Salmon Gefilte Fish West Coast Style

Posted in Jewish Holidays, Passover

Whether you buy it in a jar or make it from scratch, gefilte fish is a Passover staple. West Coast cooks have found a new twist on this old stand-by—salmon!

Gefilte fish,  parve balls of ground up fish, which do not require deboning and thus can be eaten on the Sabbath, are traditionally made with a mixture of pike and whitefish. In many Jewish families, gefilte fish recipes date back to Europe and the shtetl.

“You have to remember where gefilte fish originated,” says Rena Isaacson, a foodie and blogger from Jerusalem. “It was in middle Europe and was made by poor Jews with fish they could afford and was easily available. Gefilte fish was ‘invented’, if you will, to stretch the amount of fish the family could afford to buy. By grinding it up and adding fillers such as onion, matzo meal and eggs the fish could be ’stretched’ to feed more than just a few people.”

Cooks living on the West Coast have reinvented the traditional recipe with salmon, a West Coast staple. “My family lives all over the United States,” explains Jenn Felmley, a California-based chef-educator.  “The West Coast side of the family, me in particular, is in charge of the Passover dinners and I make salmon gefllte fish.”

Known affectionately by her students as Chef Jenn, Felmley spent years honing her craft in some of the finest kitchens in Europe and America including the Deepak Chopra Center at La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad.

“I like to keep Passover meals traditional, but, after trying my first batch of gefilte fish, I couldn’t get over the muddy taste.”

That is when Jenn decided to add a little West Coast verve to her dish. Building on recipes for salmon mousse, she incorporated poached salmon into her gefilte fish recipe. “I went to this great seafood place in Santa Monica to buy the salmon,” laughs Jenn. “I thought my idea was so original. I thought I was a genius. But when I got there I wasn’t alone. There were others buying salmon for their gefilte fish!”

Chef Jenn, believing she was breaking new ground, had stumbled upon a West Coast cooking tradition all its own—adding salmon to a time-honored Passover classic. “Even the older, traditional members of my family like it. I haven’t really changed it too much; I have just added a new flavor.”

Recipe: Chef Jenn’s West Coast Salmon Gefilte Fish

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Countdown to Passover Tip #11: Kosher for Passover Snacks Only

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

The time has come to stop handing out chametz snacks when kids come clamoring.

I admit yesterday’s tip was a doozy. Cleaning the better part of your house for Passover, even the lightly trafficked areas, is a big job. Today’s tip from Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin is easy by contrast:

Tip #11: Begin giving kids only kosher-for-Passover snacks.

See, I told you it was easy.

Now, here’s my recipe. I’m sticking with poultry and offering an all-time classic that I use on Passover and year round.

Recipe #11: Roasted Turkey

Turkey is easy to cook and one of the most affordable ways to feed a crowd. Plus, you can’t help but impress when you bring your mouthwateringly gorgeous roasted turkey to the table. You can watch a video of me making my Roasted Turkey if you want a little more detail.

Check back tomorrow when we drop Tip #12  and another Quick & Kosher recipe.

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Countdown to Passover Tip #10: Clean Up Time!

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

Now’s the time to really clean house and stop shopping for non-Passover foods.

Were in double digits as we count down to a perfectly organized Passover with Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin. Yesterday’s tip was to make all your pre-Passover appointments for things like dry cleaning and repairs. Today’s tip—Number 10!— is about, guess what, more cleaning.

Tip #10: Clean the dining room breakfront, the fridge and the freezer, designating one non-Passover food area. Stop shopping for chametz. Now clean other areas of the house like laundry rooms, offices, hallways, bathrooms and tape areas up to keep them chametz free. Many of these are low-traffic areas with little chametz contact, so deep cleaning may not be necessary.

Okay, here’s my recipe. I love the sweet-savory flavor of baked onions, so when my friend, Malki, told me about an easy-peasey chicken recipe using onion soup mix, I began to tinker. It paid off, because this recipe is a quick and terrific family-friendly supper favorite.

Recipe #10: Baked Oniony Chicken

Please come back tomorrow for Tip #11  and a new recipe.

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

The Kosher.com / LoveJingles $100 Shopping Spree

Posted in Contests and Promotions

Enter our Kosher.com / LoveJingles giveaway today for your chance to win a $100 shopping spree on Kosher.com!

