seeds using an apple corer.

Combine filling ingredients together and stuff into vegetables.

If you have any leftover filling, you can form them into mini meatballs and add them to the sauce.

Combine sauce ingredients and place in crockpot.

Add stuffed vegetables (and mini meatballs). Place slow cooker on low heat and cook for up to 24 hours.

Turn to page

44

YEBRA WITH APRICOTS for

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

43

SYRIAN FEAST LAHAMAGENE H A M A N TA S C H E N

TA B B O U L E H Serves: 8

Serves: 24 Majorly ahead of current meat pizza trends, this Syrian version is absolutely addictive. Usually made on mini rounds of pizza dough, these are the ideal appetizer or party bite. Jacqueline shapes them into hamantaschen to celebrate Purim.

Because these freeze so well, it is worth making a lot at once and freezing them for later use. We used the Mazor brand of mini pizza dough with much success.

48 (2 12-ounce packages) mini pizza dough rounds ½ cup tamarind paste 2 tablespoons ketchup 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1-2 grated onions (about ½ cup) Juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoons ground allspice 2 pounds chopped meat ½ cup pine nuts, optional Preheat oven to 350°F. Lay pizza rounds on parchment lined baking sheets or cookie sheets.

Combine the tamarind paste, ketchup, tomato paste, grated onions, lemon juice and allspice to create a smooth sauce.

Mix sauce into ground meat.

Place a tablespoon of meat mixture over each dough rounds, spreading lightly, leaving a bit of room around the edges.

You can bake as is, or form into a triangle shape to create meat hamantaschen.

Place a few pine nuts over the meat.

Bake for 20-22 minutes, until dough is lightly golden brown.

You can freeze them raw or baked.

What makes this tabbouleh stand-out is the tart lemon juice and Aleppo pepper.

YEBRA WITH APRICOTS Serves: 8 This recipe is the perfect combination of sweet and sour flavor profiles.

40 stuffed grape leaves ⅓ cup tamarind paste 2-3 lemons Salt, to taste 2 cups Turkish apricots 1 tablespoon olive oil

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

Pour boiling hot water over bulgur.

Cover and let steep until all water is absorbed. Juice the lemons into the bulgur.

Mix in remaining ingredients.

Serve with extra scallions and mint.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place half the apricots in the bottom of a 9” pan. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons tamarind and the juice of 1 lemon.

Top with grape leaves and then cover with the rest of the apricots and the remaining tamarind, lemon juice and olive oil. Cover tightly and bake for 30 minutes. Serve warm.

Grape leaves: Makes: 60 grape leaves 1 pound lean ground beef 1 cup uncooked white rice ½ cup tomato sauce ½ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 1 teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon salt 1 (16 ounce) jar grape leaves Soak grape leaves in cold water for 2-3 hours. (Jarred grape leaves are very salty from the brine solution.)

Rinse and drain in a colander. Set aside. In a mixing bowl, combine the other ingredients.

Place a grape leaf facing down on a flat surface. Place 1-2 tablespoons of meat mixture in the middle.

Fold in the sides and roll upward, like you would an eggroll.

At this point, cook grape leaves following recipe instructions above or simply by steaming in water for 30-45 minutes.

You can also freeze stuffed grape leaves for a few months.

44

2 cups fine bulgur 2 cups boiling hot water 4 lemons 2 teaspoons ground cumin 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper or crushed red pepper 1 teaspoon salt 2 tomatoes, finely diced Scallions, finely chopped

SKIRT STEAK WITH STRING BEANS Serves: 4 1½ pounds skirt steak 1 pound haricot verts 1 large onion, thinly sliced 3 cloves fresh garlic, grated 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon black pepper Soak skirt steak in ice cold water on your countertop for 4 hours, or overnight, covered in the fridge.

Pat dry. Heat a cast iron (or heavybottomed frying pan) over medium-high heat. Add oil and sear meat for 3 minutes per side, or until a dark brown crust develops (it can take up to 5 minutes per side). Remove steak from pan, lower heat to medium and fry onions for 15 minutes, until softened and golden.

Add green beans, allspice, black pepper and garlic and cook for 2 minutes.

Add steak and a bit of water and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve warm. w w w.f leishigs.com

BASBOOSA (diamond shaped semolina cake with shira syrup) Recipe by: Aliza Salem Aliza Salem runs a popular Instagram account @theghettogourmet. She is a recipe tester, and self-proclaimed foodie. Aliza is all about making amazing food without spending all day in the kitchen.

Shira (Rosewater) Syrup 2 cups sugar 1 ½ cups water Juice of 1 lemon 1 teaspoon orange blossom water or rosewater Semolina cake 2 cups semolina flour 2 tsp baking powder ½ cup margarine, softened at room temperature ¾ cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 eggs at room temp ¾ cup almond or soy milk ½ cup whole blanched almonds Preheat oven to 350°F. To make the shira syrup add 2 cups of sugar, water and lemon juice to a saucepan.

Bring to a boil over mediumhigh heat and stir to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to simmer and continue to boil for about 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the orange blossom water/rosewater and set the syrup aside to cool.

To make the semolina cake, sift together the semolina and baking powder in a bowl and set aside.

Add the margarine and sugar to the bowl of a mixer using the paddle attachment and cream together until light and fluffy. Next add the eggs, one at a time. Then add the vanilla.

Add one-third of the semolina mixture to the margarine sugar mixture and mix. Then add half the almond/soy milk and beat to incorporate. Finish adding the rest of the ingredients, alternating between the semolina and finishing with the milk.

Pour the batter into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan or into two 8-inch round cake pans and smooth out the top. To make the diamond shaped design, use a knife dipped in hot water to make diagonal lines in two directions on the surface of the batter, creating diamond shapes.

Place an almond in the center of each diamond. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until lightly browned on the top.

Remove the cake from the oven and pour some of the cooled shira syrup slowly over the entire cake while it is hot. Allow the syrup to soak into the cake before pouring on more, using up all the syrup. Set the cake aside until it is completely cooled.

Cut the basboosa into diamond-shaped pieces and serve at room temperature with coffee or tea.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

45

SHABBOS KIDDUSH

,

BY CHAVA WITKES RECIPES & TIPS BY HESHY JAY

The founder of Scoop and Company dishes on designing a kiddush people are pumped to be invited to. (Spoiler alert: He's certainly not serving jarred gefilte fish!)

46

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

47

SHABBOS KIDDUSH

I

t’s time to reclaim a meal category that doesn’t have to be defined by gloopy cholent and stale sponge cake. When Heshy Jay serves Shabbos kiddush, it’s a gala event (not to be confused with gala, which, side note, you know he will present in the chicest of ways) served on his marbletopped kitchen island that takes center stage for the occasion. Classic Jewish supermarket fare—think cold cuts, potato knishes, and kishka—find new life in the hands of this OG design genius (don't you dare call him a party-planner).

