http://www.jweekly.com en Copyright 2011 2011-10-17T19:38:22+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62440/interview-with-temple-sinais-new-rabbi-andrew-strauss http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/62440/interview-with-temple-sinais-new-rabbi-andrew-strauss#When:21:56:44Z by admin |   Ilana DeBare is former San Francisco Chronicle writer and current j. board member. She writes a blog titled "Midlife Bat Mitzvah." Here is the latest entry: In Conversation: Rabbi Andrew Straus One benefit of writing this blog is that it gives me an excuse to sit down and talk with our rabbis at much greater length than I normally would. This is the fourth in an occasional series of interviews with the rabbis of Temple Sinai, my Reform congregation in Oakland, Calif. Rabbi Andrew Straus may be 50 and a veteran of three congregations, but he's the new kid on theTemple Sinai block, having taken over as senior rabbi on July 1st after the retirement of Rabbi Steven Chester. Still, less than a month into his rabbinate here, it's already clear to me that he is a wonderful addition to the Sinai community.          < For the rest of this blog entry, click here >     blogs 2011-07-28T21:56:44+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61976/sauls-coming-to-off-the-grid-berkeley http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61976/sauls-coming-to-off-the-grid-berkeley#When:20:12:35Z by emily savage | Off The Grid, a popular food truck meet-up already in place in many SF locations, launched a North Berkeley version last week to much success  — we heard it was mad crowded. This sixth location of Off the Grid will feature eight to 10 mobile food trucks each week at the intersection of Shattuck and Rose in Berkeley's "Gourmet Ghetto."While all of the vendors have their own rides (read: fully functioning food trucks) each week an official Off the Grid truck is rolled in for a guest slinger. This week, June 7, Saul's Deli executive chef Peter Levitt (pictured below) will be the guest Off the Grid trucker. The traveling Saul's menu includes (among other dishes: a $2 Saul's pickle plate, $3 chicken matzo ball soup, $3 savory potato kugel, $3 potato latke with apricot sauce and creme fraiche (whoah) and a $4 corned beef on challah with mustard. For dessert? There's $3 sweet peach and brandied prune kugel with whipped cream.Keep up with future Off the Grid guest chefs and locations here: OffTheGridSFThe gist: Saul's at Off the Grid North BerkeleyWednesday, June 7 from 5 to 7 p.m. At intersection of Shattuck and Rose, Berkeley(photos: sauls, besighyanw) blogs 2011-06-07T20:12:35+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61838/blackout-on-pastrami-sandwiches-at-sauls-in-berkeley http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61838/blackout-on-pastrami-sandwiches-at-sauls-in-berkeley#When:14:04:22Z by andy altman-ohr | This isn't quite a man-bites-dog story: It's more like a man-can-longer-bite-into-a-pastrami-sandwich story. In a move that seems incongruous with everything a good Jewish deli stands for, Saul's Restaurant and Deli has pulled the plug on serving pastrami. That's right - no more pastrami on rye with hot mustard at Saul's in Berkeley. At least for the time being. "It's only for three weeks," Saul's co-owner Peter Levitt said Thursday night after sitting on the panel of a deli summit at the JCC East Bay in Berkeley. Here's the situation: Saul's can no longer get pastrami from its supplier, Niman Ranch. Without its founder Bill Niman for some three years, Niman Ranch has moved its operation to Nebraska, and operators there recently informed Saul's "that they no longer wanted to guarantee a supply of meat for pastrami," according to a letter from Saul's. "This week it was established that they have cut off the supply altogether," the letter continued. "At this moment, the supply of this cut of beef (with no antibiotics or hormones) cannot be arranged. As of now, without Niman Ranch, there are no other suppliers that can provide the quality we require or the volume a restaurant of this size demands." Levitt said he has located two or three other suppliers, so by next week, some of that meat will be headed to Saul's smoker, for its infusion with garlic, paprika and coriander. And it should be between slices of rye (or your choice of bread) by the second or