Spice girl

I try to do everything contrary to people's expectations. This week's parasha contains one of the most famous stories in the bible. The story of the Golden Calf. Well, I am not going to discuss this story. What good is it to do the usual, the regular, the expected thing? Be unique in everything, I say.

The story of the Golden Calf (trust me, I am not going to discuss it) is so overpowering that sometimes we tend to forget that there are other things in this parasha. It is about these 'other' things that I want to talk today. 

At the beginning of this week's parasha (Exodus 30:17), G-d discusses with Moshe some methods of washing (very appropriate topic for the time before Pesach, don't you think) and then continues on to talk about a mixture of spices and herbs that is to be used during the worship at the altar. 

How many spices and herbs are in your kitchen right now? Get up from the computer and go check. I'll wait.

Most people have 6 or 7. Salt and pepper are a given. Garlic powder? Paprika? Cinnamon? A few dried herbs? Nutmeg? what else? How many types of salt do you have? How many kinds of paprika? what about pepper? do you have just plain ground black? And what about the following: Turmeric, cumin, coriander, ginger, mustard powder, chili powder, whole chili peppers, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme (OK, Simon and Garfunkel moment here), sesame seeds, saffron, cardamon, bay leaf, basil, cloves, tarragon. No? Really? 

My spice cabinet is the second largest cabinet in my kitchen (the pots have a larger one, but not by much). The above is a partial list of its contents. I did not list the liquids (various vinegars and oils, soy sauce, pomegranate molasses, vanilla, etc.) or the herbs we grow and dry ourselves, or the different varieties of each spice (because there are different uses for cinnamon as a powder, as a stick or freshly ground directly into the pot). 

My friends always exclaim over my cooking being so flavorful. It's only because I have so many spices and am therefore obliged (not to mention able) to use them all the time. My family is usually quite blase about Imma's  spiced up food but sometimes I manage to blow them away. I recently used so many different spices in one dish that the pot I made for the vegetarians was devoured by the carnivores along with the steaks. Mind you, it doesn't always work that way. It helps to have specific instructions. When G-d lists the ingredients for the Ketoret (Exodus 30:34-36), He neglected to list amounts. There are ingredients and even "cooking" steps (grind, mix, etc.), but no amounts. These were given in what became known as the "Oral Law".

Not to be arrogant (see last week's post about cleaning our souls of arrogance before Pesach), but I will attempt to do something better than G-d (oops, there's the lightning bolt coming to get me): I will give you a recipe with loads of spices and I will put the amounts in writing. And to make it perfect, this recipe will help finish up your legumes before Pesach. Am I great or what?

Spice cabinet lentils:

1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 very large onion, chopped
4 tsp fresh ginger, minced
6-8 garlic cloves, chopped
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 tsp coriander
2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp mustard powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp freshly ground cinnamon
3-4 bay leaves (fresh, if possible)
4 cardamon pods, slightly crushed
2 cups lentils
Approximately 4-5 cups vegetables stock or water
Approximately 1 cups soy milk (or almond milk or just milk)
Salt to taste


1. In a large, wide, heavy pot, heat oil over medium-high heat and saute onion until the edges of the onion pieces start to turn brown.

2. Add garlic and ginger, saute 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.

3. Add next 8 ingredients and stir for 2 minutes.

4. Add lentils. Stir to coat.

5. Add 3 cups stock, 1 cup soy milk, cardamon and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Lower heat to low, cover and cook until lentils are soft (60-90 minutes). Add liquids as necessary. The liquid in the pot should always look like thin cream and there should be enough of it that the lentils will be just covered at all times. Towards the end of the cooking time, the liquid should be quite thick. You want to end up with a pot of lentils in a thick sauce, not soup.

6. Add salt at the end, to taste.




This makes quite a few servings. 8 or 10 probably.

(note: if you don't have most of the spices listed here, please do not go out and buy them now. Wait until after Pesach. On the whole, though, I strongly recommend keeping a well stocked spice cabinet and using spices way more often than most people tend to do)