Jewish Cooking In America With Joan Nathan; Sabbath: Friday Night Dinner And A Day Of Rest

Oh. Jewish cooking in America with Joe Nathan is made possible by. The joys of bass and Diana Steinberg Charitable Trust. Proud supporters of the arts children's causes and the preservation of Jewish heritage. And by Hebrew National. Sponsors of Jewish cooking in America serving you and your family traditional kosher Franks at delicatessen products. Since 19 0 5. Hebrew National. We answer to a higher authority. And by the Lender's bagels. Our idea of a perfect day is

worn. And comforting. And satisfying around Lender's bagels. The perfect circle. And by the following private individuals and family foundations. As the sun goes down on Friday evening. Jewish families come together to celebrate the Sabbath. God created the world in six days. And because on the seventh he rested the Sabbath or seventh day became holy. For some families the Sabbath meal marks the beginning of twenty five hours

of rest prayer and rejuvenation. Table of the holy MEO. Like a sacrifice. Therefore. We put salt on the table and we dip the bread into it so remind us that this is really holy altar. For others. The Friday evening meal has become the holiday itself. Is. Very special. I finally get to see my parents and friends and sit down and have them talk to them. After such a hectic week at school for them at work. Common to our time. Women like the candles. Men say the kiddush. And the holla. Bread is. A Lord our God the bread from the. Pieces of Hala are shared by.

One of the best holiday makers I know. Is Fred Loeb. Fred is retired now. So I went to visit him at his winter home in Florida. Fred was born and left Germany with his family just before the Second World War. They came to America and settled in North Carolina a short lived kibbutz that was the first of its kind in America. Soon after. I got a job Xander is bakery in Bridgeport. He served in the American armed forces. Then returned to Bridgeport. And went into business for himself. It was my good luck that he later opened the deluxe bakery in Silver Spring Maryland where Fred taught me and my children how to make a six braided Hala. Like all great teachers Fred makes it seem easy. The simplest way to make it go is to put everything in the machine and

the machine will do the mixing. We don't have to stand and let the machine do it. Then we can talk like a man we can talk or make say so we put in shortening. We'll put in some sugar a quarter of a cup of sugar and I insist half an ounce of salt. Half an ounce of dry yeast to prevent a little spotted right now that we have all that in there. We will put our eggs in we'll put two eggs in there and we'll drop in here first so we can make sure they're OK that there's no blood no nothing. There's one egg that you're not allowed any blood in cooking the biblical injunction. Is one they can get another million there. You can never just put them all in together. Right now you're dropping them into a

bowl one at a time. Put it all together you know everything thinking of the everything to get these machines are a wonderful piece of equipment you don't have to work and then we put in a flower in this case we use approximately six cups of flour so you don't even dissolve or you don't know right now we're going to need some water like temperature you should have everything about room temperature. In other words in the winter time. And when your water comes in very cold you want to get it a little bit warmer. What do you tell novices want to make when we teach. I have everyone come by after the dose makes him and let him feel that though this is theirs you do right. You let it go for about eight minutes and then you take it out put it in a bowl and let it rise.

It should this is a nice piece of dough and then it needs some more mixing so you can do it by hand and you have to. Put a little pressure on this but keep pushing down onto the table. So you use the table as part of your I think mixer. Keep folding it over because in the heel of your hand right as opposed to the correct finger it likes. Because the flower and the shortening and the sugar and all the ingredients have to be incorporated real well together if they're not you're not going to have a good dough and you're not going to get a nice color. Of course we're always talking Holly. Yeah you call it how I call it how I guess that's the way we're going to write I would just call it Holly. Well tell me about the word Hala. It was cholera is portions and this is the portion of bread that we eat on the show but of course.

While we were in business and we were under rabbinical supervision. Every piece of though that we made like this piece that there were here we could not use it. Until we took a piece off. Right. Which was also called and we threw this in the oven and burned it which will stay and that's what I was offering in the end in the biblical days the offering to the temple. Dangerous in Jerusalem right now you leave this here for about 45 minutes you'll get twice the size and then you're ready to use it and you may holler so let's do that. Is this right. So it should come out. It's just come out looking like this. This is the deal we made a little earlier. We get traffic back a few years I don't. Well we want to do is make a sick spread of cholera. Right. Consequently we're going to need six pieces of dough. And we want them about the same size each.

