Kosher Books - Page 5

The Scent of Orange Blossoms: Sephardic Cuisine from Morocco

Kitty Morse, Danielle Mamane

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

a spice filled welcome addition to Jewish cookbooks 5 out of 5 stars.
34 of 34 people found this review helpful.

A celebration of Jewish cuisine that came from the interaction between Jews and Moslems in North Africa and Spain. When the author Kitty Morse led eating tours of Morocco, the highlight was a meal at the villa of retailer Danielle Mamane in Fez el Jdid. Both women have collaborated on this well designed and interesting book of recipes. I recommend it for its recipes, design, stories, and photographs. In addition to recipes, letters between mothers and their newly married daughters, and introductory stories, the authors list menu plans (with recipe page numbers) for the Jewish holidays, as well as the more Moroccan Jewish celebrations of La Mimouna (Pesach period), Hillula (visiting sages), and Kappara (pre-Yom Kippur). For Jewish weddings, there is the customary flan (t'faya). For Mimouna, the recommended recipes are Chicken with Orange Juice; Sephardic Mafleta pancakes; and couscous with raisin and onions confit. My favorite recipes include Walnuts with Pomegranate Seeds (which uses a heavy dose of orange blossom water); a cucumber with lemon salad; fish filets made in Fez style (with tomatoes, potatoes, and garlic); Fresh Fava Bean Soup with Cilantro for Passover; Chicken Couscous with Orange Blossom Water for Yom Kippur; Harira or Lentil and Chickpeas Soup (for Moslem Ramadan and Jewish Yom Kippur break-the-fasts); Meatballs in Onion Cinnamon Sauce, Chicken with Saffron and Ginger and Onions; and Honey Doughnuts for Hannukah. There are Fish Fillets a la Fassi (Fez style); Dafina Shabbat Stew (skhina); Chicken with Garbanzo Beans in Tetouan style; and Tangier style Potato Stew that uses preserved beef (kleehe). The Tagine of Beef uses carrot and turnips as well as cilantro, garlic, ginger, and tumeric. The Cornish Hens with Fresh Figs uses 12 figs and 12 threads of saffron; the Chicken with Onion and Tomatoes uses toasted almonds, ginger and eight threads of saffron. Preserved fruits, lemons, and kumquats play an important role in the cuisine. There is a recipe for Sephardic Shabbat Challa, and the Top of The Shelf spice that is often used; it includes a blending of cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, allspice, mace, salt and ginger. La Maguina, a vegetable and meat frittata, is sliced like meatloaf. Some unique soups and salads are a white and chard soup a la Tangiers; a fennel salad; a tomato and bell pepper salad with garlic, paprika and sugar; fava bean salad with cumin; and tomato with preserved lemons.

Editorial Review:

During Spains infamous inquisition, Jews were forced to flee the country for more welcoming shores. Many of the refugees landed in Northern Africa, specifically Morocco, and a unique cuisine was born of the marriage of Spanish, Moorish and traditional Jewish culinary influences. This volume celebrates this cuisine presenting the elegant and captivating flavours passed down through generations of Moroccan Jews. It provides sample menus for all major Jewish holidays, and includes recipes for fresh fava bean soup with cilantro for Passover, chicken couscous with orange blossom water for the Day of Atonement and honey doughnuts for Hannukah. It emphaizes the connection between food, family and tradition as recipes are interspersed with letters between mothers and newly married daughters.

The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook

Gertrude Berg, Myra Waldo

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

MOLLY GOLDBERG'S COOKBOOK 5 out of 5 stars.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.

In my library of over 100 cookbooks, many of them Jewish in content, this is the one I consult first before looking at any others. The recipes are truly wonderful, easy to follow and typical of the Jewish cookery I was brought up on. I have given copies of the book to my children and friends interested in the "real thing" and they all agree with me. The blintzes are outstanding and never let me down. It's the 1 book I couldn't be without to try "new old recipes".

Don't Use the Bagel Recipe 1 out of 5 stars.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.

