This Summer
Pantry Dinners, Summer Edition
call dishes like these “Stone Soup”
after the classic children’s tale where
the whole town claims to have no
food to prepare a proper meal.

In the book, a visiting stranger offers
a recipe for stone soup that encour-
ages each villager to contribute a little
something. A carrot here, an onion
there, some rice, some beans and,
suddenly, the whole community is
enjoying a bowl of goodness.

I have written about these types
of dishes before — dinners that
come together from seemingly bare
cupboards that deliver tasty, simple,
nourishing meals. I am calling these
recipes the summer edition because
they do not involve a long spell in
the oven — both are quick, stove-
top preparations, on the lighter side,
although they can certainly be offered
year-round. WE ARE BETTER
THAN EVER!
Come and see our new exciting apartment home
designs, the spirited dining venues and relaxing
community spaces. Experience our friendly and
engaging residents and team members.

TWO MONTHS
FREE! Retirement Community
Contact Jennifer and Rebecca to schedule your personal visit at
1-877-859-9444 PaulsRun.org/Welcome
9896 Bustleton Avenue • Philadelphia, PA 19115
34 JUNE 15, 2023 | JEWISH EXPONENT
Savory French Toast | dairy
Serves 1
We are all familiar with traditional
French toast — past-its-prime bread
dipped in a batter of egg and milk,
usually seasoned with vanilla, cinna-
mon and nutmeg, and fried in butter to
a crisp exterior and a custardy middle.

Challah is a traditional choice, but any
bread that is either neutral or sweet is
used in such a preparation — no one
is using rye or olive bread — so the
recipe below allows for that. I had a bare
cupboard at home and was heading for
a deadline — this allowed no time for a
trip to the market, but lunch approached.

I had some leftover baguette from last
night’s dinner, some eggs, a bit of milk
and some Parmesan cheese.

The result is below and was quite
tasty. This could be used as a bed for
an arugula salad, sliced tomatoes or
any type of savory salsa or sauce, and
the flavor palate can change per prefer-
ence. Curry powder for Indian flavors,
cumin and cayenne for Mexican, za’atar
for Israeli: You get the picture.

4 slices baguette or 2 slices
larger-sized bread
1 egg
⅓ cup milk
½ teaspoon mustard
Sprinkle of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon ground Parmesan
cheese Butter/oil for pan
Snipped chives or fresh herbs to
garnish, if desired
In a shallow bowl, mix the egg, milk,
mustard, salt, pepper and cheese.

Soak the bread in the mixture, turning
it over once or twice to ensure that all
batter is absorbed.

In a skillet, heat the butter or oil over
medium. Place the bread into the pan
and cook it until golden on one side,
approximately 3 minutes. (Be careful
that it doesn’t stick — the Parmesan
can be sticky — add butter or oil if
needed). Turn over the toasts and cook
the second side until golden brown.

Serve immediately, topped with
snipped chives or fresh herbs.

Spicy Thai Noodles | pareve
Serves 4
This dish is simple, tasty and can be
served as is or topped with chicken, fish,
tofu, vegetables or a combination. It is a
synergistic recipe, meaning the end is far
greater than the sum of its parts.

If you have ramen or any other type
of Asian noodle (soba, rice, mung bean,
jop chae) feel free to use it, but good
old spaghetti will also work.

In keeping with the pantry dinner
theme, the recipe here offers the simplest
version, but if you have fresh ginger to
grate into the sauce, do so. Ditto topping
it with a handful of chopped fresh cilan-
tro, sesame seeds, chopped peanuts
or a spritz of fresh lime juice. It can be
served warm or cold.

1 pound long noodles (ramen or
spaghetti) ½ cup creamy peanut butter
¼ cup warm water
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1-2 tablespoons Sriracha, to taste
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
(white vinegar works, too)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Optional additions: any combination
of shredded veggies such
as cucumbers, bell peppers,
cabbage, scallions, etc.

Cook the noodles according to the
package directions. While the noodles
cook, make the sauce. Combine all of
the remaining ingredients in a large
bowl and mix until smooth. If using
veggies, toss them into the mixture.

Top as desired and serve hot, at room
temp or chilled. ■
Keri White is a Philadelphia-based
freelance food writer.

