After accompanying her grandmother a few times for these cheesemaking demonstrations, Cohen was hooked. “When I graduated from high school, I decided to start a cute business using this recipe. I called it ‘Grandma’s Cheese’ because it was my grandma’s recipes,” she recalled. “I began making it in my mom’s kitchen and I delivered it to my friends and neighbours. It was really a very hard process; it is not only time and energy but also heat involved and lots of burnt fingers! But people wanted it, so I kept going.”

Cohen’s business was an instant success. “I hit a point where very soon I was delivering to 50 houses a week. At that point, I hit a ceiling, I could not do it all by myself,” she said recalling the early days of her fledgling business. “My dad actually got me into a local store. He said: ‘hey look, my daughter sells cheese, these are her customers, can she sell it here?’ at that point I had all the requirements, but I needed someone to believe in me. So, at Ouri’s Fruit in Brooklyn, I had a little stand in a shelf with Grandma’s cheeses. Everything was handmade. Even the labels!”

From these humble beginnings, Grandma’s Cheese is now stocked in over 30 supermarkets in the tri-state area, several outlets in Texas and Florida, and is even shipped to Panama. With over 10 flavours of braided mozzarella including black caraway, za’atar and olive, a new line of kosher burrata cheeses, and even a kosher restaurant that is dedicated to showcasing the cheeses in all its dishes, Cohen’s business is booming and expanding.

And in a twist of fate, Cohen met her husband Max through her kosher cheese business.

“I met him through [cheesemaking], because I had built a name for myself in my community for being the ‘cheese girl’. I saw him at a party and used my cheese as a way to introduce myself to him. He didn’t know of me at all or my brand, until I reached out again later, asking him to try my product. Our relationship started when he came to my house and he tried it there,” she laughed, recalling the origins of their relationship.  He later joined her business, and these days, they both work full-time creating their lines.

Interestingly, Max and Florence Cohen are part of a brand-new wave of cheesemakers that are producing high-quality kosher cheeses that were never traditionally available to kosher consumers.

Kosher cheesemaking can be difficult, with added expenses for kosher supervision and difficulty obtaining cheesemaking supplies such a certified rennet or cheese cultures that comply with kosher requirements.

Factories are also sometimes reluctant to produce kosher cheeses, which are often small production runs and include extra requirements such as intensive cleaning which may interfere with larger orders. Small businesses may also find the costs of kosher cheesemaking prohibitively high, especially if there is mashgiach [kosher supervisor] present to supervise the milking to ensure compliance with the highest level of kosher requirements such as Chalav Yisrael.

All these additional challenges may present insurmountable hurdles to kosher cheesemaking, which is already a highly technical art.

While the Grandma’s Cheese does not use rennet, and achieving formal kosher certification was not overly difficult, it is still an expensive additional cost.

“For us, becoming kosher was not a challenging process. It was just expensive,” said Max Cohen. “Usually, it comes with getting a commercial kitchen. These days we have our own commercial kitchen, but that was a whole journey.” Despite the efforts involved, the Cohen’s are happy their product has resonated with so many people, noting, “we love it, we eat it all the time.”

As for Florence Cohen’s grandma, the nachas continues, “She’s still alive. She’s young. When she walks into supermarkets, she points to our cheese, and says: ‘I’m the grandma!’”

The Cohens are not the only ones making kosher cheeses accessible to the masses. In supermarkets across the country, including Wholefoods, one can find kosher certified cheeses from That Cheese Guy.

The man behind the brand is Brent Delman who owns a wholesale speciality food company. About 30 years ago, when he adopted an Orthodox Jewish lifestyle and started keeping kosher, he felt there was a lack of kosher cheeses.

“I created a brand and started going to trade shows and taking cheesemaking courses. I started to partner up with small producers who had never been kosher. I live in New York in Yonkers. So, I started to partner with Vermont and New York State farmers, and I started to get some of them to produce kosher. I found myself having to source bacterial cultures and rennet and buying cheesemaking equipment like brine tanks and cheese moulds” he said. 
 
While Delman makes kosher cheeses, he considers himself more of an affineur, someone who is an expert in ageing and maturing the cheese. These days, his brand produces more than 50 types of artisan kosher cheeses, including many organic, raw milk, grass fed cheddars and parmesan as well as burrata and goat cheese. 
 
