Shavuot is like sealing the deal on a marriage contract. It is the celebration of G-d’s giving of the Torah to the Jews at Mount Sinai. This is the moment when the Jews became a nation, when they accepted G-d’s commandments and pledged to be “a kingdom of priests and a holy nation,” (Exodus 19:6). Like any other wedding, the most important question is, “What did they eat?” 

  In Exodus 33:3, G-d tells Moses to go to the land which had been promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, “Unto a land flowing with milk and honey.” It is said that when G-d gave the Torah, there was no time to perform kosher shechita (slaughter), and immersion of meat in salt water. The Ancient Israelites celebrated with a dairy meal. It is still traditional to serve dairy dishes on the first night of Shavuot.One of the most popular desserts among Jews of the Middle East is the Sutlage (in Turkey and the Balkans), or Muhallabeya (in North Africa). It is a milk pudding prepared with ground rice. The basic rice pudding is a blank canvas to which each celebrant adds his or her own special garnish.Sutlage or Muhallabeya

• 5 1/2 cups of cold milk
• 1/4 cup of brown or white rice flour
• 1/2 cup honey

1. Place all the ingredients in a pot. Bring to a boil, while mixing. Cover the pot, and simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. The fun for your family and guests is personalizing the garnishes. They can add any combination of the following:
   • Ground cinnamon
   • Chopped almonds
   • Chopped pistachios
   • Chopped walnuts
   • Chopped hazelnuts
   • Coconut flakes
   • Sultana raisins
   • Chopped dates
   • Chopped figs
   • Ground saffron
   • Lemon zest
   • Orange blossom water (use only a drop)
   • Rose water (use only a drop)
   • Vanilla
   • Ground cardamom
   • Pomegranate seeds

It is traditional to serve this rice-milk pudding chilled. This recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Published in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice ]]> http://handsonjewishholidays.com/2013/05/festive-shavuot-sutlage-rice-pudding/feed/ 0 http://handsonjewishholidays.com/2013/04/lag-bomer-dinner-from-the-embers/ http://handsonjewishholidays.com/2013/04/lag-bomer-dinner-from-the-embers/#comments Fri, 26 Apr 2013 18:27:23 +0000 Ronit http://handsonjewishholidays.com/?p=2352
How are Passover and Shavuot linked?  Passover is when we remember the Exodus, and Shavuot is when we remember the giving of the Torah.  We build up our anticipation for receiving the Torah by counting down the days from Passover to Shavuot.  This period is called the counting of the Omer.  What is an Omer?    The Omer was a unit of measure of barley that was offered in the Temple on the second day of Passover. The counting of the Omer is a somber time, when Rabbi Akiva is commemorated.  Rabbi Akiva took part in Bar Kokba revolt.  He defied the Roman emperor Hadrian’s edicts not to practice or teach Judaism.  Rabbi Akiva taught thousands of students.  A plague arrived in Israel.  Twenty four thousand of his students succumbed to it and died.  Weddings, parties, dancing, and haircuts are traditionally not conducted during the counting of the Omer.On the thirty-third day of the counting of the Omer, there was a break in the plague. We celebrate this miracle by lifting the mourning practices that are observed during the rest of the counting. “Lag” is the number thirty-three in Hebrew letters. “Lag B’Omer” means the thirty-third day of the counting of the Omer.Lag B’Omer is a joyful time when people light bonfires. Dinner is cooked in the embers and is eaten outside under the stars. Celebrants sing Israeli folk songs, and dance horas around the fire.

I like to prepare Lag B’Omer treats in aluminum foil packets. They can be assembled in advance, and then buried in the embers. Dinner cooks itself while everyone has fun. Here are some suggestions:

Campfire Stew

• Ground beef
• Potatoes, sliced
• Onion, sliced
• Garlic, sliced
• Bell peppers, sliced
• Carrots, sliced
• Mushrooms, sliced
• Tomatoes, sliced
• Ground cumin
• Ground paprika
• Salt
• Black pepper

1. Place all the ingredients in a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fold the foil over the food, so it forms a pocket.
2. Cover your foil pocket with another piece of foil, so it doesn’t leak.
3. Bury your foil packet in the embers. Allow it to rest there for at least 30 minutes.
4. Carefully unwrap, and enjoy!

