אין מױל ארײן

שװיצן איז אַ ייִדישע זאַך Sweating is Jewish

Image from Globukoya memorial site: Girls in a class at an ORT trade school for seamstresses in the first year that the courses existed. (Yiddish sign on wall) "May good fortune come to the hands and forehead from which sweat pours." 1923.

שװיצן, פּריען, פּרײען

To sweat shvitsn, prien preyen.

דער שװײס

Sweat shveys.

אָפּגײן מיט שװײס

To sweat blood opgeyn mit shveys

געבענטשט איז דער גראָשן װאָס איז מיט שװײס באַגאָסן

Blessed is the bread earned by the sweat of one’s brow

Gebentsht iz der groshn vos iz mit shveys bagosn

געבענטשט זאָלן זײַן די הענט (און שטערן) פֿון װעלכע עס גיסט זיך דער שװײס

Blessed are the sweaty hands (and forehead) [that do hard work]

Gebentsht zoln zayn di hent (un shtern) fun velkhe es gist zikh der shveys

שװיצן איז אַ ייִדישע זאַך. נישטאָ קײן שבת, קײן יום־טובֿ װאָס אַ ייִד זאָל פֿריער נישט גוט שװיצן. װער אונטער אַלע פֿעלקער פֿון די שבֿעים אומות שװיצט נאָך אויף דער װעלט מער װי ייִדן? . . . נישט דאָס בין איך אויסן.

־־־מענדעלע מוכר־ספֿרים

Sweating is a Jewish thing. It just isn’t a Sabbath or a holiday if you haven’t had a good sweat first. Is there anyone among all the nations of the world who sweats more than Jews? . . . But I digress.

---Mendele Moykher-Sforim

Shvitsn iz a yidisher zakh. Nishto keyn shabes, keyn yontev vos a yid zol frier nisht gut shvitsn. Ver unter ale shivim umes nokh af der velt mer vi yidn? . . . Nisht dos bin ikh oysn.

Loubia Latkes far Chanewyekah רוביא לאַטקעס אויף חנוסטער

Image of a platter of pancakes with Chanukah menorah

This year, for the first time in my memory, khanike coincides with Sylvester, the Gregorian New Year. Of course black-eyed pea pancakes are a wonderful idea any day of the year, but they seem especially apropos now, for the feast of Chanewyekah or khanister. My first attempt is an adaptation from Lord Krishna's Cuisine, by Yamuna Devi, a book whose influence on me is considerable. Devi's Chowla Poora are thin, flat pancakes made with ground black-eyed peas.

In this recipe, we soak the peas for a day but do not cook them, and then grind them up and make them into pancake batter. This technique will be familiar if you have made felafel or dal vada (both of which would also be great uses for black-eyed peas, I bet). Bear in mind that for some folks, raw legumes are allergenic.

I soaked the peas for longer than called for in the book, but still had difficulty getting them all decorticated, so I ended up making the recipe with some whole peas.

One of the things I learned from decortication black-eyed peas is that the black eyes are on the cortices and not the peas themselves.

Image of skins from black-eyed peas with black eyes intact

The naked peas are just eyeless white beans.

Image of decorticated black-eyed peas, looking like plain white beans

That's interesting.

My recipe is very close to the one in the Lord K's Cuisine. I did not add any asafetida, and the soaking and resting times were much longer than those specified in the book.

Loubia Latkes

Adapted fro Lord Krishna's Cuisine by Yamuna Devi

1/2 pound (A generous cup) black-eyed peas

5 sprigs cilantro (1/4 cup leaves)

1 pinky nail-sized piece peeled ginger root

1 fresh green chile, seeded

2 strips lime zest

1/4 cup flour (chapati flour if you have it)

7 scrapings of nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

about 3/4 cup oil for frying

Soak the peas in cool water for a day. drain and add fresh water and soak another several hours.

Rub the peas between the palms of your hands to remove as much of the skins as possible.