We have used two of the recipes (Sauerkraut Soup and Bagels Jake) and both were failures (p.s. we are usually quite successful cooks). The bagel failure was especially bothersome since we tried several times. After checking online recipes, we finally found the problem: the recipe is wrong! Boiling bagels for 20 minutes is crazy!

A Jewish cookbook that leads you astray on bagels??

Tacky humor, but the recipes are the Real Deal 5 out of 5 stars.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.

The Jewish mother/family humor is dated and a little over the top, but it doesn't matter. The recipes are great. This is genuine, unmodernized Ashkenazi cooking, the way my grandma cooked. There's a great selection of recipes for every occasion--everyday, Shabbat, and holidays. No fancy ingredients, and the recipes are easy to follow.

If you want to wallow in nostalgia, this is it.

Editorial Review:

Classic, traditional Jewish cookbook. The real thing.

The Healthy Jewish Cookbook: 100 Delicious Recipes from Around the World

Michael Van Straten

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Traditionally associated with the heavy, fat-laden foods of Europe — deep-fried latkes, chicken fat, and achingly sweet desserts — Jewish food is, in fact, far more varied. Jews who migrated to other parts of the world developed cuisines unique to their new countries, yet still flavored with the tastes of the Middle East and the strict requirements of Jewish dietary laws. This beautifully illustrated book takes readers on a fascinating journey around the world, showing how Jewish cookery adapted and why it offers so many health benefits. There is the light, flavorful Mediterranean diet of Greek Jews and the Moorish-influenced food of the Jews expelled from Spain in 1492, both of which are rich in natural antioxidants, as well as the grain-based dishes of North Africa and the fragrant salads of the Middle East. With recipes like Egg and Onion with Cilantro, Nutty Spinach with Raisins, Schmaltz Herrings, Roast Duck with Cherries, and Ginger Hazelnut Cookies, this cookbook is a treasure trove of delicious, nutritious recipes for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike.

Sephardic Flavors: Jewish Cooking of the Mediterranean

Joyce Goldstein

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

A Fascinating Filling Exploration of Sephardic Cuisine 4 out of 5 stars.
54 of 58 people found this review helpful.

Chef, author, restaurateur, and Mediterranean cooking specialist Joyce Goldstein follows her acclaimed Cucina Ebraica: Flavors of the Italian Jewish Kitchen with a study of Mediterranean Jewish cooking. While researching Cucina Ebraica, she immersed herself in Sephardic History. She wondered how the Jews evolved their cuisine, what influences they took from the Moors, the Portuguese, Andalusians, Valencians, Balearic Islanders, Greeks, Ottomans, and Balkans. What were the harmonizations to other communities and the contrasts to the Italian Jewish cuisine she was researching? She answers these questions and more in the book's opening collection of essays (about 22 pages). This is followed by several pages of sample full menus for Shabbat and Jewish holidays and commemorations. For example, there are Leek Fritters for Hanukkah, Mijavyani (a vegetable soup with plums) for Tu B'Shevat, Lentil Soup for Tisha B'Av, or Moussaka di Pesce and Macaroni and Cheese-Thrace Style (using feta and non-elbow Ziti) for Shavuot. If you are wondering how her book compares to DRIZZLE OF HONEY by David Gitlitz and Linda Kay Davidson, it is her feeling that while DRIZZLE is filled with fascintaing stories and history, her cookbook adds more culinary skills to the execution of recipes. The chapters include ones for Salads and Appetizers; Savory Pastries; Soups; Vegetables and Grains; Fish; Poultry and Meat; and Desserts. In the chapter for Salads and Appetizers, Goldstein writes, that Sephardic cuisine inverts the oil to vinegar ratio (3:1) with which most North Americans are familiar. Sephardic cooking is more tart, so the vinegar ratio is much higher (1:3). My favorite recipes were the Tarator (a cousin to Tzatziki) and Huevos HAMINados, or onion skin eggs, or Jewish eggs (Yahudi Yamurta). The chapter on savory pastries, which are also known as borekas, inchusa, tapada, rondanches, boyos, and filas (to name just a few), includes recipes for Izmir-style Handrajos, or Eggplant and Squash filled borekas. In her chapter on soups, Goldstein tells the reader that it is not a coincidence that the Spanish word for Jewess is the same for bean (judia). She provides recipes for several soups and adafina, or what some Jews may call cholent. My favorites included meatball soup, and a white bean soup. There are 24 recipes in the Vegetables and Grains chapter. Standouts are Turlu, a Turkish Ratatouille; a squash omelet fritada; and pumpkin and prunes, which resembles a Moroccan Jewish style Hilou. The tomato bread pudding was also very unique. A fish dish that is very interesting for the period between Simhat Torah and Hanukkah is Peshkado Avramila, or fish with sour plums or prunes. Goldstein writes that it recalls Abraham's self-circumcision, since Sephardic folklore says that Avraham sat under a plum tree after the procedure. The 22 meat and poultry recipes includes one for Gayna al Orno, a roast chicken with apples and pomegranates; and one for Keftas de Gayna, chicken meatballs with egg and lemons (two of them). The standout is the Rollo me HAMINados is a meatloaf with sweet and sour tomato sauce (uses honey and wine) baked with eggs in the center. The book closes, as do meals, with desserts that include Hanukkah Fritters in a honey lemon glaze; Baklava, Tispishti, Sutlatch, and Zerda ( a rice pudding).