“Think of it as fleishig brunch,” Heshy says.

That means thinking outside the box when you’re planning a menu. Oh, and another thing? “Room temp is your friend,” says Heshy. “Because steak doesn’t need to be served piping hot.” He likes to switch things up with a fish bar (five exotic different flavors; we’re not talking about zaidy’s schmaltz) and steaming bowls of cheek meat risotto ladled out of a crockpot and drizzled with truffle oil. “It’s all about creativity and presentation.”

This confidence and innate foodie inclination doesn’t just happen. Heshy’s been in the food business since he was fourteen— as a line cook, dishwasher, waiter, and everything in between. But even though the seasoned chef knows how to wing it, his advice for staying calm when hosting is...to plan ahead. “Get all the prepping and chopping out of the way Thursday night; set up paper goods (the fancy kind, wink, wink) after Friday dinner; give yourself an hour before Shul in the morning to prepare all your steak components.”

If it sounds like a busy weekend for someone who’s always on during the week, that’s because it is. Heshy’s days start at 6 AM with the gym—“which is important for 48

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

anyone around food all day,”—and can end as late as 3 am if there’s an event to pull off. “We’re all lazy,” he says, “but I keep myself going with a ‘cando’ attitude. We have to continue trucking.”

For this Brooklyn-born innovator, Shabbos doesn’t need to equal time off from the kitchen.

“Put me in front of a fridge full of raw material and I start to relax,” he says. “Cooking is my therapy.”

Granted, when he’s not on the grind, the party guru known for his over-the-top floral arches and private-island bashes is all about keeping it simple. “I don’t believe in spending crazy money or losing sleep to make a beautiful meal.”

Still, Heshy is a strong supporter of eating on real dishes. “Balabatish is a lifestyle, and it has nothing to do with how much money you have.” Besides for keeping it classy, Heshy is also passionate about hosting. “Having people over teaches your kids how to give.” And while he won’t let anyone quote him on his divrei Torah, he adds, “hachnosas orchim is in our DNA. It was probably in Sara Imeinu’s challah dough.”

The truth is, though, that maybe the real reason Heshy Jay doesn’t sleep in on Shabbos morning is because he genuinely enjoys watching people enjoy his food. “I’m happiest when those plates or charctuerie boards are licked clean.”

L’ C H A I M It’s not a party without a little booze. Try Heshy’s signature mix of triple sec, pineapple juice, tequila and simple syrupgarnished with fresh, chili-dipped pineapple. Stir all the ingredients together—no measurements here because you can’t mess it up—and throw in ice as your first guest walks through the door. w w w.f leishigs.com

BRUCE BACKMAN’S

PESACH in the NORTHEAST

AT THE LUXURIOUS

MARRIOTT WESTFIELDS RESORT Washington, DC Region

HIGHEST RATED AND MOST TRUSTED PESACH PROGRAM IN THE NATION’S CAPITOL HOME TO THE

“BEST FOOD IN THE BUSINESS” CHOLOV YISROEL GLATT KOSHER SHMURAH MATZOH NON-GEBROCHTS WITH

R ABBI SIMON JACOBSON R ABBI ARI BERGMANN R ABBI SAM TAYLOR R ABBI SIMON TAYLOR R ABBI SHLOMO PILL R ABBI REUVEN FL AMER R ABBI MENDEL JACOBSON E NTE RTA I N M E NT BY

GAD ELBAZ SHIR SOUL ROCK MISHPACHA BENSHIMON 8 TH DAY’S BENTZI MARCUS JOINED BY

Gil Troy Karen Paikin-Barrall Sanford Landa Rachel Pill

Shaindy Jacobson Emma Taylor Shifra Klein Shlomo Klein

F E AT U R E D A M E N ITI E S:

Indoor & Outdoor Pools Tennis • Basketball Art and Photography Classes Spa Services • Golf Professional Children’s Programming RESERVE NOW

774.353.0170 PESACHINTHENORTHEAST.COM

SHABBOS KIDDUSH 50

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

C H A R R E D E G G P L A N T W I T H B E E F B A C O N T O M AT O S A L S A Firing up eggplant gives it an unmatchable smoky flavor.

Don’t be afraid to turn up the heat.

1 whole eggplant 1 pint baby heirloom tomatoes 1 (4-ounce) pack beef bacon, steamed and chopped 1 small red onion, finely diced 1 clove garlic, minced 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar Ÿ cup extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper, to taste ½ cup fresh mint or parsley, chopped Raw tahini, for serving

Place eggplant on top of stovetop burner and turn the fire on to high.

Cook for 6 minutes or so per side, until charred and very tender inside. Do not walk away!

Allow to cool and peel gently to keep eggplant intact. Alternatively, place the eggplant in a bowl covered with plastic wrap or in a Ziploc bag. This steams the eggplant, allowing the skin to peel off with ease.

Gently place eggplant on serving platter of choice.

Use a fork to spread it out, while maintaining its eggplant shape.

Combine grape tomatoes, beef bacon, red onion, garlic, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Top eggplant with the tomato salad. Drizzle with tahini.

Top with fresh mint and parsley.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

51

SHABBOS KIDDUSH 52

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

ONION-HERB ROASTED BONE MARROW Take the bones out before shul, and come home to melty, meaty goodness that’s as good licked from a spoon as it is layered onto a cracker with roasted tomatoes and garlic.

3 (7-inch) pieces center-cut beef marrow bones, halved lengthwise by butcher ½ cup parsley ½ cup chopped fresh chives ½ cup french-fried onions 3 cloves fresh garlic, minced Salt and pepper to taste Preheat oven to 400°F. Combine parsley, chives, french fried onions, salt and pepper.

Place herb-onion mixture

over marrow bones.

Roast for 20 minutes.

Allow to cool.

Cover and store in fridge.

Four hours before the meal, remove bone marrows from fridge and place near warm crockpot, stove or warming drawer.

Serve with thin crackers, roasted tomatoes and roasted garlic.

R O A S T E D T O M AT O E S 1 pound vine cherry tomatoes ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 1 teaspoon kosher salt Preheat oven to 350°F. Drizzle oil over tomatoes and roast for 30 minutes.

ROASTED GARLIC 4 heads garlic 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Preheat the oven to 400°F. Slice off the top each head of garlic to expose some of the cloves inside. Place the heads on a piece of foil. Drizzle with olive oil and wrap in the foil.

Roast until cloves are lightly browned and tender, about 30 minutes.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

53

SHABBOS KIDDUSH

PA S T R A M I F L AT B R E A D S Overnight cooking means that the work is done while you sleep. You can use good quality store bought garlic mayo, like Saladmates Caesar dressing.

