Passover 5779

Because this year is a leap year on the Jewish calendar, Passover is relatively late this year, beginning on Friday night, April 19th. As with almost all Jewish observances, there are customary foods and family favorites.  

Haroset

Haroset is that mixture of fruit and nuts on the Seder plate in which we dip the bitter herbs.  In Haroset: A Taste of Jewish History (The Toby Press, 2019), Dr. Susan Weingarten "attempts to solve the riddle of the origins of haroset -- when and why it appeared, what it was made of and how it changed over the generations." Dr. Weingarten is an archaeologist and historian and has published many scholarly papers about the history of food. Full disclosure: what I thought would be an academic discourse (boring) is a fascinating exploration of both Jewish sources and cultural influences. As Weingarten explains in the introduction:

Haroset has always been something of a mystery. It was not one of the three original symbolic foods eaten at the first Passover in Egypt. It first appears in the Mishna, but with no explanation of why, and with few details of what it was made of or what it tasted like. The [Babylonian and Jerusalem] Talmuds tell us that haroset was said to resemble the mud or clay for the bricks made by the Children of Israel as slaves in Egypt, so it was clearly connected to the story of the redemption from an early stage, but we do not know when it arrived at the Seder. It seems to have been introduced to counteract the bitter herbs, which have been part of the Passover meal since the time of the Exodus. 

I learned that many ancient cultures using dipping sauces to offset the tastes of other foods. Ashkenazi Jews pretty much use the same basic recipe -- apples, nuts, wine, cinnamon, and all the ingredients have deep symbolic meaning. Sephardic Jews enjoy a variety of recipes, varying from community to community and depending on the fruits available in the spring. Some groups even "add a small amount of clay or scraped brick" into the mixture. History also influenced the development of haroset, as red wine used to be added at the Seder table, but the practice was discontinued in Europe because of blood libels. Communities often made a huge batch that was distributed to all the families. 

Most recipes are not exact; the important thing is that the consistency should be thick, like mortar. Sephardim often cook the mixture, and grinding the mixture is an important part of the process for all cultures. 

Want to add an interesting taste to your Seder? Try "Zoya Leviva's Haroset from Uzbekistan:"

black raisins

almonds

red wine

optional: walnuts

©The Toby Press and Dr. Susan Weingarten, 2019. Used with permission.

Passover Baking

Paula Shoyer is known as "the Kosher Baker," and she is an expert on the history of Jewish cookbooks. She is also the author of four cookbooks: The Kosher Baker (Brandeis University Press, 2010), and three from Sterling Epicure: The Holiday Kosher Baker (2013), The New Passover Menu (2015), and The Healthy Jewish Kitchen (2017). For Passover, she is sharing some recipes for the holiday that those who eat "keto"will also enjoy.

For those who have been living under rocks, the keto (ketogenic) diet is protein rich, high fat, low carbohydrate plan of eating. The diet has been suggested for children with epilepsy, those with neurological disorders, those on the spectrum, and Parkinson's Disease patients. Those who work out frequently have also embraced the keto diet. Since so many carbohydrates are either chametz or kitniyot (grains, beans, and soy that Ashkenazi Jews do not eat on Passover), you can literally have your cake and eat it, too, as the baking ingredients for her desserts include coconut oil, almond flour, and quinoa.

Lemon Quinoa Cake   - PAULA SHOYER

Serves 12

PREP TIME: 20 minutes • BAKE TIME: 15 minutes to cook quinoa, 65 minutes to bake cake • ADVANCE PREP: May be made 3 days in advance or frozen •

CAKE

¾ cup quinoa

1½ cups water

Cooking spray or 2 tablespoons oil

2 tablespoons lemon zest, from 2-3 large lemons

½ cup fresh lemon juice, from 2-3 large lemons

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (or other vanilla if for Passover)

¾ cup coconut oil

1 ¼ cups sugar

1 cup almond flour

¼ cup coconut flour, plus 2-3 tablespoon to dust bundt pan

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

Glaze

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1-2 lemons)

Place the quinoa and water into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the saucepan, and cook the quinoa for 15 to 18 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Let sit for 5 minutes off the stovetop. The quinoa may be made 2 days in advance and stored in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Use cooking spray or oil to grease a 12-cup Bundt pan. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons coconut flour, or more if needed, over the entire greased pan and then shake the pan all around to cover and then tap out the excess.

