This Week’s Chosen Recipe from the International Jewish Cookbook: Cream of Carrot Soup
Continuing our exploration of different Jewish communities through food, here’s a French recipe for Cream of Carrot Soup from the Kosher Gourmet Book by the 92nd Street Y Kosher Cooking School. For more information on diverse Jewish communities please visit the Resource Center for Jewish Diversity at 92Y.
Cream of Carrot Soup
Potage Lorraine
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Celery, carrots, and onions are sometimes called the aromatics when they are combined in cooking. Served hot, this creamy soup makes a bracing first course on a chilly night.
¾ cup small dried white beans, soaked and drained (optional)
2 tablespoons margarine
2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped (4 cups)
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 large onnion, peeled and chopped
1 small potato, peeled and slilced
5 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water
1 bay leaf
1 cup liquid nondairy creamer
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. In medium saucepan, over high heat, bring beans and 2¼ cups water to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile in dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat, melt margarine. Add carrots, celery, and onion; toss in hot margarine untill well coated and softened, about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring often. Stir in drained white beans, if using.
3. Add potato, broth, and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 20 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
4. Discard bay leaf. Transfer carrot mixture in batches to food processor or blender; puree each batch until almost smooth. Add creamer and salt and pepper to taste, and process until blended. Serve hot, or refrigerate to serve cold.
NOTE: If preparing this soup for a dairy meal, use butter instead of margarine, water or vegetable broth instead of chicken broth , and milk or cream instead of nondairy creamer.
For the second installment for the 92Y Fridges video series, (we did our first one with Jennifer 8. Lee, author of The Fortune Cookie Chronicles), Mike Colameco, host and producer of Public Televisions Colameco’s Food Show, was kind enough to have us over his Manhattan apartment where we peeked inside his fridge and he showed us his steak from Citarella, beers from Brooklyn, and of course, champagne. Colameco leads his namesake cooking class series: Cooking with Mike Colameco. The next one, Cooking with Winter Vegetables: Root Vegetables and Sturdy Greens, is coming up on Feb 18.
The New York Post is reporting on an increased police presence in front of Goldman Sachs New York City headquarters today. The Post notes the police presence comes on the heels of new “blockbuster earnings” reported by Goldman this morning, “...that beat Wall Street’s expectations by a huge amount,” as well as reporting a bonus pool of 16 billion dollars plus. Some argue that the profits and bonuses earned since last year are indirectly tied to the monies received by Goldman from taxpayers during the financial crisis. This is an issue that everyone seems concerned with, rightfully so.
92Y Video: Gail Collins with Nora Ephron: Women Come of Age
In 1960, American women needed their husbands’ permission to apply for a credit card. New York Times op-ed columnist Gail Collins and author and screenwriter Nora Ephron spoke at the 92nd Street Y on Jan 12, with an introduction by New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn, about the cataclysmic changes that have overhauled American women’s lives during the past five decades. In the video highlights above, they discuss Collins’s new book, When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present, moms, first jobs at local Catholic newspapers, and more. The event was part of the Ruth Stanton Illustrious Women Series, supported by the Ruth Stanton Foundation.
Upcoming events in the Ruth Stanton Illustrious Women Series include: Abby Joseph Cohen: After the Great Recession (Feb 8), Lisa Randall with Robert Krulwich (Mar 23), and Food on the Tube: How TV Shapes the Way We Think About Food with Padma Lakshmi, Amanda Hesser, Kathleen Collins, Charlie Trotter and Alexandra Leaf, moderator (Apr 26)
Talk show host and bestselling author Lou Dobbs is perhaps best known for his long, illustrious career at CNN. Along the way, he racked up awards and an audience as well as lots of criticism for espousing xenophobic views on immigration. Ultimately, his increasing rhetoric and opinions on the issue became so controversial that he resigned from CNN.
Recently, Dobbs spoke to Esquire on a number of issues, seeming at at turns defiant, sincere, and reflective. For example, Dobbs told Esquire he wishes he had spent more times with his kids, and that he had been a better example at times.
On trade agreements, he asserted: “Every trade agreement that has been written is devastating to the interests of working people. This is not protectionism. This is simple decency and common sense. If that is no longer part of the impulse and the imperative of the elites of this country, what the hell are we becoming?”
On affirmative action: “I happen to believe that affirmative action over the course of the past forty years has been an entirely appropriate response, not because of race but because of economics. If that’s the only way to get to it, then God bless — let’s get to it.”
You can read the full interview here. On Mar 25 at the 92nd Street Y, Lou Dobbs will join CBS political analyst Jeff Greenfield for conversation about these issues and more in what is sure to be an entertaining and thought-provoking live event. Tickets can be purchased here.
Rock and Roller, artist, songwriter, arranger, record producer, mobster on TV, performer, actor, human rights activist, entrepreneur, Bruce Springsteen’s band mate, radio DJ and all around funny guy. Can you guess who?
Steven Van Zandt. He has an opinion too. In Esquire last year, “Little Stevie” discussed a variety of topics. On Scandinavia: “Scandinavia is another planet. They get health care, education, there’s no homeless, they barely have a prison system. We joke about how they’re overtaxed, but it’s the same f*cking 50 percent I’m paying.
