Lactose Free

Only after I came back from the green grocer with my gorgeous leeks, did hubby see fit to inform me (in a huffy tone) that he has leeks aplenty in his garden. How was I supposed to know?

Meanwhile, Shavu'ot is approaching in giant strides. The holiday of Bikkurim. The word means "first fruits" and shares a root with Bechor, which means "first born". It's that time of year when we give special thanks for our firsts. First born, first grown, first anything. What's so special about the firsts? In Middle Eastern marketplaces a folk belief states that the first sale of the day ('siftach') will open the way to many more. So strong is this belief that merchants used to quote very attractive prices on the first sale of the day, so the customer will be tempted to buy and thus open the way to more sales, Inshallah. It's like, you work real hard to make something, but once you figured it out, you can easily repeat the achievement. But it's that first one that takes hard work, effort and sometimes luck ("Luck" being a term people use when they do not want to acknowledge G-d's part in their achievements.)

So it's only fitting that for Shavu'ot, the holiday of firstborns and first grown, I (a firstborn) will use the leeks (first grown) grown by hubby (a firstborn.)

Now, as we all know, Shavu'ot is all about dairy. Or is it? One of the reasons given for eating dairy food on Shavu'ot is that the Israelites were told they will be given rules about which animals they can eat. But for now, they had no clue which were kosher and which were treif. So, to be on the safe side, they ate no meat for the three days of preparation for Matan Torah. You see, the Torah never mentions dairy at all in relation to either ma'amad Har Sinai or the Bikkurim pilgrimage. It's just that people assume that if there's no meat, it means we are to eat dairy. 

I have nothing against dairy (other than being lactose-intolerant) but I noticed that every recipe for Shavu'ot is based on some sort of cheese (or cream) and it gets a little heavy. Therefore, here is a leek and zucchini frittata that I made last week and is perfectly wonderful for Shavu'ot, yet gives a little break from the cheese. Also, it is more friendly to any lactose-intolerant guests who are afraid to visit anywhere on Shavu'ot since they may have nothing safe to eat.



Leek and zucchini frittata

4 Tbs oil (olive is good but whatever you have is fine)
3 large leeks (white part only), rinsed well, sliced as thinly as you can (don't work too hard, just slice it thinly)
4 small gray zucchini (If you can't find gray ones use yellow squash or zucchini), peeled (if you don't peel them I cannot be responsible for the texture and flavor of the end result),  halved length-wise and thinly sliced cross-wise
6 eggs, beaten (very important; I sometimes don't beat eggs when told to, but here it is essential)
2-3 Tbs of chopped tomatoes (I had some leftovers from a can of diced tomatoes and I just scooped them out of their juice)
Salt and pepper
Optional - herbs of your choice.


In a very large pan, saute leek slices over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until very soft and just starting to brown (actually, until they want to turn brown. You sort of have to guess here, but if you miss it, that's fine, just don't let them actually turn brown). This takes some time (maybe 10-15 minutes) so be patient and don't just leave them to fend for themselves.

Add zucchini and continue to cook until the zucchini is totally soft (another 10-15 minutes and stir occasionally).

Spice it to your liking (salt, pepper, other spices you like and/or herbs). We kept it simple (salt and pepper and a little oregano) and the flavor of the veggies just shone through, but feel free to go wild, if you wish.  

Pour the beaten eggs over everything (and make sure it really does cover everything.) Sprinkle the tomato chunks on top.

At this point, I covered the pan and cooked it over low heat until the eggs set (I don't know how long, a few minutes). But I regretted that I used a pan that was not oven proof, as this would have been much nicer if baked at 350F for 10 minutes or so (until the eggs set). You can go either way.

This served just me and hubby because we are little piglets but realistically it will serve 4. 



Now, you can add cheese if you wish, but what for?