Cooking kosher for a visitor

[tcaarabians]

I need some advice. We have a guest coming on Sunday from Israel. He only eats Kosher. I have been studying up on this a bit.  So far, of the products available here.. I've come up with scrambled eggs, cooked in olive oil with some onion and asparagus. I'm not sure about the asparagus. Perhaps some salmon and potatoes baked with a bit of olive oil on them .. and, of course, asparagus. All advice and suggestions appreciated.  And, no .. I do not have time to go to a Kosher meat seller.  It also seems that tomato soup is ok.  I do want our guest to feel comfortable and honor his religious beliefs while he is here. I also want to feed him. .. thanks.. cheryl o7o

[sharyn]

Are you certain he is Kosher or just Jewish?  I'm Jewish but don't eat Kosher.
Basically most vegetarian or fish dishes are fine as long as you don't use any chicken or beef broth.  If you like Mexican food that is easy...enchiladas with rice & beans.  Also you can substitute beans for just about any meat in most casseroles.  I like the canned small white beans.

[tcaarabians]

Sharyn.. He is not just Kosher he lives in Israel and is pretty strict. As in.. some of your recommendations below would not past muster if any of the ingredients had any sort of meat product in them. .. and that includes some cheese. But, I thank you very much for your suggestions.  I'm on a learning curve here.  cheryl o7o

[sharyn]

Lots of fish and veggies then?  I know a lot of foods in the market have the Kosher symbol but I never paid much attention. I just looked at my fridge...the Philly Cream Cheese has the Kosher symbol but my milk does not. 

This site explains some of the symbols  http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/313/what-do-k-r-and-u-mean-on-food-and-other-packages

This has some recipes that look good  http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/323440/jewish/Kosher-Recipes-Cooking.htm

[dustyduck]

Cheryl,

Just know the basic rules - no meat with dairy and no meat from a cloven hoof animal.  This includes keeping you cooking utensils separate ( meat and any dairy-- hard to do ).   Fish is good, salmon, white fish etc.  Cream cheese, lox and bagels with white fish are good breakfast items.

I would just ask him what he prefers, I am sure he will be happy for your asking.

[skitover]

Hi -

So, technically speaking if you do not have a kosher home, then nothing you prepare will be Kosher.  For example, that means your kitchen would need to be blessed by a rabbi after it has been cleaned and no other non-kosher foods have been removed from the home.  Most kosher people know that homes they are not visiting are kosher.  It also works in the corporate world, people who keep Kosher know that they will be going to restaurants and eating at events where the food is not kosher.  What most kosher-keeping people do is just eat vegetarian.  This will be considered kosher-style.  They generally will not go for meat (even if it is kosher meats such as chicken or beef) as it needs to be kosher meat, which is expensive and I do not even know where you would go get any here in the high desert.  If you want any vegetarian meals, I can help, just let me know.  But in all honesty, I would probably reach out to the person and ask them to help you be prepared for their visit.  And like other people said below ... just because they are Israeli does not mean they keep Kosher.  There are a lot of secular people in Israel. 

[tcaarabians]

My dear friends in this Forum.. thank you so much for your advice.  Yes, I know that he is Kosher.  .. as in really Kosher.  I do believe I know now what to fix.  And, I thank you for your advice.  This home will not be blessed by a Rabbi before he gets here. But, he will be welcome and I hope he enjoys what I fix. And, thank you all..
cheryl o7o

[Phyto Guy]

