Tag: food

Blogging about food, farm life

While food blogger Molly Yeh loves vegetables, she said she feels she has “more to contribute in the world of cake.” (photo by Chantell Quernemoen)

Blogger Molly Yeh, 28, is the daughter of a Jewish mother and a Chinese father. She grew up in a Chicago suburb in a house with great cooking by her mom and great music by her dad, giving her a lasting love and appreciation for both arts, even though it is food that has become her profession.

An accomplished percussionist, Yeh first pursued her musical passion, enrolling in Juilliard School in New York.

“What I discovered when I got to New York was how amazing the restaurant scene there was,” she told the Independent. “That really inspired me to get into food and tasting new things. I started cooking as well. I’d call my mother and ask her to send recipes … and I started baking a lot.”

When she started her blog, it was somewhat an extension of her diary. “I basically just used it as a scrapbook of adventures around the city and hanging out with friends and stuff,” she explained. “It quickly became clear that I only wanted to blog about food. So, I started doing recipe development and learning about food harvest and such. And then, four years ago, I moved from New York to the border of North Dakota and Minnesota, where my husband grew up. He’s a fifth-generation farmer.

“When we first moved here, I had a lot of time on my hands. I didn’t know that many people, I was working at the bakery in town…. But, other than that, I just worked on my blog a bunch and turned it into something that could become a business.

“It became my full-time job and then I also wrote my book, Molly on the Range, which includes a lot of the recipes from my upbringing in Chicago, to my time spent in New York, and then a lot of the recipes that I learned when I moved to where I live now.”

As a kid, Yeh had a penchant for starchy cuisine like challah and rugelach. At home, they marked both the major Jewish holidays as well as Christmas but, Yeh stressed, “I am Jewish. It’s an important part of my life.”

Her mom cooked Ashkenazi and Chinese food. “When she first married my dad, she took a dumpling- and dim sum-making class,” recalled Yeh. “So, I grew up with a stack of recipes she got from that class. Those sort of became the traditional recipes we’d make. On Christmas, we’d make our own Chinese food, and those were the recipes I grew up with.”

Yeh met her now-husband at Juilliard. He was a trombonist and they shared many of the same school friends. They began dating after they both graduated.

“In school, he was the quiet studious type,” said Yeh. “I was more the loud partier type. But, after we graduated, we started hanging out a bunch and I thought he seemed pretty cool. After a few years of dating and living in the city, we were both kind of ready for a slower pace of life … ready to be closer to family.”

Yeh joked that, when they went to visit the farm on which her husband spent his childhood, she told him, “OK. I’m moving here, whether you’re with me or not. I love it here! Let’s do it.”

Looking back, Yeh said, “It was a pretty easy decision, because we were just kind of ready after five or six years of living in New York City, going out every night, trying new restaurants every night and going to concerts and parties…. I was just ready to cook in a nice, big, sunny kitchen and have a garden, and not have to choose between 100 different pizza places. He grew up on the farm with a good relationship to it, but, because he was also playing trombone, he never saw himself going into farming full-time.

“But, both of us, while we were at Juilliard, separately made the decision that we didn’t want to be in an orchestra full-time,” said Yeh. “When you make that decision, there are still so many options for how you can have music in your life. We both like doing lots of different things, not just music.

“When the opportunity to farm came up, he felt strongly about carrying on the family tradition and keeping the farm in the family. None of his cousins or sister expressed an interest in taking over the family farm, so I think that there was big pull for him to come back and make sure it was carried on through the generations.”

The main crops they grow are sugar beets, wheat, soybeans and navy beans.

Yeh is an avid diary keeper, so when she learned that having a diary online was possible and that it was easy to put photos with it, she jumped at the idea of starting a blog. These days, her blog is primarily about food, but much of it is about travel, too.

“I share a lot of recipes that are influenced by Jewish cuisine, Israeli cuisine, and also cuisine in this area, in the upper midwest,” she said. “I also have recipes influenced by my Chinese heritage. I try to do recipes you wouldn’t really find anywhere else and recipes that tell a story, that are meaningful to me.

“I also just like keeping it in a diary format, so talking about what’s happening on the farm and my life these days.”

Yeh loves baking cakes, mostly because she gets to decorate them and they become edible art. She also likes making food that is celebratory, that people might bring to a party or share with others.

“I don’t think it’s totally a blog for everyday food,” she said. “It’s definitely a blog for recipes you might enjoy on a weekend, at a party, or when you’re splurging. I love making food that’s inspired by food I’ve had in Israel, because it’s so delicious and also healthy. I make a lot of hummus and salads, but I don’t blog that much about salads. I feel like I have more to contribute in the world of cake.”

Most of Yeh’s followers hail from English-speaking countries – from the United States, England, Canada, Australia, Germany and Israel.

“I love keeping the blog,” said Yeh. “Even if it wasn’t my job, I’d still keep it up. I see myself doing the blog forever. But, the landscape is always changing. Right now, people want more video. I can see videos really help people learn recipes, so that’s something I’m starting to get into.

“The book was really a great experience. I’m working on a smaller book right now. As long as it has to do with making food and being creative, then I’ll be excited about it. Who knows what form that will take on in the future?

“I want to give a shout out to the few blog friends in Vancouver. I’ve always wanted to do the cruise that goes from Vancouver up to Alaska. Vancouver just seems like the coolest place ever. One day, I’ll visit.”

To learn more about Yeh and her endeavours, visit mynameisyeh.com.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Recipes for a tradition

(photo by Noa Fisher via PikiWiki-Israel)

Pomegranates are referred to in the Bible in many various ways. In the sensual poetry of Song of Songs, we read, “I went down into the garden of nuts … to see whether the vine budded and the pomegranates were in flower.” In another passage, the poet writes, “I would cause thee to drink of spiced wine, of the juice of my pomegranate.” Song of Songs has four additional mentions of pomegranates, and there are also references in Joel, Haggai and I Kings.

For many Jews, pomegranates are traditional for Rosh Hashanah. Some believe the dull and leathery skinned, crimson fruit may have really been the tapuach, apple, of the Garden of Eden. According to Forward “Food Maven” Matthew Goodman, the pomegranate originated in Persia and is one of the world’s oldest cultivated fruits, having been domesticated around 4000 BCE. The Egyptians imported pomegranates from the Holy Land in 1150 BCE and natural pomegranate juice, made into spiced wine, was a favourite of Hebrews living in Egypt. Pomegranate wood could also be carved into skewers on which to roast the lamb for Passover.

