This is the first parsha with a Parsha Inspired Menus post from last year (I was doing the project for longer, but I wasn't blogging about it.) It's a good thing the Torah has so much richness to it. If each year a rabbi can come up with a new dvar Torah, I can come up with a new parsha inspired menu, right?
Last year's ideas are still good too (check them out), but here are some new ones. The dramatic moment of the splitting of the sea happens in this parsha. The water often gets the attention here, but I decided to focus on what was revealed when the water was driven back - dry land.
That made me think of sun-dried tomatoes! A family favorite recipe is Chicken with Sun-Dried Tomatoes, which actually looks like of sandy, ground colored too, so that's the main dish for this week. (recipe card images below)
I've heard a lot about this parsha this year because our youngest son was studying it in his Tanach class at school. In helping him review for his test, I heard some interesting commentary about the pillar of fire and pillar of clouds that stayed with the Israelites and shielded them from the Egyptians as God split the sea. Ibn Ezra and Rashi say that the pillar of fire lit up the way so the Israelites could cross, while the pillar of cloud kept the Egyptians in the dark. So, what came to mind when I think of a pillar of cloud? Cotton Candy!
And these cotton candy packs have blue (cloud) and pink (close enough to fire!) So, cotton candy is going with dessert.
Finally, I have a special place in my heart for the dance of Miriam and the women as they celebrate their freedom. At Camp Ramah in New England, where our family has been spending our summers since 2014, the oldest edah (age group) does a dance on the first Shabbat to Debbie Friedman's "Miriam's Song." I love how much the campers get into it and how it has run through years of campers dancing along (with a change a few years ago to include the whole edah, not just the girls.) If you want to check out the dance, here's the one from 2021 (which happens to have one of our sons in it, so I'm biased about how awesome it is!) But while thinking about this
moment and how to turn into a menu item, I found this amazing idea on the Redefining Rebbetzin blog - "Faith is Packing Your Timbrel." When rushing to leave, and not even having time to prepare the food, these women brought along an object they could use when the moment of joy arrived. They knew it would come.
In honor of those timbrels, I am including a menu item that looks like a timbrel (or close enough!)
Amish Onion Cake
Ingredients
3 to 4 medium onions, chopped
2 cups cold margarine/plant butter, divided
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1-1/2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
5 large eggs, room temperature
3/4 cup 2% soy milk
3/4 cup fake sour cream
Directions
1. In a large skillet, cook onions in 1/2 cup margarine over low heat for 10 minutes. Stir in the poppy seeds, salt, paprika and pepper; cook until onions are golden brown, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, baking powder and sugars. Cut in 1-1/4 cups butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Melt the remaining margarine. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, soy milk, fake sour cream and melted margarine. Make a well in dry ingredients; stir in egg mixture just until moistened.
3. Spread into a greased 10-in. cast-iron skillet or springform pan. Spoon onion mixture over the batter. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350° until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Serve warm.
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