Grind the peas in a processor with cilantro, ginger, Chile, and lime zest. Add the flour, salt and spices and pulse to mix. Allow the batter to rest half an hour (I allowed it to rest overnight)

Brush two griddles with oil. I almost always recommend cast iron for any kind of griddle cakes, but this soft, sticky batter worked much better on a non-stick surface.

Scoop 1/3 cup batter onto the griddle and use the bottom of the scoop to spread it out in a spiral pattern into a pancake.

Cover the pan and cook until golden on the bottom, about 5 minutes, and flip the pancake.

Drain the latkes on paper towels and keep them warm.

.

אום אַני חומה Om Ani Khoymo

אום אַני חומה

לאָמיר דערצײלן, לאָמיר דערצײלן די מעלות פֿון די ייִדישע קינדער

אײן מעלה איז אום אַני חומה

און נאָך אַ מעלה איז בּרה כּחמה

אוי, אוי, אוי כאָטש כאָטש כאָטש גולה וסורה

אוי דאָך דאָך דאָך דמותה לתּמר (לאָמיר דערצײלן וכו)

נעבעך נעבעך נעבעך ההרוגה עליך

נעבעך נעבעך נעבעך ונחשבֿת כּצון טבֿחה

כאָטש כאָטש כאָטש זרויה בין מכעיסיה

דאָך דאָך דאָך חבֿוקה ודבֿוקה בך (לאָמיר דערצײלן וכו)

נאָך אַ מעלה איז טוענת עלך

און װידער אַ מעלח איז יחידה ליחדך

כאָטש כאָטש כאָטש כּבֿושה בגלה

דאָך דאָך דאָך לומדת יראָתך בך (לאָמיר דערצײלן וכו)

נעבעך נעבעך נעבעך מרוטת לחי

נעבעך נעבעך נעבעך נתונה למכּים

כאָטש כאָטש כאָטש נתונה למכּים

דאָך דאָך דאָך סובֿלת סבֿלך (לאָמיר דערצײלן וכו)

כאָטש כאָטש כאָטש עניה סוערה

דאָך דאָך דאָך פּדוית טובֿיה

װי אַזוי הײסן זײ? צון קדושים

און װי אַזוי פֿאַרזאַמלען זײ זיך? קהילת יעקבֿ

װאָס שרײַען זײ? שואַגים הושענאַ

אויף װעמען אויף װעמען פֿאַרלאָזן זײ זיך? תּמוכים עליך (לאָמיר דערצײלן וכו)

און איבער דעם בעטן מיר טאַקע הושע נאַ!

לאָמיר דערצײלן, לאָמיר דערצײלן די מעלות פֿון די ייִדישע קינדער

Om Ani Khoymo

Let us relate, let us relate what is so cool about the Children of Israel

One cool thing is they are a Nation like a Wall

Another cool thing is they are Radiant as the Sun

Although, although, although they are Exliled and Reviled

Nevertheless, nevertheless, nevertheless they are flourishing Like the Date Palm

Regrettably, regrettably, regrettably they are Killed for Your Sake

Regrettably, regrettably, regrettably like Sheep to the Slaughter

Although, although, although they are Scattered Among Oppressors

Nevertheless, nevertheless, nevertheless they Cling to You

Another cool thing is They are Bearing Your Yoke

And yet a further cool thing is they Know Your Oneness

Although, although, although they are Beaten in Exile

Nevertheless, nevertheless, nevertheless they Study Your Awesomeness

Regrettably, regrettably, regrettably their Cheeks are Lacerated

Regrettably, regrettably, regrettably they are Handed Over to the Thugs

Although, although, although they are Handed Over to the Thugs

Nevertheless, nevertheless, nevertheless they Bear Your Burden

Although, although, although they suffer Oppression and Turmoil

Nevertheless, nevertheless, nevertheless they are Redeemed by Goodness

What are they called? The Holy Flock

How are they assembled? The Congregation of Jacob

What are they shouting? They Roar Hosha Na!

Upon whom, upon whom do they rely? They Rely Upon You

And therefore, we so totally beg Hosha Na!

