Kosher Cooking Carnival #12: Your Dinner is Served…

Kosher Cooking Carnival #12:
Ask not for whom the bell tolls, it tolls for the KCC..

This is the 12th edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival, a monthly treat of kosher blog posts from all over the world. KCC is much more than a list of recipes. Any post that relates in any way to kosher eating fits the bill. We have a very varied menu. Here’s the listing of the previous KCC’s: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 11. Since this is the KCC’s birthday month, I want to give a big hand to those bloggers who have kept this running this past year!

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Okay, enough clapping! Let’s get into this month’s carnival! Please have your tickets ready, keep your hands on the keyboard, and keep an open mind at all times! Thank you, and enjoy the ride!

Our first stop on this trip is from Me-Ander who shares with us Experiments in Ice Cream Making at Coldstone’s. Personally, I think she should have tried the root beer float ice cream, myself, but I happen to like the chain greatly!

Keeping in mind fun treats, we also have an article suscussing whether or not Thanksgiving is Kosher. Personally, I think it best to discuss with your own Rabbi whether or not to celebrate this holiday, but that’s just me!

Now, in other news, Judeopundit terrified us with the possibility that Gefilte Fish could be no more by 2048!!! Noooooooooooooo! Say it ain’t so! This is horrible news!

Let’s cheer up from this terrifying news with the fact that there’s a NEW Web Site for Jews in New York to look for their Kosher needs: Kosher-NY.com! In it it lists restaurants, groceries, and everything else you need to live a healthy Kosher life in New York! Which is all well & good, but when do we get Kosher-SDiego.com? Where does NY keep getting these wonderful toys?

As you ponder this, let’s head over to Food History and check out an old recipe for Salad Cream.

Salad cream

2 rounded tsp cornflour
1 teacup wine vinegar
1 tsp salt
1-2 tbs sugar
1 dessertspoon dry mustard
1 well beaten egg
1 tbs oil
1 breakfast cup milk

Mix ingredients in the order given, then cook over a low heat stirring until cornflour is cooked. Pour into jars and when cold screw lids on tightly.

Note from the Food Past’s Author: My father believed in *big* breakfast cups and this is his mother’s recipe. Be generous with the milk. Also make sure you use milk with enough cream – modern 4% milk is scrawny and feeble. My grandmother had a cow for some years and my father’s estimate of the milk fat from that cow was 25-30%. I wouldn’t go as far as using cream (our tastes have changed and we’re more aware of the consequences of using that level of fat in cooking), but I would definitely never use low fat milk in this recipe.

I will say, it sounds quite tasty! Let’s keep the recipe train going with A Mother in Israel who shares with us a DELICIOUS Mushroom & Barley Soup!

Also, The Jewish BlogMiester spent a whine going over a TON of Jewish/Kosher foods. A Wrapup of all the articles is our gift to you, for easier reading! It’s nice and informative, and I think you’ll like it!

Switching gears, I also want readers to look into There Are No Feminists on a Sinking Ship where the writer shares with us the Orthodox’s view on Anorexia. This is a very serious and sad disease, and it’s a shame that even in Jewish communities, it rears it’s ugly head. Please, if you suspect someone you know suffers from an eating disorder, PLEASE get them help. EDIT: I found the original article from the Jewish Press.

Since we’re discussing medical issues, let’s next look at Gluten-Free by the Bay, a blog written for those who must keep a gluten-free diet. Well, friends, they have done the impossible by coming up with a recipe for Gluten-Free Knishes! Since this is such a tremendous undertaking, I PROUDLY share this recipe with you all so you, too, can try this wonderful AND tasty traditional food:

GLUTEN-FREE SPINACH POTATO KNISHES

Dough:

1 7.5-ounce package Chebe All-Purpose Gluten-Free Bread Mix
2 large eggs
2 tbsp oil or softened margarine
5 tbsp milk, liquid milk substitute, or water
3 tbsp oil or beaten egg, set aside

Filling:

1 cup fresh baby spinach, chopped finely
1 large baking potato
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 large onion
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 large egg
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 F. Grease a baking sheet thoroughly with cooking spray.

