Persian Palace Purim ... WHAT HAPPENS IN SHUSHAN STAYS IN SHUSHAN

Passionate about all things food and fun ??

join the New Shul and CuisinEtc Catering for

a celebration of Persian Palace Purim

- Rocking it New Shul Style

Folies Esthere

Food, Wine, Music, Dancing + FUN

WHAT HAPPENS IN SHUSHAN STAYS IN SHUSHAN

Who: The New Shul and CuisinEtc Catering

What: Folies Estere

a Festive Purim Party in our Fabulous Downtown Palace

Where: Village Community School (VCS),

272 West 10th St between Greenwich + Washington St

When: This coming Saturday February 27, 2010

****free for members,

$10 admission for non member guests*************

You are encourage to WEAR a fun costume, make ALOT of noise, DRINK alot of wine

and NIBBLE on FUN food for adults and kidz alike.

Sample CuisinEtc handmade hamantashen too!!!

,, The Sultan's Falafel Station Cooked by Chef Andrew at the CuisinEtc's Trojan Horse Station

.. For The Kid In All Of Us Old Fashioned Mac N Cheez In Triangle Cups

.. Roasted Garlic + Cilantro Hummous Sunflower with Pita and Carrot Petals

.. Marinated Veggie Platters

.. Lemon Scented Dolmatis with Crumbled Feta and Peppers

.. CuisinEtc Herbed Rondele Cheese Torta with Sundried Tomato Pepper Pesto + Housemade Crostinis

.. Haman's Piquant Samosa Triangles with Lime Chili Jam Dip

.. Palace Crowns - Hand Carved Cucumber Crowns topped with Baba Ganoush

.. Bejeweled Apricots - Sundried Apricots Stuffed with Cheesecake + Dried Cherries

.. Housemade Fruit Filled Hamantashen and Colorful Sugar Dusted Jewish Star Cookies

.. Festive Purim Décor and more...

Celebrating The New Year of the Trees ............. The Tu B'Shvat Experience at the New Shul

Friday night Shabbat at the New Shul is always
a warm and welcoming community experience
and this past friday, was no exception.
The community gathered in celebration of Tu B'Shvat -
the Jewish New Year of the Trees -
a holiday that is celebrated by drinking
4 glasses of wine and working your way thru a series
seder plates that involve different fruits,
as well as the community poetry, arts + crafts
and performances from song to dance

Certainly a fun + delicious experience for all ages!





The first world seder plate represented fruits that have an
inedible shell or peel and an edible interior
our first world seder plate is represented
with bananas, clementines, pomegranate, coconut + carob


The second world seder plate represents fruits
that have inedible seeds or pits, but the skin and flesh is edible
our seder plate is represented with
dates, green +black olives, and apples


The third world fruits
are completely edible
so CuisinEtc had fun with a bit of arts and crafts of our own
and made edible skewered vases of
strawberries + grapes
along with cherry tomatoes + carved cucumber crowns.




adults and children alike enjoyed decorating personalized Tzedakah Boxes (charity bottles), made from re-cyled materials, to take home for putting spare change into for the New Shul's community art project to benefit The Mayim Project. Another great example of the New Shul's commitment to recyling, reusing and reaching out to the greater community and world!






The shabbot dinner that followed catered by CuisinEtc
included delicious and healthy choices
such as Tilapia Primavera
oven roasted filet of tilapia brushed with honey mustard
and shingled with thinly sliced fresh yellow + green zucchini,
roma tomato and nestled on a bed of julienned carrots + squash


in honor of the holiday the buffet table was decorated
with real tree branches and fresh organic farmstand apples

many of the dishes incorporated fruits + veggies
as is appropriate for Tu B'Shvat.
such as Sauteed Kale with White Beans + Roasted Garlic,
Organic Farmstand Apple Kugel
and
Pomegranite Cranberry Quinoa Salad
- blending old traditions with new world grains...


organic field greens with yellow peppers
and Israeli grown organic cherry tomatoes tossed with
CuisinEtc house made roasted garlic balsamic vinaigrette


Enchanted Broccoli Forest Salad with Mandarin Oranges


dijon roasted potatoes with marinated artichokes
and fire roasted red peppers - not your mama's potato salad!


Middle Eastern Fruit Tsimmes "Salsa"
incorporating dried fruits such as
apricots, dates, prunes, raisons, cranberries,
with fresh veggies such as carrots, sweet potato
stewed with honey and spices - very tasty!
and a nice compliment to the
Organic Local Farmstand Apple Kugel


who doesn't love blintz and cupcakes??

