In the joyofkosher Kitchen

“Ottimo,” means “excellence” in Italian. I snuck into the kitchen at Ottimo Café in Lakewood, NJ to learn the secrets behind the vibrant and exciting—and very excellent dairy fare (and I brought some recipes back for you).

“We didn’t have any upscale dairy restaurants in Lakewood. I had a vision of the type of place I wanted—something unique, that isn’t even found in Brooklyn, where fresh pastas and homemade pastries were served. I wanted it to be beautiful and modern, and I wanted to find a chef—someone young and ambitious—who shared that vision,” owner Akiva Reiner told me while we sat in the restaurant’s large party room.
“It wasn’t as easy as I thought it would be—I interviewed a lot of chefs until I found Jason. I brought him to my house to cook for two weeks—and then I knew he was the right one for the Executive Chef position.”

A graduate of Johnson Wales Culinary School, one of the top two schools in the country, Chef Jason had never cooked kosher food before.

“How did you feel about not being able to cook meat?” I asked Chef Jason.
“It pushed my boundaries. I took dishes and flavors that I am accustomed to eating, and tried to recreate them in kosher versions. We have a “BLT” on the menu made with crispy smoked salmon sliced really thin, with lettuce and tomato. Our “cheeseburger” made from tuna, has really taken off too. I get to be really creative.”

When I entered the kitchen, Chef Jason was standing in front of a whole salmon, ready to fillet. “The fish market next door, The Fishing Line, goes to Hunts Point every night. They call and tell me what’s fresh and of good quality. When they bring the fish back, I’ll go there and inspect them and pick what I like. I only order the fish I need for that day, and fillet them myself each morning, so you always get a fresh cut.”

Chef Jason began filleting by slicing off the fins, and strategically slicing off the head. “We use every part of the salmon, so nothing goes to waste. I use the bones to make the fish stock for our Seafood Bisque. You can get fish bones at your fish market. They should cost pennies if they don’t give them to you for free.”

Potato Crusted Salmon

Making a fish stock is just like making chicken stock, Jason told me, only it takes less time. “Simply boil the bones and vegetables with water for a couple of hours, and then strain.”

Chef Jason sliced off one fillet of salmon. “Smoked salmon is made from the belly of the fish. Most people will throw the belly away, but we’ll cure it and make our own lox.”

Once the fillets were ready, Chef Jason seasoned them and spread Dijon mustard on top. The Dijon mustard will take the place of egg, to secure the potato to the fish—but with more flavor. Then, he packed the grated potato onto the fish to form a crust on top. “If your grated potato has been sitting in cold water to prevent browning, simply give it a little squeeze,” he said.

In the Ottimo kitchen, the frying pans are always waiting on top of a flame. “We keep the pans hot to save time. You can add oil and let it slowly heat up, but here, every second counts.” When Jason poured in the oil, it sizzled on contact; he added the salmon, potato side down, immediately.  “After about three minutes, when the potato is crispy and golden, we’ll finish by baking the salmon in the oven for six or seven minutes.”

It’s time to make the…pasta. Not just any—in a few short months, Ottimo’s pappardelle has gained celebrity status on the menu. Pappardelle are thick strands of pasta, and it’s made fresh at Ottimo.

“In the beginning, when we first opened, we were working crazy hours trying to keep up…starting at 6 or 7AM and going until midnight. We were afraid we couldn’t keep up,” said Akiva. “Should something give? Should we forget about the homemade pasta? No! We stuck to our original plan, and soon, things began to run smoothly. Homemade pasta is a signature of Ottimo. It’s not going anywhere.”

Chef Jason took out a piece of dough to show me how it’s done. The dough isn’t cream-colored, like typical dough. Rather, it has an orange-red tinge. “We color the dough with tomato paste,” Jason said. “It makes it distinctive—you know it’s homemade. And the tomato flavor pairs perfectly with the sauce.”

While those preparing a pappardelle dish at home can purchase fresh pasta in the freezer section of their supermarket, at Ottimo, the imperia, an electric pasta roller, is ready for use. “This baby is from Italy,” Jason said. He flattened the dough slightly, then rolled it through the machine at thickness level “8.” As the dough thinned, he adjusted the pasta setting. The final time the dough ran through the machine, it was at the “2” setting—slightly thicker than other types of pasta, but perfect for pappardelle. The dough was then hand sliced into pasta strands.

As Chef Jason cooked, orders came in from customers starting to arrive for dinner service. There is a large pot of boiling water with multiple compartments, kept perpetually on the stove, so every order can be freshly—and quickly—prepared one batch at a time. Our pappardelle pasta that Chef Jason cut went right into one of those compartments.

While it boiled, he prepared the sauce. “I told Akiva I’m going to give you one secret today—and here it is.” He took out the fresh roasted peppers and began to peel them—it’s a secret to the flavor of the pappardelle’s cream sauce. Once the peppers are very thinly sliced, he took out an orange-colored paste. “This is the tomato cream paste,” Chef Jason told me. “I make it by seeping sun-dried tomatoes in cream so they reconstitute a little, then add fresh basil and puree the mixture.” The butter, red peppers, shallots, tomato cream paste, and more cream make up the sauce—but there’s more. Chef Jason added a splash of sherry, and the entire mixture rose in flames as the alcohol immediately burned out.

The pappardelle was tossed with the cream sauce and plated. Parmesan cheese topped the dish and was done. I took a taste—it’s distinctive and refreshing, and nothing like the typical pasta dishes we have everywhere. It’s different enough to be exciting, but familiar enough for anyone to love.
Recipes from Ottimo:

Potato Crusted Salmon

Pappardelle Pasta with Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

Seafood Bisque

Quinoa Stuffed Vine Tomatoes with White Asparagus Vinaigrette

Recipes by Chef Jason Cappetta of Ottimo in Lakewood, NJ.

As seen in Joy of Kosher with Jamie Geller Summer 2012 issue – Subscribe Now.

