Bacon. Kosher. Kosher Bacon?

I passed a restaurant on Derech Chevron in Jerusalem and noticed something.

First, the kosher certificate and menu

then the menu

then what caught my eye

Well,

"artisanal"...has been used as a marketing buzz word to describe or imply an association with the crafting of hand made food products, such as bread, tofu, beverages and cheese.

One way of preparing:

Cured lamb breasts for bacon. A couple of them were cured with sage, garlic, and black pepper, the other with long pepper and allspice. Cured for 6 days, rinsed, dried, then lightly smoked over cherry wood for 2 hours at 200F.

But bacon?

^

Post-Modern Multicultural Cholent

.

cholent (which translates these days into vegetarian chili)

My kishkes are rumbling.

^

Pesach Is Coming and That Means Food

My later mother left us with a family heirloom, Savta Brei.

Here's a new recipe from that great New York Jewish newspaper, the Times:-

Matzo, Lox, Eggs and Onions

Time: 10 minutes

4 matzos
1 large red onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a pinch
8 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
4 ounces smoked salmon, cut into 1/2-inch-wide strips
2 tablespoons freshly chopped dill, more for garnish
Honey, for serving
Sour cream, for serving.

1. Put the matzos under a running faucet for about 15 seconds or until really wet. They should start to soften but not fall apart. Break them into rough 1 1/2-inch pieces.
2. Scatter the onion in a large dry skillet over high heat. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until it turns dark golden brown on one side, then stir in the butter and a pinch of salt and cook until golden all over and dark brown in spots, about 3 to 5 minutes. If the butter starts to become too brown, lower the heat.
3. While the onion is frying, whisk the eggs in a medium bowl with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the pepper. Stir in the matzo pieces and let them soak.
4. Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium-low and add matzo-egg mixture to the onion. Cook, stirring, as you would with scrambled eggs. When the eggs are two-thirds of the way cooked, stir in the smoked salmon and dill. Serve immediately with a pool of honey and dollop of sour cream on the side.
Yield: 4 servings.

Let me know how your's came out.

^

Like Kosher Cooking? Try This Collection

Kosher Carnival

^

Oiy Vey! They've Canned Cholent

Culinary blasphemy:






(Kippah tip: DSM)

Balaboosta Gets Booted

-



My comment over at the NYTimes on the Balabootsa restaurant:

Here.



- - -

Cooking

My wife makes oven-cooked [or is that baked?] vegetables for Shabbat.

I am not quite sure whether there are different temperatures, or rather length of time in oven, for different types: potatoes, sweet potato/yam, pumpkin, squash and onion, for example, which are on our table but they come out good in any case, for the most case.

I found this recipe at the NYTimes and I am sure it can be altered to suit to taste:

Oven Fries
By MARTHA ROSE SHULMAN

These fries have savory, crisp, dry edges, and they’re satisfying and somewhat addictive, just like regular fries. I use a mix of regular and sweet potatoes for this. Choose waxy potatoes, like new potatoes or red potatoes, which have a lower glycemic index than starchy russets.

1 pound waxy potatoes, such as red potatoes

1 pound sweet potatoes, cut in half crosswise

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt or coarse sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, shiny side up [I think the special non-stick baking paper my wife uses could be used as a lower layer]. Place in the oven while you prepare the potatoes.

2. Cut the potatoes into wedges that are about 1/4 inch thick at the thickest point. Place in a large bowl, and toss with the olive oil and salt to taste.

3. Remove the hot pan from the oven, and add the potatoes to the pan in an even layer. They should sizzle. Return to the oven, and lower the heat to 450 degrees. Roast 25 minutes or until tender.

4. Remove the pan from the oven, and loosen the potatoes from the foil using an offset spatula. Return to the oven and cook for another five minutes. Serve at once, seasoned with more salt if desired.

Food Can Be The Figurative Death of You

And from the previous post's topic of mixed religion wedding with a "Rabbi", here's this:

An Ashkenazi Accent in the East Village

JOEDOE, 45 East First Street (First Avenue), (212) 780-0262, chefjoedoe.com

In a city with so many of us of shtetl descent, why don’t more chefs employ Ashkenazi accents? Joseph Dobias does.

Latkes, haroseth and matzo brei are some of the Eastern European Jewish touches Mr. Dobias, formerly of Savoy, employs on the frequently changing menu at his tiny East Village restaurant, JoeDoe. They’re a tribute to the parents of his life and business partner, Jill Schulster, who — with Jewish staples like chicken liver and brisket — introduced Mr. Dobias, an Italian-American, to flavors he found new and inspiring.

His signature sandwich elevates folksy creamy chicken liver by pairing it with a food New Yorkers embrace: bacon. It’s called the Conflicted Jew ($10).

I craved more conflict from it. Bacon-wrapped chicken livers are an old party staple; the combo long ago lost its frisson. Here, the thick challah toast threatens to overwhelm its fillings.

But there are plenty of brawling matches in Mr. Dobias’s cooking, bold ideas and twists on established dishes. At brunch, duck stands in for corned beef in the hash ($17); fried pork jowl doubles for Canadian bacon on the Benedict ($12). The former is rich, gamey and satisfying topped with poached duck eggs (an extra $2). The latter goes too sparingly on the jowl, which is crispy outside, chewy inside, deliciously salty, but a tease.