Now what we want to do is roll these little pieces up into a ball. Similar to this. And here are six pieces of dough. I like the way using your thang and the heel of your hand well you couple your piece of dough and there is a machine on the market that's the same thing but it's only sold commercially and it does 36 at one time. So there is your own piece and though you take this. And when you begin to make a twisted hollow which is oval shaped. You have to keep each individual piece of dough. In that shape. You roll it up nice and tight but this is the shape that we want to Holly and if we were to take these pieces and roll them up

just square like this Hollywood come out that way and you don't want this you want it to be oval. That's the traditional holiday so that's why you. So that's why it's very important that you roll these pieces the same shape that you want the finished product to look like a little fatter in the center. It's fatter in the center and there are none then. That's your basic collie. So it's not the way I always do it. No no no not like that you don't know here are six. Pieces six braids and we'll we'll put all six together on one end starting with and they one doesn't actually make any difference as long as they're all together and I know that's never to press down you press it on or off like other woman pace. I divide it three here three here. OK you take the one on the file left and place it in

the center. Then you go to your right and take the second one from the far end and place it on the outside on the other side. OK. Then. This one as. This was the second one on the inside is not the outside one and that goes to the center. Now we start the same process again. We take the second one to the outside and the outside one to the center. Now we go back to the other side second to second one to the other side outside to the center. OK now back to the outside. Very easy outside to the center but always continue to work at the Hollow towards you. So you're building a loaf right. Second one out. Outside to the center. Second one out. Outside to the center. Second one out. Outside to the center second one outside to the sun. Second went out

outside through the center. Just continue that process until you use up all the dough you have here. And then you stick the ends together. Make sure they're tightly together. Yeah that's a good chap. And no I'll show you a trick. How do you know whether it's perfect. Yeah. Look on the bottom you see. Perfect perfectly all the way across so that all of the braids are. Coming together like that. No how do you put that little strand and we make it look real fancy. Here we take three little easy think three little pieces. Yeah again with a rope. Love this time. Now you're rolling it the way I did I was so dumb like a square that I'll have to be pointed. At and you put them together like this. And longer.

AND BRAEDEN I'd like to get raped three. And you could do this if you wanted to do just a three brain Hala of course through the list is the check that's what I remember from you're showing me. So it really did and then we will take it and then you can stretch it to make it fit on your holiday. Going to the center. Beautiful you don't. Well we will put some egg wash on this color to make it look nice and shiny. OK I want to you know you don't want to put the egg wash on after you put this piece of though on otherwise it will slide off. Gotcha. And we don't want that. Well that's happened to me before. So now I know what I've done wrong teaching you so many things. All right so now here we have an egg that we whipped up a little bit put a pinch of salt in it. To break up the whites and we'll just brush that on there. The whole thing is very nice and liquid just like water and you can brush up on their

very simple. You. Know do this fancy things putting. Poppyseed on. You touch this first and then a little egg. Watch will stick to your finger and that little bit of the egg washed is going to. Pick up. The seats. Of course and when you touch it again it will stay on there. So whatever decoration you want. We put on the humps. Right. Well on the top we're just basic but on the side of a Harley you put it on the homepage. And you only brush yours once you know brush that's all you know one thing you know. If you take a walk and you put eggs take the eggs and then put a little water in them then you don't get the same shine you had you would have to wash it twice to look like it look nice. But as long as you use the whole leg. One time this one. Right there is your poet. You don't know you take it.

And it will put it on the pan. Let it rise and let it rise for about 20 minutes we're going to put it in the oven at about 375 and we're going to back up for about 45 minutes and it should be done. The wonderful smell of Fred's column brought me back to my childhood. So I asked one of my favorite little girls Jessica Fein to join Fred and me for a taste. Away ready we're ready. Pretty good to me. And then what do you say at your house and she. Came back to life. OK. Let's. Get it. Thank. You. Is just one of the special foods made for the Sabbath. The Book of Exodus says. Thou shalt make no fires throughout by habitation on the day of rest.

So slow cooked meals that could be prepared in advance became the mainstays of Sabbath. Eastern-European Sabbath tradition of hardy meat stews. Or potato putting served alongside became an American tradition. And a serving Maclin author of the classic cuisine of the Italian Jews showed me how Italians combine the pasta and the meat for a special sabbath dish. It is Italian roots stretch back some 2000 years. She was born in a small town in Tuscany where her father was a rabbi and her mother was known as a wonderful cook. They lived in a renowned center of Jewish life and learning until they were uprooted by the Second World War. Eric came to America 1958. Ever since she has been recreating the heritage of her childhood. Go hand in hand you really can the corrosion because corrosion means that

