So if you remember I brought Kosher Soul to the Jewish Museum of Maryland for Black History Month, here is a very vrry nice write up by Rosemary Hutzler who writes for the Forward’s Jew and the Carrot blog; here’s a little sample:

The African American chef in the rainbow kippah looked up from arranging his implements to survey the crowd assembling before him. “What about the people coming in?” he murmured, and was told, “We’re out of chairs.”

More than 100 people had come in. The chef’s eyes widened theatrically. “It’s mamash a nais!”

“Truly a miracle” — as an estimation of the turnout for “Kosher/Soul,” Michael Twitty’s lecture and cooking demonstration at the Jewish Museum of Maryland — might be hyperbole. After all, with a title like that, and a menu boasting black-eyed pea hummus and egg rolls with turkey pastrami and collard greens, who wouldn’t want to be there if they could? But the back story is no small wonder.

Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/154373/michael-twittys-edible-scripture/#ixzz1rbPwMTyA

Don’t forget about us: we need your help–and now–do a mitzvah :
 http://www.indiegogo.com/The-Cooking-Gene-Project-The-Southern-Discomfort-Tour  

• Esti Berkowitz, mom blogger at Primetime Parenting.
• Kim Amzallag, who is Director of Advertising for the 114 year old The Jewish Daily Forward and website which features the popular blog The Jew and The Carrot, as she continues to do sales and marketing for Mishpacha and Kosher Inspired magazines.
• Soshana Raff, mom blogger at The Kosher Shopaholic.

We will be discussing next week’s Kosherfest, the new media presence and the impact of bloggers on kosher food trends. Please listen in.

For those of you who missed last week’s Venice – 700 years of Jewish History, tradition and Food with Alessandra Rovati from the Dinner in Venice website and Corrado Calimani from the Venice Jewish Community Board, you can listen to the taped archive here. It was a very interesting and educational show with two very charming people! We discussed the over seven hundred year old Venetian Jewish community, the upcoming 500 year commemorations (in 2016) of the world’s first ghetto ever (Venice’s Jewish Ghetto), the communities traditions and rites as well the food…

Don’t forget to tune in our broadcast tomorrow at 10:00pm (Eastern Time) on BlogTalkradio, with some of the best schmoozers in blogland. We’ll be waiting for ya…

CS

s we all know, it is far too easy to waste many a good hour on the internet. It usually starts with a click on something that catches your eye, which leads to another click and another, until an hour later you catch yourself on a random site, reading a random person’s random musings, or worse, looking at their online wedding album. This, more or less, is how I discovered the world of food blogging. A long time lover of eating, I was beginning to explore my culinary skills when someone recommended a food blog as a new source of recipes. Around the same time, a friend began her own food blog and recommended a few others on her blog roll, and so I stumbled upon a world which was in the midst of an expansion so rapid it could be most accurately described as an explosion. After discovering with glee the mouth-watering food pornography, the charming writing, and personal appeal of many a food blog, I even decided to give it a go myself . The amazing thing about the age of the internet is that anyone can have a voice; anyone who wants to can express themselves, and even in the realm of food, the results are inspiring, creative, and bridge- building. Anyone from a Yemenite grandma in Tel Aviv to an eco-warrior teenager in New Jersey who can get their head around a simple template such as WordPress can join this growing global community. Of course, being a Jew who takes an interest in most things Jewish, including Jewish culinary delights, it didn’t take me long to find the blogs which could tell me how best to bake my challah, how to make delicious Sephardi or Ashkenazi classics, or which recipe to add to my repertoire of pareve desserts. What I offer below is by no means the definitive guide – I am sure that there are tens, if not hundreds, of Jewish food blogs I have yet to discover. While some of these blogs define themselves as Jewish or kosher, others are simply written by Jews whose culinary heritage comes across strongly in their choice of recipes and ingredients, and in their descriptions of family gatherings and holidays where food is a prevalent and essential component. I have long believed in the power of people breaking bread together. Through my exploration of this online world, I have discovered that those who really love food are willing to put differences aside in order to share their passion with others, and this is a truly beautiful thing.

