My Grandmother’s Recipes: Part 6, Main Course.

The story of Odessa synagogue and the unsavory characters who ran it continues in this chapter (click for Part 1Part 2Part 3Part 4Part 5Part 7).

*Top of this page was included in Part 5

*Part 6

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16. Alexander Matrosov – a World War II military hero who sacrificed his life by putting his body in front of the embrasure of the enemy’s machine gun.

17. Danaya (Danae) – mythological goddess of fertility, seduced by Zeus who transformed himself into a rain of gold.

Here is another clip from Fiddler on the Roof. The bottle dance is still performed today;  I’ve seen it at a few weddings. With all the persecution, poverty, and hardships, we have still possessed the spirit to rejoice!

This very special recipe symbolizes the meaning of life and the hope for a sweet year:

Enjoy!

21 Comments Add yours

  1. lifelessons says:

    So did they go on aiding Gabbe after they discover his hoarded gold? Who inherited all his gold when he died? Another story.

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Of course they did, and I have no idea who inherited the gold. Probably the government, since it was illegal to have it in private possession.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. lifelessons says:

    I just can’t stand the unfair treatment by the government regime..Aren’t you glad you were forced to/allowed to leave?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. More than happy, having been a refusenik for 7 years prior to that. Are you familiar with the word?

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      1. lifelessons says:

        Yes of course..And I knew that. It was Johnson responsible for their letting you leave, correct? Or had they already expelled you and he just welcomed you in? Glad he did.

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      2. You remember correctly, and I thank you for remembering it.

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  3. Such lively writing

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so very much, Derrick, and a great deal of credit goes to my son for an excellent translation.

      Liked by 2 people

      1. Thanks for sharing, Dolly! Best wishes, Michael

        Liked by 1 person

      2. Same to you, dear Michael.

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  4. Your grandfather’s care of your grandmother was so precious, every couple should be so blessed to care for each other that deeply.

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  5. I always love your grandmother’s recipes and her stories, Dolly. FYI, I recently caught Ken Burns’ series “The US and the Holocaust”. Though it was heart breaking, I highly recommend it.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Thank you so much, dear Anna, and thank you for recommending the series. I will look it up.

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  6. Reblogged this on By the Mighty Mumford and commented:
    YOWZAA-!

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    1. Thank you for reblogging, dear friend.

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  7. lifelessons says:

    Hi Dolly. I just wrote you this note as a reply to a comment you made on my blog but to insure you see it, I’m duplicating it here. I made your vinegar meatballs yesterday…took me all day. Phew. Dates are not easy to pit!!! Got the meatballs all made and then realized I hadn’t added the eggs, so had to squoosh them down again but the eggs were big ones and after adding them the mix was too runny to form into meatballs, so I added more cooked rice and ground beef until they would form balls–albeit much squishier ones than before. I have no idea how long I ended up cooking everything–I would guess from between 4 and 5 hours. My dr. would be happy as I stood up the whole time and he prescribed no longer than one hour sitting at a time before getting up and exercising for 5 minutes. I reckon I exercised for 4 hours! Only my affection for you kept me going. When they were finished, they were way under-salted so it was tricky to salt and pepper them without breaking up the meatballs. I think folks like me need a little guidance as to how much spice to add. And I think I should have salted the meat before I seared it and the meatballs a bit before forming them into balls. Aren’t you glad you don’t have me around for a student in person? At any rate, I finally did it. It makes me appreciate even more the time and care you take in cooking. For prune buter I subbed blackberry jam, the only dark preserves I had–that I didn’t know I had. I used lime juice in place of lemon juice as lemons are practically impossible to find in Mexico. I didn’t use neck or rib bones as I wasn’t sure how to find them, either, or how small they should have been or why they were there anyway. Would I have been expected to suck the marrow out? I played it safe and omitted them. I even had bones I’d bought for the dogs but I gave them to the dogs who didn’t know what to do with them either, so I think they buried them. We are hopeless down here. xoxo The meat tastes pretty good though. it’s been in the fridge overnight and I’m making scalloped spuds and asparagus to go with them. How do you serve them? With a fork or in bread or pita or??? By the way, my mom put rice in her meatballs, too, and called them porcupine meatballs. Served them in tomato sauce, though. And no stuffed prunes… Do you still like me after reading this?????

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I don’t like you, dear Judy; I love you to bits!

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