Ma Hadash: Gratz College Student Newsletter

MA HADASH:

Student News at Gratz College

Upcoming Community Events

Thursday, April 15, noon

Dr. Rela Mintz Geffen on Revisiting Bringing Women In,
Jewish Community Services Building, 2100 Arch Street. In 1975, a ground breaking study, Bringing Women In, was conducted in Philadelphia by Dr. Geffen which pointed to inequities and imbalances in the workplace and the board room and created dialogue and conversation where none existed prior. Today, 35 years later JCPA has invited Dr. Geffen to speak about the role of women in communal life and the engagement of women in key leadership positions.
A kosher lunch will be provided at $18 per person, RSVP to Abby Gilbert abbygilfree@aol.com

May 6th-the annual program of the JCSA of North America-this year is in Philadelphia. This is a great networking event for professionals ( mostly on the East coast). Students who attended last year particularly found the morning sessions on skill building and networking to be of great help. Here's the link:
http://www.jcsana.org/articlenav.php?id=12

A Dozen Charoset Recipes from Around the Globe

1. EGYPTIAN CHAROSET

* 1 pound dried raisins
* 8 ounces pitted dates
* 1/4 cup sugar
* 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
* 2 cups water
Put raisins and dates in a bowl and cover with water. Let stand 1 hour. Add the sugar and whirl the mixture in a blender, a few spoonfuls at a time. or divide the mixture in thirds and
place in a food processor. Transfer the chopped fruits to a heavy saucepan and let simmer over low heat until the fruits are cooked and the liquid is absorbed. It should take about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a jar. When cool, sprinkle with chopped nuts. Makes about 4 cups

2. GREEK CHAROSET (RHODES)
Source: The Cookbook of the Jews of Greece by Nicholas Stavroulakis
Yield: 3 cups
* 1 1/4 cups dates, finely chopped
* 1 large orange
* 1/2 cup honey or sugar
* cinnamon to taste
* ground cloves to taste
* 1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped
* 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
* 5 ounces sweet red wine
Peel the orange and cut it into pieces. Remove the seeds, add the chopped dates, and mash together into a paste. Put the paste and honey in the top of a double boiler over gently simmering water and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for about 20 minutes or until it is
quite thick. Add the cloves, cinnamon, and wine, and simmer until very thick. Remove from the heat, stir in the chopped nuts, and turn out into a large bowl to cool.

3. MOROCCAN CHAROSET BALLS WITH DATES, RAISINS AND NUTS
Source: TVFN- Cooking Live Show #CL8862
Yield: about 60 pieces
* 2 cups pitted dates
* 1/2 cup golden raisins
* 1/2 cup dark raisins
* 1/2 cup walnuts
* 1 tablespoon sweet red Passover wine, (up to 2)
Process the dates, raisins, and walnuts in a food processor until the mixture is finely chopped and begins to stick together. Add enough wine to make a sticky mass. Line a
baking sheet with waxed paper. Drop slightly rounded measuring teaspoonfuls of the mixture onto a lined sheet. Roll each mound with moistened palms into hazelnut-size balls.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours or until firm.

4 SEVEN-FRUIT CHAROSET FROM SURINAM
Source: "The Jewish Holiday Kitchen" by Joan Nathan 1988
Yield: 5 cups
* 8 oz unsweetened coconut
* 8 oz chopped walnuts or:
* 8 oz grated almonds
* 1/4 c sugar
* 1 tbsp cinnamon
* 8 oz raisins
* 8 oz dried apples
* 8 oz dried prunes
* 8 oz dried apricots
* 8 oz dried pears
* 4 oz cherry jam
* sweet red wine
Combine everything except the jam and wine in a pot. Cover with water and simmer over low heat. Periodically, add small amounts of water to prevent sticking. Cook at least 90 minutes. When it is cohesive, stir in the jam and let stand until cool. Add enough sweet
wine to be absorbed by the charoset and chill. Makes 5 cups.

5. TURKISH CHAROSET
Yield: 10 servings
* 1 cup seedless raisins
* 1 pound pitted dates
* 1 orange, peeled, sliced and pitted
* 1 apple, peeled, cored and sliced
* 2 tablespoons sweet wine
1. Soak raisins 30 minutes in hot water to cover. Drain.
2. Grind raisins, dates, orange, and apple together. Add sweet wine to make a thick paste.
3. Cover and refrigerate until 1 hour before serving.
From: Nancy Berry(nlberry@prodigy.net)

6. YEMENITE CHAROSET V
Source: Translated from: "The Passover Cook Book" from Hava Nathan, 1986, published by
Zmora Bitan, Israel
* 1/2 kg pitted dates
* 1 1/2 cup walnuts
* 1/2 cup almonds
* 1 teasp. ground ginger
* 1 teasp. cinnamon
* 3 grains of "hehl" *SEE NOTE
* 1/4 teasp. black pepper
* 1/4 teasp. cumin
* 1 glass grape juice or orange juice
* 3 apples, grated
*NOTE: a spice the Yemenites also put
in their coffee.

Ground all the ingredients together except for the apples. Mix the ground ingredients with the apples.

