Holiday Challah

This is not the challah you are making your family so you can eat healthier. This is the sweet yellow challah you make for special occasions where everyone around the table leans back and rolls their eyes in ecstasy.

While challah has come to mean the Jewish egg-bread traditionally eaten on Shabbat and holidays (or "challah-days" ;-) pun intended) the name comes from the piece of challah that is required to be separated as an offering or sacrifice to G-d. This "mitzva" or Jewish commandment is required anytime someone bakes with a substantial portion of flour. Baking and taking challah is a mitzvah special to women, and it is also a special time for women to ask for extra blessings - to ask G-d for what they need or want. Women often use this time to ask for peace, healing and blessings for members of the community. I put this recipe together in order to use enough flour to "take challah" or separate a piece of challah and make a blessing on this holy act.

It is traditional to eat round sweet raisin challah for Rosh Hashana, in the merit of having a sweet new year.

Makes approximately 6 substantial loaves (see images).

Ingredients:

• 1.5 oz or 45 grams or 3 Tablespoons yeast
• 3/4 cup Sugar
• 3.5 cups warm water (just below body temperature)
• 5 whole large eggs plus 2 additional yolks in the dough 
• 1/2 cup olive oil 
• 1/2 cup coconut oil (warm enough to be liquid)
• Heaping Tablespoon honey or more to taste
• 1.5 Tbsp salt
• optional - raisins (or chocolate chips, if you're feeling extra fun)
• 1700 grams all-purpose flour or bread flour (approximately 12-14 cups) (the proportions of the above ingredients do not translate well to whole wheat or other flours)

• some flour for rolling and braiding
• 1 additional egg yolk with water for tops
• optional - poppy seeds or sesame seeds for top

Note: save the 3 extra egg whites for the egg-white omelet you'll make yourself while waiting for the dough to rise. Or make meringues for dessert.

Method (can all be done by hand in one large bowl)

1. Mix water, sugar, and yeast.
2. Gently beat eggs.
3. Add eggs, oils, honey and (optional) raisins. Mix well. Leave the salt sitting out so you don't forget it later.
4. Slowly add approximately 2/3 of the flour mixing constantly.
5. Cover with plastic or a damp cloth and let this "sponge" rise approximately 1 hour. (Skip this step if dough will sit overnight.)
6. Add salt.
7. Slowly add the rest of the flour while kneading, stretching, and folding the dough to develop the gluten. The dough should loose most of its stickiness and be dense enough to hold the shape of a ball or snake.
8. Let the dough rise in a warm place for another couple hours or in the refrigerator overnight.
9. Now would be the time to separate "challah," as mentioned above. HERE are details.
10. Fold and roll the dough into separate balls in preparation for braiding or making rolls or knots. If you're not the braiding type, roll twelve balls a bit bigger than a golf ball and place in a round pan. We call this "pull-apart challah" (see image).
11. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
12. Shape dough as desired. Ideas and videos HERE.
13. Beat egg yolk with a spoonful of water and brush liberally on challah with a pastry brush or paper towel.
14. Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C while dough rests and rises a bit.
15. Bake 20-40 minutes until interior temperate measures 190 F or 88 C.

Send me pictures of your Challah! Happy holidays! 

Rich Mocha Fudge Brownies (Dairy Free)

Trigger warning:
My family has been eating a lot more wheat-free, no sugar added, raw, nutrient-rich things. This is NOT one of those things.

This recipe is based on a well tested recipe from America's Test Kitchen for chewy brownies. I've adjusted to make them with available, dairy free, ingredients, and more rich chocolate and fudgy.

These brownies are a real show-stopper, and they are relatively easy to make in that they don't require a mixer, separate mixing bowls, or whipping anything into "peaks."

