Jewish Student Weekly

Everyone’s heard of Humus and Falafel and they’re available in restaurants all over the world, even in countries where there are no Jews. Humus is a kind of dip made by the Jews and is extremely popular. Here’s how to make it:

(Serves around 5)

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ cups of dried chick peas

2 tsp of salt

3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped finely

1/4^th cup of lemon juice

1 cup of taratoor (sesame) sauce

PROCEDURE

Wash the peas in cold water and put in a large plan. Cover with water and leave to soak at room temperature for 12 hours.  Add salt and enough fresh water to completely cover the peas. Cover and bring to a boil for 2-3 hours or until the peas are very tender. Change the water in the pan from time to time. Drain the peas and keep the cooking liquid aside.

In a small bowl mash the garlic and then add the peas and ½ a cup of the cooking water to form a smooth paste.  With a large spoon keep adding in the lemon juice and blending.  Beat constantly and add the taratoor sauce until the mixture is smooth. The humus should ideally be thin so that it can be spread easily. If is it not thin enough add some more of the cooking liquid and beat until smooth.

Put the humus into a bowl and serve.

Humus is generally served with falafel and bread and is a delicious accompaniment to food. It is relatively easy to make and the ingredients are easily available. In case you don’t have fresh chick peas you can also use dried ones or canned ones. If you use the dried ones you will need to soak them the previous day so that they can recover the lost moisture.

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Franz Kafka is one of the best known Jews of all time. One of the world’s most favorite authors, Kafka was born in 1883 to a middle class Jewish family in Prague which is now a part of the Czech Republic. He has had a huge impact on literature in the west. Most of his works were unfinished at the time of his death at the age of 41 and were published posthumously.

He was the oldest of his parent’s six children and was raised mostly by governesses and servants because both his parents used to be away from home managing their business. Kafka’s family was one of the many affected by the vendetta against Jews. His sisters were all sent to Litzmannstadt Ghetto; a ghetto established specially for Jews so that they did not come in contact with non-Jews.  His youngest sister Ottla was sent to a concentration camp and was then gassed to death at a death camp.

Though Kafka’s first language was German he was also fluent in Czech and had learnt a bit of French by reading French authors. He studies law and was also a clerk at the civil and criminal courts at Prague. He was greatly taken by Yiddish theater and this was thause of his increasing faith in Judaism.  Kafka did not publish any books before his death. Metamorphosis was his only published work which is considered to be a short story.  He has several museums started in his name in Prague and the term “Kafkaesque” has been coined after him. He has also inspired a great number of films on his life and work. 

Kafka is believed have suffered from clinical depression and some social problems. In 1917 he developed tuberculosis and over the years developed many medical conditions. Later his tuberculosis grew so bad that the condition of his throat did not permit him to eat. He apparently died of starvation in 1924 at the age of 41 in Vienna.

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Everyone loves cookies and this particular one is quite a delicious one. They can be served on any occasion or just munched anytime. Cookies go great with milk or with some other things and are a great accompaniment. These cookies that I’m telling you about today are called Maple Sugar Cookies and they are quite delicious.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups of flour

½ tsp of salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup coconut oil

1 cup granulated maple sugar

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

4 egg yolks

1 ½ tsp of vanilla extract

½ a tsp of maple extract (optional)

PROCEDURE

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Mix together the flour, salt and baking powder. Cream the coconut oil together with the sugars. Beat in the eggs and the yolks and the extracts also if you’re using them. Mix the flour while remembering to scrape it off the sides of the dish also. Chill the dough briefly for about 20 minutes or so.  Divide the dough into batches and roll out to around ¼ inch thick.  Cut it with biscuit cutters into whatever shape you fancy.  Bake them two sheets at a time, the time varying slightly with the size of the cookie.

You could try variations like colouring the sugar differently to make the cookie fancier.  In this recipe coconut oil has been substituted for butter and the results are fairly pleasing.  Coconut oil is also quite good for health so you can always take a break from butter and add it in here this time. These cookies are quite sweet and you can serve them as an accompaniment with almost anything. It’s a big hit among kids and the adults don’t complain either.

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Shabbat is one of the most important days of the Jewish calendar and there is a special Shabbat feast for that day. The food is elaborate and the whole meal takes a great deal of time to put together. There is challan- a special kind of holy bread made on this occasion, kiddush, a great deal of meat, soups and finally deserts. Jews lay great importance on celebrating their festival days and the meals form an important part of any significant day. Traditionally food is made in huge quantities. Over the years this has stopped, but a Shabbat feast is still a tradition that is followed by all Jewish households. One of the dishes which can be made on Shabbat is:

Balsamic Chicken

This dish is perfect for Shabbat and can be served with a variety of things including Challah, potatoes etc.

For this you need:

½ cup of vegetable oil

½ cup of balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp sugar

3 Tbsp ketchup

1 tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

1 tsp dry mustard

1 clove of garlic

5 pounds of chicken
Preparation:

First mix all the ingredients together. Then spread the paste on the chicken.  Let the chicken marinate for a few hours so that it is nice and soft and absorbs the flavor of the marinade well. Then cover the dish and bake in the oven at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for about a quarter of an hour.

This dish is very easy to make and takes absolutely no time. So during the festival time when you are in a bit of hurry and struggling between all the dishes this is the perfect one to make so that it will lighten your load a little. It is also very tasty and is very appropriate for the Shabbat.

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