third week in June. "When the pastrami comes back, it will be hand rubbed with our spice mix, and wood smoked here at Saul's," the letter said. "The supplies might be intermittent at first, but we will hopefully build to a full and continuous supply in months to come." The pastrami blackout has been in effect since this week, and Levitt said there hasn't been too much kvetching, along the lines of: "What!? You don't have pastrami?!" "There's been a little of that," Levitt said. "I think people are OK with this for a week or two. They can expand their sandwich horizons, maybe try the corned beef or something else. But if this lasted more than a few weeks, then we would really hear it." blogs 2011-05-20T14:04:22+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61567/how-to-use-up-your-extra-matzah-in-a-hurry http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61567/how-to-use-up-your-extra-matzah-in-a-hurry#When:17:25:41Z by rachel leibold | It is a truth universally acknowledged that no one ever runs out of matzah. It has a tendency to replicate itself until you find yourself on the last day of Passover, staring down at the three sheets of matzah left in your very first box, trying to do the math and figure out how, yet again, you ended up with way too much matzah. There are a couple things you can do with leftover matzah besides eat it straight. You could grind it up in a food processor and make it into matzah meal (my mother's year-round salmon croquette recipe uses matzah meal - recipe below). You could donate it to a food bank, I suppose. You also could save it for Pesach Sheini, on the 14th of Iyar. If the box and the matzah are still sealed, you can even use it next year (the matzah I bought this year doesn't expire until 2013!). But if you're determined to finish every last sheet before the end of Passover tomorrow night, here are five matzah-heavy recipes to try. Each uses at least four sheets. 1) Matzah brei courtesy of http://www.imafoodblog.com Serves 4 Ingredients:6 sheets of matzah4 eggs2 Tbs. milk Directions:Break matzah into small (1-2 inch) pieces, place in a colander and run warm water over matzah for a few minutes. (You can also soak the matzah in water then drain, but my mother uses a colander for her excellent brei.) Drain and press out excess water. Beat eggs and milk in a large bowl and add matzah. Mix. If making sweet matzah brei, add some cinnamon and nutmeg to mixture; if making savory, add pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat oil or butter in a large frying pan. Add matzah mixture and stir, over medium heat, until dry but not too crispy. Matzah brei can be eaten sweet or savory - if sweet, serve with cinnamon sugar, maple syrup or jam; if savory, serve with (or add to matzah brei as it's cooking) sauteed mushrooms, spinach and garlic. 2) Tiramatzah There are two schools of thought on Passover tiramisu: one that uses Passover-friendly ladyfingers, and the other that substitutes matzah for the ladyfingers. Both extremely yummy-looking recipes are also very lengthy, so I'll just direct you to them here and here. 3) Passover mac 'n' cheeseServes 6-8 Ingredients:3 large eggs3 1/2 cups matzah farfel (or 6 broken up matzahs)1/2 cup cheddar cheese1 cup milk1 tsp. salt1/4 tsp. pepper1 pint sour cream1 stick butter, cut into 16 pieces (may use less if desired) Directions:Preheat oven to 350. Greast 2-quart casserole with butter. Beat 2 of the eggs well and pour over farfel. Cut up or shred the cheese (or use pre-shredded.) Beat last egg and stir in milk, salt and pepper. Layer in casserole 1/2 the farfel, 1/2 the cheese, 1/2 the sour cream in dabs, and half the butter. Repeat. Pour milk over. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake another 10-15 minutes to brown. 4) Matzah lasagna courtesy of http://albioncooks.blogspot.com This one is simple. Just take your favorite lasagna recipe and substitute sheets of matzah for the lasagna noodles. A standard nine-noodle recipe should use six sheets of matzah. Tip: Run warm water over the matzahs before placing them in the pan to soften them slightly. 