Hello Tal of Chicago.
Thank you for participating in this years Menu for Hope.
And thank you for giving me the huge compliment of choosing
These are just a few neighbourhood photographs
These were all taken within a 5 minute stroll of my apartment.
Sunshine doesn't ship too well,
Otherwise you'd be getting some of that in your parcel too!
The Menu For Hope III prize winners have been announced.
If you want to find out if you are one of the lucky winners - and aren't we all winners for having participated? then check out the list at Chez Pim and then follow her instructions for getting your prize.
If you are the lucky person who will be getting the Jaffa MudPrize, then please leave a comment so I can get your details for mailing. And don't forget to let me know which plate you want.
Oh, and just so that you know, my usual luck held true... my raffle ticket came up bust, but I did get a prize anyway - being able to participate in this wonderful event.
Thanks to everybody who participated.
And a special thanks to Pim and her team of little elves.
The night air was cold as I rode home on my scooter.
The smell of hot oil and frying dough wafted through the air, promising sweet nothings that would momentarily sate my cravings but then leave me wanting more...
It was already late and I wanted to avoid the quick fix of soufganiot. Something fairly fast and easy for dinner, but satisfying as well...
'Tis the season, after all, so I indulged myself wantonly and made latkes - again. After all, they fit the bill but are a bit more virtuous than donuts... This time, however, not only did I manage to assuage my sweet tooth, but I also created something exotic and comforting at the same time.
Batata Latkes with Miso
Heat oven to 160c, have ready an oven tray lined with papertowels.
Mix the miso and egg until smooth.
Add the green onions and grated sweet potato and mix well.
In a large frying pan on medium heat until warm, pour in enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan. When a drop of water sizzles happily (not angrily) put in 3 or 4 heaping tablespoons of the batata mixture and push, pat and prod them into fairly flat, vaguely pancakey shapes.
Cook on medium - medium low heat until browned and crispy (about 7 minutes), then turn and cook on the other side, adding a bit more oil to the pan if needed.
Put finished latkes on the towel lined oven tray and put in oven to keep warm.
To serve, dollop some sour cream in the center, sprinkle the furikake between the pancakes and on top of the cream, and finish with the green onions.
Don't forget that the batata has a much higher sugar content than regular potatoes and will burn if you don't keep an eye on the latkes. Also, there is no added salt because the miso is quite salty enough.
Don't forget, there are only 3 more nights of Channuka left... to enjoy latkes with no guilt!
And if you haven't yet gone to the donation page for Menu for Hope III, this is just a reminder that there are only 2 more days left before the raffle closes.
Nobody should go hungry in this world.
Nobody...
Like anybody who is even remotely human, I like to have affirmation. Think Sally Fields' Oscar acceptance speech "... you like me - right now, you like me!" Well, that's how I have felt every time someone has donated to Menu for Hope IIII and said they want to have a chance to win my prize. Thanks y'all (you know who you are...)
There are still 6 1/2 days left to put your money where your heart is, namely the right place, and make a donation for the UN World Food Programme. And of course I know there are people out there who have been shy up 'til now, but I know you like me, and I know you'd love to get your mits on my amazing prize.
Just think, you could be the owner of an original, hand-made-in-Jaffa plate with an original drawing - your choice of demure or provocative, that can be used to serve on, bake with and just display - and if you need to clean it, just pop it into the dishwasher... how great is that. And not only that, but there are a pile of packages filled with exotic spice mixtures (and some recipes to boot). And if that isn't enough, there is also some of the most amazing halvah tucked in there as well. You've never had anything like it, really!
So c'mon, dig deep and help us make this years Menu for Hope even more of a success than it already is (almost $20,000 and counting!).
And just in case you're wondering how I spent my Saturday...
This time it was 2 cups AP, and 1/2 cup each whole wheat and rye flours.
Don't you just love The Bread?
So, how did I spend the first day of Channukah?
Well, it's a bit of a story...
I started my day with SistR and Jesamine (who played hookey from kindergarten) at Moti's Bureka joint, drinking strong coffee and eating a spinach bureka with homemade pickles. This is not traditional Channukah fare, but it is a big treat for all three of us!
From there, I had to rush home and get all primped and pretty, not for a Channukah party, but for a Brit Milah bash. I don't normally attend Brits, mainly because I think that having the whole world and their 17th cousins 42 times removed gawking while a baby has his covenant made for him, is just a bit barbaric. Fortunately, my friend had the deed done quietly and privately a few weeks ago, and in reality this was a birth celebration.
