Cooking at ChezAlon
A blog post by Director of Learning and Visitor Engagement Ilene Dackman-Alon. To read more posts by Ilene click HERE.
I must say that this is the first time I have ever written a blog post during a pandemic! I also must say that I am very grateful for so many things – my family and friends, health, shelter – my list could go on and on.
I miss going to work to the JMM daily. I have started to settle into the ZOOM meetings- like many of us- I have upgraded my home office –but more importantly- I am trying to get myself into a routine that makes sense for me. In the beginning we were taking the dogs out for long walks 2-3 times a day at the school across the street. Unfortunately, that stopped when the “Stay at Home” order was announced; the school restricted access to the campus only to the staff and residents that live at the school.
Limiting our trips to the outside has forced my husband and I to cook at home using only the ingredients we have in the house. My husband (the chef at ChezAlon) has been making some creative and delicious dinners.
I like to bake at ChezAlon and have been making sweets. Being that it is close to Passover, I thought we should try and use up the flour in the house – I made my first challah – in a ZIPLOC BAG!
Yesterday, I started really getting ready for Passover. The flour is all gone, and I can start to bake for the holiday. I went to the cupboard where I keep my recipes and I found the plastic envelope that holds the recipes that I treasure – the recipes that my mother (a blessed memory) used to make on the holidays. These recipes are all handwritten on papers that are yellowed and stained. They are some of the most important papers that I own.
I took out the recipe for Passover Mondel Bread- a favorite of mine. I can see my mother mixing the ingredients together, placing the mixing bowl covered with a tea towel in the refrigerator overnight. The next morning she formed the dough into loaves and baked them.
Afterwards, she would pull out the loaves and cut them into slices, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar and toast them in the oven. The smell is heavenly – in fact I can still smell them in the kitchen the day after baking.
In closing, we all know that Passover this year will be a little different from the previous years. Whether you are having a seder in your home or you are attending a virtual one-this year’s Passover will be one to be remembered for quite some time. Hag Sameach! Happy Pesach!
Barbara’s Mondel Bread
2 eggs
¾ sugar
½ c oil
½ c chocolate chips or nuts
1 C Passover cake flour
3 T potato starch
Cinnamon
Cinnamon and sugar mixture
Directions:
Mix eggs and sugar. Add cake four and potato starch and other ingredients.
Chill in refrigerator for 1.5 hours or overnight. 350-degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
Cut into slices and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar mixture. Toast for an additional 10-15 minutes.
ENJOY!
Happy Passover!