Egyptian Cauliflower Soup

Our pal Kelly Kraines explains her creation for parshat Yitro.

Elevator Prayer in Cairo

I've ridden in many, many Chicago and New York elevators where this would have been very useful... and I LOVE Current.com!

Popcorn Locust

Mort's Big Night - Parshat Bo

Usama Bin YHWH - Parshat Va'eira

In November 2004, a United Nations Security Council report described terrorism as any act "intended to cause death or serious bodily harm to civilians or non-combatants with the purpose of intimidating a population or compelling a government or an international organization to do or abstain from doing any act." By that definition our god is lucky the Hague includes no divine court of Justice.

Va'eira Chow Chat

Veiled Chicken/Chicken Chador

Also known as Chicken in a Burka or Chicken Chador, this recipe was inspired by the locale of Parsha Shemot, in Midian, which turns out to be Saudi Arabia. All week we looked at Saudi recipes and spices, hoping to get an early start on the menu, but you never know when inspiration will strike—this time it was Thursday night as I was drifting off to sleep. Aaron woke me with his giggles, and issued the challenge—our chicken could not go uncovered to the dining room, and it must be accompanied by a male element.

I wanted black burkas, and the darkest covering I could think of was purple cabbage. I’ve made stuffed cabbage before, so I used a tomato sauce with Saudi spices. Baby carrots represented the male chaperones. With the purple, red and orange, the dish took on a fiery look, reminding us all of another element of the story this week, the burning bush.

Veiled Chicken Recipe

10 lbs chicken pieces
1 head purple cabbage
1 large onion
7 cloves garlic
1 lb baby carrots
cumin
ginger
cinnamon
salt
pepper
sugar
1 apple
1 pear
2 bottles Ragu sauce

Cut the core out of the cabbage. Put the cabbage in a pot and cover it with water. Remove cabbage, bring water to a boil, replace cabbage and simmer for 10-15 minutes, peeling off leaves as they become tender. Set aside cabbage leaves to cool.

Trim excess fat from chicken and lay the pieces out. Sprinkle generously with cumin, ginger, cinnamon, salt, pepper and sugar. Turn and repeat on other side. Rub seasonings into the meat and under the skin.

Cut onion, apple and pear into bite-size pieces, and mince garlic.

In a large roasting pan, pour one bottle of Ragu sauce. Add the onion, apple, pear and garlic. Wrap chicken pieces in cabbage leaves and lay them in the roasting pan packed tightly together. If there is cabbage left over, add it to the pot. Pour the second bottle of Ragu over the top. Top with baby carrots, sprinkled with the spice mix. Cover tightly and bake at 425 for 2 hours, basting once or twice. This can be made a day ahead—it gets better with age!

Midian Spinach and Chick Peas

Each week our Shabbat dinner menu reflects the themes of the weekly Torah Portion. Last week, honoring Moses' forty years in Midian, our cooking guests were invited to prepare and bring a Saudi-style Shabbat dish. Our sister Susan Levy explains her creation.

Flaming Mountain of the Gods Cake

Each week our Shabbat dinner menu reflects the themes of the weekly Torah Portion. This week, honoring Moses' forty years in Midian, our cooking guests were invited to prepare and bring a Saudi-style Shabbat dish. Our sister Joan Barris explains her creation.

The God of Tricks - Parshat Shemot

Parshat Vayechi Recipe - Buried Chicken

In last week’s parsha, Jacob died in Egypt, was embalmed and then buried in Canaan. We celebrated this in food for Shabbat dinner. The main course was Buried Egyptian Chicken, in which sweet and spicy roasted chicken is buried in rubble and the guests dig it up. The embalming was honored preserved foods—pickles and pickled beets with peppers.

The challah was flavored with coriander, a spice used in Egyptian cooking.

