printAugust 29, 2009
Ethnic Flair
Ilene Spector
Special to the Jewish Times
Krishna and Virendra Patel are from India. They recently opened a stunning wine store called Vineyard’s Elite, located in downtown Pikesville. The store showcases their knowledge of and passion for kosher wines.
At a recent wine-tasting and dinner at their home, I sampled Krishna and Virendra’s Indian cuisine, accompanied by wines that brought out the best in the dishes. Krishna is a strict vegetarian, and the combination of vegetarian food with exotic Indian spices was perfect for creating a kosher meal with a global twist.
Virendra and Krishna had a traditional arranged marriage. Both families lived in London when the match was made seven years ago. The wedding took place three weeks after they met, attended by 900 guests from around the world. Virendra and Krishna now have a 4-year-old son and live in Baltimore.
Presently, there are an estimated 6,000 Jews in India, although some 60,000 Jews of Indian origin live in Israel. From Baghdad and Bombay to the southern part of India, there are small scattered Jewish communities throughout, where some do keep kosher and attend synagogues. The Cochin Jewish synagogue is among the most beautiful in the world, but nowadays there are more tourists than worshippers.
In India, while there are many vegetarian restaurants, there are none that are strictly kosher. In Bombay, though, you will find a wonderful kosher bakery that is popular and thriving.
Back in Baltimore, weekend wine and food tastings at Vineyard’s Elite continue through late September and feature Indian vegetarian food paired with wines and special kosher beers as well. A selection of Covenant brand kosher wines, priced from $52 to $102 a bottle, is an exclusive at their store. The Covenant red cabernet was rated 94 points by wine expert Robert Parker.
The late September tastings include unusual vegetarian printed recipes perfect for the High Holidays as well as a few new and traditional Edmart tasting favorites. September tastings also feature local restaurant, caterer and personal chef specialties, tailored for Jewish home entertaining. Case discounts are available.
For more information, you can visit Vineyard’s Elite’s Web site at http://www.vineyardselite.com or call 410-415-5550 for hours and special tastings.
Below are a sampling of their homemade recipes as well as one from the Indian Jewish community. Any ingredients that do not sound familiar are available at most gourmet grocery stores with an Indian food section, health food stores or at local Indian or Asian specialty stores.
INDIAN-JEWISH COCONUT RICE PUDDING
Ilene Spector is a local free-lance writer who writes a monthly Food Talk column and a twice-weekly cooking column for the BALTIMORE JEWISH TIMES.
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