This recipe comes to me courtesy of my friend Belle, who gave me a handwritten copy of her family’s recipe as a submission to my project. Mandelbrot isn’t something I would come across through the natural course of my life, because I am not Jewish. I am not well-versed in Jewish food, save one festival foray last April. My lack of knowledge became apparent almost immediately upon me sitting down to write this post: I was excited to be making a Jewish bread during Passover, but quickly discovered that this particular recipe isn’t kosher for Passover.  It calls for flour and baking soda (two things forbidden during Passover).

Learning this led me down the kashrut rabbit hole (rabbits: also not kosher). As a (lapsed) Roman Catholic, I have always been fascinated by and admiring of those who keep kosher, even if just for Passover.

Quick version: during Passover, Jews refrain from eating chometz: anything that contains barley, wheat, rye, oats, and spelt, and is not cooked within 18 minutes after coming in contact with water. No leavening is allowed. This restriction signifies the fact that the Hebrews had no time to let their bread rise as they made a hurried escape from Egypt. But not all Jews follow the same rules: Ashkenazi Jews, who come from Europe (most Jews in America), also avoid corn, rice, peanuts, and legumes as can also be used to make bread and may have other grains mixed in. These additional items are known as kitniyot.

I could delve deeper, but this is not a post about kashrut. And besides, Jewish scholars have pondered the kashrut for centuries and have written entire books about it; I’m just an ordinary Christian making some cookies bread.

As always, my comments/adjustments are in blue.

******************************

Mandelbrot

(you can find a printable version here)

• 3 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup oil (I used light olive oil)
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp almond extract
• pinch salt
• 1 cup sliced almonds or chopped walnuts (I used walnuts because that’s what I had on hand; traditional versions use almonds)
• Cinnamon + sugar mixture (whatever ratio you like best. You’ll need a few tablespoons worth)

Preheat oven to 350°.

Beat eggs and sugar together in mixer. Add all remaining ingredients, except the cinnamon-sugar. Divide dough into three parts. I divided it into two, because I only have two cookie sheets. The dough will be very sticky; use a little flour on your hands to pat into rectangles.

Very sticky dough!

Sprinkle generously with cinnamon-sugar.

Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Remove from oven. Slice into rectangles. Turn rectangles on their sides and sprinkle with more cinnamon-sugar.

Sliced and ready for the second bake.

Return pans to oven and bake for another 5-10 minutes, depending upon how brown and crisp you like them. 7 minutes was my magic number.

This.

Results:

• Overall pretty great. Not too sweet, nice crumb and texture.
• “Better than Gert’s!”  – said Belle, giver of Gert’s recipe and the mother of Gert’s grandchildren. She was not insulting Gert, though; while I chose to bake the mandelbrot on the softer side, apparently Gert preferred the bread crisper and let them bake longer on the second go-round. Belle also prefers softer mandelbrot, so it was strictly a preferential declaration.
• “Why are you trying to kill me?” – said Jackie, who is allergic to nuts. Sorry.
• This seems to me to be a highly adaptable recipe – I imagine it would take well to many different variations and add-ins. I’m imagining mini chocolate chips, other types of nuts, dried fruit, and ultimately dipping the cookies in chocolate. Dried cherries and dark chocolate…I’ll be making a return visit to this recipe for sure.
• Definitely not what I’d categorize as “healthy”. One entire cup of oil! But, then again, they’re cookies bread. So who cares!
• These would make a great addition to a holiday cookie tray. Make them a bit smaller, and the recipe will go farther.

Anyway, I made reference to my friend Angelos in my recent post about Greek food - sort of asking for his help in pronouncing avgolémono (as in the soup my friend David ate). My “ask” consisted of a link to his website, which I never actually mentioned to him.

So, if you too were also wondering how to pronounce it, here’s his response (warning: at the end there’s a smart-ass comment directed at me, for those of you offended by such things):

Angelos himself owns and operates a blog, focusing on food, beer, booze, and other topics. It’s relatively new, so get over there and read his stuff. He’s a pretty entertaining guy, even when sober.