(by popular request, see recipe below)
combine the two and you have a winner
Blintz Cupcakes with sour cream and organic apple + berry topping




other desserts included chocolate pudding
and Dianne's infamous chocolate caramel cracker candy
(which the kitchen staff just calls
"crack" for short as its utterly addictive)

Recipe for Blintz Cupcakes
- courtesy of my catering buddy,
Mimi Markofsky, Elite Kosher Catering, Michigan

BLINTZ CUPCAKES (great FOR PASSOVER)

1 pound cottage cheese

2 ounces margarine or butter, melted

3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup matza cake meal, scant

4 eggs, beaten



1. Mix all ingredients together except eggs;
then add eggs. Grease muffin tins.

2. Fill tins 3/4 full; bake 350°F for 40 to 45 minutes if using large muffin tins.
Smaller muffin tins will require less time.
Serve with sour cream and/or jelly or fresh fruit

Farm to Table Sukkot Festival ........... a One Hundred and One Mile Journey of Deliciousness

Farm to Table Sukkot Festival

Sunday October 4th

2 - 4 pm

the New Shul NYC

272 W 10th St

New York City

A taste of the Menu for Sukkot FEAST- A - VAL

for the kid in all of us

...old fashioned mac & cheese

...Organic Turnip and Honey Apple Soup

...Bhel Puri Organic Yukon Gold Potato with suffolk county farm grown onions, fresh cilantro, suffolk county farm grown stringbeans, cuisinetc housemade cilantro + tamarind dressing and crunchy Indian noodles.

...CuisinEtc Crostini Bar

housemade garlic + herb Crostinis

with various housemade spreads + toppings such as
..red + yellow farmstand tomato + zucchini provencal

...eggplant capanata

..wilted chard with sage, garlic & white beans + musto dressing

..olive tapenade

>>international + domestic cheese boards

- assorted cheeses

>>julienned organic carrots + black sesame salad

>>organic marinated broccoli salad with mini pepper rings

served in natural oversized pumpkin bowl

>> naturally grown string bean, apples,

nuts & romaine salad with honey balsamic dressing

>>union square farmers market zucchini provencal

served in North fork grown pumpkin bowl -

and more...

>>Briermere Farms New York State Fall Honey Crisp Apples

hand dipped by Lisa Teiger CuisinEtc Culinary Artist, in caramel

AND MORE.....

families welcome and encouraged

activities and teachings for young and old

Come join the new Shul and celebrate the Sukkot harvest

with delicous farm to table food from

local North Fork Long Island farmers

cooked up by our talented culinary team at CuisinEtc.

.. Peter Danforth who manages a school program at the Suffolk county farm

(insert link here) will be available talk about summer camp programs

and his connections to the local long island farmers and organic farming

sure to be an exciting experience for all!!

Families will be able to sample foods made with

produce grown within a hundred miles of their front door

and we will send you home with some just picked goodies

and sample recipe links as well as literature on

local nyc csa's (community supported agriculture)

so that you too can get involved on the grassroots level

in supporting these dedicated New York organic

in their never ending quest to bring real food to the NY table!!.

Menu will revolve around fresh produce from North Fork Farms

such as

Suffolk Farm Yukon Gold Potatoes

made into a Bhel Puri Indian Potato + Chickpea Salad

LI Fresh Turnips + Honey Roasted Apple Soup ** see recipe below

Briermere Farms Long Island Honey Crisp Apples Dipped in Caramel

Garden of Eve Broccoli - tossed with Thai Vinaigrette + fresh pepper rings

kid friendly offerings as well...

AND MORE

come join in the FEASTIVIITES -

check out the local and Jewish program at the New Shul Blogsite for upcoming details

as well as the calendar on the New Shul website for further details

the location will be

at the Village Community School Outdoor Yard

and in the tradition of sukkot we will be eating under the sukka

children will be able to decorate the sukka and have fun playing, learning and eating

their way through this festive harvest festival holiday.

The New Shul

at the Village Community School

272 W 10th St

New York City

thanks to the Long Island North Fork Farms for their
contributions of fresh organic and naturally grown produce
Think Globally, Eat Locally

NYC Greenmarkets

"When you speak of the East End of Long Island, many New Yorkers aren’t even aware that there is a North Fork; it’s all Hamptons all the time. But while the South Fork has been busy amassing celebrity residents and a permanent place in the gossip columns, the North Fork has quietly gone about staging a revolution in winemaking and organic, sustainable agriculture. For serious foodies, this is where the real action is."
Excerpted from the I love NY site

Project soar Stewards of Americas Harvest
at the Suffolk County Farm
Bushels of naturally grown, pestide + chemical free veggies
...Yukkon gold potato
....Onions
....Green beans

Peter Danforth

Director of Operations for Project SOAR

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County

350 Yapank Rd.

Yaphank, NY 11980

631-300-5998

pd236@cornell.edu

Peter donated more than just produce with his organic and natural presents and charming presence

at the Sukkot event.