Cook and food writer, Ruth Joseph, and former food editor of the Jewish Chronicle, Simon Round came together to bring us a compendium of Jewish recipes in the new cookbook, Traditioanl Jewish Cooking.  This book takes you on a culinary journey, from the warm climates of Africa and the Middle East to the cooler temperatures of Europe and North America.  This book covers all the bases with Ashkenazi and Sephardi classics you will definitely want to add to your repertoire.  Don’t miss the savory vegetable noodle kugel, just in time for Shavuot.

What motivated you to write this book?

I was motivated to write this book as I had have always had a passion for good kosher recipes that work and I had amassed numerous lovely ancient recipes, some written on old envelopes that my late mother and mother-in law passed onto me.

Plus I had devised my own solutions with a goal to make the recipes as light and healthy as possible. And once I had worked these out perfectly I wanted to share them with like-minded Jewish foodie people.

I asked Simon to test the meaty recipes as I no longer cook meat in my home. Some of the recipes were mine from my own home but it wouldn’t have been fair to give recipes that were not tested to check whether they work.

How did you decide which recipes to include in this book?

It was hugely difficult to leave recipes out and I had a trying day with my lovely editor culling 30 recipes which had to be omitted because of space issues.

Most traditional Jewish recipe books are either Ashkenazi or Sephardi, how were you able to become an expert on both cuisines?

I am an expert on Ashkenazi and Sephardi cooking as I am an Ashkenazi Jewish person myself – my family name is Carlebach and I am extremely proud of my Ashkenazi heritage. But I married a Sephardi man whose family originated from Palestine and before that Spain and so I developed a fascination for Sephardi cooking. I went to Morocco and met some wonderful cooks who helped me in my quest and I loved the
lightness of their cookery with oil rather than schmaltz, plus the generous quantities of herbs, spices, fruits and vegetables in their foods.

How and when did you learn to cook?

I learned as a child at my late mother’s side. I was maybe three when she set me down with a little ball of pastry and I tasted and smelt the magic of a dough dusted with sugar and baked until golden. She was a generous cook and adored entertaining when she was well and I learned how to make and how to arrange food to make it look appetzing. I owe her a great deal. Sadly as she became more poorly I became the full-time cook and carer but I learned to make everything for a kosher home and truly although it was tough I was given a huge grounding in cookery, using left-overs for example in knishes and kreplach and I’ll always remember how talented she was in the kitchen.

Plava Recipe

What is your favorite recipe from this book? Please share it with us?

My favourite recipe from the book – goodness how to I chose one child over all the others?

Perhaps it’s the Plava because it was such a huge success – moist, tender and sweet tart with lemon.  When it finally emerged and when we photographed the final version it included my homemade lemon curd and a sprig of lemon tree flower from my husband’s green house.

Sephardi Spiced Fish

Also, the Sephardi Hot Spiced Fish which I often serve to friends as they adore the flavouring and I can prepare it a day in advance. I learned that recipe in Fez in a tiny warm kitchen with a lovely lady who chopped onions into her hands instead of a chopping board!!! And I’m hugely proud of the recipe.

Which recipe is the most important for historical or traditional reasons?

On consideration for both historical and traditional reasons it has to be Judith’s Black and White Cake.  It was always baked in a special bundt tin that she, my late mother Judith Carlebach carried out of Germany at the age of 12 when escaping from the Holocaust.  She held it in her still childish hands wrapped up with her mother’s second-best candlesticks. And although most of her life she was sick and I nursed her until she died at the age of 46, there were good times when we made that cake, rich with melted chocolate and more chocolate drizzled over the top. I was always in charge of greasing and flouring the intricate furrows of the tin which was a huge pressure but the tin and the cake never let me down. I love that tin and the recipe to make it with its sweet memories and I also remember sitting with my mother and making marzipan fruit to decorate the top.

Enjoy a sampling of recipes from the book and then go buy your copy to get the rest.

Savory Vegetable and Noodle Kugel

Sephardic Fish

The Plava

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Judita Wignall’s latest cookbook is Raw & Simple.  With a goal of providing easy and tasty recipes that feed the body and spirit without hours of prep, Raw & Simple is a wonderful introduction to the world of raw vegan food.  Rarely does a cookbook come out that really changes the way I think or the way I cook.  Sure, I might learn some new recipes and be introduced to new flavors, but Raw & Simple is a whole new way of cooking or really not cooking and it is better and easier than I thought.

Hazelnut Chocolate Chia Pudding (Breakfast or Dessert)

Now, I am not saying I am changing everything and going raw, but as Judita points out “anybody can benefit from the healthy lifestyle that raw eating provides.”  You don’t have to go all in, Judita says, “I’m not a 100% raw foodist. I eat cooked foods as well, though usually with some raw food added.”  She is obviously more “in it “than me, but I do plan to add many of these new recipes to my flexitarian lifestyle.

Raw foods have been popping up everywhere from chocolates (I saw a few at the Chocolate Show touting their higher antioxidant levels) to food trucks (I saw outside the vegetarian festival).  I really love hot food especially in the winter and I could not imagine living without it.  Judita explains, “there are techniques that can give you that cooked feeling like using a dehydrator at low temperatures (around 115 degrees), or warming dishes on the stove top at very low heat. I also use a lot of warming spices in my dishes like cinnamon, turmeric, garlic, and ginger and drink warm herbal teas during the cold months.”

I was a bit worried about needing a fancy blender and a food dehydrator, but this book of raw food recipes doesn’t require either.  There are many interesting recipes for every flavor and meal and I truly enjoyed all of the ones I tried.  I recently asked Judita a few questions about the road to raw:

What do you think is the biggest benefit? 

The biggest benefit for me is how much more energy I have. I used to be a coffee addict, because my old diet (Atkins Diet) was just too heavy. Eating raw doesn’t make me sleepy after meals. Instead, I feel light, energized and more productive.

How would you suggest convincing a naysayer to give it a try? 

Try eating one raw meal a day for a week and see how you feel. Sometimes just having a smoothie for breakfast or a big salad for lunch can make you feel more energized and improve your digestion. Also, try some raw desserts. I call my fudge brownies (from my first book Going Raw) the “gateway drug to raw foods.” Because they’re so good, people are more open to trying other raw recipes.

