Date Palm and Olive Orchards Meet Local Honey Farms: Mennonite recipe

Thursday, July 16, 2009

My Mother's Saffron Noodles

My mother used to make these for us, only she used the home-made, high cholesterol noodles, whereas I am using the lighter, No-Yolk noodles from the grocery store. Technically, you could use any noodle you like, but I like the wide No-Yolk noodles because they are similar in shape and size to the ones that my mother used.

1 12 0z. package wide No-Yolk noodles

1 bunch parsley, stems removed, pulsed in the food processor, or roughly chopped with a knife

1 large pinch saffron fronds

2 to 3 cups water, for boiling the saffron

1 stick butter, browned in a small saucepan

salt

In a small pot, place about 2 to 3 cups of water, 2 tsp. salt, and the saffron and boil it until the water is a deep, rich orange color and some of the water has evaporated, you should have about a cup full left. Remove it from the heat and set it aside.

Boil the noodles according to package instructions, or until aldente texture is achieved, meaning still a little chewy, but almost done.

Pour the saffron water into the noodles and return the noodles to the lowest setting heat. Leave them covered until the saffron water has been absorbed.

Remove from heat, add the sizzling hot browned butter and the parsley and cover again, for about five minutes. Serve warm.

I loooooove these noodles. When I was pregnant I must have eaten a case of noodles this way. Now I have to eat my portion without the butter. *sigh* I spray mine with a little "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter" spray, and it tastes good, but not quite as wonderful as it does with the browned butter.

The left-overs are even better the following day, because the saffron flavor permeates the noodles more over night.

Cabbage and Potatoes

This is what ancient European Peasant food looks like, and it is delicious.

2 pounds creamer potatoes, any variety
1/4 cup olive oil

2 tsp. caraway seeds
1 bulb organic garlic, grated
sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste
3/4 cup worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup vinegar of your choice, if you like your cabbage a little sour, I used malt vinegar (optional)

water for the amount of broth you desire, I ended up using 3 cups water

1 Head of organic Cabbage, sliced thinly

Pour the olive oil in the bottom of a hot dutch oven. Leaving the heat at it's highest setting, dump in the creamer potatoes and cover. Let them brown and steam simultaneously for about 10 or 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat.

Standing as far back as you can from the stove, gradually pour in a cup or two of water, then add the worcestershire sauce and the other seasonings.

Cover the dutch oven and bring it to a boil.

Now begin adding the cabbage, a handful at a time, if the pot seems stuffed before you are done adding cabbage. Cram the lid down on it and let it cook until the cabbage has shrunk some, then turn it so the cooked portion is on top, and press it down a little more, then cram the remaining cabbage on top of that and cover it. Every few minutes you can work the uncooked portion down, and the cooked portion up to the top, with your wooden spoon.

Cover the dutch oven and slide it into a pre-heated 350 degrees farenheit oven and continue to cook for an hour or two more.

You can add another cup of water anytime you think your pot looks in need of more liquid. I used only 3 cups of water and it was delicious.

Serve with rye or pumpernickle bread on the side. YUMMY. I am so crazy about cabbage lately I am thinking of changing my middle name. LOL. Just kidding.

This recipe was traditionally made with butter or animal fat, but I used olive oil instead.

A Treasured Saying from Imam al-Ridha (A.S.)

He, peace be on him, has said: “May (Ayyār) is thirty-one days; the winds become clear there in; it is at the end of the season of spring; one must refrain from salty foods, thick meat such as heads and beef, and yogurt; entering the bathroom at the beginning of day is useful therein; and sport before lunch is reprehensible therein.”

As for May (Ayyār), it is at the beginning of summer, so the digestive system cannot bear heavy foods, especially when one reaches old age, for having thick meat leads to dreadful damages such as high blood pressure, and the like.

He, peace be on him, has said: “June (Huzayrān) is thirty days; the power of phlegm terminates therein; the time of the yellow bile comes; one must refrain from tiredness and eating abundant meat; one must smell musk and ambergris; it is useful to eat cold vegetables such as endive and purslane, to eat greens such as cucumber, purgative manna, ripe fruit, to use soured things; of the meat is goat and young goat; of the birds is chickens, dull-yellow partridge (tahiyujj), francolins; yogurt and fresh fish.”

As for June (Huzayrān), it is the first of the months of summer; bodies become weak therein, for they face intense and bitter heat. The Imām, peace be on him, has emphasized that one must:

1. avoid tiredness.

2. avoid having abundant meat.

3. eat vegetables and fruit, for they are light, and not heavy.

He, peace be on him, has said: “July (Tammūz) is thirty-one days; heat becomes intense therein; water goes down; one must drink cold water before breakfast, eat cold, fresh things, and digestible foods (like those mentioned in June); one must smell cold, wet flowers with agreeable scent.”

As for July (Tammūz), it is the heaviest of all the months of the year and the most harmful of them toward man. That is because of the intense heat which occurs when water goes down. The Imām has stressed that one must use cold things and eat light foods lest the digestive system should be affected by them. He has also focused on that one must smell cold flowers with pleasant scent, for they have a good effect on the digestive system.

He, peace be on him, has said: “August (Āb) is thirty-one days; the simoom (hot wind) becomes intense therein; cold becomes exited at night; the north wind blows; temper becomes good through patting and moistening; it is useful to drink yogurt; one must refrain from having sexual intercourse and laxative, decrease sport, and smell cold flowers.”

Like July (Tammūz), August (Āb) is hot; cold becomes intense out of the weakness of bodies because of the intense heat, hence the Imām has made it recommended to use cold thins which decrease the intensity of heat.

Eat What is in Season

006.141
YUSUFALI: It is He Who produceth gardens, with trellises and without, and dates, and tilth with produce of all kinds, and olives and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different (in variety): eat of their fruit in their season, but render the dues that are proper on the day that the harvest is gathered. But waste not by excess: for Allah loveth not the wasters.
PICKTHAL: He it is Who produceth gardens trellised and untrellised, and the date-palm, and crops of divers flavour, and the olive and the pomegranate, like and unlike. Eat ye of the fruit thereof when it fruiteth, and pay the due thereof upon the harvest day, and be not prodigal. Lo! Allah loveth not the prodigals.
SHAKIR: And He it is Who produces gardens (of vine), trellised and untrellised, and palms and seed-produce of which the fruits are of various sorts, and olives and pomegranates, like and unlike; eat of its fruit when it bears fruit, and pay the due of it on the day of its reaping, and do not act extravagantly; surely He does not love the extravagant.

In Case Anyone Wants to Know

Properly nourishing a family is a big responsibility, when taking into account the nutritional needs of growing boys and a hard-working husband and father. Vegan recipes are mainly for me, and non-vegan recipes are for my family, although I share my dishes with everyone. I have special nutritional requirements for two reasons. One is that I experience terrible hormone problems when I eat non-organic fruits and vegetables and excessive meat, eggs or dairy. Second, I had to have my gall bladder removed last year, so I eat either fat free or very low fat foods because foods that are high in fat cause me to have severe pain in the right side of my abdomen, where the liver drips bile to break down the fats in people who no longer have their gall bladders. The only two fat sources I usually consume are organic unrefined coconut oil and organic extra virgin olive oil, and those I use very little. So my biggest challenge is that all of us eat well while simultaneously respecting my own health issues. I have a profound belief that most health problems can be avoided and/or treated nutritionally.

Date Palm and Olive Orchards Meet Local Honey Farms

Thursday, July 16, 2009

My Mother's Saffron Noodles

Cabbage and Potatoes

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Eat What is in Season

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In Case Anyone Wants to Know

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