“I do not own a farm. I go in and make cheese at creameries and farms. I bring in all the ingredients other than milk. I also bring the mashgiach [kosher supervisor] and then I take the cheese that is made, and I age it,” he said. 
 
As his business has grown, he has commanded a unique niche in the market where he produces the largest range of kosher high-end speciality cheeses, outside of Israel. As part of his work, he travels to farms around the world, sourcing the best materials and ingredients to make his high-end artisan kosher cheeses. 
 
One of his top sellers is an American made Parmesan cheese.  “We aged it over 4 years and the way we age it, it retains some creaminess and has a nuttiness and sharp flavor profile that’s almost sort of reminiscent of an aged cheddar. It is just an incredible umami flavour with cheese crystals. You bite into it and get these crunches which come from the amino acids that are crystallising in the cheese,” he said. “When I started this, about 18 years ago or so, there was no sharp cheddar or fresh mozzarella in the United States. We probably had 5 or 6 varieties in total of kosher cheeses in the market. So, my goal has really been to bring the finest cheeses in the world to the kosher pallet palate and do so within the framework of Jewish law,” he explained. 
 
Despite the challenges involved in kosher cheesemaking, Delman is happy to be able to be able to provide high-quality kosher cheeses that bring so much joy to so many people. 
 
“People send emails saying that it brings their families and friends together. One of the things I hear often about my products is that the quality is such that it’s acceptable to anyone, kosher or non-kosher as well as those with other dietary or ethical restrictions. Sometimes there are family members who find it difficult to come together and agree upon common foods, but my cheeses have done that. It is one of the best things.”

The post The Art of Kosher Cheesemaking appeared first on Jewcy.

Friday afternoon radio in Israel is nostalgia time, when old favorite presenters play old favorite oldies to ease out of the week. One Friday afternoon an older lyricist than usual came up during the afternoon program as it played in the kibbutz dairy.

When my wife was working in the dairy

On kibbutz In northern Israel

A Friday afternoon song

Came over the radio

“Take Me in Under Your Wing”

That I read aloud the first time I met her.

The dairyman said to the Israeli girls

Milking beside her, “You know who wrote that?”

They shrugged. He turned to her

More or less out of politeness.

She looked at him, “Bialik?”

He looked back in amazement.

“You see,” He waved his hand

Over the fields, tracks of cud chewer excrement,

“You see, this girl in the land just six weeks

Knows who Bialik is!”

They milked cows and took tithes

And changed pumps for the Sabbath milking

But nobody knew who she was

As she walked up the snake path to the cabin

To wash away the filth

And pray before sunset

And find the law behind a stone

In Jerusalem, not the place she left.

Image via Wikimedia

The post ‘The Dairy’—An Original Poem for Shavuot appeared first on Jewcy.

Traditionally for Shavuot, Jews celebrate that God gave us the Torah by staying up until sunrise learning Torah. Untraditionally, you can rev yourself up for an all-nighter by listening to “Torah hardcore.”   

Unlike most hardcore punk, “Torah hardcore” fully embraces the Tanakh. There’s only one band in the genre: Moshiach Oi! The New York group released their first two albums in 2009 and 2011, and their third, Rock Rabeinu, is tentatively due out in June. For Moshiach Oi!, the messages of Torah and Jewish observance are genuine, and the music is a platform.

“Punk rock music is a great way to express Torah concepts,” said drummer Pesach Simcha Alpert.

Singer Yishai Romanoff added, “It’s powerful. It’s passionate. It’s right to the point, right to the core, no beating around the bush. It’s straightforward. What’s better to use to get out a powerful message?”

Moshiach Oi! often takes that straightforward approach to the extreme, including with songs where two or three words are repeated throughout. While numerous Moshiach Oi! songs promote Torah values and teachings, three explicitly hit listeners over the head with an embrace of Torah.

In “I Wanna Learn Torah,” the title is sung or screamed 24 times in a song that clocks in at 1 minute, 12 seconds. Romanoff declares his desire to learn Torah daily. He aspires to “learn Chumash with Rashi” until he knows it “fluently.” He celebrates that his “Torah fire can never be tamed.” He explains that his need to learn Torah is because of his “soul” and “head” and because the Torah contains “all of God’s wisdom.” Ultimately, he seeks to learn Torah “because I am a Jew”!

