Food Tourah – Miketz

December 23, 2024 in Food Tourah

Because life so often happens around food, we’re spending the year exploring the weekly parshiot and finding connections to each week’s Shabbat menu.  Sarah, a seasoned Jewish educator, brings a wealth of knowledge to our discussions, while Alison, who loves creating dishes that bring people together, is excited to explore the weekly portions in greater depth. Each week we will give a brief overview of the parsha and then suggest ways to incorporate its themes into your Shabbat menu. This is our version of Julie and Julia – the charming movie in which a blogger challenges herself to make all 524 recipes from Julia Child’s 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking in just one year.  Lucky for us, we only have to cover 54 parshiot – 44 more to go!

Miketz begins as Pharaoh is troubled by two disturbing dreams.  His own magicians are unable to interpret them, but the cupbearer (remember from the last parsha?) recalls Joseph’s skill with dreams.  Joseph correctly foretells that Egypt is due to see 7 years of plenty and 7 years of famine. Impressed, Pharoah releases Joseph from jail so he can oversee these years of tumult. Joseph puts aside vast amounts of grain during the 7 years of plenty – so much so that people from other lands come to Egypt seeking rations.

During the famine, Jacob sends 10 of his remaining sons – all of Joseph’s brothers except for Benjamin – to Egypt to get rations.  Joseph recognizes his brothers but does not reveal his identity to them. To test their character, Joseph accuses his brothers of being spies and insists that they bring their youngest brother Benjamin back to him. When they return with Benjamin, they bring gifts of “honey, gum, laudanum, pistachio nuts, and almonds”. Joseph welcomes them with a large feast; fills their sacks with food and rations and sends them on their way, but not before planting a silver goblet in Benjamin’s bag. The parsha ends on a cliffhanger as Joseph sends his servants out to overtake his brothers and accuse them of this theft; Joseph declares that the one who is in possession of the goblet will be his slave.

Drawing inspiration from the grain that is stored up during the years of plenty, add this Warm Couscous Salad with Apricot Vinaigrette to your Shabbat menu.  It has an added bonus connection to this week’s parsha in that it includes almonds just like the ones that Joseph’s brothers brought to stay in his good graces. The brothers offer us several tasty ingredients to work with this week. A Honey Herb Roasted Chicken should go nicely with the couscous.  And because you can never have enough sweetness, whip up some Candied Pistachios that would be great on a salad or on their own!  These indulgent dishes all call to mind Joseph’s elaborate feast for his brothers.

B’tayavon and Shabbat Shalom,
Alison (Baraf) & Sarah (Roark)

To read past installments of Food Tourah – Click Here.

For a more in-depth look at this week’s parsha, visit Sefaria.com.