Editorial Review:

Bargain Books are non-returnable.

Chef, author, and Mediterranean cooking expert Joyce Goldstein follows her acclaimed Cucina Ebraica: Flavors of the Italian Jewish Kitchen with this remarkable exploration of Jewish cooking of the Mediterranean. In Sephardic Flavors, Goldstein uncovers the culinary history of the Diaspora, revealing in vivid prose and delicious recipes how the Sephardic Jews adapted the cuisines of their new homelands. Drawing upon the cultural and gastronomic heritages of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Greece, and Turkey, Goldstein has amassed a remarkable array of unique recipes and historical information. A fascinating voyage into culinary history as well as a compilation of superbly satisfying dishes, Sephardic Flavors captures the indomitable spirit and brilliant cuisines that continue to capture our imaginations today.

Seasons of Our Joy

Arthur I. Waskow

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

My favorite book for exploring the Jewish spiritual cycle 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 17 people found this review helpful.

After almost a decade of living with this book, it remains my favorite for entering the Jewish cycle of observance and celebration. I return to it over and over as a source for creative, meaningful and deeply spiritual ways of participating in Jewish life. The guidance given in this book penetrates the practices and rituals, to allow me to embrace the essence of Jewish spirituality. The book gives an historical context for the days of observance as well as innovative approaches to their celebration. It is a treasure and I give it as a gift when people convert to Judaism, become a bar or bat mitzvah or when they seek a deeper understanding of Judaism.

Editorial Review:

Circling the Jewish calendar from Rosh Hashanah to Tisha B'Av, this lively, accessible guide includes rituals, recipes, songs, prayers, and suggestions for new approaches to holiday observance.

"A wonderful blend of information and innovation that will help readers find both traditional and new meaning in the Jewish holidays." —Judith Plaskow, author of Standing Again at Sinai

Classic Italian Jewish Cooking: Traditional Recipes and Menus

Edda Servi Machlin

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 4 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Classic Italian Jewish Cooking starts with the ancient Italian adage Vesti da turco e mangia da ebreo ("Dress like a Turk and eat like a Jew"). In this definitive volume of Italian Jewish recipes, Edda Servi Machlin, a native of Pitigliano, Italy, a Tuscan village that was once home to a vibrant Jewish community, reveals the secrets of this delicate and unique culinary tradition that has flourished for more than two thousand years.

Originally introduced into the region by Jewish settlers from Judea, other Middle Eastern countries, and North Africa, Italian Jewish cuisine was always more than a mere adaptation of Italian dishes to the Jewish dietary laws; it was a brilliant marriage of ancient Jewish dishes and preparation methods to the local ingredients that relied on the imaginative use of fresh herbs, fruit, and vegetables. Fifteen hundred years later, with the influx of Iberian refugees, it was enriched by some Sephardic (from Spain and Portugal) dishes.

