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What We're Cooking for Shabbos: 2004 - 2006


bloviatrix

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There is acutally quite a bit of interesting Italian Jewish foods. One of the oldest synagogues in Europe is located in Modena. It's very interesting to see the tradition of boiled meats in Emilia Romagna combine with Jewish foods of the region.

The book and a lovely Italian-Jewish recipe

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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Aidan, are you aware how hip you are by having a mah jong group? My mil has a weekly game -- she tried to explain it to me but my head was spinning. Is there a typical menu or does it vary?

I'm hip? And here I thought I was becoming a little old lady!

There is no set menu for mahj lunch. The only rule my wife (who does not play) has is that it be served at the dining room table instead of at the game table so that she and my son can eat with us.

I try to pattern my menus after the fabulous luncheons served by my grandmother, z"l, to her bridge group. Chicken salad in bibb lettuce cups, gelatin salads, finger sandwhiches, etc. The only constant is the VERY little-old-lady mint and nut cups for each player! I'll never forget accompanying my grandmother to Betty Claffick's house -- she was a maiden lady in a huge house with fabulous, dark woodwork -- and there being a nut cup by my plate with mixed nuts. I especially loved the brazil nuts, and do to this day! That was 36 years ago, but I can still smell her house and taste those nuts!

Anyway -- the finger sandwhich idea changed when my wife asked me to make potato and olive empanadas with fresh salsa verde. I guess I'll serve rice and maybe black beans with it. Maybe a small fresh salad dressed with guacamole, lime juice, and crema? And a pitcher of sangria, maybe. That should keep people happy!

As for the nine days -- most of the people I know will make meat meals for Shabbbat. Fuggedaboudit!

I'm glad to be back. I've missed you all!

Aidan

"Ess! Ess! It's a mitzvah!"

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As for the nine days -- most of the people I know will make meat meals for Shabbbat. Fuggedaboudit!

But that is perfectly permissable since Shabbat supercedes everything .. no? We need to hear from someone with some knowledge here ... hmm? maybe a rabbi?? :rolleyes:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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I'm no rabbi, but my understanding is that you can (some will say must) eat meat on Shabbat. It's the rest of the nine days where no meat is allowed. (I guess there are some people who eat meat on weekdays.) As far as I know, chicken is also not allowed. But fish is.

I hope that clears everything up. :rolleyes:

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. . . and also a Gifted Gaon(ette?). Correct you are that, to the letter of classical Jewish law, the "no meat or wine" prohibition during the Nine Days is suspended to honor Shabbat, which supercedes just about every other consideration. I'll be doing coq au vin.

"A worm that lives in a horseradish thinks it's sweet because it's never lived inside an apple." - My Mother

"Don't grow up to be an educated idiot." - My Father

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. . . and also a Gifted Gaon(ette?).  Correct you are that, to the letter of classical Jewish law, the "no meat or wine" prohibition during the Nine Days is suspended to honor Shabbat, which supercedes just about every other consideration.  I'll be doing coq au vin.

Rabeye:

Have you ever used beef bacon for lardon when making coq au vin? REALLY makes a difference! I am now a big fan of beef bacon. (Also really yummy in BLT's! )

Never fear! Shabbas is coming!

Aidan

"Ess! Ess! It's a mitzvah!"

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My family always had cold fried fish for Friday (erev Shabbat) supper. Why?

Others I know always have chicken (boiled).

Interesting. Where is your family from?

Chicken is pretty standard for Ashkenazi (Eastern European) Jews. We always had boiled chicken because my mother always made chicken soup. When we (the kids) got older, we rebelled, and my mother started making roast chicken as well. Much, much better. Then of course we all grew up and left home. (But in truth, even after I left I usually went home for Friday nights.)

As you can see by the recipes on this thread, the boiled chicken dinner has really spread its wings. :smile:

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My family always had cold fried fish for Friday (erev Shabbat) supper. Why?

Do you have any Spanish roots? If you recall during the Spanish Inquisition many jews converted to catholocism but continued to practice Judaism in secret. Maybe the fish thing is related to that.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Tonight's menu:

Borscht - beets, crispin apples, ginger

London Broil, rare in a soy-honey-rosemary marinade

Green beans

Ratatouille

Blueberry Pie

Tomorrow's lunch is the standard salad with grilled chicken breasts.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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GG, Comfort Me? Where are you guys? Is there anyone else out there cooking this week besides me?

Tonight's menu:

Borscht (left-over from last week)

Pan roasted salmon w/citrus balsamic vinagrette (i wanted to do this a couple of weeks ago but didn't)

Zucchini smothered with tomatoes and basil

Asparagus

Cinammon Ice Cream

We're going out for lunch.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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No Spanish roots, so far as I know - Ashkenazi, not Sephardi.

