Holy Cow!!

One of my favorite verses in the Torah is Aharon's excuse for the golden calf. In Shemot chapter 32 verse 24 Aharon says : "I told them to give me their gold and I threw it in the fire and this calf came out". Never let it be said that our ancestors had no sense of humor.

The whole problem, I think, was that there were no iPhones, no Facebook and no Twitter back then. Personally, I am not involved with any of these infernal devices, but I must admit that, if Moshe's time on the mountain had been televised live, or, at the very least, updated on Facebook, the whole problem wouldn't come up. The people said "He's been there so long, who knows if he's coming back at all. Or if he is even still alive up there. I mean, there's no food or even water there" (remember: these people are big on the issue of food and water shortage). So, no sign of life. You never call, you never write. Of course they get antsy.

But, people, seriously? A golden calf? They sound like they are worried about Moshe's welfare. But really they worry about their own. They sound as if they think he might have abandoned them. But really they assume that he took G-d with him when he left. How could they miss the point so completely?

G-d is not Moshe's private property. G-d is everyone's G-d. You don't actually need a Moshe to have a relationship with G-d. So it's very sad if he died of thirst on the mountain, or sneaked away down the other side while no one was looking. But that does not mean G-d Himself had left.

Actually, it was their very actions that made G-d consider abandoning them and starting over with a new group. That was a close call. And Moshe, thank G-d, talked Him out of it. Now, that's what we need a Moshe for. Could be nice if we had one these days, huh?


But, back to my favorite verse. I won't give you recipe for veal as I oppose to eating veal because of moral reasons. But I did find a recipe for blackened beef, in a Passover cookbook of the New York Times (of all places) that my friend Mara gave me. So, Aharon, if you throw something in the fire, it comes out blackened, man. Not gold.



Southwestern Blackened And Braised Brisket of Beef

1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 pounds brisket (first cut)
1/4 cup Southwestern seasoning blend (see note)
3 medium onions, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 Bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock (or enough to cover)
1 Tbs margarine
Salt and freshly ground pepper


1. Heat the oil over medium-high heat in a 6-quart pan or Dutch oven.
2. Coat one side of the beef with half the seasoning blend, patting well. Place beef in hot oil (seasoned side down) and cook until brown and crisp. Coat the top side of the brisket with the rest of the seasoning and turn it so you can brown the other side. Remove meat from pan.
3. Add onions, carrots and celery to pan and cook, stirring, until the onions are golden brown. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add Bay leaves. Return brisket to pan and add enough stock to cover the meat.
4. Bring to a boil, cover tightly and reduce heat to low. Simmer until very tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
5. Remove beef from the pan and set aside. Skim excess fat from the stock and strain the liquid (this is easier if you make it a day ahead and the fat congeals on top). 
6. Return strained liquid to the pan and cook until reduced  in half. Slowly whisk in the margarine. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
7. Return brisket to pan (you can slice it first but make sure it rests for about 30 minutes, covered with foil, before you cut it) and reheat.

Serves 10-12

Note: If you can't find Southwestern seasoning (and why would you find it if you live in NJ?) mix equal amounts (or to taste) of ground ginger, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, coarsely ground black pepper, kosher salt, dried basil, dried oregano, white pepper, chilli powder and cumin. 
If you don't have a super well-stocked spice cabinet, you may need to re-mortgage the house for this dish.


Which gives a new meaning to "I threw a lot of gold in the fire".