3-pound navel pastrami Thin flatbread style crackers or flatbreads Baby arugula Garlic mayo dressing

Graces Paintings is the brainchild of a talented artist who creates custom resin paintings, home decor and lifestyle products. These unique, versatile boards, are one example of Grace's unique creations and can be purchased at www.gracespaintings.com.

To view her stunning work, follow Grace on Instagram @gracespaintings.

54

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

Leave navel pastrami in its inner plastic packaging and place in a 9x13 pan filled onethirds with water.

Seal pan and place in warming drawer or in a crockpot on low, overnight.

Remove from packaging, shred and place on top of flatbreads.

Top with baby arugula and garlic mayo.

w w w.f leishigs.com

PRETZEL BITE DELI SKEWERS

WITH RUSSIAN DRESSING

Have you been looking for an excuse to buy those salty-sweet pretzel bites that recently hit supermarkets? Look no further.

Pretzel bites Sliced turkey Russian Dressing Skewers Slice the pretzel bites in half crosswise and place sliced turkey inside. Skewer the bites.

Serve with Russian dressing and pickles.

Russian Dressing: 1 cup mayonnaise ¼ cup ketchup ¼ cup sweet pickle relish 1 teaspoon garlic powder ½ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon ground black pepper Combine dressing ingredients together. Use as a dip or spread for pretzel deli bites.

D E L I P O TAT O K N I S H S L I D E R S All you need to elevate store-bought knishes is a few extra minutes of prep.

1 package mini potato knishes Dijon mustard (or mustard of choice) Sliced pastrami and/or turkey

Slice mini potato knishes almost all the way through in half, crosswise.

Spread dijon and fill with sliced deli.

Serve with additional mustard on the side.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

55

SHABBOS KIDDUSH 56

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

RIB STEAK WITH CHIMICHURRI Steak on Shabbos day? The secret is leaving the meat near a crockpot before your morning coffee, and you’ll be BBQ-ready when stomachs start to rumble.

Serves: 4-8 2 (1.5-inch) rib steaks 2 tablespoons oil 2 teaspoons kosher salt ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper 1 shallot, diced 1 cup chopped parsley ⅓ cup chopped fresh oregano (or extra parsley or cilantro) ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar Pinch of salt

Heat a grill pan over high heat. Evenly distribute salt and pepper over steak.

Sear for 4 minutes per side.

Allow to cool. Cover and place in fridge.

Combine remaining ingredients. Store the sauce covered in fridge for up to a week.

Remove streaks from fridge 4 hours or so before serving.

Place near a warm stove or crockpot.

Slice and serve with chimichurri and maldon salt.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

57

SHABBOS KIDDUSH

Heshy's 3-ingredient sauce makes its appearance in a few of his kiddush classics.

KISHKA SAUSAGE SKEWERS There’s something about meat on a stick that makes any meal feel like a party. We used Meal Mart’s classic kishka and beef fry.

1 roll kishka 4 sausages, sliced into 2-inch pieces 1 6-ounce package sliced pastrami 1 6-ounce package beef bacon ½ cup maple syrup ¼ cup sriracha ½ cup honey mustard

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut kishka into 2-inch rounds. Cut each round into 4 triangles.

Place kishka, sausage, pastrami slices and beef bacon on a skewer.

Brush with maple-honey mustard mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Serve with additional sauce on the side.

CANDIED BEEF BACON In case you thought beef bacon couldn’t get any better.

1 4-ounce pack beef fry ⅓ cup Heshy's 3-ingredient sauce (recipe above) Preheat oven to 450°F. Use maple syrup sauce above.

Place sliced bacon on a parchment-lined sheet pan and brush with sauce. Bake for 10 minutes.

58

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

DESSERTS

KOKOSH TAKES THE CAKE Kokosh, in our minds, is a supremely more decadent version of babka.

However, babka is currently still having its moment. Pastry superstar and Breaking Breads cookbook author Uri Scheft (of Lehamim Bakery in Tel Aviv) helped make babka famous when he placed it on the menu at Breads Bakery in NYC (a nonkosher bakery that he is a partner in). Despite babka’s undisputed awesomeness, we somehow keep craving kokosh. Like babka, kokosh is made from a sweet yeast dough and like babka, it is filled with a rich chocolate spread. Unlike babka, however, kokosh isn’t braided and is also formed so that it bakes flat. It is so similar to babka, yet infinitely more decadent.

Naomi Elberg, is also known as the babka queen, and is an expert on all things yeast dough. You can enjoy more of her recipes @naomi_tgis on Instagram.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

61

DESSERTS

the ultimate kokosh recipe For the ultimate kokosh recipe, we turned to yeast-bread specialist, Naomi Elberg, well-known on Instagram as @naomi_tgis. Naomi graciously shared her well-researched tips and tricks to making the best kokosh we have ever tasted. Naomi’s technique is pure genius. Her recipe calls for a folding process, reminiscent of how croissants are made, which creates thin, fully cooked layers of yeast dough that are enveloped with a combination of wet and dry chocolate fillings. It is the use of the wet and dry chocolate fillings that create the rare kokosh moment we have experienced at select heimish bakeries.

YEAST DOUGH TIPS: 1.

ake sure the liquid you’re M using to dissolve the yeast is warm enough (between 100-115°F) for the yeast to grow, but not too hot because that will kill the yeast.

62

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

2.

eep your yeast in the K freezer; it will last longer.

3.

ou’ll use more flour if Y you’re kneading with your hands (but be careful not to add too much, err on the side of ‘less is more’).

4.

Allow dough to rise in a metal or glass bowl. These materials retain heat better than plastic bowls and you’ll get a better rise.

w w w.f leishigs.com

o o c k

f

o

DESSERTS

r

c

u

k o s K o h

Combine sugars, warm water and yeast. Set aside for 15 minutes to proof. You know your yeast has proofed successfully if small bubbles form on the surface.

Add egg, yolks, oil, orange juice and water. Mix until fully combined.

Add flour, salt and margarine or oil.

Mix well. Knead using a dough hook attachment on your mixer. Run your mixer for 8-10 minutes.

Alternatively, you can knead by hand. If doing so, make sure to knead vigorously and thoroughly for at least 10 full minutes.

Divide your dough into 5 1-pound sections.

Keep out what you want to use and freeze the rest before rising in sealed Ziploc bags.

Cover your dough with a dishcloth or plastic wrap and allow to rise for 35-60 minutes, until dough has doubled in size. This time varies based upon the temperature in your kitchen. A warmer environment will result in a faster rising time.

KOKOSH FILLING 2 cups Dutch process cocoa* 2 cups confectioners’ sugar 4 cups sugar 1 (110 gram) package instant chocolate pudding 4 tablespoons vanilla sugar ¼ cup canola oil ½ cup boiling hot water 1 tablespoon instant coffee Mix all the dry ingredients together.

Reserve 2 cups of the dry mixture to make the wet filling.

