The War of Gefilte

People often ask me what I don’t like to eat, as I like almost everything. Typically, I only say bananas, as my sensitive palette doesn’t like the aftertaste of them and how they can overwhelm everything. I also dislike tomatoes, but it’s only a texture issue – I can eat ketchup and tomato sauce with no problems.

But there is another food that fills me with dread. It sends shivers up my spine just dwelling on the concept. I met it at a temple Passover seder at 11, when they put it on my plate. I asked what it was, and when I was told, I said, “I’m not touching that.”

It’s gefilte fish.

Mind you, I don’t get freaked out by all gefilte fish. My mother-in-law makes Susie Fishbein’s “Kosher By Design” three-layer gefilte fish pie for Shabbat sometimes, and that is delicious. Those are frozen loaves, and they aren’t too bad. The real fear comes in with the jar.

Ari’s cousin, Sabrina (who I adopted as my own because she’s so awesome) and I were going over it the other night. “I love that stuff!” she said. “I grew up on it. Your husband grew up on it. It’s good!”

But she could never convince me. As someone who knows and loves food, I know for certain that fish should a) never come in a jar, and b) never come with jelly. Doesn’t matter the flavor. Fish does not work with it, in my opinion.

Gefilte fish did not always inspire such “Psycho”-level shrieks of horror. There was a time where the Bubbes of Eastern Europe grinded their own whitefish, made it just so and without any icky stuff. There are still recipes of it, courtesy of that other Jewish-cooking wonder Joan Nathan. But it is gefilte that could possibly have been the downfall of the Jewish culinary tradition.

Think about what Jews have contributed to the world of food. In the Ashkenazi tradition, Jews gave the world the bagel and delicatessens filled with tasty meats like pastrami. In the Sephardic tradition, we taught the world that the Mediterranean diet was the healthiest way to live (one filled with fresh fish, fruits and vegetables and olive oil). And Israelis? Well, living in the Middle East allows them to perfect the art that is hummus. And not to mention that, for some odd reason, non-Jews seem drawn inexplicably to our creation known as matzah.

But just try showing someone gefilte fish without them freaking out, and wondering what the hell is up with the Jews that they would allow chewed-up-looking fish to be served out of a jar. It’s no wonder why people like Claudia Roden are shying away from it, favoring instead the Sephardic and Mizrahi communities for recipes, along with Indian and Chinese Jewish wonders.

I sometimes wonder if people relate kosher eating to the gefilte, as it’s probably the most traditional of Jewish dishes. It could be the reason why people are turned off by the concept of it. I mean, let’s face it – if faced with the chewed-up ickiness versus a piece of bacon, which one would you take? I’m kosher, but I know where I’d go first.

Which is why I am asking the nice Jewish people of the world to seek alternatives to the jar for your fish needs. I watched as my friend Merav stewed her fish on Friday nights in a spicy tomato mixture to serve as her fish course. It’s scrumptious, healthy and delightfully full of flavor. She stews it with beans along with delicious spices – what could be more delicious?

As for those who love gefilte, please introduce yourself to the loaf. It’s available in the frozen section of not only kosher markets, but also quite a few regular markets. It’s a lot nicer looking, and you can boil it and infuse it with flavor. And there isn’t a lick of jelly in sight.

So, in spite of the jar, I am going to give you a simple version of a fish that you can prepare at home. It’s pareve, so perfect for serving on Friday night, and it’s super-simple to bake up if you’re rushed for a meal. It’s also a special tribute to Merav and her courage to not grab the jar. P’tayavon!

CURRIED COCONUT FISH

1-2 lbs. mild white fish such as tilapia

1 can light coconut milk

3 tablespoons curry powder

Additional spices (see quick tip)

Salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare a large baking dish. Place fish in an even layer in the dish and season with salt and pepper.

In another bowl, mix coconut milk, curry powder and additional spices. Pour over the fish. Place in the over and cook for 20 minutes. Serve hot. If main course, serve over vegetables or barley (I think spinach would go really well with the curry flavors). If serving on Friday night, feel free to take a page our of Merav’s book and mix in a can of rinsed garbanzo beans with the coconut to pour over the fish and serve alongside it.