As with all major celebrations (weddings, engagements etc.) here, this was done at a reception hall, and because the weather was glorious and sunny, the cocktails and nibbles were outside in a flower filled courtyard, with pansies and cyclamen bobbing in a gentle breeze that didn't even hint of winter. As is usual, there was an open bar, all sorts of cured and pickled fish (matjes herring, smoked sprats, pickled herring, cured salmon), various small salady things, skewered chicken hearts and livers grilled over coals (as against on a gas grill), and kosher sushi for the more adventurous...
There was a special area set up for kids, with games and cookie decorating and people to look after the kids. The adults, it was presumed, could look after themselves!
Lunch was then served buffet style, with all kinds of different breads, lots of salads, including huge bowls of lettuce and mixed greens, cherry tomatoes and avocado, grilled eggplant with green tehina, roasted cauliflower, artichoke hearts, corn niblets, tabbouleh, mushroom and baby corn, carrot, pasta. There was fish in a red sauce, chicken drumsticks in a barbeque sauce, turket fillets in a lemon sauce, and stewed steaks, as well as green beans, rice, potatoes, and for the children, chicken schnitzels and chips with lots of ketchup. I stuck to the salads and avoided the desserts, which were parve bavarian cream cakes and molten chocolate cakes. And forget the cappucinos with parve milk... I'll have the double espresso thank you very much!
It was a really wonderful celebration of a new life, with lots of happy chatter going on throughout the speeches and home movies...
From there it was home, with a stop on the way to pick up wonderful pomellos and clementine oranges from the little man, who can be found only on Fridays, selling them from the back of his truck outside of the local bakery. That is how alot of produce is sold here, no middle man and picked this morning at dawn. Unless I had my own trees, they couldn't be fresher.
This being Channukah, I felt obliged to make Levivot (Latkes). This wasn't really so terrible because I adore potato pancakes and only indulge myself very rarely.
My Latkes
(1 dozen small latkes, enough for a light lunch, with a salad, for 3 people, appetizers for six, or a token taste for 12)
Unlike most recipes I have read, I don't rinse or drain my potatoes. To help minimize the potatoes oxidizing (turning brown) I grate the onions first and put them into the mixing bowl with a bit of salt sprinkled on them so their juices start running. I grate the potatoes as quickly as possible and mix them with the onion and the egg. This seems to work fairly well for small and medium batches.
Personally, I like eating at the same time as my friends, so I use 2 frying pans to get the job done quicker.
Heat the oven to 160C and have prepared a baking tray with paper towels to absorb the oil from the latkes while they stay warm.
Heat the pan(s) to medium heat and then add about 2 tablespoons of oil. It should immediately start to shimmer, but not smoke. A piece of potato will sizzle vigourously, but not ferociously, when dropped in.
Drop the latke mixture 1 heaping tablespoon at a time into the oil (a 9 inch pan will fit 3-4 spoonfuls - you don't want them crowded because then you can't turn them easily). Smooth and flatten out the top of the latkes and neaten the edges. (note that the pan is only lightly covered in oil)
You needn't be too exact, rough edges get crispier. The heat should be medium to medium low - you need the potatoes to cook at roughly the same speed as they brown. If the heat is too low they absorb too much oil, if it is too high they burn before they are cooked. I cooked mine for about 6 minutes a side.
I can't be too accurate about my cooking time today because I had an interruption and had to ignore them. "What, ignore your latkes?" you exclaim in horror.
Well, I think it was a worthwhile interruption,...
Christmas Carolers!
I'm not kidding. My doorbell rang and there were some Philippino women (and a little helper) complete with guitar, offering to sing me a Christmas carol. How cool is that? I have never, ever, in my entire life, been caroled before. It is the type of thing you only see in movies... But tonight I was caroled, and then asked for a donation for the Children's Joy Foundation. What the heck, it's Christmas and Channukah and I'm grateful for all the good things in my life, so I emptied out my pockets, literally, (I didn't have anything but small change, not having gone to the bank today) and in exchange for a donation to an organization that I have no connections to either in terms of faith or belief, I got Jingle Bells and We Wish You a Merry Christmas. And lots of good wishes for the holiday season. It felt surprisingly good!
And my latkes didn't seem to suffer from their momentary lack of attention.
They may even have benefitted by getting even crispier.
Once the undersides are a deep golden brown, gently turn the latkes over and continue cooking until the other side is nicely browned too. If necessary add a touch more oil to the pan. When they are done, transfer them to the paper towelled baking tray and put it in the oven to stay warm while you make the rest of the latkes.
To serve, sprinkle with the Maldon salt and green onions, add a blob of the sour cream and dot that with the smoked paprika. Grind black pepper lightly between the latkes to decorate the plate.
