NEWS FLASH!

"Sinai, Egypt -- The Hebrews, tired and exhausted from their trek of the past seven weeks across the desert, are awakened suddenly by thunder and blasts of a heavenly shofar. After being reported missing for many days on top of the mountain, Moses has been sighted, descending amidst a sudden burst of flowers and greenery on the slopes. It is official, Shavuot is here."

This holiday is known by many names: the Festival of Weeks, the Festival of the First Fruits, Cutting of the Crop, and what is most important, "Z'man Matan Torateinu, The Time of the Giving of Our Torah." This anniversary commemorates the basis of what these pieces are about -- the giving of the kosher laws.

I was breezing through the produce aisle at the local super-mega-ultra-mart contemplating this important event and at the same time (I multitask) looking for some seasonal happiness to the night's dinner. Don't know what's in season? Free clue: if the price is under a U.S. dollar per pound, be assured it's in season.

Anyway, I found myself in front of the artichoke bin without remembering how I got there and it struck me like the lightning on Sinai how Shavuot is the end of a journey. At the same moment I realized that if one isn't into featuring the traditional cheesecake and blintzes, then artichokes are a grand alternative symbol of the holiday.

As we travel from physical liberation (Pesach) to spiritual liberation (Shavuot) and shed our outer selves to reveal our inner truths, we peel the leaves from an artichoke one by one by one to reveal the sweet and tender heart. These scions of the thistle family grow by threes on each stem, and reflect the three-fold aspect of the holiday: the conclusion of the counting of the Omer, the bringing of the first fruits to the Second Temple, and the Giving of The Torah. Another three-thing is the repeated phrase "Do not cook a lamb/goat/kid in its mother's milk," the basis of the prohibition of mixing milk and meat.

The green of the artichokes reminds us of the greenery that sprouted in Moses' path; as we break the leaves from the globe and then taste the slight astringent bitterness, we remember the first set of tablets that were broken.

Artichokes are very heart-healthy, with virtually no fat by themselves, a good source of dietary fiber, and have almost as much potassium as a banana. Newlyweds (and Shavuot is also referred to as the wedding between G-d and his People, with Torah as the ketubah, or wedding contract) should be aware that artichokes are quite high in folates and folic acid, recommended for expecting parents as a preventive for birth defects.

As in the story of Ruth and Naomi, (another custom of this holiday is to read the Book of Ruth, since Ruth's conversion is a metaphor of the Hebrews' conversion to become Jews), we combine Pauline Miller's Fritter Batter and Dotty B.'s low-fat dip to produce a batch of glistening golden artichoke nuggets. The hearts can also just be dredged in egg white, then seasoned flour, and oven-fried as an option here.

Our correspondent in Milan, the ever-delightful cookbook author Joan Rundo, brings us an excellent side dish to a dairy dinner or Shavuot brunch since it looks like it can triple quite handily.

There are several reasons why Shavuot is a dairy holiday, among them that one of the eight names for Sinai is "gevunim" because of it's resemblance to cheese. A more practical reason is that since the laws of kashruth had suddenly appeared, the people had no time to properly cleanse their cooking utensils and so had to eat dairy foods for the time being. Some of our communities will have a dairy dinner on Erev Shavuot and a meat dinner on the day itself as a symbol of this progression. Annnnd, speaking of Italian delights, foodie Jo shares her Fritto Misto in recognition of this custom. Don't be put off by the seeming complexity of this; most of the time spent is in the preparation.

Fritter Batter (D, TNT)
Source: Newspaper

Yield: approximately 2 cups
1 cup flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk

Sift the first four ingredients together. Add the egg and milk. Mix thoroughly.

Posted by Pauline Miller
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A 

Lemon Yogurt Vinaigrette (D, TNT)
Source: Unknown

Yield: about 1 cup
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt

In a mixing bowl, combine the lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, and Dijon mustard. Whisk in the yogurt.

Poster's Notes: I like to serve this dressing over bean salads.

Posted by Dotty B.
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A 

Artichokes and Potatoes (Carciofi E Patate) (P, KLP, TNT)
Source: Unknown
Serves: 4

4 large artichokes or 8 small ones
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
4 large potatoes or 8 small ones
1 big bunch parsley, finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
salt
pepper
1 lemon (for soaking artichokes in water)

Prepare the artichokes by cutting off the top to eliminate the thorns. Remove any tough outer leaves. Cut the artichoke vertically in half and then in half again so that you're left with quarters. It's now easy to remove the "choke" with a sharp knife. As each quarter is ready, throw it into a large bowl filled with cold water and the juice of a lemon to stop them turning black.

Peel the potatoes and cut into small pieces.

Warm the olive oil in a wide but low pan. Add the garlic and let it turn golden and then the drained artichokes and potatoes. Stir around for a bit to make sure they are covered in oil and then pour in enough cold water to cover them by about 1/2". Add salt and pepper. Bring to boil and then lower the heat and cook for about 15 minutes. Add the parsley and after another minute remove from heat and serve.

Poster's Notes: I absolutely adore artichokes -- my husband knows that a "bunch" of artichokes" is a better gift than a bunch of flowers!!! Here is an Italian recipe for artichokes that is very simple and delicious! (In Italy there are lots of types of artichokes, from small Sardinian ones with thorns to the huge Roman ones without thorns)

Posted by Joan Rundo
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A

Fritto Misto (M, TNT)
Source: about.com
Serves: 6

1-1/2 pounds (700g) ground beef
1 egg
1/2 an onion minced
3 tablespoons bread paste made by dipping bread in broth and squeezing it dry
3 artichokes
2 zucchini
1 piece cauliflower (several florets)

For the Sautéing:

1 egg
Breadcrumbs
Salt, pepper
Oil for frying

Combine the meat, bread paste, egg, and season the mixture to taste with salt and pepper. Strip away all the tough outer leaves of the artichokes, cut them in half, discarding any fuzz you may find in the chokes, and cut them into wedges; cut the other vegetables into wedges too, and wrap a little meat around each piece of vegetable so as to form balls.

Dip each meatball thus obtained into a lightly beaten egg, roll it in breadcrumbs, and fry them in hot oil.

Set a pot on the fire with a minced clove of garlic and the onion, and sauté the vegetables in olive oil until they onion is golden, then add some water and a dot of tomato paste, and finish cooking the meatballs in the sauce.

Poster's Notes: Though many people associate couscous with Arabian cooking, it also plays a part in Italian-Jewish cooking, because it was brought by the Sephardim who fled to Italy following the establishment of the Inquisition in Spain in the 1490s. These meatballs are a traditional accompaniment to couscous, and will also be pleasant tidbit, for example in a Fritto Misto.

Posted by Jo
Nutritional Info Per Serving: N/A

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