It's no ordinary kosher food

KELLEY KORBIN

I have to admit, with upcoming Chanukah family dinners to prepare, when I cracked the spine of Jewish Cooking for All Seasons, my first thought was, "Where's the brisket?"

There's nary a latke nor a gefilte fish or even a kugel to tempt a Jewish palate in Laura Frankel's book, despite the subtitle, which reads, Fresh, Flavorful Kosher Recipes for Holidays and Every Day. Indeed, the book might have been more aptly subtitled Gourmet Recipes for Foodies Who Happen to Keep Kosher.

While Frankel does provide a section on ideas for holiday meals from her recipes, most people will have a tough time persuading their families to forgo latkes, brisket and doughnuts for lentil-chickpea soup, braised veal shanks with Moroccan spices and mango gremolata, polenta fries and peanut butter and jelly sorbet this Chanukah.

In her suggested menus, you can see why Frankel, who is the owner of Shallots, an upscale kosher Chicago restaurant, considers herself an "artist, sculptor and visionary," with food as her medium.

But there is merit in the way Frankel takes on kosher cooking and anyone considering adopting a kosher lifestyle might be comforted by the fact that there are incredibly diverse delicious and complex meal options for them. This is especially true in a city like Vancouver, where gourmet kosher pickings are slim.

Frankel doesn't cheat her way to kosher meals either; she is passionate about butter and scorns the use of margarine or whipped topping and other alternatives. She says in the book, "I don't think kosher-observant Jews should ever have to put up with compromised food."

While there is no nutritional information noted in the recipes, each is clearly labelled dairy, meat or pareve and, in order to help with preparations for Shabbat and other holidays, there are lots of tips for making ahead and storage. There are also plenty of pareve appetizers, desserts and even main courses, which will give kosher chefs numerous options for creating meals.

Although Frankel is Ashkenazi, her recipes reflect a serious Sephardi influence and she isn't afraid to liberally use sweet and spicy condiments and accents. In fact, she divulges that pomegranate paste is her "secret weapon" to up the zing factor of lacklustre marinades and sauces.

The book is divided by season and offers up recipes that Frankel thinks reflect the freshest produce and products available at different times of year. Personally, I find this layout frustrating and found myself constantly having to flip to the index in the back to look up categories of recipes.

That being said, there are a lot of recipes to entice and Frankel's use of varied and uncommon ingredients, like bison, farro (an ancient grain) and sumac is inspiring. She even offers a sources index to help readers find kosher versions of some of these unusual products.

If you're lucky enough to have an accomplished chef in your life, this is the Chanukah gift for them (you might get some really great meals out of the deal), but if you're just looking for a general all-around Jewish cookbook, you will probably find this offering a little complex – even for the most proficient cook it can be a little intimidating when the author encourages readers to take the recipes in steps and make "just the parts that suit you."

To ease the journey, Frankel peppers the book with lots of helpful hints about ingredients, kitchen tools and practical cooking advice including some great tips on making stocks and spice mixes.

Jewish Cooking for All Seasons is published by Wiley and is widely available. It includes 150 recipes and 16 color photos.

Kelley Korbin is a freelance writer living in West Vancouver.

Braised veal shanks with Moroccan spices and mango gremolata

This is a great dish to make ahead, as it seems to get better overnight.

VEAL SHANKS

One 2-inch cinnamon stick
1 whole clove
1 tbsp. coriander seed
2 tbsp. fennel seed
1 tbsp. cumin seed
1/2 tsp. chili flakes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 meaty veal shanks (about six pounds total), have your butcher tie them for you kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 medium leeks, white and light green part only
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into 1-inch pieces
1 large fennel bulb, timed
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 14 oz. can chopped tomatoes
1 cup dry white wine
2 cups chicken or veal stock

GREMOLATA

Grated zest of one lemon
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/4 cut chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3 garlic cloves
2 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely diced ripe mango
Kosher salt and freshly
ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Grind the cinnamon, clove, coriander, fennel, cumin and chili flakes in a spice grinder and mix with the flour. Season the veal shanks with salt and pepper.

Heat a large dutch oven or large, deep, covered ovenproof sauté pan over medium heat. Lightly coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil. Dredge the flat sides of the veal shanks in the flour mixture. Sear the meat on all sides until golden brown and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Remove the veal and set aside.

Brown the leeks, carrots, fennel and garlic in batches (adding more oil if necessary) until all the vegetables are browned (be careful not to over-brown the garlic).

Add a spoonful of oil to the pan and add the tomato paste, stirring and scraping the pan until the tomato paste is fragrant and visibly darkened, about three minutes. Stir in the olives, chopped tomatoes, wine and stock and season with salt and pepper. Return the veal and vegetables to the pan.

Cover the pan and transfer it to the oven. Braise the veal until the meat is very soft (about two hours).

To make the gremolata, place the grated lemon zest, cilantro, parsley, garlic and olive oil in a food processor or blender. Process until the mixture resembles a coarse paste. Transfer to a small bowl, toss with the diced mango and season with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon one shank on each plate and top with a spoonful of vegetables and sauce. Sprinkle with gremolata and serve with bulgur.

Serves six.

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