Let us relate, let us relate what is so cool about the Children of Israel

I first heard this zemer on a cassette tape with the title Zmires Yisroel BeYidish

Watermelon Rind Kofta

Image shows three fried kofta in tomato sauce

I may have mentioned how importantYamuna Devi's The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking, also called Lord Krishna's Cuisine is to me. When I felt I needed to make something interesting with watermelon rind, it was to Devi that I turned. Devi has recipes for zucchini kofta and radish kofta, and since watermelon rind falls right between those two ingredients in flavor and texture, I made a recipe that falls between the two koftas. The good news is these kofta are vivid and delicious. The other news is that I will never again be able to throw out watermelon rinds without feeling like John Dillinger.

I only hope I will not be disrupting any July 4th picnics by haranguing innocent revelers on the benefits of cooking watermelon rind.

Watermelon Rind Kofta

Adapted from Lord Krishna's Cuisine by Yamuna Devi

1/2 rind of 1 basketball-sized watermelon (1.5 pounds before scraping and peeling, 1 pound after)

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds

2 hot green chiles (or just one, or even none if you prefer), diced

1 teaspoon finely grated ginger (or more to taste)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

several sprigs cilantro, chopped, plus more for garnish (about half a small bunch)

4 ounces chickpea flour (3/4 cup before sifting, 1 cup after sifting)

sunflower oil (about 2 cups)

Scrape the remaining juicy pulp from the watermelon rind and peel off the tough green skin. Grate the rind on a box grater or in a processor.

You should get about 1 pound (3 cups) of shredded vegetables. Allow the vegetables to rest and squeeze out excess liquid (save this for making the sauce)

Combine the rind, chiles, ginger, salt, chopped cilantro, baking powder in a bowl and mix well.

Heat the oil in a wok or other wide sauté pan. Add the sifted chickpea flour to the vegetable mixture and form into about 12 kofta. Fry them in the oil until golden.

Serve with fragrant tomato and watermelon seed sauce.

Vegan Pistachio Macaroons

Vegan Pistachio Chia Macaroons

1 ounce pistachio pulp (leftover from two batches of pistachio ice cream)

1 ounce sugar

2 tablespoons chia porridge (recipe below)

granulated sugar

Dry out pistachio pulp in a cool oven (you can probably use ground pistachios and scale up the recipe if you

A did not just make two batches of vegan pistachio ice cream, and

B would like more than six cookies).

Heat the oven to 325

Pulverize the dried pistachio pulp with sugar and mix in enough chia porridge to form a stiff dough. Form the dough into walnut-sized spheres and roll the spheres in additional granulated sugar if desired. This will yield 6 macaroons.

Bake the macaroons for 25 minutes or until lightly browned.

Chia Seed Porridge

1/2 cup chia seeds

3 cups water

cook the chia seeds in water for about 15 minutes.

Labels: Passover peysekh פּסח, perfect for peysekh פּסחדיק װי די װעלט, peysekhdik פּסחדיק, vegan װעגאַן

Why is the Bread so Harried with Dread?

Who fills the hearts of leavened grain

With dread so deep, with fear so plain

With awe so paralyzing, vain

That every crumb is wracked with pain?

By whom are yeasty beasties slain?

Who sees them writhe, who makes the rain?

Who brings the hurt so they would fain

Go fishing in a hurricane?

Not Ross Perot, not John McCain

Not Jerry, Kramer, George, Elaine

Not even Jennifer Romaine

Just She, the mighty Khomets Bane

Papaya Salad for Passover

Papayas want to be vegetables!

Sometimes, folks are disappointed by papayas. Their flowery scent and deep orange-pink color seem to promise mango-like tropical lushness and sweetness, but in fact, papayas are low in sugar and acid and not especially fruity at all. Their flavor is more peppery and vegetal. When you start working with papaya as a salad vegetable, it gets a chance to shine. For this salad, I pair papaya with avocados, another fruit with vegetable aspirations.