If you had to pick one recipe for a novice to experiment with what would it be? 

Zucchini Noodles from Raw & Simple are really fun, because they take on the flavor of whatever sauce you make. I have two classic, flavorful sauces, marinara and pesto, that taste wonderful and give you the satisfaction of eating an Italian pasta dish without the carb coma.

Creamy Kale Salad with Capers and Hazelnuts

What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to try going raw? 

Get some raw recipe books and start playing in the kitchen. Having good recipes in your repertoire will help you stick to the diet better. Also, transition slowly. Going 100% overnight can be a shock to your system, especially if you’re not used to that much fiber! You can avoid headaches and withdrawals from processed food if you transition slowly, as well.

Cauliflower Couscous

Thanks to Judita for sharing three recipes from her book so you can all see what I am talking about.  Don’t miss this Cauliflower Couscous, it’s absolutely delicious!

Kale Salad with Avocado, Hazelnuts and Capers

Raw Cauliflower Couscsous

Hazelnut Chocolate Chia Pudding

**Giveaway**

Win your own copy of this book and learn to not cook your food. Especially great ideas for Saturday lunches this Summer.

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The new Susie Fishbein cookbook, the eighth in her Kosher by Design series, is more than just a cookbook filled with recipes and stories. It is more like a lesson book you might use in cooking school. This time around Susie wants you to learn to take off the training wheels. Of course there is always a need for amazing tried and true recipes, but it is time to free yourself form their constraints and learn how to cook with what you have in your pantry.

Turkey Sheppard Pie

After a decade of demos and classes, Susie decided to give us a book with how to instructions on all the basic and some not so basic cooking skills. Even if cooking doesn’t come naturally to you, most of us have to do it, but the more comfortable and confident you are in the kitchen the more enjoyable it will be.

In this book, at the beginning of each section you will find the Game Plan. This section covers all the techniques you will need, including instructional photos so that you can see how it is done. You will learn everything from sharpening a knife to using your knives properly.  Susie wants to make sure you know, “how important your knives are and how to keep them sharp.”  But she doesn’t stop there.  In the soup section you learn about sweating and cooling and this refers to vegetables not yourself. You will learn everything about types/cuts of meat, how to carve poultry and how to cook fish perfectly. She offers tips on separating eggs and teaches you how to temper chocolate.

Tomato Tart Tatin with Playbook Tips

“Once you learn a technique, you own it. If people who read this book come out with some new techniques that they could then apply to all of their cooking, not just a particular recipe, then my biggest goal, will have been met.  If you learn the proper way to roast cauliflower for a cauliflower recipe, the same exact tips and techniques as far as spacing and pan selection, which affect results, apply to roasting any kind of vegetable,” explains Susie.  After you read through and understand the techniques you can hone your skills with any of her tantalizing recipes. But, before you decide which recipes to cook, don’t miss the section called the Playbook. This section offers ways to use leftovers for many of the recipes to create other dishes, so you can cook one night and eat for two.  Susie understands why some readers may be skeptical of seeing last night’s dinner again, “[leftovers] get older and more well done every time they are plopped in front of you.  Nothing beats the taste and eye appeal of fresh food.  I have given this a lot of thought and deal with it in the PLAYBOOK section of the book which tells people how to reincarnate their leftovers into completely new and unrecognizable dishes.”

Green Bean and Asparagus Fries

To learn more about Susie Fishbein, read our In the Joy of Kosher Kitchen with Susie Fishbein article from two years ago when her last book came out.   Susie is not giving away anything about her next project, but she does assure me that there is something in the works.

Enjoy a sampling of recipes from her new book and then go and BUY IT to get the rest of them unless you are lucky enough to be a winner – enter below.

Tomato Tarte Tatin with Playbook Tips

Green Bean and Asparagus Fries

Turkey Shepbhers Pie

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Aran Goyoaga wrote this cookbook with recipes and stories inspired by her childhood in the Basque Country, motherhood, and living as an ex-pat.  The book is divided by season and within each chapter you will find a section for small plates and another for sweet treats.  Aran left the professional kitchen of the Ritz Carlton to stay home with her first child and she channeled her cooking into her blog, Cannelle et Vanille (cinnamon and vanilla) after the smells of her childhood.  Aran became gluten free in 2009 and began adapting all her recipes to her new lifestlye.  You can tell from her gorgeous photography that she had outdone herself.  We asked Aran a few questions to get to know her a bit better.  (Note – this book is not a kosher cookbook, but most of the recipes can be made kosher)

You have quite an impressive background cooking in a professional kitchen, do you ever miss it?

I come from a family of professional pastry chefs and I worked as one myself for a few years before I become a mother. I miss the camaraderie, the discipline and the intensity of the professional kitchen. It was addicting. But at the same time, I don’t miss the grueling schedule, no holidays off… It wasn’t very compatible with family life unfortunately.

You became gluten free in 2009, as a pastry chef how did you handle that adjustment?

I started to dabble in it in 2009, but was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity in early 2010. It’s then when I become completely gluten-free. The adjustment was actually easy because I was so ill that I was ready to try anything. I followed a strict elimination diet for the first 6 months or so and I stopped eating not only gluten, but also dairy, soy, sugar, most grains, caffeine… I quickly began to feel better and felt very encouraged. Having worked as a pastry chef, it’s engrained in me the curiosity to experiment and try new ingredients. I loved learning about different flours and testing new recipes. It felt very natural and exciting.

Roasted Beet Orange Salad

Is there any food you still really really miss?

In all honestly, I rarely have any cravings for it. I stood inside Poilâne in Paris with that smell of yeast and freshly baked brioche permeating the air. That is probably the only time I have felt nostalgic for bread, but because it makes me so sick, I could never even attempt to eat it.

You organize this cookbook, Small Plates Sweet Treats, by season, why did you decide to do it that way?

