BY MARGI LENGA KAHN, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
• Published September 14, 2018
To serve an assortment of small plates to begin or even comprise an entire meal is a strong tradition throughout the world. There are tapas in Spain, meze in Turkey and Greece, antipasti in Italy, banchan in Korea, and salatim in Israel, which, according...
By Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published August 31, 2018
Culinary traditions and culture are intrinsically linked. Nowhere is this more evident than in the foods we associate with our Jewish holidays. You probably can name several such foods off the top of your head: latkes on Hanukkah, hamentaschen on Purim,...
By Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published December 14, 2017
Hanukkah is not over yet. There is still time to celebrate the courage that our ancestors displayed in their revolt against religious persecution and, of course, the miracle of that tiny crucible of oil that burned for eight days. Like me, many of you...
By Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published June 8, 2016
If you had counted 49 days from the second day of Passover, also known as the Counting of the Omer, you would reach number 49 on Saturday, June 11, which is erev Shavuot. That holiday commemorates both the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai and the harvest...
By Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published April 13, 2016
Centuries of religious intolerance and oppression forced generation upon generation of our ancestors to flee their lands in search of some sanctuary in the Diaspora where they could live in peace as Jews. And along the way, they developed unique cuisines...
By Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published August 19, 2015
IngredientsStreusel:½ cup brown sugar2 tbsp. flour1 tsp. cinnamon2 tbsp. butter, coldPinch of saltDough and kuchen:2¼ tsp., or 1 package, active dry yeast, or 2 tsp. instant yeast¼ c. warm water, approximately 110 degrees2 c. plus 2 tbsp. all-purpose...
IngredientsDough:½ tsp. salt1/3 c. ice water, plus an additional sprinkle or two if needed1½ c. plus 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour½ c. (1 stick) plus 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and refrigeratedFilling:10 medium-large Italian prune plums,...
"Soup puts the heart at ease, calms down the violence of hunger, eliminates the tension of the day, and awakens and refines the appetite." - Auguste Escoffier Chicken soup is not the only soup that nurtures the body and feeds the soul. On a cold winter...
By Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published June 29, 2011
Many of us dream of what might have been. What if we had, say, gone to veterinarian school, continued practicing piano, joined the Peace Corps, or opened an independent bookstore? Sometimes we're able to turn our passions into hobbies. For the fortunate...
by Margi Lenga Kahn, Special to the Jewish Light
• Published December 29, 2010
My childhood passion for babka was rekindled on a recent trip to Israel, where every bakery window I passed, including my favorite, Roladin, was filled with rows of stunning sweet breads that made my mouth water with their glistening, syrupy glazes and...