Dough Instructions: Using a fork or a dough mixer, blend the contents of the Chebe mix packet in a bowl with 2 tbsp oil or softened margarine and 2 eggs. Add 5 tbsp of milk, milk substitute or water while continuing to mix. Knead dough with hands until all ingredients are fully blended and the dough is smooth. Roll dough into a ball. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to a thickness of 1/4 inch or less. Using a knife or pastry scraper, cut into 5×7 inch rectangles (Scraps of remaining dough can be kneaded together and re-rolled to create additional rectangles).

Filling Instructions: Peel potato, cut lengthwise and then into 2-inch slices. Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Add potato pieces to the water, and boil until tender. Turn off heat. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Mash thoroughly. Add chopped spinach to potatoes, and mix until combined. Cover with lid to keep warm.

In a frying pan over low heat, add butter, oil and onion. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until soft, then remove cover and cook until the onions begin to turn golden brown. Remove from heat. Add onions to mashed potato/spinach combination, as well as pepper and 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. Stir in one egg. Use wooden spoon or masher to combine.

To Assemble: Using a pastry scraper, carefully transfer each rectangle of dough to the greased baking sheet. Place a small amount of the mashed potato mixture (approximately 2-3 tablespoons) in the center of each rectangle, arranging it so that it there is at least a 1 1/2 inch perimeter of dough around the filling on all sides. Make absolutely sure that no filling or liquid gets on the perimeter of the dough, as it will keep the knish from sealing. Fold dough over widthwise (shorter side to shorter side). Use a fork to crimp the edges of the dough. Make sure all edges are sealed, and patch any holes with small scraps of dough.

Brush the 3 tbsp of oil or egg you have set aside over the top of each knish. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden. Eat while hot or warm. Refrigerate or freeze leftovers and reheat in the oven (without defrosting). Makes 5-6 knishes.

Now, by now we ALL know what Mel Gibson did. While we’re all sick of hearing either side, I was quite amused by Bagel Blogger and their take on the fiasco:

Next, I want to point out Esser Agaroth, and a wonderful article they wrote on a Jewish Legion Zucchini Salad. There’s a story to go with it, so feel free to learn all about this ‘unique’ dish.

While in Israel, let’s look at Mom’s Recipes & More. Filled with recipes and links for food in Israel, I REALLY was tickled pink to see their Chocolate Cake Recipe! ^^

But, in a blast from the past, Reci-please wanted to share with us their Honey Challah Rolls! Let’s look, shall we?

Honey Challah Rolls

3 3/4 cups bread flour
2 packages active dry yeast
1 tsp.. kosher salt
2 large eggs (room temperature)
1 cup hot water (120 to 130°)
1/3 cup honey
1 tablespoon olive oil & extra for oiling bowl and pan

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the dry ingredients. Blend, using the electric mixer, until well mixed.

In a small bowl, combine one whole egg and one egg yolk (reserve egg white for later) and beat well. Add water, honey and oil, and mix well (by hand) until emulsified.

Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients in the mixing bowl, and mix vigorously by hand until fully incorporated.

Knead dough with hook attachment or by hand, working until smooth and elastic, adding additional flour (in small amounts) if necessary.

Coat a bowl with a very (very!) small amount of oil and place the kneaded dough into the bowl, rotating to coat with oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a damp towel, and put in a warm place (the top of the refrigerator is often a good bet) and allow the dough to rise for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, punch the dough down and allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes.

Divide the rested dough into 12 even pieces and shape into balls. Arrange in a greased 9 inch cake pan. Lightly beat reserved egg white, and brush over top of rolls. Cover with damp towel and allow to rise until doubled – approximately 15 minutes.

While rolls rise, preheat oven to 350° F (175° C) Bake rolls about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

As a final treat, we head over to The Kosher Blog to see a rather interesting article on whether Kosher meat is ‘better’ in any way.

That’s all for this month. Please be sure to announce the carnival in your blogs; that way everyone gets more visitors. If you’re interested in hosting an edition of KCC, please let muse know! You can also routinely send her all of your food links, whenever you post something that could be in the Kosher Cooking Carnival. And if you see something that fits the bill on another blog, please send her that link, too. Either send to shilohmuse at gmail dot com or to blog carnival, and at the same time you may discover other carnivals to visit and enter… Thank you for visiting RKC for this edition of the Kosher Cooking Carnival. Let’s end this with our usual sendoff: Shalom and Good Cooking!