I am inspired by seasons and it’s really how I like to shop and cook at home. My grandparents were farmers and most people we knew grew their own food, so cooking was always associated with the time of year and what was available at the time. That strong sense of seasonality has never left me. When vegetables and fruits are picked at the right time, at their peak and have grown in soil in accordance to nature’s rhythm, their flavor is so intense that cooking becomes simple and flavorful.

Who is your cooking inspiration?

I am inspired by many people really. My own family, other cooks and chefs, what the farmer might suggest… I have been very inspired by Basque chefs Hilario Arbelaitz and Martin Berasategui who have an immense understanding of technique and great respect for the raw ingredient, which is the way I grew up.

Swiss Chard Tart

What is your favorite dish to cook?

I find it hard to pick only one dish because it varies constantly. I really like to eat things with a spoon, so soups, custards, creamy risottos (yes, I eat them with a spoon), but I think that one of my favorite things to make are tarts. Both savory and sweet. Something about playing with different textures of doughs and fillings, rolling pastry… They are so versatile and allow for many variations. In my book, the Swiss chard, pear and Gruyere tart seems to be everyone’s favorite.

How did you learn to take such gorgeous pictures?

I am a self-taught photographer. I started slowly by reading the camera’s manual and practicing a lot. I would observe the photographs I responded to and try to understand what it was about them that I loved. This really taught me a lot about light and composition.

What is your earliest cooking memory?

When I helped my grandmother and mother cook Christmas dinner. It was a stew of lamb with artichokes, carrot and potatoes that my grandmother made often. The artichokes were dredged in flour and dipped in egg. That became my task. I stood on a green-colored stool and felt such connection to what I was doing.

Chocolate Hazelnut Pots de Creme

***Giveaway***

Win a copy of Small Plates & Sweet Treats for your cookbook collection, whether you are gluten free or just love good food, you will enjoy this book.   To enter, let us know in the comments below – what smells bring you back to your childhood?   Then enter with rafflecopter.

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Breezy’s is a high end houseware, bakeware and giftware store in Long Island, NY, run by Breezy Schwartz.  After years learning how to mix and match recipes and reinvent leftovers, she decided it was time to come out with her own cookbook.  This book doesn’t stop with just recipes.  Breezy loves to get creative with serving pieces and in this book you will learn her tricks of the trade for entertaining and gift giving. Let’s learn a bit more about Breezy.

1. What inspired you to write this cookbook?

I have always loved cooking and entertaining and that is what my store is about.   In my store I give classes on a variety of different topics to all ages.  I am a mother of two and I work full time, so I need quick and easy foods.  I am also a foodie and want the food to taste real good, so over the years I have come up with my own recipes and I use those recipes in the classes I teach in my store.

So, it just made sense to compile all my scraps of paper, all my recipes and notes and tips and turn it into a cookbook for my customers to take home and for everyone to enjoy.  All the recipes are easy and use readily available ingredients.  This book is literally my personal cookbook, scribble notes and all, that I give to you, complete with my email for any questions you may have.

2. What does it mean to Mix and Match in the book? Can you give me an example of what we can expect?

For every recipe I include different ways to recreate and reinvent them.  I show how to Mix & Match them for what the occasion calls for and adjust them for dietary needs.

For example, Here is a recipe for Babi’s Delicoius Cookies.  These cookies were passed down from my grandmother and I just love them.  One of my “Mix & Match” tips is that they are delicious crumbled up and used to rim your drink glasses.  It is a great way to use up leftovers and to dress up a special beverage.

3. Why did you decide to include all your entertaining tips in the same book with the recipes?

Every single entertaining tip is one that I have given and continue to offer to all my customers for free.  So I wouldn’t feel right charging for it.  I consider the entertaining tips as a bonus.  All written down for those that live near and far.

4. How and When did you learn to cook?

Like most Jewish women I grew up in the kitchen with my mother, but I also did take some classes at the Institute of Culinary Education over the past 8 years to help hone my skills.  Mostly, though I have learned as a mother.  I constantly have to think of new ways to get my kids to eat food especially healthy food and so I have learned and adapted recipes and those are what I am sharing with you.

Chicken Pot Pie

5. You obviously entertain a lot, what is your most memorable party and why?

My dearest friend’s Sheva Brachos that I made in the store.  It is actually pictured in the book.  I made it for someone I genuinely care about and I was surrounded by people that I love and it reminded me that it doesn’t matter how much I cook or how much I patchke, it is really about the people and the moment.

6.  Please share your most valuable entertaining tip, that everyone needs to know?

So many of my tips are ones that everyone should know and once you hear it, a whole new world opens up to you.  My favorite simple tip is the old cardboard box trick.

To add height to a table take an old cardboard box or tissue box and wrap it in wrapping paper and stack platters on top of them.  It’s a cheap and easy alternative and you can get really creative with the patterns of wrapping paper you use!  I usually look for a shimmery wedding paper without wording as my go to box, or glossy paper to create a nice reflection.

***Giveaway***

Win your own copy of this cookbook.  Why do you want to win this cookbook? Let us know in the comments below and enter via rafflecopter.
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One Egg is a Fortune is a compilation of over 100 kosher recipes from 50 Jewish celebrities from around the world filled with sumptuous food photography, delicious recipes, interesting biographies and special memories.

Blazing Wings

One Egg Is A Fortune was compiled by Pnina Jacobson and Judy Kempler, two women who were looking to give back to their community in Sydney, Australia.  They share a love of food and storytelling and have spent the last ten years compiling this one of a kind cookbook.  When they were working on this book, Kempler was dealing with care of her late mother-in-law and so the two authors decided that a portion of the proceeds would go to support care for the aging Jewish community in the cities where the book is sold.

Fish ala Dudu

In this cookbook, each person tells a unique story revealing the enjoyment of food, friends and family – a common thread that binds us together.  They have mingled these stories with recipes and full color pictures that are a pleasure to read.    Contributors include musicians, composers, authors, actors, inventors, etc.  Each contributor shares stories, memories and sometimes even old family photos to go along with the recipes they share.  Recipes cover the entire world of Jewish cuisine, Asian, Moroccan, French, and of course classic Jewish recipes.