Direct line is from Alsace, although there is apparently some distant relationship with the great Rabbi RASHI (1040 to 1105), may he be remembered for good, via the WAHL and KATZENELLENBOGEN families and so, following the mystical claims of Rabbinical Geneology* descent from King David and hence Adam.

Family food that was slightly unusual (although out of the pages of Florence Greenberg's Jewish Chronicle Cookery Book) included my mothers's version of fried gefillte fish, and "Stuffed Monkey", a cinnamon pastry tart filled with ground almonds and dried fruit.

*Rosenstein, Neil

The Unbroken Chain : Biographical Sketches and the Genealogy of Illustrious Jewish Families from the 15th-20th Century

New York: Shengold Publishers, 1976 First edition. 716 pp. ISBN: 0884000435

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Did not cook this week because I ended up having to deal with an emergency at work. But.. next week, I purchased a case of lamb shanks at Sams, so for a while it's going to be throw the lamb in the oven and come back to Lamb osco bucco.

Just set the oven to 300, leave and in three hours when we get back.. There be osco bucco. What could be easier? Especially since I now have about 30LB of Lamb.

Never trust a skinny chef

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Just set the oven to 300, leave and in three hours when we get back.. There be osco bucco. What could be easier? Especially since I now have about 30LB of Lamb.

and your street address might be??? :laugh:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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No Spanish roots, so far as I know - Ashkenazi, not Sephardi.

Direct line is from Alsace, although there is apparently some distant relationship with the great Rabbi RASHI (1040 to 1105), may he be remembered for good, via the WAHL and KATZENELLENBOGEN families and so, following the mystical claims of Rabbinical Geneology* descent from King David and hence Adam.

Hey, are you are that Rashi was a vitner as well as a commentator?

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Just set the oven to 300, leave and in three hours when we get back.. There be osco bucco.  What could be easier?  Especially since I now have about 30LB of Lamb.

and your street address might be??? :laugh:

:laugh: If your ever in Plano, Texas drop on by. Made 4 shanks last night and even my uber picky wife loved them. She had two helpings very unlike "Ms. Picky" All my friends warned me about marrying somebody from Baaaahstin :raz:

Edited by irodguy (log)

Never trust a skinny chef

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We've been invited out tonight. Which means I don't have to cook dinner. Since lunch will be a big salad which requires no advance prep, I've been playing in my kitchen.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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Typically all-Southern meal tonight: nothing particularly upscale or even earthshaking ...

fried chicken ( a novelty since I rarely attempt this in the heat of Hotlanta summers!)

red potato salad with scallions and multicolored pepper julienne strips

coleslaw vinaigrette

peach pie and parve "vanilla ice cream"

downed with a local favorite Coke! :rolleyes:

Shabbat shalom, ya'll! :biggrin:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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I just wanted to drop in and let you know how much I enjoy reading this thread. PLEASE continue to write in it! I am not Jewish, though threads like this one often make me wish that I were. There is just something so wonderful about eating together with family and friends and honoring the sabbath that way. Plus, all your descriptions are heavenly! I really wish that the protestant church had kept up the tradition of keeping the sabbath holy (I know, we are supposed to, but no one really does, or understands what that means), and though we often had Sunday dinner, and there is some tradition in that, it has not been kept up nearly as much in this era of so many people working on the weekends. I have resolved to keep a weekly ritual with my family when I have one. Just wanted to say thanks for writing, and I will be reading with envy every week!

Shabbat Shalom!

"First rule in roadside beet sales, put the most attractive beets on top. The ones that make you pull the car over and go 'wow, I need this beet right now'. Those are the money beets." Dwight Schrute, The Office, Season 3, Product Recall

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Once again, it's Friday. Where do the weeks go?

Tonight we're having:

Golden new wave borscht (I picked up golden beets at the market on wed.)

Tuna tartare with Halutza EVOO (from Israel. got the suggestion off the Middle East board), mint and basil.

Pan fried curried whitefish with cucumber riata

Basmati and red lentil pilaf

Blueberry Pie with sweet corn ice cream

Tishbi Emerald Reisling to drink.

Lunch is the usual salad with grilled chicken breasts. Also, cole slaw and dilled potato salad.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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We're going away with friends for the weekend.

My contributions: Skirt steak rubbed with all sorts of spices and shoulder steak in a marinade of soy sauce, sherry, garlic and toasted sesame oil. Both will be grilled. My borscht with ginger and apples has been requested. Additionally, I'll be grilling lots of vegetables.

I'll take some nice reds for drinking.

I'm looking forward to getting out of the city.

"Some people see a sheet of seaweed and want to be wrapped in it. I want to see it around a piece of fish."-- William Grimes

"People are bastard-coated bastards, with bastard filling." - Dr. Cox on Scrubs

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