Foil-Grilled Corn

1. Place an ear of corn that has been peeled on a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
2. Brush with olive oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the corn. Wrap with the foil.
3. Wrap your packet with another piece of foil.
4. Bury the corn packet in the hot coals for about ten minutes.
5. Remove the corn packet from the coals, and allow it to rest on the side. The steam will continue cooking the corn.
6. Open the foil packet carefully, allowing the steam to escape.

Banana-Chocolate Melt

• Ripe banana
• Parve chocolate chips

1. Peel one section of the banana.
2. Cut an incision on the side of the banana.
3. Fill with chocolate chips.
4. Fold the peel back into place.
5. Wrap well with aluminum foil.
6. Wrap again with a second layer of aluminum foil.
7. Place in the fire for ten minutes.
8. Enjoy your warm banana-gooey melted chocolate dessert!

Bonfire Apple Cobbler

• Sliced apples
• Granola
• Chopped walnuts or pecans
• Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Ginger

1. Place all the ingredients in a foil pocket.
2. Wrap with another piece of aluminum foil.
3. Bury in the hot coals for around 30 minutes.
4. Enjoy!

Published in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice

• 17 regular cinderblocks
• 6 skinny cinderblocks
• Four 15″ ceramic tiles
• Two 3′x3′ aluminum sheets
• One 3′x3′ perforated aluminum sheet (we used a radiator cover)
• One 3′x1′ aluminum sheet

1. Select a flat surface to construct on. Arrange six cinder-blocks in a rectangular shape, with one cinder-block in the center.	2. Place an aluminum sheet over these cinder-blocks. This will hold the charcoal for the oven.	3. Arrange five cinder-blocks on top of the aluminum sheet, leaving gaps for ventilation.	4. Place a perforated aluminum sheet over the cinder-blocks. This allows the heat to rise to the upper chamber of the oven.
5. Create the baking chamber with five cinderblocks arranged closely together, to keep in the heat.	6. Cover the baking chamber with a solid aluminum sheet.	7. Secure this aluminum sheet with flat cinderblocks.	8. Cover the aluminum sheet with ceramic tiles for insulation.

9. Use a chimney to start up your charcoal.We used natural wood charcoal. The Ancient Israelites used dry dung for fuel. Place some crumpled newspapers in the bottom chamber of the chimney, and charcoal in the top. Light the newspapers. The fire will rise to the charcoal. It takes about fifteen minutes for your charcoal to be ready to be placed in the bottom chamber of the tabun. Rap the back of the chimney with a heavy stick to get the charcoals in to the oven. Use the stick to concentrate the charcoals in the center of the fire chamber. We needed two chimneys full of charcoal to get the tabun hot enough to bake our matza. Once you have placed the matza in the baking chamber, prop the 3′x1′ aluminum sheet against the opening with a stick to create a door. This will help keep in the heat.

In Deuteronomy 16:3, matza is described as lechem oni, or “bread of poverty.” What was the bread of poverty in Ancient Egypt? According to the Karaites, barley was the grain of the poor. They bake their matza from the flour of this Ancient Egyptian staple. I wanted to try it this year, so we baked barleymatza. I bought whole grain barley flour at Weaver’s Way Coop near my house.

Karaite Barley Matza

• 2 cups of barley flour
• 1 cup of water

1. Set a timer for eighteen minutes. From the moment the water touches the flour, that is the total time permitted for the preparation of kosher for Passover matza.
   
2. Place the flour in a bowl.
3. Pour the water into the flour, and knead it quickly.
4. Pinch off an olive-sized piece of dough.
5. Say the blessing for taking challah:
   

   Baruch Ata A-Do-Nay Elo-haynu Melech HaOlam Asher Kidishanu B’Mitzvotav V’Tziyvanu L’Hafrish Challah, Harei Zeh Challah. (Blessed are You, Lord our G-d, King of the Universe, Who has sanctified us with His commandments and commanded us to separate Challah, this is Challah).

6. You must burn this piece of dough completely, in a fire that is separate from the one you are using to bake the matza.
7. Pull off plum-sized balls of dough.
8. Flatten them with your hands.
9. Pierce the flattened dough all over with a fork.
10. Place in the hot tabun.
11. The matza is ready when it is crisp, and slightly browned.