The word pomegranate means “grained apple.” In Hebrew, it is called rimon, which is also the word for hand grenade! In fact, the English term “hand grenade” is said to come from this and that both the town of Granada in Spain and the stone garnet come from the name and colour of the pomegranate. The juice can also be made into grenadine.

The Hebrews yearned for the pomegranates they left behind in Egypt while wandering in the desert – “And wherefore have ye made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place? It is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates.” (Numbers 20:5) And the spies reported their findings in Canaan to Moses: “And they came unto the valley Eshkol and cut down from thence a branch with one cluster of grapes, and they bore it upon a pole between two; they took also of the pomegranates and of the figs.” (Numbers 13:23)

Pomegranates were also used on the faces of the shekel in the second century BCE. King Solomon had an orchard of pomegranates, and pomegranates of brass were part of the pillars of his great Temple in Jerusalem. Throughout the Bible, pomegranates are referred to as a symbol of fertility. As well, in the Jewish mystical tradition of kabbalah, it is said there are 613 seeds in each pomegranate, equaling the number of mitzvot commanded by God.

On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, when it is customary to eat a “new” fruit, one that celebrants have not eaten during the year, many Sephardi Jews choose the pomegranate. They recite the prayer “ken yehi ratzon, may it be thy will, O Creator, that our year be rich and replete with blessings, as the pomegranate is rich and replete with seeds.”

In modern days, a study at the Technion in Haifa a few years ago showed the power of the fruit. The cholesterol oxidation process, which creates lesions that narrow arteries and result in heart disease, was slowed by as much as 40% when subjects drank two to three ounces of pomegranate juice a day for two weeks. The juice reduced the retention of LDL, the “bad” cholesterol that aggregates and forms lesions. When subjects stopped drinking the juice, the beneficial effects lasted about a month. Other studies have shown that pomegranates fight inflammation and cancer, and slow cellular aging. Pomegranates are a good source of potassium, low in calories and low in sodium.

When choosing a pomegranate, look for one that is large, brightly coloured and has a shiny skin. You should store a pomegranate in a plastic bag in the refrigerator, and it can keep up to 10 weeks. To open a pomegranate, score the outside skin into four pieces, then break the fruit apart with your hands following the divisions of the membranes. Pull off the membranes then scrape the seeds into your mouth or lift them out with a spoon. Here are some recipes for those seeds.

POMEGRANATE SYRUP

6 pomegranates
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp allspice

  1. Puree seeds from pomegranates in blender or food processor and strain. Place in saucepan.
  2. Add white sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon stick. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Add nutmeg and allspice and cook one minute.
  3. Remove from heat, discard cinnamon stick and strain.

BAKED APPLES IN POMEGRANATE SYRUP
6-8 servings

4 slightly tart apples
1 halved pomegranate
apple juice
1/3 cup preserves of your choice
1/2 tsp cinnamon

  1. Cut each apple into four wedges. Place in microwavable dish.
  2. Squeeze juice from half the pomegranate into a measuring cup. Add enough apple juice to make half a cup. Add preserves and cinnamon and mix well. Pour over apples to coat them.
  3. Cover with plastic wrap and microwave for two minutes. Stir and microwave two more minutes. Place apple wedges in serving dishes.
  4. Remove seeds from other half of pomegranate and garnish apples.

POMEGRANATE FRUIT SOUFFLE

3 eggs
1 cup + 3 tbsp confectioners’ sugar
1 tbsp unflavoured gelatin
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup cold water
7 tbsp orange juice
2 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
pulp and seeds of 6 pomegranates

  1. Place yolks and sugar in a saucepan over a second saucepan filled with water (double boiler-style). Cook, stirring, until thick and creamy.
  2. Dissolve gelatin in a bowl of hot water. Then stir in cold water.
  3. Add orange juice, lemon juice, pomegranate pulp and seeds and mix.
  4. Add juice mixture to egg yolk mixture.
  5. Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into pomegranate mixture. Pour into a soufflé dish or casserole with height built up of three to four inches with a double thickness of wax paper or aluminum foil, stapled or held in place with a paper clip.
  6. Chill in refrigerator until set. Remove band of paper. Decorate with whipped cream.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, lecturer, book reviewer and food writer in Jerusalem. She created and leads the weekly English-language Shuk Walks in Machane Yehuda, she has compiled and edited nine kosher cookbooks, and is the author of Witness to History: Ten Years as a Woman Journalist in Israel.

Apples and honey – so good

(photo by Markus Hagenlocher)

One of the most well-known customs of Rosh Hashanah is the dipping of apple pieces in honey but what is its origin?

In the time of King David, we know he had a “cake made in a pan and a sweet cake” (II Samuel 6: 15, 19) given to everyone. Hosea 3:1 identifies the “sweet cake” as a raisin cake.

The Torah also describes Israel as eretz zvat chalav u’dvash, the land flowing with milk and honey, although the honey was more than likely date honey, a custom retained by many Sephardi Jews to this day.

While honey may have been used in King David’s cake, the honey of ancient Eretz Yisrael was made from dates, grapes, figs or raisins because there were no domestic bees in the land. At that time, only the Syrian bees were there and, to extract honey from their combs, it had to be smoked. Still, honey was of importance in biblical times, as there was no sugar then.

During the Roman period, Italian bees were introduced to the Middle East, and bee honey became more common. Today, Israel has roughly 500 beekeepers who have some 90,000 beehives, which produce more than 3,500 tons of honey annually. Kibbutz Yad Mordechai is the largest producer of honey – 10,000 bottles a day.

Among Ashkenazi Jews, challah is dipped in honey on Rosh Hashanah, instead of having the usual salt sprinkled on it. The blessing over the apple is, “May it be Your will to renew for us a good and sweet year,” before it is dipped in honey.

Dipping the apple in honey on Rosh Hashanah is said to symbolize the desire for a sweet new year. Why an apple? In Bereishit, Isaac compares the fragrance of his son, Jacob (who he thinks is his son Esau), to a field, and Rashi says it is sadeh shel tapuchim, a field of apple trees.

Scholars tell us that mystical powers were ascribed to the apple, and people believed it provided good health and personal well-being.

Some attribute the using of an apple at Rosh Hashanah to the translation of the story of Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit, which caused the expulsion from paradise. The Garden of Eden is also called Chakal Tapuchim, “Garden (or field) of Apple Trees.”

