ברוך שגמלני כּל טובֿ

ערבֿ־שבת פֿאַר שבֿועות בין איך געפֿאָרן מיטַן װעלאָ אױף דער 4טער עװעניו. געפֿאָרן בין איך אַן אומשולדיע, אַ תּמימותדיקע, אין מאַרק אַרײַן, אײַנצוקױפֿן גרינסן אױף שבת און יום־טובֿ. אַ פֿרױ האָט אין מיטן גאַס זײער פּלוצעם געעפֿנט די טיר פֿון אַן אױטאָ און מיר אַ שװערן זעץ געטאָן. די טיר האָט מיך אַ קראַך געטאָן, געפֿלױגן בין איך און מיטן קאָפּ אַ זװאָך געמאַכט אױף דער גאַס. אַ דאַנק דעם אײבערשטן האָב איך געהאַט אױפֿן קאָפּ מײַן קאַסקעט.

אַלע האָבן זיך געפֿירט ריכטיק (נישט קוקנדיק אױף דעם װאָס זײ האָבן מיך כּמעט איבערגעפּעקלט אױף יענער װעלט) סײַ די פֿרױ, סײַ דער שאָפֿיאָר, האָבן געװאַרט מיט מיר אױף די פּאָליצײ און אַמבולאַנס־לײַט, און נאָך אַ ביסל צײַט בין איך ברוך־השם גרײט אַהײמצוגײן אױף די אײגענע פֿיסעלעך, און אַפֿילו אײַנצוקױפֿן די נײטיקע זאַכן אױף שבת. ברוך הגומל להיבֿים טובֿות שגמלני כּל טובֿ. איך בעט בײַ ענק עץ זאָלט'ץ אַלעמאָל טראָגן די קאַסקעטן, און די װאָס פֿירן זאָלן אַרױסלאָזן מענטשן בײַם טראַטואַר אין נישט אין מיטן גאַס, און אַלע זאָלן אַ קוק טאָן אײדער מען עפֿנט די טיר.

דער אױבנדיקער קאַסקעט איז אַ נײַער–איך האָב פֿאַרגעסן צו מאַכן אַ בילד פֿונעם אַלטן.

Fumitory Water

There may be better blogs with prettier pictures, but who else is going to help you prepare your fumitory water?

Fumitory water is an herb-scented water analogous to rose water and orange flower water made from fumitory (it is a noun), the common name for fumaria officinalis, or פֿעלדרױך (feldroykh, or “field-smoke”) in Yiddish. I found my fumitory water at the Sunflower Market in Queens, and by now you know I just wasn't about to leave without it. Mr. Mizrahi suggested making a refreshing summer drink by mixing the fumitory water with honey, water, and ice, adding that this potation is “very good for the heart, blood, cholesterol, everything.” I have no doubt that it is.

The flavor is a tiny bit smoky, with notes of dates, figs, and prune, and something like gum Arabic or gum mastic. It is very different from anything I have tasted before. I might try this instead of rose or orange blossom water next time I make a syrupy dessert, just to see what happens.

Cooling Fumitory Water

In a tall glass, combine a teaspoon of mild honey with a tablespoon of fumitory water and a pinch of salt. You may use more or less honey, or leave it out altogether. Fill the glass with cool water and ice.

Kalyn will be rounding up other life-giving potions at this week's Weekend Herb Blogging.

Image from Flora von Deutschland Österreich und der Schweiz.1885, Gera, Germany, by Otto Wilhelm Thomé, reproduced from Kurt Stueber’s very swell biology bibliography.

די מענהעטענער זונשטיל

Manhattanhenge: 22nd Street 8:15 PM, Monday, May 28, 2007

די מענהעטענער זונשטיל, עלף טעג אין סיװן, תּ"שסז, 22טער גאַס, צװײ מינוט פֿאַר דער שקיעה

נעכטן איז געװען די מענהעטענער זונשטיל, אײנער פֿון צװײ טעג אין יאָר װען די פֿאַרגײענדיקע זון גײט אַרונטער פּונקט אין מיטן פֿון די געסלעך פֿון מענהעטען. א גוטע און מזלדיקע מענהעטענער זונשטיל, און אַ שײנעם זומער צו אַלע!

Yesterday was the Manhattan Solstice, or “Manhattanhenge,” one of two days on either side of the common solstice when the setting sun lines up exactly with the center of Manhattan’s east-west streets. I have to admit that as far as I can tell, the sun seems to set there just about every evening,

זונשטיל
Solstice

Cucumber Salad with Cilantro

These sweet, juicy, and very crisp cucumbers from Yuno's Farm are in the market this week. You can put them in this salad, or make cucumber sandwiches (ideally with salt-rising bread). When I have extra cilantro around, I make this alternate salad.

