Fruit from the sea

There's a story in the Talmud about how, while the Israelites were crossing Yam Suf, there were trees growing out of the walls of water around them and the trees bore fruit to feed them along the way. 

I have a long standing disagreement with my friend Debbie about the validity of midrashim.  She accepts them as Torah from Sinai; I see them as interesting fiction. Take the above mentioned story. Assuming trees can grow and bear fruit in walls of water (not too hard to imagine with hydroponics becoming more and more common), and assuming it can happen very quickly (instead of over a few years, like normal trees), I still say it is farfetched. Because how long could it have taken the Israelites to cross the sea? Weeks? Days? Probably a couple of hours or so. Did they really need extra food for such a short journey? And, with the Egyptians chasing after them, did they really have time to stop and pick apples?

Still, the story is there for a reason, no? What did they pick from the walls of water around them? Which fruit do you get from the sea? Fish. And this part is very easy to imagine, because when the sea split open, I am sure there were some fish who did not read the memo and so were caught by surprise, finding themselves floundering (pun intended, of course) at the edge of the walls of water, easy to be plucked by the passing Israelites. 

Jews love fish. We're supposed to eat them at every Shabbat and holiday. Is it so hard to assume than that the 'fruit' in the story was actually 'frutto del mare'?


The Jews of Italy created the following dish specifically for Shabbat. It's different and sounds very strange but it is very Italian. I found this in a book called (appropriately enough) "The Gefilte Variation" by Jayne Cohen. Excellent book, with wonderful stories about each recipe. 


Pesce in Saor

2 pounds lemon sole, grouper, red snapper, perch or tilapia fillets (no thicker than 1/2 inch)
1 cup flour
Salt and pepper
Olive oil, for frying, plus 2 Tbs
1 large juicy orange, preferably thin skinned, very thinly sliced
1 1/2 pounds onion, very thinly sliced (about 6 cups)
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup balsamic (or red wine) vinegar
1 cup orange juice
1 bay leaf


Remove bones from fillets, if necessary, and cut into 4 inch pieces.
Soak in cold, slightly salted water for 20 minutes (this is an ancient method that seasons the fish and helps it stay firm when fried)
Pat the fish dry. 
Spread flour on wax paper or large platter and season with salt and pepper. Dredge the fish pieces thoroughly in the flour and shake lightly to remove excess. Fry fish in 1/4 inch of very hot (but not smoking) oil in a large, heavy skillet, until golden on both sides, Drain well on paper towels.
Line a large glass or ceramic baking dish with orange slices and arrange fish pieces on top, in one layer (you can overlap pieces slightly, if necessary)
Wipe out all the oil out of the frying pan. Add the 2 Tbs of fresh oil and warm it. Add the onions and toss until they are completely covered in oil. Salt and pepper lightly, cover and cook slowly over very low heat for 35-40 minutes, until the onions are meltingly tender. Stir occasionaly to make sure they don't burn.
While the onions are cooking, soak the raisins in the vinegar.
When the onions are very tender, stir in the vinegar, raisins, orange juice and bay leaf. Turn the heat to high and cook, uncovered, until the liquid is reduced by half and onions are caramelized and richly colored, about 15-20 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently to redistribute the syrupy juices and, if necessary, turn the heat down a bit to prevent the onions from sticking or burning. Season generously with salt and pepper and remove the bay leaf.
Spread the caramelized onion mixture evenly over the fish. Scatter the pine nuts on top. 
Wrap well with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours to overnight (even better when served after 48 hours)
It will keep well for at least 4 days.
The fish is best at room temperature so remove from refrigerator at least an hour before serving. Garnish with fresh, chopped parsley, if desired.

Serves 6-8



Singing and dancing after eating this dish is optional, but it seems like the right thing to do. 

Very quick bread

So, I get it. Totally. It's a long night. Everyone is awake all through the night. Outside there are screams and shouts and it's dark and scary. You wonder if the article in The Egypt Times ("Hints for getting blood stains out of your favorite robe")  will be useful for cleaning clay door posts. The kids are super-hyper and you need to keep them A. Quiet B. Entertained and C. Awake and ready. Not an easy task. Especially when you can't send them out to play. You also need to pack everything you own cause you're moving to a whole other country. Have you ever moved? It's like surviving a tornado. And G-d forbid anyone helps, of course. They won't even pack their own stuff. The men, naturally, sit around complaining about politics, comparing the virtues of the latest model of camels and getting angry that you don't keep the kids quiet enough. Not only are they not helping, they're demanding food every two seconds. Like you have nothing better to do. So you sort of lost sight of the bread in the hullabaloo. I get it. I do.

But matzah? Really? If you're pressed for time you can make quick breads, muffins, scones, biscuits, crackers, even shortbread.


Citrus Almond Shortbread

The bread they should have made on the last night in Egypt
 

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cup slivered almonds
3 Tbs poppy seeds
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
3 Tbs honey
3 Tbs orange peel, grated
2 large egg yolks


Stir together flour, almonds, poppy seeds and salt.

In another bowl, combine sugar, butter and honey; beat until light and fluffy. Add orange peel and egg yolks; beat until smooth.

Add in flour mixture, 1 cup at a time; blend until incorporated.