QUICK TIP: As each curry powder is unique and different, feel free to experiment with what spices you want to add to the curry. I recommend ground clove, cinnamon, nutmeg and my favorite, garlic.

A Salute to the Veggies

Being kosher can be a tremendous challenge. Since the majority of the world’s Jews no longer keep the practice, it’s not something that many people don’t understand. I have been questioned about it a thousand times, and I’m sure I will be questioned about it a thousand more.

At least I’m in good company. In the land of California, everyone is on a different diet that it is easy to camouflage yourself. There are the gluten-frees, the no-white-stuff peeps and the raw diet rabbits. Trust me, I tried a raw meal once, where I ate nut cheese. It’s not an experience I want to repeat.

But I am going to sing the praises of a certain group of specific diet people. Mainly, the vegetarians and vegans (sorry, my pescatarian friends, but you’re going to have to sit out this number. I still love you, though).

It’s a hard world out there for you guys. With very little protein available, you have to make things work in a very different way. I still hear people talk about “It’s not healthy” to be a vegetarian or vegan. I hear stories of former vegetarians and vegans talking about how unhealthy they were.

However, for those who keep up with the lifestyle, I give kudos. It’s a hard choice. As a kosher girl, I understand. I’m weaker, because I like chicken, beef and lamb, and refuse to give those up. There are very few options for kosher though, so I go into vegetarian and vegan restaurants with great joy in being able to order anything off the menu. Whether it’s for health, ethics or environmental reasons, I give kudos for not falling into the cheeseburger world and playing with your veggies (I find veggies often a lot more fun to work with than meat).

Vegetarians and vegans have been getting more cultural acceptance in the United States, although the majority of the acceptance is here in California. Five years ago, when I was in Washington D.C. and requested a vegetarian meal at a luncheon at the National Press Club, I got a plate of slop with microwavable peas and carrots in it. I watched as the other vegetarians in the room wrinkled their noses in contempt.

Five years later, I was a dinner here in California. As everyone else was served chicken, I requested a vegetarian meal. Out came a beautiful plate of pasta with bright vegetables, parmesan cheese and a balsamic reduction. The meat eaters at the table sat there with their chicken cordon bleu while I was happily eating up my pasta, leaving them all jealous.

What I learned from that experience is that when it comes to creating food for vegetarians and vegans, you have to be more creative. I watch as many vegetarian and vegan places come up with uses for seitan, tempeh and tofu, which are absolutely extraordinary and downright tasty. I have seen Café Jay Vegetarian in Mira Mesa serve soy shrimp (which is absolutely delish) and the perennial L.A. favorite Veggie Grill create a fried chick’n sandwich to delicious results. Yesterday, I ate delicious fakin’ bacon at Zephyr, a vegetarian restaurant right here in Long Beach. Yums.

I have also watched as restaurants have been more veggie and vegan friendly – like my friends at Open Sesame, who have taken the time to mark the vegetarian and vegan menu items, or at Burger Bar in Las Vegas, where their vegan “burger” is actually two of the most delicious portabella mushrooms as the buns, and delectable veggies in the middle. And since Burger Bar is owned by Hubert Keller, a top-notch chef (and is also home to the BEST MILKSHAKE EVER), it says something to the great chefs out there – vegetarians and vegans aren’t going anywhere, so either give them something good or they’ll go somewhere else to get it.

So here’s to you, my veggie and vegan friends. May we of the kosher world continue to grow with you and enjoy all your delicious offerings. In the meantime, we are going to replay a recipe, for tofu coconut curry. P’tayavon!

TOFU COCONUT CURRY

1 block extra-firm tofu

¼ cup hoisin sauce

8 shiitake mushrooms

3 small heads bok choy

2-3 large carrots

4 green onions

4 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons sesame oil

2 cans light coconut milk

2-3 tablespoons curry powder

Other curry spices (see QUICK TIP 2)

Drain the tofu and chop into cubes (see QUICK TIP 1). Marinate in hoisin sauce. Meanwhile, slice the shiitake mushrooms and chop the bok choy (discarding roots and ends) and carrots. Slice the green onions and mince the garlic.

