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Kosher Cuisine Podcast 10b - Shavuot Eastern Europe

from Kosher Cuisine Radio Shows by Leah Kiser - Ahavah Ariel Sacred Arts

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This is part two of the tenth podcast in this original Kosher Cuisine Radio show series broadcast in 2015-2016, featuring music and kosher recipes. I have divided this Bandcamp podcast into two parts, to preserve as much of the original one hour radio show as possible within Bandcamp file size limitations.

lyrics

Kosher Cuisine Show #10 – Shavuot. This is the original script for the show. Some of the non-essential text may have been edited out of the final version that aired on Community Radio due to time constraints. Also, some off-the-cuff comments may not appear in this script.  The script appears in its entirety on both 10a and 10b of the Bandcamp versions for continuity.

First Segment

Hava Nagila Music Intro [35 seconds then fade…]

Hello, everyone! This is Leah and you’re listening to Kosher Cuisine. This is a show about food safety, international kosher recipes and amazing music from areas around the world. I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving last week and enjoyed our music special. This week we return to our series on Jewish Holidays and talk about the festival of Shavu'ot, which you might know as Pentecost, or the Feast of Weeks.

For our recipes today we’ll be featuring what some might call “regular” Jewish cuisine, primarily Ashkanaz classics. Shavuot is noted for dairy dishes, which basically means it’s a field day of cholesterol, or a heart attack waiting to happen.

The tradition of eating dairy on Shavuot originates with the idea that on Mt. Sinai, which by the way is probably not actually in what we call the Sinai today. The sages say that having received the Torah on this day, they realized suddenly that they had been doing things wrong. They needed separate dishes for meat and didn’t have any yet, and they had not been slaughtering the meat properly, draining off the blood completely and so forth. So they ate dairy, to reflect the verses that compare the Torah to, quote, ”honey and milk under your tongue.” So, sugary dairy dishes it is.

And, Fish! Remember, in Kashrut fish has an odd designation. It is neither meat nor dairy. Even though it is an animal, it is considered parve and can be eaten with dairy products. So if you are vegan, you might want to check parve hechshers carefully to make sure there aren’t any ingredients derived from fish sources, because in kashrut they can be there and it’s perfectly ok.

Since these dishes are all considered dairy, you will need to use dairy utensils, cookware, and bakeware. Be sure and use a different cutting board for the fish than for the other things you chop – fish is a common source of cross contamination and food poisoning.

So, one option for a fish dish is a Sephardi dish I’m going to sneak into today’s lineup, just because I can. It’s called, Shavuot Sole with Spiced Butter and Basmati Rice. You don’t have to use Sole, though. Any whitefish will do.

You will need:

1 and ½ cups of basmati rice. I prefer long grain brown rice.

About 1 and ½ lbs of sole or other whitefish fillets, patted dry

6 tablespoons of soft butter

2 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced

½ cup of minced green onions, and if you’re feeling brave,

1 jalapeno pepper. Cut in half, discard the ribs and seeds, and dice up the fleshy part for this dish.

You will also need to measure out:
2 teaspoons of ground cumin

½ teaspoon of ground turmeric

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley

A pinch of salt and a pinch of black ground pepper.

OK, first rinse off your rice, drain it, and put it in a large saucepan. Add water according to the package directions. If you’re using long grain brown rice, you will need about 3 cups of filtered water for 1 and ½ cups of dry rice.

Bring the rice to a boil, and then cover and cook on low heat, about 2 out of 10, until the rice is tender and all the liquid is absorbed. This can take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour and a half, depending upon what type of rice you chose to use.

While the rice is simmering, check the fish carefully for bones, because sometimes they miss a couple. This is especially important if you will have kids at the table. Cut the fish into thin diagonal strips, about 1” wide and 3” long, sort of like skinny fish sticks. Set these aside in the fridge if you’re not ready to finish them yet.

Combine the butter, the garlic, the jalapeno if you’re using one, the cumin, the turmeric, and some salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl. Mix them well.

Now, preheat your oven to 275 degrees. Spoon 2 tablespoons of the spiced butter mixture into a large, heavy skillet. Spoon all the rest of the butter mixture onto the rice mixture when it is finished cooking. Cover and let it stand, warm, until ready to serve.

Next, add the olive oil to the pan. Now, sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper. Finally, add half the fish to the pan and sauté until the fish is just cooked through and opaque. Using a slotted spoon, put the fish onto a platter and warm in the oven while you sauté the rest of the fish.

Finally, when all the fish is on the platter, add the green onions and sauté them for a scant minute, just to absorb a bit of flavor. Then spoon them over the fish on the platter.

