L IFESTYLE /C ULTURE
A Life-Changing Do-ahead Kitchen Hack
SOY-GINGER FLANK STEAK
F OO D
KERI WHITE | JE FOOD COLUMNIST
WE’VE ALL SEEN those
memes of moms who go on
“vacation” with the family only
to spend time cooking and
cleaning in a poorly equipped
kitchen, while the rest of the
clan swims, sunbathes, hikes
and canoes.

Now, I am not in any way
suggesting that is my experi-
ence these days, but I am
familiar with the concept. We
rented a cottage at the shore
for a few weeks in September,
and I was determined to avoid
such a fate. I devised a method
of provisioning that seemed
almost magical, was ideal for
traveling and I will probably
replicate it on the homefront for
its sheer convenience and ease.

It involved doing the prep
work in my well-equipped,
well-provisioned home
kitchen and freezing the food
in zip-seal bags. I had never
marinated and frozen meat
before, and it worked like a
charm. Arguably, the ingre-
dients permeated the meat
more thoroughly, resulting in
a more-tender, more-fl avored
result. Now, I only did this with
beef and poultry, so for vegetar-
ians and vegans, this might
not be an ideal technique.

However, as more and more
vegan products are developed
to mimic meat, this method
may well have applications to
diff erent dietary preferences.

Th ere was something truly
wonderful about moving a
zip-seal bag from the freezer
to the fridge in the evening,
allowing it to defrost overnight
and grilling it for dinner the
following day, accompanied by
corn from the farm stand and
a simply tossed salad, or maybe
some bread and purchased cole
slaw. No stress for the cook, but
a delicious, fl avorful meal.

Even when grilling season
ends (which for some people
is never) this technique can be
easily adapted to the broiler, a
skillet or a sheet pan roasted
at a high temperature. One pro
tip that really helped — be sure
to label the bags in detail: “1.5
lb fl ank steak w soy, ginger and
sesame” or “4 chicken cutlets
in garlic lemon dressing.” Th is
will ensure that you defrost the
right amount for your group
and avoid waste.

Serves 4
⅓ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon grated fresh
ginger 1 tablespoon sesame oil
⅓ cup canola or vegetable
oil 1 tablespoon hot sauce
such as Sriracha (optional)
1½ pounds fl ank steak
choose, slice them horizon-
tally across to about ¼-inch
to ½-inch thickness — or have
your butcher prepare them as
scaloppini. Cooking times will
vary pending the thickness
of the pieces, so be sure to
check them for doneness before
serving. 1½ pounds boneless turkey,
sliced thinly
½ bottle or can beer (any
type) ½ cup your favorite
barbecue sauce
In a large zip-seal bag,
mix all the ingredients. Make
sure the steak is thoroughly
coated. Label the bag clearly
and lay it fl at in the freezer.

Th e night before you wish to
serve this, place the fl ank steak
in the refrigerator to defrost
overnight. Bring the steak to room
temperature before grilling.

Heat your grill to medium-
high, and place the steak on it,
cooking for about 5 minutes
per side for medium-rare.

Remove the steak from the
grill, cover it with foil and let
it rest for 3 minutes. Slice the
meat thinly across the grain on
a diagonal.

Mix all the ingredients in a
zip-seal bag. Be sure the turkey
pieces are thoroughly coated.

Label the bag clearly and lay
it fl at in the freezer. Th e night
before you wish to serve it,
place the bag in the fridge and
allow it to defrost overnight.

Bring the turkey to room
temperature, and heat your
grill to medium-high. Grill
the turkey for about 4 minutes
per side until cooked through.

Place it on a plate, cover it with
foil and allow it to rest for
several minutes.

BEER BARBECUE TURKEY
LEMON-GARLIC CHICKEN
I prefer turkey breasts, but
many people prefer dark meat
as having more fl avor and
less of a risk of drying out.

Regardless of which cut you
Many recipes in this style call
for a marinade of yogurt or
buttermilk, but that is a no-no
for kosher diners. Mayonnaise
is an excellent substitute; the
Serves 4
Serves 4
vinegar it contains breaks the
meat down a bit in the same
way the yogurt and butter-
milk does, delivering a tender,
fl avorful result.

I prefer boneless chicken
breasts, but you can certainly
use bone-in pieces; simply
adjust the cooking time accord-
ingly. Large bone-in breasts
and thighs will take about 30
minutes, give or take, and will
mostly need indirect heat aft er
the initial sear.

1½ pounds boneless
chicken, cut thinly
½ cup mayonnaise
Juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves fresh garlic,
crushed 1 teaspoon oregano
Generous amount salt and
pepper Mix all the ingredients
in a zip-seal bag. Be sure the
chicken pieces are thoroughly
coated. Label the bag clearly
and lay it fl at in the freezer.

Th e night before you wish to
serve it, place the bag in the
fridge and allow it to defrost
overnight. Bring the chicken to room
temperature, and heat your
grill to medium-high. Grill the
chicken for about 4 minutes
per side until cooked through.