In a soup pan, heat the oil and add the shiitakes and carrots. Season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic. Saute for three to four minutes, then add the tofu. Cook for another two minutes, constantly turning the pan.

Add the bok choy and green onions. Add the coconut milk, curry powder and other spices. Allow to simmer until the coconut milk begins to reduce and the mixture begins to thicken. Serve hot over rice.

QUICK TIP 1: Tofu, if not drained properly, will fall apart during cooking. If your tofu is packed in water, remove it from the package and wrap it in paper towels. Put it on a plate and place another one on top with a heavy object to weigh it down. You may have to replace the paper towels several times. However, if you can find your tofu vacuum-sealed instead of packed in water, it will take you a lot less time to drain it.

QUICK TIP 2: I personally like my curry powder and coconut milk for the mixture because it doesn’t overpower the subtle sweetness of the mixture. However, there are certain components of the curry powder spice mix you like best – like ginger, tumeric, coriander and cumin, or even cinnamon, clove, nutmeg and mustard powder – that you may want to accentuate. If so, feel free to add them to your curry.

All Apologies

It’s been a while since I have been back here. So it’s time to shake off some dust and stretch out my apologies to the people who love YBK.

The past few months have been the source of endless drama and difficulties. I traveled cross-country, something that I dreamed of doing almost my whole life. I was able to afford an anniversary trip with Ari. But even those great highs could not compete with the low of depression regarding the situation that my husband Ari and I faced.

No job and no prospects for months led to me to crying fits, random blow-ups at people and difficulties coming to terms when our financial situation went from bad to worse. Although things seem to be turning around now (with my husband finally getting a job after two stark years of unemployment), it’s hard to shake the fact that we are struggling and still have to face the affects that unemployment has had on our lives.

I felt the pressure to try to turn the blog into a money maker, to make it into something that it’s really not. I loved certain products and wanted to feature them. I thought that making it appeal to salespeople would make me more successful. But it made me more empty, and I began to drift again.

So why have I decided to come back? The answer really came from a woman named Sandra from Jacksonville, Florida. She left a comment on one of my earlier blogs, and this is what it said:

Dear Reina, I found your post after searching for information from others who are kosher & taking Coumadin. All I can say is Thank You for continuing this blog. You never know the impact you have on others unless they share. I recently had a DVT blast through my heart and the bi-lateral PE(s) looked more like a shotgun blast; too many to count on each side. I just wanted you to know that reading your post made me feel better; a little less alone. Tikkun Olam comes in many different and unexpected forms :)

I felt comforted by Sandra. And I realized something that was very important about YBK – it’s not about me. I thought no one was listening, and that there was no point to this blog. But when I founded this, I sought to make a community, one that was united by stories and food. I wanted to make it like a table of friends coming together from all different backgrounds to share and enjoy one another.

Now, things are taking an interesting turn, and YBK will be rising from the ashes spread across the Internet. Here are some of the more interesting developments that we will be doing:

· We have combined with our friends at PunkTorah.org to help launch their site, NewKosher.org. We will be posting there as well as here, although there we will be on a different schedule – stay tuned.

· After much procrastination, I will be launching video. So excited! It was one of the biggest projects that I wanted to take on for Young, Broke and Kosher, straight from the beginning. I hope to shoot this week in my own kitchen, and possibly work out a deal to make it more professional.

· I have every intention of also launching youngbrokeandkosher.com and keeping that as the home of the blog, as well as launching a forum and other various projects. However, we need some cheap hosting for it. If you know anywhere that YBK can find its hosting home, please let me know.

· Also, I want to encourage other people’s creativity in the kitchen by featuring YOUR recipes. If you want to have your tasty dishes featured on this site, please shoot me an e-mail at youngbrokekosher@gmail.com. If you have a photograph to go with your dish, it would be appreciated.