Fluff the rice with a fork to mix in the spicy butter, and serve warm. Sprinkle everything with parsley. Yummy.

However, if you’re not a big fan of whitefish, here is an awesome salmon recipe you can try. It’s poached in Champaign!

You will need:
4 cups of Champaign – or any white wine that you like, actually.

5 salmon fillets, about six ounces each. Make sure the skin is removed.

Chop 1 shallot, and have 6 sprigs of fresh dill ready.

Now, measure out:
1 tablespoon of soft butter

3 tablespoons of salt - yes, tablespoons.

1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

And 2 tablespoons of minced fresh dill.

OK, take the butter and grease your pan. It should be a tall sided skilled. Add the wine, the shallot, the sprigs of dill, and the salt and pepper. Bring the liquid to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 minutes to reduce it a bit.

Next, add the salmon fillets, and sprinkle the minced dill on the top of them. Cook uncovered about 10-15 minutes, simmering lightly, until the fillets are cooked through. You’ll have to check one by inserting the tip of a dairy knife into the thickest part to make sure it’s not raw in the middle. You can baste the fillets with the liquid in the pan to speed things up. When the salmon is cooked completely, use a slotted spatula to remove the fillets from the pan.

Now, while the fish is simmering, you should make your sauce. You will need:

½ cup of chopped shallots

1 cup of champaign, or white wine of your choice

1 and ½ cups of heavy cream

4 tablespoons of butter, cut into pieces

½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper.

Combine the shallots and the champaign in a saucepan. Bring them to a boil and cook about 6 minutes, or until most of the liquid is evaporated.

Add the heavy cream and bring to a boil again, then lower the heat and simmer 3-4 minutes on low until the cream thickens. It should reduce by nearly half.

Finally, whisk in the butter. If you like, you can strain the sauce so there are no shallots remaining, or if you don’t mind them you can leave them in. Season with the salt and pepper, and serve warm over the salmon.

While you’re whipping up one of these lovely fish entrees, you might enjoy a bit of klezmer. Or, you might not. Klezmer music is one of those things where you either like it or you don’t. This particular CD is special, though, because it features world famous concert violinist Itzhak Perlman. It’s called, “Perlman plays Klezmer - In the Fiddler’s House.”

The first track I’m going to play is track 1, called Reb Itzik’s Niggun. A niggun is a wordless tune, often of the sort where you sing la-la-la or some such instead of real words. Such a wordless musical prayer is common both in home prayer and at the synagogue, and are traditionally considered to express power and truth above and beyond mere language. This particular niggun was written specifically for Itzhak Perlman by Alan Bern, and it incorporates traditional melodies of the hasiddim into a Hungarian style composition.

[Track 1 – Reb Itzik’s Nign 6:06]


Second Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine! To go with your fish on Shavuot, how about some potato dishes? First let’s try a potato pierogi with fontina cheese. If you don’t have fontina, that’s ok. You can substitute any smooth creamy cheese, like havarti, or even an herb variety of cream cheese if necessary.

You will need:
1 and ½ pounds of potatoes, with the skin on. The recipe recommends Idaho Russet potatoes, but any thick skinned variety will work.

1 quart of kosher salt. Yes, you heard that right. Bear with me.

1 and 2/3 cup all purpose unbleached flour, preferably organic.

1/3 cup of grated parmesan cheese

½ pound of fontina or havarti cheese, cut into 1” by 3” strips about ¼” thick. Think really, really thin cheese sticks.

2 large egg yolks

½ cup of eggs, whisked (you can include the whites from the other eggs in this, too.)

A tub of sour cream, for serving

And measure out:
2 tablespoons of olive oil

And 2 teaspoons of unsalted butter

First, cook the potatoes, not like you’re thinking. Take the quart of salt into a ¼ inch deep layer on a baking sheet. Place the potatoes on top and bake them until they’re tender, about 45 minutes for small to medium sized potatoes. Bigger ones will take longer. Poke them with a fork to be sure they’re done. The skin should be buckled and blistered.

Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool as is, salt and all.

Next, make the dough. Peel the potatoes and put them through a food mill or ricer, or process them on the grating disk of a food processor. Of course, if need be, you can grate them by hand. People did this for thousands of years before electronic appliances were invented. Put the potatoes in a good sized bowl.

Add the egg yolks, the flour, ¾ tablespoon of salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of pepper. Mix with your hands in the bowl until it becomes firm. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 2-3 minutes. Cover the dough with a dry towel and let it rest for about 10 minutes.

