The Making of a Food Magazine During Covid-19

By Shifra Klein, Editor In Chief of Fleishigs magazine

Everything in the pages of the new issue of Fleishigs magazine has a unique backstory related to the majorly unexpected reality we all found ourselves in due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Back in March, we were actively finalizing the annual Restaurant Issue and it was going to be incredible. It was set to include meaningful content, delicious recipes, stunning photos and the forward-thinking state of kosher food today. As one of the immediate impacts of the coronavirus was the shutdown of most restaurants and many are still struggling to stay afloat we knew that the restaurant issue had to be postponed.

Rather than let the pandemic completely overwhelm us, we decided to strategically work some of our planned content into the Shavuos issue. You can read the story about Sage, the new-age ‘mom and pop’ restaurant and Chef Jazzie‘s insight into its making. She generously shared her most popular recipes, too. As we go to print, Sage is currently closed for dining, but is providing delivery across the city. Another easy choice to include was our step-by-step guide to gnocchi. It is super easy to follow and makes the lightest, fluffiest gnocchi from scratch in minutes. Plus, it is extremely versatile and can be served with almost anything. Our expansive Butcher’s Cut section features duck confit, the perfect pairing for gnocchi, which was originally inspired by Mike’s Bistro, a popular steakhouse in NYC.

Back in February, we hosted the organizers and vendors of the Brooklyn MRKT (an annual charity fashion pop-up created by the Anelis Group) at Wall Street Grill in NYC for a night of fashion and food. We were served top-tier food by executive chef Joey Paulino, who also shared some of his signature recipes for the issue. Unfortunately, the Brooklyn MRKT had to cancel due to the situation, and both vendors and Ohr Naava, the organization that Brooklyn MRKT benefits, lost thousands of dollars. I am most fascinated, however, by the strength shown by everyone involved and love how a story on food and fashion expanded to that of resilience and pulling through the unexpected.

We had also planned an entire feature with Danielle Renov, food blogger at @peaslovencarrots. She was slated to be guest editor this month and share a behind-the-scenes look into the making of her new book, Peas Love & Carrots: The Cookbook. The book’s release date was pushed from May to late July, due to printer shutdowns connected to the coronavirus. Although we had to scrap the feature for right now, we plan to have Danielle join us in July. In the meantime, she shared some of her favorite family-friendly meals that she’s made during quarantine from her home in Jerusalem.

The current situation has forever changed the way we approach and appreciate food. We learned how to make the most of what we have and be mindful of eating foods to maintain immunity and energy. Health coach Celeste Hackel delivers her Cook Once, Eat Twice approach that shares a common theme with cookbook author Rochie Pinson‘s feature, One Dough, Three Ways.

As Shavuos is fast approaching, we challenged ourselves to come up with an elegant feast that tastes amazing and is sure to impress (guests or no guests) all at a minimal cost. So, we reconfigured what a feast should look like and came up with one of our favorite meals ever.

The biggest change in perspective here at Fleishigs, however, is to really live day by day and take things as they come.

Bitayavon,
Shifra

P.S. Banana cake and Dalgona coffee were probably the two most viral recipes in the past few weeks. I succumbed and hand-whisked quite a few batches of Dalgona (Google for the recipe) and enjoyed my fair share of banana cake. Here is my favorite one bowl, no mixer recipe:

Banana Cake

Preheat oven to 350°F

Combine 2 mashed bananas, 2 eggs, ½ cup oil, ½ cup orange juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1 cup sugar until fully combined.

Add in 1¾ cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.

(Add chocolate chips or blueberries to the batter, if you’d like.)

Pour into a 9×13-inch baking dish.

Bake for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

LIVER DEVILED EGGS
BY SHIFRA KLEIN
This recipe was inspired by Chef Yos’ duck liver deviled eggs. As duck liver is pricey and not so readily available, prepared chicken livers (such as Meal Mart) are the perfect stand-in.

Ingredients:
6 eggs
½ cup store-bought broiled
chicken livers
⅓ cup Caramelized Onions
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions:
Place eggs in a medium saucepan and fill with water.
Bring to a boil and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes.
Allow to cool and peel. (It helps to peel under running water.)
Slice eggs in half lengthwise and remove the yolks.
Place yolks in a blender or food processor and blend with the livers, onions, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard and salt until smooth.
Lay the egg whites on a platter, and spoon or pipe liver-yolk mixture into the egg whites.
Serve with radishes, sprouts or your favorite condiments.

REMINDER: Due to Covid, this month’s #Fleishigs mag won’t be available in all stores, so remember to subscribe or order a copy at fleishigs.com to get yours in the comfort of your own doorstep.