Papaya salad

Papaya
Avocados (so that there is about an equal volume of avocados and papaya)
A few very thin shavings of sweet onion, or regular onion (optional)
Watercress (optional)
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
lime
Salt

Cut the papaya and avocado into slices or chunks. Add the onion if you are using it and toss or layer the vegetables together. Drizzle with olive oil and add a few drops of vinegar and juice from the lime and salt to taste. Serve as is or on a bed of watercress.

For a Caribische Seder, serve with Cassavakoek and vegan Sancocho.

Labels: A garden deriv'd and defin'd שהחינו וקימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה, pareve פּאַרעװע, perfect for peysekh פּסחדיק װי די װעלט, vegan װעגאַן

Fried Apple Pie Hamantaschen Homentashn

I was enchanted from the moment I first read about fried pies, possibly in a newsletter from John Egerton. Don't you want to keep repeating the words "fried pies, fried pies" all day? I knew I had to try them, but more urgent recipes (it seemed) were in the pipe, and I guess I sort of didn't get around to it for thirty years.

This year I realized that there are many things about the recipe (closed pastry, dried fruit filling) that make it homentashogenic and once you think fried homentashn are possible, you cannot unthink it. You just have to fry your homentashn.

This batch is made with pie dough. I will try biscuit dough next time.

Fried Homentashn

Pie Dough

14 ounces (3 cups) flour. I used half all-purpose, half whole wheat pastry

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

Crumble together the flours, butter and salt. Add water and mix to form a dough. Shape the dough into two separate pucks and chill for an hour.

Dried Apple Filling

4 ounces dried apple slices

1/2 cup brown sugar (or less, to taste, but remember, this is a Southern recipe)

1/8 teaspoon (two fat pinches) salt

2 tablespoons (1 ounce) butter

Cook the apples in about 4 cups of water for about an hour. If you want to cook a cinnamon stick and a piece of fresh or candied ginger along with them that should be fine. I like the flavor of the apples to shine alone. Drain the apples (save the delicious apple tea for sipping) and cook with sugar, butter and salt until syrupy. Allow the filling to cool.

Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thick. cut large circles (I used a number 10 can) and fill with 1 tablespoon filling. Form into homentashn and chill for one hour.

Heat sunflower or grapeseed oil in an iron skillet and fry the tashn golden brown on both sides. Drain of brown paper or paper towels. Dust with confectioners' sugar if desired (it is desired).

Cantaloupe Seed Milk and Cantaloupe Smoothie דינקע שוימקע מיט דינקע־קערן מילך

Last year at around this time I was all in a tizzy about toasted cantaloupe seeds and cantaloupe seed milk.

Somehow I neglected to post the the recipe calling out from between the pixels, a vegan cantaloupe smoothie made with cantaloupe seed milk and cantaloupe pulp.

You can of course make a cantaloupe smoothie with any kind of milk, or use cantaloupe seed milk with any kind of fruit.

All Cantaloupe Smoothie

Pulp from one cantaloupe

Milk made from cantaloups seeds

honey or date honey or sugar to taste

Blend fruit, milk, and honey if desired. Enjoy the last golden moments of summer.

smoothie. שוימקע

Orange and Rye Honey Cake

"Are you sure there are only four Jewish New Years? Because it sure seems like there are a Hell of a lot more than that!"

Rye Honey Cake

Pre-heat oven to 400

Sift together:

6 ounces rye flour

6 ounces all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

3/4 teaspoon lightly crushed caraway seeds

Blend or process:

2 mandarin oranges or 1 orange

6 ounces Date honey (Silan)

3/4 cup oil

2 eggs

2 tablespoons rye whiskey

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla

Pour the orange blend into the sifted ingredients and mix just enough to combine. Scrape into two mini-bunds or an eight-inch tube pan plus a couple of muffin cups (Or one full-size bundt pan or tube pan)

Sprinkle a few extra caraway seeds on top. Bake for 12 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 and bake 12 minutes more (This is for the 8-inch pan. You will need a longer baking time for the Bundts). Test with a skewer and bake a few more minutes in a turned-off oven if needed.

