Ilana-Davita

Like a few other Jewish bloggers, I was going to write about the end of the eight days of Passover but a number of people have done it far better than I could so after my weekly shopping I thought I would write about something else.

For those of us who are religious but do not live there, helping Israel is a mitzvah (something we are requested to do by law - whether explicitely or implicitely).

There are quite a number of ways we can help: by going there, fighting the media bias whenever Israel is misrepresented in the news, making donations to charities and causes there, etc.

One of my favorites is to buy Israeli products. There are products of the land we remember every day in our prayers; they also seem to be a link between those who live there and those (like me) who still live in exile.

If you live in a small French town with no kosher shops around this might seem quite awesome. Yet if you start paying attention to the labels while shopping, you soon realize that it is not an impossible challenge. You can easily buy Israeli fruit juice, sweet potatoes, fresh herbs, green grapefruit, avocadoes, etc. You can even order Israeli wine on the web via an online supermarket I use for kosher products and that delivers it on your doorstep within 24 hours.

Now funnily enough at this time of year, new potatoes here are not French potatoes but Israeli potatoes. So this morning I bought my pound of new potatoes and tomorrow night an egg and potato salad will feature on the Shabbat menu contributing in its own way to what this weekly day of rest means for us.

We are lucky to get a long winter break here: two full weeks. So far I seem to have been quite busy: mock exams to mark, group work to mark, an aunt in hospital to visit and the usual things I do when I finally have some time, like tidying, cleaning, sorting papers, etc.

For me holidays also means cooking. I love reading cookery books and whenever I go to the hairdresser's I enjoy flipping through magazines trying to find new and exciting recipes. Obviously since I keep kosher I might have to adapt the recipes but it is not as hard as it may look to the outsider. In fact it is even challenging in a way but easy most of the time.

Here is a recipe I tried out this morning to use up leftover challah.

Slice one onion and mix it with some dill and one finely sliced celery stick.
Slice four thick slices of challah and soak them in water.
While they are soaking, add three beaten eggs, some worcester sauce, 2 tbsps of lemon, a little tabasco, salt and pepper to taste to the first mixture.
Add one tin of tuna and one of salmon (both in brine).
Finally add the squeezed challah, mix everything and put in an oven (200°) for about half an hour.

Enjoy hot or cold!

Whoever has ever tried to live a traditional Jewish life will know what I am talking about. Since we are not allowed to do any work on the Shabbat (starting about an hour before sunset), everything has to be ready by then.

This means that the preceding days can be hectic with quite a lot of shopping and cooking involved. I usually start on Wednesday with the planning and shopping. Then on Thursday, I start cooking and sometimes have to do more shopping, funny how I always seem to have forgotten a capital ingredient. Another reason for doing somme shopping on Thursday is that my favourite grocer is closed on Thursdays so if I want fresh fruit and vegetables I have to shop on Thursday.

This week it is even more important for me to get everything ready tonight. The reason is somewhat unususal. I teach in a high school and since the beginning of december students and teachers have developped all sorts of disorders such as rash, burning eyes, difficult breathing... Analysis were made in december but were inconclusive. Since school resumed in january, more people have been concerned by the symptoms and more analysis were made last week and again this week. Some people have mentioned the "sick building syndrom" but this theory is not "official" yet. The results will be out tomorrow. As a member of the school board I have been invited to attend the meeting during which they will be presented to the staff, parents, students and the press. The meeting is at 3 p.m. Now since Shabbat starts a little after 5 p.m. here, I have the time to go to the meeting and come back home but obviously not to cook.

I can't mention Shabbat without talking about Challah, the soft braided bread we make and bake especially for Shabbat. So here is my favourite recipe:


Challah

By Claudia Roden

Reprinted with permission from The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand to New York, published by Knopf.

Makes 4 Loaves

· 2 tablespoons dry yeast
· 2¼ cups (500 ml) lukewarm water
· ½ cup (100g) sugar
· 4 eggs, beaten, plus 2 yolks or 1 whole egg for glazing
· 1 tablespoon salt
· ½ cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
· About 9 ¼ cups (1 1/3 kg) flour
· Poppy or sesame seeds (optional)

Dissolve the yeast in the water with 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Beat well and leave 10 minutes, until it froths.

In a very large bowl, lightly beat the eggs. Then add the salt, sugar, and oil and beat again. Add the frothy yeast mixture and beat well. Now add the flour gradually, and just enough to make a soft dough that holds together, mixing well, first with a large spoon, then working it in with your hands. Knead vigorously for about 15 minutes, until it is very smooth and elastic, adding flour if the dough is too sticky. Pour a little oil in the bowl and turn the dough, so that it is greased all over. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in a warm place to rise for 2‑3 hours, or until it has doubled in bulk. Punch the dough down and knead again, then divide into four pieces to make 4 loaves.