Now, cut the dough into quarters. Work with one quarter at a time and leave the remainder under the towel. Roll out the dough to ¼ inch thickness on your lightly floured surface, forming a round shape 12-14” in diameter. Using a 4” round cutter, or a similarly sized glass, cut rounds out of the dough. Brush each round with the egg wash and place a piece of cheese on top, near the edge on one side. Sprinkle on some parmesan then fold up the empty side of the round up and over the fontina. Align the edges so you end up with a half-moon shape. Crimp the edges together by pressing on them with the tines of a fork.

Take the dough scraps and roll them out, and do the same with them. Then take the next quarter, and so on, until you have used all the dough and cheese.

Next, we poach the pierogis. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and simmer over high heat. Drop in the pierogis and wait about 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to fish out the pierogis. Add the olive oil and toss carefully to coat them. At this point you can set them aside to cool, or put them in the fridge if you’re waiting until later for the next step.

The next step is to sauté them. You don’t have to sauté all of them. In fact, you can freeze part of the batch to use for later. The ones you need for this meal will be sautéed in butter. Turn them once, when the first side is golden brown, and then do the other side. It doesn’t take long, about 4 minutes total. Remove them from the pan and drain them on a towel. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper. They can be served plain with a dollop of sour cream.

You might be thinking that recipe takes a long time – and it does. But good things are worth waiting for. At least these can be made all in the same day. Unlike, another good side dish called potato and cheese knishes. If you are familiar with spanikopeta, these are similar – a flaky crust filled with gooey cheese goodness.

You will need:
2 cups of all purpose unbleached flour, preferably organic

2 sticks of cold, unsalted butter

1 pound of russet potatoes, or any thick-skinned variety. The recipe says peel and cut into quarters, but I never peel potatoes. It doesn’t hurt either the taste or the texture to mass them up with the peels like home-style potatoes.

¼ of diced yellow onions

1 garlic clove, minced

And ¼ cup ice water

Then measure out:
2 teaspoons of salt

3 teaspoons of vegetable shortening

1 large egg yolk

A small bowl of egg wash. You can use the extra egg white in it, too.

½ cup ricotta cheese, preferably organic

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon of chopped parsley

2 tablespoons of olive oil or other vegetable oil.

And 1/8 teaspoon of ground black pepper

For this dough, sift the flour and 1 teaspoon of salt into a large bowl. Cut in the butter using a fork, to make a crumbly mixture. Add the shortening and the egg yolk, and beat until the ingredients are mixed. Add the water and continue beating until the dough comes together. Most people will use a mixer for this, but of course it is not necessary. It will just take longer to beat the dough by hand.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured board and knead for about 2 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or place in a sealed container, and put in the fridge overnight.

The next day, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Drop in the potatoes and cook until fork tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain them in a colander and set aside to dry. You can pat them dry with a towel if you’re in a hurry, but they’ll be awfully hot.

Put them through a ricer, or a food mill, or grate them either with a food processor or by hand, whichever you prefer. You will need only two cups of potato mash – if there’s more, set the rest aside to use in something else.

Now, heat the oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and garlic, and sauté until they are shiny and aromatic, about 3-4 minutes. Then, put the onions in the bowl with the potatoes. Add the ricotta and parmesean cheese, the parsley, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt with the pepper, and mix it all together with a wooden spoon.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Take your dough and divide it into 3 or 4 equal pieces. Roll out each piece into a rectangle, approximately 6x8” or 4x6ish. Cut each rectangle longways, into two strips 6 or 8 inches long. Spoon the filling along the center of half of the strips, leaving about 1” margin on the llong ends and a thin margin along the other edges. Brush some egg wash on the uncheesy ends. Take the empty halves and lay them on top of the cheesy halves, and press together the edges firmly. This makes rectangular packets.

Arrange the knishes on the baking sheet, and bake them until they are golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cut the knishes into 2 inch lengths and serve warm.

This next track off of Itzhak Perlman’s CD is called Flatbush Waltz, and while Flatbush is in New York, the music is definitely old world Klezmer.

[Track 3 – Flatbush Waltz 6:14]

Third Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine! If potatoes aren’t your thing, there are plenty of other traditional Shavuot dairy dishes to choose from.

One you’ve probably heard of is called blintzes. Blinztes are like crepes, basically, just a bit thicker in the batter. Blintzes can be sweet or they can be savory. This one is a sweet recipe called Baby Blintzes. It’s a sort of cheat version that’s less trouble than traditional blintzes.

You will need:
An 8 ounce package of farmer cheese, regular - not unsalted.

An 8 ounce package of cottage cheese

3 large eggs

12 raspberries and 24 blueberries. Honestly, I wouldn’t bother counting them.

