Olives and Pomegranates is a forum about people and food and how food links us and gives us common ground and a greater understanding of one another. Olives and Pomegranates is dedicated to exploring the food culture of the mediterranean basin as it relates to Jews, Christians and Muslims; the people who created it, in the rich and fertile lands to which they pay alegence and which connects them to one another.
I am a Jewish woman living in San Antonio Texas. I'm very involved in my Temple community, I operate a small catering business specializing in Mediterranean cuisine, particularly, Sephardic Jewish Food. I am a student studying Sociology and plan to teach at the secondary school level, I would like to integrate my culinary background into my approach for teaching social studies in order to bring the cultures of others to life for my students. I am passionately involved in community building among Muslims, Christians and Jews, as, to which, my blogg attests.
Yesterday, I attended the Bar Mitzvah of a recent Judaic student of mine. This Bar Mitzvah Celebrant is the son of a Jewish father and a Catholic mother, a fact of which he spoke to in his commentary on his Torah portion. Later as Our Rabbi Emeritus addressed the Bar Mitzvah Celebrant, after bestowing the priestly blessing upon him, the Rabbi recalled the reference to the celebrant's mixed heritage ; and pointed out that both bread and wine are symbols, albeit with different meanings, for both Christians and Jews . The Rabbi taught that bread for Jews represents the staff of life; and as a representation of the Body of Chist, bread similarly represents sustensance for Christians. As I thought about what the Rabbi had shared, it occured to me that a reverence for bread ,and for the grape, is common to all the Children of Abraham, Jews, Christians and Muslims alike.
The fruit of the vine, or the grape, from which the juice is pressed and consumed fresh or fermented, is also revered by members of each faith somewhat differently,but there is a connection between the origins of the cultivation of the grape and its revered place among The Children of Abraham.
Recent excavations indicate that Persians were cultivating and processing grapes as early as 7000 years ago. By the first century c.e. the cultivation of grapes was common and long established by all the peoples of the Near East and Southern Europe. Grapes, and the juice and wine that comes from them, had been objects of religious ritual for centuries at that point, as well as, part of the daily diet of the mediterranean people.
wine for the Shabbat Kiddush
For the Jews the fruit of the vine has always been a symbol of joy, and, therefore, very closely associated with the Sabbath, the most joyful period of sacred time for Jews. For the Christian, that symbolism has been transformed with the advent of their interpretation of the "Last Supper"as representative of the blood of Christ. For Muslims , who eschew the indulgence of alcohol based on the instructions of their supreme profit Muhamad, after he witnessed the violent turn of a pleasant exchange between some young men who had had too much to drink, still revere the grape as a wholesome food and its juice as representative of womanhood because of its exceptional flavour and sweetness.
Among all the peoples of the Near East, whether they be Christian, Jew, or Muslim it is considered abominable to waste food, but particularly bread.
Ramadan Bread
When a person in the Near East comes upon a peice of bread abandoned in the streets the prescribed custom is to pick it up and kiss it, then place it somewhere safe from the possibility of being tread upon. This custom comes from the ancient and enduring place of bread as the most important and attainable of food stuffs. Bread has been thought of as the primary means of human sustenance since the very time of Abraham.It's also interesting to note the similarities in appearance between the symbolic breads of Muslims Christians and Jews.
Greek Easter Bread
Challah for Rosh Ha Shannah
Though all three traditions employ similar styles and methods in preparing their symbolic breads, each interprets the symbolism within the context of their respective tradition. Chistians see their triple braided loaves as symbolic of the Holy Trinity of their tradition, where as Jews interpret the round shape of the Challah for Rosh Ha Shannah as representative of the continuity of Jewish generations and religious observance.The bread of Ramadan which is round and dense , I am told, represents abundance.
Today I would like to share some recipes for breads as well as grape , and wine drinks that are popular in the mediterranean today among Jews, Chistians, and Muslims. I hope that as you read these recipes and hopefully give their preparation a try, you will keep in mind the the roots that connect us all.
Jews have made a cottage industry of sabbath wine making for centuries. In jewish homes of the Levant, and North Africa sacramental wine has been prepared in this manor:
Sabbath Wine
5 cups crushed grapes or 2 1/2 cups raisins
3 cups sugar
water to cover
a pinch of yeast
a pinch of aniseed , fennel or rosemary
The process is quite simple; stir together all ingredients in a deep mixxing bowl. Set bowl in a warm , still place. Allow to ferment over 10 to 12 days, then pour through a cheesecloth or muslin lined collander in to a wine bottle and cork. Allow what sediment remains to settle over a couple of days; and then you are ready for Shabbat Eve Kiddush or a toast of your choosing.
Sangria
1 bttl. Red table wine
1 cup congac
juice of 5 oranges plus slices for garnish
2 T, Grand Marnier
1cup sugar
juice of 1 lemon plus one for garnish
1 1/2 cup Club Soda
apple slices for garnish
In a a punch bowl or large pitcher combine the wine, congac, orange juice, grand marnier, and sugar. Mix well, cover with plastic film and chill over night in frige. Just before srevice add lemon juice and club soda, garnish with sliced fruits and serve in tall tumblers, or stem ware, over ice.