A few years back, I was dictating a Rosheshone recipe and the result instructed folks to marinate tofu in a bottle of forgiveness. I was impressed with how very appropriate an ingredient a bottle of forgiveness is for the holiday season. This year I wished a friend a year full of brokhes and Chad changed it to a year full of brooches. Why not? I wish a heathy year full of brooches to all.

Some Fabulous Honey Cakes and Other RosheShone Delights (Rosh Hashanah)

Some Fabulous Honey Cakes

Orange Rye Honey Cake

Classic Honey Cake With Everything

Sunny Bunny Honey Cake

Date Honey Cake

Pomegranate Mahlab Honey Cake

Date and Tahini Honey Cake Vegan ταχινοπιτα

Universal Honey Cake

Michigan Star Thistle Honey Cake

Chocolate Honey Cake

Honey Pudding

Honey Pecan Pie

Chayale Palevski's Teygelekh and Ingberlekh

Valour of the Pizza Dudes גבֿורה פֿון די פּיצאַיאָלי

A boy shyly but proudly holding an enormous pizza

מיט 20 יאָר צוריק איז ניו־יאָרק, מיטן גאַנצן מזרח ברעג, אַױנגעהילט געװאָרן אין אַ פֿאַרפֿינסטערניש װאָס האָט געדויערט 3 טעג. אַ פֿאַלנדיקער בוים האָט אָפּגעריסן די דראָטן, אָבער מיר האָבן דאָס נאָך נישט געװוּסט. די װאָס האָבן ערשט איצט דורכגעמכט סעפּטעמבער 2001 האָבן זיך דערשראָקן, און אַלע פֿאַרשטײט זיך האָבן זיך געפֿילט צעדרײט און צערודערט. װאָס האָט דאָס צו טאָנ מיט פּיצאַ, װילט איר פֿרעגן. אָט דאָס! אַלע געשעפֿטן װאָס זײַנען אָפּגהענגיק אויף דער עלעצטריק האָבן געמוזט זיך פֿאַרשליסן. ןאָר די פּיצעריעס זענען געבליבן אָפֿן. די פּיצאַיאָלי האָבן געאַרבעט װי אַ ייִדענע ערבֿ־פּסח צו מאַכן גענוג פּיצאַ פֿאַר אַלע. נישט געקוקט אויף דעם װאָס דער חשק פֿאַר פּיצאַ איז

דעמאָלט געװען אומעלאַסטיש האָבן די פּיצאַיאָלי־חיל נישט געהעכערט די פּרײַזן!

יעדער אײנער פֿון אונדז האָט דעם חובֿ צו זײַן אַזוי גוט װי די פּיצאַיאָלי. דער טאָג איז לאַנג, די אַרבעט איז שװער, דער לוין איז קלײן און די מיטאַרבעטער זענען פֿויל (אָבער נישט די פּיצאַיאָלי) איך בין נישט מחובֿ צו ענדיקן די אַרבעט אָבער איך טאָר זיך פֿון איר ניט אָפּזאָגן

Twenty years ago, New York and the whole East Coast were plunged into blackout. A tree in Ohio had fallen on a power line, but we didn’t know that yet, and those of us still suffering PTSD from September 2001 were shaken up. Everyone was agitated and confused. What does this have to do with pizza You are thinking? This has everything to do with Pizza! Pizzerias were the only businesses not dependent on electricity. They stayed open and the pizza dudes were working like crazy to keep all the hungry New Yorkers fed. And even though demand was just about as inelastic as demand can get, the pizza dudes did not raise their prices. More crises are coming and some day every one of us will be given a chance to be as strong, fair, and helpful (and maybe even as gorgeous) as a pizza dude. Wait and listen for this opportunity. Seize it when it comes.

Instructions for making pizza with 12 images including mixing, kneading and rolling dough, and adding sauce and cheese

Photos by Fred Lyon from Waverly Root's Food of Italy. This might be the most influential book of my life.

