My thoughts on Jewish food.
Canny cooks like to incorporate symbolic foods into salads to be served at the beginning of the Rosh Hashanah meal, such as this butternut squash and spinach salad. The symbolic foods have accompanying verses we recite at the table that play on the names of each food. In this recipe, butternut squash stands in for …
In the summer, no one much wants to cook. But we still like to eat, so this no-cook salad hits the spot in more ways than one. Palates tend to become jaded, dull, and sluggish in the midsummer heat, so we want things a little spicier which is why there’s a bit of heat and …
Skinny noodles, also known as “glass” or “shirataki” noodles are popular right now with the low carb, ketogenic crowd. Made of konjac, a type of gourd, the noodles are packed with fiber and in the purest form (read the label—some companies add oats or other ingredients) virtually net carb-free. They’re also quick to prepare and …
For a change, I offer no true recipe, as it is too hot to type! Well, thanks to a/c, that’s not really true. Nonetheless, we are not in the mood for heavy, hot foods at this juncture. Which is why we have been rediscovering the summer Middle Eastern pleasure of watermelon served with Bulgarian cheese. …
Now is when we finally get those beautiful, summer-ripened tomatoes. That is when we can rejoice in the flavor of a truly remarkable ingredient that is at its peak. And we need something like that in the summer heat. A salad like this matbucha just perks up your taste buds. Great with challah at the …
On our last visit to Israel, we saw various renditions of this addictive fried sweet potato salad in trendy cafes. The salads are piled so high with crispy fried sweet potatoes it is impossible to dig in without making the whole thing topple. The best you can do is pick at the pile of crispy …
After all that heavy holiday food, we could all stand for something a little lighter on the tummy. Something that says spring, like, for instance, salmon. This slow-roasted rendition leaves the fish mouthwateringly juicy and full of bright lemon flavor. Slow-Roasted Salmon with Lemon and Thyme Yield: 4 servings Ingredients: 1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive …
For some people, giving up carbs is difficult because it means giving up sweets, while for others, it’s about giving up crunchy, salty snack foods. One great low-carb solution to the need for crunch is fennel, with its celery-like texture, and mild licorice flavor. Because the taste of fennel is so subtle, like chicken, it …
No Friday night meal is complete without chicken soup. That is, if one is Ashkenazi. And of course, chicken soup is folk medicine, too, having had its healing powers verified by the medical establishment. But not all the Jews went to Eastern Europe, and the Jews who ended up in Yemen, have their own healing …
Chickpeas are a traditional treat to serve at a Shalom Zachor, a sweet little party given in honor of the birth of a baby boy, held the first Friday night after the birth, with or without the guest of honor. Sumac, a Middle Eastern spice unrelated to the poisonous plant, offers an herbal piquancy to …