This past Shabbat I was perusing the paper (yeah for the Sunday sections that come on Saturday) and was greeted by a full page image of very colorful cookies.
It was certainly eye-catching and then I saw the name - Technicolor Cookies! As someone who grew up singing songs from Andrew Lloyd Weber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat the word "technicolor" is forever associated for me with Joseph.
Now, I don't think that's why the NY Times printed a recipe for these cookies this week, but it sure works out for us. In this week's parsha Joseph is given his special coat from Jacob, something that surely makes his brother's jealous. Now, as our youngest son pointed out, it's not necessarily described as colorful in the text. The text reads:
וְיִשְׂרָאֵ֗ל אָהַ֤ב אֶת־יוֹסֵף֙ מִכׇּל־בָּנָ֔יו כִּֽי־בֶן־זְקֻנִ֥ים ה֖וּא ל֑וֹ וְעָ֥שָׂה ל֖וֹ כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים׃
The key words are "כְּתֹ֥נֶת פַּסִּֽים" and the translations acknoweldge that the Hebrew is obscure, though most translate it as "an ornamented tunic." Even that could mean a variety of things, but for most of us, we think of it as a colorful coat. So, the technicolor cookies are a perfect dessert for this Shabbat. (https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1024779-technicolor-cookies)
If you've seen Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, you may remember that the first act ends with Joseph in jail, having just interpreted the dreams of Pharoah's two servants - the cupbearer and the baker. That's the same place where our parsha ends for the "intermission of this week" before the Joseph story continues in next week's parsha (coincidence?! I don't think so.) For this part of the story, I chose a food to focus on the cupbearer's dream of picking grapes with a recipe for "Pickled Grapes with Rosemary." Picking...pickled...see what I did there?! (recipe below)
In the midst of the Joseph story, there's the story of Judah and Tamar.
Since this is the story is my namesake, when I first learned of it, I was intrigued. I love that Tamar after many years of waiting and hoping for security, Tamar takes matters into her own hands to get what she needs.
If you are unfamiliar with the story - take a read! In honor of Tamar, the recipe I'd make is one of my favorite versatile recipes I discovered the 2nd year we lived in Israel. It can be eaten hot or cold, as a side or a main dish, good for vegetarians...It's delicious. (recipe below)
Shabbat Shalom and B'Tayavon!
Pickled Grapes with Rosemary
3 c of seedless grapes (nice to mix red and green)
1.5 c white wine vinegar
3/4c water
1.5 T kosher salt
1 T sugar
2 cloves garlic, lightly smashed
1 sprig of rosemary (about 3 inches)
3/8 tsp red pepper flakes or 1 tsp black peppercorns
1 T crushed coriander seeds
Pack the grapes into 1 quart size or 2 pint size glass jars or other glass containers with lids.
Remove leaves from rosemary sprig
In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, water, salt, sugar, garlic, rosemary, pepper flakes, and crushed coriander seeds. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let cool partially, about 20 minutes.
Pour the liquid over the grapes in the glass jars, cover loosely, and allow to finish cooling, about 1 hour. Cover tightly and refridgerate for at least 4 hours.
Cous cous salad with Dates
3 scallions
1 tbsp olive oil
14 ½ oz chicken broth
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp black pepper
¼ tsp red pepper
10 oz cous cous
3 tbls white wine vinegar (red wine is okay too)
¾ tsp salt
6 tbls olive oil
19 oz chickpeas
2 c shredded carrots (3-4 large carrots)
5 oz dates, roughly chopped
¼ c pinenuts, toasted
2 tbsp cilantro, optional
Finely dice the white part of the scallion. Slice the green part and reserve for salad later. Cook the white part with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add in broth, cinnamon, ¼ tsp black pepper, and all of the red pepper. Bring to a boil and add cous cous. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
Whisk together vinegar, ½ tsp salt, and remaining olive oil (6 tbsp)
Fluff cous cous with fork. Put in a large bowl and toss in green onion tops, chickpeas, carrots, dates and toasted pinenuts. Add ¼ tsp of salt and pepper. Add vinaigrette, toss and serve. (can be served hot or cold.)
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