Parsha Inspired Menus - D'varim

So begins the last sefer of the Torah:

These are the things that Moshe told to all of Israel on the other side of the Jordan, in the desert wilderness facing Suf, between Paran and Tofel and Lavan and Hatzerot and Di-Zahav. It is a journey of eleven days from Horev, via Mount Se'ir, to Kadesh Barne'a. In the fortieth year, in the twelfth month, on the first of the month, Moshe spoke to Bnei Yisrael according to all that God had commanded him for them; After he had slain Sihon, king of the Emori, who dwelled in Heshbon, and Og, king of Bashan, who lived in Ashtarot in Edre'i; On the other side of the Jordan, in the land of Mo'av, Moshe began to declare this Torah, saying:

As Rav Mordechai Sabato explains "With this preamble, the Torah introduces Sefer Devarim and informs us that we are about to read Moshe's words as addressed to the nation of Israel in the land of Mo'av, close to the end of the fortieth year. No such introduction exists for any other Sefer, and this is an indication of the uniqueness of Sefer Devarim. The great majority of Devarim consists of a record of the speeches that Moshe delivers at the end of the desert journeying. Sefer Devarim includes almost no narration of events that happened to the nation or direct Divine commands. In this sense it is different from the other four Books of the Torah."

(https://etzion.org.il/en/tanakh/torah/sefer-devarim/parashat-devarim/devarim-opening-verses-and-structure-devarim)

These beginning lines of Dvarim are different than other books - they set the stage; they set the time, the place, and show that this is not a continuation of a story arc or a list of new rules, but the beginning of Moshe's farewell address. So, what food "sets the stage?" This reminded me of an aphorism that I was taught in elementary school. I don't remember how old I was, but I remember a lesson where we had a page of Ben Franklin's aphorims and were trying to decipher them. Some were easy to understand (like the one above or Better slip with foot than tongue" or “A true Friend is the best Possession.” - he really had some great ones!), but there was one that stuck with me because we had a lot of trouble understanding what it meant. It was "Hunger is the best pickle." Key to

understanding this was knowing that pickles were a common first course during Franklin's time. So, for our first dish, let's focus on the food that sets the stage (appetizers!) and go with a collection of pickled items - pickles, pickled tomatoes, pickled radishes, pickled daikon, whatever else you choose to pickle, using this handy guide.

As Moshe recounts the story of the Israelites' time in the desert and travels, he lists the conquests of lands that God helped facilitate - the kingdoms of Sihon and Og. There were areas that God specifically said were not for the taking, those of the descendents of Esau, but for these two kingdoms God delivered it into their hands. As with so much of the book of Dvarim, Moshe is recounting this story to remind the people of important history (or rules.) The key for the Israelites to understand is that when God is with you, you can take any enemy. When God tells you to leave a people alone, you should do so because otherwise you will fail (as was recounted earlier in the parsha when Moshe described what happened after the 12 spies returned and the Israelites refused to enter Canaan, and then tried to enter without God's help and were roundly defeated.) Moshe further emphasizes the point by pointing out:

At that time we captured all his towns; there was not a town that we did not take from them: sixty towns, the whole district of Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bashan—all those towns were fortified with high walls, gates, and bars—apart from a great number of unwalled towns.

Despite these high walls and other protection reinforcements, the Israelites were victorious and, just to hammer home the point, the difference maker is God. So, in honor of this lesson, I would recommend a food with high walls. Try a Cottage Pie, baked in a springform pan and creating High Walls with the crust. Recipe below.

Shabbat Shalom & B'Tayavon!

Open-Faced Deep-Dish Cottage Meat Pie

Serves 8–10 | 9-inch springform pan

Crust

• 3½ cups all-purpose flour

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1½ cups cold plant-based butter, cubed

• 1 egg

• 6–8 tbsp ice water

Filling

• 2 lbs lean ground beef

• 1 large yellow onion, diced

• 2 carrots, finely diced

• 2 celery stalks, finely diced

• 10 oz cremini mushrooms, finely chopped

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 tbsp tomato paste

• 2 tbsp flour

• ½ cup dry red wine

• 1 cup beef broth

• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)

• 1 tsp chopped rosemary

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Finish

• 1 beaten egg (optional, for brushing the crust)

Directions

1. Crust: Combine flour and salt. Cut in the cold plant butter until crumbly. Mix in the egg, then add just enough ice water for the dough to come together. Form into a disk, wrap, and chill for at least 30 minutes.

2. Filling: Brown the meat and set aside. In the same pan, cook the onion, carrots, celery, and mushrooms until softened and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook 2 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, then add the wine and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the broth, Dijon, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Return the meat to the pan and simmer until the mixture is thick and almost no liquid remains, 10–15 minutes. Remove the bay leaf, stir in the peas and parsley, and let cool completely.

3. Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan. Roll the dough into a 16-inch circle and press it into the pan so it extends about 1 inch above the rim, patching any thin spots as needed. Fill with the cooled meat mixture, keeping it about ½ inch below the top of the crust. Brush the crust with beaten egg (if using) and sprinkle with flaky sea salt. Bake for 55–65 minutes, until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling. If the crust browns too quickly, loosely cover just the edge with foil.

4.Let the pie rest for 20–30 minutes before removing the springform ring. Slice into wedges and serve warm.