Jewish Comfort Food and Pandemic Quarantine

By Lynda Goldman

For over a year, I was self-isolated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Being home, alone, for more than 12 months, was not easy. Like many others, I missed being free to visit with friends and family, worship in person with my congregation, travel, and more. I found myself remembering good times from my past. Many of those memories involved convivial experiences like enjoying meals together.

Smell, taste, and sight are an integral part of memory. They add dimension and weight to the recollection. The smell of bread baking, the sight of the holiday table filled with beautifully plated delicacies, and the taste of a favorite family recipe instantly bring back palpable remembrances.

As far back as I can remember, the good times in our Jewish household included food. For example, one Sunday a month, our extended family gathered at our house to enjoy Sunday brunch. It began with the early morning trip to Raphil’s delicatessen on 41st Street in Miami Beach, where I grew up. It was a very narrow shop with long showcases displaying the copious delectable offerings. First, there was the fish: salmon (lox and nova), whitefish, sable, herrings, and more. Then came the side dishes: potato salad, coleslaw, pickles, sour tomatoes, eggplant salad, egg salad, hummus, etc. Finally, the meats: tongue, corned beef, pastrami, salami, among others. The deli also sold freshly baked breads, bagels, and bialys, as well as cream cheese and halvah of all flavors. As a child I was fascinated by how Ray, the deli’s owner, would ‘surgically’ slice the salmon, thin and perfectly uniform, with his razor-sharp, long knife. He was also a master ‘schmoozer,’ someone who could talk to anyone. He knew all of his repeat customers and got to know the new ones. He would ask about the well-being of the family, mentioning people by name and referencing issues. “So, how is Faegele? Has she recovered from the pneumonia?” Best of all, from my perspective as a child, he always offered samples and treats! Then, back home for the preparation, setting the large dining room table, preparing the deli platters, cutting up and arranging the fruit platters, and gathering flowers from the garden for the table. Sunday brunch included grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins and friends, and lasted from 10 am to 4 pm.

Of course, the same food focus was evident in the weekly Shabbat dinners, holiday gatherings, and special occasions—birthdays, graduations, deaths, etc. Eating together was a central cultural thread that held the family together. Over food we talked, sharing life’s joys and sorrows and discussing (making sense of) the events of our times and times past. It was during these extraordinary culinary events that I absorbed my Jewish family heritage.

So, is it surprising that during the isolation of the pandemic my soul ached for the ‘tastes’ of my youth? I found myself cooking some of the traditional food that brought me back to the communal eating experiences with my family. Every Shabbat, I made chicken soup. The familiar aroma and the delicate but complex taste of the broth combined to provoke, for me, the feeling of being ‘healed’ physically and spiritually; this was essential during a pandemic.

I also felt compelled to prepare my mother’s stews. As she cooked, she recounted the days of poverty during her youth. She came to this country as a three-year-old child. The family had very little money, so stretching provisions was an essential skill. Every chicken or piece of flanken had to provide multiple meals for a family of eight. There was also sweet and sour chicken and meatballs (my personal favorite), brisket, baked chicken, fish and boiled potatoes, mushroom barley or cabbage soup, borscht (beet soup), chopped liver and chopped herring, kugel (noodle pudding), challah (egg bread), and so many more.

While I am not a great cook, I observed these dishes being prepared so often, I memorized the unwritten recipes. Preparing them during this time of isolation brought a sense of solace. Through the sights, smells, and tastes of familiar foods, I was transported back to cherished times.

With vaccines, pandemic restrictions have eased. I am able again to host small brunch and dinner parties. Sharing meals with friends and family brings with it a sense of comfort. We can again meet, share, laugh, and eat together!

Sweet and Sour Chicken and Meatballs Recipe (4-6 People)

Ingredients

Meatballs and Chicken:

2 pounds ground beef
1 cup Challah crumbs
2 large egg, beaten
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoons fresh ground pepper
2 pounds chicken (I use skinless chicken thighs; my sweet mama would use whatever parts she had.)

