COMMUNITY NEWS
The Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia mobilizes
financial and volunteer resources to address the
communities’ most critical priorities locally, in Israel and
around the world.

NextGen Spotlight: Meet Colby Pellegrini
FOR COLBY PELLEGRINI, 31, it’s all
about paying it forward.

After graduating NextGen’s Leadership
Development Program (LDP) in 2019, he
joined the Committee for Jewish Life and
Learning (CJLL) at the Jewish Federation
of Greater Philadelphia. Proudly serving
on the committee, Pellegrini understands
firsthand the importance of Jewish educa-
tion and the work the Jewish Federation
does to help all children have access to it.

While attending the Jewish Federation-
supported Jack M. Barrack Hebrew
Academy, at the time Akiba Hebrew
Academy, Pellegrini’s father suddenly
passed away, and his family struggled to
pay his tuition. Through scholarships and
financial assistance, the Jewish Federation
and Barrack Hebrew Academy ensured
that Pellegrini could remain at the school
he loved.

Today, Pellegrini is the vice president
of employee benefits at USI Insurance
Services and is an active leader in uplifting
the community that has always been there
for him.

We spoke with Pellegrini about his
passion for Jewish education, the Jewish
Federation and NextGen.

were just like me. I can attribute a lot of
my success to the support I had. Now, I’m
in a position and point in my life where
I’m able to give back. It’s my turn to pay it
forward for the next generation.

Throughout your leadership
journey in the Jewish
Federation, what has been
one of your most
memorable experiences?
My most memorable experience was our
NextGen Leadership Project through
LDP. Our group spent months planning
a social event for March Madness in
2020. The goal was to bring people in
the community together while supporting
an incredible Jewish Federation-backed
organization, Makom Community, which
creates family-centered, after-school
Jewish experiences for children ages 4-11.

We titled our event “Makom Madness.”
As we all know today, the timing of this
coincided with so much uncertainty in
our country. March Madness of 2020 was
one of the first national events to be
canceled due to the pandemic, with our
local program being canceled as well.

While our project may not have gone the
way we had hoped, the mission of gener-
ating visibility and funding for Makom
Community was a success.

How did you first get involved
with NextGen and the
Jewish Federation?
I have always been very familiar with the
Why do you give to the Jewish
Jewish Federation. They helped support
Federation? Colby Pellegrini wants to give back to the Jewish Federation and community that
Courtesy of Colby Pellegrini I give to the Jewish Federation because I
my family and subsidized my tuition as helped him when he was younger.
a child. I didn’t get involved with the
believe in what they do and the organiza-
organization until my late 20s. My friend Matt Shipon, NextGen board chair at
tions they support. I can say firsthand that they have personally made an impact
the time, knew of my interfaith upbringing and thought I’d be a great addition
on my life. The Jewish Federation depends on donors, so without everyone’s
to the already-diverse group.

contributions, they wouldn’t be able to sustain the life-changing work they do
each and every day for those in need. It’s so important that people realize this.

What is an organization, program or cause that the Jewish
It’s on all of us to continue to donate and show our ongoing support.

Federation supports that personally resonates with you?
I asked to become a member of the Committee for Jewish Life and Learning
because of the impact the Jewish community has already had on my life. I was
fortunate enough to have the Jewish Federation support me and my family and
provide financial aid so I could attend Jewish day school when I was younger.

My dad, who battled mental illness for years, suddenly passed midway through
high school. Without hesitation, my high school, Jack M. Barrack Hebrew
Academy (formerly Akiba), stepped in to cover my tuition for the remainder
of high school.

I look back now and realize how truly lucky I was to have my community
standing beside me when I needed them most. Being a part of the CJLL is
meaningful to me because they help fund organizations that support kids who
20 OCTOBER 14, 2021
What advice would you give to someone who is just
starting to get involved in NextGen?
I would advise anyone who is just starting to get involved in NextGen to take
full advantage of the affinity group. Show up, attend the networking and social
events, and be engaged. You would be surprised by the relationships that are
formed through this group, both personal and professional.

NextGen is the young professional affinity group of the Jewish Federation of
Greater Philadelphia. To learn more about NextGen, email Max Moline at mmoline@
jewishphilly.org. JEWISH EXPONENT
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM



L ifestyle /C ulture
Garlic — October’s Delicious Secret
F OO D
LINDA MOREL | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
BECAUSE YOU CAN buy
perfectly pungent garlic all
year, who knew the tastiest
garlic of the year is flooding
markets this month?
Many people object to
slicing, dicing or crushing
garlic in a press because its
assertive smell sticks to their
fingers, along with the tissue
paper-like skin covering each
clove. Yet the very same people
swoon when they catch a
tantalizing whiff of garlic as it
mellows during cooking.

Often sneered at as the
stinking rose, no ingredient is
as misunderstood as the lowly
garlic clove. Yet it’s ubiquitous
— the ingredient that’s the
most versatile and flavorful,
elevating dishes from bland
to spectacular. Garlic enriches
salad dressings, marinades,
casseroles, stews, pasta sauces,
roasted vegetables, fish, meat,
guacamole, hummus, baba
ghanoush and so much more.