According to Gil Marks (z”l) in Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, “the first recorded association of apples with Rosh Hashanah was in Machzor Vitry, a siddur compiled around 1100, which included this explanation: ‘The residents of France have the custom to eat on Rosh Hashanah red apples….’ Future generations of Ashkenazim adopted the French custom … leading to the most popular and widespread Ashkenazi Rosh Hashanah tradition.”

Rabbi Jacob ben Asher, born around 1269, who fled with his family to Spain in 1303, was the first to mention the custom of apples dipped in honey in his legal compendium Arbah Turim, circa 1310, citing it as a German tradition.

Rabbi Alexander Susslein of Frankfurt, Germany, a 14th-century rabbinic authority, revealed it had become a widespread practice in Germany.

A few years ago, an article revealed that the average Israeli eats 125 apples and 750 grams of honey a year, mostly around the High Holy Days. Israel is very self-sufficient with regard to apples, with around 9,900 acres cultivated yearly, grown in the north, the Galilee hills and the Golan Heights. The most popular types of apples grown are Golden Delicious, Starking, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Gala and Pink Lady.

Honey in Hebrew, dvash, has the same numerical value as the words Av Harachamim, Father of Mercy. We hope that G-d will be merciful on Rosh Hashanah as He judges us for our year’s deeds.

Moroccans dip apples in honey and serve cooked quince, which is an apple-like fruit, symbolizing a sweet future. Other Moroccans dip dates in sesame and anise seeds and powdered sugar in addition to dipping apples in honey. Among some Jews from Egypt, a sweet jelly made of gourds or coconut is used to ensure a sweet year and apples are dipped in sugar water instead of in honey.

Honey is also used by Jews around the world not only for dipping apples but in desserts. Some believe in the phrase, “go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet,” the sweet referring to apples and honey. Here are some recipes using honey for your Rosh Hashanah eating.

TISHPISHTI: MIDDLE EASTERN HONEY-NUT CAKE

Honey syrup:
1 1/2 cups honey
2/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

Cake:
2 cups finely ground almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios or walnuts
1 cup cake meal
2 tsp orange juice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice or ground cloves
6 eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tbsp grated orange or lemon zest

  1. Stir honey, water, sugar and lemon juice in a saucepan over low heat until the sugar dissolves, about five minutes. Increase heat to medium, bring to a boil and boil for one minute. Let cool.
  2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13-by-nine-inch baking pan.
  3. Combine nuts, cake meal, cinnamon and cloves in a mixing bowl.
  4. In another bowl, beat egg yolks with sugar. Add to nut mixture with orange juice. Add oil and orange or lemon zest.
  5. In a third bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into batter. Pour batter into baking pan and bake for 45 minutes. Cool.
  6. Cut cake into one- to two-inch squares or diamonds. Drizzle cooled syrup over the warm cake. Serve at warm or room temperature.

MY GRANDMA SADE’S TEIGLACH
Though my grandmother was born in New Jersey, her mother came to the United States as a young girl from Russia, so she probably learned this dish from her mother. Teiglach means “little dough pieces,” and it was originally for family celebrations and various holidays. Today, it is made primarily for Rosh Hashanah as a symbol for a sweet new year. According to my favourite reference book for any food, Marks’ Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, Teiglach was brought to the United States by Eastern Europeans in the early 1900s, and nuts were not part of the recipe in the old country.

2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
4 tbsp oil
4 eggs
1/8 tsp salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/3 cups honey
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 cup finely chopped pecans

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, oil, eggs and salt. Stir until dough is formed.
  2. In a saucepan, boil sugar, honey, ginger and nutmeg for 15 minutes.
  3. Wet a board with cold water.
  4. Pinch pieces of dough and drop them into the boiling honey mixture. Cook until very thick. Add nuts and stir. Pour honeyed pieces onto the wet board and cool slightly.
  5. With wet hands, shape dough into two-inch balls or squares. Let cool. Store in an airtight container.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, lecturer, book reviewer and food writer in Jerusalem. She created and leads the weekly English-language Shuk Walks in Machane Yehuda, she has compiled and edited nine kosher cookbooks, and is the author of Witness to History: Ten Years as a Woman Journalist in Israel.

Telling our stories with food

Michael Schwartz, director of community engagement at the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia, speaks to guests at a Chosen Food Supper Club gathering. (photo from JMABC)

This spring, the Jewish Museum and Archives of British Columbia began airing the podcast The Kitchen Stories. The series, which is focused on Jewish food, is the brainchild of Michael Schwartz, the museum’s director of community engagement.

“A podcast is not so different from a museum exhibit,” said Schwartz in an interview with the Independent. “It is a way to present a story…. It doesn’t have a visual component but, unlike a museum exhibit, people can take a podcast with them, listen to it whenever they have the time.”

While podcasts have evolved on and from the internet, Schwartz considers the format a renaissance of a much older type of media – the radio talk show. “Like radio, a podcast is an audio presentation, but on a different technological level. In the past couple of years, there have been some creative and innovative podcasts, and we’re trying to add to their number.”

The idea of a food-related podcast came to him after he experimented with a couple of other topics. “My role at the museum is to make people, both Jews and non-Jews, more aware of our museum. I tried several different themes – architecture, photography – but food seems to be universal. Everyone is interested in food, especially in Vancouver. We are a foodie city, so it seemed appropriate to ride that momentum, to let people tell their stories about food. That’s what a museum does: it lets people tell their stories. Ideally, the museum staff should be invisible.”

The Kitchen Stories concept, as well as the museum’s Chosen Food Supper Club – a dinner series where people meet each other, learn about and enjoy the food being served – crystallized for Schwartz simultaneously. “We started the podcasts a bit earlier, in March, and the supper club in April…. Lots of storytelling happens during the club meetings,” he explained. “Like the podcasts, each club meeting has a theme. Sometimes, it is geographical: food from different parts of the globe. Sometimes, thematic, like holiday food.”

photo - Chef Lior Ben-Yehuda puts the finishing touches on a salad as Erika Balcombe, left, and JMABC archivist Alysa Routtenberg look on
Chef Lior Ben-Yehuda puts the finishing touches on a salad as Erika Balcombe, left, and JMABC archivist Alysa Routtenberg look on. (photo from JMABC)

A similar variety of themes characterizes the podcasts. To date, shows have examined food links to family dynamics and worldwide migrations, climate and gender roles, cultural customs and regional culinary quirks.