Sauce:

1 cup chopped onions
1 cup chopped celery
½ cup carrots, finely chopped in small food processor
1 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped in small food processor
5 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (I love Meyer lemons from my daughters’ yard, when in season!)
3-4 tablespoons granulated raw sugar
2 tablespoons honey, or to taste (the sweet and the sour should be balanced)
2-3 teaspoons kosher salt (to taste)
½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 can chopped tomatoes undrained (28 ounces)
1 can tomato paste (6 ounces)
2 bay leaves
Drizzle of olive oil

Serve with:
Rice, noodles, or potatoes

Garnish:
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

Directions

Prepare Meat:

Meatballs
1. Combine all ingredients for the meat mixture in a large mixing bowl and mix well.
2. Form into small balls; do not pack too tightly.

Chicken
1. Using a paper towel, ‘pat’ chicken dry.

Cook:

Use a Dutch oven or other large heavy pot. (I still have my mother’s pot. Every time I use it, I think of her. It must be 80+ years old by now!)

1. Drizzle olive oil into the pot, heat.
2. Gently, brown meatballs on all sides and carefully remove from pot.
3. Brown chicken on both sides and remove from pot.
4. Place vegetables in the pot and sauté until onions are golden.
5. Add chopped tomatoes and tomato paste.
6. Add lemon juice, sugar, honey, salt and pepper.
7. Stir well.
8. Add bay leaves.
9. Bring to a slow boil.
10. Gently place meatballs and chicken back into the pot.
11. Simmer for 1 ½ -2 hours.
12. Taste the sauce. Adjust sweet/sour balance, as needed. Adjust salt and pepper, as needed.

It is best to prepare a day ahead of serving as the flavors improve.

Serve over rice, noodles or potatoes. Just before serving, sprinkle 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley on top (optional).

Chicken Stew Recipe (4-6 people)

Ingredients

3 1/2 pounds chicken pieces (I prefer chicken thighs, skinless, bone-in chicken thighs)
3 medium potatoes ( I use a mixture of russet and sweet potatoes)
2 carrots
1 zucchini
1 small parsnip (if desired)
1 red or yellow bell pepper
2 medium onions
2 celery ribs
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 chopped Roma tomatoes or 1, 14 1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
2 bay leaves
5 or 6 sprigs chopped, fresh dill weed (fresh, if at all possible)
5 or 6 sprigs chopped, fresh parsley
2-3 dried bay leaves
2 tablespoons of flour
Drizzle of olive or vegetable oil

Directions

1. Pat the chicken with paper towels to dry.
2. Peel the potatoes and cut them into equally sized cubes.
3. Peel the carrots and slice them into ½-inch rounds.
4. Cut the zucchini in half, lengthwise, remove the seed and cut into equally sized cubes. If using a parsnip, peel and cut into ½-inch rounds.
5. Remove the seeds from the red or yellow pepper and cut into 1-inch strips.
6. Peel the onion, cut into quarters, and slice.
7. Slice the celery, diagonally, into 1-inch pieces.
8. Add a drizzle of olive or vegetable oil to the bottom of a sturdy bottom soup pot or Dutch Oven.
9. Heat until sizzling.
10. Add chicken and brown.
11. When browned, remove chicken from the pot and set aside.
12. Add onion, celery, carrot and parsnips (if using), zucchini, and garlic.
13. When onions are translucent, return chicken to the pot.
14. Add tomatoes and ½ cup chicken broth.
15. Add parsley, dill, and bay leaves.
16. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
17. Bring to a boil.

In a mason jar or something similar combine 2 tablespoons flour with the remaining 1 cup chicken broth. Shake very well. Be sure there are no lumps. Slowly pour the mixture into the boiling chicken stew while stirring. Once your stew is thickened, allow it to boil for a couple of minutes. Then turn to simmer.

Cover and simmer for an additional hour.

Dr. Lynda Goldman is an Organization and Leadership Development consultant. She moved to Reno six years ago and is a member of Temple Sinai. She has served on their board and is currently a member of Temple Sinai’s Library Committee and along with others, she also facilitates Beyond Words, the synagogues’ book club. Perhaps most importantly, she is a mother and grandmother.

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Kathleen KuoJuly 26, 2021I1 Comment