Despite garlic’s robust
reputation, almost every savory
recipe starts with a clove or two
of garlic. Cookbook author Ina
Garten raises the ante in her
Chicken with Forty Cloves of
Garlic recipe, which dazzles
anyone lucky enough to eat it.

Overpowering aroma aside,
garlic is actually delicate.

When heat hits garlic, it can
burn easily. On a dime, garlic
turns from sumptuous to bitter.

While handling fresh garlic
is challenging, jarred minced
garlic is a big disappointment,
especially since it’s so easy to
preserve fresh garlic cloves in
a jar of olive oil. Store-bought
peeled garlic is a good compro-
mise, but the cloves need to be
consumed quickly before they
turn. In the movie “Goodfellas,”
Mafioso Paulie performed a
ritual every night in prison
as he prepared dinner for his
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM buddies. With a razor blade,
he sliced garlic cloves so
thin that they liquefied in a
pool of olive oil warmed in
a skillet. Although his ethics
were shaky, he gave garlic the
respect it deserves.

SAUTÉED GARLIC IN OLIVE
OIL | PAREVE OR DAIRY
Yield: ¼ cup
6-8 garlic cloves
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt to taste
Chop the garlic fine or
squeeze it through a garlic
press. Place it in a bowl.

In a small saucepan, heat
the olive oil over a medium-low
flame until warm. Spoon the
garlic into the oil. Sprinkle it
with salt. Stir it for a minute or
two, until the garlic is fragrant.

Remove it from the flame
before it burns or overcooks.

Serve the garlic over a
pound of pasta, goat cheese,
feta cheese or plain yogurt.

Brush it onto sourdough toast
and serve it as an hors d’oeu-
vres. This can be made a week
in advance if covered and
refrigerated. Return the garlic
to room temperature or gently
reheat it before using.

Meanwhile, cut the florets
off of the broccoli stems. If
some are larger than bite-sized,
cut them into halves or thirds.

Reserve. Chop the garlic finely or
squeeze it through a garlic
press. Reserve it in a medium-
sized bowl. Cut the onion into
thin slices, and add it to the
bowl. Pour 3 tablespoons of olive
oil into a medium-large skillet.

Heat it over a medium-low
flame. Add the broccoli and stir.

Cover the skillet and braise the
broccoli until softened, about 8
minutes. Stir occasionally, and
add more oil, if needed. Move
the broccoli to a bowl.

Pour in 2 tablespoons olive
oil. Add the garlic and onions.

Stir almost constantly. The
onions will naturally break into
rings. When this mixture is
fragrant, return the broccoli to
the skillet. Remove the skillet
from the heat, and cover it.

When the water comes to
a boil, add the ziti and cook
it according to the package
instructions. Drain it in a
colander, and move it to a
pasta bowl. Place the garlic
broccoli mixture on top. Serve
it with a generous amount of
Parmigiano cheese, if desired.

ROASTED AUTUMN
VEGETABLES AND GARLIC |
PAREVE Serves 4-6 as a side dish
Nonstick vegetable spray
2 zucchini, cut into 1-inch
chunks 8 ounces whole white
mushrooms 1 large onion, cut into
6 wedges
8-10 fingerling potatoes
1 large red pepper, cleaned
and cut into 6-8 slices
⅓ cup olive oil, or more,
if needed
Kosher salt to taste
10 whole cloves of garlic
Preheat your oven to 400
degrees F. Coat a roasting pan
with nonstick vegetable spray.

Reserve. Arrange the vegetables
— except the garlic — in the
roasting pan. Drizzle them with
olive oil. The vegetables should
be generously coated with oil.

Sprinkle them with salt.

Place the pan in the oven
and roast, adding olive oil if
the vegetables get a little dry.

Turn the vegetables every
10 minutes or so. After 35
minutes, sprinkle around the
garlic cloves. Coat them with
olive oil.

Roast the vegetables for
another 10 minutes, checking
the garlic every 3 minutes to
make sure it doesn’t overcook.

If the garlic is ready before the
vegetables, remove it from the
pan. The recipe is ready when
the vegetables, particularly the
potatoes, are soft in the center.

Serve immediately or cool
it to room temperature and
serve. GARLIC-INFUSED OLIVE OIL |
PAREVE Yield: 1 cup infused olive oil
1 cup olive oil
12 whole garlic cloves,
skinned Pour the olive oil into a
small jar, such as an empty jelly
jar. Add the garlic cloves and
seal. Store this way for at least 3
days at room temperature.

The oil can be used in salad
dressings or for cooking. The
garlic can be used for cooking
as well. Once you start making
this infusion, you will have it
on hand all the time. l
ZITI WITH GARLIC AND
BROCCOLI | PAREVE
Serves 4-6
2 drops olive oil, plus
3 tablespoons, plus
2 tablespoons, or more
if needed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 head of broccoli
8-10 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion
1 pound ziti
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JEWISH EXPONENT
OCTOBER 14, 2021
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