Growing up in Randolph, we often joked how we had way too much of two things for a town our size: asphalt and pizza joints. There were (and still are) pizzerias of all kinds from Italian Zack’s and Greek Zorba’s in the center of town to franchises Papa Gino’s, Domino’s, Little Caesar’s (briefly), and now Pizza Hut and Bertucci’s. More importantly, we were privy to a very special breed of pizza that never really had a name beyond that of the pizzeria at which it was served: O’Donnell’s, Amvets, and, most famously, the Lynwood, open since the early 1950s and with the original decor to prove it.

This pizza, referred to by some as “bar pizza,” is a crisp 10-inch pie, baked in a pan but not thick-crusted (it’s only a half-inch high), and loaded with delicious toppings as standard as mushrooms, onions, and peppers (the classic “MOP” combination) or as unusual as Portugese linguica and Boston-baked beans.

I probably miss this pizza the most of any treyf food out there, which makes it especially frustrating that it’s a tragically underdocumented food — to my knowledge, there isn’t a single recipe out there.

So, if my memory hasn’t been playing tricks on me, I think I’ve made a good first effort at cracking the code. I started with Peter Reinhart’s deep-dish dough recipe, which is a real cinch to make with an electric mixer. Rather than leave it thick (a la Pizzeria Uno), I divided the dough into four pieces, and rolled each quite thin (about 1/8″). I bought a couple 10-inch pizza pans for the project, which I greased liberally with olive oil before pressing the crust into it. After pricking the dough all around to nix any unruly air bubbles, I blind-baked the crust for about 7 minutes at 400 degrees. Back out of the oven, I then added a thin layer of my smooth pizza sauce, followed by a light sprinkling of shredded mozzarella, then an ample layer of chopped mushrooms, onions, and green peppers (all sauteed first, of course), a final, thick layer of mozzarella, and a sprinkling of freshly grated parmesan. This I baked at 375 for about 20 minutes until well done.

I’d say I got it about 75% right. Because my pans were shiny (not black), the crust didn’t get as nicely browned as the original, and the crust’s texture wasn’t perfect (could be a bit greasier).

This certainly won’t be my last Lynwood expermient, but if there are any kindly pizza cooks out there, you’ll have my eternal gratitude for sharing the recipe!

Debra asks in our discussion section about the availability of kosher coconut milk in the NYC area. Help her out!

It has been many months since we last did a round-up of new online sources for kosher gourmet products, so here’s the latest:

KOSHERGOURMETMART.COM
* offers one-stop shopping for over 400 kosher gourmet products
* extensive selection from across the online world, including igourmet’s cheeses, Sweethearts Three chocolates, Marzipan’s famous rugelach, and Rue Lafayette’s French delicacies
* also includes several non-food gifts

So far, it looks like all of KGM’s products are already available on other sites, but if their guarantee is valid that all products are the same price as at the manufacturers’ websites, it would make sense to do all your specialty shopping at KGM.

Though I’ve never been a fan of the osCommerce open source ecommerce package which KGM uses to drive its site, due to its poor marks in out-of-the-box aesthetics and usability, sites like CheeseSupply.com, for example, certainly succeed in improving their osCommerce-driven site from its original design. Alyssa Kaplan, KGM’s creator, was very receptive to a couple of usability concerns I sent her way, so I expect her site to continue improving in the coming months. Once a few missing images are filled in, some empty categories get loaded with products (or removed until they’re full), and more products have extensive descriptions, the site will be much more user-friendly.

KOSHER DEPOT
* manufacturer, importer, and distributor of high-end and exotic kosher products
* offers food-service products/quantities through retail site open to public
* world’s largest selection of kosher Asian products (miso, fermented black beans, sushi ingredients, etc.)
* bulk cheeses from several producers, bulk meat, bulk fish, lots more
* very competitive wholesale prices
* weekly truck delivery along eastern seaboard (from DC to Boston) offers serious savings in shipping costs

Let me just get this out of the way first: the site really doesn’t need a Flash intro page. Visitors should be taken directly to the store. Aside from that (and my previously-stated aversion to osCommerce), this site is a great resource, especially if you have a dedicated freezer for bulk purchases. Kosher Depot really is the “Victoria’s Secret of the kosher food industry,” as Jeff Nathan puts it… truly scintillating.

