Los Angeles Kosher Restaurants

Pollock (or pollack, pronounced the same and listed first in most UK and US dictionaries) is the common name used for either of the two species of marine fish in the Pollachius genus. Both P. pollachius and P. virens are commonly referred to as pollock. Other names for P. pollachius include the Atlantic pollock, European pollock, lieu jaune, and lythe; while P. virens is sometimes known as Boston blues (distinct from bluefish), coalfish (or coley) or saithe.

Atlantic pollock is largely considered to be a whitefish, although it is a fairly strongly flavored one. Although traditionally a popular source of food in some countries like Norway, in the United Kingdom it has previously been largely consumed as a cheaper and versatile alternative to cod and haddock in the West Country, elsewhere being known mostly for its traditional use as “Pollack for puss / coley for the cat.” However, in recent years pollock has become more popular due to over-fishing of cod and haddock. It can now be found in most supermarkets as fresh fillets or prepared freezer items. For example, when minced, it is the primary component of fish fingers and Popcorn Fish.

Because of its slightly gray color pollock is often prepared, as in Norway, as fried fish balls or if juvenile sized maybe breaded with oatmeal and fried as in Shetland. Year old fish are traditionally split, salted and dried over a peat hearth in Orkney where their texture becomes wooden and somewhat phosphorescent. The fish can also be salted and smoked and achieve a salmon-like orange color (although it is not closely related to the salmon), as is the case in Germany where the fish is commonly sold as Seelachs or sea salmon.

You can find authentic Koshar Pollock on many Koshar Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Whitefish (white fish, demersal fish) is a fisheries term referring to several species of pelagic deep water fish with fins, particularly cod (Gadus morhua), whiting (Merluccius bilinearis), and haddock (Melanogrammus aeglefinus), but also hake (Urophycis), pollock (Pollachius), or others.

Unlike oily fish, white fish contain oils only in their liver, rather than in the gut, and can therefore be gutted as soon as they are caught, on board the ship. White fish has dry and white flesh.
White fish are divided into round fish which live near the sea bed (cod, coley) and flatfish such as plaice which live on the sea bed.

White fish is sometimes eaten straight but often used reconstituted for fishsticks, gefilte fish, lutefisk, surimi (imitation crabmeat), etc. For centuries it was preserved by drying as stockfish and clipfish and traded as a world commodity. It is most widely known as the key ingredient in the classic British dish fish and chips. In Jewish cuisine, smoked whole whitefish and whitefish salad are delicacies enjoyed with bagels.

You can find authentic Koshar Whitefish on many Koshar Restaurants in Los Angeles.

The haddock or offshore hake is a marine fish distributed on both sides of the North Atlantic. Haddock is a popular food fish, widely fished commercially.

The haddock is easily recognized by a black lateral line running along its white side and a distinctive dark blotch above the pectoral fin, often described as a “thumbprint” or even the “Devil’s thumbprint” or “St. Peter’s mark”.

Haddock is a very popular food fish, sold fresh, smoked, frozen, dried, or to a small extent canned. Haddock, along with cod and plaice, is one of the most popular fish used in British fish and chips. It is also one of the main ingredients of kedgeree.

Fresh haddock has a fine white flesh and can be cooked in the same ways as cod. Freshness of a haddock fillet can be determined by how well it holds together, as a fresh one will be firm; also, fillets should be translucent, while older fillets turn a chalky hue. Young, fresh haddock and cod fillets are often sold as scrod in Boston, Massachusetts; this refers to the size of the fish which have a variety of sizes, i.e. scrod, markets, and cows. Haddock is the predominant fish of choice in Scotland in a fish supper.

Unlike the related cod, haddock does not salt well and is often preserved by drying and smoking. One form of smoked haddock is Finnan Haddie, named for the fishing village of Finnan or Findon in Scotland, where it was originally cold-smoked over peat. Finnan haddie is often served poached in milk for breakfast. Smoked haddock naturally has an off-white color; it is very often dyed yellow, as are other smoked fish. Smoked haddock is the essential ingredient in the Anglo-Indian dish kedgeree.

You can find authentic Koshar Haddock on many Koshar Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Cod is the common name for the genus Gadus, belonging to the family Gadidae, and is also used in the common name for various other fishes. Cod is a popular food with a mild flavor, low fat content and a dense, flaky white flesh. Cod’s soft liver can be tinned and eaten. Cod livers are processed to make cod liver oil, an important source of Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin E and omega-3 fatty acids (EPA and DHA). Larger cod caught during spawning are sometimes called skrei. Young Atlantic cod or haddock prepared in strips for cooking is called scrod.