7. VENETIAN CHAROSET
* 1+1/2 cups chestnut paste
* 1/2 cup pine nuts
* 10 ounces dates, chopped
* Grated rind of one orange
* 12 ounces figs, chopped
* 1/2 cup white raisins
* 2 Tbs poppy seeds
* 1/4 cup dried apricots
* 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
* 1/2 cup brandy
* 1/2 cup chopped almonds
* honey to bind
Combine all ingredients, gradually adding just enough brandy and honey to make the mixture bind. Other Italian Charoset recipes include mashed up bananas, apples, hardboiled
eggs, crushed matzah, pears, and lemon.
From: "Maxine L. Wolfson" (MLW@MATH.AMS.ORG)

8. NORTH AFRICAN CHAROSET
Source: The Folklore Cook Book by Molly Bar David (First edition) 1964
* 60 Grams Pine nuts
* 1 Cooked Egg yolk
* 1 Apple - Grated
* 1/2 Cup Sugar
* 1/2 Cup Almonds - Grounded
* 1/2 Cup Walnuts - Grounded
* 1 Lemon Juice and Zest
* Cinnamon and Ginger (to your own taste)
Mix together all ingredients.

9. GAROZA
Source: adapted from Recipes from the Jewish Kitchens of Curacao, by the Sisterhood of
Mikva Israel--Emanuel.
Yield: about 65 balls
* 2 pounds peanuts, not salted
* 1/2 pound cashews
* 1 pound dark brown sugar
* 1/2 pound pitted prunes
* 1/2 pound figs
* 1/4 cup candied fruit--optional
* 2 jiggers kosher wine
* 3 tablespoons orange juice
* 3 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
* 1/2 cup honey
* 2 to 3 tablespoons cinnamon plus extra for coating
If the cashews are salted, rinse them in cold water. Dry in the sun or a warm oven. Grind fruits and nuts. Add the sugar, honey, cinnamon, wine and juices to form a moist but firm mixture. With wet hands, roll the mixture into balls, 1" in diameter. Drop into a bowl
with cinnamon and roll the ball to coat thoroughly. Wrap in plastic film and store air tight. These candies can be frozen.
NOTE: This Sephardic recipe for Charoset makes a very tasty, egg-free candy
*Recipe based on one from Recipes from the Jewish Kitchens of Curacao, written by the
Sisterhood of Mikva Israel--Emanuel.
From: Eeyore (efalt@zianet.com)

10. PEAR AND MANGO CHAROSET
Yield: about 2-3 cups, 12 servings
* 2 medium sized pears, cored and coarsely chopped
* 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 1 cup fresh mango, peeled and diced
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1/4 cup walnuts
* 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 tablespoon honey
* 1 tablespoon sweet Passover wine
Place pears in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice. Place all the ingredients except for the wine in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse once or twice. Transfer mixture to a
bowl and stir in wine. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.
From: Leah Perez (perezleah@hotmail.com)

11. PERSIAN CHAROSET
Source: Mohtaran Shirazi via The Jewish Holiday Kitchen, Joan Nathan 1988
Yield: 5 cups
* 25 dates, pitted and diced
* 1/2 c unsalted pistachios
* 1/2 c almonds
* 1/2 c golden raisins
* 1 1/2 peeled apples, cored and diced
* 1 pomegranates
* 1 orange, peeled and diced
* 1 banana, sliced
* 1/2 c sweet red wine, to 1 cup
* 1/4 c cider vinegar
* 1/2 tbsp cayenne
* 1 tbsp ground cloves
* 1 tbsp ground cardamom
* 1 tsp cinnamon
* 1 tbsp black pepper
Combine all the fruits and nuts. Add the wine and vinegar until a pasty consistency is
achieved. Add the spices and blend well. Adjust seasonings.
Makes 5 cups.

12. CALIFORNIA CHAROSET
Source: Joan Nathan's "Jewish Holiday Kitchen"
* 1 whole orange
* 1 large avocado, peeled and diced
* juice of 1/2 lemon
* 1/2 cup sliced almonds
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 4 seedless dates
* 2 figs or prunes
* 2 Tbs apple juice
* 2 Tbs matzoh meal
Peel and section the orange; reserve the peel and the sections. Toss the avocado and lemon juice in a bowl. Set aside. In a processor or blender, place the almonds, raisins, dates, and figs. Process until coarsely chopped. Add the orange peel and sections and process briefly to combine. Add the avocado and process 1 or 2 seconds more. Transfer the mixture to a glass
bowl and gently fold in the apple juice and matzoh meal. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!! Hag Kasher v'sameach!

Greetings!

As we conclude our preparations for Pesach and move into the holiday, taking a break from our formal classes, we prepare to particiapte in one of the oldest Jewish educational rituals of our tradition, the seder. What a good time to take a step back and consider all we have learned over the past year from teachers and fellow classmaters and in informal exchanges in the hallways, the library, in our places of work, and in our families. Its also a nice chance to spend some time thinking about our goals for new learning for the year to come and to discover which questions are the ones we want to ask as we return to the rituals of this holiday this year.

Chag Kasher V'sameach!(in a very pluralist sense!)

Tamara

Associate Dean of Students

trcohen@gratz.edu

In This Issue

Don't Pass Over the Women

Spotlight on: Dana Moore

Don't Pass Over the Women