FROM KOSHER TODAY Italy Wins First Olive Oil Competition in Israel Jerusalem…by Idele Ross, KT Israel Bureau Chief…Italy took first place in a first-ever international Terra Olivo Mediterranean olive oil competition that took place last week at Jerusalem’s luxurious Inbal Hotel. The three-day conference and competition brought together scores of food industry executives, medical and [...]

FROM THE SUPERMARKET GURU Even the most dedicated coffee drinker can fall into a rut, get a little sloppy, or bored of the same routine. To perk up your coffee brewing and renew your affection for the finest, perfectly brewed cup, here’s a “Refresher Course 101″ to inspire. After all coffee contains compounds that increase [...]

FROM KOSHER TODAY, AUG. 2, 2010 Whole Foods Takes its Kosher Program to the Next Level New York…by Tova Ross…Whole Foods, the mega-store filled with organic and natural food products, is stepping up its kosher program with the introduction of a new line of kosher spreads and dips – under the labels VeggieDip and VeggieSpread [...]

With Locusts And Deer, Jerusalem Dinner Shakes Up The Kosher Kitchen (AP reports:) Hasdai Locust Cropped When 240 observant Jews sat down to the 18-course dinner earlier this month, they were served a veritable zoo of animals that were unlikely candidates to be eaten under traditional Jewish dietary laws, known as kashrut. More than matzo [...]

Watermelon “Steak” Au Poivre is served at Highpoint Bistro & Bar and is reprinted with permission. The restaurant is not kosher, but we saw the recipe and liked it. This recipe makes 2 restaurant servings and takes 15minutes to prep and 20 minutes in total. Watermelon “Steak” Au Poivre, Jicama Slaw and Grapefruit Essence Ingredients: [...]

Sorry for the lack of articles of late. We were unexpectedly hospitalized at a very fine local medical center. We had MON CUISINE for lunch and dinner each day. First of all, if you do not like green beans, do not go to a hospital that serves MON CUISINE to the kosher crowd. Green beans [...]

What happened The responses Rabbi Avi Weiss The political left The political right The Jewishly appropriate attitudinal response I. What Happened On December 11, 2009, a Jewish, presumably nationalist settler, desecrate a Mosque in a village called Yusuf, meaning “Joseph. The act of mosque desecration, like synagogue desecration, choreographs contempt, disgust, and revulsion. Regardless of [...]

In Parashat Miqqets, we find heroes who are unique in ancient writing. Ancient pagan heroes, both outside and inside the Bible, are mighty men with insatiable passions. They crave wealth, power, sex, glory, and immortality. Their lives are larger than others, but their goals are no less petty and their passions no less pedestrian than [...]

The fight between the Syrian Greeks and their Hellenistic Jewish clients and the historically faithful Jews the “Hassidim” not a fight between Orthodox religion, the good old ways of the old time religion that is not good enough for everyone, and the new high culture, the Hellenism which is the culture of conquest, the domain [...]

FROM PHIL LEMPERT: Is MSG Aggravating Your Allergies? July 23, 2010 SupermarketGuru has noticed that MSG is popping up on an increasing amount of food labels, and decided that this food additive definitely needed some more investigation. You might be surprised what we found out – especially if you suffer from allergies. First, let’s make [...]

Some years ago, someone gave us a recipe for chicken cutlets made on the BBQ grill that involved the use of vanilla. We were skeptical, but it was a real eye opener. As a result, we went on a vanilla kick. Here, then, is some good advice: NEVER, EVER cook carrots with vanilla. It was [...]

The short answer to the question everyone asks, why rabbis are not trusted, is expressed in an Aramaic aphorism, palginan dibbura, our words are bifurcated, we speak with the self-interestedness of the forked tongue. We by word mislead and do misdeed when we speak, we misrepresent when we explain, and we mystify in order to [...]

FROM KOSHER TODAY, MONDAY, JULY 20, 2010 The Kosher Symbol: A Seal of Trust for Vegans, Vegetarians, and Food Purists New York…by Tova Ross, Feature Editor…As people around the globe continue to move towards a healthier diet, many vegetarian, vegan, and health-oriented food companies are also increasingly obtaining kosher certification. The reason is that many [...]

Rabbi Moses D. Tendler taught that when all else fails, one would be wise to just tell the truth. Exodus 23:7 and B. Shavuot 30b-31a take this ethical principle rather seriously. We may not lie and we may not even misrepresent Torah truth. 1. Sucking at circumcision There are those who claim that after the [...]

6 egg yolks 1/2 cup roasted garlic 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper 1 lemon, juiced 4 cups soybean oil 2 tablespoons water 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil Place the yolks, garlic, salt and cayenne in a food processor. Turn on processor and slowly drizzle in the lemon juice. Slowly add the soybean [...]

Back in the middle 60′s, we had a close family friend who hailed from the other side of the pond. Once she got the knack of cooking in a kosher kitchen, we reaped the bounty of her culinary experience. One dish that Una made was shepherd’s pie. It is quintessential poor people food, so you [...]

HONEST TEA UNVEILS FIRST BOTTLED TEA SWEETENED WITH ORGANIC STEVIA Organic Bottled Tea Company Introduced 0 Calorie Passion Fruit Green Tea with Maqui Berry at the Fancy Food Show NEW YORK – (June 28, 2010) – Honest Tea®, the nation’s top-selling organic bottled tea company, is launching Passion Fruit Green Tea with Maqui Berry, the [...]

The following dispatch was filed by Deborah Wenger, Publications Editor at the UTJ, and Contributing Editor of the Kosher Nexus. If you’re traveling in the Charlotte, NC, area, make sure to drop in at Gleiberman’s Kosher Mart & Restaurant for both lunch (they’re open for dinner only on Sundays) and takeout food. I visited them [...]

The Facts In order to protect and serve people wounded in war, it was decided to build a fortified emergency room adjacent to Barlizai hospital in Ashekelon, Recalling that Hamas rocked reached Ashkelon, it was decided to initiate a building program. Graves were found at the site, IBA news reported that Orthodox physicians were not [...]

TWO NEW POSTINGS ON KOSHERTOPIA: Koshertopia has confirmed that both locations of Pinisi Bakery (128 E. 4th St., off 1st Ave. & 18-20 1st Ave., between 1st & 2nd St.) are certified kosher dairy under the supervision of International Kosher Council (IKC). Pinisi Cafe & Bakery is family owned & operated. All baking is done [...]