Kosher Cooking Carnival #33: Women Wearing White

As the last Kosher Cooking Carnival came out at the beginning of the Three Weeks, I think it appropriate that I dedicate this one to Tu B’Av and women dressed in white who would go into the fields to dance. In days of old, women were said to dress up in white clothes and dance in the fields:

The Mishnah Taanit (4:8) relates that Tu be-Av was a day for making shiduchim (matches), albeit without the intermediary services of the shadchen (matchmaker):

Rabban Shimon ben Gamaliel used to say that there there were no days more joyous than Tu be-Av and Yom Kippur.

[On these days] the maidens of Jerusalem would go out bedecked in borrowed white clothing (in order not to embarrass those who did not own any) . . . And the maidens of Jerusalem went out and danced in the vineyards. And what did they say? “Young man, check us out and decide whom you like.” [*]

Let’s pretend your sister or third cousin once removed has just finished dancing in the field; now it’s time to eat.

If you want some nice conversation, you could talk about “umami” and Torah as the “spice of life”. But I would suggest you wait until after the meal if you want to discuss Rafi’s post on Shechita.

If you would like to discuss hechsherim and the kashrut of restaurants, Rafi posts on kashrut in Jerusalem restaurants and then updates. Larry Lennhoff says this is how kashrut certification should be done.

Lion of Zion asks: is it “assur” (forbidden) to eat at home in Brooklyn during the Nine Days?

What would make a nice summer meal?
A lovely bean salad by Tamar Fox.
A cancer-preventing fruit salad with thyme.
I made a soup from my Farmers Market produce. And I grew an edible flower.

Gazpacho time:
Juggling Frogs suggested Leah Koenig’s gazpacho posted on the Jew and the Carrot.

Gail teaches us how to make her gazpacho.

If you don’t want to spend a lot, but you like delicious food:

Mottel has made this wonderful dish he calls Basement Spaghetti.

One way to really keep it simple is to go out for some bagels.

On the other hand if you really want to live it up and make this meal extra-special, check out the wine selections at http://www.kosherwinereview.com/. Personally, I like Merlot or Cabernet Sauvignon. Anything by the Galil Mountain Winery is going to be delicious; we tasted their wine our recent trip to Israel.

Raizy presents us with recipes from the Land of the Magyars.

We could have an elegant meal with Ilana-Davita’s chicken teriyaki or Baroness Tapuzina’s chicken paprika. Ilana-Davita’s roasted peppers would make a lovely side dish.

Like pasta? Try frumskeptic’s Fettucine Alfredo.

Batya teaches us how to roast vegetables in the oven.

Check out Mother in Israel’s new griddle and chickpea patties recipe.

Kosher Whine has a delicious recipe for Swiss Chard. Bet that might work with kale, too.

Here’s a really easy fish recipe.

Batya suggests that because it's Shmitta year, you can go into the field to pick some grapes. She also notes a sign allowing others to enter and pick.

Our options for dessert:

For a dairy meal, you could make the Kosher Blog’s Strawberry shortcake with cream on top.

Or try this easy Shabbat cake.

Not enough recipes? Here’s a blog called Cooking with Yiddishe Mama.

B’Taavon. (= Bon Appetit in Hebrew)

Finally, if you want to organize your recipes, Frumhouse has some nice suggestions. Here’s the cover of her Pesach recipes binder:

Thank you to Batya for founding and managing the Kosher Cooking Carnivals. Thank you to Ilana-Davita for reading the top of this post and giving feedback (or should that be foodback?). Thanks to Lion of Zion for his great Tu Be'Ab Primer. Thanks to Whistler for being a great painter. Thanks to Juggling Frogs for submitting suggestions.

If you missed participating in this edition, September is coming soon!
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