He spoke about farming and handed out literature

He solicited and collected the various donations and faciliated the delivery

without his help this event would have been much less ORGANIC and delicious

and we thank him for his naturally delicious contributions -

life is a journey and

Peter helped to make it a delicious one.

Peter is a

green mensch & a half

in my book...

KK's "THE FARM"
K.K. Haspel, Farmer

Southould

North Fork Long Island New York

"K.K. Haspel runs The Farm, where she practices a type of farming known as biodynamics, which is kind of like organic farming taken to a whole new level. “It’s spiritual,” Hayden explains. “It’s going back to the Native Americans. You follow lunar planting cycles, purging the earth of any impurities, planting frankincense, myrrh, all this stuff that goes back to the Bible—it gets a little wacky.”
But it works, he insists. What convinced him at first were her tomatoes. “Her tomatoes were the real deal. They were ugly and gnarly, but delicious. At the time she had a very small crop. If you go over there today she’s growing the entire seven acres with raised beds, three greenhouses. She makes her own compost, and it is like black gold. She grows everything from edemame to fresh ginger root. Her farm is unbelievable.”
And that growth is directly tied into the symbiotic relationship Haspel shares with the North Fork Table & Inn. If the restaurant needs something, Haspel plants it. If Haspel has a good batch of something else, the chefs swing by and add it to the menu. (Today it’s Russian red kale to complement the halibut.) And, if they need something, the chefs just pop up the road and clip it off the stalk themselves. “We’re serving stuff that’s three, four hours out of the ground,” Fleming adds. “You can’t beat that.”
After our chat, Hayden and Fleming sent us up the street (less than a mile) to see Haspel’s operation first hand. We drove up, and K.K., a lanky, amiable woman in her sixties, strolled out to meet us and take us around. She led us through her greenhouses and her fields, explaining her techniques. “I start everything from seed,” she says. “It’s a holistic approach to organics. Organic farming is more about the materials you use, like how you rotate your crops and not using pesticides. We do that, but biodynamics is actually about attracting positive cosmic influences. I plant with a certain calendar, depending on where the moon and star constellations are. In Europe it’s pretty mainstream.”
Hayden is right. It is a little wacky, but walking around Haspel’s farm, eating greens and vegetables right off the stalk, bursting with flavor, you couldn’t really argue. Learning about biodynamic farming is a bit like going to a yoga class. You can scoff at all the talk of chakras and energy fields, but, walking out loose and relaxed, darn it if you don’t feel a thousand times better than you did walking in. That night, sitting down to dinner at the North Fork Table & Inn, the beauty and benefits of biodynamics were on full display. From the restaurant’s tasting menu we enjoyed a vast spectrum of local produce and game, from delectable roasted golden beets with pistachios and ricotta to pancetta-crusted rabbit loin with fava beans and asparagus. A pairing of local North Fork wines with each course made the perfect accent to the fresh, flavorful fare."
excerpted from I LOVE NY SITE

special note from Lisa Teiger of CuisinEtc - I have personally visited and purchased organic green zebra plants for planting at Mark Unger's New York Natural Farm this summer - KK and her family have an amazing operation that runs smoothly and efficiently - she is most often found in faded farmers overalls - clipping flowers and veggies and prepping the farm along with her husband, son and many workers to produce the fantastic produce that we have come to crave. Thank you KK for all that you do and for participating in our Sukkot Harvest Feast- a- val - in my eyes, you are an Alice Waters of the North Fork...


KK the Farm
Biodynamic Farming
thank you for your donation of Fresh Turnips

which we turned into "turnip and honey apple soup"

(see recipe at bottom of this blog entry)

Ira & KK Haspel

khaspel@irahaspel.com

59945 Main Rd

Southold, NY 11971-4709

telephone: 631-765-2075

Affiliation: NOFA-NY Farmer's Pledge

Products: NCP: Heirloom Tomatoes, Strawberries, Raspberries, Yellow Wax Beans, Lettuce Mix, Swiss Chard, Garlic, Edamane, Potatoes, Leeks, Cut Flowers, Tomato Transplants

Locations: At Farm (see above address)