The Atlantic cod, which can change color at certain water depths, has two distinct color phases: grey-green and reddish brown. Its average weight is 5–12 kilograms (11–26 lb), but specimens weighing up to 100 kilograms (220 lb) have been recorded. Cod feed on molluscs, crabs, starfish, worms, squid, and small fish. Some migrate to warm water in winter to spawn. A large female lays up to five million eggs in midocean, a very small number of which survive.
Cod meat is moist and flaky when cooked and is white in color. In the United Kingdom, Atlantic cod is one of the most common ingredients in fish and chips, along with haddock and plaice. It is also frequently consumed in Portugal and Spain

Periodically a cod with a deformed skull is found; the skull has a distinct top or crown giving it the name “king cod” or kongetorsk in Norwegian. In Norway this rare fish was earlier considered to be able to forecast the weather and was commonly used for that purpose. A woolen thread suspended the fish from the ceiling; its nose would point in a different direction depending on the coming weather. In reality, the thread rather than the fish that caused the movement. The twisted thread served as a primitive hygrometer by reacting to the air’s humidity, turning the fish as the humidity rose and fell.

You can find authentic Koshar Cod on many Koshar Restaurants in Los Angeles.

A quenelle is mixture of creamed fish, chicken, or meat, sometimes combined with breadcrumbs, with a light egg binding. It is usually poached. Formerly, quenelles were often used as a garnish in haute cuisine; today, they are usually served on their own. Quenelle may also refer to a food item made into an oval or egg shape, such as ice cream, sorbet, or mashed potato quenelles. This usage derives from the original shape of the egg-and-meat quenelle.

Lyon and Nantua are famous for their quenelles de brochet (mousseline) (pike quenelles), often served with cream sauce and run under the salamander grill. Pike has many small bones, so passing it through a tamis is an expeditious way of removing them.

Similar items are found in many cultures. The Romans are believed to have introduced this type of food to Western Europe.

The word quenelle is derived from the German Knödel (noodle or dumpling)

There are many ways to prepare quenelles de brochet, but most recipes first prepare a panade, essentially a white sauce, then combine the panade with fish, and put the mixture through a sieve, yielding a farce. The quenelles are formed from the farce and poached. They may be served sauced and grilled, or with a variety of sauces.

You can find authentic Koshar Quenelle on many Koshar Restaurants in Los Angeles.

Gefilte fish are poached fish patties or fish balls made from a mixture of ground deboned fish, mostly carp or pike. They are popular in the Ashkenazi Jewish community.

In traditional recipes for gefilte fish, the fish is first deboned, often while still at the market. Next, the fish is ground together with eggs, onions and flour, matzoh meal or challah, and then stuffed into the skin of the deboned fish, giving it the name gefilte (filled or stuffed, compare the German gefüllte). The whole stuffed fish is then poached with carrots and onions. When prepared this way, it is usually served in slices. This form of preparation eliminated the need for picking fish bones at the table and stretched the fish further, so that even poor families could enjoy fish on the Sabbath.

Sometimes, gefilte fish are made in patties. The ground fish mixture is shaped into balls or oval patties and poached in a fish stock made from the head and bones of the fish. The poached balls are usually chilled and served with or without the jelled broth, accompanied by a horseradish-vinegar sauce known as chrain (either the red variety, flavored with beets, or plain white chrain, which has a sharper taste).

Gefilte fish may be slightly sweet or savory. Preparation of gefilte fish with sugar or black pepper is considered an indicator of whether a Jewish community was Galitzianer or Litvak. Traditionally, carp, pike, mullet, or whitefish were used to make gefilte fish, but more recently other fish with white flesh such as Nile Perch have been used, and there is a pink variation using salmon.

You can find authentic Koshar Fish on many Koshar Restaurants in Los Angeles

Description: Kugel is a famous Jewish dish, made especially by the
Ashkenazi Jews of Eastern Europe. Evidence exists that the dish was
made over 800 years ago, though it has gradually been modified and
improved upon over time. Many are used to thinking of kugel as a
dessert, and you will certainly find lots of kugel dessert styles. It
can also be made as a savory side dish or entrée.

Early kugel would have been savory, since sugar didn’t make its way to
Europe, especially not for those who weren’t of the nobility, until
the 1600s. The early kugel, like many foods at the time, was
essentially a baked pudding, bearing some resemblance to a savory
bread pudding. German Jews in the 1200s began adding noodles, eggs,
cheese and/or milk to the dish, creating a delicious creamy casserole.
The base of the kugel might use potatoes or matzo flour instead of
noodles. In order to add extra flavor to the dish, kugel might include
vegetables of all types, and onions. Kugel casseroles would not have
contained meat, since mixing meat with milk and eggs was not Kosher.

In the 1600s sugar inspired many cooks to develop sweet kugel. Here
you might simply have a dish of baked noodles in cream or egg topped
with a little bit of sugar. Eventually, fruit, especially raisins,
were common additions to sweet kugel. Sweet kugel is still more
popular today than its savory older relation, and may be baked in
round pans, or more commonly in standard rectangular baking dishes. It
is very popular not only among people of Eastern European and Germanic
descent, but also among those in America who were lucky enough to grow
up near a good Jewish bakery or restaurant.

In taste, sweet kugel is similar to bread pudding, and many find it
comparable to a variety of the baked puddings made by the English,
like spotted dick. There are a number of Internet recipes to try, as
well as fantastic recipes in many Jewish and in German cookbooks. If
you’re traveling you’ll find kugel in most of Eastern Europe.

