We’re in the process of analyzing the results of the Massachusetts Kosher Community Survey, but here’s a preliminary finding.

The survey posed the question, “If a new kosher restaurant were to be established in the area how often would you likely visit the following types of restaurant?” Based on the percentage of people who either responded Frequently or Occasionally, the top two responses were Italian (non-pizza focused) (70%) and BBQ (70%) while the bottom responses were Ethiopian (46%) and Chinese (45%).

If you are interested in receiving a copy of the final survey report as soon as it is complete, please e-mail koshersurvey@gmail.com.

This Passover, almost every jar of horseradish we bought leaked before we could use it. On each jar, the plastic safety band was still attached, but the lid had somehow loosened and let out a stream of red juice. My memory escapes me, but the problem may have been limited to Rosoff products. Clostridium outbreak, perhaps? Anyone else have such trouble?

Around Chanukkah time, I posted a recipe for cheese latkes that I hadn’t yet tried. I made a batch tonight using matsah meal and ricotta. I liked them a lot, but the batter was very thick even though I had beaten the egg whites, and that made it difficult to form neat pancakes. It also made the latkes a bit rich for my taste. (Actually, I felt like my heart was going to fall out of my chest, but that probably had something to do with the whole milk ricotta and the butter I used for frying.) If you’re thinking of using the recipe, I recommend skimping a bit on the flour or matsah meal and adding some milk to thin the batter. Also, if you care about your heart, you might want to use cooking spray instead of oil or butter.

I’ll try to report again the next time I make a batch.

One of our big challenges whilst in Paris was figuring out where the main clusters of kosherness existed (beyond the traditional Rue des Rosiers area). So, since returning, I’ve been working with the Google Maps API to plot all of Paris’s 200-odd restaurants. What has emerged is an interactive map with which you can click a particular restaurant and it dynamically loads all nearby Metro stations within a kilometer. (A drop-down list beneath the map provides an alphabetical listing of restaurants for easy access.)

Unfortunately, Google Maps doesn’t yet have street maps for Paris (only satellite images), so you’re on your own for directions — try MSN MapPoint or Multimap.com.

In version 2, I think I’d like to add the ability to choose a particular Metro station and see nearby restaurants. Suggestions welcome.

It’s headed for the ever-expanding kitniyot list. Discussions here, here, and here.

There was some commotion in January about Joseph Gallo cheeses with unauthorized OK hekshers. Turns out that they weren’t unauthorized per se, just premature…

I guess we’ll start seeing their kosher products in August. Some research may be warranted to find out where they’ll be distributing!

UPDATE: Word from Gallo is positive; they’re negotiating with east coast distributors, but don’t have any definitive dates for availability.

While the controversy over Ner Tamid’s certification of Dunkin Donuts locations is well known to the kosher community, it seems to have finally spilled over into the secular press. New York Magazine reports:

When is a restaurant that serves bacon considered kosher? To most Orthodox rabbis, the answer is easy: never. But Staten Island rabbi Dov Hazdan has been granting his own kosher certification to city Dunkin’ Donuts franchises that have served bacon, ham, and sausage, the trayf trifecta. “The meats all come prepackaged,” says Hazdan. “The employees have to wear gloves. I do not condone mixing kosher with nonkosher.” In Manhattan, Hazdan has also given his ner tamid K stamp to Pongal Vegetarian, an Indian restaurant that operates during the Jewish Sabbath, another no-no among the pork police. Hazdan was recently fired as the kosher supervisor at a Dunkin’ franchise on 34th Street after it received complaints from the Yeshiva University community about the rabbi and the pork. Spokesmen for the four top kosher-certifying agencies said they would never approve a restaurant that served nonkosher meats or operated on the Sabbath. “Who knows what goes on behind the counter?” says one Staten Island rabbi of Hazdan-approved shops. Hazdan insists his methods are 100 percent kosher. “I know a lot of people with beards who go into my stores,” he says.

Perhaps they were influenced by the Rosh Hashanah edition of the New York Times. At any rate, this year’s Passover edition of the Boston Globe Food section has an emphasis on kugel. There is an uniformative but innocuous article on Passover kugels, along with recipes for potato kugel, mushroom, onion, and farfel kugel, and festive fruit kugel. (The paper also includes some Passover desserts: coconut and almond macaroons with chocolate coating and flourless mocha cake.)

Inspired, I’ve decided to share my own favorite Passover kugel recipes. The first is a savory farfel kugel that’s so simple and easy to make, you’d think it couldn’t possibly be good, but it really is delicious. The second is a vegetable kugel that’s as beautiful as it is tasty. The farfel kugel recipe is from my mother. I found the vegetable kugel recipe on the internet and have subsequently seen it in a number of kosher recipe archives. DH and I make it all year, but it is appreciated most on Passover.

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Today’s New York Times Dining & Wine Section has an article by Joan Nathan on new leniencies introduced by rabbis who are trying to “simplify” Passover observance for their constituents.

At least, that’s the way it’s presented.

In reality, none of these so-called leniencies are actually new. Jews who think that baking soda isn’t kosher for Passover because it is “leavening” are simply mistaken. Only the “five grains” — oats, wheat, barley, rye, and spelt — can meet the halakhic definition of “leaven,” or chametz. Baking powder typically contains corn starch, which is problematic for those who adhere to Ashkenazi custom, but the corn starch can be replaced with potato starch to make kosher for Passover baking powder. There is nothing wrong with the leavening per se.

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From the Cleveland Jewish News:

Beginning in early May, Subway@the J will be open for business. This flagship fast food restaurant, the first and only kosher Subway restaurant in North America, will be located in the spacious, sunny living room area at the Jewish Community Center’s main entrance.

Distinctive to this location will be pareve cheese (for the chicken parm and hamburger melt) and a price premium of 10-15%. Maybe its eventual success will lead to the proliferation of kosher Subways?

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