Place the quinoa in the bowl of a food processor. Add the lemon zest and juice, eggs, vanilla, oil, sugar, almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and process until the mixture is very smooth, about 2 minutes.

Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake it for 1 hour, or longer, until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for 30 minutes and then remove it gently from the pan onto a wire cooling rack.

Recipe by Paula Shoyer 

www.thekosherbaker.com

used with permission

As a responsible reviewer, I tried this recipe, and...

I am not a big fan of coconut, which came through more than the lemon for me. But, the cake is super easy to make, there are no weird ingredients that are not available during Passover, it does not require tons of eggs that have to be separated, and it was gone in less than 24 hours, so somebody enjoyed it very much.  Further proof is that my cake looks similar to the promotional picture of Paula's.

For more about Paula Shoyer, super colleague Heidi Rabinowitz spoke to her at the Limmud Conference in Boca Raton, Florida in December, 2018, and you can hear their conversation at Heidi's podcast - The Book of Life.

The Real Cats of Israel are enjoying the spring weather:

People watching at the Central Bus Station in Jerusalem

Chag Kasher V'Sameach!
A Happy and Kosher Passover!
Happy Reading!

2015 Jerusalem Women's Writers' Seminar

It was another beautiful day in the united and eternal capital of Israel as I attended the Jerusalem Women's Writers' Seminar. Once again, Tamar Ansh and Esther Heller did an amazing job in every way.  I love going to a "women's event" with the coordinating napkins and the little pastries in the relaxation corner sponsored by Menucha Publishers. I love me some swag, which at this gathering meant free magazines and a beautiful mug, healthy muffin and notepad from Israel Bookshop.

But obviously the best part of the day was the packed (and on time!) schedule of speakers and workshops throughout the day. I met some of my favorite authors and "celebrities" of the Orthodox publishing world:

Mrs. Yaffa Ganz, is a Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award Winner and author of the ever-charming Savta Simcha books, the Bina and Benny Holiday Series, and Mimmy and Simmy books. Her latest is a soon-to-be released book of poetry, but while you're waiting, adults should read  Cinnamon and Myrrh (Feldheim, 2013), a "delicious" collection of essays, while Bubbleglum Glue and Other Adventures with Dr. Emmanuel J. Mitzva (Feldheim 2014) is a great choice for kids.

Miriam Zakon is the acquisitions editor at Artscroll Publications.  She is also the author of the 1986 Sydney Taylor Notable Book The Floating Minyan of Pirate's Cove (Judaica Press, 1986).  Emmy Zitter, PhD, is the Chair of the English Department at Michlala Jerusalem College. They are also twin sisters who, with their other sister, Marcia Meth, write the monthly "Sister Schmooze" for Mispacha Magazine/Family First. Their excellent presentation "A Schmooze You Can Use: Turning Everyday Life into Good Writing" explained their process for coming up with topics for the column. Taking random words, the audience came up with different stories.  While the sisters discussed double meanings and metaphors they were informative and entertaining.  Their ending with "you've been a great audience" reminded me of how many comics end their stand-up routines because the sisters were so funny and engaging -- and encouraged writers to look for humor in situations.


Shout out to Libi Astaire, another Sydney Taylor Notable Book author.  Her charming Jewish Regency Mystery Series continues to grow, and my bookshelf (and Kindle) include The Disappearing Dowry, The Ruby Spy Ring, Tempest in the Tea Room, The Doppelganger's Dance, Too Many Coins, General Well'ngone in Love, and her most recent, The Moon Taker. Libi gave a workshop on self-publishing at the Seminar, but for those who did not attend, Libi's Is Self-Publishing for You? (self-published!) provides great suggestions. 

I met a sort-of, kind-of neighbor who has some great books to share.  Leah Chana Rubabshi starting out writing poetry.  Like KRS, she is "using her gift to uplift" and her rhyming children's books are very cute. A Kosher Fish Tale (Menucha Publishers, 2014) is about a boy and his father discovering all the kosher fish on a boating trip with the refrain "'Cause we know that they're not kosher if they don't have fins and scales." Librarian and teachers: use this book for rhyming, for "boy" stories, and definitely for Parshat Shemini, which details the laws of kashrut. Fins and Scales (Kar-Ben, 1992) is one of my all-time favorites, but Rubabshi's book is illustrated with vibrant colors by award-winning Israeli illustrator Nurit Yuval and has a nifty "Kosher Fish Key" at the end.