YIELD: at least 24 very rich brownies, or one 9x13 pan or "half pan"

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/3-1/2 cup (100 ml) cocoa powder (depending on your taste) (I use about 1.2 oz by weight) 
• 3/4 cup strong coffee
• 2 oz finely chopped unsweetened chocolate (I start with 7/8 of a 100 gram bar of 100% cocoa "Holy Cacoa")
• 4 Tablespoons (about 1.8 oz by weight) coconut oil
• 5/8 cup (5 liquid oz) olive oil
• 2 eggs (whole)
• 2 egg yolks
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups sugar (use a little less for a deeper bitter-sweet flavor, but significantly decreasing or substituting sugar will alter the structure of the brownie
• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt (less if your salt is extra fine, more for kosher salt)
• 8 oz (250 grams) cold, high quality bittersweet chocolate chips or large chocolate chunks

1. Have all ingredients ready, except coffee.
2. Preheat oven to 350 F or 180 C. Line a 9" x 13" pan with parchment paper (or foil) and a light coating of oil or cooking spray.
3. Brew strong coffee, add to large mixing bowl (must still be hot).
4. Whisk in cocoa powder, followed by chopped unsweetened chocolate. Whisk until smooth and melted. Mixture looks like ganache. Resist the urge to taste this bitter mixture.
5. Wisk in oils, then eggs, yolks, and vanilla.
6. Wisk in sugar until everything is homogeneous. Until this step, you don't need to worry about mixing too much.
7. Switch to a spatula and mix in flour and salt until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.
8. Scrape into oiled paper- or foil-lined pan.
9. Cook 20-30 minutes. Checking frequently after 20 minutes or as soon as you smell them. They are done when a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with sticky chocolatey crumbs, but the brownies are not "soapy" or very jiggly. Remember these have a lot of chocolate and other ingredients that are liquid when hot and will cool to a solid. Do not leave them in until solid.
10. Let cool at least 1 hour, preferably several hours in the fridge before cutting.

Tips:
* Pull out as soon as you smell it.
* Double the recipe, slice into small squares, and freeze small portions. WRAP WELL because high fat foods absorb other smells/flavors. Plastic wrap just doesn't cut it.
* Serve hot with ice cream, or cold. I like them when they've been out of the freezer for about 10 minutes.
* Try adding pecans.
* For chewy, less gooey brownies, add an extra 1/4 cup flour and cook an extra 4-5 minutes.
* Try adding caramels and rock salt on top in the last 7 minutes of cooking. (Reduce salt in batter.)

Focaccia Hamentashen

I've been wanting to make these for Purim for the past couple years, but something always comes up. Today I finally tested my concept, and I intend to put a couple in each Purim basket for mishloach manot/shalach manos I give my friends and neighbors. In Hebrew - פוקצ'ה אוזני המן

Start with your favorite pizza or focaccia dough recipe. I used my dad's pizza dough recipe. I think this one from Anne Burrell also looks good. The following proportions will make 8 hamentashen (enough for a test batch or family appetizer):

Dough:

• 3/4 tsp yeast
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 cup warm water (NOT hot)
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1 egg (optional)
• 2 cups flour (I used whole wheat for this test, but I plan to use all-purpose for the mishloah manot.)
• 1 tsp salt

Food Rescue in Israel

This Saturday is Tu B'Shvat, the birthday of the trees. On Tu B'Shvat we eat fruits and nuts, plant trees, discuss mitzvot (Jewish laws or good deeds) related to trees, and other environmental issues.

A Mitzva Primer:
There are several Jewish laws prohibiting food waste, for instance you can not simply throw food away because something got in it that you think would make it un-kosher. A rabbi must be consulted, and in most cases, the food is permitted. (This applies after the fact; it does not make it permissible to purposely add something not kosher.) 

It is generally prohibited to throw away or ruin good food. This can include rendering food inedible by doing craft projects from food (bread, pasta, seeds) that would otherwise be edible.

There are also agricultural laws that relate to helping the needy. Farmers in Israel must leave the corners of their fields unharvested, and any produce that drops or is missed in the process of harvesting must be left for the needy. 

There is a wonderful organization that takes care of these important mitzvot while protecting the dignity of the needy. Leket Israel, Israel's National Food Bank, is an exceptional organization. Unlike other food banks and charities, it provides nutritional food like fresh produce (not canned and packaged foods) and it helps other businesses fulfill the mitzvah of avoiding food waste. Win-win! Leket Israel also has some new projects that use their organizational scale to help other non-profits improve efficiency.