Slip Pancake (Sweet or Savory)

Here are a few sample recipes for you to try, but without the book you are only getting half the story.  Click here to buy your copy today.

Slip Pancake

Baked Fish ala Dudu

Blazing Hot Wings

Note, the recipes in this book are written for Europeans, but there is a handy conversion chart in the back.

***Giveaway***

Win your copy of this cookbook, valued at ($45.00).  Enter with Rafflecopter below.

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Disclosure: The authors provided a complimentary review copy and a copy to give away to the Joy of Kosher community.

The Revolving Door
For students studying in Israel, Aleeza Lebowitz’s animated table is the place to be.

We live the lives of teenagers!” Aleeza tells me wryly.
“Students for meals and Yom Tovim, girls dropping in and hanging out, my husband and his students cooking midnight barbeques.  It’s young and lively and busy.”

Aleeza teaches in an Israeli seminary for American girls, is an administrator for a special-needs school, and the wife of a rebbi in a yeshiva for American boys. The Lebowitz home in Ramat Beit Shemesh is an open house for the many yeshiva and
seminary students that spend the year studying in Israel. Aside for her own growing family, ages 10 and under, the Lebowitz Shabbos and Yom Tov table usually include 10 or more guests for each meal.

When they were newlyweds living and teaching on a moshav, Rabbi Lebowitz regularly brought home handfuls of students for Shabbos. “Right off, I learned how to cook for a crowd. One day, when my kids grow up I’d love to go to culinary school and really learn technique. But right now my focus is on making a lot of food that tastes good and getting it to the table.”

Aleeza’s challahs are always well-received, made with a sweet streusel topping and shaped for the season, such as hamantashen-shaped for Purim. Aleeza enjoys themed menus. During the week of Parshas Bereishis, her dessert is a cake, shaped and decorated as a globe. Specially decorated cupcakes and molten cake desserts also commemorate each season. At last year’s Chanukah party, she went Mexican with a grill full of chicken and vegetables, salads, refried beans, and tortillas for everyone to build their own special meal.

Aleeza teaches a class in her home every week and makes sure to supply the kinds of food that will make her students excited to be there, including chips and dips, smores, fondues, and peanut butter chocolate chip bars. “I want them to feel good about being in my home and at my table,” she says.

Aleeza’s family helps out a lot. The kids serve, entertain, and adopt their guests, while her husband often mans the grill. “I love having a house full of guests and of course, I enjoy when people compliment my food and are happy at my table.
But what’s more important about my cooking is that it creates the setting where my guests can sit and talk and be inspired. When everyone is sitting around my Shabbos table and the conversations are spiritual and stimulating, I know I’ve really
accomplished.”

Sweet Potato Soup with Sweet Potato Chips

Get Cooking is the new cookbook collaboration from recipe creator and chocolatier, Rachel Harkham and Jewish children’s musician Mama Doni.  This Jewish American Family Cookbook has a little something for everyone, including a CD of Jewish songs from Mama Doni.  The book takes you through the whole year of holidays with recipes and songs to keep you dancing in the kitchen with your kids.  They share jokes and games to play to get your kids more involved in cooking, singing and the Jewish holidays.

1.What brought the two of you together to do this book?

Rachel: I interviewed Doni for an article and we quickly recognized a kinship and a connection in the ways we both viewed Jewish culture.

Doni:  Yes, we met for the interview and immediately realized that what Rachel does with food was very similar to what I do with music…it felt like we had something to say together as two Jewish mamas, and that we had to collaborate. Jewish family moments are about so many things…family, friends, music, food, telling stories, laughing dancing..its all part of living a Jewish life….we immediately knew that FOOD and MUSIC are a perfect partnership!

Sweet Potato Knishes

2. Who had a better time working on this project? Rachel cooking up the recipes? Or Doni singing about the food?

Rachel: All I know is that for me it was a dream come true to be able to create the cookbook I’ve always wanted to own. And I personally think there is nothing more fun than making Whoopie Pies with your kids.  Just saying it is fun!

Doni: I had such a blast creating this cookbook and CD…taste testing Rachel’s recipes in my kitchen, song testing in my studio.. there is nothing better than writing, singing, dancing, eating and celebrating all at the same time.

Pomegranate Molasses Chicken

3. Who wrote the jokes?

Doni:  Jokes!!! Oy! For better or worse,  I wrote them  (…With major inspiration from my two children, Millie 8 and Xander 7 who crack me up everyday)

Jelly Donut Muffins

4. What did you think when you saw the cartoon versions of yourselves?

Rachel: I wished my hair always looked as styled and in place as cartoon Recipe Rachel’s.

Doni: I love it!! I think of myself as kinda cartoon character or muppet like, so it felt perfect. And Rachel, your hair always looks fabulous.

Whoopie Pies

5. As two busy working Moms what advice can you give our readers for getting dinner on the table every night?

Rachel: For me busy weeknight meals are all about hearty casseroles, savory stir fries, and simple slow- cooker dishes. And when all else fails, it’s grilled cheese and salad to the rescue.  When I’m crunched for time during my Shabbat meals prep, I inevitably turn to my Easy and Awesome Chicken recipe from the book, or the Crumb Crust Salmon- easy and delicious!

Doni: Honestly, my meals are all over the map. Sometimes I am so busy with concerts and recording in the studio that Shabbat dinner is a pizza delivery with candles, grape juice and challah… and sometimes I am cooking up a storm for a big dinner party with friends and family. On a daily basis I try to feed my kids with healthy meals…with lots of love.

Pomegranate BBQ Chicken

Mini Sweet Potato Knishes

Jelly Donuts Miracle Muffincakes

Whoopie Pie

***Giveaway***

Win your copy of this Family favorite cookbook and get everyone up dancing and cooking together.  Let us know why you want to win this cookbook in the comments below and enter with Rafflecopter.

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Last year in our Best of Kosher 2011 contest, Beth Torah Caterers came out number one.  When I first spoke to them I found out I was talking to the owners daughter and that this company was truly a family business.  She told me they had a story to share and would love for us to share it.  It took a little while, but we finally got a chance to do an interview with them and they even gave us some recipes to try.  Beth Torah Caterers is based in Flushing, NY, but serves the greater NY area, they specialize in Mediterranean food.