5) Sephardic matzah spinach pieServes 6 Ingredients:2 packages frozen chopped spinach (10 1/2 oz each)3 eggs, separated1 1/2 cups mashed potatoes3/4 cup grated cheddar cheesesalt & white pepper to taste4-5 matzahs (enough to cover bottom of pan and filling)warm water2 Tbsp. oil Directions:Thaw and drain spinach well. In medium sized bowl, beat 1 egg well; add half mashed potatoes, 1/2 cup of grated cheese, and chopped spinach. Combine well. Season with salt & pepper. Soak matzahs in shallow pan of warm water for about 3 minutes. Place matzahs between 2 towels to absorb excess water. Grease 7 x 9 inch baking pan or 9 inch pie plate with 1 Tbsp. oil. Heat the pan in preheated 350 degree oven. Carefully line bottom and sides of hot pan with some of the matzah. Spread spinach filling evenly over the matzah. Cover the filling with remaining matzah. In small bowl, beat the remaining 2 eggs. Add the remaining potatoes, cheese, and oil. Blend well. Spread this over matzah. Score the top with a fork. Bake for 1 hour or until top is lightly browned. BONUS RECIPE!Salmon CroquettesMakes 2 1/2 dozenIngredients:1 large can red salmon (12 oz.)1 onion, gratedjuice of 1/2 lemon (about 1 Tbs.)4 well-beaten eggs1 tsp. salt (or less)freshly ground pepper1 drop Tabasco sauce1/2-3/4 cup matzah mealDirections:Mix well and drop by teaspoon into hot oil. Fry until brown on both sides. May be frozen and reheated on cookie sheet in 400-degree oven for 20-30 minutes. blogs 2011-04-25T17:25:41+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61566/check-out-ilana-debares-new-blog-entry http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61566/check-out-ilana-debares-new-blog-entry#When:15:35:30Z by admin | Ilana DeBare is former San Francisco Chronicle writer and current j. board member. She writes a blog titled "Midlife Bat Mitzvah." Here is the latest entry: In Conversation: Rabbi Andrea Berlin One benefit of writing this blog is that it gives me an excuse to sit down and talk with our rabbis at much greater length than I normally would. This is the second in an occasional series of interviews with the rabbis of Temple Sinai, my Reform congregation in Oakland. Rabbi Andrea Berlin came to Temple Sinai in 1998 and recently moved to a regional position with the Union of Reform Judaism. She exudes an infectious delight in Jewish learning, and inspired near-groupie enthusiasm among both adults and teens taking a class in medieval Jewish thought with her.                    <For the rest of the blog entry, click here>     blogs 2011-04-22T15:35:30+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61490/forget-santa-tracker-now-we-have-elijah-tracker http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61490/forget-santa-tracker-now-we-have-elijah-tracker#When:17:40:20Z by rachel leibold | Elijah in Barcelona 'Twas the night before Passover... Okay, maybe not. But nerdy Jewish kids jealous that their Christian counterparts can track Santa's GPS coordinates while visions of sugarplums dance in their heads now have their answer to the NORAD Santa Tracker: Elijah Tracker. ElijahTracker.com, a project of online Jewish congregation OurJewishCommunity.org, isn't quite the same as Santa Tracker, but in typical Jewish fashion, it's a similar idea done in a little more thoughtful and interesting way. For the entire week of Passover, Elijah Tracker will "follow" the prophet, with updates several times a day, as he stops in 70 Jewish communities around the world. Currently, Elijah is at his first stop at the Gaudi Apartment in Barcelona. You can also follow Elijah on Twitter, @ElijahTracker. This isn't the first time OurJewishCommunity.org has done an innovative, interactive Passover event. In 2009, the congregation's rabbis tweeted the seder, and in 2010 the site hosted the world's first online seder, an event that will be repeated Tuesday, April 19 (that's tomorrow, the night of the second seder) at 5 p.m. Eastern. blogs 2011-04-18T17:40:20+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61489/kosher-for-passover-gin-cocktails http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61489/kosher-for-passover-gin-cocktails#When:16:52:30Z by emily savage | Much attention has been (deservedly) lavished upon the Sipping Seder in the past few weeks. Along with our very insightful article , there have been write-ups in SF Weekly, KQED's food blog Bay Area Bites and Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The creators are local San Franciscans as are the makers of Distillery No. 209 Kosher-for-Passover Gin. So when I got the chance to try some of the locally-made