Interesting fact about me: when I was a kid, I sort of taught myself a little bit of Greek. I spent hours poring over the “Greek” entry in my parents’ antiquated (1965) Encyclopedia Britannica, and learned the Greek alphabet, as well as some Greek words. Over the years, the knowledge that I gained from that exploration has helped me a great deal, especially in spelling, etymology, and mathematics. I’m totally serious. I am a nerd from WAY back. Just yesterday I encountered a Δ.

Don't let this happen to you.

Thanksgiving is upon us! Which means ’tis the season for holiday cooking disasters. But don’t worry – the Capital Region’s newest supermarket has you covered.

ShopRite’s Chefs on Call hotline will be available to answer your Thanksgiving cooking questions – whether you’re wondering how to thaw your turkey (a hint – if you haven’t started thawing it yet, you might be in trouble), or how to prepare a traditional dessert.  Members of ShopRite Chefs On Call are available at 1-800 SHOPRITE from from now through Thanksgiving Day, during the following hours: Wednesday 10:00am-7:30pm and Thursday 8:00AM – 2:00PM.

Customers can visit ShopRite’s Facebook page for special Thanksgiving Turkey Tips (including videos). You can even download and print a handy brochure on Turkey Basics from their website (www.shoprite.com).

You probably have to have a lot of patience and a great sense of humor to answer those turkey hotline calls. I can only imagine the kinds of things people ask. Like these gems, actual questions and situations posed to turkey hotline operators:

• If I put my phone in the turkey, can you tell me if it’s done?
• I’ve never cooked a turkey before–is it like cooking a raccoon?
• A woman called to find out how long it would take to roast her turkey. To answer the question, the Talk-Line home economist asked how much the bird weighed. The woman responded, “I don’t know, it’s still running around outside.”
• Is it okay to thaw my turkey in the bathtub while bathing my kids?
• Can I brine my turkey in the washing machine?
• Can I take my frozen turkey into my sauna to thaw it faster?

Have you ever experienced a Thanksgiving cooking disaster? Let’s hear it!

1. Preserved Lemons.  I understand the process of preserving them, but I do not understand how exactly they are used.  Do you rinse them off before using them? Do you peel them, or just chop them up whole and add to a recipe? Do they taste lemon-y, or salty/preserve-y?  So many show hosts and foodies extol the virtues of preserved lemons, but they just presume that everyone knows how to use them.
   

   These are preserved lemons. I have no clue what to do with them.

2. Chicken Stock.  I must be doing it wrong.  Are you supposed to remove all of the chicken skin before simmering, or has it been predetermined that once refrigerated, your stock will transform into a gelatinous goo?
3. Trussing a Chicken.  Is it necessary?  If so, how is it properly done?
4. Deep frying.  Is it okay to use vegetable (soybean) oil in my deep fryer?  It so much cheaper than peanut oil, but I feel like I’m doing something wrong.
5. Tipping.  What is the going rate for tipping these days?  I try to tip between 18-20%, but I’ve been reading lately that the acceptable percentage is creeping up into the 20-25% range.  Personal note: I truly resent the practice of tipping, because it has become my responsibility to pay the wages of a waiter, instead of the responsibility of his employer.  But, I also know it’s become so ingrained in our culture that it’s never going away.  So I tip.  Mostly because I really am cheap, but I don’t want anyone to think I’m cheap.
6. I don’t like fish.  Or, more accurately, I don’t like most fish.  Am I really missing out on key nutrients, or am I okay with the occasional shrimp and maybe a fish fry?
   

   ...because they are slimy and gross

7. Why would anyone buy this?
8. And aren’t you glad I didn’t mention cupcakes at all in this post?

No clue?

Then you’ve obviously never tasted cilantro.

Coriandrum sativum. What we call cilantro is actually the leaves (and stems) of the Coriander plant. Coriander is believed to be named after "koris", the Greek word for "bedbug" as it was said they both emitted a similar odor.