A brief synopses of Kosher and what to do. First whats kosher for a Orthodox Jew is slightly modified by those who keep kosher who are conservative (nothing at all to do with politics). Generally two sets of dishes (one meat and one dairy) and only kosher meat (very unlikely to get anywhere around WW.  Although dairy is generally kosher ie from cows milk, some dairy products have other things is them. Milk and meat (even kosher) is never eaten together. Milk is milk even to its components and meat is meat even if broth.
Look for a symbol designating a circle around a k or u on the label of the product. Other symbols also exist. Use these products and vegetarian items and fish (that have fins and scales) ie tuna, salmon, bass and the like and not catfish, eel, shell fish and your probably ok.  The best thing to do, and don't be shy, in ask. Very hard to know the level of koshrut (kosher) of anyone without asking. Maybe vegitarian pizza is ok and maybe not. Don't assume. There are kosher meals that can be ordered on line and other ways of getting things and he or she probably knows exactly what to do when away from home. Last "Kosher Style" means NOT KOSHER but eastern European Jewish Style but not kosher like non kosher pastrami. Don't feed him or her this.   Good luck.

[Phyto Guy]

PS from above post.
Post a question and I'll answer it as soon as I read it regarding this subject.

[tcaarabians]

Thank you phyto guy and all.  I've read up on this a good bit now. I know what I'll be fixing. I also now think that we'd a;; be better off if the FDA followed kosher rules - particularly when it comes to meat and poultry.
thanks, cheryl o7o

[ezzpete]

how about some Nathan's kosher hot dogs.

[tcaarabians]

Great suggestion!   But, somehow.. I do not want to serve hot dogs. Besides, I only like Dodger Dogs (have been known to eat five during a game). It's going to be baked salmon,  likely small roasted potatoes with rosemary (I have it fresh to clip). and salad.  This does leave dessert to ponder. I'm open to suggestions.  You guys are great!! Now, onto dessert!! cheryl o7o

p.s. I've always found it interesting that so-called "Jewish" food is located in the "International" section at Staters. Why is that?

[Phyto Guy]

Re: how about some Nathan's kosher hot dogs.
Nathan's = NOT KOSHER
They did a run of kosher hot dogs about 10 years ago (and very hard to find then) for about a year and were labeled KOSHER in very large print. But now they have opted for a high end all beef hot dog that is not kosher.
Your meal is fish, thus pareve (neither meat nor dairy) unless other dairy is in the meal, and dessert can be with or without dairy but obviously no meat. Cake mixes mostly have kosher certification, circle with a k or u in it and so do many ice creams but not generally rocky road (marshmallows have gelatin from cow hooves, thus won't have certification).
Fruit is always an easy choice.
Good luck again.

[ezzpete]

you are right, just looked at their web site. still have kosher pickles.

[in my dreams]

Let us know how it goes!!!!

[lagomorphmom]

My boss is a huge fan of sorbet or Italian ices. Sounds refreshing and you may be able to make, I dunno. When he takes us to lunch we like to get the sampler.

[Phyto Guy]

A rarity in WW.
Very hard to find but Jensen's has, or had, kosher mini-marshmallows [gelatin from vegetable or fish (neither meat not dairy)] product. They were recently on the discount rack. A true find for those who keep kosher.
Sorbet is great choice and usually has the o-u or other 'hecture'.

[spider lover]

also, as an aside, these particular marshmallows are vegan, gluten free & gmo-free

[tcaarabians]

You guys were so helpful to me that I wanted to give you a 'post-visit' update. After doing a lot of reading and receiving all of your helpful suggestions.. it turned out like this. Our guest was my housemate's brother-in-law who lives in Israel. I did ask him how we could best respect his kosher diet. He was appreciative of that and went on to say that he wasn't all that strict.. but didn't eat the following foods. That list included just about everything. At that point I was laughing.

It turned out that my housemate didn't really like this particular brother-in-law all that much and didn't want me to cook anything!!! I laughed even harder.  So, he took his brother-in-law out for Mexican at Ortega's. I hope you're laughing with me now.  Despite all of this.. it was a great visit and I rather liked the chap.  So, thanks again for all of your help. best, cheryl o7o

[in my dreams]

lol. Best laid plans. . .

Re those marshmallows, they're not just gluten free, but grain free (regular ones have corn starch)!!! Now my son can at least roast marshmallows with the cub scouts, even if he can't eat smores. Love that product!!