Many of their products aren’t available anywhere else, but I broke down several of the cheese prices to see how competitive they were with retail stores. Anderson International’s 6 lb. Mozzarella Brick worked out to be $3.08/lb, almost two dollars cheaper than Trader Joe’s price for a pound of kosher mozzarella. On the other hand, Ahava Foods’ Monterey Jack came in at an unimpresssive $5.53/lb.

The same was true of Kosher Depot’s meat. Their caterer-ready chicken seemed overpriced, but fresh tuna loin and beef rib eye, both at $7.95/lb, are very enticing.

I plan to make an order next week from these folks, so I’ll report back about the experience.

Overall, it’s promising to see more online kosher stores, especially with the wide selection of these two sites. Maybe someday the power of the Internet will bring prices much lower so it won’t be as oppressive to attain “the finer side of everyday kosher living.”

Just when you thought the list of foods not requiring kosher supervision was short enough, the fine folks in Washington State’s apple country have introduced a new fruit that isn’t kosher according to this month’s Star-K kashrut alerts.

Meet the grapple (”grape-L”), an unassuming Fuji apple that tastes like a Concord grape. My first thought was, “oh, it’s probably a grape thing, that’s why it isn’t kosher.” Well, the grapple is processed with “artificial flavors and fatty acids,” so I don’t think real, unkosher grape juice is the problem, just random offending additives.

In any case, I haven’t decided yet which is more absurd: a treyfe fruit, or the marketing geniuses who thought that apples should be more like grapes, that people would suddenly overcome their aversion to apples if they just had grape flavor, or that it was simply too time-consuming for folks to eat apples AND grapes.

Reminds me of the Onion’s report of new Frito-Lay product “Doritos Soft” — “exciting new partially digested version of the popular snack chip” … “‘cuz you’re too biz-zay for chewin’.”

I apparently missed this news (Jerusalem Post, registration avoidable) when it emerged, but it’s a salient story given the current climate of religious slaughter: the Knesset Education Committee will no longer extend a grace period for Israel’s foie gras industry to submit new, kinder regulations for the force-feeding of geese to produce the fleishig delicacy of over-fattened liver, thus ending the production of FG in the Jewish state.

The two sides of the issue, as put forth in the article, are as such:

• Force-feeding geese is cruel and should be stopped.

• The 70 foie gras producers in Israel employ 500 people, generate 70,000,000 shekels annually, and export half of their product.
• The Agriculture ministry is testing “shorter, silicon feeding tubes” and a shorter feeding period to ameliorate the negative impact force feeding has on geese
• Should Israel no longer produce FG, producers in Europe and other Middle Eastern countries would step in to fulfill the existing demand, thus perpetuating any cruetly.

While Agriculture Ministry Director-General Yossy Ishay’s response to the ruling is little too “slippery slope” to be taken seriously (”If we don’t stop the animal-rights groups, tomorrow you won’t be able to milk cows or keep chickens in coops”), the long-term “animal rights” implications of a complete cessation in FG production could be far worse with Israel out of the picture.

Here’s how I see it (and feel free to argue): geese have a friend in Israel. The government appears to be actively developing safer, friendlier goose-feeding apparatus. Should those efforts bear fruit, Israel stands to become a leader in more humane FG production, and given appropriate publicity, could effect other countries to demand the use of the new, humane technology. A temporary lengthening of the grace period would without a doubt also temporarily lengthen the suffering of geese, but could provide a more comfortable future for our kitchen-bound, feathered friends.

(Interesting tidbit: Israeli Izzy Yanay is considered the world’s foremost authority on using duck for the production of foie gras.)

I had the great pleasure of spending a week in South Florida at the beginning of this month. My a cappella group, the University of Pennsylvania Shabbatones, toured area synagogues and schools (and took in some beach time). During this trip, I had the opportunity to try a number of different kosher restaurants, of which South Florida has quite a few. I thought it would be useful, given the weather up north, to provide some restaurant recommendations for those escaping to warmer climates.