“I Love Torah” sees the band mixing in reggae and featuring a guest synth player, and at 3:45, it’s the longest song on Moshiach Oi!’s debut album. The lyrics, however, still get right to the point, with the title repeated 35 times. In the verses with that refrain, Romanoff tells listeners that he learns Torah “every day” and that “it brings light” to his soul. There is one verse where Romanoff leaves out the refrain, but by the end he seems frustrated that he’s veered off track: “That’s enough talk/It’s time to pray.”

In “Torah of Moshe,” the refrain “The Torah of Moshe [Moses] will never be forgotten” comes up 20 times. It’s in the cadence of the popular protest chant “The people united will never be defeated,” imbuing it with punk cred. Romanoff declares, “Torah of truth piercing up through the sky/From Moshe Rabbeinu to Shimon Bar Yochai.” He sings that the Torah won’t be forgotten from Jews’ mouths, minds, hearts, or land.

If you want to stay up for Shavuot, ditch the caffeine and get ready with some Torah hardcore. “Our message … has this objective of waking and shaking people up. And so what better musical style to use than punk rock, which tends to wake and shake people up?” Romanoff explained. “Punk rock has a special power to really get people riled up.”

To learn more about Moshiach Oi!, check out my book, Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk. Yishai Romanoff is featured on the book’s cover.

Photo of Drummer Pesach Simcha Alpert and front man Yishai Romanoff of Moshiach Oi! from the 2012 documentary Punk Jews.

The post Get Ready for Shavuot with ‘Torah Hardcore’ appeared first on Jewcy.

The Tony Awards are this Sunday, unfortunately, the same evening as the second night of Shavuot. Observant theatre fans are figuring out how they’ll make it work, and one friend told me that she’s throwing a party for her friends who won’t be able to watch that night for religious reasons. She’s shared the menu with Jewcy, and the puns are as strong as the dairy meal seems delicious!

See how many references you get, and don’t worry, we’re linking to explanations:

• “My Shot” Jello Shots
• Sangri-la
• Cabarnet
• The Color Purple (wine)
• Kinky Kale Salad
• Julius Caesar Salad
• Cabbage Salad (Something Rotten)
• Mystery of Edamame Drood
• “Under the Sea” Pasta
• Joseph and the Amazing Tricolor Pasta
• Wicked Potatoes
• Ogre Layer Rings
• Let the Spaghetti Squash In
• Pumpkin Pie (Waitress)
• Rainbow Quiche
• Next to Noodles
• Cheescago
• Brie Loves Me
• Chedda Gabbler
• Mozzarella
• The Light in the Pizza
• Cheesus Cake Superstar
• Legally Blondies
• Eclipsed Coffee Ice Cream
• The Curious Incident of the Pie in the Night Time

Illustration (IT’S A CHEESECAKE ON A TONY AWARD. GET IT?): Gabriela Geselowitz, Image sources: Wikimedia

The post A Tony-Themed Shavuot Dinner! appeared first on Jewcy.

Saturday night marks Shavuot, the Jewish holiday most associated with eating dairy (so much cheesecake. So many blintzes). But another popular custom on Shavuot is late-night learning; some synagogues, for example, have evening classes, sending folks home as late as midnight.

But some institutions hold literally all night learning sessions, ending in morning prayers, sending out a small, committed group staggering out into the light of day, miserable at the choices they have made (I speak from experience).

So if you want to try to be tough, and know of a good all-night study-stravaganza (I recommend Shavuot Across Brooklyn for New Yorkers), how do you do it in one piece?  Here are, in honor of the holiday based on the number sevem, 7 tips for making it through:

1. Take a nap that day!— Obviously if you just got sleep, you can stay awake in the short term, and this will give you a boost of a few hours.
2. Caffeine, consumed STRATEGICALLY— Don’t front-load that day with energy drinks, coffee, etc. Your body will rebel and be all, like, “Espresso? PSHH. USED TO IT.”Once you’ve started consuming caffeine, space it out a little at a time.  It’s not like you have a secret caffeine sac in your liver to dispense it out when needed.
3. Eat protein— You may think that pasta-like carbs are the answer, but they’re a short burst of energy that will end in a crash (same goes for sugar). Shavuot is a dairy holiday, so reach for a cheese stick, and have a glass of chocolate milk.
4. Drink water— This is a great rule for life, of course, but staying hydrated is the best way to keep your system sharp as the night wears on.
5. Take exercise breaks— Nothing over the top, of course, but between your class on the matriarchs as feminist heroes and the debate about what exactly happened at Mount Sinai, walk around, stretch, maybe do a few jumping jacks.
6. Chew gum— Mint is especially refreshing, and can keep you perkier than you think it will.
7. KNOW WHEN TO CALL IT QUITS.— Nowhere in the Torah does it say, “Thou Shalt Not Sleep all of erev Shavuot.” Why are you staying up all night? Did you make a bet? Are you trying to prove something to others, or yourself? Whatever it is, it ain’t worth your health.

So, go out there and learn your tuches off! Chag Sameach!

Sources: Everyday Health, Lifehacker, Greatist, Common human sense

Image credit: Pixabay

The post How to Stay Up All Night for Shavuot: 7 Tips appeared first on Jewcy.

This White Chocolate-Sour Cherry-Browned Butter Challah Pudding (whew!) is the lavish result of a frugal plot. Composed of leftover challah, Sparkling Sour Cherry Float remnants, and the standard fridge triumvirate of butter, eggs, and milk, it has modest beginnings but a rich finish.

The white chocolate chips provide a sweet, melty contrast to the sour cherries, and the thick custard that binds the recipe together adds a tart edge. This bread pudding would be the star of any Sunday brunch, and also doubles as a dairy-delicious Shavuot dessert.

White Chocolate Cherry Challah Pudding
Yields 3-4 cups of liquid (about 6 serves)

Ingredients

Butter, or cooking spray for casserole dish
8 cups stale challah cubes* (5-6 1-inch slices)
4 tablespoons butter
1½ cups white chocolate chips
Reserved Sparkling Sour Cherry Float cherries or 1 can of Morello cherries, drained
5 eggs
1 cup milk (not skim)
1 cup sour cream, Greek yogurt, crème fraiche
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract or ½ vanilla bean scrapings
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or white choc chips, optional

Directions

1. Place challah cubes in a well-buttered casserole dish (13″x9″).

2. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Continue cooking, constantly swirling pan until butter is dark golden brown (about 1-2 minutes). Drizzle the browned butter evenly over the challah cubes.

3. Spread the chocolate chips and cherries over the challah cubes. Set aside momentarily as you prepare the custard.

4. In a large mixing bowl whisk the eggs, then add the milk, sour cream/greek yogurt/crème fraiche, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the egg mixture over the bread cubes. Push down on the bread cubes with the back of a spoon, making sure the bread is submerged and fully absorbing the eggy mixture.

5. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. Bake uncovered at 350F for 40-50 minutes or until  golden brown, and when a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Optional: Melt extra choc chips (semi-sweet or white) and drizzle artfully over cooled pudding.

*To dry challah cubes: Spread the challah out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 300F for 10-15 minutes, stirring 2 or three times.

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Recipe: White Chocolate Cherry Challah Pudding appeared first on Jewcy.

American cherries are plumper and sweeter than Hungarian varieties, but fresh lemon or lime juice will pucker those suckers right up and help achieve the sweet-tart flavor the dish is known for. The cinnamon stick nestled in with the simmering fruit adds a hint of warmth and spice to the bright, rich cherry juice. After removing the cherries, reserve a few to drop into the cocktail for some fruitful last bites, and in reference to the original dish.

Splash in some bubbly with the cherry concentrate, and then because it’s Shavuot, or because it’s summer, or because you are one-eighth Hungarian, plop in a dollop of sour cream, or Greek yogurt if you need the live active cultures, or crème fraiche if you are already cultured. Vanilla ice-cream if you are an iconoclast with a sweet tooth. This recipe is so good, it inspired another one.