Here’s how it went:

Spicy Roast Chicken with Dates and Almonds
Ingredients:

10 lbs chicken parts
5 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp ground cumin
1.5 tsp ground ginger
1.5 tsp turmeric
1.5 tsp salt
6 tsp lemon juice
2 cups pitted dates
1 cup sliced or slivered almonds
1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
1 large onion cut into chunks

Put chicken in a large roasting pan. Combine seasonings and rub into chicken parts, on and under the skin. Pour on broth and lemon juice. Add chopped onion, dates and almonds. Cover and roast at 425 until chicken is tender, about an hour or so. Uncover and remove most of the liquid (using a turkey baster). Arrange chicken with skin-side up and cook uncovered to brown (I put the dark meat on top).

Promised Land Quinoa
This is designed to remind us of dirt from the Land.

1 pkg quinoa (12 oz)
1 pkg Inca Red Quinoa (12 oz)
@3.5 cups vegetable broth
½ cup light coconut milk
1 cup pitted olives, some chopped
salt and pepper

Measure quinoa into a large pot. Add 2 parts of liquid using any combination of broth, water and coconut milk (we had some leftover miso soup we included). Add olives. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 minutes until liquid is absorbed.

Cover the roasted chicken with the quinoa and serve with gardening tools.

Why I wear a hijab ... and I don't

Best friends Asmaa Abou Zeidan, middle, and Zahraa El-Zaibak, right, live across the street from each other. One wears the headscarf, known as the hijab, the other doesn’t. The girls tell the Star what everyone wants to know. Why the hijab? And why not?

robyn doolittle - Staff reporter

ASMAA ABOU ZEIDAN 

Asmaa Abou Zeidan scans through her closet and – like most mornings – settles on a shirt her mother doesn't like.

It's a white linen button-up blouse, falling just above the knee.

"She thinks it's too tight," the 16-year-old sighs. "She thinks everything I own is too tight. `That's not the way a Muslim girl is supposed to dress. You're supposed to be modest,'" she says.

Asmaa doesn't consider herself super-religious. She reads the Qur'an – when her parents ask her to. She attends mosque, prays five times a day, and believes in Islam, but right now Asmaa's priorities are her family, friends and being 16.

On a typical day, Asmaa likes to hang around school for a bit after the final 3:15 p.m. bell. Sometimes, she and some friends will hop the 43 bus to the Scarborough Town Centre for some shopping. more

Blogged with Flock

Israel's Comedian Soldiers

When these guys say they killed, they mean it. Israel's Comedian-soldiers.

Tamar and her baby

Challenging Tradition, Young Jews Worship on Their Terms - New York Times

It looks like roll-your-own Judism is not just for aging boomers

A third of Israelis "strictly observant."

It may be bad for Middle East peace but it's great for the Rabbi business. A recent survey claims 80 % of Israelis say they observe "religious traditions."

Presidential candidate Mike Huckabee on Genesis

Biblical Genetic Engineering

Free range organic Kosher...

Free-range, organic Kosher chicken, beef and bison, in Highland Park and they even deliver. Thanks to Peta Kaplan for letting us know about Oakville Organics, oakvilleorganics.com. Their warehouse is across the street from ToysRus, at 1630 Old Deerfield Road, (847) 831-3030. I went there one afternoon and got a tour of the place, giant walk-in coolers and freezers, big open sorting room and 2 guys at desks with computers. They were cute and friendly and eager to tell me about the hecture from real Brooklyn Lubovichers on the pack of Wise chicken wings I bought. The package assured me that those wings came from happy chickens who’s lives included running around in fresh air.

I ordered a Thanksgiving turkey, too.

It is expensive, but if we’re going to buy kosher meat, I want it to mean something beyond supporting the rabbinate. There should be an ethical, humane aspect to kosher. There’s no discussion here of conditions in the slaughterhouse or treatment of the workers, but this is a step along the way.

Oh, they have fruit and vegetables too. I’ll get some when our Angelica Farms CSA season ends.

My Brother's Cheater, Parshat Toldot