Kosher Blog

Kosher at the Fancy Food Show

Alyssa Kaplan, Kosher Blog reader and proprietor of KosherGourmetMart.com, has sent in the following dispatch about the kosher products she encountered at the latest NASFT Fancy Food Show, which was held July 10-12 at the Javits Center in New York.

There are over 5,000 vendors displaying products here from all over the world. Before I went to the show, I narrowed the list down to 200 vendors that had kosher products and found even more products at the show. All items are currently available or will be rolled out in the coming months. Here are many of the new exciting products that I found and enjoyed.

My favorite vendor/product line was from Beyond Classics. They have a complete line of pasta sauces with flavors like…

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Kedem buys Kineret brand from Hain Celestial

Kosher Today reports this week that Kedem has bought the Kineret line of frozen kosher foods from Hain Celestial:

Kedem Identified as Buyer of Kineret from Hain Celestial
(Melville, LI) The buyer of the Kineret brand is Kedem Food Products International, it was announced last week. Kosher Today had reported the sale by the Hain Celestial Group (July 5, 2005) but did not disclose the buyer. Kineret produces such kosher ready-to-bake goods, frozen fish, latkes, and onion rings. Industry sources said that the sale made perfect sense as each company was moving in different directions. Hain Celestial was focusing on its core natural and organic brands while Kedem was steadily increasing its food lines and was now moving into frozen. The sources estimated Kineret’s annual sales at approximately $2.5 million, but the terms of the sale were not disclosed. “As we streamline our business with brand and SKU rationalizations, we are focusing on our core natural and organic brands and products. It is with mixed feelings that we sell the Kineret specialty kosher brand, even though the category is growing, since the Kineret brand was one of our first acquisitions,” commented Irwin D. Simon, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Hain Celestial Group. “I am pleased to see the Kineret brand sold to Kedem, an innovator in specialty brands, as they will bring Kineret and Kosherific to another level of success.” Kineret will be a major part of Kedem’s exhibit at Kosherfest.

Help a parent! Pareve peanut butter cups?

In the discussion section:
Does anyone know where I can find pareve chocolate peanut butter cups? My son is going to camp and he takes his meds with those small Reese’s cups – if it’s a meat meal he can’t use them because they are dairy. HELP!

View the post, and add your tips

Empire Turkey Thigh Chops

I just chanced upon Empire’s new turkey thigh chops at the supermarket last week, and bought a couple packs figuring that $2.99/lb. was a bargain for something chop-like. Four “chops” come in a pack, and two are a decent serving.

It’s turkey, so it’s gamier than chicken, and can stand to take a lot of seasoning. I used a dry rub of grated orange peel, dried rosemary, onion powder, and pepper before tossing them on the grill. Unlike beef, these guys need to be cooked through, so I used a lower temperature to ensure they didn’t get overcharred on the outside before being done inside.

The extra-lean thigh chops were moist and tasty, and we even enjoyed them cold the next day.

This week, I plan to try them again, prepared in the oven with Shake & Bake, like a pork chop. I’ll amend this post appropriately with the results.

Update: Shake & Baked them last night. Texture was nice, but the turkey’s taste was quite unplesant. I likened it to reheated turkey, which I can’t stand. (I’m sure Harold McGee has something to say about the chemical compounds created by reheating turkey meat) With enough ketchup and barbecue sauce, I managed to eat it. I guess I’ll stick to grilling.

Ten Pound Lasagna

My mother makes a great lasagna, and I’ve often tried to emulate it but with only moderate results. Don’t get me wrong, they’ve been very tasty, just always lacking something.

So, I’ve come to terms with the fact that no-boil lasagna noodles just don’t cut it. Both Barilla- and Prince-brand no-boil noodles are good in a pinch; if you have the time, though, boiling curly lasagna noodles is worth it for better texture and structure.

The right sauce is also critical. I’ve been happy with Barilla’s Italian Baking Sauce; great taste and widely available. When I have the opportunity, I pick up a big can of Frutta! Di Orto Marinara Sauce at Cirelli Foods; 6 lbs. 11 oz. of the chunky sauce will satisfy two hefty lasagnas.