Cucumber Salad with Cilantro

4 large cucumbers, or six or seven kirbies

olive oil

apple cider vinegar

kosher salt

cilantro, minced (about 12 sprigs, or whatever you need to use up)

Peel the cucumbers, or don't. Slice them into quarters longitudinally, and slice the quarters into chunks about 1/3 of an inch thick. Put the cucumbers in a bowl and toss them with oil, vinegar, salt and cilantro.

Have a look at a roundup of Weekend Herb Blogging, to be found this week at Kitchen Wench.
Food and Drink, Recipes, Cooking, Food, Vegetarian, vegetables, , whb, vegan, Weekend Herb Blogging, antioxidant-rich foods

Half-Baked Flax Seed Crackers

Flax seed crackers have begun appearing in shops and restaurants devoted to raw food, or “live foods” as they are known by some devotees. I remain personally committed to cooking, but I have had some thrillingly delicious raw things at places like Quintessence, Counter, and Caravan of Dreams. So far, I haven’t tried this at home. Raw food demands a very labor-intensive cuisine, since you must provide with brute force, high technology, or time the civilizing influence that high heat miraculously brings to almost all food-products. In this sense, raw food is not really raw at all, at least not in the structuralist sense.

Even if you do cook on the high side of 116 degrees Fahrenheit, the upper limit for the raw food-folks, flax seeds are worth trying. They may even be miraculously healthy.

This recipe is adapted from Charlie Trotter’s Raw. My version is not raw; I baked these in my oven on a low setting rather than in a dehydrator as the original recipe directs. I almost never learn about a new kind of kitchen appliance without knowing deeply in my soul that I must have one of my very own, but somehow, I am perfectly willing to make due without a dehydrator for the foreseeable future. These crackers are easy to prepare. You just need to give them time for one long initial soaking and two stretches in the oven.

Flax Seed Crackers

You will need two half-sheet pans, or the equivalent, and two full sheets of baking parchment. Fold each of the parchment sheets in half, and lay one in each of the half sheet pans.

1 ¼ cup flax seeds

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper or roasted chile powder

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 clove garlic

½ teaspoon garam masala

Soak the seeds in two cups of water eight hours or overnight. Combine all the ingredients in a processor and grind for several minutes. Scrape half of the batter onto each of the prepared half-sheet pans, and use an offset spatula to spread the mixture 1/8 inch thick over the baking parchment. There will be just enough to cover two half-sheet pans. Place in a very low oven (about 200 F) for twenty minutes. Then turn off the ovens and leave the sheets in the warm oven overnight. In the morning, unfold the parchment, refold it with the flax seed sheet in the middle, and peel off the part stuck to the giant cracker, which will now have a texture sort of like fruit-leather. Cut it into cracker shapes (I used a pair of scissors) and lay the crackers on the remaining half of parchment. Bake at 200 for another twenty minutes, turn off the oven and leave the pans inside until dinnertime, or until you need to use the oven again. The crackers will become very thin and crisp.

These crackers go very well with hemp seed hummus, classic hummus, chicostle salsa, or this hemp seed tabouli (translation pending)

Sweetnicks will be rounding up other miraculous preparations.

Food and Drink, Recipes, Cooking, Food, Vegetarian, vegan, antioxidant-rich foods,

סאַלאַט מיט קאָנאָפּליעס און פּעטרישקע--כּמו־טאַבאָלע

סאַלאַט מיט קאָנאָפּליעס און פּעטרישקע (כּמו־טאַבאָלע)

1 טעפּל קאָנאָפּליעס

1 קלײן בינטל פּעטרישקע, גוט צעשניטן

¼ טעפּל מאַסלינע בױמל

זאַפֿט פֿון 1 לימענע

1 רױטע פֿעפֿערל, אָפּגעשײלט און צעשניטן

זאַלץ און פּאַפּריקע

סאַלאַט בלעטער

גיסט'ץ אָן די קאָנאָפּליעס מיט ¼ טעפּל הײסע װאַסער און לאָז זײ אײַנצוװײקן אַ פּאָר מיניט. גיט'ץ צו בױמל, צעשניטענע פּעטרישקע, און זאַפֿט. גיט'ץ צו דאָס פֿעפֿערל און מישט'ץ גוט אױס. לײגט'ץ די "טאַבאָלע" אױף סאַלאַט בלעטער.

This recipe appears in English here.

דער רעצעפּט געפֿינט זיך אױף ענגליש דאָ

Hemp Seed and Tahini Salad (A Gesture Toward Hummus)

This recipe is not substitute for khumes (hummus); it is its own little thing—a gesture toward hummus.