Sparkling Sour Cherry Floats
Yields 3-4 cups of liquid (about 6 serves)

Ingredients

2 lbs. fresh cherries, pitted OR 5 cups frozen pitted cherries
4 cups water
¼ -½ cup sugar (depending on how sweet you like it)
2 x 2″ strips lemon or lime peel
1 cinnamon stick
2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice or lime juice + 1-2 tbsp. lemon or lime juice to finish off recipe

To Serve:
Champagne, sparkling wine, or seltzer
Reserved cherries (from broth)
Sour cream, Greek yogurt, or crème fraiche
Lemon or lime wedges

Directions

1. In a large pot, bring the cherries to a boil with the water, sugar, lemon or lime peel, cinnamon stick, and 2 tbsp. of fresh lemon or lime juice. Cover pot, reduce heat, and allow cherries to simmer for about 30 minutes, until soft and tender.

2. Strain the soup into a large bowl, discarding the peels and cinnamon sticks. Reserve some of the whole cherries for garnish, and use the remainder of the cherries to make White Chocolate Cherry Pudding. If not using immediately, the cherries can be sealed and frozen for later.

3. Allow Meggyleves to cool completely before stirring in extra 1-2 tbsp. lemon or lime juice.

4. To serve: Pour desired amount of chilled Meggyleves concentrate into glasses. Top off with champagne or seltzer. Drop in a few of the reserved cherries, then add a scoop of crème fraiche, sour cream, or Greek yogurt. Drizzle in some extra lemon/lime juice if you’d like to enhance the tartness.

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Recipe: Sparkling Sour Cherry Float Cocktails appeared first on Jewcy.

Dulce de leche is a popular South American confection made from condensed milk, usually roasted in a water bath. It has a caramel-like taste and a custard-like texture. Put this rich and creamy syrup in a cheesecake and you definitely cover all your “eating dairy on Shavuot” bases—it literally means ‘candy of milk’.

This recipe consists of two parts, the dulce de leche, and the cheesecake. Both are nearly as simple as they are delicious. When combined they create a decadent and beautiful dessert that will leave you wondering how anyone would pass on a cheesecake on Shavuot.

Not Your Bubbe’s Dulce de leche Cheesecake
Yields one large cheesecake or three small loaves

Ingredients

Dulche Deleche:
14 oz. can condensed milk
¼ tsp sea salt

Crust:
2¾ cups crushed cinnamon crackers
½ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp orange peel
Pinch of cinnamon
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup butter (melted)
2 tbsp orange juice

Filling:
40 oz. cream cheese
1½ cups sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tbsp orange peel
1 tsp orange juice
¼ tsp cardamom
¼ tsp salt
1 tbsp flour
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
¼ cup coconut milk
½ cup of sour cream

Directions

1. Start by making the dulce de leche: pour the condensed milk into a small baking dish and preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

2. Sprinkle the sea salt on top of the condensed milk and tightly wrap the dish with aluminium foil. Then, fill a slightly larger baking dish with boiling water and place the wrapped dish inside it. The water should reach ¾ of the way up the outside of the smaller baking dish; be careful that none of the water spills inside the baking dish.

3. Bake the condensed milk for 60 to 90 minutes, until it turns a caramel-like brown. Be sure to whisk the condensed milk every twenty or so minutes to keep the consistency smooth. Keep your eye on the water level as well, add water occasionally so that the level remains steady.

4. Set dulce de leche aside, let cool. Store in the refrigerator while you prep the cake crust and filling.

5. Next, start the cheesecake by preheating the oven to 350 degrees and preparing the crust. Place the graham cracker crumbs in a medium sized bowl and stir in the spices, orange peel, and brown sugar.

6. Pour the melted butter and orange juice into the bowl and mix. The final result should have the consistency of wet sand.

7. Spray a large spring fold pan (or three small loaf pans) with oil, then press the wet graham cracker crust onto the bottom and sides of the pan. Bake the cheesecake crust for 15 minutes, then set aside.

8. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, spices, salt, and orange juice until just combined. (Too much beating will cause the cake to crack.)

9. Fold in eggs and yolks, one at a time, mixing well between each addition.

10. Beat in coconut milk and sour cream until just combined.

11. Pour cheesecake filling into the cooled crust.

12. Remove dulce de leche from fridge and and place single tablespoon circles, about half an inch apart, across the top of the cake. (You’ll probably have some dulce de leche leftover, which you can serve as an extra dessert.)

13. Take a knife and run it through the circles of dulce de leche, creating swirls like you would if you were making a marble cake.