Eat immediately.
Dessert, courtesy of SistR, was a deluxe version soufgania.
(tranlation: a raised donut filled with dulche de leche)
Happy Channukah!
And don't forget, if you are looking for the perfect Channukah or Christmas gift, for yourself or someone else, don't forget to check out the Menu for Hope III.
For all of you thinking about picking The Jaffa MudPie Prize
as your chosen Menu for Hope III prize, the question is...
Which plate to choose?
Well, to help your decision making processes, some closeups to think about.
And don't forget, you don't have to be a blogger to paricipate. Anybody who lusts after one of the scrumptious prizes available just needs to jump to the First Giving donation site. and just think, not only are you giving to the WFP which is a very worthy cause, but you have the chance to win something absolutely fabulous.
And for those who are wondering what the heck to do with Hawai'ij, Baharat, Sumach and dried lemons... don't worry, I will also enclose some recipes collected from my neighbours and friends - experts at turning out meals with exotic aromas wafting up in wreaths of steam, and flavours that bring to mind spice caravans, tents pitched under the full moon with the sound of the wind blowing over the sands of the desert...
And hey, don't forget that you can also make a donation in somebody elses name, so that when the winning ticket comes up you've given a great gift in more ways than one.
The Menu for Hope III charity raffle is now on.
Check out the following host sites for an amazing list of cool prizes:
US West Coast: Sam of Becks and PoshFor those of you who don't know how it works...
Between December 11-22 you can make a donation that will give you a chance to win one of the really great prizes that are up for grabs. For each $10 you donate you get 1 chance to win a prize of your choice.
David Lebovitz is the regional sponsor for Europe - but he has kindly agreed to include me even though Israel is technically not a part of the EU.
Now, lets say you really, really want to win the very amazing prize that I am donating (see below). You donate $1000 and get 100 virtual tickets for the drawing that will be held once the tally's are figured out. Or, lets say you want, but really want, 10 different prizes... You would then donate $100 ten separate times - specifying which prize you want for every donation. Of course, you only need one ticket to win - so a donation of $10 could just get you that lucky ticket...
Don't forget this is a great cause, all profits go to a really worth charity (United Nations World Food Programme) and the prizes are all being donated by bloggers, blog readers and people who want to make a difference.
Now, don't get me wrong, there is no competition for whose prize gets the most donations, but my prize is definitely something to get excited over.
The Jaffa MudPie Prize
(Prize Code EU30)
1 handmade-in-Israel stoneware plate. This 29cm/almost 12 inch diameter plate with sloping sides is decorated with your choice of either a drawing of a tasteful nude or a father holding his daughter (as shown), is completely hand made in Jaffa, Israel using non-toxic underpaints and glazes. This high quality piece is suitable for baking, serving or just for display. Microwave, dishwasher and oven safe (just don't use it on open flames) this would be perfect for a pie or tart. This collectors item of the future shouldn't be missed - think Israeli Clarice Cliffe. (FYI, I sell my work privately and have made numerous pieces on commission).
And not only will you be getting this one of a kind plate, but it will be accompanied by some special spice mixes that are unique to the Middle East area:
I will pay for shipping, handling to wherever you are, and duty (up to $50, which I think should look after any outrageous demands by the tax men and women. Please check that there are no restrictions in your country for the import of any of these cooking items.
Now I know you are raring to donate scads of cash and put your tickets towards winning my wonderful prize, but before you do that you should check out the other great prizes available. In each entry you'll find links that you can follow to the individual web sites and blogs to learn more about the prizes from the donors. Should you have any questions, please ask the donor prior to bidding. For more information, visit Chez Pim.
So How Can You Bid?
And just remember, your donation will help us help others, so
"Thank You"!
How many of you have noticed that Mark Bittman wrote another column on The Bread?
Kind of cheating, if you ask me
I think he should have had it as an addendum,
but that is me being persnickety...
Well, it is that time of year again, Jack Frost is nipping at the noses of northern hemispherites, Christmas caroles are filling the airwaves and spontaneous generosity pervades the blogosphere.
Of couse I am talking about the Menu for Hope
Once again Pim of Chez Pim fame will be hosting the Menu for Hope charity raffle. This year's donations will be going to the United Nations World Food Programme. Last year I donated/bid on a couple of prizes, but even though I didn't win anything, I did come away with the feeling that I had made a contribution, even if small, to a worthy cause. This year I will be giving again - and if the prizes are even close to what were up for grabs last year, it will be a tough choice...
If you were thinking of giving a donation this holiday season, this is the way to go, so watch this space for more details...