Morningstar Farms Veggie Crumbles provide the final kick, imparting a meaty flavor and hearty texture to an otherwise limp pasta dish. Non-kosher diners think it’s ground beef, and kosher folks don’t suspect a thing.

And then we get to cheese. I’m a purist when it comes to cheese in a lasagna: ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella. No cottage cheese. No tofu. No muenster. Just simple ricotta, freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, and shredded mozzarella.

Put all that together, and you have a whopping 10 lb. of “Italian noodle kugel,” certainly more substantial than any back-of-the-box recipe.

TEN POUND LASAGNA

• 2 cups part skim ricotta
• 2 large eggs
• 1 Tbsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
• 5 cups hearty tomato sauce
• 12 oz. (one bag) Morningstar Farms veggie crumbles
• 1 lb. curly lasagna noodles
• 1.5 lb. mozzarella, shredded

Boil lasagna noodles according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.

Lay two connected sheets of paper towel over a baking sheet, and then place a single layer of noodles on towel. Cover with a sheet of wax paper, then another double sheet of paper towel. Repeat with remaining noodles, like photo above, and let cool until ready to use. If some noodles have ripped, that’s fine; use them to patch up gaps, or cut them up and eat them separately.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix ricotta with eggs, parsley, and grated Parmesan. Set aside.

Mix tomato sauce with veggie crumbles. Set aside.

Pour 1 1/2 cups sauce mixture in bottom of deep 9″ x 14″ pan. A disposable aluminum lasagna pan works admirably.

Cover with four lasagna noodles, overlapped slightly.

Spread half of ricotta mixture (approx. one cup) over noodles…

…then spread two cups sauce…

…and 1/3 of your shredded mozzarella. Repeat.

Add one more layer of noodles, two more cups sauce, and one more cup mozzarella. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Wrap tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes.

Remove foil, bake for 15-20 minutes more, until cheese on top is lightly browned.

Remove from oven and let cool 20 minutes. Cut and serve, or let cool completely in refrigerator, cut into individual servings, wrap in aluminum foil, and freeze until desired.

FAQ: Stuffed Derma / Kishka

From the Kosher Blog mailbag
I was recently in Long Island on business when on pure whim I stopped at a kosher deli and restaurant for lunch. My “PLT” was so tasty that I brought my colleagues back for dinner. For an appetizer we ordered something that had the word “derma” in it. It appeared to be pureed something – probably vegetables – in an oil or fat base, enclosed in a casing. I thought it tasted great! What was it?

Stuffed derma, also known as kishka (Slavic for “gut”), is traditionally a cow’s intestine stuffed with a mixture of grain, fat, and sometimes ground meat and vegetables. Nowadays, kishka is most commonly made with a synthetic casing, and when made at home, some people use chicken skin as a wrapping instead.

Typical filling recipes include flour, matza meal, salt, pepper, chicken or beef fat, grated carrots, and grated onions. It’s eaten plain, with sauce, or on top of the traditional Sabbath afternoon stew (called “cholent”).

Coming up next…

What with moving house and all, I’ve been away from the computer for a couple weeks, and I apologize for the lessened activity on the blog. Of course, a special thanks is in order to sweinberger for his delicious look at smoked BBQ brisket last week.

Now that our kitchen and computer are set up once again, stay tuned for plenty of new postings. I’ll recap my search for perfect borekas, share some great recipes we enjoyed while being fed by friends during our move, report on a mysterious symbol you might see on cheeses in your local kosher market, take a look at how the Container Store can impact your kitchen (and your wallet), and reflect on a week of dining out in Boston while our home was inundated with boxes.

Plus, I’ll be adding a new category to the blog, “FAQ.” We receive many questions through the site, and we do our best to answer them thoroughly. Now, in addition to answering them by e-mail, we’ll post them publicly for all to benefit.