Kosher Blog

HN hires a higher, higher authority

Spurred by news that Hebrew National’s former certifying rabbi passed away last week, I looked into the hot dog maker’s current kashrut status, after not having eaten their products for years. According to Hebrew National’s FAQ, all their products are now under the supervision of Triangle-K’s Rabbi Ralbag. Aaron Abadi’s post on Kashrut.org attests to the reliability of Triangle-K’s operations at Hebrew National.

UPDATE: Zackary Sholem Berger gives his thoughts on Hebrew National and the Orthodox migration from local Kosher supervision to the monolithic, national hechsherim.

Cappiello Mozzarella & Scamorza

From the Double-Take Department: You stroll by the non-Kosher specialty cheese case in your favorite supermarket, and notice an inconspicous OU heksher in the corner of your eye. After the double-take, you’ve discovered Cappiello’s line of Italian cheeses, which only happens to be Kosher. Their braided mozzarella and scamorza are possibly the finest I’ve used.

Scamorza, for those unfamiliar, is essentially a drier, saltier mozzarella and is traditionally made in a gourd shape. You may find it easier to shred than Cappiello’s mozzarella.

Both are delicious on pasta or pizza, cut up in salads, or in baked dishes like lasagna. The Cappiello website lists where their cheese is available in the Northeast, Southeast, and West Coast.

Kosher Blog 2.0

I felt the old layout was getting too cluttered, so I’ve consolidate the side columns into one column on the right, and relegated the Google ads to the far right, outside the main content area. This gives us more overall room for postings.

As an added bonus, we now have a more logo-like Kosher Blog header, and a revised tag-line, “Finding the finer side of everyday Kosher living.” It’s really a more apt motto, since this blog isn’t about eating caviar and foie gras, it’s about expecting better quality Kosher foods in the Jewish marketplace — not settling for second-class cuisine because Miller’s and Manischewitz say so.

Please feel free to comment on any of the recent changes.

Mom’s Brisket

This is the tried-and-true Abbett Family brisket recipe. It has great flavor, the brisket ends up very soft, and creates plenty of delicious sauce. It can stand up to long periods of heat (i.e. to enjoy it warm for Shabbos lunch), tastes great cold, and makes fantastic sandwiches.

A word about the beef: if you’re feeling especially generous, go all-out and buy your guests a center-cut 6 lb. brisket, as my mother prescribes. To save some money, and actually get some more flavor from the meat, buy three “deckel” cuts (around 2 lbs. each). Deckel is the “point cut” of the brisket which has a bit of extra fat. About.com offers a good explanation of brisket and corned beef.

A word about slicing the beef: Williams-Sonoma offers this professional-quality meat-slicing knife which works wonders with boneless cuts like brisket, turkey breast, roast beef, etc. Keep it very sharp with a ceramic sharpener.

Karen Abbett’s Brisket

6 lb. brisket (center cut)
3-4 cans Rokeach Tomato and Mushroom sauce
1/2 cup Marsala or any red wine
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 lb. mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
Disposable roasting pan (big enough to hold brisket)
Heavy duty aluminum foil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
   
2. Line roasting pan with heavy duty aluminum foil in a criss-cross pattern (you will need to make an air tight wrap on the brisket)
   
3. Heat olive oil in large pan and saute sliced onion, then mushrooms
   
4. Place brisket in lined roasting pan and rub with onion soup mix.
   
5. Pour tomato sauce and wine over brisket.
   
6. Add sauteed mushrooms and onions.
   
7. Wrap tightly; fold and seal aluminum foil over brisket.
   
8. Place pan on a cookie sheet and put in oven. Cook for 2 hours.
   
9. Remove from oven and unwrap aluminum foil carefully (steam inside is hot). Remove partially cooked brisket and slice perpendicular to the grain with a sharp knife
   
10. Place slices back into pan and re-wrap foil tightly. Put back in over for another 2 hours (you can never overcook brisket!)

Gefilte Fish… unstuffed

Meredith inquires on the origins of gefilte fish. Though I don’t know anyone who calls it just “gefilte,” I thought we could all use a little background on this tasty aquatic treat.

Back in the old country, gefilte fish was made by removing the flesh from a fish while leaving the skin intact. The fish would be chopped, mixed with other ingredients, stuffed back into the skin, then cooked — hence, “gefilte,” or stuffed, fish.

Nowadays, we skip the restuffing, but you can restore the “fishy” heritage by trying this delightful fish pan available from Williams-Sonoma. To use: buy a frozen gefilte fish loaf (we like Unger’s) and defrost in the fridge. Grease the pan liberally with non-stick spray. Using a spatula, gingerly press blobs of raw fish into the mold and scrape off excess. Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the “fish” are puffed up slightly. If you greased enough, the fish should slide out of the pan with ease. Try serving with cocktail sauce.