Grape Juice and Rose Water Sherbet
1 Buch red grapes removed from stem
1 cup sugar
1Ts. Rose water
1/2 cup water
Place grapes in the bowl of a food processor, fitted with chopping blade, along with sugar water and rose water and puree till blended. Over a a pitcher pour mixture through a wire strainer, pressing liquid through with the back of a spoon. Pour into ice filled punch cups and serve ( there should be a lovely white foam over suface of drink).
Make Dough: Heat 3/4 cup milk in microwave until lukewarm, about 45seconds. Put in bowl of a standing electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, or a wide bowl if kneading by hand. Stir in yeast and sugar and let stand 5 minutes until foamy.
Heat remaining cup milk in microwave until lukewarm, about 1 minute. Add to yeast mixture along with flour and mix on low speed (or stir) until flour is combined. Increase speed to medium (or knead dough by hand -- it will be sticky which is why it is easier to do in a standing mixer, but don't be tempted to add more flour) until smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes.
Transfer dough to a floured surface and turn to coat with flour. Form dough into a ball, pulling dough underneath to make a smooth skin. Put olive oil in another large bowl and turn dough in oil to coat. Cover bowl and let stand at room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
Cut two 9-inch rounds of parchment paper and place each on a baking sheet. Divide dough in two and turn each half in flour and form into a ball. Put a ball on each round of parchment and push out from center with fingers to spread each to an 8-inch disk. Let stand until puffy, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Make a ring of dimples about one inch in from edge of dough with finger
n press dimples about 1 inch apart inside ring. Stir together egg
yolk and milk for glaze and brush on both rounds. Sprinkle with nigella seeds.
Bake breads one at a time in oven until golden brown, about 20 minutes.
Pour yeast into water with 1 ts. of sugar. Beat well and leave, untill it bubbles.
In a very large bowl, lightly beat the eggs; add the sugar, oil and then beat again.Add in yeast and beat well again.Begin slowly adding in the sugar, and only enough to create a soft dough that holds well together, mixing well first with a spoon and then working it in with your hands. Kneading vigorously for about 15 minutes, till it is very smooth and elastic, adding some flour if too sticky. Pour a little oil in the bowl and turn the dough about in it so that is well coated. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and place in a warm, still place to rise for 2-3 hours, or till doubled.Punch down dough, and knead again, then divide into 4 pieces to make 4 loaves.
Divide one piece of dough into three. Roll each piece between the palms and pull into about 18 inch long ropes, around1 1/4 inches wide.Take the ends closest to you and mash them together then plat the three strands togetherinto a traditional braid mash the opposite ends together and tuck both ends under the loaves.
Repeat with the other three pieces of dough. Place two braids each on to tewo baking sheets which are well oiled. Leave enough room for the loaves to double and let rise approximately 1 hour.Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with seeds. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes or untill beautifully golden brown.
Greek Easter Bread
2cups of milk
2packages of active dry yeast
8-9 cups of flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1cups almonds ground very fine
1ts, salt
Zest of 1 orange
1ts. finely ground aniseed
1/4cup melted butter
5 eggs very well beatten
Glaze
2 egg yolks beatten with 1 ts. milk
rs
1 Warm two cups of milk and place in a large bowl. Add the
yeast, one cup of the flour, and 1/4 cup of the sugar. Cover and proof for one hour.
2 In a large bowl, combine seven cups of flour, the ground almonds, salt, remaining sugar, orange rind, aniseed. Make a well in the center. Add the yeast mixture, melted butter and eggs. Work from the center outwards, bringing flour into the well, stirring the mixture until a dough begins to form.
3 Dust a worksurface with a little of the remaining flour and knead, adding more flour if necessary, until the dough is smooth and doesn't stick to your hands, about 12 minutes.
4 Place in an oiled bowl, cover with a cloth, and set aside in a warm, draft-free place to rise until doubled in bulk, about two hours. Punch down dough.
5 Divide into six small balls and roll each into strips 12-15 inches long, and abut 2 inches in diameter. Lay three strips side by side, pinching together at one end, and braid. Pinch together at the other end to hold the loaf intact.
6 Optional: At this point you can press two red-dyed eggs between the strips of the braid or just leave the braided loaf plain.
7 Repeat the procedure to make the second loaf.
8 Place the breads on a parchment-lined baking sheet, covered, and let rise for two hours, or until doubled in bulk. While the braids are rising, preheat oven to 360F (180°C), placing rack on lower shelf of oven.
9 Beat together the egg yolk and remaining milk. Brush over tsoureki loaves and sprinkle with slivered almonds.
10 Bake for about 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown. I check my breads after about 15 minutes as they do tend to colour quickly and drape them with aluminum foil to prevent excess browning. The bread should sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove and cool on rack
I hope you decide to give one or more of these recipes a go; and when you do bear in mind that you are engaging in the noble and venerated persuit of nurturing and nourishing those for whom you care; just as our ancestors have done for generation after generation or as we say in HebrewL'DorV'dor.