Tell me about your family background and how you got into the catering business.

My family’s origin is in Baghdad. We lived in a society where food was such a huge part of the culture. I remember being a little boy and seeing the way my family prepared for Shabbat. It was like a wedding every Friday. The smiles on everyone’s faces gave a new meaning to the word happy.

However as I grew up life got harder especially for a Jewish family in Baghdad. My father passed away and Jewish families were leaving because it became clear that Iraq was no longer safe for Jews.

I escaped with my mother in 1970 and from there we went straight from Israel to America. In America I studied at Queens College and was working part time washing dishes at a restaurant. I started to watch how the food was made and prepared and next thing you know I was helping out with the cooking. My other brother arrived from Israel and that is when we decided to open our own business.

We moved to 42^nd street and we were there for 14 years.

It was around this time I met my wife. One of my friends who I knew from Baghdad gave me a list of Women to go meet in Israel. My wife was the first one and the second I saw her I threw the rest of the list out the window. She was perfect. We were engaged in two weeks and married in two months. It was really with her that the business took off.

She became the heart of the business.  People came to us because had a passion for what we did.  My wife Doris started taking samples of our Iraqi food to different temples to get us a job as the in house caterer.  Forest Hills Jewish Center is where we started and from there we began developing menus and creating a way for Irqai food to be experienced.  To us that was the greatest gift, being able to share our culture with our community.

So, it really is a family business, from the top to the bottom? 

It is a family business. At the head of the company are the Zilkha brothers. Aodi, Jamal, and Elias. At any point throughout the week you can see Aodi’s children in the office helping run day to day activities. Even at events the kids will be working as bartenders, waiters, and cooks, making sure everything goes according to plan. The recipes are ones that have been in my and my wife’s family’s for generations and now it is our pride and joy to share them with you.

Madgooga - Date Balls

What do you like most about catering? 

Catering has so many aspects to it. My favorite part is seeing everything come together the night of the party. Seeing the smiles on peoples faces as everything about their special day turns out to be better than they imagined is priceless.

Tabouleh

Why do you think you won the Best of Kosher award? 

You know that is a great question and it is really all about our customers. We have been in this business a long time and with each new customer we make a friend for life. Our network knows no bounds. Each event is special and each person deserves the best. We know that and it means so much to us to be given this award because that means that our customers feel what we are giving.

Red Kubbeh

What are your future plans for you and your business? 

My son Ben joined our operation this year and plans to continue it in hopes to pass it on to future generations!

Just a quick explanation here about cholent:

On Shabbat, cooking is prohibited. This means if you want something hot during the 26 hours that comprise the Sabbath, you need to a) have whatever you want pre-cooked, and b) a way to heat it up or keep it warm set up before sundown Friday. By no means is this all that is required for food preparation for the Sabbath, but this is the most basic fundamentals, in terms of hot food.

Cholent is a dish that is prepared Friday morning or afternoon and left to sit on a heat source until it is ready to be eaten for Shabbat lunch. The main components of cholent is meat, potatoes, onions, barley, and beans and often kishka (derma). But no two cholents are exactly alike and there are many different versions of cholent. For example, Sephardic Jews make chamin usually made with lamb, rice, herbs and spices and eggs.

I never would have thought that a company would go and make mixes for cholent. To me, how people season and prepare their cholent is so individual, unique to each family, each Shabbat, that to try to replicate and mass produce that flavor would seem to be impossible.

When I was give the chance to review this product, I had to try it. I had to know if something from a box could come close to an authentic cholent taste.

If you have never made cholent before, or you feel you need a bit of help in terms of a spice profile, the Purely American Savory Beef Cholent Mix is not a bad way to go. You add beef, potatoes, (barley if desired) and the contents of the box. Mix with water, let cook overnight. You will have a very tasty, hot cholent waiting for you on Shabbat morning. The flavor and texture reminded me more strongly of a hearty beef stew. It was pleasant, but not what I would have expected for a cholent. The bean blend cooked wonderfully, and the amount of seasoning provided was just right, despite there be no added salt.

I also tested the Moroccan Lamb Cholent kit, all you need to do is add lamb stew meat and red potatoes. It was tasty, but the flavor was milder than I would have expected.  However the flavor profile was just right for lamb and the chickpeas made it more authentic.  Both dishes are easy to make and would be a welcome change for our Shabbat meals.

The most pleasant surprise was the healthiness of the product. The mixes are salt, MSG and gluten free, yet give great flavor. For a packaged product, considering all factors, I would have to say this is one of the more superior pre-packaged products I have seen available to the kosher customer.

Would you try a cholent kit?

**Giveaway**

Now’s your chance, enter to win a Cholent Kit Sampler.  The winner can choose any 6 cholent kits, currently being offered on Purely American, a $30 value.  To enter to win follow the options on rafflecopter below.

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 I want to thank Tamar Genger at JoyofKosher.com for sending me the samples of cholent/stew mixes to review. All opinions are my own.

I finally made it to Pardes.  The winner of our Best of Kosher Restaurant from 2011 and a much talked about dining destination in Brooklyn, NY.  A lucky night of free babysitting from the in-laws meant that I could venture out a little farther and get to Pardes with a couple of friends ready to share.

Before I went I put a call out on Twitter asking for recommendations and overwhelmingly everyone raved about the tasting menu, where Chef Moshe Wendel will bring out course after course of his own special creations for $110.  Unfortunately, I was too late to order the tasting menu which requires 24 hours advance notice.   But that gave us ample opportunity to sample lots of items from the regular menu and craft our own “tasting” menu.

We started with the jar of house made pickles, unsure at first about all the mixed vegetables inside, we were expecting mostly cucumbers, but were delighted to enjoy veggies like fennel and taro to whet our appetite.

Then they tantalized us with the Amuse Bouche – a small spoonful of white bean puree and olive tapenade – delectable.