Hemp Seed and Tahini Salad (Hemp Seed Hummus)

1 ½ cups hulled hemp seeds

salt, about two teaspoons

3 cloves garlic (more or less)

½ - ¾ cup tahini (I used roasted tahini this time)

½ cup lemon juice (it is also nice to substitute brine from pickled hot peppers, if you happen to have some)

several sprigs cilantro (about ¼ cup minced) optional

1 dried chicostle chile or other medium dried red chile
Several tablespoons of your loveliest olive oil
A dusting of sumac, and a dusting of paprika or Middle Eastern red pepper

Put the hemp seeds and salt in a saucepan with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool somewhat.

Drop the peeled garlic cloves and dried chile into a processor or other device and grind or mince fine. Add the hemp seeds with their liquid, tahini and lemon juice. Blend everything well, and chill.

Turn the salad out onto a shallow plate or platter. Use the back of a spoon to swirl eddies and ridges in the center and drizzle olive oil over all. Dust with sumac or paprika or both.

Have a look at a roundup of Weekend Herb Blogging, to be found this week at Kitchen Wench.

Food and Drink, Recipes, Cooking, Food, Vegetarian, vegetables, , whb, vegan, hummus, beans, Weekend Herb Blogging, antioxidant-rich foods

Renken Dairy, Williamsburgh Brooklyn

Manhattan Circumnavigation and Home-Made Take-Out

On my way up the West Side, I saw this bendy building,
lilacs,
the main plant of H&H bagels,
and many gorgeous ruined piers and pile fields.
The bicycle path is interrupted at 125th street, where you can see some very rare remaining trolley tracks. Look at fascinating historic subway photos here, including this postcard of this very spot.

The greenway seems to come to a dead end here somewhere in the 160's, but if you go all the way over to the right, you can find the place to continue.

Along the way I saw folks strolling, reading, eating, practicing music (with saxophonists in the majority for some reason), doing construction work,
baton twirling,
fishing, and just walking or riding.
Just south of the George Washington Bridge there is this sweet little curve where you have water on three sides. This is where I took a little break and . . .
Here's what I brought along: a whole-grain roll from Bread Alone with butter and salt, a piece of "swish" cheese (Swiss sheep cheese) from Valley Shepherd Dairy, salted nuts, dark chocolate (camera-shy), celery (I didn't throw it at anyone), a carton of unsweetened soymilk, some apple juice, and a bottle I filled with delicious New York City tap water. Everything got wrapped in a cloth napkin and packed in a brown-paper bag. This week Lindy at Toast will be examining what we bring along and how we wrap it. You can also chew the scenery. Among the edible plants here are dandelions, wood sorrel, mache, and rhubarb.This interesting structure is a bit north of the bridge.
Crossword enthusiasts will recognize this as a stoa. Now I just need to ride past a proa and an anoa.
Stairs? Nobody said there were going to be any stairs!Heading back downtown on the Harlem River Drive.
Now I seem to be in the Bronx. How might that have happened?
I think I'm back in Manhattan now. I just liked this pile field with gulls, near East 155th Street.
And home sweet home! I seem to have made fewer pictures of the East Side. Next time mertseshem I'll go around the other way. Since I'll be traveling right-to-left, you'll read about it in Yiddish.

Piling Match of Cheese

And Clock Monsieur

צײנער װי אַ יונגער קנאָבל

אין דעם מאָלדאָװישן שטעטעלע סאָראָקע איז זי געזעסן בײַם ברונעם, אונטערן ברײט־צעװאָקסענעם נוסבױם. אַ פֿולער, קופּערנער קרוג איז געשטאַנען בײַ אירע פֿיס, פֿאַרשנורעװעט אין הױכע, שװאַרצע סיך פֿון דינעם שעװראָ. איר ברײט, גאָר ברײט קאַרטונען קלײד איז געװען צונױפֿגענומען אױף דער שױס. באַלױכטן פֿון דער גרינלעכער, װאַרעמער שײַן, זענען צאַרט־מײדלש אַנטפּלעקט געװען אירע קני, װי װײך געטאָקטע שאָלן, מיט גריבלעך בײַ די זײַטן. די שמאָלע, טינקל־גרינע סאַטינע בלוזקע, האָט שטײף פֿאַרצױגן אירע קלײנע עטװאָס װײַט־צעשטעלטע בריסט. איר ברױנע הױכע האַלדז, װי פֿון אַלטן גאָלד, האָט דורכגעלױכטן, װי אַ פֿיש געצאַפּלט דורך די גרױסע, בורשטינען קרעלן. די רױטע ליפּן–אַ ביסל אָפֿן, די געדיכטע צײנער האָבן אַרױסגעקוקט װי אַ יונגער קנאָבל.