Who doesn’t love a jingle? You know, those catchy little tunes people write about their products that get stuck in your head for days on end until you’re on the brink of insanity? We sure do! That’s why we asked LoveJingles.com to write this snappy new jingle to remind our friends like you about the fresh food we offer on Kosher.com. Sing along:

Manhattan, Riverdale and Washington Heights
Bergenfield, Fair Lawn and New Jersey
Free Next Day Delivery by a cold, cold truck
With Kosher.com you are never stuck
The World’s Largest
Online Kosher Supermarket
We love Kosher.com

Now we know it’s been all of 5 minutes since our last $100 shopping spree giveaway but we love giving stuff away. ‘So, how do I win this fantastically free shopping spree’ you ask? It’s simple. Unleash your creativity and show us what a lyrical genius you are by writing the next four lines of our jingle. The rules are simple – reference Kosher.com and any of the fine foods found on our site and wow us with your talents! Seriously, we want to be so overwhelmed by your creative juices that it will be next to impossible for us to pick our favorite winning entry!

Time is of the essence. Entries must be in no later than end of day Sunday and we will pick our winning entry on or about Monday, March 15th, 2010. So gather your friends around, channel your inner Diane Warren, and get writing!

Now some fine print: Giveaway is open to US residents only. Good luck!

Update: We have decided to extend the contest until Thursday and will pick a winner this Friday, the 19th. So get on it song birds!

Countdown to Passover Tip #9: Make Necessary Appointments Now

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

Those carpets won’t clean themselves. Take care of personal and home-related appointments now.

Now that we’re cooking in our Passover mini kitchen, it is time to get serious with cleaning, says Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin. Here’s her Passover prep tip of the day …

Tip #9: Make all of your personal and house-related appointments that need taking care of before Passover such as carpet cleaning, home repairs and dry cleaning.

For my recipe, I’m doing another fish dish. Again, like the crispy rainbow trout in recipe #7, simplicity is the key to this yummy cod. There are only 5 ingredients total and the fish takes about 5 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook. For Passover leave out the rice (it’s optional anyway) and serve with some nice veggies or other Passover sides.

Recipe #9: Cod in a Light Lime Sauce

Tomorrow is another day, so please come back for Tip #10 (double digits!)  and another new recipe.

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Countdown to Passover Tip #8: Set Up a Passover Mini Kitchen

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

Don’t wait till the morning of the first seder to start cooking for Passover. Set up a Passover mini kitchen.

Yesterday we worked on our Passover inventories of kitchen supplies and, today, were continuing on our Passover odyssey with Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin by starting to cook. So here’s Rivka’s latest…

Tip #8: Create a mini Passover kitchen in the basement or laundry room with a slow cooker, a few knives, cutting boards, some spices, aluminum tins and a freezer. This way you can pre-cook some Passover meat dishes and freeze them for use during the holiday. You will need a sink, but you could even use the laundry sink for this purpose!

Now for my contribution …

Recipe #8: Veal Stew with Apricots and Prunes

This veal dish is perfect for the seder or whenever you hanker for a really tasty, no-fuss main course this Passover.

Please come back tomorrow for Tip #9 and a new recipe from yours truly.

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

My Date with Jacques Pépin at the Man-O-Manischewitz 4th Annual Cooking Contest

Posted in Kosher.com News

The 5 finalists in 4th Annual Manischewitz Cooking Contest have been announced. The Grand Prize Winner will be selected in New York City on March 18th at the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan

That’s right folks, yours truly, Jamie Geller, will join host Jacques Pépin as a guest judge at the Man-O-Manischewitz 4th Annual Cooking Contest.

Jacques Pépin, people!

This throwdown happens on March 18th at the Jewish Community Center of Manhattan, where 5 finalists will compete for a $25,000 grand prize that includes GE Profile kitchen appliances and cash. The five were selected from over 2,000 entries nationwide, all cooking with Manischewitz’s newest product: all-natural broth made with real chicken and beef.

Did I mention that Jacques Pépin is going to be there? I’m so excited!!!

Countdown to Passover Tip #7: Build Up Your Passover Kitchen Inventory

Posted in Countdown to Passover 2010

This week we’re be taking Passover prep to the next level.

Instead of rushing around at the last minute, this Passover we’re taking the advice of Professional Organizer Rivka Slatkin and preparing early. Last week’s tips were all about setting up what Rivka calls our “Passover centers.” (If you missed the tips, you check out the summary here.) This week, we’ll be planning menus, creating a Passover kitchen, shopping for food and doing some more cleaning. Here goes …

Tip #7: Continue building up your kitchen inventory and Passover non-perishables including paper goods, kitchen lining supplies, aluminum tins, paper napkins and kitchenwares like cutting boards, pots and pans.

Fish is on the menu for my 7th recipe. And, truly, there couldn’t be an easier dish to prepare.

Recipe #7: Crispy Rainbow Trout

This dish—one of my grandfather’s—really shows off the benefits of simplicity in cooking. Rainbow trout, properly seasoned and browned until crispy is perfect for a quick chol hamoed lunch or dinner. Serve right from the broiler.

Please tune in tomorrow for Tip #8 and another Quick & Kosher recipe.