Rosh Hashana Menu

Beginning with Shabbat, tomorrow night, through the second day of Rosh Hashana, on Tuesday, there are six festive meals with barely one day to cook in between.  Since I'm having guests for five of those meals, I thought I might want to plan a menu. I don't want my the two young men staying with us to get hungry over the next six days and I want to make sure we have enough FRESH foods left for our big meal on Tuesday. I've had my hands quite full with my non-cooking activities, so I'll be relying on store-bought challah and dips, and uber-simple dessert.

Thankfully, most of my shopping is done, but I'm hoping to go to the shuk (market) tomorrow for fresh salmon and vegetables.

Pesto Zucchini

Here's my provisional menu:

Friday night

• Turkey with tomato sauce, red wine, mushrooms, olives, and basil
• Challah and dips
• Rice
• Lightly roasted zucchini with pesto sauce
• Dessert: Mango

Adventures in Gefilte Fish

For Passover this year I made gefilte fish. From scratch. Why? First, our family follows the Chasidic custom of not eating wet matzoh (gebroks in Yiddush, Shruria in Hebrew). That means we don't eat matzoh balls or matzoh bri on Pesach. We also don't eat most processed/manufactured foods during Pesach for kosher and health reasons. Second, I like a little food adventure, especially in traditional food making techniques.

I started with a whole frozen carp. It came in an opaque bag, so I didn't exactly know what I was getting.  I had to start with frozen since my husband won't let me bring a live carp home and keep it in the bathtub.  You see, carp are bottom feeders and their taste is greatly improved when they are kept in clean water for a couple days.

Passover Ideas

My friend Tammy just emailed me, "Any ideas for Pessah lunch?" Here are some ideas off the top of my head.

I love Passover crepes. I make the crepes in a pareve (not meat or dairy) nonstick pan with minimal oil. Then I can put cheese on them and let it melt. Fillings include:

• Tuna with melted cheese and lettuce
• Homemade tomato sauce* with melted cheese and (optional) basil
• Fried or baked bananas with (optional) honey
• Sweet cheese ("gvina levana" and honey)
• Sardines (my kids LOVE sardines and my favorite brand is kosher without kitnyot.)
• Avocado and tomato salad

Roasted Pepper and Olive Dip PLUS Purim Baskets

One of the mitzvot (commandments) of the Jewish Holiday of Purim is to give gifts of food (at least two types of food) called "mishloach manot" or "Shalach Manos."  There is an idea that it should be ready to eat food that can be enjoyed for the festive Purim meal. However, the most popular gifts are candy and cookies. I just moved my oven and fridge into my new kitchen yesterday (I'll post details of my kitchen renovation on Sunday.) so I had a last minute idea to make dips and give them with a pack of crackers. I also made a few packages of nonperishable packages for unexpected visitors, because the dips didn't stretch as far as I expected.

Each package had three of the following:
- Roasted chickpeas (recipe to come)
- Eggplant & Tehina/tehini
- Avocado salad with tomatoes and garlic
- Roasted bell pepper dip with olives and roasted garlic (instructions below)


1.Wash bell peppers and take excess paper off garlic.  Cut and seed peppers if desired. Alternatively, you can roast them whole, flip them half way through and seed them when you peel them.

2. Roast until the peppers are very soft and the tops are black.

3. Remove skin when they are cool enough to handle and squeeze a few cloves of garlic out of the skin.


4. Hand chop a little bit of the peppers and a few olives to top the dip.

Kosher Cooking Carnival - Adar

Welcome to the Rosh Chodesh Adar edition of KCC!

I want to welcome new blogger Miriam, writing From Miriam's Kitchen. She makes "Safta Cookies" from her kitchen in the Negev for her 13 Israeli grandchildren. She also posted some great looking "Yummy Salads and a Dessert" including a pareve Chocolate Espresso Mousse Recipe.

Yael's strawberry cake in progress

It seems like yesterday I was welcoming Country Mouse Cooks to the J-blogosphere, but now Yael seems like an old pro.  She recently baked "Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies" and a layer cake with fresh strawberries in "Strawberry Season."

Yael and I are both bummed we didn't post our Purim ideas in time to share them here, so I hope you'll come back and visit. (Better yet, follow me!)