Among Mr. Dobias’s influences, Asian appears as often as Ashkenazi. Bok choy’s sweet, crunchy nature popped when it was tempura-fried ($9). Too bad it sat atop a “kimchee soup” bereft of the namesake’s funk.

But hanger steak ($26) was a winner, with an Asian sauce and house-made Chinese noodles. A crisp potato latke added whimsy.

Mr. Dobias’s hefty cooking begs for Ms. Schulster’s inspired cocktails. The Maryland Crab Boil ($10) blends Old Bay seasoning with lime, honey and Siembra Azul tequila for a lip-smacking mid-Atlantic margarita. Even better are her “prepared beers” ($11): artisanal liquors and touches like preserved orange or peanut dust bring out beer’s chic.

It recalls this Paris eatery.

Back to Basics: Chicken Soup

Here's a story on a contest for the best chicken soup recipe.

Did you know that

A 2000 study found that a chicken soup recipe passed down from a Lithuanian grandmother inhibited the movement of neutrophils, the most common type of white blood cell that defends against infection, which may reduce upper respiratory cold symptoms.

And so

The organizers of a national chicken soup contest urged contestants to think progressively in the “Better Than Your Bubby’s” soup competition.

“It’s something that is traditional, but can be made new for every generation,” said Ilya Welfeld, a spokeswoman for the National Jewish Outreach Program, which sponsored the contest.

And

The five recipe finalists were sampled on Thursday afternoon at Abigael’s on Broadway by a panel of seven judges that included Jeff Nathan, the co-owner of Abigael’s, and Jamie Geller, who has been called the “Jewish Rachael Ray.”

The winner of the last contest, Rosaley Himmelstein, arrived but declared she was loath to give up her title as the Queen of Chicken Soup, which she has had for five years. “What are my grandchildren going to say: ‘My grandmother used to make the best chicken soup’?” said Ms. Himmelstein, who puts her trophy on her table when she has guests.

The five finalists were Michael Cohen of Los Angeles; Jackie Gregston of Hallsville, Tex.; Wolfgang Hanau of West Palm Beach; Elizabeth Kratz of Bergenfield, N.J.; and Diane Nemitz of Ludington, Mich. (Not all the finalists are Jewish.) The winner received not only glory (with the recipe disseminated as part of Shabbat Across America), but also a free trip to Israel, among other prizes.

So, who was the winner?

The winner was “D,” a recipe called “Elat chicken soup,” by Mr. Cohen, which included English cucumber, eggplant, allspice, turmeric and cumin.

“I’ve never seen a chicken soup done that way before and it still be called chicken soup,” said Ms. Geller, who awarded Mr. Cohen’s soup a five for creativity but a one for appearance. “There was a lot going on.”

and

Here’s the winning recipe from the NJOP website:

Elat Chicken Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 quarts low-sodium chicken stock
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 medium eggplant, diced
3 tablespoons fresh dill leaves, minced
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, minced
1 English cucumber, diced

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. In a small mixing bowl, combine cumin, coriander, turmeric, allspice, salt, and pepper; mix well.

Season chicken with about 1/2 of the mixture (save remaining 1/2).

Add chicken to pot and cook for 3 minutes per side. Transfer chicken to a plate. Pour off any fat from the pot.

Add another tablespoon oil to pot; add onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and remaining spice mixture and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally.

Add chicken stock, chickpeas, potato, carrot, eggplant, dill, and 1/4 cup cilantro to pot; return chicken to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Add in cucumber. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Chop up chicken. Sprinkle soup with remaining cilantro leaves.

Makes 6-8 servings.

Yes, There Is a Kosher Cooking Carnival

Here.

Looking for Rosh Hashana Food?

Meet Wagyu, the "new" kosher meat:



The news for all you cooks:-

Wagyu, the Japanese cattle breed that produces tender, abundantly marbled meat, is now available with kosher certification...Strube Ranch in Pittsburg, Tex., is raising the cattle, which are slaughtered and dressed under kosher supervision by Elkhorn Valley Packing in Harper, Kan. The beef is served and sold at Le Marais, the glatt kosher steakhouse and butcher at 150 West 46th Street. Retail prices range from $29 to $85 a pound. Delivery is available: (212) 869-0900.

Wagyu?

Wagyu meat is striking because of its wonderful marbling which results in a never-before-experienced succulence that sends the taste buds reeling. The fat in the meat has more monounsaturated fats and melts at room temperature which makes Wagyu beef suitable as part of a lower-cholesterol diet.

The high degree of marbling adds an extraordinary depth of flavour which makes Wagyu beef a culinary delicacy. Wagyu meat is suitable as part of a low-cholesterol diet.

Cook? Like Kosher?

Go to the latest Kosher Cooking Carnival.

Another Statistic

According to Lubicom, a marketing firm for the kosher food industry, about 350,000 households in the United States keep kosher kitchens year-round, a number that has gone up by 3 percent to 5 percent every year since 2005 as some American Jews have become more observant.

Source

Latin/Jewish Fusion Cooking?

I found this here (don't ask how) about a Pepper & Chili Fiesta in Brooklyn over Succot:-

The 15th annual celebration of all things spicy, from chilies to chutneys, will take place on Sept. 30, from noon to 6 p.m. There will be displays on growing chili plants, cooking demonstrations featuring Latin/Jewish fusion cooking, spicy pickles, Indian chutney and even chocolate and chili pepper recipes.

Since my wife manages the Kosher Carnival, maybe she can help out.

What is Latin/Jewish fusion cooking?

Here's one reference and here's another.