Place it on a plate, cover it with
foil and allow it to rest for
several minutes. ●
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L ifestyle /C ulture
‘The Automat’ to Show at Philadelphia Film Festival
FI L M
SASHA ROGELBERG | JE STAFF
AT THE HORN & Hardart
Automat, a customer could
obtain a cup of coffee by sliding
a nickel into a thin brass slot
and pulling a lever below it,
allowing a steady stream of
chicory-blended coffee to pour
from a dolphin’s mouth (though
some argued it looked more like
a lion’s head) into a thick, porce-
lain cup. If one blinked, they
would miss the thin stream of
milk that trickled into the cup
from an unseen spout.

That 5-cent cup of coffee
became emblematic of the
Automat, a cafeteria-style
restaurant that boomed in
Philadelphia and New York in
the early and mid-20th century:
affordable, tasty and downright
enchanting. Though the last of the 157
Horn & Hardart establishments
closed its doors in 1991, its
legacy lives on in the minds of
many who visited the restau-
rant and, most recently, in “The
Automat,” a documentary by
Jewish filmmaker Lisa Hurwitz.

The documentary will be
screened at the 30th annual
Philadelphia Film Festival
on Oct. 23 at 9:30 a.m. at the
Bourse and on Oct. 31 at 1:15
p.m. at the Film Center.

Horn & Hardart’s business
model was unique in the U.S.

Borrowing German technol-
ogies, the Automat used a
waiter-less, vending machine-
style model. In exchange for a
couple of nickels, one could buy
a meal consisting of an amalga-
mation of dishes pulled out of
small, temperature-controlled,
glass-doored cubbies. Baked
beans, macaroni and cheese,
salisbury steak and strawberry
rhubarb pie were menu favorites.

But Hurwitz argues that the
restaurant’s magic transcended
the magic of its physical
operation. “The Automat” captures
the essence of the Horn &
JEWISHEXPONENT.COM Hardart establishments through
the eyes of those who experi-
enced the restaurants firsthand:
Brooklynite comedian Mel
Brooks, with a near-photographic
memory of his cross-bureau trips
to the Manhattan Automats
in the 1930s; Supreme Court
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg,
who remarked on the automat’s
hallmark commitment to serving
everyone who walked through
their doors, regardless of race,
class or gender; and former
Secretary of State Colin Powell,
whose rare family outings to
a restaurant were defined by
Horn & Hardart’s affordable, yet
high-quality service.

Though neither founders
Joseph Horn nor Frank Hardart
were Jewish, Hurwitz insists
that the restaurant is a touch-
stone for American Jews.

“Jews just love the Automat,”
Hurwitz said.

With inexpensive, tasty
food and a business principle
of not turning anyone away,
Horn & Hardart mirrored the
values held by the many Jewish
immigrants it served.

“I really love how they
took care of people; they were
offering something that was
good for people,” Hurwitz
said. “They were like a model
company.” Hurwitz’s interest in Horn &
Hardart epitomizes the lasting
interest in the establishment.

Through her years eating
at her college dining hall at
Evergreen State College in
Olympia, Washington, Hurwitz
developed a fascination with
cafeteria food and culture,
something she was deprived of
while eating lunch from kosher
food trucks at her Jewish day
school while growing up in Los
Angeles. Several trips to the library to
learn more about cafeterias led
Hurwitz to stumble upon the
history of the Automat, which
snowballed into an idea for a
documentary that Hurwitz
began working on after gradu-
ating in 2013.

A New York Horn & Hardart
Automat in the 1930s
She quickly became familiar
with the establishment’s loyal
following among those who
visited the Automats, fueling
her to bring the film to fruition.

“It’s kind of ironic because
one of the most amazing parts
about the Automat was this
social element — how people
sat at communal tables and
just hung out there; it was a
great meeting place,” Hurwitz
said. “This film became a great
meeting place for me, and that
was what drove me to keep
pushing and pushing over eight
years.” Though many remember
the coffee and pie from Horn
& Hardart, Hurwitz contends
that it was really the social
component that made Horn
& Hardart a memorable and
lasting institution.

The experience of the
Automat is what inspired
Starbucks founder Howard
Schultz to bring “theater and
romance” to his coffee shop
experience. Though it inspired future
business models, the Automat
remains unparalleled, Hurwitz
said. In the film, Hurwitz poses a
question to architectural dealer
Steve Stollman about whether
something similar to the
Automat exists today. Stollman
said no — and Hurwitz agrees.

“People are always pushing;
they want me to say that these
modern-day vending machine
JEWISH EXPONENT
Starbucks founder Howard Schultz holds a framed photograph of the
Automat, which hangs in his office.
Courtesy of A Slice of Pie Productions
Jews just love the Automat.”
LISA HURWITZ
restaurants, these automatic
restaurants or whatever, are
like modern-day incarnations
of the Automat,” Hurwitz said,
“And I don’t feel that they are,
because it was really about the
environment.” But Hurwitz is at peace with
the Automat’s finite lifespan.

Within the story of the Horn
& Hardart Automat, there’s
a lesson about the imperma-
nence of some things, no matter
how beloved.

“Sometimes we have to let
things go,” Hurwitz said. “We
can’t save everything. Things
don’t always last forever.”
The Philadelphia Film
Festival runs from Oct. 20-31.

The schedule and tickets for
the film festival are available at
filmadelphia.org. l
srogelberg@jewishexponent.com; 215-832-0741
OCTOBER 21, 2021
17