As we pulled the rustic, golden-brown flat breads out of the oven, their delicious aroma wafted around our yard. The tabun-baked barley matza was softer than the store-bought wheat type. We ate our matza hot, right as it emerged from the charcoals. There was a satisfying crunch around the edges as we bit into it. It had a hearty, slightly nutty flavor. For me, this “bread of poverty” is a delicacy!

Published in The Philadelphia Jewish Voice ]]> http://handsonjewishholidays.com/2013/03/bake-your-own-matza-in-a-pop-up-passover-tabun/feed/ 0 http://handsonjewishholidays.com/2013/03/locusts-agricultural-menace-and-kosher-snack/ http://handsonjewishholidays.com/2013/03/locusts-agricultural-menace-and-kosher-snack/#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 01:33:02 +0000 Ronit http://handsonjewishholidays.com/?p=2314  

Please enjoy my interview on PRI’s The World on Geo Quiz:  Locusts: Agricultural Menace and Kosher Snack

Coffee Shop Manot

• Quality ground coffee
• Hamentaschen
• Biscotti
• Coffee Cake
• 2 personalized coffee mugs

Chocoholic Manot

• Premium chocolate
• Hamentaschen
• Hot cocoa mix
• Truffles
• A copy of The True History of Chocolate

Israeli Wine Manot

• 1 bottle of your favorite red Israeli wine
• 1 bottle of your favorite white Israeli wine
• Water crackers
• Cheese
• Hamentaschen

Fruit And Nut Manot

• Hamentaschen
• Dried fruits
• Roasted nuts
• Dark chocolate

Movie Night Manot

• Hamentaschen
• Popcorn
• Candy
• Lemonade

Israeli Treats Manot

• Hamentaschen
• Bissli
• Pesek Zman
• Assorted Fruit Taffy

Folares

Have you ever wanted to arrest Haman and put him in jail? There is a Purim specialty from the Iberian Peninsula whose preparation acts out imprisoning Haman. This Purim treat is called a folar. According to the Rhodes Jewish Museum, folares arrived with Jewish refugees who settled in Greece and Turkey, following their expulsion from Spain in 1492. The descendants of these families have preserved some of their historic foods to the present day.

The traditional recipe calls for a yeast dough, which is constructed in the shape of a cage around a huevo haminado (slowly roasted egg). The egg represents Haman, and the cage of dough symbolizes prison.

Over the years, the recipe for the dough had some Balkan influences. Some families started encasing the egg with flaky borekas dough instead of yeast dough. Either way, folares are served for breakfast during Purim. With their heavenly smell, they would not last long after being pulled out of the oven! Here is a recipe for the traditional yeast dough folar.

Folares

Adapted from Gil Mark’s Encyclopedia of Jewish Food.

For the Huevos Haminados:

(Huevos haminados are eggs that are cooked in a warm oven overnight. If you don’t have the time or the inclination to wait this long, you can just make boiled eggs. When they are ready, drain the pot and leave them in their shells. If you wish to make huevos haminados, here is the method.)

• Eggs
• Extra virgin olive oil

Place the eggs in a casserole. Cover them with water, and drizzle some olive oil over them. Bring the water to a boil. Cover tightly, and place in a 200 degree Fahrenheit oven overnight.

For the dough:

• 2 cups unbleached flour
• 1 1/4 tablespoon active dry yeast
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1. Mix the warm water with the sugar and yeast. Incorporate the flour. Add all the other ingredients. Knead the dough, then cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and place somewhere warm. Allow the dough to rise for 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
3. Place some parchment paper on a cookie sheet.
4. Rip out a piece of dough and sculpt the floor of your “jail.”
5. Place one egg, with the larger end down, in the center of this floor.
6. Roll out strips of dough, and attach them over the egg like the bars of a cell.
7. When all your folares are ready, mix some egg wash (one egg beaten with little water).
8. Paint the folares with the egg wash.
9. Bake for 30 minutes.
10. Serve immediately!

Folares are always appreciated in a mishloach manot as well. Add some fresh fruit and candy, and your gift basket is ready to be delivered.