Photo by Keri White
I Keri White



synagogue spotlight
Members Keep South Philadelphia’s
‘Little Shul’ Alive
Jarrad Saffren | Staff Writer
Photos by Jarrad Saffren
I n a South Philadelphia neighborhood filled with
renovated rowhouses, Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron
Ezras Israel looks like it’s out of another era.

Its brick is weathered and discolored in certain
areas. The blue text above the door displaying the
synagogue name is faded. An opening
of the door and a step inside will leave
you with the distinct waft of old book
pages, as one congregant, Ariel Kamen,
describes it. And as you walk around the
bottom floor and then the top, you will see
yahrzeit memorials dating to the first half
of the 20th century, handcrafted Judaica
pieces and two columns of pews facing a
bimah in the center of a living room.

Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron Ezras
Israel, or the “Little Shul,” as it’s known
online and among members, looks like it’s
out of another era because it is. It dates
to the late 1800s when droves of Jewish
immigrants from Eastern Europe were Congregation Shivtei Yeshuron
goes back to the early
settling down in South Philly. Among the Ezras Israel, also known as the
Little Shul
1930s. While he did
more than 150 little shuls that emerged in
not raise his daughter
that period, it is the only one left.

The 15-25 members who remain gather once a at the old rowhome, he did host her bat mitzvah
here in 2001. Today, Berg is not that religious, but
month for a Shabbat morning service and kiddush.

“As long as we have a minyan, I’m happy,” said he still sits on the board at the Little Shul and comes
Richard Sisman, the synagogue’s president. “Because monthly for Shabbat.

“It served a place for immigrants who were strang-
it means the work we’ve put in is worthwhile.”
ers in a strange world to come to and find the people
The we that Sisman refers to is a group of Jews
from every generation who feel a connection to their from their own communities,” Berg said.

Dave Kalniz did not grow up at the Little Shul,
religion. Sisman, 65, grew up at the synagogue and returned but he has been going for 35 years. He lived in
as an adult after driving by one day, noticing that the the neighborhood when his father died, and he
doors were open, walking in and finding a service. walked over on Friday and Saturday that week to say
He describes his house growing up as “pretty kaddish, and just keeps coming back.

Kalniz grew up Orthodox and, while he tries to
secular.” His family celebrated the holidays but did
not keep kosher. As he put it, they were “spiritual, observe the Sabbath today, he only avoids activities
on Shabbos if he does not have to do them. But
not observant.”
It’s an approach that Sisman pretty much maintains. his Orthodox life experience makes him well-suited
But he’s committed to keeping the Little Shul alive. It to leading services at the Little Shul, a role he fills
is the president, after all, who organizes payments for admirably, according to Sisman.

“It’s haimishe. It’s a good community gathering,”
the minimal expenses on the synagogue’s paid-off
Kalniz said.

building. Daniel and Irene Berbit, 42 and 38, respectively,
“You do whatever you have to do not to let a
are younger than Sisman, Berg and Kalniz. But like
synagogue close. It’s just in my bones,” he said.

David Berg, a Mount Airy resident, also grew up at those older congregants, they feel their religion is
the Little Shul. His family history at the synagogue important. Daniel Berbit grew up Conservative and
Little Shul member David Berg
Irene Berbit’s mother found refuge in a synagogue
in New York City after the family emigrated from the
Soviet Union.

The Berbits enjoyed their first date at the Little
Shul in 2019 on the morning after they met at a
Shabbat dinner at the Old City Jewish Arts Center.

They’ve been coming back ever since.

“It’s something I was raised with,” Daniel Berbit
said. “It’s being part of the Jewish community,” Irene
Berbit added.

Kamen, who mentioned the old book smell, is
the youngest congregant at 23. After having a bat
mitzvah in her youth in Manalapan, New Jersey, she
reconnected with her Judaism in 2020. Now a nurse
who lives in West Philadelphia, Kamen likes to study
the weekly parshah on Saturday mornings.

In January, she Googled “oldest shul in Philly,” and
the Little Shul came up. She’s gone for six straight
months. She might even want to clean up the
synagogue’s library at some point.

“For it to be a place where people who are inter-
ested in seeing these historical things can come and
look and feel and inquire about things that they like,”
Kamen said. ■
jsaffren@midatlanticmedia.com JEWISHEXPONENT.COM
35