Combine hot water and coffee.

Add oil and hot coffee to the reserved 2 cups, stirring until a thick spreadable paste forms.

KOKOSH DOUGH

*Dutch-process cocoa is unsweetened cocoa that has been treated with an alkali to make it pH neutral. This gives it a milder, less acidic flavor, and a darker color. You can use regular cocoa powder, but your filling won’t be as rich and dark.

Makes: 5 Kokosh Cakes 8-8.5 c flour (6 cups all-purpose plus 2 cups bread) 1 teaspoon Himalayan sea salt 2 tablespoons instant dry yeast 2 cups warm water ½ cup no-pulp orange juice 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla sugar 1 cup vegetable oil 1 whole egg 3 egg yolks 4 tablespoons softened margarine or vegetable oil MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

63

DESSERTS

FORMING THE KOKOSH: Kokosh dough Wet chocolate filling Dry chocolate filling ¼ cup sugar Streusel crumbs (recipe follows), optional Preheat oven to 350°F. Lay a 1-lb. size piece of dough onto a non-stick baking mat and roll until a paper thin, almost see-through rectangle forms (doesn’t have to be a perfect rectangle).

Using an offset spatula (it will be your best friend for this recipe), spread ½ cup of the wet filling over half of the rectangle. Sprinkle the dry filling over half of the wet filling, filling one-third of the center of the rectangle.

Fold over the opposite side of dough that isn’t yet filled over the section of dough covered with the dry filling. The wet chocolate portion should remain exposed.

Sprinkle some of the dry chocolate filling over the dough you just folded, covering the portion of dough that isn’t covered. Fold the wet (left) side of the dough over the dry (right) side. At this point, your dough will resemble a long log.

Rotate your mat or the dough so that the dough is vertically facing you.

Once it's rotated, spread the wet chocolate filling over half, and top center third with the dry filling. Turn the unfilled edge/third of dough over center and top with dry filling, and fold wet section over top.

Dust kokosh with sugar and roll it flat to about 9” length.

Top the exposed dough with the remainder of the wet filling followed by the remainder of the dry filling.

Fold over vertically to the left and create a long log.

Top with streusel crumbs, optional.

Place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet or loaf pan. Bake for 25 minutes.

Allow to cool before slicing.

64

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

DESSERTS

STREUSEL Makes: 1 ½ cups 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup granulated or confectioners’ sugar 1 tablespoons vanilla sugar (optional) 6-8 tablespoons butter,

margarine or oil Combine with your hands until wet, sand-like consistency is formed.

Use immediately or store covered in the fridge for a week or freezer for a few months.

Note: Naomi recommends baking kokosh in a long loaf pan. We baked one in a loaf pan and one on a cookie sheet and were pleased with both versions. Baking in a loaf pan contains the chocolate within the kokosh as well as its shape. Baking on a cookie sheet results in a slightly messier and flatter kokosh, but is just as delicious.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

65

GITTY HALBERSTAM / 66

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

 Why would a mom who works full-time start a liqueur business on the side? Gitty Halberstam, founder of Misceo (pronounced miss-KAY-o) didn’t exactly plan on becoming an entrepreneur.

But one Purim, the Brooklyn-born ABA therapist wanted to do something special for for shalach manos. Her mother-in-law’s favorite drink, kahlua, was no longer certified kosher, so “my husband and I started experimenting in the kitchen as a joke.”

They bought a big crystal decanter and brought the concoction to the in-laws on Purim day. “The whole bottle was finished!”

Four years of bootlegging-from-her-house later, the product was officially launched, and recently won platinum in the SIP Awards, an international spirits competition, where it beat its non-kosher rivals. Gitty explains of her success, “You don’t realize what you can do until you try.”

Lemon Poppy Hamantaschen Cocktail Poppy seeds are a popular Purim ingredient because the Yiddish word for poppy, mohn, is similar to that of Haman. Here, mixologist Emily Lord incorporates this festive ingredient into a creative cocktail concept that can be served in single portions or in a punch bowl for a crowd.

SINGLE DRINK RECIPE 1 oz. Misceo Chocolate Liqueur ½ oz. lemon poppy seed simple syrup (recipe below) ¼ oz. lemon juice 1 ½ oz. vodka Pour into shaker with ice.

Strain over fresh ice. Garnish with lemon wheel and poppy seeds.

PUNCH BOWL RECIPE 12 oz. Misceo Chocolate Liqueur 6 oz. lemon poppy seed simple syrup (recipe below) 3 oz. lemon juice 18 oz. vodka Combine all ingredients into a punch bowl with ice.

Garnish with lemon wheels and poppy seeds.

LEMON WHEEL GARNISH AND SIMPLE SYRUP 1 large lemon cut into slices Juice of 1 lemon ¼ cup poppy seeds 2 cups water 1 cup sugar Preheat the oven to 225°F. Add all the ingredients to a small saucepan and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool. Remove lemon wheels. Place on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Let dry and cool.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

67

MULTI-DIMENSIONAL

OFF-BEAT

BY GABRIEL GELLER

CHAMPAGNE FOR ALL /

Bartenura Prosecco: This is an Italian sparkling wine made with the Charmat Method: the secondary fermentation during which the wine gets its effervescence in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling. It is made with Glera, an Italian grape variety.

Champagne des Barons de Rothschild: The result of the joint efforts of the 3 branches of the Rothschild family invested in wine since the 19th century. A champagne full of character and mineral goodness. Look out for their newly released RosĂŠ Champagne!

Champagne is a general term used for sparkling wine, yet authentic champagne originates from the Champagne region in France, is made with special grapes and goes through a very rigid, regulated process. Both versions of Drappier and the Campagne des Barons de Rothschild are considered authentic champagne.

Below is our favorite kosher champagne (or sparkling wine) bottles that are truly the best way to celebrate and kiddush.

NOTE:

The perfect serving temperature for champagne ranges from 45-50°F and can be achieved in two ways. Either place the bottle in a filled ice bucket for a half-hour or store on it's side on the bottom shelf of your refrigerator for four hours.

68

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

Drappier Brut Nature Pinot Noir Zéro Dosage: The latest addition to the kosher champagne market.

Most champagne get an addition of sugar during the winemaking process to balance out the naturally high acidity, as grapes for champagne-making are harvested very early in the season, making them notoriously sour. This wine, however, is made without any added sugar as to retain a very dry and crisp flavor profile. As well, while most champagnes are blends of at least 2 out of 4 grape varieties (Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Blanc), this one is made solely from Pinot Noir. It is also a Blanc de Noirs, meaning that it was produced without any skin contact to retain a clear, white color.