“We brainstormed the possible themes as we listened to other podcasts, read books on culinary history. We tried to pinpoint what is missing and use those points as our guidelines. One of the underlying themes in our podcasts is the tension between traditional and modern. How people adapt to the local food sources when they move, how the familiar recipes change with times and places. How those recipes diverge when members of one family move to different countries, or continents, and the usual ingredients become unavailable.”

Schwartz believes that the museum has to be open to the stories of all Jews, regardless of their religiosity, affiliation or geographic roots. “The museum’s role is not to provide answers but to discuss a question, to open a forum for conversation. In The Kitchen Stories, food is a medium of telling stories. We explore healthy food choices and how they change with generations: what our grandmothers thought healthy and what we think healthy could be different. We talk about kosher food and organic food. And, of course, when people talk about food, everyone has an opinion.”

The topics are approached often from an historical perspective. “Food is a way to keep history alive,” Schwartz said. “When a kid asks his parents or grandparents why do you cook this way, stories emerge. We wanted to showcase those stories. Food is also a way towards peace and harmony. When we share food with friends, we talk and try to understand each other. Food is a means of communication.”

Schwartz doesn’t create the podcasts alone. Co-producer April Thompson has been working for the museum for the past year.

“I do research on the theme we select, I conduct the interviews,” Thompson said. “Sometimes we interview people in their homes or their businesses. Other times, they come here to the museum; we use a quiet room for the interviews. The museum has had an oral history program for decades, so we use the existing museum equipment for recording. Then I do the editing, choose the music. After I’m done, Michael listens to my material. He records the narration, inserts special terminology sometimes, or we move the pieces around to structure the story better.”

“April is very important to the series,” said Schwartz. “She is not Jewish, and that fact has given her an interesting angle on the project. She brings necessary curiosity to some things those of us within the Jewish community take for granted.”

“Yes,” Thompson agreed. “I’m like a child. I ask: why do you do this, because I don’t know. I want to know. I’m now working on a podcast about [dealing with] grief through food, about the Jewish shivah custom. It’s different from many other cultures.”

All of the podcasts can be found at jewishmuseum.ca/the-kitchen-stories.

Olga Livshin is a Vancouver freelance writer. She can be reached at [email protected].

Galilee as a food-tech hub

Former chief scientist of Israel Avi Hasson, left, and MK Dr. Erel Margalit. (photo from Noa Yaar)

Having the Upper Galilee be the world’s food-tech hub is the dream of Israeli Member of Knesset Erel Margalit, who recently announced he will run for leadership of the Labour party. And the work has started in the form of Israel Initiative 2020 (ii2020).

Leading the establishment and development of the food-tech hub in Kiryat Shmona is Michal Drayman, a partner and chief financial officer of Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP). She has 11 years of high-tech experience and 14 years’ experience in the agro-bio medical activity area of investment.

For Drayman, ii2020 is her volunteer job, and she describes her role as “vice-chairman.” The initiative started up nearly four years ago, focusing much of its work in Israel’s upper north and south.

“We decided to focus on agri-food development in the Eastern Galilee, which is made up of a group of 22 municipalities, from Tiberius in the south, up to Metula in the north and the Golan Heights in the east,” she told the Independent.

They began working with the region in January 2014, holding brainstorm sessions and doing about six months of research with 10 leaders from the region to pinpoint a focus, which became agriculture.

“Anything that can be grown on earth can be grown in the Eastern Galilee,” said Drayman. “Because of the difference in height, climate, water and land, it allows them to grow anything from tropical things to cherries, apples and everything in between.

“We also discovered that the area already has a lot of activity when it comes to agro-bio research – in particular, with Migal, a foundation founded in the early ’70s that has about 115 employees, 65 PhDs and about 50 laboratories developing food and agro-bio activity.”

With Tel-Hai College to develop the academic focus – most of its 5,000 students are studying agriculture, bio-technology, food and nutrition – the region is well-positioned in the field.

As Drayman and team sought an even more specific focus, they decided on medical food, which means any food promoting health and preventing illness. “With this, we’re taking into consideration modified food, functional food, macro-bio activities, and how it will affect us concerning nutrition going forward,” said Drayman.

While work in this field is being done on a large scale by the Volcani Centre, as well as by other institutions throughout Israel, it has rarely reached the market. It took Drayman only six months to get consensus from area municipalities that medical food would be their focus, after which she began on the year-long process of writing up a plan.

“Bio-technology and health, there’s so much to do that, with the right investment, we see the potential of growing something significant in that area,” she said. “In food tech, there’s a lot of innovation and research, but not a lot of invested money. Much of the work that is done is void of being able to monetize it. That’s true of the world, not just in Israel.”

Looking at how food companies impact health by what they put into the food they make – ingredients such as sugar and salt, for example – Drayman and team are working with the industry to change regulations, especially food labeling. The goal is to give customers clear information about the nutrition content in the product they are buying.

“The idea is that companies cannot just [add] sugar whenever they don’t have another ingredient and want to fill [the product] with something very cheap,” said Drayman. “We’re going to show … a red stop light on food. If it has too much salt or sugar, it will be identified on the wrapping.

“The food industry is going through significant change,” she added. “Regulations, GDP talks, and the fact that people are more educated and understanding about what we’re eating, will affect how we’ll be when we get older. If we’re going to make sure we’re eating proper nutrition, then probably we’re going to affect a lot of the illnesses and reduce the amount of obesity.”

Exactly three years from the initiation of the project, with the 22 municipalities participating, the government approved about 80% of Drayman and team’s submitted budget. Next, they will speak with various multinational companies to see if they will invest in research and development in the area.

“One of the things that’s already in process is the movement of the Volcani Centre that is currently in the Tel Aviv area to the Galilee,” said Drayman. “It was declared, but I’m less optimistic about how fast it will happen. But it was declared it will happen, which is huge, because we’re talking about 5,000 scientific people doing research. So, moving that kind of activity would be significant.”

The municipality of Kiryat Shmona has allocated a building to house the new food innovation centre and funds are being collected to allow for the renovations, with Jewish National Fund picking up half of the $6 million tab.

“Basically, we want it to be an iconic building in the centre of Kiryat Shmona, something that will be visible from the road,” said Drayman. “It will have an accelerator for food-tech activities and activities with kids and education – trying to have two percent of top-tier students working together with the accelerator, incubator and entrepreneurship … being part of a success story.

“We’re going to also have music, because we don’t want to have it only as a high-tech building. We want to make sure we have regular people being part of it, living the scene, and not isolating this kind of activity.”

