The Last Kiddush

For the last kiddush under Rabbi Greenstein’s supervision, the Shomrei kiddush team went all out to prepare a menu that reflected  his and Zelda’s preferences and paid tribute to his vision.

The team of Karen Altman, Aileen Grossberg, Beryl Hiller, Sharon Hurwich, Carol Katzman, Audrey Levitin,  Zen Lucey (recoverd from COVID just in time), Cary Riker, (our newest volunteer)  and Rita Singer prepared a veritable feast.

As requested by Zelda, there was no cake but there were chocolate covered donuts (Rabbi Greenstein favorite Shabbat treat ), lots of green salad, and egg salad, a Greenstein favorite. Specially requested by Rabbi Greenstein was sable served with a no mayonnaise potato salad.

Baked pomegranate glazed salmon, accompanied by a tomato and mango Israeli style salad., was the centerpiece of the kiddush luncheon.  A tub of mini ice-cream cones, rice pudding, fruit and cookies rounded out the menu to please anyone’s sweet tooth.
Preparing kiddush for Rabbi Greenstein and Zelda was a labor of love, all the more so because Rabbi Greenstein has made a point of dropping into the kitchen every Friday morning to thank the cooks. He has also in his role as Rabbi answered questions about food products and kashrut so that both halachic and culinary needs were satisfied.
As Aileen said in her thank you to Rabbi Greenstein :”Kiddush would not be as successful as it has become -some people come just for kiddush!- without your support- both for me personally and the volunteers in general. Kiddush has become a unifying community event and a centerpiece of our weekly Shabbat celebration”
Here are some of the recipes from Saturday’s kiddush. They’re not difficult. Try them yourself.
Pomegranate Glazed Salmon
(serves 4)

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds salmon filet

1/2 c. pomegranate juice

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Put the pom juice, soy sauce and garlic in a large bowl and mix well. Add the salmon, cover and let marinate for about 15 minutes or put everything in a plastic bag to marinate.
3. Remove salmon from marinade and place skin side down on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Bake for 7 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, put marinade in a small pan. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil and cook for 3-5 minutes until thick and syrupy.
5. Remove salmon from oven after 7 minutes and pour half of reduced marinade over the fish. Return the salmon to the oven and bake for an additional 5-7 routes until cooked through.
6. Transfer salmon to plates and pour rest of marinade over the salmon.
Notes Serve hot or cold. Garnish with orange and lemon slices or pomegranate seeds. To make this super simple. Substitute pomegranate molasses for the juice. No need to reduce. Rice or roasted veggies is nice alongside the salmon.

 

Mango, Cucumber and Sumac-Onion Israeli Salad
(Serves 4-6)

Ingredients

Salad

2 mangoes, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 3 cups)

1 cucumber, diced (about 3 cups)

1/4 cup Simple Sumac Onions (see below)

3 Tablespoons chopped, fresh mint

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Toss to combine and serve with additional sumac onions.

 

Simple Sumac Onions
(makes 1 cup)

1 red onion, sliced very thin

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

1 teaspoon ground sumac

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl  and toss to combine. Serve immediately.

Notes: Use jarred mango. It’s quick and easy and just as good as fresh in this recipe. Costco has an excellent jarred mango. It is also available in the refrigerated produce section of Shoprite and other markets.  This  salad will keep for a few days.

 

Potato Salad with Capers and Onions
(Serves 4)

Ingredients

1/4 cup capers (rinsed), preferably salt-packed

1 1/2 pounds medium Yukon Gold or other salad potatoes

Salt

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Ground pepper

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

parsley

Directions

1. In a small bowl, cover the rinsed capers with warm water. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Drain
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with cold salted water and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until tender, 20-30 minutes. Drain.
3. While the potatoes are still warm, peel (if you wish) and slice them 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to a large bowl.
4. In a small bowl combine olive oil,lemon juice and capers and season with salt and pepper. Pour two-thirds of the dressing over the potatoes and toss.
5. Garnish with parsley

Notes: This can be served as an accompaniment to smoked fish such as lox, whitefish or sable.

Latest posts by Aileen Grossberg (see all)

What do you think?