You will need to measure out:
3 tablespoons of sour cream

1/3 cup of sugar

½ cup of all purpose baking mix, like bisquick.

1 teaspoon of vanilla

3 tablespoons of melted butter

A pinch of cinnamon for sprinkling

And perhaps some more sour cream to garnish.

First, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heavily grease a muffin tin with butter or a very generous portion of nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, mix the farmer’s cheese, the cottage cheese, the sour cream, the sugar, the baking mix, the vanilla, the melted butter, and the eggs. Mix thoroughly by hand, or use a mixer at medium speed.

Fill each of the muffin compartments halfway with the mixture. Place at least 1 raspberry and two blueberries on each dough portion. Or, if you’re lazy like me, just spoon some on there. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Remove from the oven. These can be served hot, warm, or room temperature. They are ok cold, but it’s not the best way. Take the warm baby blintzes and sprinkle them with cinnamon, and even some powdered sugar, if you like. Then serve with a small dollop of sour cream.

Now, another option is to make a challah soufflé. You can get loaves of challah locally at Trader Joes and at Fresh Market. I believe Meijer also sometimes has it. Challah is a very rich egg bread, generally braided into a long oval shape. Around Rosh HaShanah you can find them braided into rounds, too. If you can’t find challah, you can substitute croissants.

For this recipe, you will need 1 medium challah, or 4 small challah rolls, or 4 large croissants.

An 8 ounce package of cream cheese, softened

1 stick of butter, softened

10 large eggs

And measure out:
¾ cup of real maple syrup, not commercial “pancake syrup,” which is just flavored corn syrup. Not only is the fake stuff bad for you, but it will not set up correctly in this recipe.

Now, don’t tell anyone I told you this, but you can add bourbon. Really. It comes out as a bourbon bread pudding. You might have to try several times to find just the right amount to suit you, but ¼ cup to start is good. And if you have to eat that one and make another one to get it right, well, sometimes we just have to make these little sacrifices. Wouldn’t want to serve guests an inferior soufflé, now would we?

But, back to the kid friendly version, you will need 3 cups of light cream or whole milk.

Measure out 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar.

OK, the first step is to tear up the challah or the croissants. You want little shapes about 1” or so. You can cut them with a knife or just tear them off with your fingers, either way. If you have kids around to help, they will have fun tearing up the bread.

Distribute the bread bits evenly on the bottom of a greased 9x13 casserole dish.

In a bowl, combine the cream cheese, the butter, and ¼ of the maple syrup. Stir vigorously until smooth, or use a food processor. Try to spread this over the bread bits, or give up and mix it all together.

Once the bowl is empty, beat the eggs, the remaining ½ cup of syrup, and the cream. Pour this over the bread bits. Use a spoon to even things out if need by. Sprinkle the cinnamon on the top. Cover and put in the fridge overnight or all day, so the bread bits can soak up the cream mixture completely.

Next, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Uncover the soufflé and bake for 45-50 minutes, maybe even an hour, until it is puffed and golden. This is best when served warm, sprinkled with the confectioner’s sugar and maybe drizzled with a bit more maple syrup or with soft butter.

That’s about a million calories a bite, by the way.

And while it’s baking, here’s track 10 from Itzhak Perlman’s Klezmer CD, called “Der Alter Bulgar.” This is another niggun, written in the 1920s. Enjoy!

[Track 10 – Der Alter Blugar 5:55]


Fourth Segment

Welcome back to Kosher Cuisine! Shavuot is the holiday that is 50 days from Passover, and counted off as seven weeks, which is where it got the very unoriginal name “Feast of Weeks.” This is when the people of Israel had their fateful appointment with God on the mountain, and received the Torah. The symbolism of a wedding is generally used to describe the event. The Torah is the ketubah, or wedding contract. The people are the bride, and God is the groom. The mountain supposedly hovered over the people like the chuppah, a small ceremonial tent that is used in Jewish wedding ceremonies. There, they exchanged vows – they would be God’s people, and God agreed to be their God. It has been, apparently, a rocky marriage, but supposedly everybody lives happily ever after in the end.

In the meantime, we eat cheesecake. Shavuot would not be complete without cheesecake – it’s an unwritten law.

Our first recipe is just called Ultimate Cheesecake.

You will need:

1 and ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs. You can substitute gluten free ginger snaps or molasses cookies, too.

5, yes 5, 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, softened. Organic is best. The non-organic commercial brands generally have way too much guar gum or some such gum in them so that it is very difficult to get them to spread or blend smoothly. They use the gum to make the squares stay in shape, but good cream cheese isn’t supposed to be like a brick.