it crossed the bottom which is interesting because throughout the Jewish world there Shabat pasta dishes where the prize portion is the crust of the pasta. Either the bottom or the the top of it. This was one of them. Now this is sort of a Sephardic Jew. Yes yes well and then you say Sephardic I am not so sure that we should call magazine so far the group has a talent. If you get it and so these are the ingredients they go together with the SOS and the pastor and then we put it in a pot that can go into the oven and make the cost that makes for the name. The carabiniere like Russia which is a plus. Well let's go and cut this so that we can eat it fine. Since this is homemade It cooks really for a few minutes. That's great and they let their boards again and then you know

two to three minutes at the most. OK. And now we're going take the sauce. Yes of course. We started by putting up a cup or so of oil into the bag and then we make all the arrows. We don't have another list though but we make an Oreo. We put it Karsh garlic. Now we're seeing a sprig of sage and especially of those many I have a little love for this. Could you bring me some water I have a glass of me here. OK I'll go get it yes please do I will bring some more than I want to show you something. There. When you do this this is not the season but the flavor of this is very very it becomes a smell smoke that hung fabulous. OK now we can take at least he's away because we want to begin

this soul's walk OK. And we begin with the usual convenience for yourself this is on him. This is Canada. It's parsley. I like the way you dice them so finally it's wonderful and this is scary. And we put these things here and we sorted them I'm thinking of there on your knees a little bit going through some and there everything is there. I know this you know I think of the Italian flat parsley. Oh I always do. I think their baby is a prejudice. I happen to like better but the code is 1 0 and I like it I like the flavor and the look. Now will go green. And that we don't need the party because the prices are the bear that was there for beauty and. We just couldn't. And we begin

we begin to cool. Break it up so that it doesn't suit me in big chunks to slaughter the meat for you and I tell them like it was a shot. I wasn't sure how he was you was returned Zani cause if I buy you was an assistant who did dine and then Eve was was everything in the community so he slaughtered it in the ritual Jewish Jewish way and left and he put the stamp so that when you buy the animal bury it the various points there was a stab at the tip. Kosher in there in the skin. So they never yet so that you knew that you were vine question things. At this point this is pretty much all browned right with the wine. If you ask why he is white Why guy am I glad you put it.

I mean I want the whole content to evaporate and the flavor of the wind remained. OK John this is now led you to get a tomato paste. OK and we put all of it can all go. This is about three quarters of a cup. OK if you want to and this will add color and flavor of course of course this is made with the made as you know the latest. Could you use fresh tomatoes in this or not. Not for this one because you don't want the pieces of the bathers. We have enough pieces of wood and woodsy. OK so now this is means to me. I need a company out of Rome. This is the chicken broth you make guys you have to work now if this is a beef broth and doesn't matter whichever you happen to have in the house just adds more richness to not only richness with has to cook meat has to go.

Now we call it and we wouldn't call it the women never see when you let it simmer for 45 minutes when you're mellow. OK. Lawyer to me when I. Get one. Now we let it go. We are going to see every day. Oh my God is perfect you co-driver perfect look at you. If they didn't know any better than it is poor so what you're saying if there is like what in there just because it has to be very high. We gain power with no little insight. I told you before that this is no reason. That has somehow been. Read to me. They make their years with this and that. I don't mind if you get that there. And that what they do when

he's 40. OK. I. Got half of everything. Here are three more I have and I have now is this kind of tongue the time you have. For what I like. And. I think that one of the things that probably makes it is the use of the time the beef and the beef. This were necessarily an Italian pasta. Like this. That they were they would probably or they would use some sort of pork so that and

that's probably the only thing that makes this a totally Jewish this week with the top. Because it is with me. And now that he's posing on the other. He can put an hour at his pasta dish to remind you how varied how diverse Jewish cooking has become. But central to every Sabbath celebration is the joy of being together with family and friends. So every Friday evening we savor the memory of the week past with the anticipation of the week ahead. And we say to each other good Shabbas Shalom. To learn more about Jewish cooking in America with Joe Nathan visit us online at W W W doc PBS dog or. Companion products for Jewish cooking

in America including Joe Nathan's updated cookbook a CD of the music score and a two hour video of series highlights and recipes are available by calling 1 800 to 3 5 3000 credit cards are accepted. Jewish cooking in America with Joan Nathan is made possible by. The Joseph S. and Diana Steinberg Charitable Trust. Proud supporters of the arts children's causes and the preservation of Jewish heritage. And by Hebrew National. Proud sponsors of Jewish cooking in America serving you and your family traditional kosher Franks and delicatessen products. Since 1985 when. Hebrew National. We answer to our higher authority. And by Lender's bagels. Our idea of a perfect day is Ron. And comforting. And satisfied all around Lender's bagels the perfect sizzle.

And by the following private individuals and family foundations. This has been a co-production of Joe Mason. Without. An American public television. This is what he had.