The past few weeks I, Yosefa, have been making the BEST EGGPLANT EVER. Even eggplant haters love my traditional Eggplant and Tehina. I am also excited and scared about getting a new kitchen and having strange Israelis in my house for a week.

Libyan Meatballs - Simplified "Mafrum"

There is a lovely tradition in many communities that after a women has a baby, people bring her family meals for a week or so.  One of the meals I received after our little guy was born included the most amazing turkey meat balls.  Below is the recipe from my friend with my notes and pictures.  Note there are two cooking options.

In "non-recipe" style, this dish is modified from Tripolitanian "Mafrum," a more complicated dish made with minced beef sandwiched in potatoes.  It is the traditional Erev Shabbat (Friday night) meal of the Libyan Jewish community.  It is usually served with couscous, but for a lower glycemic option, I recommend whole wheat couscous, bulgur wheat, or barley.

Cheese Pancakes

Photo: Sarah Melamed of Food Bridge

Traditional potato latkes are a product of the Eastern European potato filled diet that Ashkenazi Jewry adopted.  But I never thought about the fact that the original macabees weren't eating potatoes.  According to Tastes of The World, "the Maccabees may have eaten a patty made of cheese and egg which was then fried in olive oil."

 Sarah Melamed of Food Bridge has a pancake recipe using cottage cheese, or you can use the recipe below for delicious dairy pancakes.  If you can't find "gvina levana" creamy white cheese, I suggest substituting regular cream cheese, yogurt, or a mix of the two.

Dulce de Leche

from www.nrg.co.il

To celebrate the heroic deed of Yehudit, who intoxicated the general of the opposing army with cheese and wine before slicing off his head, dairy products are often eaten on Chanukah.  What better way is there to enjoy dairy than caramelized?  My dad's family spent a couple generations in Argentina, so our family was eating "Dulce de Leche" before Ben and Jerry put it in ice cream.  It is also a popular sufgania (donut) filling here in Israel.  In Hebrew it is called "ribat chalav," literally milk jam.

Here in Israel I buy it in a jar on the shelf with peanut butter and jam (though the two are not commonly eaten together.)  It is sold in original, chocolate, vanilla. creme, and coffee flavors.  But my family in the United States makes it from a can.  And it's EASY!

Israeli Treats: Crembo, Sufganiot, and lots of chocolate

Think you have a hard time staying away from some office Christmas cookies?  The Israeli junk food season begins in October!  In Israel "the holidays" generally refers to the "High Holidays" (Rosh Hashana, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah).  As soon as they are over around the end of October, the Chanuka goodies go on the shelf.

While the fall holidays come with their fair share of non-stop feasting, winter is full of sweets.  Unlike most mass produced candies which are available year round, these Israeli treats have a season. As the autumn pomegranates, dates, peaches, and plums go out of season, oranges, persimmons, and jelly donuts come in!

Shana Tova! - A sampling of my food prep

I wanted to wish you all a sweet, happy, healthy, successful, and peaceful new year.  Rosh Hashana, the Jewish new year, begins this evening.

Our family has been invited out for three meals.  I'm bringing some salads and dessert and keeping the rest of our meals simple.  We are even mixing it up with a couple dairy meals (blasphemous, I know). Tomorrow we are planning a cold meal with fancy cheese, smoked salmon, bagels, and fruits like persimmon and pomegranate.  Traditionally meat and hot foods are eaten on holidays, but with six meals, we think whatever is considered special is fair game for a holiday meal, and we love dairy!

While I'm sitting down for my little break, I thought I'm share a few other things I'm making.

- Cinnamon honey cookies with apple sauce and fresh vanilla - to go with a non-dairy frozen dessert I bought.  I had a tough time with the dough, so I put the whole lump on parchment paper, covered it in plastic wrap, and rolled it out.  No sticky mess on the table or rolling pin.  Then I baked it whole and used cookie cutters while it was still warm.  I would recommend this method if you have sharp cookie cutter (I didn't) and if you don't mind the leftover, though equally yummy, scraps.

- Quinoa tabbouleh - some for us and some for one of our hosts.