To raise the remainder of the needed funds, Drayman is working to create a consortium of five multinational companies that would run the accelerator and, subsequently, create and run an incubator.

“The accelerator, as opposed to regular accelerators that only do mentoring and primarily help when you’ve started to build a theme … we want to do proof of concept with our accelerator,” said Drayman. “We’d like to invest money, not only time and support, from high-tech people. We want to actually invest money and run the project for four to 12 months to identify an actual R&D project or research and bring it to commercialization.

“Assuming it’s able to be commercialized, then we’d like to take it into the space of an incubator and invest larger amounts of money to be able to run the project until an actual company is created.”

As of press time, IBM was considering providing data analytics.

For more information or to get involved with ii2020, contact Noa Yaar at [email protected] or 1-781-530-8025.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Homemade shakshuka

Shakshuka is a combination of flavours, aromas and colours that appeals to all our senses. (photo from Café FortyOne)

Choosing a dish that defines us gastronomically is an impossible task because Jewish cuisine comprises a long and varied history of aromas and flavours fused by our many journeys around the world. But, if we narrow our task to discussing a representative Israeli dish, then shakshuka might be it.

Although there are many variations, shakshuka is generally made with stewed tomatoes, spices and eggs. It is one of the foods most loved by Israelis and it is a dish that has been enjoyed by countless tourists to the country. It is said that its secrets were brought to Israel by Jewish immigrants from North Africa but, for me, it also has a taste of home. My parents used to prepare it to pamper us, using the recipe of my grandparents from Turkey and giving it an Argentine touch. And there is nothing like shakshuka as an example of how certain foods have traveled with us throughout our history and to the different countries in which we have settled.

Shakshuka means “a mixture.” It is a combination of flavours, aromas and colours that appeals to all our senses. In Israel, it is often eaten for breakfast, a bright and spicy way to start the day. But it is also an excellent dish for lunch or for a special brunch.

Like many great dishes, there are as many versions of shakshuka as there are cooks who have made it, and it can be found on café and restaurant menus throughout the world. Modern culinary interpretations enhance the basic dish with salsa, with all kinds of vegetables, including eggplant and kale, and with cheeses such as feta. Some even incorporate meat into the recipe, modifying it according to personal taste. Some variations replace the tomatoes entirely – for example, there is a version that replaces the tomato sauce with one of spinach and cream.

Although there are many ways to cook shakshuka, from the Mexican version called huevos rancheros to the Turkish menemen, my shakshuka cuts to the traditional. The recipe below will give you a lovely shakshuka, rich in flavour. Once you have mastered the basics, you can add your own touch by using other ingredients that you like. However, this dish has one must: it must be accompanied by pita, challah or one of your favourite breads. Why? Simply because the sauce is really delicious and you will not want to leave a drop of it in the pan.

But, enough talk. This recipe I’m sharing is special – it is the one my family uses and which has given us many beautiful memories. It makes enough for two people.

SHAKSHUKA

5 ripe large tomatoes
1 large chopped onion
1 red pepper
4 garlic cloves (if you find it too strong, remove the centre)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 eggs
touch of kosher sea salt
2 tbsp paprika
pinch of cumin
chopped parsley for decoration
tomato paste or concentrated tomato (optional, for a stronger taste)

  1. Pour the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until lightly softened, stirring occasionally. Add the red pepper and garlic, frying for a few minutes until they are soft and lightly browned.
  2. Add chopped tomatoes, paprika, cumin and salt. Stir until all ingredients are well mixed, then cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. The idea is for the tomatoes to become soft.
  3. Once the tomatoes are cooked, stir and then make two holes with a spoon in the surface of the sauce. Break an egg into each one of the holes. Arrange the eggs and the surrounding sauce so that the egg whites are below the surface of the sauce.
  4. Cover and let simmer for five to seven minutes, until the egg whites are cooked but the yolk is still runny.
  5. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve immediately in the pan it was cooked in, along with pita (or other bread), hummus and an Israeli salad.

Yamila Chikiar co-owns Café FortyOne with her husband, Daniel Presman.

 

 

From Sybil’s kosher kitchen

(photo by Cynthia Ramsay)

It’s summer – time to enjoy the fresh local produce and some cool meals, treats and drinks. Here are several of my favourite (kosher) recipes, from soups to salads to cakes and cobblers, plus a few icy desserts and drinks.

GAZPACHO
8 servings

12 small or 16 cherry tomatoes
6 kirby cucumbers
2 small onions
2 green peppers
2 red peppers
2 garlic cloves
4 cups tomato juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tbsp chopped parsley
6 ribs celery
salt and pepper to taste

  1. Place half the tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, peppers, garlic, tomato juice, oil, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, parsley and celery in a food processor or blender and blend. Pour into a large jar.
  2. Place remaining ingredients in food processor or blender and blend. Add to jar and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 
MOM’S BEET BORSCHT
3-4 servings

1/2 tsp sour salt or 1 to 1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
3 tbsp sugar
4 cups water
2 cups grated beets
1 egg yolk

  1. In a saucepan, bring to a boil sour salt or lemon juice, salt, sugar and water.
  2. Add beets and boil 10 minutes.
  3. Beat egg yolk with a little cold water and add slowly to soup.
  4. Cool and serve.

 
COLD CUCUMBER AND SPINACH SOUP
I adapted this from a recipe I found from a café in Evanston, Ill. It serves 4.

1 tbsp margarine or oil
2/3 bunch chopped scallions
2 diced cucumbers
2 cups pareve chicken soup
1/3 pound cleaned spinach
1/3 cup sugar-free whipping cream
3 tbsp non-dairy creamer
1 tsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste

  1. Melt margarine or heat oil in a soup pot. Cook scallions until tender.
  2. Add cucumbers and sauté five minutes. Add chicken soup and bring to a boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Add spinach and cook four to five minutes.
  3. Add whipping cream and non-dairy creamer. Cool.
  4. Purée in food processor. Add lemon juice, salt and pepper. Chill.
  5. To serve, pour into bowls and garnish with sliced cucumbers, radishes or scallions.

