How black food is lighting up the culinary world
by Jaime Bender for FromtheGrapevine
When food takes a dark turn, it can really benefit your diet.
What happens when you let garlic ferment for a couple weeks? It turns black. What happens when you burn coconut shells and add the ashes to ice cream? It turns black. And people go crazy for it.
As food trends go, this one's pretty enticing – and rather mysterious. We all know how beneficial it is to eat foods that are green, but what's so great about black food? What happens to food when it turns black that propels it to superfood status?
That depends on the food you're starting with. So we've decided to break down a few of our favorite blackened foods and find out exactly what this black magic is made of.
Israeli Salad with Chickpeas, Feta & Fresh Mint
By Shannon Sarna for The Nosher for myjewishlearning.com
In our home there is a clear division of labor when it comes to the kinds of meals we both cook. The husband is in charge of meat and fish. I am in charge of soups, sauces and salads. (And dessert too of course).
Salads are really so much fun to throw together. I love experimenting with seasonal ingredients I find at my local farmer’s market and also using ingredients I have hanging around in my house. And above all about salads: I love that you can improvise.
Israeli Couscous Mac & Cheese Recipe
By Shannon Sarna for The Nosher for myjewishlearning.com
An American-style pasta dish gets a Middle Eastern makeover.
Mac and cheese is one of those comfort food dishes that is sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face.
So when my co-workers suggested I try out a mac and cheese made with Israeli couscous, instead of traditionally larger pasta like elbows or shells or cavatappi, I happily accepted the challenge and decided to combine a more American-style pasta dish with some Israeli flavors, like cottage cheese and feta.
How to Make Cold Borscht
BY RONNIE FEIN for The Nosher for myjewishlearning.com
A smooth, pureed soup of beets garnished with mint and citrus.
I can’t eat borscht that comes from a jar that’s been sitting on a supermarket shelf for who knows how long. So sue me. Tell me I’m a snob. I just can’t. It’s the wrong color, it’s too thin and has these shimmering chopped-looking things on the bottom that I suppose are beets but remind me of pocket lint.
But I do love borscht, all kinds. Years ago I was surprised when a friend served me a version that wasn’t at all like the simple beet soup so familiar to Ashkenazi Jewish families. Hers was a thick, marrow-bone based dish laden with vegetables that included lots of cabbage, carrots, parsnips and potatoes, and beets of course.
Cheesecake: A Dairy Tale
by Eileen Lavine for Moment
While cheesecake has long been popular among Jews with a sweet tooth, the creamy, rich indulgence is now as American as apple pie, a symbol of how thoroughly Jews have integrated into American life. As cookbook author Joan Nathan says, “Jews like cheesecake because they like to eat good rich dishes, even if they shouldn’t”—but then again, who doesn’t?
What’s Jewish about the storied cake? “Cheesecake became a tradition for Jews because of the cycle of the year, when Shavuot welcomes the plentiful milk of springtime with dairy dishes,” says Nathan. Explanations abound for serving cheesecake—and other dairy dishes—at Shavuot, the holiday commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai. Among them are that Abraham served cottage cheese and milk to the angels at the first meal in Genesis, and that King Solomon’s Song of Songs compares the Torah to milk and honey.