Cilantro is a leafy green herb that figures prominently in Southeast Asian and Latin American cuisine (it’s what gives salsa that fresh grass-like aroma and taste), and Americans either love it or hate it. I fall squarely into the “love it” camp.  I buy it almost every week, and search for recipes in which to use it.  Hummus, melon salsa, chopped and tossed in with salad greens…

Those who love it don’t give a second thought, but those who hate it think it tastes like soap or hand lotion. And they will tell you all about it – haters seem to be quite vocal about their aversion.  There are several cilantro-hater blogs out there, as well as an a couple of  Facebook pages dedicated to…well, to hating it.

Better than Farmville, I suppose.

Even people that you think must love everything hate it – including Julia Child.  Larry King interviewed Julia back in 2002, and asked her what foods she hated.  The exchange:

JC:  Cilantro and arugula I don’t like at all. They’re both green herbs, they have kind of a dead taste to me.

LK: So you would never order it?

JC: Never.  I would pick it out if I saw it and throw it on the floor.

Why do some people love cilantro and some people think it tastes like soap?  Is it something to do with our taste buds?  Anatomy?  Physiology?  Evolution?  Geography?  Chemistry?

Harold McGee, preeminent food scientist and author of the food chemist’s bible: “On Food and Cooking”, did a brief interview on a recent episode of The Splendid Table, and provided a fascinatingly satisfactory scientific explanation for cilantro revulsion: it’s all about the aldehydes, my friends.  Isn’t it always?

Chemistry first.  Turns out, the molecules that give soap and hand lotion their distinctive odor are the same ones that give cilantro its flavor – aldehydes.  Aldehydes are the byproduct of soap-making (called “saponification”), a process which breaks down large fat molecules into smaller fragments using strong chemicals, leaving behind the distinctively odoriferous aldehydes.

And then, evolution comes in.  Followed by conditioning, and finally, acceptance.

I’d explain it, but McGee does a much better job, plus I’m the one who ended my career as a chemist because I thought it was boring.  You can listen to the interview here.

And tell me, on which side of the cilantro fence do you fall?

Whatever you do, don't buy cilantro in this form. Blech. Buy fresh!

Do what the sign says: PLEASE DON'T THROW TOMATOES AROUND

While on a recent stop at my friendly neighborhood produce stand (Paquin’s stand at the corner of Moe and Grooms Roads in Clifton Park), I noticed the sign above.  Never being one to let a good opportunity pass her by, I asked the guy at the stand: “Do you really have a problem with people throwing tomatoes?”

I honestly don’t know what answer I was expecting, but the one I received gave me something to think about.  I hope you’ll think about it too.

The guy (I’m so sorry I didn’t ask his name – I hate calling him “the guy”) explained that people tend to rummage around the tomato bin as if they were rummaging through their laundry basket in search of a clean-ish pair of jeans: tossing stuff about willy-nilly and throwing whatever they don’t want to the back of the pile.  There’s also some uncalled-for squeezing going on.  All of this results in bruised, damaged tomatoes that cannot be sold to the general public who prefer unblemished produce.

I was startled when the guy told me that he ends up throwing away fifty pounds of tomatoes a day, due to all of this egregious manhandling.  FIFTY POUNDS A DAY.  Think of how many people this could feed.  Or how much sauce this could make.  What a waste.

And since he has to throw so much away, his inventory is decreased and he has to sell at a higher price in order to get the same income.  He told me that last week he charged $1.99 per pound for the tomatoes, but now he’s been forced to sell them for $2.49 per pound.   That’s a 25% increase for all of you out there who flunked calculus.

I don’t know a whole lot about tomato processing (besides eating them), so I asked if the bruised ones were completely worthless or if they could be used for SOMETHING.  Apparently, they are great for canning.  Too bad I don’t know how to can.  Perhaps next summer I will learn.

And, as it turns out, it’s not just the poor tomatoes that suffer at the grimy hands of overzealous produce customers: peaches get fingernails driven into them, and cucumbers get pressed until they “bleed”.  I’ve also noticed people who insist on shucking every piece of corn before they buy it, leaving the mutant ears to the latecomers.  I’ve always understood that an ear of corn was like a fortune cookie with your takeout Chinese: you don’t open it at the restaurant – you wait til you get home!  Corn is supposed to be “luck of the draw”!