 
ZUCCHINI SALAD
4 servings

2 cups zucchini, cut in matchsticks
1/2 cup green pepper, cut in matchsticks
1/4 cup chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup shredded yellow cheese
1/4 cup minced parsley
4 cut-up black olives
1 large minced onion

dressing
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp anchovy paste (optional)
1/2 tsp chopped dill
pinch oregano

  1. In a salad bowl, combine zucchini, green pepper, tomatoes, cheese, parsley, olives and onion.
  2. In a jar, combine lemon juice, olive oil, wine vinegar, dill and oregano. Close and shake well.
  3. Refrigerate salad until ready to serve. Pour dressing on top and toss.

 
PEACH SALAD
4 servings

4 large peaches, sliced in half
cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 tbsp confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp almond extract

  1. Place two peach halves in each salad bowl. Add a dollop of cottage cheese.
  2. Combine sour cream, confectioners sugar, nutmeg and almond extract.
  3. Pour into a small bowl or pitcher and serve on the side.

 
WALDORF PEACH SALAD
4 servings

1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup sliced grapes
1/2 cup chopped apples
1/4 cup chopped nuts
4 sliced peaches
4 pieces Romaine lettuce
1 tbsp brown sugar

dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 cup whipped cream or pareve whip
1 tsp grated orange rind

  1. In a mixing bowl, combine celery, grapes, apples and nuts. Toss lightly.
  2. Place one piece of lettuce on each plate and add a sliced peach. Spoon one-quarter of the salad on top of each peach. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Place plates in refrigerator.
  3. In a bowl, combine mayonnaise, whipped cream and orange rind.
  4. Remove peach salad from refrigerator before serving and spoon dressing on each.

 
CHOCOLATE ZUCCHINI CAKE
This recipe came from Laurel, an old friend from my Kansas City, Mo., and Overland Park, Kan., days.

3/8 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
5/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup shredded, unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup milk or non-dairy creamer
1/2 cup chopped nuts

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a loaf pan with vegetable spray.
  2. Cream margarine and sugar. Beat in eggs.
  3. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and cocoa and add to creamed mixture.
  4. Add vanilla, zucchini, milk or non-dairy creamer and nuts. Spoon into greased loaf pan. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean.

 
REVERSE STRAWBERRY COBBLER
Can be made with peaches, plums, cherries and apples.

4 cups hulled strawberries
1/4 cup + 2 tbsp oil
1 cup milk or non-dairy creamer
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a glass round pie plate.
  2. Pour oil into pan. Add milk, flour, baking powder, sugar and cinnamon and stir until mixed.
  3. Stand up strawberries, tips pointed up, around batter; fill in centre.
  4. Bake 25 minutes.
  5. Serve warm with whipped cream on top.

 
QUICKY STRAWBERRY PIE

1 cup mashed strawberries
1/3 cup sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp lemon juice
1 cup mashed strawberries
pie shell

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. Place one cup strawberries with sugar and cornstarch in a saucepan. Cook for five minutes.
  3. Stir in lemon juice and additional cup of strawberries. Pour into pie shell and bake for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350°F and bake another 40 minutes.

 
PAREVE PEACH PUDDING CAKE
4-5 servings

5/8 cup flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup pareve margarine or 3 tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/8 tsp almond extract
1/4 cup non-dairy creamer or pareve almond milk
1 egg
3 peaches
1/2 cup pareve whipping cream
1/2 package vanilla instant pudding mix

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a pan.
  2. In a mixing bowl, mix flour, baking powder and 1/4 cup sugar.
  3. In a saucepan, melt margarine (if using oil, place it in a bowl). Add vanilla and almond extracts, 1/4 cup sugar and egg and blend. Add to flour mixture and pour into pan. Bake 20-25 minutes until top springs back when touched with finger. Remove from oven and cool.
  4. Peel and coarsely chop one peach. Toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar.
  5. Beat whipping cream until stiff peaks form. Prepare vanilla pudding using 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer or almond milk. Fold whipped cream into pudding. Fold in chopped peach.
  6. Make a well in the cake and spoon pudding, whipped cream, peach into the well.
  7. Slice remaining two peaches and toss with 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar. Arrange slices on top of pudding mixture.

 
STRAWBERRY-LEMON WHIP DRINK
4 servings

2 cups sliced strawberries
3/4 cup lemon juice
3/4 cup lemon syrup
2 cups water
ice cubes

  1. In a blender or food processor, blend strawberries, cold water, lemon juice, lemon syrup and ice cubes until mixture is smooth.
  2. Pour into tall chilled glasses.

 
BLENDER PEACH ICE CREAM
8 servings

7 medium peaches, sliced and pits removed
2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp almond extract
1 cup sour cream

  1. Place peaches, lemon juice, sugar and extract in blender. Whirl until pureed.
  2. Add sour cream and whirl until smooth. Pour into a metal pan. Freeze about two hours. Turn into a bowl. Beat until smooth. Return to pan, cover tightly and freeze until firm.

 
FROZEN PEACH YOGURT
3-4 servings

1 cup sliced ripe peaches
1/3 cup sugar or sugar substitute
dash of salt
1/8 tsp almond extract
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt

  1. Puree peaches in blender or food processor.
  2. Mix with sugar or sugar substitute, salt and almond extract.
  3. Stir in yogurt. Pour into a tray with a lid, cover and freeze for two hours.
  4. Remove 15-20 minutes before serving.

 
STRAWBERRRY YOGURT POPSICLES
6 servings

6 wooden sticks
6 waxed paper cups
1 cup sliced strawberries
2 cups plain yogurt
1/4 cup honey

  1. Combine strawberries, yogurt and honey in a bowl.
  2. Spoon into paper cups and freeze for 20 minutes.
  3. Add sticks and freeze until firm. Peel off cups before serving.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, lecturer, book reviewer and food writer in Jerusalem. She created and leads the weekly English-language Shuk Walks in Machane Yehuda, she has compiled and edited nine kosher cookbooks, and is the author of Witness to History: Ten Years as a Woman Journalist in Israel.

Expanding food savvy

Kat Romanow is director of food programming at the Museum of Jewish Montreal. (photo from Kat Romanow)

Kat Romanow has taken upon herself the challenge of teaching people more about Jewish food in one of Canada’s most Jewish cities.

“I started studying Judaism in my undergrad and, at the end of it, food was something that sparked my interest,” said Romanow. “I ended up going to Boston for a summer to do an internship and it was there that all of this coalesced.

“Jewish food is what I want to study academically. I also felt a connection to Judaism – Shabbat dinners, shul … I get the non-academic Jewish things, and it was there I realized I felt a deep connection to it. That’s when I knew I wanted to convert. It’s a connection I didn’t necessarily feel in Catholicism, but I found in Judaism – the community, rituals … things that really speak to me and bring meaning to my life.”

