The holiday of pizza

 My oldest child said "Have you noticed that on Shavu'ot, one of the most (if not the most) important holidays in Judaism, when we were given the Torah, which is telling us how G-d wants us to live, we eat dairy? Not brisket. Not chicken. Dairy. Therefore, please make sure you do not make anything remotely healthy this Shavu'ot. No salads or vegetable pies or fruit masquerading as dessert or, heaven forbid, fish. I want cheese. And whipped cream. Make! Dairy! Food!". They tend to speak in italics and exclamation marks at this age, OMG.

 

Why do we eat dairy on Shavu'ot? The sages have a few answers to this question. My daughter has the (I believe) best one: "Because it's yummy".

Actually, when you look at the text, the answer simply jumps out at you. It says (Exodus 19:11) that the Israelites were told to get ready to receive the Torah and were given three days to prepare for it. Now, as we all know, no Jewish event can happen without an elaborate meal. So naturally, the women immediately tried to figure out what to cook. It probably went something like that: "Why were we given three whole days to prepare? It must mean we have to work on this meal for three whole days. Well, chicken takes about 10 minutes to prep and then you just toss it in the oven. Brisket takes about the same. Cholent is a "Set it and forget it" deal. Even stuffed cabbage is not more than a few hours' worth of work. What could possibly take so long that we need three whole days? Ah-Ha!!! Dairy. What with blintzes and quiches and complicated pasta dishes, not to mention noodle kugels and cheesecakes, and some fabulous new dish no one ever made before so the others will be jealous, well, three days may not be enough". Tradition does not always follow a rational path.

So we're eating dairy.  Can we make it meaningful as well as yummi-licious?

Now, if you ask your children what you should make for Shavu'ot, they'll probably give you  a one word answer: "Pizza". If they are the kind who plan ahead they may add "and ice cream". Luckily, we don't ask the kids or we will never eat anything but PB&J or macaroni and cheese.

What is Shavu'ot about? that depends on your geographical situation. If you live outside of Israel, Shavu'ot is primarily Chag Matan Torah. The anniversary of that monumental event when we received the Torah at Mt. Sinai. If, on the other hand, you live in Israel, Matan Torah shares space with Bikkurim. The holiday of bringing the first fruits to the Holy Temple.

This is a lovely part of the holiday. Think about it: a day in late spring/early summer, clear blue sky, everything is green and young and full of promise, the air is delicious with the smells of tender new plants and moist earth, the sun is bright but not yet harsh, humidity is low, the world is bursting with life. We're traveling along the beautiful highways with our loved ones, on our way to visit the place where G-d's presence is the strongest and most holy. We do not come empty handed. With us we carry the first fruits: the first fig, dewy and blushing, the first olives, green and slick with oil, the first radishes, purple-pink and bursting with sharp flavor, the first lamb or calf, soft eared and spindly legged, cute as a button, the first sheaf of wheat, golden and heavy with grain. And on young women's hips, the first born children, soft skin and softer curls, wrapped up well against the morning's chill. And we're all going to Jerusalem to see our G-d and show Him how well we appreciate His many gifts.

OK. We no longer can do that. But we can remember a time when our ancestors could. And memory can be reclaimed through our senses.

I therefore propose a meal that will recall the first fruits and represent receiving the Torah. Here it is:

Watercress soup with chive flowers

They say Mt Sinai, which was all rocks and sand, was suddenly covered with greenery and flowers in preparation for G-d's presence. Some flowers are edible. Like those of chives. And their delicate lilac shade looks so pretty with this spring soup.

3 Tbs butter

2 cups chopped onions

1 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste)

1 cup white wine or vegetable stock

1 Lb peeled, cubed potatoes

6 cups water

6 cups watercress (stems and leaves) chopped

1/2 tsp black pepper

6 Tbs half and half

18-24 chive flower heads*

1. Saute onions in butter with 1 teaspoon salt until onions turn translucent (about 5 minutes over medium heat).

2. Add next 3 ingredients  and bring to a boil. Lower heat to low and cook, covered, until potatoes are soft (about 1/2 hour).

3. Add watercress. Mix. Cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

4. Puree in blender, food processor or using an immersion blender.

5. Season with pepper and salt to taste.

6. Mix in half and half.

7. Ladle into bowls. Float about 3 flowers in each bowl.

6-8 servings.

* If you can't find chive flowers, snip fresh chives (about 1 Tbs per serving) and sprinkle on top of the soup.

If you want to get fancy - you can add croutons or Parmesan crackers (just sprinkle Parmesan cheese on parchment paper and bake for a few minutes at medium heat. They form doily-like crackers).