Our first day involved lack of sleep and a great performance at a Hebrew school in South Miami. Before hitting South Beach, we had a great, filling dinner at Thai Treat (there are, I believe, two in the Miami area, so my review deals only with the one at 2176 NE 123rd St, North Miami). As a general comment, everyone really enjoyed their dinners, even those who weren’t so interested in having Thai food. Additionally, the staff was great, holding the restaurant open late for us while remaining very friendly.

I love Thai food, so the opportunity to have fleishig Thai, rather than merely vegetarian, was thrilling. I began with Thai Beef Salad (grilled beef, cucumber ,tomato, onion, scallion, lime juice and chili paste), which was much bigger than I had anticipated, and probably could be a full dinner entree for most people. The beef was thinly sliced and well seasoned, its taste mingling very nicely with the rest of the salad, which had traditional Thai flavor. As an entree, I ordered the duck special of the day, Volcano Duck. I love duck and don’t get to have it nearly enough. My only complaint with this dish was that the individual pieces of duck, fried to be nicely crispy, could have been a bit thicker to match some chewiness with the crispy outside. While I don’t remember the full list of ingredients for this dish, the duck was served in a nice, slightly spicy, curry sauce that was wonderfully paired with the duck and vegetables so as to be tasty and complementary, without overpowering duck.

I was able to try bits from other people’s dinners and am happy to recommend the chicken pad thai and chicken in ginger sauce. And I am confident that any of the other dishes will be great. I was also impressed with the pareve Thai iced tea (a beverage usually including some sort of cream), which was very refreshing. Part II will be posted soon.

Despite all the liberal guilt associated with the consumption of veal, I’ve found it to be a good replacement for pork in my kosher diet. Given its high cost, even by kosher standards, I don’t get to enjoy it much more than the occasional “Veal in Garlic Sauce” or “Happy Family” at Ta’am China. But every once in a while, I’ll put together an adventurous menu prominently featuring veal, which is always cheaper than a trip to New York for a romantic dinner.

The last such occasion was an Italian meal of osso buco and risotto a la milanese. Osso buco (literally “hollow bone”) is a traditional dish of Lombardia, Italy’s most populous region, where rice, corn, beef, and veal dominate. Cross-cut veal shanks are braised in stock with chopped aromatics, tomatoes, and wine to form a hearty but elegant entree with a surprise of molten marrow in the middle of each bone. The characteristic garnish of gremolata (chopped parsley, garlic, and citrus peel) transforms the dish’s flavor into something truly special.

OSSO BUCO
Adapted from recipe in Time/Life’s The Good Cook “Beef & Veal”

Feel free to substitute canned, chopped tomatoes for fresh ones. Dry red wine works admirably in place of white wine.

• 6 slices veal shank (each 1.5″ thick)
• 8 Tbsp. margarine
• 1/3 C flour
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 1 celery rib, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 small piece lemon peel
• salt
• white pepper
• 1/2 C dry white wine
• 2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1/2 C veal stock, beef stock, or water
• yellow peel of 1 lemon, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Equipment: large skillet with cover

1. Melt 6 tablespoons of the margarine in a skillet large enough to hold all the veal without crowding. Carefully cut through the membrane surrounding the shank pieces and roll the meat in the flour. Put pieces in the skillet over moderate heat and brown on both sides. Remove from pan.

2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, half of garlic, piece of lemon peel, and season with salt and white pepper. When the vegetables are lightly colored, pour in wine, scrape up the browned bits, return meat to pan, and reduce liquid almost completely.

3. Add the tomatoes and approximately 1/3 cup of the stock. Cover the pan, lower the heat, and simmer for 1 1/2 hours, turning once. If necessary to prevent the juices from getting too thick, add a few more spoonfuls of the stock.

4. A few minutes before the end of the cooking time, combine the remaining garlic, chopped parsley, and chopped lemon peel, to make the gremolata. Add the orange juice to the pan, then sprinkle the gremolata over the meat. Finish cooking, then serve with risotto alla Milanese. Like most braised dishes, this reheats well the next day.

Here’s an easy recipe for a delicious cake which works well in both dairy and pareve preparations — my favorite of my grandmother’s desserts. As a kid, it was always exciting to get to eat cake with alcohol in it!