Sang Lee Farm
Fred & Karen Lee

25180 County Rd 48

Peconic New York 11958-1319
North Fork Long Island New York

Telephone 631-734-7001

Fax 631-734-7103

Email fred@sangleefarms.com

Web Site www.sangleefarms.com

Locations At Farm ((see above address)

Affiliation NOFA-NY Certified Organic

Products COP: Asian & Baby Salad Greens, Heirloom Tomatoes, Herbs, Specialty Peppers, Eggplant, Squash, Beans, Edaname, Chinese Cabbage, Baby Bok Choy, Asian Vegetables, Summer Melons | NCP: Edible Flowers, Perennials, Cut Flowers, Potted Flowering Plants

Sang Lee Farms is a family owned and operated Certified Organic Specialty Vegetable Farm selling through their retail farm stand, farm CSA and at several farmer's markets located around the Long Island area during the growing season.


They are especially well known for their Asian produce, Baby Salad greens, Heirloom Tomatoes and their own line of specialty food products that include Salad Dressings, Pestos, Dips, Cooking sauces, Pickled and Canned Vegetables. They offer U-pick Heirloom tomatoes, tours and special events with advanced arrangements and reservations. Please call or e-mail for more information.

You can find Sang Lee at NYC Greenmarkets (see various greenmarket locations)
eg Fulton Green Market in Brooklyn,
Union Square Farmers Market


thank you Sang Lee Farms for the contribution of
Organic Broccoli which many people got to take home

and we also demonstrated how to make Organic Thai style broccoli salad

(see recipe at the bottom of this blog post)

Garden of Eve
Chris & Eve Kaplan-Walbrecht

PO Box 216, 267 Pennys Rd, Riverhead

631-523-6608

farm stand is in Aquebogue or perhaps Mattituck

North Fork Long Island New York

Email farmer@gardenofevefarm.com

Web Site www.gardenofevefarm.com

Locations NYC: West Side, Williamsburg, Greenpoint, McCarren Pk, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn Heights, Kensington, Windsor Ter, Manhassett, Bayport, Roslyn

Affiliation NOFA-NY Certified Organic

Products COP: Mesclun, Heirloom Tomatoes, Cucumbers, Zucchini, Swiss Chard, Kale, Squash, Pumpkin, Cut Flowers, Garlic, Berries, Herbs, Melons, Potted Herbs | NCP: Free-range Eggs

thanks to Garden of Eve for

their donation of Assorted Organic greens
Kale, Arugula, Swiss chard Collard greens Romaine + Napa

which many members got to take home

New York Natural Farm
Mattituck
North Fork Long Island New York


the accidental garden pumpkins and assorted squashes
Mark Unger, Farmer
Pumpkins & Assorted Squashes

thank you for your donation of pumpkins that were used

for the bowls and displays.

Briermere Farms - thank you to Clark Briermere and his family for donating the apples that we used for dipping in the caramel. and to Clark for his advice to farmer Mark on the accidental garden pumpkins too. Briermere Farms is a 2009 Particpant in the Agricultural Stewardship Program of Suffolk County. Here's the skinny on that

Briermere Farms

4414 Sound Avenue

Riverhead, NY 1190

(631) 722-8421

Participates in a project to reduce the number of fruit orchard moth pests by using pheromones; naturally occurring chemicals which are given off by the femal moth to attract the male.

The Stewardship Project in conjunction with Cornell University Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County

Uses phereomones to disrupt the male moths' mating patterns. Pheromone saturated "ties" are hung in fruit trees. Adult males become distracted (just like teenagers) and cannot locate a female moth to mate, preventing future generations and eventually eliminating the pest. The goal is for pheromone disruption to become a common method of controlling pests.

Both Suffolk County and the rest of the world thanks Briermere farms for participating in the Program's ongoing research to find NATURAL methods of controlling pests in fruit orchards.

and I would personally like to thank Clark and his family for their delicious fruits, vegetables and especially for their incredible RASPBERRY PIES made on site at the farm using their own fruits and labors - truly a chowhound experience not to be missed is stopping by the various farms listed above and partaking in fresh, organic and naturally grown produce and baked goods - you and your family will cherish the experience.

and to the mensch of the day,
Peter Danforth

for his wonderful presentation
and dedication to the cause of promoting farming
and his personal Chocolate peppers
due to a glitch with the new Suffolk County Farm
there is no current web link for the programs such as SOAR

that Peter runs, but you can reach him directly

with questions and for information at 631.300.5998

I will update the blog with a direct link when it becomes available.




