Quarantine
During the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the initial period of lockdown, a lot of Jewish thinkers were talking about this week’s Torah portion, Tazria, which describes how to handle cases of tzara’at, a skin affliction often thought to resemble leprosy. The remedies it prescribes sound a lot like our modern experiences of quarantine. Leviticus 13 describes a series of 7-day isolation periods for people suspected of being afflicted by tzara’at, but whose lesions do not meet the criteria to declare them impure immediately, and for other suspected diseases that appear as lesions on the skin. A person with a confirmed case of tzara’at must enter a full quarantine and dwell outside of the camp until their symptoms disappear (Lev. 13:46). It’s hard not hear echoes here of the days of isolation and quarantine we all experienced during the height of the pandemic, whether that was due to a positive test or simply due to exposure to an individual who was known to be infected. I spent several 10-day periods at home with (thankfully healthy) children who had been exposed at school, in addition to the cascade of what felt like never-ending quarantines when first one member of my immediate family tested positive and then another, each one approximately five days after the last, forever resetting our isolation clock. Oof. It’s hard to even mentally relive those times.
While the biblical understanding of impurity and contagion is far from synonymous with our modern medical understandings of infection and disease, it is interesting and notable that these overlaps in practices of containment exist. There is a shared human intuition that to protect one another, we must sometimes separate from one another, that both social and physical relationships can potentially introduce risk. And yet, as we know from our own pandemic experience, this separation comes at a high cost. As a parent, I am still trying to reckon with what it meant for my daughter’s formative years to be years of isolation, years of me standing too close to her at the park in order to dissuade her from running up to other kids to greet them, at a time when outdoors was one of the only places we could go except our own small apartment. How did this shape her experience of the world? How did it shape my way of being as a parent? These are questions to which I still do not have clear answers.
Next week’s Torah portion, Metzora, thinks about ways to reintegrate the individual after a period of isolation. These two portions are often read together as one, but not this year. (Because Judaism follows a lunar calendar, but also has festivals linked to distinct seasons, the calendar and the cycle of readings changes a bit from year to year). So we find ourselves this week with an opportunity to linger in this in-between state, and some of the memories it doubtlessly stirs for all of us.
This week, it might be interesting to revisit those COVID years with your children, years they may not fully remember depending on how old they were. It’s always fun to take a collective trip down memory lane, and my kids love seeing old pictures of themselves! You can tell them a little bit about what their lives were like then. Do they remember wearing masks to school? Do they remember podding with another family, or home schooling, or not being able to visit grandma? If they don’t remember, share with them about your own experience, and how it is both similar to and different from the way things are now. My husband and I used to take daily walks with our daughter in the stroller, in almost any weather, just to get outside for a bit. Certain streets in our old neighborhood are probably still littered with her lost mittens from these walks. We used to meet friends in the park, sitting six feet apart and sipping hot beverages as the weather turned cold. These friends, some of whom we knew only tangentially at the start, became an indelible part of our social circle and of our children's lives, even as the world reopened.
Everyone’s pandemic period looks different, and the recounting above elides much of the suffering, isolation, frustration, and loss that my family experienced during this period. But however you wish to share with your children, you can let them know that people experienced periods of separateness even in biblical times. Then, as now, those separations were difficult; then, as now, they were sometimes necessary; then, as now, the community eventually found ways to come back together.
This week’s recipe is inspired by those years of quarantine cooking, when grocery stores were often understocked and we were trying to get by on pantry ingredients to avoid having to go out to the store again. But it’s also cozy comfort food that is surprisingly easy, and sure to delight children and grownups alike - at least if you, like me, have a deep nostalgia for macaroni and cheese.
Pantry Mac and Cheese
Recipe by J. Kenji Lopez-Alt
Serves 4 (I have doubled the original recipe, which serves 2)
I have always been a fan of macaroni and cheese. Is there anything more soothing and satisfying than cheesy pasta? And yet, I don’t make it very often. Baked macaroni and cheese doesn’t really fulfill my nostalgic cravings, as I usually had the stovetop version as a kid. And although my kids continue to love Wacky Mac (the kosher version of Kraft), as an adult, it’s not my favorite.
Thankfully, Deb Perelman of Smitten Kitchen and J. Kenji Lopez-Alt of Serious Eats have teamed up to talk all things food on their amazing new podcast The Recipe with Kenji and Deb, and one of the first things they tackled was macaroni and cheese. I have made Deb’s stovetop version before, but I was intrigued by Kenji’s three ingredient version. Could this work? Could there actually be something as easy to make as the boxed pasta with cheese powder but better? I had to find out.
This recipe was also a perfect throwback for me to those days of pandemic cooking when I found myself buying things like evaporated or powdered milk, things I would never normally purchase, to make sure we had backup options on hand if we ran out of milk before our next grocery delivery (or if the store was out of an essential, like milk, as it sometimes was). I’m so happy those days are over, but it’s never bad to have a quick and easy recipe in your back pocket when all you have on hand are pantry ingredients. And thankfully, if there’s two things I always have stocked in abundance, it is pasta and cheese.
I’m not going to lie, this was one of the better macaroni and cheese recipes that I have ever made at home. Perfectly gooey and cheesy, with a decent bite to the noodles. It reminded me a little bit of the frozen TV dinner version of Mac and cheese, but without the noodles getting all mushy. As I was making it, I had a few different moments where I was sure it was not going to work (didn’t I need more water?!) but it came together so easily, and I love that you can pick your own blend of cheeses. I used mostly medium cheddar, with a bit of gouda for extra meltiness. Perfect. And while this is definitely best when served immediately, I made it a bit ahead of time and reheated when we were ready to eat. You may need to add a little extra liquid, but it worked fine.
If you want the full rundown of why this recipe works, I highly encourage you to check out the original recipe on Serious Eats or listen to The Recipe podcast, episode 1.
Ingredients
12 oz elbow macaroni (note: this is not a full box, which is usually 16 oz)
Salt
12 oz evaporated milk (the size of a typical can)
12 oz grated mild or medium cheddar cheese, or any good melting cheese. Note: I have heard that pre-grated cheese contains additives that make it not melt as smoothly, so I grated my own. Yes, it’s an extra step, but for such a quick and easy recipe, it did not feel overly burdensome.
Instructions
Place macaroni in a medium saucepan or skillet and add just enough cold water to cover. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently. Continue to cook, stirring, until water has been almost completely absorbed and macaroni is just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes.
Immediately add evaporated milk and bring to a boil. Add cheese. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continuously, until cheese is melted and liquid has reduced to a creamy sauce, about 2 minutes longer. Season to taste with more salt.
Serve immediately. We always enjoy our macaroni and cheese with peas - they can be left on the side, or mixed right in. I buy the frozen petite version, which are much less starchy than regular peas and, in my opinion, much more delicious.