CAFE LIZ

Café Liz features colorful, healthy, kosher vegetarian recipes made in a Tel Aviv kitchen. Liz uses fresh fruit and vegetables in most of her dishes, which are light and refreshing compared to some of the traditional Jewish fare. Her skilled photography makes the recipes even more enticing.

www.food.lizsteinberg.com

NOT DERBY PIE

Just like its name, Not Derby Pie is a charming blog, which presents recipes far more varied than anything I would think of cooking up in my kitchen. From spinach bourekas to Moroccan salmon with curried yoghurt to Brussels sprouts with sriracha, honey, and lime, Rivka is an adventurous cook and a delightful blogger.

www.notderbypie.com

MY MOM’S RECIPES AND MORE

What this blog lacks in style, it makes up for with an abundance of tempting recipes. Chanit, an Israeli blogger, writes in English and specializes in delicious breads, buns and rolls (for which she lists 92 different recipes) and baked goods (192 cookies, bars, and cake recipes). If you’re looking for something specific, you’ll probably find it here.

www.momsrecipesandmore.blogspot.com

SWEET AMANDINE

Not an overtly ‘Jewish’ blog, but the clues aren’t hard to find. All recipes are kosher, and probably delicious, but it is the excellent writing which brings me back to this blog again and again. Jess weaves tales around food, touching on her family, friends, and her own life in a way that makes you want to sit down with her for a good chin-wag over a cup of coffee and some of her homemade cookies.

www.sweetamandine.com

THE JEW AND THE CARROT

More than just a food blog – get your discussion of contemporary issues concerning food and Jews here, alongside some good Jewish recipes. The discussion may be contemporary but the recipes are heartwarmingly traditional: borscht, hamentaschen, bagels, and coffee cake feature alongside creative inventions such as tehina ice cream, beet and carrot burgers, and vegan cholent.

www.jcarrot.org

BATZEK ALIM

One of Israel’s most popular food blogs – for those of you who want to practice your Hebrew – with a beautifully presented, step-by-step guide to every recipe. Blogger Maya diligently digitally labels her photos, just to make things even clearer. So if you were wondering what certain ingredients look like, the diameter of the ideal tart dish, or how fine is ‘finely chopped’, wonder no more, Maya will tell you everything you need to know.

www.bazekalim.com

FOOD BRIDGE

Reporting on “Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Cuisine, Culture and History” – the blog’s tagline – this blog is an interesting read which features not only recipes but travel writing from around Israel, usually with a culinary theme. Sarah writes on a wide range of topics including home brewed Israeli beer; herbs, spices, and flowers; Kurdish flatbreads and adventures in the desert.

www.sarahmelamed.com

KOSHER CAMEMBERT

Kosher cooking inspired by international travel – written by a stateside blogger who knows how to appreciate good food. This blog has seasonal themes and celebrates Jewish holidays with timely recipes such as Moroccan-style roasted pomegranate chicken and apple cake. The blog also reveals a fondness for French cuisine – look out for gâteau au chocolat (Bistro chocolate cake), salade niçoise and honey Madeleines.

www.koshercamembert.wordpress.com

ISRAELI KITCHEN

Mimi, an Israeli-American living in Israel for over 30 years, shares with us her “urge to cook” and her passion for culinary creativity and regional ingredients. This blog doubles as an interesting guide to food and wine in Israel, as Mimi loves exploring different open air markets and sampling Middle Eastern specialties.

www.israelikitchen.com

KOSHER IN THE KITCH

Delightfully kitsch, kosher and pink, this blog has a collection of recipes from various bloggers and contributors and a useful section for those seeking clarification on issues of kashrut – ‘halachot in the kitch’. Blogger Nina Safar also sends out a useful weekly meal planner to those who subscribe, all dressed in pink gingham of course.

www.kosherinthekitch.com

Note: We send our congratulations to Jo Mandel-Cohen for this beautiful research. Jo Mandel-Cohen is a born and bred Londoner-turned-Israeli. She works for the Mandel Jerusalem Fellows program and in her spare time loves to teach aerobics, travel, experiment in the kitchen, and enjoy good food with her husband Etan. Jo writes a blog about food and life called Eat Love Jump. We really invite you to pay a visit to this beautiful blog.

www.eatlovejump.wordpress.com

I like hamantashen and certainly have eaten my fill of the tender cakey treats. Don’t get me wrong. They are delicious and fun to make. But, they are safe and not at all sexy. So, this year-I want some excitement on Purim. I think I am just tired of winter, the economy and bad news. Time for FUN! Get out your martini shakers, groggers and whatever else you need to put on a splashy and delicious Purim Feast. For dessert-I recommend you pull out those nice hamantashen or do like the Persians and serve dried fruit, nuts and fresh citrus.

