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| FROM THE kosherkooke© City of Refuge Publications 7101 North Mesa #235 Volume 6 Issue 11 El Paso, Texas 79912 MENORAH LIGHTS BOOKS November 2006
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SPONSORED BY: The International
Institute for Health and Wellness, Inc, of Orem, Utah |
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Hilling salad is a controversial issue among, advocates of healthy food. Some of the methods for eating healthy recommend eating everything that is a vegetable. However, quite a few methods reject a great many vegetables -- those that are difficult to digest and those that have a pungent odor and a taste to match. Beyond these disagreements and different methods, there is one universal agreement: for healthy eating there is nothing like lettuce. All the regimens single out lettuce as a basic and important food. Lettuce contains a vast amount of chlorophyll, which encourages and stimulates the secretion of digestive juices and generates metabolic activity, and it contains a high concentration of cellulose. Eating lettuce triggers a basic reaction and therefore balances acidic foods, including bread, protein, starch and fruits. But what sets lettuce apart from other green leaves, which also have superb qualities, is not what it has, but what it does not have: It contains no harmful materials. Watercress (garger hanahalim, in Hebrew}, for example, which since its metamorphosis into trendy lore is referred to by all kinds of other names that sound better, such as rocket and arugula, is just too sharp. Its sharpness is a subject of endless disputes, which are splitting the health buffs into two rival camps. There are those who insist that the secretions that are stimulated by consuming the pungent vegetable attest 10 the body's positive and healthy reaction to harmful materials. The contrary camp is just as certain that the intensified secretions reflect the distress that afflicts the body in its encounter with strong-tasting food and the body's inability to absorb it. The most extreme and also best-known reaction to eating any vegetable is the secretion of tears when one is confronted with onions, The opponents of pungent vegetables point to the tears in order to prove their claim that onions arc not meant for human ingestion. and so the eyes warn against the enemy. The advocates of such vegetables are convinced that the opposite is true: The tears, they say, attest to the rare qualities of onions, which are capable of disinfecting and purifying everything they come into contact with, Sorrel (hamtzitz) contains sharp oxalic acid and is therefore in dispute. Oxalic acid prevents the absorption of calcium and causes the formation of stones in the urinary tract. Cabbage is also half-pungent and therefore difficult to digest. Spinach contains a large amount of oxalic acid, which hinders the absorption of the iron it contains. Rejection because of odor is an ongoing practice, and encompasses green peppers, asparagus, beets and garlic. Pans of the latter consider it to be a medicine against worms; its detractors cite this very quality to argue that it is toxic. They say we must trust ourselves and that when a vegetable causes us an unpleasant feeling and emits a bad odor, we should slay away from it. That sounds like a solid case, but it has a logical flaw, because if we are consistent we would have to say that chocolate makes us feel wonderful and has a marvelous aroma. The same dispute exists in regard to radishes and all kinds of sharp-lasting vegetables. Red pepper is accepted by all. whereas; green pepper is considered by the critics to he an incomplete vegetable, unfit for human consumption. Green pepper, as they remind those who have forgotten and explain to those who never knew. is not a separate species but is red pepper that has not ripened. Farmers like to pick it when it is still green in order to ensure a longer shelf life. Beets, too. are overly oxalic and a subject of controversy. And. of course, this applies also to the entire family of nightshades, including tomatoes and eggplant. In contrast, Chinese cabbage and mallow are capable of coping honorably with the consensus enjoyed by lettuce. All the approaches recommend at least six leaves a day. Celery and parsley also have the support of both camps. It follows that anyone who thinks it is enough to decide to eat healthy food and sits down. with all the good intentions in the world. in front of a bowl of salad, is mistaken. The questions only increase as we draw closer to the salad, and (hey become even more acute when we stir up the issue of its ingredients: cabbage no, cauliflower yes? And broad beans - some people are sensitive to them. Asparagus is not recommended. You can't even eat a salad calmly, without doing all kinds of calculations and taking sides. Let's say we have managed to put into the bowl only what's allowed, so now it's ready and needs only the dressing. A second round of brainstorming ensues over the subject of- you guessed it - what's allowed and what's not. Olive oil, lemon, vinegar, mustard, honey - all the ingredients that for regular people sound like the essence of healthy food - are for health advocates the triggers for a new argument. Vinegar, for example, has no right to exist where people are concerned. Lemon is controversial. And one more thing: Lettuce is good only on condition that. is hasn't been sprayed.