One of the surprise hits of the night was the heirloom tomato salad.  It was the height of tomato season Chef Wendel showed great restraint and and let the flavor of the red, ripe tomatoes shine through, with crispy salmon skin, a light vinaigrette dressing and fiddlehead ferns (those were my favorite).

Moving on to more foreign territory, we all agreed to try the goat terrine since most of us had not had gotten our goat before.  It was a very unusual dish served room temperature, gelled in an aspic and alongside a mustard slaw and a whole fried egg.  To be honest I am not sure I am an aspic fan, but it was particularly delicious when everything was eaten in one bite, the flavors complemented each other perfectly and the whole thing was incredibly different from anything I’ve ever tasted.

The Beef Cheek Pizza and the Green Eggs and Lamb were suggested as the specialties of the house recommended by the waiter.  Both were unique dishes and generous in size, but we found the flavorings lacking.   The pizza dough was crisp and delicious, and the beef cheeks were moist and tender, but the whole pizza needed a little more oomph.  The green eggs and lamb was filled with veggies and a rustic quality that would make it a perfect dish for colder weather, but on this summer evening I found it a touch bland.

I really enjoyed the corn salad with duck bacon, I’d order a bowl of duck bacon if it was ever on the menu.

All of the above dishes were appetizers or small plates. We also shared two larger main courses.  The Rib Eye and the Tender with Celery Puree and Roasted Cipollini (onion).  Between the four of us, two preferred the rib eye while two preferred the tender.  Both were cooked perfectly and the portions were generous.  I think it just came down to which cut of meat you prefer.

There is no question that Chef Wendel thinks outside the kosher box and offers us a place to explore and taste very different foods.  You will certainly enjoy the experience and find some treasures along the way.

Have you been to Pardes? I would love to hear what you have to say.

Helen Nash has just released her third cookbook.  Following the popular Kosher Cuisine and Helen Nash’s Kosher Kitchen, her latest cookbook is filled with modern recipes that are still respectful of tradition.  Helen Nashs’s New Kosher Cuisine: Healthy, Simple & Stylish features healthy modern fusion recipes as well as old favorites.  She also includes tips on freezing some of her dishes in advance so you can always have a healthy delicious meal ready to go even at the last minute.

Your first cookbook came out in 1984.  What inspired you to start writing cookbooks?

My daughter went off to college and I was an empty nester.  Around the same time, the legendary Random House editor, Jason Epstein had dinner at my house.  After dinner he said that if I ever wanted to write a kosher cookbook, he’d publish it.  I put together a proposal and that was the first cookbook.

Tuscan Cake

Your second book was published in 1988 and now your third in 2012.  How has your cooking style changed over the years?

My approach to cooking and eating has always been the same: simple, nutritious, and smaller portions.  I also believe that what is best and freshest at the market – fish, vegetables, fruit, meat – should dictate the menu.  The better your ingredients, the better your results.  Over the years I’ve been able to experiment with new ingredients as kosher versions become available so I’ve expanded my repertoire to include many fusion recipes and international dishes such as Sake–Steamed Chicken or Seared Tuna with a choice of a Ginger Sauce or a Piquant Asian Sauce, frittatas, soufflés, and clafoutis.

How does your new book modernize traditional Jewish recipes?

I am respectful of tradition but I like to incorporate many ingredients that at one point weren’t available to the kosher cook, such as a variety of vinegars, oils, mustards, panko bread crumbs, and a larger selection of cheeses.  As a result, many of my traditional Eastern European dishes have a little twist to them.  For instance in the recipe for Chopped Liver I use sherry instead of adding more oil to obtain the right consistency.  In my Potato Latkes recipe I do not fry the latkes, but I bake them.  I use soy milk and wine in my Mushroom Soup and miso in my Barley Soup.

Tuna Tartare

How and when did you learn to cook?

When I first got married, 55 years ago, I knew nothing about cooking.  I decided to take cooking classes.  I first studied with Michael Field. He realized that I had limitations because I never ate any of his meat dishes. But he wanted to help and gave me substitutes and kept saying you can do this. From there I moved on to Chinese cooking and classes with Millie Chan.  I also read a lot of books and took notes.  And as ingredients became available in kosher versions, I experimented.

What is your earliest cooking memory?

One of my earliest memories is making a smoked salmon quiche, which my teacher Michael Field suggested.  It was delicious!

Baked Eggplant with Ground Beef

What are some of your favorite foods?

I have a lot of favorites, but I especially like eggplant caviar, meat loaf, and halibut with caper sauce.  I love soups such as beet soup and summer corn soup.  And rugelach have always been a favorite dessert of mine.

Here are three four recipes from my new book I am sure you will love.

Zucchini Cake

Tuscan Cake

Baked Eggplant with Ground Beef and Pine Nuts

Tuna Tartar with Eggplant Avocado

**Giveaway**

Win a copy of Helen Nash’s New Book, New Kosher Cuisine: Healthy, Simple & Stylish.

Let us know How do you make traditional recipes more modern?

And then fill out the rafflecopter.

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I am so excited to tell you about these new Non-Dairy Chocolate Tuffles called Dear Coco.  Our friend and frequent guest blogger, Rachelle Ferneau, recently debuted a line of gourmet and flavorful chocolates that can be shipped all across the country.  She started with the Signature Around the World Collection of 12 truffles with global flavors including Tahiti Lime and Kyoto Green Pearl.  I had the pleasure of tasting all 12 and was pleasantly surprised at the amazing flavor and obvious high quality.  Then every month she introduces two new seasonal truffles to keep us all on our toes.  This Month in honor of the High Holidays she will be ofering the Jewish New Year collection with Mediteranean Pomegranate and Argentine Honey.  We talked with Rachelle to find out more and then you get a chance to win this month’s collection!

When did you decide that you wanted to be in the chocolate business?

I created Dear Coco Chocolate as a natural extension of Eden Cake, the boutique pareve bakery I founded in 2007. Through Eden Cake, I gained valuable experience running a kosher business under hashgacha (kosher certification) and provided pastry full-time to a restaurant, caterers, embassies and other political agencies, as well as a multitude of individual private clients. Working intensively with chocolate was a logical next step for me.