Gluten-Free Coconut Dough for Homentashn Hamentaschen Hamantaschen

Last year these rice flour homentashn were smashing. At the time I said the same recipe would probably work with 20 ounces of any flour mix. I was close. The coconut flour was a little thirstier, so I used a whole egg and a little more water.

The results were not as foldable as I might have liked, maybe more xanthan gum would help. The picture above is from the last batch, handled and pinched very carefully.

I added some egg wash so they would not bake up too pale.

I filled these with date filling to keep them in the palm tree family. Just cook and puree dates. Remember to take out the pits.

Coconut Flour Dough

11 1/2 ounces coconut flour

7 1/2 ounces tapioca flour

3/4 - 1 cup (6 1/2 - 7 1/2 ounces) sugar

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

9 1/2 ounces (1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons) butter

one orange, peel, pulp, and pith, pulverized in a processor or blender

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

about 1/2 cup water, as needed

Crumble the dry ingredients and butter together.

קאָרן המנטאַשן Rye Homentashn Hamentashen

אַלע יאָר זינגען מיר װעגן יאַכנע־דװאָשע מיט איר קאָרן מעל און אַלע יאָר מאַכן מיר המנטאַשן אָן קײן מינדסטן פּיצל קאָרן. זאָל שוין זײַן יושר אויף דער װעלט. די־אָ המנטאַשן האָב איך גאַמכט לויט שװעדישע רעצעפּטן פֿאַר קאָרן־קיכעלעך. איך האָב צוגעגעבן אַ ביסל קימל און אויך אַ ביסל קסאַנטאַנ גומע מע זאָל זײַ קענען בײגן און קנײטשן.

איך האָב זײ אָנגעפֿילט מיט מאַראַנצן מאַרמאַלאַדע, אָבער אַלע געפֿילעכצן װעלן זײ פּאַסן. זײ זענען געשמאַק װי די װעלט.

Yakhne-Dvoshe famously made her homentashn with rye flour, or at least bought rye flour for homentashn. To make these I adapted several recipes for Swedish rye cookies that seemed homentashogenic. I scaled them to use the exact amount of rye flour in the house (5.5 ounces) and added half a teaspoon crushed caraway seeds because how can I leave out the caraway seeds? I was a little nervous about the foldability of the dough, so I added just a quarter teaspon of xanthan gum. The dough was wonderfully rollable, foldable, pinchable, and otherwise compliant. Whether the xanthin gum helped I cannot know, because I can't be doing a Kenji-type double-blind experiment.

Since Swedish rye bread is sometimes flavored with orange juice or zest, I used orange marmalade to fill these. They are delicious and fragrant, with a little headiness from the caraway.

קאָרן טײג פֿאַר המנטאַשן

קאָרן מעל, 5.5 אָנצן

ראַזעװע געבעקס מעל , 5.5 אָנצן

קסאַנטאַן־גומע, 1/4 לעפֿעלע

קימל, 1/2 לעפֿעלע

שמירקז, 5 אָנצן

פּוטער, 5 אָנצן

צוקער, 5 אָנצן

כּשר־זאַלץ 3/4 לעפֿעלע

Rye Dough for Homentashn

5 1/2 ounces rye flour

5 1/2 ounces whole wheat pastry flour

1/4 teaspoon xanthin gum

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon lightly crushed caraway seeds

5 ounces cream cheese

5 ounces butter

5 ounces sugar

Stir together flours, caraway, salt and xanthin gum. Cream together butter, cream cheese and sugar. beat in the flour mix until just combined. Dust the counter with flour and knead to form a dough. Chill for a few hours or overnight.

Roll the dough 1/8 inch thick and cut circles. Re-roll the scraps and cut out as many circles as possible. form the scraps of the scraps into walnut-sized balls and roll each ball individually into a circle. Fill the circles with a orange marmalade or the filling of your choice and bake at 350 for 15 minutes.