SPANISH PIZZAZ

Drappier Carte d’Or Champagne: All champagne are made using the “traditional method” where the secondary fermentation takes place in the bottle. This is the classic and best known champagne from Drappier, a venerable champagne house which was established almost 200 years ago. Drappier was chosen as the official purveyor of champagne to the Presidential Elysée Palace after the election of Charles de Gaulle in the late 1950’s.

SUPERIOR

TRADITIONAL

CHAMPAGNE

Elvi Cava Brut: Cava are Spanish sparkling wines produced with the same method as champagne yet originate from indigenous Spanish varieties (Macabeo, Xarel-lo, and Parellada)

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

69

TOP 5

TOP 5: KIDDUSH EDITION Gabriel Boxer, a travel and restaurant pro, a.k.a. Kosher Guru, shares the TOP 5 most memorable restaurant dishes of the month.

4 3

M

y top five kiddush foods center around dishes that enhance a kiddush. I tend to think beyond typical kiddush centerpieces like cholent and kugel and focus on five standout accompaniments that should probably be served in every bar worldwide. For now, however, these ultimate bites of food will always make it to my kiddush table.

1

 GRIEVEN FROM POMEGRANATE SUPERMARKET BROOKLYN, NEW YORK I have such fond memories standing by the fryer on Thursdays and erev Shabbos during my time working at Pomegranate, watching fresh chicken skins be dropped into the deep fryer and waiting until they were placed on the sheet pan to cool. As unhealthy as it is, I can’t resist hot, crunchy, chickeny, salty grieven. There is nothing like straightfrom- the-fryer crispy chicken skin, but even a day later, I always crave more during kiddush.

2

 GALA (P’TCHA) FROM NUSSY’S MONSEY, NEW YORK In my opinion, no kiddush is a kiddush without p’tcha. The jellied texture is achieved by a broth cooked in calves bones.

The texture and flavor is sublime and there’s truly nothing that compares.

Nussy’s offers the best p’tcha I’ve ever had.

I tasted it on the Fleishigs Magazine cholent crawl and instantly fell in love.

I know people shy away from it, but I encourage you to grab a fork and dig in.

70

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

 KISHKA FROM YAPCHIK LAKEWOOD, NEW JERSEY The creativity behind the pastrami kishka at Yapchik in Lakewood is revolutionary. Yapchik has a great vibe, and they offer up a really fun Thursday night buffet, but the pastrami kishka is next level. They roll out kishka, and like a deli roll, add layers of pastrami over the kishka. It is then rolled up, steamed and served. That kishka truly blew my mind.

Check it out. You’ll thank me later!

Grieven

 MEAL MART YAPCHIK KOSHER SUPERMARKETS NATIONWIDE When I can’t make it to my favorite restaurant, takeout spot or deli to pick up potato kugel or its meat-filled counterpart, yapchik, my go-to choice comes right out of the freezer. Meal Mart’s Yapchik is filled with high quality meat and has the perfect ratio of meat to potato. It is also really easy to make and is always a crowd pleaser. I put it in my oven overnight and it comes out perfect every time.

5

 SAUTÉED LIVER FROM LIEDER'S LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA While chopped liver is more well known as a kiddush food, I actually prefer sautéed liver, and I found the perfect version at Lieder's in Los Angeles. My craving for their liver is such that I have friends bring it back to New York on ice it’s that good! It has the perfect amount of tender, sweet caramelized onion and creamy, charred liver cooked together in a simple blend of spices.

FOLLOW THE KOSHER GURU on Instagram & Facebook @kosherguru, on Twitter @ thekosherguru, his blog at www.thekosherguru.com, or subscribe to his YouTube channel.

Tune in to “The Nosh” (a kosher foodie and restaurant radio show on 620AM in the NYC area) with Kosher Guru airing every Thursday evenings at 9:30 P.M. You can also check out his popular Facebook group @KosherGuru’sKosherNation. w w w.f leishigs.com

Fro

m

it

a ly t o

y a w l t he

y

ur

e

n

, a n e d o y l from M a It Al

o

ki tc

h

n alia ic I t or a t n e f a i r. uth ish l e a a n y D o l i ta n F l z z i D r z e o n os mop g l a i o u s ly c de l i

c

Visit

Kosher.com

for recipes that use

our delicious glaze!

MODERN HEIMISH

72

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

CHEF ISAAC BERNSTEIN Chef Isaac is all about changing things up and putting his own spin on Jewish classics. His ability to seamlessly fuse classic, old-world Jewish cuisine with modern techniques and trends never fails to impress. His pulled beef babka, multi-course private dinners, and Pom Prime menu offerings from his time at Pomegranate supermarket in Brooklyn, New York, are a few testaments to his creativity.

Chinese food has always been a favorite of Chef Isaac because, who doesn’t like Chinese food? Chef Isaac reminisces about Chinese takeout he had as a child. “It wasn’t the cheapest dinner to feed a family, so when we had Chinese takeout, it was a special occasion. Also, growing up in a kosher home, Chinese food was an exploration into completely unfamiliar flavors. Think about General Tso's chicken. It's always fresh, fried on the spot, with a crispy batter that can rival any chicken nugget. And the sauce is always a perfect balance of sweet, savory, spicy and umami flavors that hit your palette at once in an explosive way. Plus, it makes for good munchies.”

There is an ease about preparing Chinese food.

It does require investing time chopping, prepping and sauce making. But once your ingredients are ready and lined up, the final dishes come together in minutes. Chef Isaac came to the Fleishigs test kitchen (we shared all the behind-the-scenes on our Instagram stories @fleishigsmag), and made multiple spectacular, not-your-typical takeout Chinese dishes in under two hours.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

73

MODERN HEIMISH

SWEETBREADS: 3 WAYS • Kung Pao • General Tso’s • Truffle Mayo

This is a great introduction into sweetbreads, but if you aren’t feeling adventurous or can’t find it, you can easily substitute cubed chicken thighs or breast (or any protein for that matter) and follow the technique here.

SWEETBREADS: THE TECHNIQUE 2 pounds veal sweetbreads Bring a pot of water to a boil. Lower to a simmer.

Once water is simmering, add the sweetbreads. Cook for 1 hour. Drain the sweetbreads and allow to come to room temperature. Clean by removing membranes.

Place sweetbreads in a tray covered with plastic wrap and top with heavy cans to press down sweetbreads.

Cover and refrigerate 4-24 hours.

BASIC BEER BATTER: 2 cups all purpose flour ¾ cups cornstarch 2 cups beer 2 teaspoons kosher salt Oil, for frying Make the batter by adding the flour, cornstarch and salt to a bowl and slowly whisk the beer into the flour mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Drain the sweetbreads. Dip sweetbreads in batter and carefully lower into the oil.

Fry for 8 minutes, until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with choice of sauces.

