For the love of Temple and Jewish cooking
Sandy Ross is a member of Temple Emanu-El and a Jewish cooking aficionado. She agreed to tell Jewish Rhode Island readers what brought her to Jewish catering and cooking.
She said, “It was never anything within my realm to be a Jewish caterer.” It happened by chance when in 2001 after she had retired, she became an event manager at Smithfield Elks Lodge. It was during that time that she met Andrew who was one of the caterers she worked with. He asked if they could work together in his catering business. He was not Jewish, but his dream was to become a kosher caterer.
Sandy agreed and they worked together several years. Her role was to plan the menu and provide the recipes, some of which were her grandmother’s. Andrew’s role was to do all the cooking. She said, “I did everything but cook.”
She left when the business was very successful because both she and her husband wanted more time together. She was already retired. For the next five years she was at home immersed in her husband and family and engaged in volunteer activities.
Sandy’s husband passed three-and-a-half years ago after a 56-and-a-half-year marriage. They met when she was 17. That was a turning point in her life. Sandy says, “For the first year and a half I was a mess. My husband just dropped dead one day.” Sandy joined a grief support group at the temple. After about a year and a half, Rabbi Fel asked Sandy if she would like to be in charge of a dinner at the temple. Following that, Sandy planned and catered the kiddush lunch after her grandson’s bar mitzvah. It was soon after that she approached the rabbi about doing something to enhance the kiddush lunches. The rabbi said to her, “Would you volunteer to be on the committee? She said, “No, I want to run all of it!”
Since that time Sandy now works with volunteers, at least 14, who are delighted to help, and they all cook in the Temple Emanu-El kitchen once a month for the enhanced kiddush lunches. She puts the ingredients for each recipe on the buffet table. Sandy never repeats a recipe. She said,” I find new recipes. That’s what is the most fun for me. Then I test them with my mahjong group, and they all share what they think.”
About next steps, Sandy said, “We’d like to put the recipes into a cookbook.”
I asked Sandy, “Why do you do this? What does it bring to you? Her answer very poignant and meaningful. “When my husband was alive, every night at 5 we had cocktail hour, and we talked. And one night we talked about what we would do when one of us passed first. My husband said, “You’re going to get very involved in temple because temple is what you love.” She said, “I’m not super religious but the temple gives me this amazing, wonderful, warm feeling when I’m there. It also makes me happy when people tell me they love the food we cook at the temple.”
Sandy’s advice to someone who has lost a loved one after many years is: “You’ve got to find something that gives you purpose. Something that makes you want to get up in the morning, something that makes you smile.”
PATRICIA RASKIN, owner of Raskin Resources Productions, is an award-winning radio producer, business owner and leader. She has served on the board of directors of Temple Emanu-El, in Providence. Her “Positive Living with Patricia Raskin” podcast can be heard on voiceamerica.com.
Broccoli Salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves 4 to 6
Sandy Ross: I took this recipe directly from recipeslady.com. Normally I keep nuts separately, but with this particular recipe, it needs to be mixed together.
Ingredients
1 pound broccoli crowns
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
1/3 cup diced red onions
1/3 cup dried cranberries
Smoky tamari almonds
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup pepitas
1 tablespoon tamari
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, more to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Chop the broccoli florets into 1/2-inch pieces and any remaining stems into 1/4-inch dice. Peel any woody or course parts from the stem first.
Whisk together the olive oil, mayo, apple cider vinegar, mustard, maple syrup, garlic and salt. You need to really mix these together. Add the broccoli, onions and cranberries and toss to coat.
Place the almonds and pepitas on the baking sheet, toss with the tamari, maple syrup and smoked paprika and spread into a thin layer. Bake 10 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Watch carefully so they don’t burn. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
If serving immediately, toss the almonds and pepitas into the salad, reserving a few to sprinkle on top. Season to taste and serve. If not, keep them separate until serving.
Mushroom Quiche
This recipe is completely decadent. It received rave reviews.
Sandy Ross: I would guess this recipe is for a typical 9- x 13-inch baking pan. I figured out the quantities for Temple. Don’t be afraid to use more mushrooms and/or onions. They cook way down.
Ingredients
Puff pastry
1-2 red onions
Butter and a little olive oil to sauté vegetables
1 1/2 pounds baby Bella mushrooms
5/8 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
10 extra large eggs
2 1/2 cups heavy cream
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Roll out dough. If necessary, sprinkle flour under and or over crust for easier rolling.
Can roll into circle and put in pie pan for traditional quiche or for large amounts use a rectangular pan. Make sure to put crust up the sides. If using a large pan, you can fit together 2 pieces of the puff pastry.
Clean and slice mushrooms.
Dice onions.
Sauté onions and mushrooms in butter mixed with some olive oil.
Whisk together eggs, cream, salt and pepper.
Spread mushrooms and onions over crust.
Sprinkle cheese evenly over vegetables.
Top with egg mixture.
Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for about 25 minutes or until lightly golden brown.
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