14. Bake cake for about 50 minutes at 350 degrees, or until the middle of the cake no longer wobbles when you begin to pull it out of the oven.

15. But don’t pull it all way out of the oven! Turn off the oven and leave door ajar. Let the cheesecake reach room temperature in the oven, which will help prevent it from collapsing.

16. When cooled, refrigerate the dulce de leche cheesecake for at least six hours (preferably overnight) before serving.

Image: Shutterstock

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Recipe: Dulce de leche Cheesecake for Shavuot appeared first on Jewcy.

The minor (but very fun) Jewish holiday of Lag B’Omer begins this Saturday night! What better way to celebrate than by eating some delicious, gooey s’mores by a bonfire? There is no better way, trust.

If you’re a little confused as to what this holiday is all about, you’re not alone—its origins are kind of vague. The literal meaning is straightforward: “Lag” is simply the acronym of the Hebrew letters ‘lamed’ and ‘gimmel’, which have a combined numerical value of 33, and the Omer is the period of 49 days between Passover and Shavuot that we count and observe as a period of semi-mourning. It’s said that 24,000 students of Rabbi Akiva died during this period—either as part of the Bar Kochba revolt (132–136 CE), or in a plague wrought by God as punishment for sinat chinam (baseless hatred)—and that Lag B’Omer, the 33rd day, marked a respite from battle or disease.

Anyway! The TL;DR version of the story is that Lag B’Omer is a day for weddings, first haircuts (upsherin), festivities, and bonfires. Which means bonfire food! Which means S’MORES. Thank you for being patient. Here are your recipes.

1. Not Your Bubbe’s Peanut Butter Lag B’Omer S’mores: Your basic s’more, with a PB & Oreo twist.

2. S’mores Rugelach: Old country, meet new country. These look amazing, taste amazing, and are ridiculously easy to make.

3. Homemade Whole Wheat Graham Crackers S’mores: Real balabostas bake from scratch; everyone else should just feel very bad about themselves. (Kidding!)

4. S’mores Cheesecake With Summer Berries: Because Shavuot is just 17 days after Lag B’Omer, and you need to perfect your Cheesecake-making skillz, right?

5. Banana Boat S’mores: They’re healthy…ish! Wrap in aluminum foil and throw onto the edge of fire—just close enough to get melty and gooey.

6. Martha Stewart’s Matzo S’more: Old matzah is transformed—transformed, I tell you—by the s’morification process. I made these on Saturday night. I wouldn’t lie to you.

7. Summer S’Mores Martini: Because we wouldn’t want you to get thirsty.

Image: Shutterstock

The post 7 Decadent S’mores Recipes For Lag B’Omer appeared first on Jewcy.

So you’re going to a potluck this Shavuot, a holiday known for dairy blintzes and cheesecakes. You know the meal is going to be vegetarian so you can only assume that the main dish will be … lasagna, the tuna casserole of our generation. I’m over it. You’re over it. So why does it still show up all over the place? I’m not a vegetarian, but I consider myself an ally and sympathize with their plight. What is it with omnivores thinking the only way to get filled with plant foods is to layer it between noodles and encase it with cheese? Public service announcement: It’s not.

I bring this up because Shavuot is next week. For a range of reasons, Shavuot is traditionally commemorated both by staying up late to study and eating dairy. The tradition of all-night Torah study is a celebration of the anniversary of receiving the Torah at Mount Sinai. The dairy piece comes from a notion of the birth of calves and lambs in the springtime and the idea that the Israelites received the laws about separating milk and meat.

People might not tell you this, but I think it’s actually because they’re tired of always eating pareve desserts. But just because you want cheesecake, doesn’t mean you should slap together a mediocre meal to get there. There are a number of ways to go about creating a beautiful vegetarian meal. As a starting point, I recommend reading J. Kenji Lopez-Alt’s advice on making a vegan (also applicable to vegetarian) meal that’s not just a bunch of side dishes. The major tenets: The main dish needs to have a centerpiece, contrasting and complementary flavors, distinct textures, and must look pretty. Lasagna can probably hit three of those categories, if done well, but unless you burn your noodles, you aren’t like to get too many textures.

