My thoughts on Jewish food.
As the weather turns cooler, goulash makes a hearty, easy to prepare one dish supper. Some of us won’t eat goulash without the caraway seed (or kimmel, as we say in Yiddish), while others find this distinctive spice off-putting. Take a survey and prepare accordingly, with or without the kimmel (or just slip it in …
If you’re looking for a recipe chock-full of flavor and zest, you’ve come to the right place. This classic favorite features a well-cooked rice and butter-soft meat. Ingredients: 5 slices boneless club steak 1 onion, sliced 1 red bell pepper, diced 1/4 cup red wine, such as Alfasi Cabernet Sauvignon 2/3 cups wild rice 17 …
Looking for something to make ahead for the holidays? These sweet and sour meatballs are easy to make and freeze, and they are the most flavorful of the many sweet and sour meatball recipes we have tried. Make it for Shabbos night, but double it and freeze half. Come Rosh Hashanah, you’ll be glad you …
It’s hot, I was tired, and so I invented the easiest main course possible: roasted zucchini chunks with chicken patties I put together in minutes with ground chicken and spices. I stirred some quality mustard and hot sauce into some quality mayo, and voila, a sauce. This was very well received, which proves the point …
In Israel, they call it “petitim.” In America, we call it “Israeli couscous.” Whatever you call this short pasta; it cooks up fast, and is a nice change from other starches, for instance potatoes, or rice. I like to use it as the basis of a one-pot meal for children, with the addition of hot …
Chicken schnitzel is a favorite in Israel, a take on the famous Austrian Wiener Schnitzel made with veal, but with the more easily available and less expensive chicken breast. Most chicken schnitzel recipes call for dipping the chicken into flour, then egg, and then into crumbs. This recipe keeps things simple by calling only for …
Everyone has a go-to chicken dish that is easy to put together on a hectic day or on short notice. This one is a favorite in our home. It is essentially my mother’s recipe, but I’ve amped up the spices to give it some punch. The seasonings are typical of the Eastern European Jewish kitchen. …
This recipe, I will warn you, is not for the faint-hearted. It is labor-intensive, with many ingredients, and many steps (tip: it helps to set up a mise en place). But such flavorsome results! Not to mention, it’s an all-in-one meal: protein, vegetable, and starch. Everyone loves this dish, which makes it well worth the …
During a recent bereavement, a neighbor made us a delicious meal for Shabbat. It was pure comfort food: chicken and rice with mushrooms. Sounds simple, but there was something about the rice, in particular, that was very comforting. I asked our neighbor, the cook, for the recipe. She said, “No special recipe. Just rice prepared …
Mujadara, or lentils and rice, was always appreciated as a homey, satisfying lunch by my children. Packed with flavor, and easy to make, it was a favorite of mine as well. We often ladled the lentils over mashed potatoes, instead of mixing them into rice, as is traditional. Then we’d top the whole with a …