Anyway – the moral of the story: Be kind to the produce.  There are other people here, you know.

$2.49 per pound. Because YOU couldn't control yourself.

• Was a TV writer
• Went to Bennington College in VT
• Food writing career was inspired by a woodchuck who destroyed his first garden (he called the incident his “horticultural VietNam”): the woodchuck kept destroying his garden and, much like the Bill Murray character in Caddyshack, tried unsuccessfully to drive him out: he picked up some woodchuck roadkill and stuffed the carcass into the burrow to “teach the woodchuck a lesson”; another time he
  (unwisely) poured gasoline into the burrow, dropped a match in, and accidentally set himself on fire; finally he managed to exorcise the woodchuck by simply erecting a fence.  This series of events inspired him to write about the garden as a place, like your plate, where you can’t be just a spectator.
• His son was a horrible eater and would only eat “white foods”: bread, rice, pasta, etc.  The kid was so particular that they used to bring their own boxes of Barilla pasta with them when they traveled (only kind he would eat), and had to make sure the hotel rooms had a kitchen or at least a hotplate.  But the kid would complain anyway because he didn’t like the taste of the water it was cooked in – it wasn’t the same water as home.  Egads.

I didn’t get to watch the Q&A session because LOST was on tv, and I had to get on Twitter to live-tweet with my LostBuddies, Sarah and Chris.

The lecture was interesting, and basically reiterated Pollan’s “Food Rules”.  I always enjoy listening to Michael Pollan – I think he has an amazingly soothing voice and he just makes so much SENSE.  Though I was a little annoyed by the attitude of the Gaucher College President, who at one point made a comment that suggested that only liberals were smart enough to understand ethical food choices.   Small-minded elitist liberal arts college jerk.

I am at a point now where I’m perfectly at peace in heating and serving sauce -gasp- from a jar. It’s not cheating if I’ve tried to no avail, and have ultimately accepted my ethnic-culinary limitations.

Is it?

Assemblyman Felix Ortiz (D-Bronx) has introduced legislation that would ban the use of all forms of salt in the preparation and serving of food in restaurants.  I’m not going to go into a point-by-point dissection of the idiocy of this proposed legislation (Steve Barnes over at the TU did a pretty exhaustive explanation of the necessity of salt in both food and the human body), but I do want to say this:

We don’t need lawmakers telling us what we should and should not eat.

Most of us are perfectly reasonable, fairly intelligent, and fully capable of making our own decisions when it comes to what we put into our mouths.  I am tired of politicians trying to legislate common sense.  First the trans-fat ban, then mandating calorie count listings on food menus, then taxing soda and sugary drinks, and now salt.  Where does it end?  Banning sugar?  Excise tax on chocolate?  Prohibiting FOOD?

Leave me alone, please.  If I want to eat potato chips, I’m going to eat potato chips, and assume all risk for doing so.  I know what’s in them, I know how many calories and the amount of salt they contain, and I know they will make me gain a pound.  But, this America, and I am free to pursue happiness.  Potato chips make me happy.  Eating potato chips is MY CHOICE.  If you want to educate people about proper nutrition, that’s fine.  More than fine, in fact.  More people should know how to feed their bodies in a healthy way.  But, there’s no need to create laws that ban entire food categories.  NECESSARY food categories, I might add.  Without sodium, you WILL DIE.

According to Steve Barnes, Assemblyman Ortiz (who elects these morons?) “admits that prior to introducing the bill he did not research salt’s role in food chemistry, its effect on flavor or his bill’s ramifications for the restaurant industry. He tells me he was prompted to introduce the bill because his father used salt excessively for many years, developed high blood pressure and had a heart attack.admitted that he did no research into salt’s role in the chemistry of food.”