How do you get so much flavor into one tiny chocolate?

At Dear Coco Chocolate, all of our truffles are made fresh with the finest premium ingredients, the most important being premium Belgian dark chocolate.  We use in-season fruits and herbs, fine teas and coffee, dried flowers, freshly roasted nuts and spices from around the world to impart the global flavors in our truffles. In addition, the quality of our chocolates is also evidenced by what they do not contain: no white flour, no white sugar, no trans fats, no corn syrup, no preservatives.

As far as the actual flavors, we offer twelve signature flavors in our Around the World Collection, or you can choose a whole box of your favorite of these flavors. In addition, we offer a pair of monthly specialty truffle flavors so there is always something different and new to look forward to.

How do you decide on the flavors of the season?

Many seasons naturally defined for me what their truffle flavors should be, such as July’s Summer Collection featuring Maine Wild Blueberry and Washington Red Raspberry truffles. Berries are in prime season in July, and these flavors reflect the best of the summer bounty as well as showing off the patriotic colors of the American flag in July — perfect. For other months that didn’t have a defined holiday or season to draw from, I exercised my creative license to showcase the flavors of a particular country of interest. One example of this is March’s Moroccan Collection which features Marrakesh Apricot Anise and Tafraout Almond truffles: Moroccan cuisine is a multi-cultural mélange incorporating a variety of spices, fresh herbs and citrus, dried fruits and almond paste, and these are the flavors I drew from when creating these truffle flavors.

How long does it take to create and test a new flavor?

All of our truffles are inspired by and named for locales around the world, hence the name Dear Coco – reminiscent of a letter written from abroad.  When contemplating different combinations of the country’s flavors with chocolate, I am able to taste them in my mind first – I know instinctively what and how pairings will work. Then, after the flavor idea is approved by a select “committee” of grounded individuals who tell me honestly if it sounds good to them or is too unapproachable, I get to work on sourcing the right ingredients and recipe development/refinement in which I physically produce the flavors I had already created in my mind. Depending on the complexity of the flavor, sometimes I am able to get it spot on the first time, and sometimes it takes several revisions and tastings to get just right.

What other flavors can we expect you to come up with?

I have a notebook I use exclusively to jot down new truffle flavor ideas and in time I hope to create new collections. At some point I would even love to recruit new ideas submitted by Dear Coco fans – there’s a lot of creativity out there! In the meantime, as we only began our Truffles of the Month this past July, we are proud to continue introducing two new truffles each month as time progresses, so there are plenty of new flavors still to come.

Enter to win a 12 piece box of the Jewish New Year Collection, which contains six pieces each of Mediterranean Pomegranate and Argentine Honey truffles, value $25.50.  See Rafflecopter below to enter.

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All about the energy  – In Neshe Antelis’s kitchen, healthful food leads to a richer life.

Neshe Antelis’s philosophy on feeding her family is pretty straightforward.  “Keep it simple! Use your time, money and energy wisely— so you’ll have extra time to spend energizing yourself. Then you’ll be able to put more into your family and your food.”

Besides for taking care of her big brood at home in Hillside, N.J., Neshe keeps busy teaching fitness between one and four hours each day. She’s a certified yoga and Zumba instructor, a certified doula, and an avid foodie. Her style in the kitchen reflects her philosophy: living life healthfully and simply. “I love being in the kitchen but don’t believe in time-invasive cooking. Life is too busy.”

Neshe's Simple Salmon

Neshe runs classes during the day in the local gym, in friends’ homes, or, when the weather is accommodating, outdoors in a friend’s yard. “I’m a complete junky for Zumba! It’s so joyful; and through yoga you achieve balance. Exercise brings not only physical benefits but mental benefits as well. It makes you calm and gives you the everyday strength that we all need to do the regular things we do; running after the kids, lifting, carrying. The more energy you use, by walking, swimming, moving…the more energy you’re going to have. A good night’s sleep is the key. If you’re well rested you won’t be reaching for the sugars and the carbs.”

Apple Pear Crunch

Neshe tries to go as natural as possible in the kitchen. “I’d love to say we eat only organic but it’s not practical. The prices are a little science fiction for our large family! So we buy the good stuff. I like to be consistent but not fanatical.  Consistency is good. Being fanatical is great in
theory but unhealthy in the long run!”

A Friday morning in Neshe’s kitchen will find her baking spelt challah, salmon, and baked gefilte fish. Her family loves meatloaf and mashed potatoes, turkey breast and either steamed or grilled vegetables with her special pesto. “My kids love pesto…all year round. We put it on brown rice, quinoa, noodles, salmon, steamed veggies.” Another favorite is her pureed vegetable soup using whatever vegetables are in season and
as many greens as she can. “Broccoli and squash pureed into a thick soup. It’s divine!”  Lots of salads with mixed greens, craisins, nuts and fruit and a big pot of brown rice round out the menu.

For those hot summer days the Antelis family relies on fruit smoothies for a cold pick-me up. “My family loves smoothies…doesn’t everyone?! I use the over ripe bananas that no one will eat.  I rinse them, peel them and freeze them. My basic recipe is 3 frozen bananas, frozen strawberries,
and washed frozen grapes. Add soy, almond, or rice milk. Blend till smooth and I like adding chia seeds or some essential fatty acid oil—about 1 tablespoon. Keeps you cool, healthy and it’s guilt-free!”

Neshe’s passion for life comes through, but with all that keeps her busy, her greatest love is being a mother. “I tell all my students to try to find some time for themselves, even a half hour, a few times week. Walk, dance…anything! Just move! It will make you a happier person and a better
mother.”

Tip from Neshe’s Kitchen: When cooking or baking with aluminum pans, line them first with parchment paper and lay another layer of parchment paper on top before you seal with silver foil. This will limit the absorption of aluminum into the food. It’s especially important when
cooking with acidic foods, like tomato products.

Neshe’s Simple Salmon

Apple Pear Crunch