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The dangers of Chinese (food)

Oct 29th, 2009
by Leah.
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Following the Chinese infant formula scare last year and other reports of unsafe foods coming out of China, I decided to keep all products from this country away from my kitchen. After growing up in a totalitarian country, I knew that human life was worthless in the eyes of the Beijing government and I certainly was not going to rely on them to safeguard the safety of my family’s food.

At the time, it didn’t seem like such a big challenge, since for the most part, we buy locally-made products anyway. The reality hit me on my very first visit to the supermarket. While holding a packaged side of salmon, I noticed that it had been imported from none other than China. Quick perusal of the entire fish freezer left me speechless. With the exception of Nile Perch (a questionable nutritional and ecological choice too) all other fish products either hailed from China or were completely unmarked.

Undeterred, I tried my luck at the fishmongers. There, nothing was marked, so everything hinged on the salesman’s integrity. After looking high and low, all I could come up with was one brand of Norwegian salmon and one brand of local tilapia.

Just in case you think I am exaggerating, this week I came across an extremely disturbing photo report of pollution in China (some pictures are gruesome so view with care).  After seeing this, I am not going near another package of Chinese fish ever again.

 

 

 

 

 

The great hummus war

Oct 25th, 2009
by Leah.
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A group of 300 Lebanese chefs got together to beat the Israeli Guinness record for the largest hummus plate in the world and prepared a 2,056 kg (4,523 lb) plate, complete with a Lebanese flag on top.

If you think this is a simple celebration of national cuisine, think again, According to the AP report, Lebanese businessmen are looking to sue Israel for marketing hummus as an Israeli food. Thankfully, Israel is not relying on its exports of hummus to hold up the national economy. We have a few other things to sell, like world’s smallest medical camera and dew-based irrigation systems.

And though the new record-setters told Israel “to keep its hands off hummus,” here is a great hummus recipe from my friend Simona.

Ode to leftovers

Oct 22nd, 2009
by Leah.
1 comment

I have a recipe for a super-simple chicken salad. So when I found some leftover chicken in the fridge, this was just the thing to make. The recipe called for pineapple slices, so I opened a can of pineapples and took out the fruit. There was some syrup left and not wanting to throw it, out I decided to use it in a cake.

The cake recipe required only the yolks, not the white. I didn’t want to chuck them and ended up mixing a batch of meringues. Meringues are bland without lemon zest, but bold lemon would just dry up in the fridge. Not a problem. Lemon juice would make the salad dressing that much better. I needed half an onion for the salad. It’s a pity to throw out the other half, but how about some spaghetti sauce? Opened a can of tomato paste, used one half. Now what do I do? OK, I’ll make vegetable soup.

Sure enough there were no potatoes in the house, so I drove over to the supermarket and picked up some potatoes, carrots, bread, cottage cheese, tuna, napkins, detergent, dishwashing liquid, Tylenol, and 3 boxes of cereal (they were on sale).

While in the neighborhood, I stopped at the bank to deposit a check, picked up the shirts from the dry cleaners, changed oil at the mechanics, and got a new battery for my watch.

By the time I got everything into the house and finished cooking the soup, I couldn’t give a darn if there was anything left over. Next time I’ll be smarter; I’ll toss that syrup straight into the garbage can.

It’s 5 PM! Do you know where your pots are?

Oct 18th, 2009
by Leah.
1 comment

A friend of mine recently shared her troubles with the dinner hour. She is not alone. Getting dinner to the table, while ensuring kids don’t eat each other alive can be quite a challenge, especially after a long day.

Believe it or not, there is a better way.

Have you ever considered the wisdom of stuffing our bodies with the heaviest meal of the day just as we are about to doze off?  It wasn’t always that way. Until about 150 years ago, people ate “dinner” at midday. But as factory (and office) workers started working far from home, dinner shifted to evening hours and the midday meal took form of a light packable lunch. The old way is still widespread in many places around the world.

Recent lifestyle changes have made midday “dinner” feasible for many families. Stay-at-home parents, freelancers, telecommuters, and part-time workers may find many benefits in switching the meals around. This one lifestyle change may enable you to save money, reduce stress, and even lose weight.

For most people, noon is a much saner hour than 5 PM. If at least some of your family members are home in the early afternoon, consider serving the main meal at that time.  This way, you will not have to cook while juggling a dozen other chores and listening to “M-o-o-o-m, we are H-U-N-G-R-E-Y!” in the background. Save several servings for whoever will come home at night. Your family can enjoy a cozy meal without everyone eating the same food.