Today I would like to talk about the soul of the mediterranean kitchen, culinary herbs. Herbs have been in use around the mediterranen basin since before recorded time. No one knows exactly when, or how, or why people began making use of the wild leafy plants growing all around them, on the rocky ledges, in the meadows, and in the valleys, but we know that at some point people realised that these plants posessed properties that could affect mood, soothe aches and pains, as well as provide varied, and distinct tastes, and frangraces to the foods they consumed.
Regional cooking styles of the Mediterranean basin are characterized by the herbs and the herbal combinations used by each. When one thinks of Italy, one thinks of basil and oregono, Spain conjures up images of rosemary, parsley and cilantro, the Levant is known for it's blending of marjoram, thyme, hyssop, and toasted sessame seeds known as za'atar. All across the mediterranean area one finds the culinary use of perslane ( a lovely succulent related to moss rose, bearing a very similar bloom)as a seasoning, and as a salad green.
The skill of the mediterranean home cook is much gauged by the ability to strike the perfect balance between the herbs and spices, as well as, the type of meat, vegetable or grain with which they were used. So today I would like to share with you some recipes for herbal blends that are used as flavoring compounds in several of the mediterranean cuisines. These blends would have been grown on the patios, and in the kitchen gardens of the home cooks who developed them. You can easily grow these herbs in pots in a sunny window sill or dedicate a bright corner of your garden plot to herbs, just as mediterranean cooks have been doing for generations.
The first two are typical of the southern regions of Italy, and France, particularly, Tuscany and Provence. The first Gremalatta is based on Thyme and lemon, and the second, Persilade is all about fresh parsley.
Gremalata
1 bunch flat leafed parsley
Appx. 15 sprigs of thyme
Zest from two lemons
salt to taste
Wash the herbs and dry with paper towels. On a cutting board place the parsley and using a sharp chef's knife cut the stems off the bunches. Ball up the leaves and slice through them to get them started, then add the thyme leaves by stripping them with your thumb and first two fingers along the length of the stems. Once all the thyme leaves are added to the parsley begin walking your knife over them till they are very finely minced. Add in the grated lemon zest and the salt to taste. Gremalata is an exelent finish to chicken and fish preparations and is wonderful swirled in to summer soups at the last moment before service.
Persilade
3 bunches flat leafed parsley
two cloves garlic
Coarse salt
Wash parsley and dry with paper towels. On a cutting board ball up parsley and slice through to get it started then begin walking your knife over it till it is very finely minced. Place a ts. of coarse salt on cutting board, and place the first garlic clove on it. Using the tines of a fork crush by puling the fork through in quick short strokes appying downward pressure till you form a paste. Repeat with second clove of garlic. Blend the parley and the galic paste well together. Use the persilade to perk up rice, pasta, blanched or sauteed vegetables.
The next herbal compound I want to share with you is almost synonomous with Italy. Of course I'm speaking of Pesto. Pesto is so versatile it can be a sauce on its own and can be incorportaed into other sauces for depth and complexity. It can also serve as a spread for bread or as a dip for caulyflower and other crudite.
Pesto
Leaves from 5 bunches of basil( about two and half cups)
1 cup of toasted pinenuts
1 cup of grated parmagiano
5clves. garlic
Extra virgin olive oil as needed
salt to taste
In to the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the chopping blade, put all ingredients except the oil and salt. Pulse in short bursts untill a paste begins to form. With the processor running Pour oil in a thin steady stream through the feed in your processors lid. Use enough oil to create a a paste/sauce with the consistency of of a loose porridge. Taste for salt, and pulse to incorporate salt to taste. Pour into a sealable container and store for up to a week in the frige or 6 mos. in the freezer.
The last recipe I'll share with you today is a specialty of the levant. Za'atar is presented in many local variations, but all use a combination of thyme and other herbs from the mint family( in the oregono sub-order), sessame seeds, and salt(and often ground sumac). Za'atar is served over yoghurt, baked into the tops of flat breads and mixed with olive oil as a dip for warm bread,as well as,as a seasoning for salads and various vegetable dishes or also sprinkled over hummus bi tahina as flavorful garnish.
Za'atar
3T. dried oregono
2T. dried thyme
1T. toasted sessame seeds(white)
salt to taste
1 T. ground sumac(optional)
Combine all ingredients and use in any of the ways described above. Za'atar will last up to a year if well sealed and stored in a cool dry place, but I highly doubt that it will last that long.
Herbs provide so much variation and excitement to foods; I hope that if you haven't experienced some, or any, of these regional specialties of the mediterranean basin, you will use these recipes to expand your appreciation of the ingenuity and skill of the homecooks who developed these mixtures from the green leafy plants they cultivated on their patios and in potage garden plots wherever the Children of Abraham have made their homes.