From the same author, The Hidden Artist (Hachai, 2014), introduces emunah (faith) to young readers. "With all this beauty, great and small, 'I wonder, Who's behind it all?" is the question a young boy ponders as he sees animals, plants and trees. A Rainbow World (Feldheim, 2014) is the story of a boy discovering the colors all around him.

Another sort-of, kind-of neighbor also authored an excellent book. Who Is Annie White (Fish)? by Judy Belsky (Menucha Publishers, 2014) is a question asked by the 14-year old titular character. Her parents are international engineers, and their current project has taken them to Micronesia. Annie decides to stay with her Aunt Becka, an artist who lives in the Catskill Mountains of New York State. Small-town life gets boring real fast for Annie.  But much like her world travels, when she meets Esty Krystal, she is intrigued by a new and interesting culture: Orthodox Judaism. Annie and Aunt Becka start to explore their own heritage and find relatives in Brooklyn, learn why their name was changed, and grow closer to each other and to Judaism.  I was finding the free verse a little overused in secular publishing, but I am happy to see that an Orthodox publisher took the bold step of using this format. Dr. Belsky, whose many hats include writer, artist, and psychologist, has obviously drawn on her knowledge to explore early teenage self-consciousness, family interactions, art, the Holocaust and anti-Semitism. Annie is often wise beyond her years, but this is chalked up to her world travels.  The free verse also highlighted some great imagery:  the mother of a large family who was "like a great ringmaster at a circus," and the thoughtfulness of the characters: "I could not turn the page onto the next chapter of my life when so many chapters were missing the story did not make sense."

Achrona, Achrona, Chaviva (saving the best for last), Rebbetzin Sara Meisels attended the event.  The Bobover Rebbetzin is an avid reader and book lover, but the Rebbetzin is the kind of woman whose strength of character and warm heart literally fills the room.  

Thank you again, Esther and Tamar for a day that left me feeling more connected, more informed, and uplifted.


A Deocat of J-Town:

The First Day of the Rest of My Blog

I've been thinking about starting a blog for a long time, but did not start for a few reasons. First, I wanted a catchy title, and they all seemed to be taken. Today's Gift from Hazelden started with this quote, and I thought it was perfect. Besides being a librarian, my life falls into different categories or classifications. Not in a Dewey kind of way, but more like Ranganathan's system, where topics on the same subject are inter-related. For example, as I librarian a look at books in one way, as a mother in another way. I'm hoping to include book reviews, recipes, shopping tips, and my observations as I go about my day, which can be that of a typical suburban housewife or a working mother, or a "trained professional." These contrasts were most evident in my tenure as chairperson of the Sydney Taylor Book Award Committee of the Association of Jewish Libraries. I had the opportunity to meet some amazing authors and publishers like Karen Hesse, Katherine Paterson, and Jean Feiwel. Then I would return home and do the laundry.



Today's thoughts are rather sad. I found out my cousin Harold died on February 19th. He was my second cousin once removed, but he was the only relative I knew on my father's side of the family. Besides the sorrow for his family and friends, it also means I have one less relative in an incredibly small family. It means I have one less connection in the world. Although we were not close, in age or proximity, there was a certain comfort knowing I had a cousin in Virginia, that I could pick up a phone and hear that lovely drawl. As the years progress, there are more addresses in my book that are no longer valid, and although there are new ones being added, they are not exactly replacements. So today life really is like a library. This chapter is finished, and although there are more chapters ahead, as with a good book, I need to pause and reflect before moving on.



I've been trying to edit the MTS Taxi Guide, but technical problems have stymied my progress. I used to think I had some technical and computer savvy, but the pace of technology has passed me by, and I often feel like a Luddite, very content with my "primitive" cell phone and basic computer functions. Anyway, I could not receive the files I needed, so I am going to having to retype a lot of stuff. I finally figured everything out with the printing company, so I have no more excuses (although I could probably find some without too much thought).



Passover preparations are moving along nicely. The small pantry is almost empty, and the dry goods shopping is done. So far, my family will be eating potato chips and hearts of palm and drinking Coke and seltzer. It seems like every year we trim down the menu, which consists mainly of the above and chicken and potatoes, lots of potatoes.