You will need 5 large eggs

¼ cup heavy whipping cream

And 2 large egg yolks. Save the whites to throw in a quiche later.

Measure out:

¾ stick of melted butter, unsalted

¼ cup dark brown sugar

1 and 1/3 cups of sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

1/8 cup all purpose unbleached flour, preferably organic, or gluten free substitute.

And, optionally, 3 chocolate covered toffee candy bars, or any hard candy bars of your choice, crushed to bits.

Preheat your oven to 200 degrees. Spray a 10“ springform pan with a very generous portion of nonstick cooking spray or soft butter.

In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, the melted butter, and the brown sugar. When they are mixed thoroughly, press them into the bottom of the springform pan.

Now, combine the cream cheese, the eggs, and the egg yolks. Beat at medium speed until smooth with an electric mixer, or tag team with a friend to hand mix. Add the sugar, the vanilla, the flour, and the heavy cream and beat until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared crust. Bake for 3 hours and 10 minutes. Turn the oven off, open the door a crack, and leave the cake in the oven another hour while the heat dissipates. Finally, put the room cake in the fridge to firm up, overnight or at least 8 hours.

If desired, sprinkle the top of the cheesecake with the crushed candy bits. Alternately, you can drizzle some caramel, a fruit sauce, or crème fraiche.

And that is a really good cheesecake. But if you want to go above and beyond, then try this recipe for Tiramisu Cheesecake.

You will need:
14 chocolate sandwich cookies, like Hydrox (which is the kosher version of oreos, actually)

12-14 soft sponge ladyfingers, about one 3 ounce package

Two 8 ounce packages of cream cheese, preferably organic.

One 8 ounce package of mascarpone cheese, softened

1 cup of sugar

3 large eggs

And one 8 ounce container of sour cream.

Measure out:
1 teaspoon of instant expresso

2 tablespoons of whole milk, preferably organic

1 tablespoon of cornstarch or potato starch

1 teaspoon of vanilla

And optionally, a chocolate bar to grate and sprinkle on the top

So, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Crush the cookies until they are finely crushed into crumbs. You can do this with a food processor, or you can use a closed cloth or plastic bag and beat the cookies with a wooden spoon or rolling pin until they are mush. Add the butter, mix, and press into the bottom of an ungreased 9” springform pan.

Now, cut the ladyfingers in half, so that each has a rounded edge and a flat edge where you cut it in the middle. Place the flat edge side down, and line the rim of the springform pan with the ladyfingers, so that the rounded tops are pointing upward, making a fence of sorts around the circumference of the pan.

In a small cup or bowl, mix the expresso powder with the mild and stir to dissolve. Set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese and mascarpone until they are thoroughly combined and have a fluffy texture. Gradually add in the sugar. Beat on medium high, or very vigorously by hand, until everything is smooth. Turn the speed to low and beat in the cornstarch, the vanilla, and the eggs until just combined. Stir the expresso mixture into the cheese batter.

Now, carefully pour the batter into the springform pan. If you knock over the ladyfingers you’ll have a mess on your hands, so be patient. When you have successfully transferred all the cheese mixture, put the springform pan onto a baking sheet and place it in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

The center will appear to be fully set when you jiggle the pan if the cake is finished baking. You can, of course, carefully insert the tip of a knife into the center to check it.

When it’s ready, remove it from the oven and spread the sour cream on top immediately, while it’s still hot, starting at the center and working outward toward the edges.

Cool the cake in the pan for about 15 minutes, then use the knife to make sure the ladyfingers are not stuck to the sides, carefully. Let it remain cooling in the pan for at least one hour. Finally, cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least 5 hours. Sprinkle the shaved chocolate on the top if desired before serving. And don’t eat it all yourself.

While you are patiently waiting for your cheesecakes to chill, here is track ___ from Itzhak Perlman’s Klezmer CD, entitled “______________.”


[Track – ]


Thank you for listening to Kosher Cuisine. Next week we will have some more great international food and music and we’ll talk a bit more about food safety and kashrut.

This is Leah Kiser wishing you Sabbath peace, this week and every week. Shalom!

[Hava Nagila fade…]

credits

from Kosher Cuisine Radio Shows, track released January 14, 2022
Credits for 45 second musical excerpts are given in the podcasts. All music and recipes were curated by Leah Kiser, and all podcast narration is performed by Leah Kiser.

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Leah Kiser - Ahavah Ariel Sacred Arts Lexington, Kentucky

Leah was a lay cantor at her conservative synagogue for many years. In 2021 she received Kohenet smicha & began recording liturgical music to teach others the traditional liturgy and to explore the themes of the Kohenet priestess paths & Shekinah the Divine Feminine. ... more

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