74

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

MODERN HEIMISH

KUNG PAO SAUCE 1 ½ cups basic sauce (recipe below) 1 ½ cups rice vinegar ¼ cup hoisin sauce 3 tablespoons chopped ginger 3 cloves garlic, chopped ¼ cup sugar 2 cups water 2 tablespoons cornstarch ⅓ cup pickled chilis 1 red pepper, sliced 1 green pepper, sliced 1 red onions, sliced ¼ cup vegetable oil 1 cup toasted peanuts In a large skillet or wok, heat oil over medium-low heat and cook the peppers and onions until tender, about twenty minutes. Transfer to a plate.

Bringing it All Together: Using the same skillet or wok, heat some oil over medium-high heat.

Add onion-pepper mixture to pan and add kung pao sauce, sweetbreads and peanuts. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring to combine. Serve immediately.

TRUFFLE MAYO 2 cups mayo 2 tablespoons garlic confit (see recipe below) 1 tablespoon good quality truffle oil Blend the ingredients to combine.

Serve as dipping sauce alongside beer-battered sweetbreads.

GENERAL TSO’S SWEETBREADS 2 tablespoons grated ginger 2 tablespoons grated garlic 1 tablespoons pickled chilis ¼ cup white sugar 1½ cups water 1 cup basic sauce 1 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoons warm water Place ingredients in wok.

Heat through on medium-high heat until hot and bubbly.

Add tempura sweetbreads and cook for 5 minutes in sauce, stirring to combine.

Serve warm.

BUILDING BLOCK SAUCE: This sauce has taken Chef Isaac many years to perfect, and we are honored that he shared the recipe with us. To quote Chef Isaac. “I shouldn’t be giving away this sauce...this is some good consulting $$$$”... It really is a valuable, building block recipe. The secret ingredient? Lapsang Souchong tea. Lapsang is a Chinese tea that is super smokey, savory and has a real depth of umami that is similar to soy sauce.

This sauce provides a dashi-like* flavor to Chef Isaac’s basic sauce which he uses to make multiple sauces for our Chinese feast. Lasang tea is available in specialty markets and on Amazon. ¼ cup lapsang tea 20 ounces soy sauce ½ cup water 1 ginger bulb, peeled and roughly chopped 2 tablespoon brown sugar Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes.

Strain. Place in container and use as needed. Store in your fridge covered, for up to two months. *Dashi is a Japanese stock made from dried, fermented seafood and seaweed.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

75

MODERN HEIMISH Serves: 6 2 pounds minute London broil or beef split fillet 1 ½ cups pineapple juice ½ cup building block sauce (recipe above)

BEEF SKEWERS

Slice London Broil into long, 2-inch wide strips (you will be threading the meat onto skewers.)

Combine pineapple juice with basic sauce and marinate meat 2-24 hours. In the meantime, soak wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes to prevent them from burning. Thread the marinated meat onto the soaked skewers.

Heat grill pan (or broiler) to high and cook for 4 minutes per side. Alternatively, this can also be done on a gas or charcoal outdoor grill.

Glaze with remaining marinade.

Serve with broccoli puree and seared broccoli florets.

WITH PAN ROASTED BROCCOLI AND BROCCOLI PUREE

GARLIC CONFIT + OIL makes: 1 cup 1 cup peeled garlic 1 cup olive oil Place garlic and oil in microwave safe dish. Microwave on low, for 15 minutes, or cook, covered in a 300°F oven for one hour. Use oil and garlic as flavor enhancers to recipes ranging from salad dressings, roasted vegetables, soups and braises.

76

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

BROCCOLI PURÉE Chef Isaac recommends using frozen florets. They are already prepped and ready to go and the excess water absorbed during freezing doesn’t impact the purée... you are simmering the florets in water, after all.

1 (24-ounce) bag frozen broccoli florets 2 teaspoons kosher salt ¼ cup garlic oil (recipe follows) Reserve 1 cup florets from bag.

Place remaining broccoli into pot and cover with just enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil and cook until just-tender, 10 minutes.

Drain and place broccoli florets into blender with 1 cup of the water it boiled into the blender.

Blend until smooth, adding more liquid if needed to achieve a smooth puree. Add oil and puree.

Heat a cast iron pan over high heat and brush with 1 teaspoon oil.

Place reserved broccoli florets in pan and sear for 3 minutes or so, until a dark brown color develops. Do not crowd the pan.

Serve with puree and skewers.

w w w.f leishigs.com

BLACK GARLIC CHICKEN WITH HERB SALAD

This dish packs a real flavor punch and is hands down one of the best chicken dishes we’ve ever had. You can find black garlic at gourmet supermarkets or online at Amazon.

1 cup gochujang 4 heads peeled black garlic Zest of 4 limes Juice of 2 limes 1 ½ cups hoisin sauce 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs 2 cups fresh mint 1 cups fresh basil 1 cup fresh cilantro 1 cup thinly sliced radishes ¼ cup pickled chilis Lime wedges, for serving

Puree gochujang, black garlic, lime zest, lime juice and hoisin sauce in a blender. This sauce can last for up to six months in the fridge, in an airtight container.

Pour 1 ½ cups sauce in a Ziploc bag with chicken and marinate 2-24 hours.

Heat grill or grill pan over medium heat and cook chicken 8 minutes per side, until cooked through. While chicken is cooking, combine herbs and radishes. Top with lime wedges.

Serve with hot chicken.

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

77

MODERN HEIMISH Preheat oven to 350°F. Place flanken in 9x13 baking pan and cover with sauce and enough water to cover ⅔ of flanken.

Cover tightly and bake for 3 hours.

Remove meat from sauce, making sure to reserve 1 cup of the sauce, and shred meat. Pour the reserved sauce over meat to keep moist.

Add one tablespoon vegetable oil to large wok or frying pan and heat over medium-high heat. Add julienned carrots and toss in oil. Drizzle in sesame oil and peas and cook for 1 minute. Add rice and meat and toss to combine all ingredients.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Heat a 9” or 10” cast iron pan over medium heat. Add vegetable oil into pan and heat for 5 minutes. Place rice mixture inside pan and cook on the stove for 5 minutes. Place in oven and cook for 20 minutes, until top is golden brown.

Remove from oven and invert onto plate.

While rice kugel is baking, make the mushroom garnish. Wipe down wok and heat over high heat. Pour in remaining vegetable oil and sear mushrooms for about 6 minutes. Add sesame seeds and set aside. Serve kugel with the mushrooms on top.

SHORT RIB FRIED RICE KUGEL Serves: 12 You can serve this as fried rice on its own without taking the step of making it into a "kugel." However, the kugel aspect is what makes this dish adventurous. Using the fried rice method achieves a crispy crust that all rice lovers are addicted to, almost like a Persian tahdig or Spanish paella crust called socarrat. The crispy edges are the most sought after in these traditional ethnic rice dishes. Here, Chef Isaac creates the ultimate fusion of Jewish and Asiancuisine by converging kugel and fried rice into one magical side dish.

