Challah!

This is my second attempt at the most important mitzvah - backing and taking the challah. It's way past midnight and I am too tired to write, but had to post this picture, mostly for my girls to see :-)
Specifically for my dad it has olives inside. For me - zata'ar. Can't wait to taste it tomorrow. No, wait - today.
B'H to be continued...


So now, that I have tasted it at the Shabbat table and so did my hosts, I can safely say:
Here's the recipe. This is for you, girls. B'H one day you will make it for your families.

1 tblsp active dry yeast
1.5 cup warm water
1 tblsp sugar

2 eggs
1/4 cup honey
1/3 cup oil
2 tsp salt
3 cups flour (sifted)
1.5 cups whole wheat flour (sifted)
1/4 cup coarsely chopped olives
1 tbsp za'atar

In a cup mix dry east with sugar and warm water. let stand for about 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a big mixing bowl put together eggs, honey, salt, oil and half the flour and mix it. Gradually add the rest of the flour. Don't forget to add the yeast mixture :-)
Once the dough starts forming a ball, knead it adding the flour so it forms nicely and stops sticking to your hands. Closer to the end add olives and za'atar and knead a little more to incorporate them.

Oil the dough ball, cover the bowl with plastic, parchment or foil and a kitchen towel and put it on a warm surface for about an hour.
For best results use this hour for Dvar Torah!
Prepare Baking Sheets that are large enough to hold two or three challot depending on the size you want. This amount of dough should be enough for 2 nice sized ones.

Split the dough in half and each half in 3 parts. Roll each part with your hands to form long rolls and make braided challot. Put them far enough from each other on a backing sheet.
If you want them to shine, brush them with egg-wash with a pastry brush and sprinkle with more za'atar or just sesame seeds.

Leave them in a warm place for another 40 minutes or so. Bake in preheated oven at 350 F for about 30-35 min.

If you gather your friends and have 3 times as much flour, you get a chance to say a brochah for a challah - the biggest mizvah a woman can do. (you can't do this along, unless you bake challot for a family of 10)

I only wish you father had a chance to try them.


Well, it’s been about a year and a half since this post and I've baked many challot since then. I have to say that I tried a few recipes, made them with raisins, plain, poppy seeds, olives, etc.
I believe that this one is the best recipe. You need to have about 1/3 of the whole wheat flour vs. regular white. Then, the challah will be soft, rise well and you will want more. Not too big a sin against your health/weigh watching considering we only eat bread once a week for Shabbat.
So, Challah it is!

Pesach - gefilte fish - cooking with Dad

The more I live on this earth, the more I think about the people that are no longer with me. In general Pesach – ‘zman heruteinu’ – G-d took us out of Egypt. But apart from His outstretched arm, there were people that had the courage to choose between right and wrong and move toward the unknown and wonderful.

Pesach – our own ‘zman heruteinu’ – was only possible because people had the courage to stand up to the powers much bigger than themselves with no knowledge of any possibility of their success. Without them the Iron Curtain might have still be up.

My own Pesach was only possibly because of a certain person that took his family out and gave this exodus his own last strength.

My grandmother, who celebrated Pesach her own way that somehow connected this Holiday with all her relatives gone in the fires of Babiy Yar, used to make this staple of Jewish Holiday cooking the way that no one did. Hers was, certainly, the best.

My dad, who is almost the age of my grandma when she last made this, comes to my apartment so that just the two of us can make her real Gefilte fish using my kosher-for-pesach meat grinder that I keep just for this once-a-year occasion. This turns to be, probably our most sharing one-to-one talk time. I look at him so strong and so weak at the same time and I think of my childhood, when he was the center of my universe and I feel that my universe has made a full turn and he is right there in the center, again. Some things I can’t even say to your face, but I hope that by some magic waves of the internet and additional Passover ‘nes’ my love and worry for you will reach you and my plea for your long and healthy (as much as possible) life will reach G-d.

So this old recipe is for all of you, my beloved – the ones gone to the world that we can’t fathom and the ones that are with me – let this Pesach be our new ‘zman heruteinu’ – freedom from negative emotions, freedom from guilt, from pain and sorrow. Every loss means something; we just need to figure out – what.

The sea upfront, the Pharaohs’ Army is charging behind
People are frightened. Which death is quicker? But wait…
The Sea has parted. Freedom?



About 4 pounds of fish bones, skin and trimmings
2 pound carp fillet
1 pound salmon fillet
1 pound white fish fillet
2 big onions
2 beets
2 carrots
¼ cup matzo meal
2 eggs lightly beaten
Salt (about 3 tablespoons) and black pepper

Wash all the fish thoroughly. Peel the onions and wash the skins. Wash, Peel and slice the beets and carrots. Dice one onion and fry it a little bit in olive oil. Slice the other onion.

Grind the fish meat two times with the fried onion to make the smooth mixture. Add eggs, a bit of water, salt, pepper, matzo meal and form small cutlets.
My grandma used to put the cutlets back into the skin, but I guess both my dad and I are already of a newer generation and we don’t do this anymore. We just form the fish cutlets and fry them a bit in the olive oil.

Meanwhile put all the fish trimmings, a bit a beets, carrots and onion into the big pot. Add the fig cutlets and alternate by the layers of vegetables. Once all the fish is gone, carefully add water to cover the mix and bring to a boil. Once it’s boiling turn the heat to low and simmer for a little less than two hours.

Cool completely and get the cutlets out on a platter.
Serve with chrain (horseradish)

Hamentashen

Did I say I love making deserts? Did I also say I only make non-individual ones - cakes, pies, etc. It takes so much time to make individual cookies, where does one get all this time?

But Purim is different. Purim is the only time of the year I make hamentashen (ozney haman, if you prefer).

Every year I start being anxious and exciting about the affair, knowing that with my way of life (work and school) every hour is precious. Every time I dream of finding that magic dough recipe that will be easier and less sticky to make, I ask around... This year I even asked some kosher facebook "friends" of mine. Every year I end up making ... my own :-) And they turn out great. My only sadness this year that my little 19-year old is too far away to taste them.

So, this is for you, Margo, if you ever want to make them yourself:

Dough:

3 cups sifted flour

1 cup sugar

2 1/2 teaspoons backing powder

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 tablespoons orange juice

2 sticks butter

pinch of salt

dash of grated lemon rind

Filling:

Poppy seeds

Fresh apples, cut ion small chunks

Walnuts cut in small pieces

A bit of orange marmalade

A bit of honey

A bit of sugared ginger

A dash of currants

Really you can use anything you want instead of the usual filling - go wild, it's Purim!

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, mix well

Add vanilla and orange juice.

Add flour, backing powder and salt, mix and knead the gough a little bit until it forms the ball.

Refrigerate overnight or for a few hours.

When you are ready cut pieces of the dough you are working with and make sure to cover the rest of dough to prevent it from drying.

With the rolling pin roll the dough and cut up rounds. Place the filling inside and make triangle hat-like cookies. Bake for about 15-17 minutes at 350 F.

Enjoy your Purim!