[RBS] Erev Tisha B Av MENU IDEAS!

[Leeba Rosenthal]

Be sure to  have plenty of cold grapes and cut  watermelon on hand all day.
Encourage all the "fasters" to grab some of each throughout the day.  The
fluid in fruit stays with you longer than just water.

The theory I follow for the menu here is the same theory Atkins bases his
diet on: He said if you separate carbs and proteins it doesn't "stick " to
you and you lose weight.  Before a fast you want the  opposite effect: you
want the food to "stick", so eating complex carbs combined with healthy, non
processed proteins is the best way to go.   

Eat this soup  earlier in the day or some time before the other food. It can
be very filling and you don’t want to eat it too close to the other food or
you may be too full to eat the rest!  
As usual, the recipe is not "exact" I don't  cook with "Torah she bichsav"
but more with "torah she baal peh" and the recipes I've made up are not
exact sciences.  Use these approximate measurements and you will be fine,
its yummy with a bit more or less of this and that.

LEEBA'S "NO LONGER SECRET" POTATO SOUP RECIPE:

1 large or 2 small potatoes per person.  Scrubbed well, leave WITH peel.
1-2 onions diced
1-2 carrots (peeled) for every 3-4 potatoes
milk, 1/4 cup per liter of water
salt pepper
grated cheese (optional) 

As with the vegetable soup from the other day, sauté the onion until golden.
I use olive oil, but of course it's amazing with butter or margarine if you
use those in cooking.  I don't  really measure the olive oil, I put in
enough to cover the bottom of the pan generously. 
Fill pot 3/4 with water, 1 liter for every 3-4 people.  
Bring to a boil .  While waiting  for it to boil, cut potatoes into small
cubes, and carrots into thin rings. Add to boiling water.  Cook over low
flame for 2 hours, you may need to add water if it boils out significantly
(some will cook out , that’s fine, but it should still look soupy not like
potatoes cooking in a bit of water)
When potatoes are VERY soft, add the milk and salt and pepper to taste.
Heat through for just a few minutes.  You can cool and blend with a hand
blender or leave it, we happen to like it chunky.  
When serving , put a small handful of grated chessed on top of the soup in
each bowl.

OVEN BAKED SALMON
Thanks to one of my customers for this great recipe! 

Salmon fillet, try not to use the ones that are 80% fish and 20 % water (it
says on the package) b/c it gets too watery. Place fillet on a LARGE piece
of aluminum foil, sprayed with non stick spray. 
For each large fillet, 1/4 cup light mayo, 2-3 table ketchup, 1-2 shakes
garlic powder and one sake of salt.  Blend these together and spread
generously on salmon fillet.  Wrap the fillet completely in the foil so it
makes like a tent. You need the tent effect b/c you don't want the foil to
touch the fish on top, but it has to be totally closed to stay moist.
If you can, place on a hot bar b q grill for 20 -30  mins.  If not, put in
160 C oven for 20 mins, (my oven took 25 once) thicker fillets may take
longer.  Take out of oven, let sit closed for a good 10 minutes before
opening.  Beware of steam when opening!  If you don't like that "moist look"
you can put it under broiler for 2-3 mins to brown

BROWN RICE LENTIL PILAF, an ideal protein whole grain  carb combination ,
and even my kids like it! You do NOT notice the lentils at all.
makes  about 4 1/2 cups cooked rice

1 cup white rice, basmati is ideal
1 cup brown rice
1/2 cup RED not green (orange) lentils
2 teaspoons salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper
olive oil

Put rice and lentils in oven proof container, glass is best,  with room for
it to "grow" .  Sprinkle salt and pepper on rice . Mix up a bit. Pour about
2-3 table olive oil over the rice mixture.  Pour 4 3/4  cups boiling water
(must be boiling!) over the rice mixture, mix, cover tightly and bake in 160
c oven for an hour, remove, fluff with fork, put back in oven for 10-15
minutes (covered).  [ When I make it for shabbos I skip that last step and
put it in the oven a few mins before shabbos. If putting on a plata, raise
on a rack as bottom will burn]

You may want to add more spices, I find it is sometime perfect and sometimes
needs more salt/pepper


Add LETTUCE SALAD WITH CUCUMBERS, lettuce is another food item full of
water.
Don’t use a mayo based dressing, go for lighter before a fast , sesame oil
and  a light shake of salt.

And don’t forget your gourmet EGG dipped in ashes!



Just a quick chizuk story to end off:
Many many years ago I was baking cookies on tisha b av. My then small girls,
about 5 and 3 (now BH 24 and 22 ) asked me why Im baking if I can't eat. I
told them that it says one of the days moshiach is most likely to come is
tisha b av and we don’t want moshiach to come and not have cookies to offer
him!  A short while later I heard them in the living room very excited about
SOMETHING.  I peeked in to see them standing on the couch looking out  our
large window.  I heard this: "Now he's over there! No over there! Look the
clouds are moving so it must be that Hashem is moving the clouds so he can
come down! " This went on for a LONG time.  I realized they were talking
about moshiach, anxiously awaiting his arrival.  Later they were so so
disappointed that he didn't  come and kept asking  why he didn't come.

I got very big lesson from my small children that day: that is how we should
all  be feeling, every day, awaiting his arrival, looking for him, hoping he
will come any minute, but we are more worried about what to make for dinner!


 May we all be blessed with his speedy arrival and may we all have the same
innocent hope every minute that we are waiting that it will truly happen
NOW. 

Have an easy  meaningful fast.  

Leeba Rosenthal /Yoni Ray
BESIMCHA~ Catering, Party Planning and Decor
~077 78 555 11~ www.besimcha-israel.com