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Kosher Kooking Desserts vol. 7 Page 16 |
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| These plum dumplings were my father's favorite food from his childhood in Vienna, and the recipe eventually was handed down from his mother to mine. On the appointed day, we tried to eat little, to "save room." A large pile of dumplings would be set down on the table. They were coated with sugared breadcrumbs and saturated with the plum juice from inside. At the end of the meal. everyone had an impressive pile. of pits on his plate. Not once were there any leftovers. One time, a couple with whom my parents were friendly were invited over for the occasion, and the woman asked my mother for the recipe. A while later we were invited to their house for a meal. On the table in the living room, plates of the first courses awaited, while the hostess fiddled a little longer in the kitchen with the dumplings. The Santa Rosa season was already past, and she used substitutes. Under her watchful eye we did our best to show that we were enjoying the dumplings, but they were hard to swallow. The dough was simply inedible. My father withstood the test with dignity. I surreptitiously rolled my dumplings under the sofa. My mother, I found out afterward, was even cleverer: She stealthily crammed her dumplings into half-pitas and took advantage of a brief absence by the hostess to toss them in the garbage. Over the years, we, too, have had to make do with substitutes. The Santa Rosa plums that are juicy, dark on the outside and red on the inside have vanished from the market, along with their unique, sweet yet slightly sour taste. Dr. Doron Holland, of the Neveh Ya'ar research center, confirms this: The plums sold today under the name Santa Rosa have no connection to the real thing. The genuine variety was not convenient to grow because of the "problematic" nature of the crop and the short shelf life of the fruit, and it was gradually replaced with a hardier, more reliable, species. In a special plot at Neveh Ya'ar, just to be on me safe side, ancient species are preserved, including a few Santa Rosa trees. You can come and see them, but you won't get a taste. The fruit's season has just ended. Is there any chance for a real Santa Rosa revival? Not in the near future. Dr. Holland is currently working on developing a tastier species of apricot, but plums are not in the plans. That leaves us with no choice, but to rely on substitutes in this recipe by Tova Engel. | |||||
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| Boil the unpeeled potatoes in salted water for about half an hour, until they soften. Peel them under the kitchen tap while they're still hot. Mash the potatoes until smooth (it's important not to leave lumps), adding the margarine while mashing. Rinse and dry off the plums. Take a heaping spoonful of the dough and flatten it on your palm. Place a plum in the center and wrap it in the dough (work with floured hands). Repeat the process with the rest of the plums. In a large pot, boil a large quantity of water with 1 tsp. salt. When the water is boiling, gently slip the dumplings into the pot, and lift them gently off (lie bottom with a slotted spoon, so they won't stick. Once the water returns to a boil, let the dumplings cook for 10 minutes over a medium flame. Meanwhile, melt the margarine in a large skillet. Add the breadcrumbs, sauté a little and then add 2 tbsp. sugar (2-3 minutes of frying altogether). Spread a layer of breadcrumbs in a serving dish, remove the dumplings from the water with a slotted spoon, drain, and place them atop the crumbs. Then sprinkle the rest of the breadcrumbs over the dumplings. You may sprinkle powdered sugar on top, or else bring it to the table, for each person to add as he or she likes. Makes 10 - 12 dumplings | |||||
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Note: see our website at: www.kosherkooking.com for all the latest news and views regarding the recipes enclosed in the series. Or email us at: KosherKooking |
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