Mollie Uliss’s Apricot Rum Cake

• one package yellow cake mix
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 cup apricot nectar
• 4 eggs (extra large)
• 10 Tbsp. butter or margarine
• 1/2 cup top-quality dark rum
• 3/4 cup sugar

Equipment: bundt pan or tube pan, mixer

1. Grease and flour your bundt pan. Yes, go do it now. If you don’t you’ll forget and then good luck getting your cake out. Okay, now heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. Add oil, nectar, and eggs to bowl of mixer and mix briefly to combine. Add cake mix and mix for 5 minutes on medium speed.
3. Pour batter into greased and floured pan. Bake for 40 minutes. If you don’t have a dark bundt pan (i.e. if you have a shiny metal one), bake for 10 minutes longer.
4. While the cake is baking, melt butter/margarine in a small saucepan. Add rum and sugar, stirring constantly to combine into a syrup. Set aside.
5. When cake is done, remove pan from oven and poke several holes in the cake surface with a wooden skewer or toothpick. If rum syrup has cooled, reheat it, then pour all over surface of cake. Let cake sit until all syrup is absorbed. Invert onto a cake platter and serve with freshly whipped cream.

Rejoice — the rumor is confirmed.

With my mind tuned into recent talk of gnocchi, I noticed another kosher gnocchi option in my grocer’s freezer. The product, made by New York Pasta Authority and certified by OK (pareve), ranks as my clear favorite in mass-produced gnocchi. The tasty ridged dumplings weren’t too dense, had a pleasant, light flavor, and no slimy texture. They boiled up quickly, and I enjoyed them simply, with melted butter and chopped chives.

Today’s Washington Post (registration avoidable) features an insightful letter-to-the-editor regarding the competition between small kosher grocers and large supermarkets. Worth a read.

Greetings again from the kashrut hinterlands! This last week we tried ordering bread from EliZabar’s bakery. A previous post in The Kosher Blog referenced a NYT piece about the bakery and mentioned that they ship nationwide. Our local Kroger bakes kosher bread once a week under the supervision of the Vaad. They produce competent french bread, and hamburger buns. However, the possibility of kosher artisan bread had my tastebuds revving. Presently, all of the breads are kosher except the braided brioche. Their pastries are not kosher. Kosher certification is provided by Rabbi Spivak of United Kosher Supervision in Monsey NY. We ordered some of the rye, raisin pecan bread and health loaf. The loaves were shipped two-day FedEx at no appreciable mark-up to the basic shipping cost. The product arrived in good condition and we sampled the rye and health loaf immediately. The general opinion was that this was serious bread worth the cost. Personally, I thought the rye was a bit mild for my tastes, but I was overruled by the family. The health loaf and raisin pecan breads have been retrieved after 3 weeks in the freezer (double wrapped in foil and a freezer bag like Mom taught me) and were still very good.

Mail-Order Kashrut Summary:
1. Hasgacha - Not a lot of detail available on the internet
2 Website friendliness - A-
3. Shipping costs - A
4. Shipping competence - A+
5. Quality - A

We’ll be adding Eli Zabar (www.elisbread.com )to our regular on-line orders.

This week’s “Kosher Today” newsletter reports that a glatt kosher restaurant has opened in Aruba, Kineret Aruba Glatt Kosher Deli:

Kineret Aruba Glatt Kosher Deli opened on December 30 th at the Playa Linda Beach Resort, amidst the high-rise resort hotels. Carlos Sommerstein, owner of a bagel factory and several bagel stores on the island, said he opened the restaurant after receiving many requests from tourists for kosher food. “I just felt bad to see so many people looking for kosher foods and then decided it was an opportunity as well,” he said. Sommerstein told Kosher Today that the initial response has been “extraordinary.” Kineret opens at 11 for tourists who wish to catch a brunch and stays open until 11 p.m. While he imports most of the kosher foods from the US, including Rubashkin’s and Meal Mart glatt kosher meats, Sommerstein bakes his own bread and bagels. Kineret Aruba also has a take-out department for those tourists who wish to dine in their rooms or want food for the Shabbat. The restaurateur said that he initially had difficulty finding a mashgiach (supervising rabbi) but that he has now retained a rabbi from Buenos Aires and that he was concluding negotiations with the OK Certification to certify his restaurants which has some 40 tables on a magnificent outdoor veranda. “I hope that Aruba will now be a major destination for kosher tourists,” Sommerstein says enthusiastically about his latest venture, which he hopes will be open year-round. He thanked kosher consultant Joshua Shuchatowitz for his help in setting up the venture.