Here you'll find recipes for the quintessential Italian Jewish dishes -- from Goose "Ham," Spicy Chicken Liver Toasts, and Jewish Caponata to Sabbath Saffron Rice, Purim Ravioli, and Tagliatelle Jewish Style (Noodle Kugel); from Creamed Baccalà, Red Snapper Jewish Style, and Artichokes Jewish Style to Creamed Fennel and Fried Squash Flowers; from Couscous Salad and Sourdough Challah Bread to Haman's Ears, Honey Cake, and Passover Almond Biscotti.

Selected from Edda Servi Machlin's three widely admired books on Italian Jewish cuisine and filled with beautifully rendered memories from her birthplace, this rare collection of more than three hundred recipes is a powerful tribute to a rich cultural heritage and a rare gift to food lovers. With a special section on Jewish holiday menus, Classic Italian Jewish Cooking is a volume to treasure for generations.

Mama Nazima's Jewish Iraqi Cuisine

Rivka Goldman

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 5 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

More than 100 healthy family recipes have been compiled 5 out of 5 stars.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful.

In Mama Nazima's Jewish-Iraqi Cuisine, Rivka Goldman presents her memories of the culinary traditions of an ancient land that saw historical influences from the Mongols, the Turks, and India affect and enhance Iraq's ethnic and traditional cuisine among the Jewish-Iraqi community. More than 100 healthy family recipes have been compiled with dishes ranging from salads, to side dishes, to main entrees, to desserts. Each unique recipe comes accompanied by stories of friendship, loyalty, persecution, escape, exile, and celebration. From Feta Cheese and Onion Salad; Brown Eggs and Vegetables; Sweet-and-Sour Okra with Meat; and Semolina Dumplings with Zucchini; to Quince Stuffed with Meat; Rice and Lentils with Cumin and Garlic; Iraqi Pita Bread; and Candied Almond-Coconut, Mama Nazima's Jewish-Iraqi Cuisine is a superb addition to any personal, family, or community library regional/ethnic cookbook collection.

Editorial Review:

When the jews fled Iraq for Israel, they could not take their material possessions with them, but did take their rich cuisine. Delicious dishes like Smack ab Thum oo Rihan (Garlic and Basil Fish) and Burekas im Gevina veh Tered (Feta and Spinach Pie) are included in this unique book. Jewish Iraqi aphorisms and beautiful photographs complete this presentation of the foods of the Iraqi Jews. As the saying goes, Man yakle al ein au el'thum (Who desires the food, the eyes or the mouth?).

Secrets of a Jewish Baker: Authentic Jewish Rye and Other Breads

George Greenstein

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 22 Average rating: 5.0 of 5

Too Much Sugar & Commercial Yeast - Too Few "Secrets" 3 out of 5 stars.
9 of 11 people found this review helpful.

.
Secrets? Vat Secrets?

It is really quite simple to make a loaf of bread. The greatest challenge for professional and striving artisan home bakers is to be able attain consistency; to factor in and accommodate specific needs of that day's dough, be they changes in ambient temperature, humidity, ripeness of poolish or biga or sourdough, and the tolerance of dough during fermentation.

I purchased this book with the expectation of finding baker's percentages, generous use of specialized pre-ferments, in addition to a heavy reliance on naturally leavened indirect methods. I also rightly expected professional "secrets" as the title implies.

Jeffrey Hamelman, author of BREAD remarked that he used to marvel at his ability to make acceptable loaves one day, and then wish he could hide his loaves the next. Secrets of a Jewish Baker is a book of practical, empirical, and intuitive information that uses packaged yeast (as many as three packages per recipe), volume measurements (cups and teaspoons), and will not contribute much to bakers aiming to expand their knowledge beyond today's flooded bread book market.