- Pasta salad.  I don't know what kind yet. Maybe Sun-dried Tomato Basil Pasta Salad.

- I also have Pre-mixed Bulgur Salad I can always make by adding hot water.

Kosher Cooking Carnival - The Holidays Are Coming!

Welcome to the Kosher Cooking Carnival (KCC) for the Hebrew month of Tishrei! Autumn is officially upon us. It rained this Shabbat here in Israel and I'm guessing some of you have an incredible view of the colorful autumn leaves. This year Israelis and Jews abroad unite under the infamous "three day yom tov."

For those who don't know: Outside of Israel, Jews celebrate holidays for two days, whereas in Israel the chagim are only observed for one day... except Rosh Hashana!  The Jewish new year is, and has always been, observed for two days throughout the world.  Outside of Israel, where two day holidays are commonly observed, it is not unusual for the holidays to abut or overlap with Shabbat, giving two or three days in a row where holidays are observed with the resulting restrictions.  But Israelis are not accustomed to the extended period of observance that occurs this year where two days of Rosh Hashana (beginning Wednesday night) lead directly into Shabbat.   This puts many in quite a frenzy, especially those in charge of preparing six festive meals in a row (lunch and dinner for two days of Rosh Hashana and Shabbat).

G6's  Croation Star Raisin Challah  

For the majority of us who have not been planning our meals and freezing kugals and pies for weeks, I hope this edition of KCC will put you in the mood to celebrate the way Jews do best... with food!

Food is an integral part of most Jewish holidays.  While Passover seems to be the best known for requiring specific foods, Rosh Hashanah has a rich tradition of food-based symbolism to reign in a good new year.  Sarah Melamed of Food Bridge celebrates Symbolic Foods of Rosh Hashanah with her beautiful photography and explanations of a sampling of traditional symbols.

Kosher Cooking Carnival - Tammuz

I am honored to host this month's edition of Kosher Cooking Carnival (KCC), a monthly round-up of kosher cooking ideas and eats.

If you're new to Cooking Outside the Box, bruchim habayim, welcome!  I hope you'll browse my blog while you're here.  Check out my blogroll for other great food and Jewish blogs.




Looking for something to cook?  

This Shabbat my In-Laws, including my vegetarian sister-in-law came for dinner.  I made upside-down stuffed peppers and an avocado dip with cherry tomatoes, cumin, garlic, and some red pepper.  I discovered that the cold leftovers are good mixed together!  I am also hosting a designer apron giveaway.

Rivki's rhubarb ginger muffins

At Kosher Cooking for Ordinary People,  Rivki Locker makes Rhubarb Ginger Muffins (right) and an Onion Tart.

At for Your honor, Lizard makes a simple Summer Squash Salad with avocado.  I like her instructions in the form of a slide show.  For dessert,  Lizard makes a delicious looking Berry Rhubarb Pie with a beautiful lattice work crust.

Mrs. S. makes her own DIY Vanilla at Our Shiputzim: A Work In Progress..  I like her commentary on olim getting things from the states.  My in-laws just brought me Zip Lock bags!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

My friend Yael Schuster, of Haifa, Israel, posted this mouthwatering photo on Facebook and I asked her to write a post about it.  Yael is clearly a natural blogger, but has her hands full with two beutiful boys.  She also just completed her PhD in Chemistry from the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa.  What caught my attention about this dessert, was the pairing of the ultra-trendy cupcake with the ever-classy tiramisu.  Shavuot celebrates the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people and holiday traditions include eating dairy and staying up all night learning Torah.  Visit Yael's Sweet Shop on Facebook to see her beautiful confections or order treats!

Shavuot has got to be my favorite holiday. It's the one time I don't have to be ashamed of my intense relationship with butter and 38 % milkfat cream. Heck, it's even on sale! It's fun to teach the kids about something that doesn't involve plagues or fasting. I don't even mind the staying up all night- somebody else, of course. Not me- I stay home to "watch" the kiddies. BUT, I am sorry to say, I do not like cheesecake. I don't like the soft, soggy Israeli excuse for cream cheese. I don't like paying 60 shekels [$18 today] to make one cake with said pathetic cream cheese. I don't like making crumb crusts. I don't like carting around ten pounds (sorry, 4.5 kilos) of dessert in one pan. And I just don't like the taste of bland sugary cheese.