For more detailed plans on how to make Pesach Perfectly Organized, please visit www.Jewish-life-organized.com and take a look at the Yom Tov Perfectly Organized Collection, written by Rivka Slatkin, Professional Organizer.

Go to the Kosher.com Ultimate Passover Guide

Go to Kosher.com for all your Passover Shopping

Gourmet Kosher Cooking: Passover Lemon Bars

Posted in Passover

Take your Passover dessert-making to new heights with lemon bars. These tasty parve treats add zing to meals and snack time.

By: Elizabeth Kurtz, GourmetKosherCooking.com

It’s that time of year again, the time when thoughts of spring cleaning and Passover cooking jump to mind. People frequently complain about the food at Passover time but somehow it always manages to be plentiful and delicious and I certainly never lose weight!

I always like to start with dessert and Passover is no exception. These lemon bars have a nice zing and taste like the real thing. I dare you not eat the whole pan!

The bars freeze well and can be pulled out and quickly defrosted for last minute company—they’re not bad slightly frozen either.

Recipe: Passover Lemon Bars

Author Bio:

- Elizabeth Kurtz lives in New York with her husband and children. She graduated from UCLA with a degree in business administration. She spent 10 years working as an executive for AT&T and now fills her days raising her family, being involved with her favorite charities, and cooking and entertaining Shabbos guests and friends. Emuna Braverman has a law degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters in Psychology from Pepperdine University. She lives with her husband and children in Los Angeles. When she isn’t writing for www.aish.com or taking care of her family, Emuna teaches classes on Judaism, organizes gourmet kosher cooking groups and hosts many Shabbos guests.

Together, Elizabeth and Emuna created GourmetKosherCooking.com, a destination for kosher recipes, products, table top decor, wine, travel and so much more. It features sections for Weekly recipes, Shabbos and Yom Tov Recipes, Cooking with Kids, Kosher Travel reviews, Wine recommendations, Great New Products, and Featured Giveaways. The site has a full index of recipes and is a tremendous resource for the contemporary or traditional kosher cook.

Kosher for Passover – A Primer

Posted in Passover

Food manufacturers have responded to Passover by creating new and innovative Passover prepared foods. Need to know if something is kosher for Passover, just look for the “P” on the label.

Generally speaking, the first rule of thumb of Passover in America, is to look for a “P” on any labeled product as well as the designation “Kosher for Passover.” But a label saying it is OK for Passover, without an endorsement, is not always good enough. Familiarizing oneself with the well-known rabbinic, kashrut supervising authorities is also a good idea. The largest and most widely respected kashrut supervisory agency is the Kashrut Division of the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU). They are the owners of the registered service mark, “P.”

Then of course, who you are, also determines what you eat on Passover. Traditionally, Ashkenazi Jews, (Jews of Eastern European descent) do not eat legumes (kitniyot)—beans, corn, peas, rice, etc.—or products containing them as ingredients throughout Passover. Sephardic (Jews of Iberian descent), Yemenite and Mizrahi Jews do eat kitniyot, but they often have varying customs from one community to another as to which legumes are permitted for Passover.

Just to clarify, though, these leguminous vegetables or kitniyot are NOT chametz and, unlike  the 5 forbidden grains (wheat, barley, oats, rye and spelt), you can possess kitniyot on Passover and use kitniyot for things other than eating like  pet food, cornstarch baby powder, etc.  Ingredients derived from kitniyot like corn oil present another layer, with some rabbis permitting their use and others not.

Then there is quinoa. Some rabbinical authorities disagree as to whether or not quinoa, the seeds of the goosefoot plant, should be considered kitniyot. Some pro-quinoa rabbis feel it is acceptable because quinoa was not on the Jewish radar when it was decided to ban kitniyot for Ashkenazi Jews. On the anti-quinoa side, some rabbis disagree and say that it should be banned, because it looks a bit like other forms of kitniyot. The Orthodox Union (OU) recommends that even if you follow the pro-quinoa option, sift through the quinoa before using it to check for any errant chametz grains.

While many observant Jews use matzoh meal and other matzoh related products, there are other Jews who add additional restrictions to their Passover diet. Some avoid any food stuffs made of gebrokts (matzoh mixed with water) products out of concern that the mixing of matzoh and water could lead to any form of fermentation or rising, therefore nullifying the kashrut of that Passover item.

Because of the large number of food products which contain chametz, kitniyot, or their derivatives, don’t forget to check your labels for the proper Passover certification and rabbinical supervision. But some products purchased and unopened before the start of the holiday, like milk and regular coffee (as long as they have an OU on them) are acceptable. It’s a very complicated world when it comes to Passover, so when in doubt over any foods or medicines not carrying rabbinical supervision, check with your local rabbi.