Enter moussaka. Moussaka is a multilayered dish, so those of you still hung up on lasagna can maybe get on board with this one. The recipe I’m proposing isn’t your typical moussaka (although what that may be is debatable given the regional variations) of layered eggplants, ground lamb, tomato sauce, and béchamel. Although moussaka is one of the most famous Greek dishes, its origins only date to the early 20th century and its name actually comes from Arabic, not Greek. The lamb had to go, since the end goal is cheesecake and, of course, there’s the whole not cooking meat in its mother’s béchamel issue. I used tempeh as a substitute, since it’s a good source of protein and because fermented soy has a number of health benefits and is a better option than textured vegetable protein.

But what makes this moussaka special is the crunchy millet topping. Remember, we want something with texture. The millet topping—a combination of millet, pine nuts, herbs, and spices—is allowed to crisp under the broiler. When you bite into it, you chew through soft layers of eggplant and zucchini, “ground” tempeh, creamy béchamel, and the satisfying crunch of the millet mixture.

I’m not going to pretend this recipe is a cakewalk, because it isn’t, but I urge you not to be intimidated by the length of ingredients or steps! First, because a lot of this can be done in stages and made in advance. Second, because the end product is so worth it: lemon zest and garlic in the millet topping meet the earthy cinnamon and tanginess of the tempeh tomato sauce meet the sweet richness of the béchamel. It’s really that good.

In terms of technique and pacing, the tempeh sauce can be made ahead of time and even frozen. It would also be delicious on pasta or, if you must, as a lasagna filling. The millet itself can also be made a few days or hours before assembling the final product. I recommend mixing the millet topping ingredients together while your tempeh is cooking or reheating on the day you plan to make the moussaka. You can make béchamel up to a day in advance and refrigerate it.

Not Your Bubbe’s Moussaka

Ingredients:
1 onion, diced
2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ cups tempeh, grated or crumbled
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup red wine
1 cinnamon stick
3.5 cups canned tomato sauce
Sea salt, to taste

2 cups cooked millet
½ cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon fresh mint, minced
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced
1 lemon, zested
Sea salt and pepper, to taste

2 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk, boiling hot
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon nutmeg

2 pounds eggplant, sliced on mandolin
1 pound zucchini, sliced on mandolin
Sea salt
Olive oil to grease the pan

For the tempeh tomato sauce:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepot over medium-low heat. Add diced onion and salt to the pot, sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add minced garlic and grated tempeh to the onions and cook another 4-6 minutes, allowing tempeh to color. Stir in tomato paste and wine until incorporated.

3. Add tomato sauce and cinnamon stick. Mix until incorporated and allow to simmer over low heat, stirring often to prevent the bottom from burning. Cook for another 40 minutes OR until the sauce becomes thick and reduces by about half.

For the millet topping:

1. While the sauce is cooking, in a medium bowl, mix cooked millet, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, mint, parsley, and zest using two forks. Set aside to top moussaka.

For the béchamel:

1. In a medium pan, heat the butter over medium-low heat until it is fully melted. Add flour and combine until smooth. Continue stirring constantly until the mixture is a light gold color, about 5-7 minutes.

2. Gradually add milk to the butter mixture and whisk until smooth. Bring to a boil. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, then remove from heat. Season with salt and nutmeg.

For the moussaka:

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Using a mandolin, thinly slice eggplant and zucchini lengthwise and keep in separate bowls, toss eggplant with sea salt.

3. Roast eggplant and zucchini on parchment lined sheet pan in oven for approximately 7 minutes OR until cooked through.

4. Remove them from pan and let cool.

5. Lightly oil a shallow 9×13 pan and layer moussaka:
a. 1 layer eggplant
b. 2 ½ – 3 cups tempeh tomato sauce
c. 1 layer zucchini
d. 2 ½ -3 cups tempeh tomato sauce
e. 1 layer eggplant
f. 1 ½ cups béchamel
g. Millet topping

6. Bake in a conventional oven at 350F for 20-25 minutes until heated throughout.

7. Broil for 3 minutes until crispy and golden. Remove from broiler let cool and serve.

Also try:

Not Your Bubbe’s Lag B’Omer S’mores

Not Your Bubbe’s Spelt Honey Challah

Not Your Bubbe’s Modern Gefilte Fish Fillet

The post Not Your Bubbe’s Shavuot Dish: Moussaka with Eggplant and Zucchini appeared first on Jewcy.