Weekend Hospitality

I'm moving back to Israel in a few weeks.  Its been 4.5 years since I left and I'm ready to come home again.  I don't know yet where I will re-settle, but I am sure that wherever it is, I will be hosting Shabbat dinners and lunches. As a taste of things to come, here is a recipe that I have been making in the USA.  My current diet is a bit on the strange side, low protein and low carbs, so finding interesting recipies has been a challenge.  This one is a winner. Cauliflower soup with Kale 2 Tbsp canola oil 2 Tbsp flour 6 cups vegetable broth 4 cups water 3 stalks celery - chopped 1 large onion - chopped 1 head cauliflower - chopped 4-6 cups chopped Kale 3-4 cloves garlic - finely choppped 1 tbsp olive oil 1 tsp salt Heat the canola oil in a soup pot.  Add the flour and cook for a couple of minutes to make a roux.  Add the water, broth, celery, onion and cauliflower.  Simmer for 20 minutes until the cauliflower is soft.   U...

My travels continue and I now find myself living in the Bronx and working in Manhattan.  For the purposes of this blog, I'm once again working on inviting guests and building on weekend hospitality. This past weekend, I hosted four relatives.  I only cooked one meal, as we were invited out for the second meal. We had lots of fun and the food and conversation were great. Friday night dinner for 5 Challah Chumus Green Salad Chicken soup (plain, with vegetables) Roast Chicken  - best roast chicken thighs I've made in some time Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl)  in a Dutch oven Roast Asparagus Fun food.  The bibimbap was very nice.  Fun to make and to eat.  I didn't use the suggested hot sauce because by guests were not interested in spicy food.  Next time, I'll try to find some kosher alternative to gochujang. The roast chicken took a total of 40 minutes from start to finish.  I could make this any day, assuming that I had people a...

Long time, no post. I'm sitting here in Dublin, Ireland thinking about having my first family over for dinner since I arrived. I'm planning on making Chicken Soup , Tas Kebab , Snitzel and rice.  They are going to bring a vegetable side dish and desert. Its better to start small than to overreach from day one. Here is to more regular posts.

Over the past 10 days, I've had the dubious pleasure of sitting in queues. For those of you who speak american, queues are lines. Standing in lines is a tradition that seems to be world wide. About 10 days ago, as I prepared to leave my home country, I needed to update by state registry data. Knowing what was coming, I went reasonably early, perhaps an hour after opening, got a number and went for coffee. I knew that my wait would be at least two hours, so while drinking coffee, I had breakfast and read a book. I was lucky enough to be near a window, so I could also watch the tourists walking back and forth along the main street. I was relaxed and prepared because I knew that the line was long and that patience was the only recourse. On entry to Dublin, I once again needed to register with the state. In Ireland, that's called a Garda National Immigration Bureau (GNIB) card. I had the hope that Ireland was a first world country and was able to manage waiting times. ...

Dead readers and friends,   My last post was more than two years ago.  During that time, a lot of stuff happened, some good, some not so good.  Blogging and writing and home hospitality were unfortunate casualties of those years. I am now back and going to reboot this blog. I thought about starting a new blog, but I like the continuity and history that this blog embodies.  I also am very attached to the concept of hospitality and I want to maintain that thread. I plan on covering the following topics (listed in no particular order of importance). Hosting and entertaining guests and family Kidney Disease Cooking Dublin, Ireland Israel Family ties Education Hosting and entertaining I love to have guests and to throw dinner parties (or lunch parties).  Few things give me more joy than to prepare an event and have it go smoothly.  I enjoy meeting new people and making new friendships. Kidney Disease I have been gifted (sic) with kidney d...

Shabbat Chicken A recipe adapted from the  New Kosher Cuisine For all Seasons  cookbook by Linda Jacob. 2 Tbsp oil 1 onion sliced thinly 2 whole cloves 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp salt t tsp tumeric 1 tsp fresh ginger 1 tsp minced garlic 1 chicken cut up and skinned Saute the onion until it begins to brown.  Add the everything except the chicken and saute for a minute.  Add the chicken and brown lightly.  Reduce heat to low and cover for 30 minutes.  Transfer from the fire to the hot plate for shabbat.  This makes a wonderful sauce (I have no idea where it comes from since there are no liquid ingredients).

Sukkot (Fall 2011) Dinner (15 people attending, big eaters all!) California Garlic Soup Spaghetti and Meatballs Coca Cola Chicken Carrot salad Cucumber Salad Brussels Sprouts Lunch - 19 Grilled meats Grilled fresh Cajun Chicken Grilled peppers and zucchini Roast potatoes Israeli Salad Green Salad Breads and Condiments It is traditional in Israel to grill on holidays, even for the orthodox jews.  This is our first attempt at following this custom.  Wish us luck and a happy holiday to all!