I should have known better than to fall for come-on titles like, "Secrets of a ......." yet I was still annoyed when his "secrets" such as the one for producing a rich mahogany-colored rye, is the addition of coffee, cocoa, or molasses. All of which impart their own alien flavors along with the color benefits they provide. In the case of selecting molasses for bread color, that ingredient also contributes considerable sweetness that is uncharacteristic of traditional sour rye.

Unlike Nancy Silverman's bread recipes using baked potatoes to great result, Greenstein's potato breads rely on boiled potatoes. Aside from the tendency of boiled potatoes to become gooey, they also contribute inconsistent quantities of hydration to the already vague formula: "a small or medium potato".

This 1993 title would have been far more conducive to my needs today if the author remained true to his original bakery formulas, provided actual "secrets" to his readers, and did not re-write his methodology to over simplify his recipes and production techniques for non-bakers.

The added sugar content in food (vegetables, breads, entrees) is often a regional and ethnic preference. I was born in Los Angeles and as such, I disfavor added sugar in my foods, particularly breads and vegetables. This book uses far more sugar and commercial leavening than is acceptable to my preference.

Overall, this book's content which also includes many quick loafs is very disappointing.

Editorial Review:

Professional baker George Greenstein reveals what the home chef has suspected all along--professional bakers get great results because they use dozens of little tricks that make the difference between ordinary loaves of bread and spectacular ones. Here are secrets, tips, techniques, and instructions for everything from yeast breads to whole grain loaves to biscuits to croissants. Illustrated.

The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook: Traditional Recipes from Contemporary Kosher Kitchens

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.0 of 5

Editorial Review:

Whether it’s a holiday, or Shabbat dinner, “What’s on the menu?” is on everybody’s mind. Ranging from the classic Ashkenazic Chicken Fricassee to the definitive Sephardic Chicken Marrakesh, The Hadassah Jewish Holiday Cookbook includes the best of the best traditional recipes from the celebrated cooks of Hadassah, the Jewish women’s volunteer organization. In a culinary celebration of tradition, history, dedication, and faith, the more than 250 holiday recipes from great cooks in America and Israel present traditional favorites as well as modern twists on classic dishes. Readers will find nostalgic must-haves—from chicken soup to borscht and kreplach to kishka—along with favorite dishes updated for modern palates. This feast for the eyes and tastebuds is accompanied by the splendid writing of award-winning Jewish authors who offer their historical insights, sage advice, personal reminiscences, and engaging commentaries. Contributor include Susan R. Friedland, Edda Servi Machlin, Joan Nathan, Steven Raichlen, Claudia Roden, and Rabbi Robert Sternberg. History, passion, and tradition—and love—are the essential ingredients to what may become the definitive guide to Jewish holiday cooking.

The Gourmet Jewish Cook

Judy Zeidler

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Haunukkah dishes to delight children and grown-ups:
Salmon Latkes
Romanian Noodle Latkes
Brisket of Beef with Dried Fruit
Lettuce Bouquet Salad with Fried Parsnip Chips
Russian Tea Cookies
Ginger Ice Cream
Chocolate Nut Brownies

Fabulous brunch and breakfast menus:
A Three-Course Scandinavian Brunch with Danish Apple Pancakes
An Israeli Breakfast Buffet with Fruited Bulgur Salad and Classic Breakfast Cheese Blintzes
A Passover Brunch with Beet Preserves and Passover French Toast
A Brazilian Brunch menu with Feijoada and Mango Sherbet

Special meals for the Sabbath:
Roast Chicken with Zucchini Stuffing
Hungarian Cholent
Kasha with Mushrooms
Apple-Filled Egg Challah
Macadamia Nut Tart

And for personal celebrations all year round:
Curried Chicken Salad with Roasted Peanuts for a Bridal Shower Buffet
Barbecue-Baked Short Ribs for a hearty Father's Day dinner
Buckwheat Blinis and Caviar on New Year's Eve
Pumpkin Soup and Kosher Mincemeat Tart for a Thanksgiving feast
Tabbouleh, Stuffed Grape Leaves, and Baklava for a Bar Mitzvah Buffet