Pressing the Easy Button: Going Back to My Traditions

It’s been a super busy summer for me; where does the time go?

I traveled for three weeks in August and came home to an unexpected and delightful week-long visit from my oldest and their partner. I had another trip planned for the week of Yom Kippur, which we were going to spend at my husband’s childhood synagogue in Elmira, NY. After, we would drive to a state park in the Finger Lakes to celebrate an anniversary with friends. We were scheduled to return the day of Erev Sukkot.

It was just too much.

One lesson I’ve been trying to learn is to say no. Whether it’s something I want to do, but will make me anxious or something I don’t want to do and feel like I should, I am learning to think about my own needs and say no when I need to. So, I begged off the NY trip to give myself time to enjoy the holidays and prepare for Sukkot.

Two other things I did was limit my invitations for Erev Rosh Hashana dinner to just a few close friends and return to my traditional Ashkenazi roots. For the past many years, I practiced some Sephardic and Mizrahi traditions for Rosh Hashana. I love doing the short seder and incorporating their symbolic foods. I love trying new things. And I especially love Mediterranean-style dishes. But those recipes require a lot of ingredients and time. 

So, for my smaller group and my own sanity, I decided to go back to the menu I grew up with. Chopped Liver. Chicken Soup with Matzo Balls. Brisket. Sweet Kugel. Kasha with bowties. Green Beans. Except for the Apple Cake, which always needs to be measured exactly, I can prepare this whole menu without looking at a single recipe. 

To be fair, I do have one vegetarian at the table, so I will serve her Cabbage Soup that’s already in the freezer and make some kind of vegetarian brisket-type dish. But how hard can that be?

Last year, I wrote about how to prepare for the holidays. Keep the menu simple. Cook what you can ahead of time and freeze it. Ask for help. Make a schedule and follow it. And consider a special cocktail and snack to greet your guests as they arrive. 

The holidays should be joyful and meaningful. How can you enjoy anything when you’re stressed, tired, and anxious? Give yourself a gift this year. Press the easy button in your own way. Focus on appreciating your friends and family. Simplify your entertaining. If you have a hard time relating to synagogue services, bring a book or other reading material with Jewish content that resonates with you. (There are so many online sources for great High Holiday content.) Or stay home and stream services from anywhere while wearing your jammies and drinking coffee. 

Wishing you and yours a Shana Tova u’Metukah – A Happy and Sweet Year.

Cabbage Soup

Adapted from Delish.com

Last spring, I got so much cabbage from my Farm Share! Every week brought another head. I made Cabbage Pie, variations on Cole Slaw and salads, and this Cabbage Soup . . . and I still have two heads in the freezer for Stuffed Cabbage.

This soup is quick, easy, and delicious. And because it’s sort of brothy like chicken soup, I think it will work beautifully with matzo balls.

When chopping vegetables for any soup, keep in mind that you want every spoonful to hold a little bit of everything. And veggies cut to the same size will cook at the same pace. So, for example, when cutting a carrot, if it’s very thin, cut it in rounds. At the other end, where the carrot gets bigger, cut the rounds in half.

This soup freezes well. If you’re planning to make it ahead and freeze, leave out the 2 C water when cooking. When the soup is done, add 2 C COLD water to cool the soup down quickly.

 

Ingredients

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil or neutral oil

1 LG yellow onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 stalks celery, sliced or chopped

½ tsp chili powder

Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper to taste

1 (15-oz) can white beans, drained & rinsed

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

4 C low sodium vegetable broth

½ large head of cabbage, chopped

1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes with their liquid
(or 1 can regular tomatoes + ¼ tsp smoked paprika)

2 TBSP fresh parsley chopped + more for serving

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

 Directions

  1. In a large pot over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion, carrots, celery, and chili powder, season with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring often, until vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes.
  2.  Add beans, garlic, and thyme and cook, stirring until garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
  3. Add broth plus 2 C water. Bring to a boil; then turn down to a simmer.
  4. Stir in cabbage and tomatoes and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is wilted, about 6 minutes.
  5. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and red pepper flakes. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
  6. Divide soup among bowls. Top with more parsley.

Ratner’s Vegetarian Chopped Liver

This recipe comes from the legendary Ratner’s kosher dairy restaurant in New York. It closed in 2004 after almost a century of serving delicious Jewish comfort foods. This is the only Vegetarian Chopped Liver recipe I’ve ever seen that includes peanut butter and it makes all the difference.

If you like your chopped liver a little chunky, smash the lentils, eggs, & raw onion by hand with a potato masher. Then add the cooked onions as they are, with all their oil.

If you like it a little smoother, you can gently pulse the ingredients in a food processor. Then pulse again after adding the cooked onions.

Ingredients Directions
1 can lentils

1 LG onion, chopped

8 eggs, hard-boiled

3 TBSP neutral oil

1 TBSP peanut butter

¼ tsp white pepper

1 tsp kosher salt
  1. Drain & rinse lentils. 
  2. In the bowl of a food processor, gently pulse ½ C raw onion, lentils, & eggs until as crumbly or smooth as you like. 
  3. In a pan on medium heat, slowly sauté remaining onions in oil until they are golden brown & very soft. 
  4. Mix lentil mixture with sautéed onions (including their oil) & peanut butter.
  5. Season with salt & pepper.

Ratner’s served this in a lettuce cup with horseradish and sliced tomato.