So, welcome home, loyal YBKers, and greetings to all the newer people. YBK is officially relauched!

YBK featured on Punktorah.org!

Hey everyone!

Product of the Week will be back next week, but this week we will be featuring Punktorah.org, where I have written a d'var of my favorite Torah portion. Enjoy!

http://punktorah.org/dvar-torah/lech-lecha-by-young-broke-kosher.htm

It Gets Better... Right?

This week, the Internet has been abuzz about the “It Gets Better” project launched by Dan Savage. Mind you, I think this project is important. Letting teenagers know that suicide is not the answer, that there is help out there and that things will get better for them is crucial for their survival. I really recommend looking at it.

Many celebrities are rallying for the cause, including some of my favorites (hello, Tim Gunn, whose picture needed to be in this blog!). But in the light of my own darkness, there is the question that I have to pose for celebrities as they are driving around in their nice cars to their big homes – well, except for the sacred Tim, who has admitted he still takes the subway in New York.

Depression is a huge problem not only for teens. For the millions of out-of-work people in the United States, it is an even bigger problem. Many of them, myself included, have lost a lot of hope, and seem to be unable to function and do what they normally do. Some have gone off the rails. I remember that, for a while, there were stories every day about how unemployed people were so desperate, they killed their families and then themselves to get rid of the misery of it all.

The August unemployment rate in the United States was 9.5 percent – almost one in ten Americans is unemployed. In California, it’s 12.8 percent. And there are more people telling me that I need to get off my ass and do X, Y and Z rather than, “Hold on. It will get better, and you will look back on this as simply a memory.”

I will admit, save for a few episodes of pure bliss, I have been incredibly depressed over the past few months. I have been unmotivated to do anything, including taking care of this blog or cooking. My reduction to crying fits poisoned me, and when it seemed like my friends disappeared from off the face of the earth, it became even worse.

I have been fortunate that my parents have been incredibly supportive and understanding, and that several friends have offered whatever they could to help us. However, it seems like many people want to retreat. It’s too close, to personal, especially because its from someone they know, and besides, what do they get out of it? It’s easier to back up then to reach out. It’s like elementary school: Everyone wants to be your friend if you’re giving out candy, but if you’re not, watch out.

My concern has been whether it gets better or not. A friend on Facebook has been posting quotes from Rabbi Nachman of Breslov, and while they have been comforting, they are not enough to wake me from the haze of depression and make me believe that things will change from this desperation.

I am not dumping on Dan Savage’s parade – his cause is important. But as a person who is unemployed and slumping, I think it would help if we had a YouTube campaign about current successes who were once down-and-out. Jewel, for example, was living in her car before she became successful. Eminem came from a trailer park. And, of course, J.K. Rowling was living off of welfare as a single mom with a baby, writing a fabulous tale of a boy wizard in coffee shops.

For the millions of Americans out there who are depressed from the economy and the state of the workplace, we need some reassurance. Sadly, since I am in the same state, I can’t give it to you. But I encourage those who have been through it to reassure us and care for us.

And as for those who have their jobs and think they know better than us? Shut your mouths, because you’re not helping. We have to get out of our funk to find jobs, and one of the main reasons you have a job is that you are fortunate enough to not have lost it in the downturn.

May G-d bless us with health, happiness and, of course, jobs!

Love, Rein

To Chalav or Not to Chalav? Milking the Debate

Being of Sephardi descent from the Mediterranean, dairy is an important part of my diet. I love good cheese, and since the Sephardi diet is mainly fish, we can eat cheese almost whenever we want.

But the subject of cheese and dairy often brings up a specific kashrut questions: chalav yisrael or no?

It’s not one of the more common kosher laws, and there are quite a few people who are kosher but don’t observe it. But what is chalav yisrael, you may ask?

It’s actually quite simple: Although milk that comes from a kosher animal is inherently kosher, the Shulchan Aruch ruled that Jews could only drink milk that was handled by Torah-observant Jews. That way, people wouldn’t be tricked into possibly drinking non-kosher milk. Unlike with kosher wine, where it undergoes a specific process due to its use in religious rituals, milk has no religious purposes in Judaism.

