Horseradish

Wasabi

June 7, 2017

Wasabi is a rare and expensive root, primarily grown in Japan. It is difficult to grow because it requires a rocky stream or riverbed. The best sushi restaurants prepare it fresh. Once wasabi is grated it loses its complex flavor in just fifteen minutes. More often than not, it is replaced by either prepared wasabi paste, a mix of flavored powder and water, or dyed horseradish, a close relative.

“Work With What You Got!”

© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2017 All Rights Reserved

Rosh Hashanah

October 1, 2016

Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is the Jewish New Year (the first day of the Jewish High Holy Days) and is also known as the Feast of Trumpets. The holiday , which is also a day of remembrance, is at once solemn and festive. Joy comes not only from trust in God’s compassion, but also the anticipation of renewal and fresh starts.

The Rosh Hashanah meal becomes more than mere rejoicing as it is also a form of prayer. The table is transformed into an altar to supplicate God, partaking of symbolic foods: honeyed and sugared treats for a sweet year; round foods for a fulfilled year, unbroken broken by tragedy; foods that grow in profusion at this season and those eaten in abundance, such as rice, signifying hopes for fecundity, prosperity, and a wealth of merits.

Dinner begins with a prayer for a sweet year, dipping challah, or other sweet bread, and apples into fragrant honey. Some start with sugared pomegranates, dates, figs, or quince in rose petal syrup.

It is customary for the first course to be fish, which symbolizes fertility and God’s blessings. Seasonal vegetables like leeks, Swiss chard, black-eyed peas, and pumpkins appear throughout the meal in major and supporting roles. Delicious main dishes follow, and usually two or more sweet desserts (such as a plum tart, honey cake, or noodle kugel) conclude the meal.

A few foods, however, are unwelcome at the Rosh Hashanah table. Many Ashkenazi Jews do not eat nuts (because the numerical value of the Hebrew word for nuts is equal to the value of the word for sin). Others do not eat pickles, horseradish, or other sour foods, while Moroccans avoid foods that are black, like olives and grapes (which are considered bad omens).

“Work With What You Got!”

© Victoria Hart Glavin Tiny New York Kitchen © 2016 All Rights Reserved

Seder Plate

April 21, 2016

This afternoon I was down in the west village and stopped into Citarella Gourmet Market on 6th Avenue. The place was packed to the gefilte fish with midday shoppers who seemed to be mostly shopping for tomorrow evening’s Passover dinner. I was surprised to see that they were selling prepared Seder Plates complete with hard-boiled egg, lamb shank bone, haroseth, horseradish, parsley, and watercress. Just goes to show that I learn a lot when I leave my apartment and go on little adventures in the city.

Yom Kippur Menu Ideas

September 13, 2013

synagogue

Yom Kippur Menu Ideas

Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.  Jews refrain from all food and drink, including water. It is no coincidence that the solemn day of Yom Kippur occurs in the midst of the autumn bounty, just before the most exuberant of the harvest festivals, Sukkot, the Jewish Thanksgiving.  In Temple times, Yom Kippur was the day that the priests purified the Temple and expiated the sins of all of the Israelites in anticipation of the Sukkot festivals.  The fast cleanses not only the body, but the soul as well.  It is not just an act of contrition, but an affirmation of sincerity.  It focuses concentration on the spiritual.  I have put together a Yom Kippur menu to break the fast. 

Menu Ideas

Starters

Pomegranate-Orange Sunsets

Almond Challah Bread

Smoked Whitefish and Fennel Salad

Cream Cheese and Assorted Cheeses

Fresh Red Pepper Rings and Black Olives

Main Dishes

Smoked Fish: Sliced Smoked Salmon, Whole Whitefish, Baked Salmon, and Sable

Smoked Salmon With Hummus, Baba Ghanoush, Tabouli, Tzatziki, Feta, Grape Leaves, Olives, Pita Chips and Fresh Pita Bread

