Small roasted garlic cloves floated in a mini silver dish that looks like it came from some temple in the middle of ages. Every table shake made small waves in the dish swirling with grated pieces of garlic around the anchored garlic cloves, waiting to be attacked with my fork jihad style and mushed onto my multi grain challah, with the ever present thought that I should not be filling up on bread because I know what’s coming next. I never listen to these thoughts as reminiscent of all those times that the yetzer harah got me to do something that I knew I shouldn’t do. In fact, I go for the second garlic spread of grated garlic in olive oil, which works well with the fish as well. In fact the fish was probably caught by Aaron earlier in the week with his long beard swaying in the wind as he directed his sub-compact bass boats trolling motor towards the cattails where the small mouth bass hang out.
As suspected he did catch the fish we are eating now, it is awfully fishy, not in an awful way, in fact its very tasty and although images of GM dumping their PCB’s in the local streams flash into my mind, as well as the high rates of acid rain in NY state- I dismiss these thoughts as I generously swab my fish with these two roasted garlic and olive oil concoctions while using my crusty multi grain challah as a knife.
The conversation flows and the homemade wine does as well. Dry homemade wine leftover from Pesach is generously poured into Dixie cups and used to wash down the awesome food. As a non-pretentious foodie I am in heaven, I can imagine a classy person looking at this shabbos meal and scuffing in disgust, at the lack of fancy things like silver ware and wine glasses, no matter the food is visually and palatably amazing.
Sarah’s famous large white tray of grilled vegetables comes out and it is like autumns last throes, colorful and inviting but soon to be gone, via out stomachs and finally into composting toilets(well maybe minus the composting toilets) Parsnips slightly browned share the plate with carrots, different colored peppers, cauliflower and broccoli. Small lengthy rosemary seeds are poking from under the almost pornographic vegetable display that I am about to lust over, I can feel my saliva glands working up drool that I have to try hard to keep in my mouth. It is hard to believe that the plate is lacking the ever accompanying splotches of oil that usually go hand in hand with grilled vegetables.
Next comes these Kale chips, basically kale leaves with oil and some baking or something of the sort. They rock by the way and make eating kale a joy, because in the store it just looks like another version of Mustard Greens or Collard Greens. Something that white folks like ourselves just do not have the power to make edible, unless you happen to be a VW bus driving, naturopathic medicine practicing, burning man festival attending person who also celebrates Jerry’s yertzeit every year and we were definitely not of that variety, although I have always wanted a VW bus from the 70’s.
I have not eaten at Sarah and Arons house in quite some time, they moved away from Rochester while I was still in college there and though I have visited them in Toronto, my impending move to Monsey puts Toronto in range of full fledged road trip distance. So obviously my memories are blurred by the passage of time and the eating of shabbos food that while being hearty I am sure was never as inviting or as healthy as Sarah’s and while I would love to finish this semi erotic meal description I must leave you with this note.
Sarah is responsible for the creation of this blog, in fact prior to staying at their house in Toronto on the weekend of June 25, 2006 I had never even heard the word “Blog” before. Sarah is a blogger, and a whole bunch of other businesses to do with blogging. Of recent she has come up with a site called Healthy Shabbat which is meant to bring meal ideas for folks trying to prepare healthy kosher meals that taste and look great like the one described above. Gluten free recipes are also going to be featured as well.
5 comments for “Do you like healthy food as much as I do?”