Each month in this space,
L'Chayim will look back into issues
of The Jewish News to see what
was happening in the local Jewish
community or in the Diaspora 10, 20
and 40 years ago.
40 YEARS AGO
The House of Representatives
opened its session with an
invocation by an Orthodox rabbi, the
first to do so. A banquet was held in
Johannesburg to honor the chief
rabbi of the British Empire.
A two-pound box of Barton's
chocolates cost $3.50. About 12,000
Detroit Jews celebrated the second
6
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20 YEARS AGO
An original jazz service for the
Sabbath was presented at a Reform
synagogue in Washington, D.C. The
numbers of professionals in Israel
holding academic degrees exceeded
60,000.
Eleven Jewish bakeries were on
strike; bagel factories were not
affected by the walkout. Two Detroit
banks granted a $3 million loan for
the construction of immigrant
housing in Israel.
10 YEARS AGO
Four Jewish militants were
arrested after a night-long rampage
through Arab West Bank towns. A
non-alcoholic natural beverage
similar in color, taste and aroma to
wine, was developed by Tel Aviv
University scientists.
The Jewish Community
Center's Oak Park facility was re-
named after Jimmy Prentis Morris.
Rabbi Irwin Groner was named one
of four national chairman of a group
of Conservative rabbis opposed to
ordination of women.
Celebrate Shavuot With Healthy Barley Dishes
By LESLYE MICHLIN BORDEN
Shavuot has its roots in the
spring wheat and barley harvests.
Barley was an important source of
nutrition even in biblical times. In
fact, it was the first cereal grain
cultivated by man. It has
approximately the same nutritional
content as corn, with 3% more
protein and slightly less fat, a factor
important to modern consumers
who are looking for ways to
increase their intake of complex
carbohydrates and lower their intake
of fat and cholesterol.
Barley comes in several forms:
flakes, flour, and most commonly,
pearled.
One of the most popular ways
to eat barley is in soup. Ashenazic
Jews, who were well familiar with
barley as a food staple, offer many
delicious recipes for soups that
combine barley with beans and/or
mushrooms. So mixing barley with
lentils is not a major departure, and
doing so adds some variety to the
standard fare. Barley lentil soup
enjoys the additional benefit of
being low in fat and containing no
cholesterol. It is chocked so full of
every delicious and healthy
vegetable, it can be served as a
meal in itself.
One food tradition followed on
Shavuot is serving "white" foods,
usually cheese and other rich milk
products. These stand for the purity
of the Torah, which was received on
this occasion. Another is to serve
fruits and vegetables which have
not already been eaten in the year.
These relate to the commemoration
of the spring harvest. Of course, for
people trying to limit consumption of
fat and cholesterol, cheese and rich
dairy dishes are inappropriate. But
those who want to follow this aspect
of the observance can prepare a
low fat barley-artichoke salad.
Almost anything you can make
54
anniversary of Israel at the State
Fair Coliseum.
FRIDAY, MAY 25, 1990
with rice you can make with barley.
One-quarter cup uncooked pearl
barley becomes 1 cup cooked. So
why not prepare a barley mushroom
pilaf as a side dish for one meal
during the celebration. It adds a lot
of variety to your cooking repertoire
and a lot of complex carbohydrates
to your diet.
BARLEY LENTIL SOUP
1 /2 cup pearl barley
2 cups dried lentils
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 leek, washed thoroughly and
coarsely chopped
4 carrots, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 stalks celery, with leaves, cut
in 1-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
1 /2 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried Italian herbs,
crushed
2 bay leaves
dash of cayenne
freshly ground black pepper
water
Rinse and drain barley and
lentils, using a fine colander or
sieve.
In a pot large enough to hold
all the ingredients, heat the oil. Add
onion and garlic. Stirring frequently,
cook until the vegetables are soft.
Add leek, carrots, and celery and
continue cooking. Add seasonings,
barley, and lentils. Stir well. Add
water to cover (at least 3 quarts)
and slowly bring to a boil. Cover
and simmer about 1 hour, or until
barley and lentils are tender. Add
more water as necessary since the
legumes will absorb the cooking
liquid as they expand. Remove bay
leaves before serving. Cool and
refrigerate if not serving at once.
May be divided and frozen.
To serve, reheat to the boiling
point, taking care not to scorch.
Makes 16 1-cup servings.
BARLEY ARTICHOKE SALAD
1 cup raw barley
1 teaspoon salt
4 cups water
4 green onions
1 /2 green pepper, diced
1 /2 red pepper, diced
1 cucumber, seeded and diced
2 jars marinated artichoke hearts,
drained
1 /3 cup reduced calorie, reduced
cholesterol mayonnaise
1 /3 cup non-fat yogurt
6 medium artichokes
water
1 tablespoon salt (or less)
juice of 1/2 lemon
splash of olive or canola oil
Heat 4 cups of water and the
salt in a 4-quart pot. In the
meantime, wash the barley
thoroughly in a sieve. Add the
barley to the boiling liquid, then
cover and reduce the heat. Cook,
covered, at low heat for 45 minutes.
Check. If the barley is tender, but all
the liquid has not been absorbed,
drain. If it is not tender, continue
cooking, adding more liquid if
necessary.
While the barley is cooking,
prepare artichokes. Half fill a pot
large enough to hold all the
artichokes with water. Add about 1
tablespoon of salt (or less), lemon
juice, garlic, and olive oil. Bring to a
boil. Cut off the thick stem and tops
of the artichokes. Add the artichokes
to the pot when the water comes to
a boil. When it comes to a boil
again, cover and reduce heat. Keep
the pot simmering gently for about
45 minutes, depending on the size
of the artichokes. You may need
more time for very large atichokes
and less for medium ones. When a
leaf pulls out easily, the artichokes
are ready. Drain and cool.
Place the cooked barley in a
large bowl. Add the cut up
vegetables, drained artichoke
hearts, mayonnaise, and non-fat
yogurt. Adjust seasonings.
Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To serve, remove some of the
inner leaves and the thistle of the
artichoke. Use the space this
creates as the "bowl." Fill the bowl
with the salad. Serves 6.
BARLEY MUSHROOM PILAF
2 tablespoons olive or canola oil or
1 /4 cup defatted chicken broth
1 /2 pound fresh mushrooms, washed
and quartered
1 /2 onion, red or brown, thinly sliced
1 /4 cup thin spaghetti, broken up
1 1/3 cups barley, washed and
drained
5 cups defatted chicken broth or
water
1 teaspoon salt (if water is used)
freshly grated black pepper
Heat oil or chicken broth in a
large pan. Add the mushrooms, and
onion slices. Stirring frequently, let
the vegetables cook until they begin
giving off their own juices. When
most of the juice has cooked away,
add the spaghetti and barley.
Continue cooking until the barley
and spaghetti are lightly browned.
Add chicken broth or water and
salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and
reduce heat. Continue cooking until
all the liquid has been absorbed
and the barley is tender, about 45
minutes. Add more liquid, if
necessary. Serves 8 generously.
Leslye Michlin Borden is a Detroit
native residing in California who
specializes in healthful kosher
cooking.