When reheating this soup - do so gently. Do not let it boil.

Torah-scroll shaped puff pastry baked with asparagus,  red onions and goat cheese

 

8 squares (6X6 inch) of puff pastry (you can buy these already cut into squares or buy a sheet and cut it yourself.

1 egg, beaten.

32 thick stalks of asparagus

8 oz goat cheese, softened (or cream cheese, but it won’t be nearly as good)

2 very large red onions very thinly sliced (aim for 1/16 of an inch)

6 Tbs butter (or use olive oil but it won’t taste as good)
2 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 or 2 tsp dried herb of your choice: rosemary, thyme or sage (if you use fresh herbs, double the amount and mince them). I used thyme and it was wonderful.
Salt

1. In a large pan, heat butter over medium heat. Do not let it brown.
2. Add onions and cook over medium high heat, stirring often until onions turn purple-brown, about 20 minutes. Mix the herbs, vinegar and salt in and cook for another minute or so.
3. Snap off tough ends of asparagus and gently steam stalks until tender firm. Do not over cook; they will continue cooking in oven.
4. Pre heat oven to 400F.
5. For each square of pastry: place on oiled baking sheet. Spread with 1 oz of cheese, leaving about ½ inch of a clear edge all around.
6. Using 4 asparagus stalks per square, lay two stalks at each end, bottoms touching, with their heads over the edge. These will be the “atzey chayim”.
7. Fold each end over the asparagus stalks and pinch the dough to seal the roll. Leave plenty of space in the middle. It should look like an open scroll. This process is  a bit messy so keep a paper towel nearby and wipe your fingers often.
8. Fold edges to form a raised edge on the top and bottom “unrolled” parts of the “scroll”. You just have to fold over about an 1/8 of an inch of each edge.
9. Spread about 2 Tbs of the onion mixture over the open part of the ‘scroll’.
10. Brush egg wash over every part of the dough that is not covered with cheese or onion.
11. Bake for 20 minutes or until dough is light brown at the edges.

Steps 1 through 3 can be made up to 1 day ahead. Keep in covered bowls in refrigerator.

 

Tomato and fresh mozzarella salad

This is one of those salads that don't count as cooking and are not really a salad.

Use the juiciest, ripest, largest tomatoes you can find. Slice them about 1/2 inch thick and arrange on a large platter.

Slice fresh mozzarella the same way (or cubes of feta, or tiny balls of Mozzarella, but it won't look as pretty) and arrange with the tomatoes. You can arrange alternating slices or overlapping or lay the cheese on top of the tomatoes. Whatever.

Drizzle extra virgin (do not dare use any other kind) olive oil  all over everything.

Season with salt and pepper to taste and sprinkle sliced fresh basil.

Amounts: depends on the type of tomatoes but plan on 2 tomato slices (each topped with a cheese slice) per person.

Challah scrolls

I've been struggling with baking my own challah for almost a year now. My friend Aidella is an expert challah baker and she said it should be a simple matter to bake a challah that will look like a Torah scroll. I also heard of people who bake a pull apart challah that looks like a mountain, by piling balls of dough on top of each other. My suggestion will be to try and bake little challah rolls that look like sheaves of wheat. It takes some artistic creativity and a deft hand but if you are capable of baking an edible challah - in my book you are omnipotent, so you can surely achieve a little wheat design. Wish I could help you but I am still trying to figure out how to make the challah taste like food beyond the first 10 seconds after it comes out of the oven.

I did, however, manage to create a wheat sheaf design using refrigerated bread stick dough.You arrange the dough like a sheaf of wheat (sort of a Y with many branches) and then use kitchen scissors to snip "grain" design into each branch. It's less complicated than it sounds and very impressive.
Maybe you can bake a challah like that. Let me know how it came out.

Dessert: A mountain of cream puffs

I did this last year and it was a great hit. Make cream puffs or buy some. Arrange them in a mountain shape, using syrup or frosting to "glue" them together (if you start with cheesecake and pile everything around and on it - it's even easier. And I know you're going to make cheesecake, so why not make life easier.) Stick colorful candy here and there to symbolize flowers and serve to an awed crowd. This is a great project to hand to your grumpy children when you're trying to get ready and they want to whine. I mean: working with candy!!! How awesome is that??

We did not physically stand at Mt. Sinai. We did not physically bring our first fruits to the holy temple. But we can form a connection to our ancestors by (among other things) eating thoughtfully. 

Have a meaningful holiday meal.