2 pounds flanken 1 cup basic sauce (see recipe above) 3 cups water 1 cup chopped scallions 5 cloves garlic 1 bulb ginger, finely minced 2 tablespoons sesame oil 1 pound carrots, julienned 2 cups frozen peas 4 cups cooked sushi rice* 3 cups mixed mushrooms ¼ cup sesame seeds ⅓ cup vegetable oil

*SUSHI RICE Wash sushi rice under running cold water, until water runs clear. Place 2 cups sushi rice in a saucepan and cover with 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and cover pot.

Simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 15 minutes. While rice is cooling, bring ½ cup rice vinegar and ¼ cup sugar and 2 teaspoons kosher salt to a simmer in a small pot and cook until sugar dissolves, 3 minutes. Transfer rice to a large non-reactive (glass or wooden) bowl and pour vinegarsugar mixture over rice. Stir using a wooden spoon, until rice kernels are coated in dressing. Cover rice with a damp cloth to keep warm.

Makes: 4-5 cups of rice

Chef Isaac Bernstein, has established a cool factor for Jewish food by cooking up modern heimishe food that has changed the way we think about classics. He founded the kosher catering company Epic Bites, (Northern California) which became known for epic, modern, multi-course pop-up dinners. From Epic Bites, he moved to direct the culinary department at Pomegranate Supermarket in Brooklyn. He has spearheaded elevating the level of kosher food with his Pom Prime Shabbos concept offered up at the famous Pomegranate Supermarket in Brooklyn, New York. Today, Chef Isaac is a restaurant and food consultant and produces exclusive culinary events. You can follow Chef Isaac's food adventures @chefisaacb on Instagram.

78

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

w w w.f leishigs.com

RECIPE INDEX

RECIPES

APPETIZERS: 39 Jalapeno Herring 44 Lahamagene Hamantaschen 53 Onion-Herb Roasted Bone Marrow 55 Pretzel Deli Bites 55 Deli Potato Knish Sliders 58 Kishka & Sausage Skewers 58 Candied Beef Bacon 82 Pickles

MEAT & POULTRY: 17 Shawarma Pulled Beef 17 Ropa Vieja 18 Cholent 43 Kibbeh Mushrooms 43 Crockpot Meschi 44 Yebra with Apricots 44 Skirt Steak with Green Beans 54 Pastrami Flatbread 57 Rib Steak with Chimichurri 76 Beef & Broccoli Skewers 77 Black Garlic Chicken

SWEETBREADS: 76 Kung Pao Sweetbreads 76 General Tso’s Sweetbreads 76 Truffle Mayo Sweetbreads

SALADS & SIDES: 17 Yapchik 17 Fried Sweet Plantains 44 Tabbouleh 51 Charred Eggplant with Tomato Bacon Salsa 76 Broccoli Puree 78 Short Rib Fried Rice Kugel 78 Sushi Rice

DESSERT & COCKTAILS: 45 Basboosa 63 Kokosh 67 Lemon Poppy Cocktail

CONDIMENTS & EXTRAS: 36 Sourdough Bread 57 Chimichurri 65 Streusel 74 Basic Beer Batter 75 Building Block Sauce

MISHLOACH MANOT IDEAS:  CHINESE TAKEOUT: Fill bottom of Chinese takeout box with short rib fried rice and top with choice of Kung Pao or General Tso's sweetbreads (or chicken). Attach some takeout style chopsticks. You can customize chopsticks with personalized messages on sites like www. everythingchopsticks. com to take your mishloach manot to the next level.

 VIP PLATTER FLEISHIGS STYLE: urchase a toP go platter with compartments and a cover (try Amazon or your local variety or dollar store) and fill compartments with kiddush food. Basic cholent, yapchik, Scoop’s kishka skewers, potato knish deli sandwiches and pickles.

 KOKOSH CAKES: Bake kokosh cakes in mini loaf pans.

Make it pretty in small old-fashioned bakery boxes and wrap with ribbon or bakery string.

Share with a small bottle of chocolate milk or cold orange juice.

 HERRING IN A JAR: Gift with chilled beer and a bag of crackers.

FEBRUARY 2019

Fleishigs

79

INTERVIEW caught up with him to discuss how mastered pulling off his highly acclaimed Pesach in The Northeast program at the Westfield’s Marriott in Washington DC area so successfully and seamlessly.

How did you transition from working at Fox News to event planning?

I was always doing events, even while working at Fox News. I have become an expert hotel negotiator as well via trial and error I have learned how to plan events in a cost-effective manner—so I really got started using my organizational and planning skills there. After several successful events, I developed a reputation for writing great menus, being honest and running things smoothly. I don’t think I’ve ever had an event go poorly.

What is the secret to successful menu planning?

BRUCE BACKMAN Bruce Backman, the brains behind Pesach in the Northeast, is a skilled event planner who specializes in negotiating hotel contracts, overseeing events of all kinds, always authoring exciting menus and amazing programs.

Considering his current career track, it may come as a surprise that Bruce started in politics. After graduating with an honors degree in American History and Political Science, he went off to work on various political campaigns—including those of Congressman Lazio (who ran for Senate against Hillary Clinton) and New York Governor Pataki’s run for reelection in 2002. His work as a political consultant reached as far as the Congo, where he provided strategic advice to many foreign heads of state. His longest stint was a 13 year at the Fox News Channel, where Bruce served a trusted aide and advisor to its president broadcasting genius Roger Ailes.

He is one of the most experienced and well-respected political operatives. Between the various places his culinary career takes him, he consults on campaigns, teaches courses, authors op-eds and gives lectures on all thing’s politics and research. We 80

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

While you don’t want to have too much food leftover, not everything should go down to the last piece of lettuce. The sign that you ordered properly is having just a little bit left—enough that it’s clear everyone had what they wanted but there’s not much waste. People attack the food and go into hoarding mode when there’s not enough. So, when there is nothing left at the end of a kiddush, it’s not a sign of success.

How do you avoid that pitfall and create a relaxed kiddush or buffet experience?

If there is plenty of food available and it’s laid out well, people are more relaxed.

However, it does take time to figure out how to have the right amount. The truth is, I am not a big fan buffets and prefer served sit down meals which are less of a ruckus, more civilized, and more enjoyable.

Therefore, at my Pesach program all dinners and Yom-Tov meals are plated. People are offered a menu and get to choose what they want off the menu.

w w w.f leishigs.com

Where did this standard of service come from?

My family attended Pesach programs for many years. After a terrible experience one year, we refused to go to another program.

That's what motivated me to start one. I want to serve my clients the way I would like to be served myself. I believe that every meal has to be exceptional and that’s why I put so much money and effort on the plate. The American aged 16 oz rib steak, we serve comes from the market’s best purveyors’ of American beef. We curate top quality ingredients and all of my vendors know that I want the best meat, fish and produce. This is nonnegotiable for me.

