Community Magazine October 2014

MAN KITCHEN in the with Chef Elliot Chrem 78 Community magazine Of all the holidays on the Jewish calendar, Sukkot is my favorite. There’s nothing better than terrific ‘al fresco’ dining on a crisp fall evening (or warm afternoon), surrounded by family and friends. Many of us take advantage of the added outdoor eating space by inviting a few extra guests! These recipes are a couple of traditional Sephardic classics guaranteed to please a crowd. Okay, I’ll admit it. This dish is a little more “out there”. Sweetbreads are actually the thymus gland located in the neck of a veal calf. When prepared properly, they’re creamy soft and delicious. My grandmother used to serve this on holidays but my guess is, it doesn’t appear on too many holiday tables anymore. To people who love sweetbreads, there is nothing better. To the uninitiated, there is a little “fear factor” to overcome. In French cuisine, they’re often paired with mushrooms as we do in the following recipe. Ingredients: • 1 ½ - 2 lbs. sweetbreads • 1 large onion, chopped • 4 ribs celery, chopped • 1 container baby bella mushrooms • 2 cloves garlic, minced • ½ cup White Vinegar • 1 tsp dried thyme leaves • Kosher Salt and pepper Directions: 1. Put sweetbreads in a pot and just cover with cold water. Add the vinegar and bring to a boil. Simmer over medium low heat for 2 minutes. Rinse sweetbreads under cold water and peel away whatever thin membrane might be present. Chop sweetbreads into bite size pieces and set aside. 2. Heat oil in a large sauce pan over medium high heat. Add the onions, celery, garlic and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms develop a nice color and start to shrink, about 6 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and thyme. 3. Add the sweetbreads to the pan and add water until just barely covered. Put the lid on the sauce pan, bring to a boil, drop the heat to low and gently simmer for about 30 minutes, until a broth has formed and the sweetbreads are soft. Serve over rice. Stewed Sweetbreads with Mushrooms Special Sukkot Edition