Got a great recipe from the son in law in Israel-

“I’ve made this several times and it was always a hit

1 bottle of dry red wine (750ml) – shouldn’t be expensive but not too cheap…
10 whole cloves
1 orange
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 – 3/4 cp. sugar
1/2 – 3/4 cp water

1. In a saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer.
2. Cut the orange in half, and squeeze the juice into the simmering water. Push the cloves into the outside of the orange peel, and place peel in the simmering water (it’s just so that the cloves don’t get served accidentally and then somebody gets them in their cup…..) . Continue simmering for 30 minutes, until thick and syrupy.
3. Pour in the wine, and heat until steaming but not simmering. Remove the clove-studded orange halves. Serve hot in mugs or glasses that have been preheated in warm water (cold glasses may break.) – if it isn’t sweet enough or if it is too potent just add some more water and sugar. Thats why i wrote 1/2 – 3/4 …. also feel free to add some more cloves and/or cinnamon.

Just double, triple or whatever to the recipe….”

We had a quinoa tabouli while in Israel and it was outrageous. We came up with this recipe:

2 cups water
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup quinoa
1/3 cup olive oil
3 medium ripe tomatoes
2 tablespoons fresh mint
1 1/2 cups parsley, coarsely chopped
1 cup scallions, chopped
salt, to taste

1. Place quinoa in a colander and rinse several times rubbing the grains together to remove the bitter outer layer.
2. Place water and quinoa into a 2-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, finely chop the tomatoes, parsley, and scallions. Add lemon juice, olive oil and fresh mint to the tomato mixture.
4. Stir in cooked quinoa and salt. Mix well.
5. Let tabouli sit in the refrigerator for a day to blend flavors.
6. Tabouli is traditionally served at room temperature so remove from fridge 30 to 60 minutes before serving.

This bit from the RCC just came in via Rabbi Eidlitz’s email updates.

“Vegetables – Frozen – we are in full enforcement of our Bodek only policy for frozen broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. Though there was resistance to the change, it died down quickly. We contacted Bodek to discuss the high price of the product and are currently negotiating to allow for bulk packaging of the product in 20 pound boxes to reduce cost to our vendors.”
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Nu, zug mir eppes- is one OU certified vegetable better than all the other OU certified vegetables? That remains the question of the hour. We have raised this issue before, and we raise it again. We remind our readers of a certain take out store that was told to only use Bodek and when they protested that they only use OU certified veggies from another company, the local Vaad insisted that they change. The store owner told the rep from the vaad that they would deduct the added cost for Bodek from their fee to the local vaad. Funny how the vaad changed their mind so fast!

Things like this really irk us. If there are two or three equally kosher products available and ALL of them are certified by the SAME national organization, why is one better than the others? It seems to me that when a rabbinical body makes that kind of statement they are guilty of speaking ill of the OU. Or is it a matter of something else that we are missing?

Further more, we love the RCC’s comment, “Though there was resistance to the change, it died down quickly.” Yup, and we are the pope! We also have a few bridges to sell. And elevator passes for the yeshiva kids…… That one is just too good to be taken on face value.

Sigh, it just never seems to end.

BUYING A POMEGRANATE

The fruit is nearly round with a crown at the base.

Pomegranates have a tough, leathery skin with membranous

walls and spongy tissue holding fleshy, juicy pulp. The

seeds embody more than half of the fruit’s weight.

Fresh pomegranates are available September through January,

though much of the year-round crop is kept in storage.

Choose heavy pomegranates as they will have more seeds and

juice. Pomegranates should be ripe when picked and delivered

to the grocery store.

STORING A POMEGRANATE

The pomegranate has a long storage life, and actually

improves while in storage. They tend to become more juicy

and flavorful and can be kept in storage for up to seven

months.
Keep in a cool place until use.

Pomegranate seeds can be removed from the fruit and placed

on trays and frozen. Once frozen, place in a freezer-safe

container and freeze for up to six months.

ARE THEY GOOD FOR YOU???

Pomegranates have a high concentration of antioxidants.

They also provide a good amount of potassium, are high in

fiber and contain vitamin C and niacin.

