One of our wonderful B'nai Israel members sent me this article today. What do you think? Are you bringing kishkes back into your kitchen?
PS There are some really nice Chanukah recipes linked to this article - be sure to check them out!
Reflections on the Community Supported Agriculture Project of Congregation B'nai Israel
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Let's Talk About Eggs
Every once in a while we have the pleasure of finding ½ dozen eggs in our CSA bags. And for those who want delicious local eggs on a more regular schedule, Sandhill Farm is now able to offer eggs from Two Cedars Farm on a weekly subscription plan.
CSA members tend to go crazy for these eggs. The color, texture and flavor are completely different from grocery store eggs. And those who have done some reading on industrialized food production know that even “organic” “cage free” eggs aren’t all that they’re cracked up :) to be. I’d also like to mention that I highly recommend Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals if you’re exploring issues of personal food choices, and specifically, the egg issue.
The fresh eggs I most recently received in my CSA bag were absolutely gorgeous - so gorgeous in fact that I insisted upon making the “Egg in a Hole” AKA “Bird’s Nest” of my childhood for dinner one night last week. I just wanted to taste them straight up with some toast and a little salt and pepper.
There was no blood in sight in my batch, but I heard that Sherry found bloodspots in a few of her eggs, and that got us talking about kashrut…
Commercial eggs do not come from fertile hens, so for most of us today, there’s no need for concern about bloodspots. However, the fresh eggs we sometimes receive from local farms do come from fertile hens. In these fertile eggs, there is a chance of bloodspots, which may signify the beginning of a new embryo, making the egg unkosher. So, for kashrut purposes, the rule is to crack one egg at a time so that you may discard an entire egg if it has a bloodspot.
Yes, it may feel wasteful, and yes, it may be quite disappointing, but I think there’s something rather special about the “old world” practice of having to check each egg and discard those with bloodspots. In an age when more and more grocery store products are marked kosher, most of us don’t have to give all that much consideration to the food we bring into our homes. And for me, there’s something nostalgic and meaningful about the notion of checking each egg the way my Great Grandma Rose did. But that’s just me – what do you think?
CSA members tend to go crazy for these eggs. The color, texture and flavor are completely different from grocery store eggs. And those who have done some reading on industrialized food production know that even “organic” “cage free” eggs aren’t all that they’re cracked up :) to be. I’d also like to mention that I highly recommend Jonathan Safran Foer’s Eating Animals if you’re exploring issues of personal food choices, and specifically, the egg issue.
The fresh eggs I most recently received in my CSA bag were absolutely gorgeous - so gorgeous in fact that I insisted upon making the “Egg in a Hole” AKA “Bird’s Nest” of my childhood for dinner one night last week. I just wanted to taste them straight up with some toast and a little salt and pepper.
There was no blood in sight in my batch, but I heard that Sherry found bloodspots in a few of her eggs, and that got us talking about kashrut…
Commercial eggs do not come from fertile hens, so for most of us today, there’s no need for concern about bloodspots. However, the fresh eggs we sometimes receive from local farms do come from fertile hens. In these fertile eggs, there is a chance of bloodspots, which may signify the beginning of a new embryo, making the egg unkosher. So, for kashrut purposes, the rule is to crack one egg at a time so that you may discard an entire egg if it has a bloodspot.
Yes, it may feel wasteful, and yes, it may be quite disappointing, but I think there’s something rather special about the “old world” practice of having to check each egg and discard those with bloodspots. In an age when more and more grocery store products are marked kosher, most of us don’t have to give all that much consideration to the food we bring into our homes. And for me, there’s something nostalgic and meaningful about the notion of checking each egg the way my Great Grandma Rose did. But that’s just me – what do you think?
Monday, November 22, 2010
Green Beans Galore
With CSA participation we're eating seasonally, and part of that seasonal experience includes an overabundance of a particular veggie for a few weeks during the height of its season. For the past several weeks we've been blessed with big beautiful bags of crunchy green beans. As much as I love green beans, I've found myself at a loss for what to make next with my plethora of beans. My dear friend who lives in Canada recommended that I start canning - it sounds quite appealing but as a novice canner with a busy schedule, this wasn't the week to try it out. Have any of you had any luck with canning?
Here's a nice idea from the Rudin-Rush kitchen:
Green beans with walnuts and bleu cheese or Roquefort
1 lb green beans
1.5 cups toasted walnuts
1/4 pound cheese
oil
pepper
Bring water to boil and cook beans for 2-3 minutes so they remain nice and crunchy. Cool beans.
Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in sauce pan. Add beans to pan and cook for two minutes.
Add cheese and heat for 30-60 seconds until it starts to melt.
Toss with Walnuts. Add lots of pepper and serve.
I'm trying out lots of things but my green beans go-to dish remains this simple stir fry
With Elaine Kaplan and company in the kitchen whipping up a big batch of her famous veggie chopped liver, I'm reminded that those green beans would be great in a veggie pate as well.
Other green bean ideas? Comment or send me a message and I'll be happy to share.
Here's a nice idea from the Rudin-Rush kitchen:
Green beans with walnuts and bleu cheese or Roquefort
1 lb green beans
1.5 cups toasted walnuts
1/4 pound cheese
oil
pepper
Bring water to boil and cook beans for 2-3 minutes so they remain nice and crunchy. Cool beans.
Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in sauce pan. Add beans to pan and cook for two minutes.
Add cheese and heat for 30-60 seconds until it starts to melt.
Toss with Walnuts. Add lots of pepper and serve.
I'm trying out lots of things but my green beans go-to dish remains this simple stir fry
With Elaine Kaplan and company in the kitchen whipping up a big batch of her famous veggie chopped liver, I'm reminded that those green beans would be great in a veggie pate as well.
Other green bean ideas? Comment or send me a message and I'll be happy to share.
Monday, November 15, 2010
This Week in My Kitchen
Mmm…Here’s what I’ve been up to with my Sandhill Farm Veggies:
Pad Thai with stir fried Chinese cabbage, tofu and local eggs.
Linguine with zucchini, eggplant, garlic and tomatoes – so simple and always so tasty! (I recently had a similar combination at a friend's house, and she added olives and golden raisins - fabulous "secret ingredients")
Spicy lentil stew with sweet potatoes
Garlicky sautéed green (and purple!) beans, roasted sweet potatoes (so delicious when simply roasted with skin on and ends trimmed), pecan-encrusted tofu and corn bread
Roasted green beans and peppers topped with balsamic reduction
What have you been up to with your CSA bag? Specifically, how are you using up those large bags of green beans?
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