kosher gin, I decided to go for it and whip up some Sipping Seder-inspired suggestions from Distillery No. 209. For a group of four, my cohabitating boyfriend and I mixed a cocktail No. 209 recipe called "The Sipping Seder" (created by Rob Corwin and Danny Jacobs of the Sipping Seder itself) with Carpano Antica (sweet vermouth), cynar (artichoke bitters) and lemon juice. It was a hit with the group, garnering positive descriptions such as "light," "refreshing" and "summery." We next tried "The Seder Sour" with warmed honey, a dash of horseradish (!), lemon juice and soda water. That concoction? Not quite as popular. We also whipped up a batch of "The Tom Collins," which were deemed delicious, though I'm not sure of the Jewish/Passover connection for that one? Conclusions — stick with the Sipper Seder cocktail and your Passover table accolades will be plentiful. Chag sameach Pesach — and happy drinking!       blogs 2011-04-18T16:52:30+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61415/jake-gyllenhaal-on-shalom-sesame http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61415/jake-gyllenhaal-on-shalom-sesame#When:21:21:27Z by emily savage | Breaking news: Jewish actor Jake Gyllenhaal did something cute. He appeared on "Shalom Sesame" and asked all you boys and girls to help him find the afikoman (the matzah piece hidden on Passover) — and, of course, he explains what afikoman is. Watch the video above, giggle uncontrollably. Repeat.   blogs 2011-04-08T21:21:27+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61382/omri-casspi-an-unhappy-camper http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61382/omri-casspi-an-unhappy-camper#When:19:56:08Z by andy altman-ohr | Omri Casspi and the Sacramento Kings are coming to Oracle Arena in Oakland for Jewish Heritage Night on April 10 at 6 p.m. <details here> It might be the last time he plays the Warriors as a representative of Sacramento, as it looks like the Kings will move to Anaheim next season. <details here> What's bigger news for Israeli basketball fans, who follow Casspi's every move, however, is Casspi's lack of playing time and his continued grumbling about his situation and Kings Coach Paul Westphal. This week, there have been several eye-popping reports in the media: * The Jerusalem Post slams Casspi and wonders if the always whiny Israeli can get his way <details here> * The Sacramento Bee notes that Casspi is unhappy with his role and wants to play for another team next season  <details here> * CBSSports.com reports that Casspi loves the fans and his teammates, but hates his current situation  <details here> * The Bleacher Report lists 10 teams that could use Casspi's services, and gives a rundown on each  <details here> * Channel 10 in Sacramento files its own extensive report  <details here>             blogs 2011-04-07T19:56:08+00:00 http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61195/jewishboston.com-unveils-a-free-haggadah http://www.jweekly.com/article/full/61195/jewishboston.com-unveils-a-free-haggadah#When:22:30:10Z by rachel leibold | JewishBoston.com has released a free, printable haggadah called "The Wandering is Over." It can be downloaded as a PDF or Word file. The 22-page haggadah has all the basic blessings in Hebrew, seder directions and discussion topics, such as this one for Karpas (the green vegetable): "We all have aspects of ourselves that sometimes get buried under the stresses of our busy lives. What has this winter taught us? What elements of our own lives do we hope to revive this spring?" The last three pages hold "additional readings": the full texts of Dayenu, Echad Mi Yodeah (Who Knows One) and Chad Gadya, all English translations. People who like a little more Hebrew at their seder will want to stick with a more advanced haggadah (or they can add to the Word file). But for the basics, plus a little extra commentary and a few conversation starters, "The Wandering is Over" is perfect - and you can't beat the price! For 18- to 40-year-olds hosting a seder, JewishBoston.com also offers a free Seder in a Box with a seder plate, a matzah cover, a copy of "The Wandering is Over" haggadah, a guide for seder leaders, a shopping list, Passover recipes and "a few little goodies." Unfortunately, it's only available to people in the Greater Boston area. Crumbs! blogs 2011-03-23T22:30:10+00:00