ISO: Kosher main dish pasta salad

[summer02]

Showing my ignorance here...
We've been invited to a picnic potluck later this week. Since the weather is expected to be hot, I'd like to bring a cold main dish.
I was thinking of pizza pasta salad, but DH said that they are requiring that all of the food is kosher.

I'm not really sure (and DH is no help) as to what is considered kosher so I'm open to advice/ suggestions.

Would a seafood pasta salad be okay (shrimp or crab)? What do I need to avoid ingredient-wise?

Thanks for your help!

[sneezles]

I know that there are many members here who could answer your questions in more detail but from what I know you would have to use the mock/faux/fake crab since shellfish are not Kosher. Dairy is not to be mixed with meat so an olive oil based dressing or mayo with no sour cream would be all right.

[sneezles]

Found this recipe and you could change the pasta to whatever shape you want...

Italian Pasta Salad

(You won't believe how easy this is, and how delicious. Think of it when you have leftover meat or poultry, especially after Thanksgiving.)

1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon basil
a few drops hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
6 ounces linguini broken into thirds, cooked al dente, rinsed in cold water
2 cups cooked roast beef, chicken, turkey, etc. cut in strips
1 cup thinly sliced celery
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
1 large cucumber, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced
5 ounces fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
In a jar with tight fitting lid, combine oil, vinegar, salt, basil, hot pepper sauce, and garlic. Shake well to blend.
Combine linguini with remaining ingredients.

Pour dressing over salad; toss gently.

Cover and refrigerate overnight to blend flavors.

[Ohioan]

Another caution: If you're going to use meat, it has to be kosher meat. Not just "no pork," but (a) no meat from the back half of the animal (except for poultry), and (b) only meat slaughtered under kosher supervision. (Technically, you probably shouldn't even be using nonkosher implements to fix the food, but I gather they're looking the other way on that.)

If you don't have a kosher butcher nearby, you can probably find Empire kosher chicken parts in a large supermarket that has a section for kosher foods. Or even try the frozen chicken section.

But then again, they may be planning something with dairy, so check to see whether you should be using meat at all. (Meat and dairy aren't allowed together.)

In fact, to be on the safe side, try going with a meatless, dairy-less bean and/or pasta salad (no-meat-no-dairy is called "parve"). Fish is considered parve, but only fish with fins and scales, such as salmon, tuna, cod, tilapia, etc., is kosher. (No shellfish, catfish, squid, etc.) Sneezles' pasta salad sounds good even without the meat.

Cheers,
Phoebe

[sneezles]

Originally posted by Ohioan
In fact, to be on the safe side, try going with a meatless, dairy-less bean and/or pasta salad (no-meat-no-dairy is called "parve"). Fish is considered parve, but only fish with fins and scales, such as salmon, tuna, cod, tilapia, etc., is kosher. (No shellfish, catfish, squid, etc.) Sneezles' pasta salad sounds good even without the meat.

Cheers,
Phoebe

Or you could sub some kidney beans for the meat!

[summer02]

Would this work - minus the feta and with plain Italian bread?
So no dairy and meat together applies to the whole meal and not just individual dishes?

I'm so glad I asked before going to the store :) Thanks for the advice!

Pizza Panzanella Salad
www.cookinglight.com

Use a bottled Greek or Caesar dressing instead of making a vinaigrette to save even more time.

1 (1-pound) Italian cheese-flavored pizza crust (such as Boboli)
2 cups torn romaine lettuce
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tablespoons chopped pitted kalamata olives
1 small cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 (15-ounce) can navy beans, drained
1 (7-ounce) bottle roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped
1 (4-ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 450°.
Place pizza crust on a baking sheet; bake at 450° for 8 minutes. Cut crust into 1-inch pieces.

While crust bakes, combine lettuce and next 7 ingredients (lettuce through feta cheese) in a large bowl. Combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk.

Add crust pieces to lettuce mixture; toss gently. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad; toss gently to coat.

[sneezles]

Originally posted by summer02
So no dairy and meat together applies to the whole meal and not just individual dishes?

Yes, that's correct.

I have been to parties at the homes of Jewish friends and not all the dishes were parve. Little signs were posted as to what the dish was and those with dairy were on a separate table.
The recipe you posted would work since it doesn't have meat with the cheese and assuming the navy beans are parve. It would be that those who keep Kosher wouldn't eat the salad and a meat dish at the same meal. To be safe though I would eliminate the feta, I think there's enough flavoring with the other ingredients, JMHO!

[NewMrsG]

This is such a tough question to answer because "kosher" is really on a continuum. Some people use the word kosher to refer to anything that doesn't contain any items generally not considered "kosher" (including shellfish or pork). Other times people don't want ANY non-kosher items in their home - so for instance, even chicken (which is generally a "kosher" item, has to be KOSHER chicken in order for it to be allowed. Kosher can also refer not just to the food item itself, but its preparation - so anything that's prepared in a non-kosher kitchen isn't considered kosher.

I would assume that your friends are inviting you to bring something that doesn't contain things like pork or shellfish - but I think it's always a good idea to ask beforehand. If they're very strictly kosher you might want to see if there's a kosher deli or something where you can bring something they make.

I don't think I've explained this all very well - but the basic point is that there's no clear or easy answer for what kosher might mean. I'm sure your friends will be much appreciative of your sensitivity!

[tbb113]

I would assume your friends don't keep a very strict kosher home, becasue if they did, nothing you prepared (unless you bought all new utensils and containers) would be kosher. Kosher not only includes the food itself but the cooking utensils need to be only used with kosher food, etc.

I would call your friends and ask for guidelines. The temple we belong to will tell you if its dairy or meat, but other than that we don't expect people to be providing 'strictly kosher' meats, etc.

I'm with Jori, make sure it doesn't have pork or shellfish, or mix meat and dairy and go for it after calling and asking what they want.