Romanow was born and raised in Montreal and is currently the director of food programming at the Museum of Jewish Montreal, where she runs and manages Fletchers, the museum’s restaurant.

Founded in 2010, the museum offers walking tours of historic Jewish neighbourhoods, numerous online exhibits and a large oral history collection. And, now that they have a physical space – which they acquired about a year ago – they also offer lectures, workshops and pop-up exhibitions.

Romanow majored in Jewish food history at Concordia University and, in conjunction with the museum and a friend, developed a walking tour called The Wandering Chew.

“We aimed to teach people about lesser-known Jewish food traditions through pop-up dinners, cooking workshops and other food events,” said Romanow. “That’s where I got the cooking experience, holding pop-up dinners for 30 to 40 people. We’d find the community we wanted to explore, interview people from the community, including getting their recipes, put together a menu and do a dinner.”

The goal was to expand people’s knowledge about Jewish food. “Here, in Montreal, you automatically think of bagels and smoked meat,” said Romanow. “But, our aim was to go beyond that and show people that Jewish food is very diverse and is made up of a lot of different cuisine and dishes.”

At Fletchers, they serve foods during the day that draw from the flavours of the diverse communities highlighted on the walking tours. And, in the evening, one can find a variety of workshops, meals and cookbook launches.

Romanow has been selected to represent Montreal at the ROI (Return on Investment) Summit in Jerusalem July 2-6. The summit brings together 150 of the brightest Jewish minds from around the world to brainstorm ideas for the future.

“I’m really excited,” said Romanow. “It’s also my first time going to Israel. For the summit, I’m most excited about getting to meet all these other young Jews doing really cool projects … making connections and sharing ideas. We’ll learn from each other and build off of what we’re all doing. So, I think, coming out of this, I’ll be full of new ideas and inspiration. I’ve already received emails and I can see potential future collaboration.”

Romanow is planning to stay in Israel after the summit, to visit the country, experience the Israeli food scene and get some new ideas for Fletchers.

Something she has found lately is that people in their 20s and 30s are becoming more open to exploring different ways of making the food they grew up with different, putting their own mark on it.

“There’s now a community of younger Jews who are reintroducing people to what Jewish food is,” said Romanow. “I want to keep adding to the menu and keep holding more and more events, so that people can really engage with their Jewish identity through food on a regular basis.

“But, I also aim to write a cookbook about exploring Jewish food in the Diaspora. That’s what I’ve been doing with the Wandering Chew. I think the cookbook is the next step. I’m in the process of writing the proposal, so hopefully in the next few years it will come out.”

For now, Romanow plans to delve deeper into local Jewish food history, as she balances running Fletchers, the Wandering Chew dinners and walking tours of the local Jewish food scene, which are called Beyond the Bagel.

Through Beyond the Bagel, Romanow said, “We go to places like Schwartz’s and we eat bagels. But, I did all kinds of archival research and oral history interviews … and so you get to go deeper into the history of these places.

“At our space (at the museum), we also have a boutique where we sell things related to Jewish history and Montreal – books, locally made products. And we use it as an event space … concerts, lectures and many more.

“Right now, we have Yiddish classes there, too, and photo exhibits that change throughout the year related to Jewish culture. We’re not a traditional museum, one that you go into and look at objects. You can come to the space, grab a bite, browse the boutique and also go on one of the walking tours or onto the website.”

For more information, visit imjm.ca.

Rebeca Kuropatwa is a Winnipeg freelance writer.

Israeli food evolution

Chef David Polivoda (photo from David Polivoda)

When people reflect on Israel’s transformation since the establishment of the state in 1948, they often focus on geographic, political, economic and social changes. Slightly less tumultuous, but no less dramatic, has been Israel’s culinary development. In a country where people like to eat, and to eat a lot, the past 69 years has witnessed an amazing transition in Israeli food habits.

In the first years of statehood, for example, salad fixings were hard to come by, largely due to Israel’s tzena, or austerity program (1949-1959). Yet, even well after the lifting of the tzena, a salad meant finely chopped tomatoes and cucumbers, maybe with some onion and parsley, with a little lemon juice and olive oil. And this remains a classic Israeli salad. However, the days of such limited ingredients have come and gone.

While certain fruits and vegetables are, of course, seasonal – when you see ample supplies of strawberries and artichokes, you know Pesach is on the way – there is no end to the variety now available. Israeli farmers seem to have mastered the ability to grow just about everything. And this is just the tip of the iceberg, as former chef David “Poli” Polivoda explained about the evolution of Israeli food and palates.

First, a bit about Polivoda’s professional background. He began cooking shortly after his army service. Back then, he lived on a kibbutz by the Dead Sea, where he was part of a soldiers’ group that settled in the area. After his discharge, he studied carpentry and animation, but discovered – to the chagrin of the animation studio director – that his true vocation was cooking. He began his career in the Kibbutz Ein Gedi kitchen and, afterward, in its guesthouse.

Since then, Polivoda has worked in Jerusalem corridor guesthouses, on Magic One cruise ships, at the Osem food conglomerate, at various elite Jerusalem hotels, including the King David, and has done chef stints in Europe and in the United States. He also has been a restaurant inspector and now gives culinary tours of Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda.

photo - Chef David Polivoda’s sculpted fruit bowl
Chef David Polivoda’s sculpted fruit bowl. (photo from David Polivoda)

When he first started out, cooking as a profession was not highly regarded. Nowadays, there are countless cookbooks, culinary websites and workshops, televised cooking shows and chef competitions – his chosen profession has earned a “wow” rating. In Israel, Polivoda said there are several places to learn to be a professional chef and there are certificates and national (government) achievement-based licences, as well as more than one association of Israeli chefs.

When he was starting out, a typical meal in a nice hotel meant a steak dinner. Meat was, and still is, relatively expensive, and much of it is imported. Back then, there were few restaurants and the average Israeli’s financial situation did not permit dining out. At home, Israelis typically ate an evening meal of bread, salad, eggs, cheese and plain yogurt (pretty close to what people ate for breakfast).

Polivoda said kashrut limitations have resulted in a lot of creativity as far as food preparation is concerned. For example, Italian cooking has become very popular with Israelis, despite the prohibition against mixing milk and meat – in downtown Jerusalem alone there are at least six kosher Italian dairy restaurants. Israeli chefs have learned to successfully produce tasty meatless Italian dishes.