In some Jewish sects, kugel is thought to be lucky and/or to confer
spiritual blessings. This is specifically the case in the Hasidic
Jewish tradition, especially when a Rabbi offers the kugel. To many
others, kugel merely speaks of ultimate comfort food, and few
celebratory meals would be complete without it.

A blintz is a thin pancake, often filled with cottage cheese or fruit. The blintz originates in Russia, where it may also be called blin or blini. The pancake is much like a crepe, but is cooked twice. It is first prepared as a crepe, then ingredients are added to the middle and the pancake is folded into a rectangular shape and fried in hot oil.

The traditional Russian blintz differs from the crepe version so often served today. It is made of batter containing yeast, which causes it to rise and to be thicker than the crepe. Russian traditions dictated serving the blintz at wakes and on certain religious holidays as designated by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Today, the blintz is more commonly associated with those who practice Judaism. Blintzes are often prepared for Hanukkah, as they are fried in oil after they are stuffed. One can also purchase good quality frozen blintzes for preparation on Holy Days, or on any other day for that matter. Blintzes can also commonly be obtained in both Russian and Jewish delicatessens.

When no yeast is present, the blintz is quite simple to prepare. It consists of flour, eggs, and milk. A minority favor potato instead of wheat flour, suggesting the potato flour produces a lighter blintz. The yeasted variety must be thinned with milk or water before cooking, and it is not unusual to see the Russian blintz prepared with buckwheat or oat flour.

Many cooks meet their downfall when preparing the blintz, because the blintz very frequently sticks to the pan or fails to cook properly. Cookbooks recommend using a crepe pan so size is controlled. Overfilling the pan is a common mistake. Only about two or three teaspoons are needed to cover the pan and create a thin blintz. A nonstick or well-oiled pan that is properly heated can also make flipping and removing the blintz easier.

Other recommendations for preparing the blintz suggest allowing the batter to sit for at least thirty minutes prior to cooking. The batter can also be stored in the refrigerator for up to two days. When the batter has a resting period, the wheat becomes less glutinous, resulting in a thinner pancake.

When filling the blintz, most cooks recommend waiting until the pancake has fully cooled. The filled blintzes should be added to a hot pan, and cooked first on the fold side. Blintzes should be served hot. The fruit variety is especially good when a dollop of sour cream is added. Also, blintzes or blini served with caviar are usually topped with sour cream.

Blintzes filled with cottage or farmer’s cheese can be topped with fruit sauce and a little powdered sugar to create a sweet desert. A variant of the blintz from Austria is the Palatschinken, which is rolled around apricot jam rather than folded. Topped with nuts and powdered sugar, Palatschinken is an excellent and unusual dessert.

There are few people who can’t name one or two “typically Jewish” foods — bagels, cheesecake, and blintzes have become well-loved around the world. While few of these foods are exclusively Jewish, the Kashrut (dietary laws) and particular factors in Jewish history have helped shape a cuisine that reflects the unique identity of the people who developed it.

As a whole, Jewish cuisine is a marriage of cooking styles from the cultures in which Jews have lived throughout the centuries — the Middle East, the Mediterranean, Spain, Germany and Eastern European. The cooking style was also influenced by dietary laws, leading to the separation of milk and meat and the avoidance of pork and shellfish. Holidays have also given rise to a number of uniquely Jewish dishes.

Jewish cuisine is anything but monotonous, though. Over time three distinct styles have evolved: Ashkenazic (Eastern European), Sephardic (Middle-Eastern, Mediterranean, and Spanish), and Israeli.

The differences between these styles originate from climate differences, trade activities, and the traditions of the surrounding cultures. The financial situation of the communities also had a noticeable impact on the cuisine. The relative poverty of Ashkenazic Jews meant of a diet of peasant foods made with inexpensive, easy-to-obtain ingredients and with fewer spices. Sephardic Jews, on the other hand, enjoyed a long period of prosperity that led to many elaborate, richly-spiced dishes.

The cuisine of the Sephardi Jews is an assortment of cooking traditions that developed among the Jews of Spain, Portugal, the Mediterranean, Turkey and Arab countries. Mizrahi Jews, who are often called Sephardic Jews, are Jews of origins from countries of the Orient, and Maghrebi Jews, who are from North Africa. While there is some overlap in populations due to the Sephardic Diaspora, Sephardic Jews settled in many other countries as well, and this article deals only with the populations originating in the Iberian Peninsula.

Jews in the Diaspora, both Ashkenazim and Sephardim, cooked foods that were popular in their countries of residence, adapting them to the requirements of kashrut. Their choice of foods was also determined by economic factors, with many of the dishes based on inexpensive and readily available ingredients. Meat had to be slaughtered in keeping with Jewish dietary laws, and then soaked and salted. Hence it was reserved for holidays and special occasions. Many Sephardi dishes use ground meat. Milk and meat products could not be mixed or served at the same meal. Cooked, stuffed and baked vegetables are central to the cuisine, as are various kinds of beans, chickpeas, lentils and burghul (cracked wheat). Rice takes the place of potatoes.