Place dough on wax paper and shape into two 12-inch rectangular logs. Chill logs for two hours.

Preheat oven to 350F.

With a sharp knife, cut logs into 1/8 inch tick slices and arrange 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. 

Bake until lightly browned around the edges, about 10-12 minutes. 

Transfer to racks to cool.

Makes 4 dozen cookies.



OK. So it's not really a quick dish. Still, think of what Pesach would be like if they made this instead of matzah.

Winners don't quit

I used to make chicken with olives. My family hated it. They like chicken. They like olives. They do not like chicken with olives. But I do. The idea appeals to me for some reason and I kept trying various versions. My husband suggested I put less olives in. Did not work. My younger daughter suggested I use green olives instead of black. No good, either. My oldest said to ditch the chicken. Well... she's a vegetarian.

Why did I keep trying? I take failure very much to heart. I feel terrible when I cook something and no one likes it. So why go on? 

When G-d kept sending plagues and Pharaoh kept refusing to let the people go, Moshe must have lost heart a time or two (or nine.) Granted he had G-d's assurance that it's all part of the plan, but meanwhile he was the one who had to deal with the people's reactions when things kept going from bad to very bad to terrible. He was the one making all the promises and having to explain why it wasn't working. How did he persevere?

Well, that's why he was Moshe. G-d knows what He's doing. And He chose Moshe because He knew he will persevere. Just as He chose the Jews because He knew we will persevere. Moshe believed that G-d will come through and make good on His promises. He trusted G-d's word that everything will work out at the end. So he kept trying. Even when the people complained, screamed, cried and threatened him and his brother. He kept trying even when it felt stupid to go on. He kept trying even when it looked like he was failing.


And so (in a small way) did I.  And we both succeeded.


Chicken with olives


1 chicken, cut into servings (or use 4 leg quarters)
1 Lb green olives, pitted
3/4 cup diced tomatoes, with juice 
1/2 pickled lemon, sliced (if you follow this blog and use the advice in it, you should have a jar in the fridge. If not, check my post "Seeing red" from 11/16/12.)
2 Tbs pickling juice of pickled lemons
8 garlic cloves, halved
1/4 cup vegetable or olive oil
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper (I know, I also thought it was too much. It's not)
1 cup boiling  water



Cover olives with water in a small pot. Bring to a boil. Drain. Repeat.
Cook tomatoes and garlic in oil over medium high heat for 5 minutes.
Add spices and mix well. Put chicken into sauce and turn it once so it's lightly coated.
Cook for 30 minutes over low heat, partially covered.
Add lemon, juice, olives and boiling water.
Cook over lowest heat, covered, for another 45-60 minutes.


Serves 4-6


And if at first you don't succeed - try, try again.  A very Jewish philosophy. Check the Talmud.

The fire within

How do you choose a husband for your daughter? I am not asking from personal need, you understand. My girls are still young enough that my interest is purely academic. Nor will I live long enough to do much choosing if I dare to suggest that they let me choose for them. But what parameters would one look for? 

You want the guy to be Jewish (or, to be P.C., compatible)
You want someone who is smart, has a sense of humor, kind, rich (or at least potentially so), handsome (think of the grandchildren) and with a strong sense of family. Right?

How did Yitro choose a husband for his daughter? He married her off to a complete stranger, who showed up one day with (in all probability) not a camel to his name. Why? Was Tzipora so unmarriageable? Was he dumb? Uncaring? Desperate to get rid of seven girls? Why Moshe? It's not as if there were no other men around. That was how the girls were introduced to Moshe to begin with. When some local yahoos bothered them at the well and he helped them out.

Oh.


Yitro, as we will see later on, is a very wise man, with great knowledge of human psychology. And he knows that kindness and compassion are the most important characters in a man. (Or a woman, for that matter. Remember how Eliezer picked Rivka.) Money comes and goes. Beauty fades. A sense of humor is nice but will only take you so far. Being smart is tricky to measure; there are so many ways to be "smart". But a kind husband will take care of his wife even when money is tight, or when she looks like death warmed over, or her family lives too far to visit, or she is in no mood to laugh, or to discuss astrophysics. 

But Yitro did not take G-d into account. As kind as Moshe was to Tzipora to begin with (and I'm sure he was), one day he was drawn to a burning bush and after that, he belonged to G-d and the Israelites more than to his wife and kids. Like the families of all great leaders, Moshe's family paid the price for the fire that burned inside him. We should acknowledge their sacrifice. We should remember it and appreciate it.

Here is a soup with some fire inside.


Black Bean Soup


2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
8 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup chopped jalapenos, with seeds
2 cups dried black beans (13 oz)
1 Tbs ground cumin
2 tsp ground corriander
8 cups (or more, as needed) vegetable broth
1 cup chopped cilantro
Lime wedges (for serving, optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

In a heavy pot, cook onion, garlic and jalapenos in oil over medium high heat until soft (about 5 minutes)
Add beans, spices and broth. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat for 2 1/4 hours, stirring occasionally. 
Add cilantro and puree soup (in blender or using immersion blender.)
Add salt and pepper to taste and more broth if necessary.
Serve with lime wedges.

Serves 8-10