So, basically, this guy’s father didn’t know when to put down the salt shaker, so New Yorkers should suffer the consequences of his poor decisions?  I don’t think so.

I understand that the likelihood of this legislation going anywhere is practically zero (I hope), but it galls me that this type of lunatic law gets proposed at a time when our state is going through one of the worst fiscal (and ethical) crises that it’s ever seen.  How DARE he waste the taxpayer’s time, and insult our collective intelligence, by proposing something so ill-conceived, poorly researched (read: no research at all) and idiotic?

New York State has become a joke, both inside our state borders, and throughout the nation.  I am embarrassed to live here.

Kitchen Tools

This is a list of some cool tools – some essential, some whimsical, some probably ridiculous.  But they will no doubt make your foodie smile!

• If money is no object: your foodie NEEDS a KitchenAid Stand Mixer.  No self-respecting foodie should go without this essential tool.  It can be used for everything: kneading bread, mixing cookie dough, combining meat loaf mix, whipping cream.  And, if your foodie already has a stand mixer, you can always get them an attachment or two: meat grinder, sausage stuffer, grain mill, citrus juicer, pasta roller, ravioli maker, slicer/shredder, ice cream maker….
  

  Onion Goggles

• A powerful blender.  My pick is the KitchenAid 4-Speed Blender.  It REALLY crushes ice!  About $99, available in four colors.
• Onion Goggles (available at ThinkGeek for $24.95, at other places for various prices).  Tears no more!  These nifty little goggles prevent the noxious sulfur compounds from reaching your eyeballs, so you can finally chop onions without crying a river.
  

  The Beverage CADDi

• Nutmeg Grater (under $20).  My fave is this one by Cuisipro.  I no longer buy ground nutmeg, following a harrowing incident with a moldycontainer bought in the grocery store.  I now buy whole nutmegs from Penzey’s, and grate them as needed using the grater.
• OXO Electronic Kitchen Scale (around $50, available at kitchen stores and at www.oxo.com).  Every kitchen needs an accurate food scale that can measure in pounds and kilograms.  This one is great  – measures up to 11 pounds.
  

  The Happy Man Bottle Stopper. He sure is happy!

• The Beverage CADDi – it allows you to hang on to your coffee with one finger!  Price: $5.50 (“the cost of your last spilled latte,” according to the Beverage CADDi website).  I haven’t seen it in stores, but it’s available online.
• The Happy Man Bottle Stopper.  I think the picture says it all.

Other Foodie Gift Ideas

• Cooking classes – many local kitchen supply stores offer cooking classes, teaching a wide range of topics.  Here are a few:
  • Different Drummer’s Kitchen (Latham Cooking School and Northampton Cooking School)
  • Spoon & Whisk
  • Saratoga Restaurant Equipment Sales
  • Mimmy’s House Personal Chef Service (offers one-on-one classes)
• Wine Course from Wine Spectator School.  The Wine Spectator, a recognized name in wine culture, offers online wine education courses, on a variety of topics.  I’ve taken a few of these courses, and I think they’re great.  Courses last about 6 weeks, students set their own pace, there are guided tastings, and after passing the course exam, the student receives a certificate and a cool graduation gift (I got a mousepad last time)!  Cost varies, from $39 up to about $149.
• Gift Certificate to Penzey’s, the only place to buy spices.  I will never ever buy grocery-store spices again.  Penzey’s is the best quality, ships fast, and they’re inexpensive.  Plus they’ve got awesome gift collections, if you’d rather buy a pre-boxed set.  They also have cool catalogs, which arrive *very* frequently.
• Foodie DVD’s – Julie & Julia, Chocolat, Sideways, SuperSize Me, Food Inc., Eating Alaska.  And those are just the ones I saw.  There are many more – check out this Amazon.com list for other suggestions.
• Omaha Steaks – Bob and I are big fans of ordering meat online.  Their beef is outstanding, pork is great, chicken is okay, desserts you shouldn’t bother ordering (except the Caramel Apple Tartlets – delicious!).

Well, that’s it for now.  If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.  Deck the Halls, and all that jazz.