Sunday, February 10, 2008

Say "Cheese"

I was, not for the first time, faced with a rennet dilemma this weekend.

I love cheese. It is no secret that if it is made from dairy, I have an almost overwhelming desire to eat it. To put it, as my friend Austin often says, in my mouf. Preferrably with some bread. Or crackers. Or pasta. Or rice. I'm equal opportunity, really. Dairy + starch = Yum.

You can sense, dear readers, a "but" coming on. The problem with cheese (correction: the problem with my unadulterated love of cheese) is that most cheeses (particularly aged cheeses) are made with rennet. Rennet, as some of you may know, is an enzyme that helps cheese to coagulate. Remember Little Miss Muffett? Her curds and whey were the result of a coagulation process in which the fat solids of the milk (the curds) pulled away from the water and sugar (the whey) in the milk with a little help from our friend rennet. Not all cheese is made from rennet, and not all rennet is bad. Some rennet is vegetarian, derived from yeast, mushrooms, and the like. Other rennet, however, is taken from the stomaches of calves or other animals.

Rabbis are divided as to whether rennet that comes from animal products are "meat" for the purposes of kashrut. Some would argue that such cheese made with animal rennet would be treif both because it would mix milk and meat AND because it would be difficult to figure out whether the animal was kosher. On the other hand, when a noted Talmudic sage was asked the question of whether such a cheese would be treif, "hayseo ledavar achayr," - he changed the subject. The other twist is that there is a rule in kashrut in which something that a dog wouldn't eat wouldn't be considered "food." Would a dog eat rennet (which is pretty chemically and gross)? No definitive ruling has ever been made, of course.

Thus, if a cheesemaker uses animal rennet, her cheese may or may not be treif. Yet, the USDA doesn't require cheesemakers to say what kind of rennet they use. So, it's hard to know unless cheese is hecshered whether the cheese is "Kosher" or not. Some rabbis have argued that the USDA's rules for milk and cheese are sufficient that there should not be a need for kosher certification, but this rule is still very much in the minority.

In other words, the jury is still out.

My rule of thumb is as follows: I buy kosher cheese whenever I can. Because almost all cheeses made in the U.S. are made with microbial (parve) rennet and most of these microbial rennet manufacturers are hecshered, I err on the side of buying US-made cheeses without hecshers unless they specify that they are made with animal rennet.

For foreign-derived cheeses (why do all the good ones fall into this category????), I take it on a case-by-case basis. If the label says animal rennet, I don't eat it. If it's a longer-aged or hard cheese (which more commonly uses animal rennet), I won't eat it. If it's a fresh cheese, which requires less coagulation, then I usually say it's okay. Does this make me less frum than I feel I should be? You betcha. So, with that long explanation, I give you a recipe.

Trader Joes is lovely because they offer a variety of kosher cheese. I've been a big fan of their feta and their lite chevre, and they also sell Cabot products, most of which are hecshered . I also LOVE Joseph's Soy and Flax flatbreads - they are 60 calories and make a wonderful sandwich, pizza, or tostada base.

Because so many of my recipes are cheesy and I have posted so many, I thought I'd post a couple of kugel recipes. I made one of these for the law schools "Taste of Diversity"...Shockingly, the Jewish Law Students Association were one of the only groups that had food left at the end of the event...because running out of food is a terrible sin. Anyway, both of these recipes utilize lovely yummy kosher cheese. :-)

Easy Applesauce Kugel

8 oz. package medium or fine noodles (I use medium)
8 oz. cream cheese (at room temperature)
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter (at room temperature)
1/2 pint sour cream
4 large eggs, beaten
1/2 c. plus 1 tbsn. white or light brown sugar
15 oz applesauce (I prefer unsweetened)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

1. Cook noodles according to package directions in unsalted water. When cooked, drain and immediately return to the pan. Add butter and cream cheese, stirring until melted. Mix in 1/2 c. sugar and sour cream. Mix in eggs, applesauce and vanilla.

2. Pour into one large or two smaller baking dishes and top with remaining sugar and cinnamon. Bake 1 hour at 350 degrees. Serve warm or at room temperature. Kugel is also wonderful as leftovers (if you have any left).

Easy-Cheesy Potato and Spinach Kugel

I am sucker for all things cheese-and-spinach.

1 1/2 lbs. shredded potatoes (shredded hashbrown potatoes in the grocery store's refrigerated section work fine, if you are short on time, or you can use the food processor), squeezed dry.

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped (if you are using the food processor to grate the potatoes, throw the onion in too)
1 1/2 c. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 1/2 c. + 1/4 cup shredded kosher cheddar or other hard cheese (this recipe is very flexible)
3/4 c. light sour cream
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsn. olive oil or melted butter
1 tsp. dijon mustard or 1/2 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 tsp. garlic powder or 1/2 tsp. minced/crushed garlic
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place oven rack in the middle. Lightly oil a medium casserole dish.
2. Mix together potatoes, onion, spinach, and 1 1/2 c. shredded cheese in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix together eggs, oil/butter, sour cream, mustard, garlic (powder), salt, and pepper.
4. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Pour into casserole dish and top with remaining cheddar.
5. Bake 1 hour. If top is not golden, set oven to broil and broil 3-5 minutes until cheese is gooey and brown on top. Serve hot.