We also don’t pre-freeze any of the food.

Everything is made fresh on premise.

Explain?

None of the food is frozen. We also try and use the freshest herbs, fruits and vegetables, as much as possible. We avoid using soup base (bouillon cubes) and comparable artificial fillers for soups and stocks.

Every fleishig meal is plated with a sophisticated menu. There is always a choice of soups, entrees and desserts, accompanied by our popular salad bar. People want to drink good wine, eat memorable food and be served with a smile. Families want to sit and enjoy and not worry about leaving their table until the meal is over. People are paying a lot money to spend time with their friends and loved ones, standing in line for everything unquestionably detracts from that experience.

You are well-known for your Pesach sushi bars.

What is involved in the process?

Our Sushi is all made fresh. I have four Asian New York based sushi chefs. We try our best to bring people familiar food, despite the fact that it’s Pesach. We don’t view Pesach as limiting. And besides, who doesn’t like spicy ahi tuna sushi?

What were some challenges you’ve faced when planning your Pesach program through the years?

The biggest challenge has been learning the industry. Most of what I do is trial and error. I tried buffet dinners, tried theme dinners. They were not bad, but it just was not right. It's funny- I draw inspiration both from what is current, to Golden Age resorts done right like Grossingers and The Concord. It took a while to figure out a formula that truly worked.

How long does it take to plan a Pesach program?

Planning starts at least a year in advance.

We have to negotiate a hotel contract, pay bills, and make and begin hiring staff and entertainment. Once we are six weeks out, it becomes an everyday, full-time planning job. We arrive at the hotel ten days before the program begins.

How do you acquire the proper manpower to get it all done successfully? What does a standard Yom-Tov day look like at your program?

We have over 200 of our own employees in the hotel for Pesach, with over 60 people in the kitchen at any given time. They are led by a devoted team of talented executive chefs and accompanied by the best-in-the industry managers. When you have five separate culinary teams, (dairy, pareve, meat, bakery and sushi), everyone has to be on their game. Every department has their own command structure, so they are able to supervise and direct what they are doing more carefully. This is a large factor in the high standards of food served at Pesach in Northeast.

There is a 24-hour cycle of food. There is a 24-hour tea room stocked with everything you may need—yogurt, fresh fruit, homemade baked goods, custom chocolates, chips and snacks for the kids, nuts, dried fruit and candy, as well as a variety of hot and cold beverages. Breakfast is a full buffet of everything imaginable including an omelet stations, smoked fish carvings, waffles, pancakes, European cheese

carving station (with the best cheeses from around the world), avocado toasts, smoothies, and much much more. There are a few of each station set up to provide a feeling of order and space. In between lunch and dinner is a daily barbecue and after dinner there is always a show followed by a special event with an elaborate dessert Viennese. On Shabbos and Yom Tov, there is our legendary kiddush in between breakfast and lunch. Kiddush is a time for socializing and meeting new people. It’s an important opportunity for our guests to make new friends and sometimes even shidduchim, so we make sure it’s over the top. After the Kiddush, there is typically an hour break with a lecture before a plated formal lunch. No one ever goes hungry at Pesach in the Northeast.

To read more about Bruce Backman and Pesach in the Northeast, visit www.pesachinthenortheast.com; email: info@PesachIntheNortheast.com; or call, 774.353.0170.

THE KIDDUSH • 6-8 chafing dishes including kugels, cholents, stews, sweetbreads, tongue and yapchik • Carving station with at least three offerings such as Delmonico and Top of Rib • Full Sushi Bar • Salad bar • Assortment of cakes, sweets and fruits • Herring display • One unique action station, such as lettuce wraps • Passed Baby Lamb Chops • Charcuterie Station • Chopped Liver Station

MARCH 2019

Fleishigs

81

Pickles

There is nothing more traditional to a kiddush or Kosher deli than a dill pickle.

Here are two recipes to make these classics at home.

Recipe and picture excerpted from The 100 Most Jewish Foods. Recipe by Gail Simmons.

HALF-SOUR PICKLES Makes about 8 pickles 8 Kirby cucumbers (1 pound/455 grams), thoroughly rinsed 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon (35 grams) kosher salt 1 quart filtered water 5 garlic cloves 3 or 4 sprigs dill ¼ teaspoon dill seed ¼ teaspoon celery seed ¼ teaspoon mustard seed ¼ teaspoon fennel seed Soak the cucumbers in cold water for 30 minutes and make sure they are free of any grime or dirt. If you like, cut off the non-stem ends, as they often contain a chemical that can make the pickles mushy.

Make a brine by combining the salt and the filtered water in a large bowl. Stir until completely dissolved.

Pack the cucumbers and garlic into a clean 3-quart (3-liter) jar and pour the

82

Fleishigs

MARCH 2019

brine over, making sure the brine covers the cucumbers completely. Make extra brine and add to cover if there isn’t enough. Add the dill sprigs, followed by the dill seed, celery seed, mustard seed, and fennel seed. Cover and refrigerate for 10 days before eating.

The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

FULL-SOUR PICKLES Makes about 8 pickles 8 Kirby cucumbers (1 pound/455 grams), thoroughly rinsed ¼ cup (60 grams) kosher salt 1 quart (1 liter) filtered water 2 garlic cloves, smashed 4 sprigs dill ½ teaspoon dill seed (optional) ¼ teaspoon coriander seed (optional)

Soak the cucumbers in cold water for 30 minutes and make sure they are free of any grime or dirt. If you like, cut off the non-stem ends, as they often contain a chemical that can make the pickles mushy.

Make a brine by combining the salt and the filtered water in a large bowl. Stir until completely dissolved.

Pack the cucumbers and garlic into a clean 3-quart (3-liter) jar and pour the brine over, making sure the brine covers the cucumbers completely. Make extra brine and add to cover if there isn’t enough. Add the dill sprigs and the dill and coriander seeds (if using) and, using a clean wooden spoon, swoosh them around to distribute.

Loosely cover the jar

with a lid. Place a plate under the jar to catch any spillover and let the pickles stand at room temperature for 4 days. Every day, loosen the lid to “burp” the jar, then replace the lid to continue the fermentation. After 4 days, scoop out a pickle with a clean utensil, not with your fingers, and cut a piece to taste if it’s sour enough for you—if it is, refrigerate immediately.

If not, let the jar stand for up to 3 days more, tasting the pickles each day to see what tastes best to you.

You should see the brine becoming cloudy and a few “lazy” bubbles forming here and there—this means you’re on the right track.

When the pickles are sour to your liking, seal the jar and store in the refrigerator.

The pickles will keep in the fridge for up to 2 months.

 See page 29 for Gail Simmons' thoughts on pickles.

w w w.f leishigs.com