as part of the CuisinEtc experience and routine,

Chef Andrew and I frequent NYC Farmers markets

in the various boroughs

and for this event
also purchased various items from
the Union square Farmers Market
such as
colorful organic Mini peppers
farmstand yellow and red tomatoes
fresh organic herbs such as sage, mint, lavender, lemon thyme
Cape gooseberries
Romanesque broccoli
fresh zucchini and yellow squash
cilantro,


LI Fresh Turnips + Honey Roasted Harvest Apple Soup

recipe adapted from Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant
a fantastic vegetarian legacy restaurant

Apple and Turnip Soup


1 medium onion, chopped

1 T butter

3 medium-large turnips, peeled and chopped (about 3 cups)

3 large crisp apples, peeled, cored, and sliceded (about 3 cups)

then sauteed with butter and honey until just soft but not mushy
1 -2 t fresh lemon thyme

1/2t salt

1 1/4C vegie stock or water

1 1/2-2C apple juice

freshly ground pepper


In a large saucepan, saute the onion in butter for about 5 minutes, until translucent but not browned.
Add the chopped turnips and honey roasted apples along with the salt and herbs.
Saute for another 10 minutes or so, stirring occasionally. 
Add the stock or water and cook, covered, on low heat for 20-30 minutes,
until the turnips are soft and tender.

Add the spices.
In a blender or food processor, puree the soup with the juice,
until smooth and thick.
Season with pepper to taste.
Serve with optional garnishes,
such as swirl of creme fraiche or greek yogurt, if desired.

Organic Thai Style Broccoli Salad

(thanks to CJ for the original recipe which we have modified natch)

INGREDIENTS:

1 -2 heads organic broccoli, broken into smallish florets

(did you all recognize the taste difference in the organic fresh broccoli from Eve's and how there was NO bitterness - just the fresh wonderful broccoli flavor)

4-5 organic baby red, orange + yellow peppers, cut into rings

(or 1-2 big sized organic colored peppers cut into julienne strips)

1 cup organic vegetable oil (do NOT use olive oil - you want a more neutral flavor here)

½ cup organic red wine vinegar

½ cup organic rice wine vinegar

1 cup organic demerara sugar

¼ cup organic wheat free tamari (wood aged) or if not good quality soy sauce

Salt

Pepper

Crushed organic red pepper flakes (to taste)

optional: 1 cup organic roasted cashews or organic roasted peanuts (honey roasted is great as are flavored nuts that you can get at Trader Joes)

optional: organic mandarin orange segments (preferably not sweetened)

optional: canned or fresh waterchestnuts peeled and sliced (harder to find organic)

PREPARATION:

1) Make Thai vinaigrette by whisking together oil, vinegars, sugar, soy sauce, salt (to taste), pepper (to taste) and crushed red pepper (to taste).

2) Marinate broccoli heads, rings of red, orange + yellow peppers in Thai vinaigrette (at least 4 hours, and up to 1 day in advance).

3) optional Just before serving, mix in/top with spiced cashews or honey roasted peanuts.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings

*** Dawn’s notes: Per Carl: can add a can crushed tomatoes; bring to a boil and cool before marinating veggies. Can also add sun dried cherries for a nice effect.

Break Fast - Yom Kippur Meal

break fast at the New Shul NYC

bubby's apple kugel

grilled salmon niscoise

bagels, pumpernickel rolls, buttermilk biscuits

country bread, vidalia egg salad

caesar salad

chocolate milk shakes went before everything else

everyone from young to old loved them

grilled asparagus + veggies yum!

New Shul Yom Kippur Break Fast at the VCS

peaking over the bread

at the vidalia egg salad

YOM KIPPUR Break Fast

Caprese salad with fresh mozzarella heirloom

cherry tomato & herbed pasta salad

Jewish Star Israeli Cous Cous

with Spicy Morrocan Chickpea Stew

Olive Tapenade Mousse on mini biscuits

Sunflower Hummous Display with Carrot Petals + Olive “Seeds”

green platter

Lemon Scented Dolmatis & Red Pepper Confetti

Cheese board Wheel of Romano

Spanish Manchego

dark irish cheddar + Guiness

Jarlsberg Light Slices

Blue Gouda

Pap

olives various glasses

Caesar salad with Croissant Croutons

Potato + Three Cheese Casserole

Grilled veggie salad

Grilled Salmon Niscoise Salad

(sliced baguettes on side)

with mixed greens and veggies

Our Outrageously good Vidalia Egg Salad

sesame studded pumpernickel rolls

dark rye

assorted bagels

coconut meringues

watermelon

pineapples & two colored grapes

creamy apple kugel