אָט הײבט זיך אָן שירע גאָרשמאַנס „צעטראָטענע בליונג“. פֿונעם טיטל װײסט עץ שױן אַז דאָס שײן מײדל װעט בליען נאָר אַ קורצע צײַט, נעבעך. מיר איז אינטערעסאַנט װי איר צײנער װערן פֿאַרגליכן צו קנאָבל. איך קאָן זיך נישט פֿאָרשטעלן אַז קײן גליד פֿון קײן שײן מײדל װאָלט אַזױ באַשריבן געװאָרן אױף ענגליש.

In the opening paragraph of Shira Gorshman’s “Trampled Blossoming,” we meet our gorgeous heroine. Her dimpled knees are like elegantly turned shells, her throat gleams like antique gold, and her red lips part to reveal teeth like young garlic.

I can’t imagine an English story in which any part of a beautiful girl would be compared to garlic, even “young garlic.”

Thanks to whoever nominated me for a JIB Award! Cast your votes for In Mol Araan here!

Home of Sweet'n Low

Flushing Avenue and Cumberland Street, Brooklyn, directly across the street from the ruins of the old Navy Yard

I would not have guessed that this building is still the home of Sweet'n Low, but it is.
I would no more have guessed that President Nixon ever appeared on Sweet'n Low packets, but he did.

More About Celery

A few days back, Lindy left a comment regarding her remarkable aunt, who, among many other remarkable talents, had the ability to eat celery without making a sound. This account reinforced my impression that celery can only inspire our gentlest inclinations, so I was as surprised as any of you to learn that celery is now banned at Stamford Bridge football matches. According to the Guardian:

Chelsea have banned celery from Stamford Bridge and ordered fans to stop throwing it during matches after the Football Association launched an investigation into instances of salad tossing at their recent matches. . . .

"The throwing of anything at a football match, including celery, is a criminal offence for which you can be arrested and end up with a criminal record," read a statement on the club website. "In future, if anyone is found attempting to bring celery into Stamford Bridge they could be refused entry and anyone caught throwing celery will face a ban."

The statement went on to direct fans to a hotline they could call to report others seen carrying celery, promising that "all calls will be treated in confidence".

This page provides some background for the bemused.

Other antioxidant-rich projectiles to be polted at Sweetnicks.

Oh, My Liver

Garage door on Wythe Street, Williamsburgh, Brooklyn.

Challahsaurus חלהזאַװער

At least one member of my family is much more likely to eat food if it is shaped like a dinosaur, and I understand he is not entirely alone in this position. The key challah discussion made me think of other shapes that might be interesting and appropriate for other shabosim of the year and it seemed that a challahsaurus, or khalezaver, would be particularly well-suited to shabes emor, when we read that the olive oil bread consumed in the temple was to be “lekhem-azkore” or “dinosaur-bread” (or possibly “memorial-bread;” translations differ, or at least they do now).

חלהזאַװער Challahsaurus

¾ cup warm water

3 packets active dry yeast

4 ½ eggs (leave over part of one egg for the glaze)

4 yolks (so that you have about 10 ounces eggs and yolks, combined. You can make it more or less yolky depending on your plans for the whites)

1/4 cup olive oil

¼ cup honey

6 ½ cups flour (30-32 ounces)

4 teaspoons kosher salt

Dissolve the yeast in the water. Add eggs, oil, honey, flour and salt and work into a still dough. Knead the dough for about fifteen minutes and allow it to rise, covered, in a warmish place until doubled. Punch down the dough. At this point you can begin shaping the loaves, or allow the dough to rise overnight in the refrigerator.

Divide the dough into two portions, one twice the size of the other. The larger portion is for the challahsaurus. With the rest you may make your second challah in the shape of your choice.

Heat the oven t0 350F.

Divide the larger dough piece into six balls, two large, two medium, and two small. Roll the the dough balls into six ropes.

Use aluminum foil to make a dinosaur-shaped (sort of L-shaped) armature for your baking pan. Lay the two shorter dough ropes across the lower leg of the “L”. These will be your dinosaur legs.
Now braid together the remaining four ropes so that parts of the longest pieces extend out of either end of the braid. These will be Dino’s head and tail.

Lay the dinosaur-braid over the legs so that the head is resting on the upper leg of the aluminum-foil armature. Make eyes with pumpkin seeds or whatever is handy. Shape your second challah, and brush both challahs with egg glaze, made with the half-egg remaining from the dough and a teaspoon of water.

Bake the challahs to a deep golden brown. This will take about 25 minutes. You may need to remove one of your oven racks to make room for everyone to stand up.

Ooh! I just can’t wait. You can make a dinosaur challah from this pumpkin challah recipe as well.