This year, when I was asked to bring dessert to a friend's house, I decided that the drown-yourself-in-dairy holiday needed to take a different approach. Tiramisu. In cupcake form. Genius.

Asado / Mangal: Argentine-Israeli Fusion

In honor of the Jewish holiday of Lag B'Omer, I took out our tiny charcoal grill and played with matches until I had something I thought might cook some bits of meat and veggies.  Israelis take their barbecue, called "Mangal," very seriously.  On Independence Day, "Yom Ha'atzmaut," the parks are so full of smoke from everyone's little grills you can hardly see a couple meters ahead.  On Lag B'Omer the predominant tradition is building bonfires.  

Growing up in Florida, we often went to my grandparents' house for "asado," Argentine barbecue involving a variety of meats.  I remember a lot of eating as things cooked on the grill, and then more eating when we all sat down to eat.  At the table a jar of chimichurri was always passed around to put on the bread and top the meats.  As I write this, my Aunt is preparing to have my grandparents over for asado this evening.  

Birthday of the Trees

Tomorrow (Wednesday) night begins the Jewish holiday of Tu B'Shvat, the birthday of the trees. This is a great time, not only to eat fruit and plant trees, but also to celebrate the environment!
Today, "Kitchen Tips Tuesday", and in honor of the upcoming "Biblical Earth Day," I'd like you to look around your kitchen and home and do two things:

1. Replace one disposable item with something reusable.

Latkes

A little late, but still relevant... and delicious.

I know I insulted this classic fried food when I posted on the first night of Chanukah; however, I was roused to say more after reading Phyllis/Ima on the Bima's post: Sour Cream vs Applesauce: A Chanukah Debate.  I have trouble keeping my distance from any good debate, especially one including food and religion!

First I'll say, you don't really need a latke recipe, per se.  You can take any starchy vegetable, grate it, season it, mix it with egg, and fry mounds of it in oil.  White potatoes and onion are traditional, and usually the cheapest, but I like sweet potato or zucchini pancakes as well.

Image source: theawl.com 

Latkes are usually eaten with sour cream or apple sauce and the "debate" asks which is the better choice.  I'm not sure my mother ever purchased sour cream.  We did occasionally top baked potatoes with plain low fat yogurt and chives, but no sour cream.  We never even bought apple sauce with sugar added.  I won't deny that sour cream is delicious, but if you can enjoy your fried food without added saturated fat, I would think that's the way to go.  "Ima"s argument about the health benefits of sour cream sounds like a rationalization to me.  There are far better ways to get 2% of your daily value of calcium and a little protein.  How about making latkes with broccoli, sweet potato, and eggs?  (Ok, I admit, that would be delicious with sour cream on top.)

But her point about eating dairy on Chanukah is worth mentioning.  One reason we eat dairy is to remember Judith/Yehudit:
During an Assyrian siege of her village (as part of the war that is remembered through the Chanukah celebration), she charmed her way into the enemy camp with a basket of cheese and wine. The enemy general, Holofernes, ate of the cheese and drank of the wine until he was unable to stay awake. The sweet lass Judith then took his sword and beheaded the muddled man. She brought his head back to her people in a basket and saved her town. (Source: http://imabima.blogspot.com/)

Not only did Yehudit sneak into the general's camp once, but a series of times.  She showed great bravery and strength of character in the face of the enemy as well as her own neighbors.  Can you imagine what they must have been whispering behind her back as she entered the general's tent night after night?  Yet, she set aside her pride to save her city.  When the Assyrians awoke to see their general's head impaled on the city's gate, they retreated.  It is in honor of Yehidit, Chana (who's seven sons were killed before her eyes as she refused to worship idols) and other brave Jewish women of the time, that women get a special privilege on Chanukah.  It is a tradition that for half an hour after lighting Chanukah candles, women do not work.  It is a special little holiday just for Jewish women.

So next year, get all your cooking done early, then spend the half hour after lighting candles simply enjoying the light of the menorah/hanukiah  and your family!