It’s nice to see a kosher establishment take hold in the Carribbean, where flying in pre-made meals from Miami is, as far as I know, the best any hotel can do.

Update: They didn’t receive OK certification.

I’ve tried both the available brands of kosher gnocchi (one from Bartenura, and the other imported by the KosherItalia.com folks), and both are mediocre: too chewy with an “off” taste.

I chanced upon the this San Francisco Chronicle article on gnocchi, with tips, recipes, and step-by-step photos of gnocchi preparation. This chef employs the traditional method of creating ridges on each gnoccho with the tines of a fork, but I was intrigude by a photo of Gnocchi in Meyer Lemon Sauce (served at Daniel in New York) which shows ungrooved, diamond shaped gnocchi.

A good project for a rainy day.

We were just discussing the differences between sweet potatoes and yams in the office, and rather than toss about assumptions, we consulted the sum total of all human knowledge.

The sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas, is not botanically related to genus Dioscorea (the “yam” family). According to Wikipedia, “Marketers [in southern states] use the term ‘yam sweet potato’ to distinguish moist-fleshed, orange varieties of sweet potato from drier, white varieties. The true yam is nearly unknown in the USA except as an import sold in ethnic markets.”

Head to Africa or Asia for real yams, which can weight up to 150 pounds.

Just when you thought Jewish law was on PETA’s side, IsraelInsider’s Steven Plaut steps in to explain a Talmudic dictum that “mistreatment or cruelty towards animals is prohibited ONLY when there is no profit or utility therefrom.” Hunting, testing, eating, wearing… it’s all okay if there’s human benefit. Agree or not, it’s an interesting read.

Many newcomers to the Boston area are puzzled by some of our local culinary peculiarities, like the Hoodsie, a small cup of chocolate and vanilla ice cream served with what looks like a minature, whimsical tongue-depressor. Another such specimen is the New England Hot Dog Bun ( NEHDB ). Whereas a “typical” hot dog bun looks like a minature loaf, baked on all sides, and sliced down the middle, the NEHDB is sliced on both sides and down the middle, like you took a squat loaf of Wonder bread, cut thick slices, and then split them open.

What most people don’t know, and what I’ve graciously decided to disclose to the public at this time, is that the cut sides of an NEHDB are the secret to the perfect hot dog experience, and its something that even the most novice of cooks can accomplish in his own home.

In Mattapan (Boston’s one-time Jewish enclave), there is a fast food landmark called Simco’s By The Bridge, opened in 1935 by a Jewish proprietor. Here, in my treyf youth, I enjoyed the epicurean delight of the griddled bun:

Heat a pan on your stove and grease it (non-stick spray or a bit of margarine). Take an NEHDB and sear both cut sides in the hot fat until golden brown (like you were making a grilled cheese). Fill with the hot dog of your choice. It takes your frankfurter experience to a new level.

[Note that this griddling method also works very well with english muffins that have been cut in half (rather than pulled open), something I first enjoyed at Braintree’s Olympian Diner. You get one very crisp, buttery side leaving the rest of the muffin soft and warm.]

Having first caught a glimpse of Royal George cheeses at KosherFest, I was excited to see them appear in my local kosher dairy case. I took the opportunity to purchase all three available varieties ($5.29/each at the Butcherie) for a thorough sampling.

Production
The Royal George line (called “Chevington” in the UK) is produced by Dew-Lay Products, Ltd in Garstang, Lancashire, England. According to their website, Dew-Law is the country’s largest manufacturer of Kosher cheese… which they’re very proud of: “The Kosher stamp of certification … is seen as the hallmark of a quality cheese.” (Have they eaten mainstream kosher cheeses before?) Atalanta Corporation of Elizabeth, NJ imports the cheese.

Supervision
Cheeses are under the “full-time supervision” of the Kedassia Beth Din, and feature an OU heksher in the states.