Poached Salmon Served With Dill-Mustard Sauce

Gefilte Fish Trio Served With Horseradish and Carrots

Herring In a Wine Sauce

Tuna and Egg Salad

Domestic Sliced Cheese: Cheddar, Havarti, Muenster and Swiss

Sides

Classic Salads

Orzo, Spinach and Feta Salad

Cous Cous and Vegetable Pilaf

Penne With Tomatoes and Corn

Salad of Sliced Baked Beets, Boston Lettuce, and Fresh Chopped Dill With Walnut Vinaigrette

Homemade Applesauce

Potato Blintzes

Cheese Blintzes

Hummus, Tabouli and Baba Ghanoush

Desserts

Plain Cheesecake

Cheesecake Topped With Strawberries, Blueberries, Mango and Kiwi

Traditional Honey Cake

Cranberry Honey Cake

Applesauce Honey Cake

Chocolate Babka

Cinnamon Babka

Mini Pastries and Tartlets

Tiramisu

Rainbow Cookies

Rugelach

Black and White Cookies

Whoopie Pies

Pecan Shortbread

Blueberry Blintzes

Cherry Blitnztes

Custard Challah Bread Pudding

Fresh Fruit Platter

 

 

Passover Menu Ideas

March 24, 2013

Passover Menu Ideas

March 25 to April 2

There can be something wonderfully reassuring about sitting down to a dinner so traditional that you will know exactly what to expect.  Each family has their own traditions and favorites.  They’ve stood the test of time and families look forward to them year after year.

Seder Plate:

Hard Boiled Egg

Shank Bone

Horseradish

Haroset

Parsley Bouquet

 

Matzoh

Apple & Walnut Haroset

Persian Haroset

Gefilte Fish With Horseradish

Traditional Gefilte Fish With Carrots & Aspic Served With Matzoh

Traditional Chopped Liver

Pickled Herring In Onion & Sour Cream Sauce

Smoked Whitefish Salad

Herring Salad

Crudité of Fresh Raw Vegetables With Dip

Imported Cheese Board Garnished With Fresh Fruit

Chicken Soup With Matzoh Balls

Roasted Salmon

Traditional Brisket With Gravy

Filet of Beef

Roasted Whole Capon With Rosemary & Shallots

Roast Chicken

Free Range Turkey

Whole Boneless Fresh Turkey Breast

Rolled Spit Roasted Turkey Breast

Smoked Fish Platters With Olives, Capers & Lemons

Smoked Salmon Platter

Whole Boneless Large Whitefish

Matzoh Stuffing With Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions

Tzimmes of Sweet Potatoes, Carrots & Butternut Squash

Potato Pancakes With Applesauce

Potato Kugel

Spinach Kugel

Steamed Spring Vegetables With Dill

Herb Roasted Beets

Sautéed Root Vegetables (Turnips, Parsnips, Carrots, Haricots Vert & Wild Mushrooms)

Steamed Asparagus

Glazed Brussels Sprouts & Pearl Onions

Green Beans With Roasted Garlic

Lemon Meringue Cake

Chocolate Torte

Chocolate Almond Cake

Chocolate Glazed Orange Cake

Walnut Date Torte

Cheesecake

Raspberry Filled Yellow Cake

Orange & Lemon Sponge Cake

Sliced Fruit Platter

Fruit Salad

French Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

Almond Macaroons

Meringue Clouds

Brownies

NOTE:  For Baking Desserts Use Almond Flour, Kosher Potato Starch, Matzo Cake Meal or Matzo Meal As Substitutions.  Check Recipes To Determine Which Are The Best Substitutions.

 

 

 

Ditch The Plain Sandwich And Dial Up Taste & Health

October 16, 2012

Ditch The Plain Sandwich And Dial Up Taste & Health

If you’re tired of the same old sandwich or just want to build a healthier sandwich then try using these delicious spreads instead of mayonnaise. 

Reduced Fat Greek Yogurt

Avocado

Olive Tapenade

Beetroot Dip

Tomato Relish

Corn Salsa

Sweet Chilli Sauce

Horseradish

Pesto

Cottage or Ricotta Cheese

Dijon Mustard

Light Cream Cheese

Macadamia Nut Spread

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