This recipe also freezes well (and is kosher for passover).

Sunday, February 3, 2008

Superbowl of Chili

So, in the NYTimes this week there was a disgusting article about how double-dipping is the equivalent of french kissing everyone at the party (because you transfer your saliva into the dip, which other people then eat). So, having thoroughly freaked myself out over the idea of eating anything that didn't come in an individual serving-sized container, I propose an alternative: Kitchen Sink Chili.

Kitchen Sink Chili is exactly what it sounds like - you start with a basic chili base (canned tomatoes, beans, onion, garlic, spices) and then you add...whatever you happen to have laying around. Carrots? You got it. Corn? Perfect. Other/different/better beans? Sure thing. Green veggies? Yummo. (Got you with that Rachael Ray reference, didn't I? You know I did). Kitchen Sink Chili accomplishes 4 (count 'em, 4!) objectives:

1. Feeds the Masses - you can make Kitchen Sink Chili in a crock pot (and, if you don't cook the onions and garlic first, you can actually cook the whole thing in one pot. Personally, I like the onions and garlic cooked first, but still, that's only one minor extra frying pan). It is delicious, and you can cook it all day (and/or all night) and it tastes awesome. In fact, the longer the flavors meld together, the better you are. This is one of those great recipes that tastes even better the third day than the first day (and goodness knows we need more of those recipes).

2. Provides Double-Dip-Free Dipping - No one eats from a communal bowl of chili. It's just not done. I mean, you have to think about toppings, and spiciness, and all that stuff, and everyone likes their chili just so and, let's face it, no one wants to share a bowl of this deliciousness with someone else. BUT, at the same time, chili is great for chip-dipping. Who doesn't like corn chips and chili (okay, I admit, if you are in the early stages of a relationship with the olfactorily sensitive, you may want to go easy on the beans)? So, you can accomplish the dip, even the double dip, without passing your nasty mouth cooties on to everyone else. Genius.

3. Clean out Your Vegetable Drawer/Freezer - I will admit, I don't eat nearly as many fresh veggies as I should. I am, however, a big proponent of frozen veggies, which have 95% of the vitamins and minerals of fresh and yet keep forever. That said, they also come in awkward-sized bags. For some reason, I ALWAYS end up with 3/4 cup of frozen corn kernels, or carrot slices, or chopped baby spinach. Not enough to make into a side dish (once the ice melts, that's really about 1/2 cup of cooked veggies), but too much to justify throwing away. This recipe is a great place to throw in those frozen veggies - and because there are so many different flavors, you never feel deprived of any one veggie. Likewise, this is also a great recipe for fresh vegetables slightly past their prime. That half-eaten bag of baby carrots in the fridge that has dried out? Chop 'em up and throw them in the pot. Those slightly shriveled grape tomatoes? A quick rinse is all they need. I haven't tried broccoli in the chili, but I could see it working if you chopped it up first. Finally, if you are like me and sometimes find yourself with half-open packages of low-fat cream cheese/(dairy or soy), then this is a great place to get rid of them - just cube and stir in.

4. Freeze Ahead - This chili freezes really well. It also reheats well. It is a great three-season (fall/winter/spring) dish, and I heartily recommend it.

Kitchen Sink Chili

Chili Base

2 large cans roasted/stewed whole tomatoes in paste/sauce (Muir Glen's Fire-Roasted Tomatoes are my faves, but any kind will do - but you want the big-ass cans, not the regular-sized ones)
2-3 cans beans (pinto, black, and great northern are good choices, but if you like kidney or garbanzo beans, they can also work).
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
2 chiles in adobo sauce (optional) *
1/2 cap liquid smoke (optional)

Add-Ins
- Zucchini, coarsely chopped
- Sliced baby carrots
- frozen spinach, collard greens, or kale
- corn kernels (canned/frozen)
- green beans
- cubed low fat cream cheese (dairy/soy)

Toppings
- Sliced ripe avocados
- Low-fat grated cheese (any kind)
- Light sour cream (I will disown you if you get fat-free sour cream. You might as well eat wallpaper paste)
- Chopped fresh scallions
- Sliced/chopped tomatoes

Accompaniments
- Tortilla chips (lots and lots of tortilla chips. Yum.)
- Rice (any kind)
- Hearty white or light wheat bread, preferably toasted
- Fresh tortillas (flour or corn)

* I like my chili moderately spicy but I never seem to use a whole can of chiles before they go bad. I have, however, recently discovered that you can freeze the whole can, in a ziplock bag, and when you need a chile, just sort of chisel one out with a butter knife. The adobo sauce doesn't really harden, and you would end up chopping the chile anyway, so what's the difference? For a big pot of chili, you want about a tablespoon of chiles/sauce (more if you like five-alarm chili). And the chiles keep for several weeks in the freezer, so it's all good. This discussion of chilis and chiles is confusing, but you get the idea.

Let me know how it turns out!