HOW TO DE-SEED A POMEGRANATE

Cut the crown end of the pomegranate and discard. The crown

can be recognized by small crown-like top.

Score the rind of the pomegranate in several places, but be

sure not to cut all the way through.

Soak the pomegranate in cold water, upside down for 5-10

minutes.

Break apart the rind of the pomegranate and remove seeds

from membrane. The seeds will sink to the bottom of the bowl.

With a sieve, remove rind and membranes from bowl.

Drain seeds with a collander. Pat dry with cloth or paper

towel. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container in

the refrigerator for up to two days.

So the kids and I headed over to Norman’s Steak and Burger the night before Thanksgiving. Even with a rain that seemed to remind us all of Noah’s ark, etc, the place had lots of people there. Owner Robin told us that she would serve 300 meals at four- count ‘em four- seatings on Thanksgiving. In fact we sat in the restaurant until 11:00pm and Robin was still taking reservations. Go and know that there are that many Americans looking for a traditional Thanksgiving so far from home! Then again, we should not have been surprised at all. All around us the streets of Jerusalem were packed with parents visiting with their kids in Israel. Getting into any restaurant all week was not easy as each place was filled with hungry Americans with their Texas sized appetites. Lucky for them and for us, too, Norman’s is up to the task.

We started with the beef tomato soup. It was wonderful. Hot, delicious and good to the last drop. It was a hearty soup that was perfect for a cold and rainy night.

We followed that with onion rings for the table, and the table enjoyed them very, very much. In fact, so did we! The onion rings at Norman’s are not dainty little affairs. Nope, they are large rings of onion deep fried with a tangy coating mix. Of course, the rings came with a whole assortment of dipping sauces and dressings. We were hard put to choose between the BBQ sauce and the honey mustard sauce. The others were good, too, but the above mentioned two kept us busy all night.

Son in law Yoav ordered the entrecote- a large piece of aged meat. Daughter Tali and her father ordered a huge half pound burger topped with mushrooms, onions and entrecote slices. Wowzers! Add to that the lettuce and tomato on the sandwich and you have a meal fit for a whole village!

Salads at Norman’s are always fresh, crisp and tasty. The chips (french fries) are cooked just the way we like them, and they are hearty pieces of potato. No little weenie fries at Norman’s. These are hearty fries good for a lumberjack or some other sort of manly man. Or for a dainty lady. Either way…….

Owner Robin sat with us the whole time and regaled us with stores and more stories. We love when Robin comes to the table- she makes the whole experience so much more incredible! Daughter Tali called for an official vote and we decided that Robin is way cool!

One of the things that we love about Norman’s is the quality of the meat. Robin brings in very good meat in order to turn out the fine products she serves. We have never had a bad piece of meat there. Last time we were there, son in law Yoav had the sumo burger- a full kilo of meat. He had a ball eating it. This time, he tore into his entrecote with the enthusiasm only a true carnivore can bring to a beautiful piece of meat! In fact, we all ate with gusto.

During dinner, at Robin’s request the head chef gave us a foretaste of Thanksgiving. First he gave us a basket of his freshly made croûtons. These were strips of prepared bread that were spiced well and topped with a hint of cinnamon. The idea was that people could eat them like bread stips, dip them in dipping sauce or in the soup. or break them into little crouton sized pieces to put in the soup. We ate the whole basket in no time. They really were quite excellent.

Later on the chef came and presented us with a plate of cooked veggies and fruits that would find their way into the turkey as stuffing. Talk about taam gan eden!! To die for! As in momma put the coins on my eyes for I have died and gone to heaven! There were potatoes, prunes, cashews, celery, orange, onion and lots of other stuff that is top secret! The four of us (Robin, too) sat there eating stuffing with large spoons so we could spoon it up into our drooling mouths. By the time we finished, the plate was so wiped clean, it looked like a clean plate from the kitchen.

Too soon it was 11:00pm and we had been there for over 3 hours. It was time to let Robin go and head home. The next morning, we were all still smiling at the memory of an incredible meal!

Norman’s is glatt mehadrin. Located on Emek Refaim, the restaurant is a must stop kind of place. Great place to congregate, great place to conversate and a great place to satiate!

www.normans.co.il