Kosher Food and Drink

The Nine Days are already quite painful but don’t have to be made even more so with the triggering question of what to eat for dinner. Here is a great dinner I assembled tonight — all healthy and delicious — and all quite easy to create.

Some Background:

Salmon is a great option for the Nine Days, the period between the beginning of the month of Av and the completion of the 9th of Av, during which observant Jews do not eat meat traditionally. Salmon is famous for carrying elevated levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids and pleases many meat-eaters with its heartiness.

Not all salmon is created equal. Without delving deeply into the wild vs. farmed salmon debate, a few notes. First, farmed salmon is tastier, with a higher fat content, and as a result, provides a better cooked texture. Second, it is far more available and far more affordable. Third, from a kashruth perspective, farmed salmon is preferable, as wild salmon carries major risk of parasites. With that said, farmed salmon varies in quality between lower priced salmon from Chile or the highest quality salmon from the Faroe Islands or Norway.

Hoping not to eat huge carb-loaded dinners nightly during the Nine Days, salmon offers a wonderful change of pace.

MENU

• Blackened Norwegian Salmon
• Wild Greens Salad, Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette
• Malfouf Salad (Lebanese Cabbage Salad)
• Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini, Turmeric, and Cumin

Blackened Norwegian Salmon

Ingredients:

• 4 salmon filets, 4-6 oz. each
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Seasoning Rub (or you could just use a packaged dry rub of your choice like this one)

• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• Fresh lemon (optional)

Recipe:

1. Oil up salmon filets on flesh side.
2. Coat generously with spice mixture.
3. Get your skillet very hot. Cast iron is ideal.
4. Add 1 tbsp. oil to skillet and get very hot. It’s not even a bad idea to have it start smoking, something you would normally not do.
5. Carefully lay salmon filets in pan, flesh side down.
6. Cook for approximately 4 minutes, pressing down on skin side to ascertain fish makes good contact with pan.
7. Turn fish to skin side and cook another 4 minutes. Internal temp should reach at least 125. Fish will continue cooking after it is pulled and reach the 145 necessary by health standards.
8. Serve with optional squeeze of fresh lemon.
   

Wild Greens Salad, Balsamic Dijon Vinaigrette

The vinaigrette is simple and so delicious.

• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp. honey
• 1 tsp. garlic. Check out Chef Itta’s garlic prep here.
• 2 tsp. Dijon mustard
• ½ tsp. kosher salt
• Pinch fresh cracked black pepper
• 6 tbsp. EVOO

Whisk together and pour over greens immediately before serving.

Malfouf Salad (Lebanese Cabbage Salad)

Cabbage is so great. Healthy, satisfying, and with a great crunch, it is so versatile. Personally, I’m tired of the heavy sugar/mayo cole slaw we all grew up on or see on every caterer’s display. Here’s a great fresh alternative.

Ingredients:

• One head of cabbage, grated. Or you can use the pre-grated bags
• One bunch Italian parsley, chopped
• Quarter cup fresh mint, chopped
• 1 spring onion, green only, chopped
• ¼ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. fresh minced garlic
• 1 tsp. kosher salt

Mix cabbage, parsley, mint, and spring onions. Add olive oil, lemon, garlic, and salt. Mix well. Best if made about 30 minutes before eating.

Whole Roasted Cauliflower with Tahini, Turmeric, and Cumin

One of my favorite recipes. This is also a great centerpiece and attention-getter.

Ingredients:

• Whole fresh cauliflower, destemmed only at the bottom.
• Olive oil to coat surface of cauliflower
• 1 tbsp. turmeric
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• Sea salt or garlic salt to taste
• Chopped parsley for serving
• Tahini, about 4 tbsp.

Recipe:

1. Steam the whole cauliflower for about 7 minutes in a large pot with about a cup of water.
2. Pre-heat oven to 450ºF
3. Remove and allow to cool for 15 minutes
4. Rub with olive oil and coat in turmeric and cumin
5. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper and bake cauliflower at 450ºF for about 30 minutes or until it becomes golden brown. I like to finish under high broil for a minute or two to char the outside a bit.
6. Coat with tahini, fresh parsley, and garlic/salt and serve.

There you have it. A delicious, filling, and healthy dinner perfect for the Nine Days. Full transparency: This meal was so healthy, I decided to make some homemade cherry vanilla ice cream to balance it out a bit!

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