On Europe: “In Europe, everybody in the audience has the new record before they come to the show. Why? Because that’s the script of the stage production they’re about to see and participate in. They come, and they all sing every word of every song. They don’t move, they don’t go to the bathroom, they don’t order hot dogs.”
He is also working on a new project, Fuzztopia, an international music social network, commerce and music development site scheduled to launch second quarter in 2010. In short, the man has lots of things going on. On Feb 11, NY1 anchor Budd Mishkin will sit down with Steven Van Zandt at the 92nd Street Y for discussion on these topics and more.
“Frontman Kelvin Swaby bounced from one end of the stage to the other, pointed at the ladies, and early on had the crowd shouting “What you say?” during the call and answer chorus of “Big Bad Wolf.” The set was split evenly among older songs and new material from last year’s The House That Dirt Built. “Colleen”, “Girl” and “That Kind of Man” all off 2007’s Great Vengeance and Furious Fire were among the highlights of a pulsating, hour-long set.”
Some upcoming events you might want to mark on your calendar so you don’t need to read the review on the day after include The Mystery of Samba (O mistério do Samba) (Jan 28), Damon & Naomi’s 1001 Nights: An Evening of Music, Film and Conversation with Special Guests Michio Kurihara, Sharon Van Etten and Haden Guest (Jan 30), and The Hackensaw Boys and Morgan O’Kane (Feb 12).
There are those who believe we live in a plutocracy, that it feeds on empire, and that it will take a gargantuan effort to change our country’s political direction. I’m up for that effort. So are a growing number of others that you will read about in the pages ahead.
As I write this, we are at an odd juncture, with President Obama not even a year into his first term and many in the nation watching to see just how far the demands of empire may sway his judgments. Emerging from a war we can’t justify, another one that’s escalating, and a crippling economic crash, Americans might easily find themselves feeling cynical.
My goal in writing this book is to help those craving justice choose action over cynicism. If you feel powerless to make that choice, then consider these many things we already have going for us.
Ready to stand up and fight power with power? You can read more of the book excerpt here and join Dennett this Thursday at 92Y for a conversation on Above The Law: VIPs and Accountability with Vincent Bugliosi, attorney and author of The Prosecution of George W. Bush for Murder, and Naomi Wolf, author of the best-selling The End of America: Letter of Warning to a Young Patriot.
Video: Trailer for Kevin Geeks Out About...Visions of the Future
As we enter the year 2010, the comedy-variety show Kevin Geeks Out geeks out about Visions of the Future! Special guests helping Kevin celebrate the promises of the cars, kitchens, music, sports, robots and sex of the tomorrow include Emmy Award winning Daily Show writer Elliott Kalan; Anatomy Teacher Kriota Willberg; Popular Mechanics Technology Editor Seth Porges; Psychic Jane Doherty who will answer audience questions; and Blogger Tenebrous Kate.
Coffee: Tasting and History with Francine Segan: Find out why coffee was eaten and not drunk in ancient Africa, why it was first considered a wine and how it traveled to Java, and so much more.
Israel and the United Nations: David vs. Goliath? with Warren Kozak and Claudia Rosett.
Asmara, Eritrea (2007) with Caterina Borelli who explores Asmara, the capital of the East African nation of Eritrea, recognized as an architectural gem.
Robotic Update: Surgery. Today’s surgical teams use robotic and image-processing systems to assist them in the planning and execution of surgical procedures. But how does it work?
The Return of Genocidal Anti-Semitism with Robert Wistrich: Explore the existential threat to the Jewish people, Israel and human civilization by the return of genocidal anti-Semitism at the beginning of the 21st century.
In a segment on increasing your health, broadcast on ABC 7 this past Tuesday and filmed at the 92Y May Center for Health, Fitness & Sport, the newscast began:
From avoiding heart attacks to helping keep your mind lucid and clear, there are easy steps that you can do at home.
Exercise isn’t the fountain of youth, but it may be as close as we can get. That’s in the two new reports, which say exercise will keep your brain younger and may prevent your early death.
Dr. Jay Adlersberg explained: “One of [two] new studies found just moderate exercise - brisk walking, yoga, swimming - can protect memory in 80-year-old individuals.” Read the full story here.
At the end of the segment, ABC 7 reminds their viewers to visit the 92Y May Center for an Open House, but that was Tuesday so don’t come by tonight!
You can however join author Dr. Barry Sears‘, (The Zone, Toxic Fat), on Jan 19 as he explains why America is in the midst of a “Perfect Nutritional Storm” and its implications on any envisioned savings coming from the current health-care reform debate.
There’s a great bookstore in Brooklyn called BookCourt, and Colum McCann’s Let The Great World Spin (”...one of the greatest-ever novels about New York,” wrote Dave Eggers) is their paperback best-seller right now.
McCann, who is teaching a Fiction Master Class here next month, will also be here on Feb 24 with John Banville when they both read from their latest novels.
Cream of Carrot Soup
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The New York Post is 
Talk show host and bestselling author 
Steven Van Zandt. He has an opinion too. In Esquire last year, “Little Stevie” 
Journalist-turned-lawyer Charlotte Dennett (photo credit: Katherine Vose) writes in the preface of her new book, 