With respect to hotel meals, Polivoda said the meals are generally much larger than those most Israelis would eat at home. He said in a hotel restaurant, people eat at least a third more. In hotels, buffets are set up for breakfast, lunch and dinner and the focus is on a display of abundance, he explained. Salads were, and remain, an important part of the buffet, but, according to Polivoda, an economic reason lies behind the plentiful spread – a buffet means less wait staff is needed.

He explained that, while hotel management seeks a high level of prepared food, it wants to have it made as cheaply as possible. Thus, restaurants might lower their costs by using cheaper raw ingredients. Two examples of this are Israeli mock chopped liver made from eggplant, rather than from liver, and “Ben-Gurion rice” or ptitim, which are really tiny pieces of hard wheat, that is, pasta.

Still, Polivoda said it is the chef who makes the lasting impression on guests, not the eatery’s manager. And, he said, when people eat out today, they expect more than they did in the past.

Eating habits in Israel have changed for a variety of reasons.

First, Israel is economically better off overall. Many Israelis can afford to travel abroad and those who do come back want to re-experience the tastes they enjoyed during their travels.

As well, Israel now imports a wide range of food products, so people are exposed to more variety. Additionally, the Israeli food industry not only services the increasingly cosmopolitan local population, but has made major inroads in exporting agricultural products.

Finally, Polivoda noted that, on the one hand, Israelis are proud of their cultural background while, on the other hand, they try to turn everything into a business. One result is a broader diversity of choices, with more ethnic restaurants trying to cater to an increasingly diverse population.

However, it’s a tough industry, and Polivoda predicted that many restaurants would come and go, as there are people who go into the business without understanding how hard it is to stay afloat. Meals will become somewhat less plentiful, he said, also noting that there is much waste in the industry.

He presented two optimistic points: prices for dining out will decrease and, as the in-gathering of exiles continues, with newcomers wanting to enjoy something from their roots, ethnic food will continue to have a place in Israeli cuisine.

Deborah Rubin Fields is an Israel-based features writer. She is also the author of Take a Peek Inside: A Child’s Guide to Radiology Exams, published in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

Delicious and new recipes

Naomi Nachman’s Fudgy Chocolate Bundt Cake with Coffee Glaze is gluten-free. (photo by Miriam Pascal)

What? Another cookbook for Pesach? Yes. And a welcome one – Perfect for Pesach: Passover Recipes You’ll Want to Make All Year by Naomi Nachman (Artscroll/Shaar Press, 2017).

“As a chef specializing in Passover, I wanted to provide home cooks with delicious recipes that bring something new to the table,” Nachman explains in the press material. “Some of the recipes in this book reflect my years of catering Pesach dinners and others are brand new to reflect today’s kosher cooking styles. All my recipes use fresh, simple and delicious combinations of ingredients that you can get all year long and create interesting meal choices.”

Nachman, who lives with her family on Long Island, N.Y., grew up in Australia. She served Long Island’s Five Towns through her personal chef business, the Aussie Gourmet. She led a culinary arts program at a Poconos camp for seven summers and, currently, she is director of the Culinary Arts Recreational Program for VIP Ram Destinations’ Pesach holiday in Florida. She also hosts a weekly show on the Nachum Segal Network and writes a monthly column for Mishpacha magazine.

She certainly has the credentials! And what variety in this book.

book cover - Perfect for Pesach: Passover Recipes You’ll Want to Make All Year by Naomi NachmanPerfect for Pesach features more than 125 recipes, with mouth-watering photography by kosher blogger and cookbook author Miriam Pascal.

There are appetizers, such as Hush Puppy Potato Knishes and Southwestern Chicken Egg Rolls; dips and salads, including Chimichurri Coleslaw and Kale and Roasted Butternut Squash Salad; soups such as Kitchen Sink Vegetable Soup and Kale, Apple and Sausage Soup; fish dishes like Red Snapper en Papillote and Sweet and Sour Tilapia; poultry choices like White Wine and Herb Roasted Turkey Roll and Hawaiian Pargiyot; meat recipes such as Coffee Infused Chili and Maple Glazed Rack of Ribs; dairy recipes such as Quinoa Granola Parfait and Oozy Fried Mozzarella; side dishes like Cauliflower Fried “Rice” and Broccoli Kishka Kugel; and desserts including Pomegranate Pistachio Semifreddo and Mini Lemon Curd Trifles.

In her introduction, Nachman writes that her intention is to present “recipes that are easy to make with ingredients that are generally easily accessible from your local supermarket or online.” She highly recommends using fresh lemons and limes, fresh herbs, fresh spices, and a variety of oils.

Each recipe includes cook’s tip, ideas for year-round serving, an author’s comment and, my favourite, method steps that are numbered. The press release says all the recipes are gluten-free.

Don’t bother to look around for a house gift if you are going to a seder at a friend or relative’s home. Perfect for Passover is the perfect gift – all year round.

Here are just two of Nachman’s recipes.

ZUCCHINI KUGEL
pareve, 8-10 servings

6 medium zucchini, grated with peel
1 grated onion
4 beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups matzah meal
1 tbsp baking powder
3/4 cup oil
1 tbsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a nine-by-13-inch baking pan.
  2. Add all ingredients to a large bowl; stir well to combine.
  3. Pour into prepared pan. Bake, uncovered, for 90 minutes, until lightly browned and centre is firm.

FUDGY CHOCOLATE BUNDT CAKE WITH COFFEE GLAZE
pareve, freezer-friendly

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup potato starch
1 tbsp instant coffee granules
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 tbsp imitation vanilla extract
6 eggs

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a Bundt pan well; set aside.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together almond flour, cocoa powder, potato starch, coffee, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs. Add dry ingredients; stir to combine.
  4. Pour batter into Bundt pan; bake 40-45 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Set aside to cool completely in the pan. Remove from pan; glaze with coffee glaze, below.

Coffee glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tbsp brewed coffee
1 tsp oil

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together all ingredients to form a glaze. If the glaze is too thick to pour, add water, a half teaspoon at a time, until desired texture is reached.
  2. Pour glaze over cooled cake.

Sybil Kaplan is a journalist, lecturer, book reviewer and food writer in Jerusalem. She created and leads the weekly English-language Shuk Walks in Machaneh Yehudah, she has compiled and edited nine kosher cookbooks, and is the author of Witness to History: Ten Years as a Woman Journalist in Israel.