Taste
The three cheeses we sampled were Mild White Cheddar, Double Gloucester, and Red Leicester, the annatto contents of which increase in that order. At first, that was the only real difference we could discern between the three of them. All of them are creamy and mild, and the cheddar was only slightly crumblier compared to the others. Upon reviewing Judy Ridgway’s The Cheese Companion (which is a very useful little book), we discovered that the three cheeses are supposed to be very similar (aside from color). However, the various characteristics I’ve seen described in print and online (Double Gloucester as “nutty” with an “orange-zest tang,” Red Leicester as “delicately sweet”) seem to be absent from either these cheeses or my taste buds’ available sensations.

Overall
The cheeses were tasty, but I wouldn’t choose the Royal George cheddar over the cheaper, domestic Tillamook, and I wouldn’t go out of my way for the other, orangier varieties. Maybe Dew-Lay will start exporting their Mature Cheddar or Gouda varieties, which would certainly be more interesting. The absence of a good, aged cheddar from the kosher market is sorely noted.

Update: Ian Coggin of Dew-Lay says we’ll have to be patient for the introduction of a mature kosher cheddar, as they’ve only recently launched into the U.S. market, and it takes 12 to 18 months to age.

Like a lot of people that have re-entered a more observant life, I live in a city that offers little in terms of kosher provisions. One of our local Kroger stores has a small kosher section and stocks Rubashkin and Empire meat and poultry products. This causes us to do a lot of shopping on-line for kosher products. Our most recent venture was with one of the Kosher Blog Google advertisers - Blackwing Meats. Yes, we ordered bison steaks. In some ways on-line kashrut is like all kashrut. We look for a reliable hechsher. No problem here for us as Blackwing is OU. Given the expense, we’re also looking for something new and different. Check and double check, not a lot of bison at my bubbe’s table. On-line kashrut diverges from kosher grocery shopping (now for something intuitively obvious) when we start thinking about shipping costs and quality. Here we caught a break. Blackwing Meats is in Illinois and we’re in Kentucky. We were able to opt for ground transport and saved a lot. The meat arrived still frozen and in excellent condition packed in styrofoam with blue ice.

Last night we sampled the bison steaks. Bison is by reputation very lean and requires a little bit of extra oil to prevent sticking. I pan seared the steaks with a little pepper and garlic. The result was very nice. A B+ for flavor, but a B- for tenderness. Next time an overnight marinade is in order. The overall impression is that this was a B+ experience when it comes to on-line kashrut when considering cost ($7.99/12oz), shipping and food quality.

They tell me glatt kosher elk is coming next.

I’m planning to build an online directory of establishments which are either certified kosher or offer an especially large number of kosher products. At first, it will be solely a New England-centric resource. I’d like it to be as comprehensive as possible, both in terms of the number of establishments and in terms of informational detail. Below, I’ve written up a quick outline of potential data items to include in each profile. Each listing will also allow for visitor comments and ratings. I’d appreciate any comments as to other info we should capture.

ESTABLISHMENTS
This will include stores, markets, restaurants, hotels, and caterers.
• Establishment Name
• Description
• Address with link to map
• Phone Number(s)
• Fax Number
• Web URL
• E-mail address
• Manager/Owner name
• Hours
• Cuisine Type(s) (if restaurant)
• Products/Services Offered
• Atmosphere (i.e. Casual, Upscale, etc.)
• Kashrut Supervision By (see below)
• Supervision Attributes: Particular aspects of supervision at this facility (like presence of a mashgiach temidi, etc.) that might not be universal to all facilities overseen by a kashrut organization. Please suggest some attributes to record.
• Photos
• Payment Methods
• Parking
• Price information
• Comments/Ratings (see below)

SUPERVISION
• Organization Name
• Address
• Phone Number(s)
• Fax Number
• Web URL
• E-mail Address
• Rabbinic Administrator Name
• Denomination
• Kashrut Attributes: particular aspects of supervision that might distinguish one organization from another. Please suggest.

COMMENT / RATING
• Author Name
• Comment Text
• Food/Product Quality Rating (1-5)
• Service Rating (1-5)
• Ambiance Rating (1-5)
• Would Recommend?