All of the recipes can be prepped ahead of time, leaving you lots of time to get your Esther or Mordechai on. Have a Freylich Purim!

Blood Orange Martini

It is scary how tasty these martinis are-like you could easily get into trouble with a pitcher of these scary! Oh well, Haman-Mordechai…whatever! just have fun

1 ½ ounces vodka
2 ounces blood orange juice
½ ounce simple syrup
Squeeze of fresh lime juice
1. Shake together and serve. Garnish with blood oranges slices and pomegranate seeds

Persian Meatballs (Kufteh)

This is a great dish for the end of winter. Serve this for Purim as a first course or as part of a Purim feast! Traditionally, the meatballs would not be browned before being poached. As a chef, I think the caramelized crust on the meatballs is essential and gives a great texture and more pronounced flavor. You can opt to do it either way.

2 cups cooked basmati rice
1 cup cooked yellow split peas
1 pound ground chicken, turkey or beef
½ cup finely chopped fresh dill
½ cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
1 cup chopped scallions
2 cloves garlic-chopped
2 large red onions-peeled and chopped
2 eggs-lightly beaten
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom

1. Place all the ingredients in a large bowl. Using your hands, mix the ingredients together until well combined. Do not over mix as the mixture will be too tight and tough. Salt and pepper the mixture (I like to take a small amount and fry it to taste if the seasoning is correct).
2. Lightly, shape the meat balls with your hands.(I find that wetting my hands with cold water and using a rolling motion keeps them from getting too packed and tight.) You can store the meatballs at this point covered in the refrigerator for 2 days or freeze them for 1 month.
3. Place a large sauté pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the pan with olive oil. Brown the meatballs in batches. Remove form the pan and drain on paper towels.

For the poaching liquid

1 16-oz can of canned tomatoes with their juices
2 cups of chicken stock
1 teaspoon saffron threads
Juice and zest of 1 orange
Juice and zest 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Bring the poaching liquid ingredients to simmer in a large saucepan. Place the meatballs in the pan. Gently poach them until cooked through. Do not stir the pan as the meatballs will break apart.

Basmati Rice
This is a show stopper for any buffet or dinner. The crispy crust on the rice tastes a little bit like popcorn. It is easy to make ahead and can be reheated in the pan in a low oven.

2 quarts water
2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 cups Basmati rice
3 tablespoons olive oil

1. In a large saucepan bring water with salt to a boil. Add rice and boil 10 minutes. In a colander drain rice and rinse under warm water.
2. Place a 3 quart sauce pan over medium heat. Coat the bottom with olive oil. Spoon rice into the pan, cover pan with a kitchen towel and a heavy lid. Fold edges of towel up over lid and cook rice over moderately low heat until a golden brown crust forms, about 30 to 35 minutes. Invert the pan onto a serving platter. Garnish with pomegranate seeds and blood orange sections.

According to The Jew And The Carrot website, Chef Laura is currently Executive Chef and head of food services at the Wolfgang Puck Kosher Catering and café at the Spertus Institute for Jewish studies in Chicago. She is the former chef and founder of the Shallots restaurants. Mrs. Frankel has training and extensive experience in both savory and pastry kitchens. Before committing herself to her culinary passion, she played both alto and baritone saxophones. She taught and played professionally. She is the author of Jewish Cooking For All Seasons and Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes.

Chef Laura will be giving a Kosher Food Demo at De Gustibus (on the 8th floor of Macy’s) on the upcoming 16th of March.

I’ve eaten many times at Shallots when it used to be located in Manhattan at the atrium of the SONY building’s where Solo is now situated. I definitely can vouch for her succulent creations!!!

CS