The body’s metabolism is much higher at midday than at night. At 1 PM, there is still have half a day ahead of you and your body needs the calories to get you through it. Sandwich and fruit are just not enough to stave off hunger till dinner, so many people find themselves craving for snacks.

By the time we get to the dinner table at 5 or 6 PM, the metabolism is getting ready for bed (just as we are). With no chance for activity, the calories transform into fat that stays put right where we least want it. On the other hand, eating the main meal at lunchtime will provide sufficient energy for the rest of the day and eliminate the need for snacking. If you have had difficulty loosing the extra pounds or maintaining your weight, this could just be the answer.

The switch also makes financial sense. Gone will be the days of panic-stricken dashes to the fast-food place. Less snacking will not only translate into fewer pounds, but also fewer dollars.

What will you serve at 5 PM? Your usual lunch fare. In my family,  standard dinner options include tuna, eggs, pancakes, and a large salad. Bread, cheeses, and spreads supplement the meal.

As with any lifestyle change, your family will need time to get used to the new meal order. Try switching the meals around once or twice a week and see how you like it. If everything goes smoothly, you will be able to push the “dinner hour” up to one o’clock and regain some of your sanity.

Bon appetit!

A different Shabbat fish

Oct 14th, 2009
by Leah.
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When my Yemen-born mother-in-law first came to Israel in late 1940s, her parents decides to build their house apart from the rest of the community, so as to protect their children from unwanted social influences. Little did they know that within a decade they would be living in the midst of a vibrant community of Moroccan immigrants that arrived to Israel during the 1950s.

This is how my Yemenite mother-in-law came to cook the traditional North African chreime fish stew for Friday night dinner. Today, my in-laws Shabbat table is unimaginable without chreime. From there, the recipe has made its way into our kitchen and even to my mother’s recipe box, where it’s a great hit with her New Jersey neighbors.

I have made several changes to the original recipe, which is quite spicy. Unlike my mother-in-law, who uses carp or tuna steaks, I prefer salmon fillet. You can use any fish fillet or steak. The rich sauce is very dominant and will make up for the taste of the fish.

Finally, bread dipped into the sauce is the best part of this dish, so make sure to cut up a large loaf to go with the stew.

Moroccan Chreime Fish Stew

Something different for the holiday meal

Oct 6th, 2009
by Leah.
2 comments

Our family’s love affair with Bukharian cuisine began over 60 years ago during WWII, when my grandmother was evacuated from Ukraine to Central Asia. She returned home after getting to know dozens of Bukharian-Jewish families and learning about their favorite dishes. Although I got my hands on a whole treasure trove of authentic recipes while translating a Bukharian cookbook last year, my favorite pilav recipe still comes from my mother.

Pilav – a rice and meat dish – is the cornerstone of Bukharian cuisine. There are some 70 different varieties of pilav. Traditionally it is made with lamb and lamb fat. That’s a little too heavy for us, so I usually use chicken together with brown rice, which adds another 20 minutes to cooking time.

If you are looking for something simple yet different, check out my Chicken Pilav recipe here.

More on pesticides

Oct 4th, 2009
by Leah.
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Recently, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, the Chief Rabbi of Tzfat (Safed), revealed that many growers of insect-free greens (the so-called Gush Katif vegetables) use extreme amounts of pesticides instead of employing the more intricate greenhouse methods originally developed in Gush Katif. the Chief Rabbi of Israel Rabbi Shlomo Amar confirmed that there is evidence to support these allegations and disclosed that an investigation is underway.

Ironically, while excessive amounts of pesticides are detrimental to human health, they have only a limited effect on bugs.

As much as I would love to switch to organic vegetables, when it comes to greens it’s just not an option. Whenever we visit my parents in the US, I find myself squinting over cilantro and lettuce trying to discern whether there is a bug stuck somewhere on the leaves. However, I have decided to switch over to the Hasalat brand by Alei Katif (the original Gush Katif company). Though slightly more expensive, Hasalat greens are laboratory inspected for pesticide use (as evidenced by the lab label on their packaging).

The laboratory’s site www.lab-path.co.il lists the date of the latest inspection at the premises of each one of the growers. While it’s impossible to ascertain what really goes on in the field, for me this represents an effort at transparency.

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