According to the site OK.org (the site for the O-K certification), the majority of farms do not produce milk from unkosher animals. While cow and goat milk are available on the market, you won’t find a lot of varieties In addition, the USDA prohibits production of these types of milk for commercial sale, and there are major consequences if you do try to sell it. So even though chefs are obsessed with pork, I doubt any of them are reaching for pig milk.

In addition, there are plenty of ways that we already observe that milk is kosher. If you have a product that is certified kosher, you have to have rabbinical supervision. If there is a milk product in it, it is usually identified as such with a D (the most famous, the Orthodox Union’s, or OU’s, D symbol can be found on a lot of common food products).

So, with the kashrut observation of many different rabbis and the fact that the USDA prohibits the sale of many unkosher milk products, should we really be concerned about chalav yisrael in America?

Personally, I am not chalav yisrael. It is a very difficult lifestyle to maintain, and as far as I’m concerned, if it’s good enough for OU-D, it’s good enough for me. I feel that, with the regulations our government has on food, that the law is antiquated. It comes from a time where you couldn’t trust your neighbors and there were no regulations like this.

My whole philosophy towards my religion (and my kashrut) is thinking of modern times: If it doesn’t have a part of the modern world, there is no reason for me to partake. I feel that being kosher has a place in the modern world, as being humane is a timeless value. But distrust of others is not, and I feel that that USDA is keeping my cheese unkosher-animal-free. So, bring on the cheese, people!

What is your take? Are you chalav or not?

Product of the Week: Takosher

This weekend, I headed out to Malibu to the Shalom Institute, where they were holding the Jewish County Fair. Although the event itself wasn’t as great as I thought it would be (although it provided some much-needed memory jogging of being at camp there), I finally got to the bottom of a mystery.

You see, I had been hearing rumors of a kosher taco truck by the name of Takosher that has been prowling the Los Angeles area. Food trucks have really become a trend in LA, so it was nice to be able to get a kosher one as well.

I had been reading about them, so I have wanted to find them. But where? Where? I don’t get up to LA as much as I used to, and it seems like these guys don’t get down to Long Beach or Orange County. Luckily, they visited the fair, and our paths finally crossed.

I told my friends that we had to get to the taco truck. There, I was able to purchase two very unique tacos: the Brisketaco and the Latketaco. The Brisketaco reminds me of a pulled pork variety taco that you would get from an unkosher truck, while the Latketaco was like nothing I had never seen – two spicy little potato fritters with an apple chutney on top. For $7, I got them with some chips and a Dr. Brown’s Black Cherry – a drink which, in itself, is heaven.

I first dug into the Latketaco, and I was amazed. It was like the best latke that you have ever had, but made better. The warm fritters we complemented by the chutney perfectly. I was brought back to Hanukah, eating latkes with apple sauce. But the thing that made it special was the kick – not overpowering, but enough to make my mouth tingle and crave some more.

Then it was time for the Brisketaco. The guys at the truck told us that this was the best taco that they had, and their most popular. I decided to take their word. When I bit into it, it was something quite special. The flavor was pure dynamite in my mouth. I did something I rarely do when I’m eating food that isn't mine – I rolled my eyes into the back of my head and savored the flavor. It was that good. The sweetness, the tang and then that hit of spice. It was my mother-in-law’s brisket, delicious as that may be, made better. Don’t tell Ima that. Although she may be reading this… hi Ima.

Mind you, there were some small flaws – I think the Brisketaco may have needed a little more sauce to make it moister, and I would love an extended menu incorporating some Sephardi flavors in tacos in addition to the traditional Ashkenazi fare. May I suggest a spicy Moroccan lamb taco with a sour cherry sauce? I’d get into that. Hell, if you’re reading this, Takosher, I’d help you make it.

Either way, if you’re walking along and you see the Takosher truck coming by, I suggest you take a look. They definitely are on the track to something delicious, and they need the love and support.

If you’re interested, follow them on Twitter @Takosher, find them on Facebook or visit their site, www.takosher.com.