In the joyofkosher Kitchen

We are so excited to invite Reyna Simnegar into our kitchen.  Another bride who learned cooking from her husbands’ family.  Reyna, who grew up in Venezula, took a crash course in Persian cooking taught by her mother-in-law to be so that her new husband wouldn’t starve when they got married.  She mastered the art taking short cuts when she could and then wrote it all down for her future daughters-in-laws and us to learn from. Reyna’s book, Persian Food from the Non Persian Bride will teach even the most inexperienced cooks to prepare delcious Persian meals in not time at all.

1. Tell me about your Jewish journey.

I didn’t know there was any “Jewish blood” in me until I was 12 years old.  At the time, my aunt Sarah told me our family was originally Jewish and that our last name had been changed from Peres to Perez to disguise us as Catholics due to the threats of the Inquisition. I thought this was crazy since Venezuela is such a friendly country to Jews, but considering the Inquisition was abolished in 1832 (352 years active) it really made sense that my great grandparents felt the need to remain hidden. There is a lot to the story and I am currently writing a book about it, but to put it in a “nut shell” at 15 I decided to convert to Judaism and today I am so grateful because that was the most important and powerful decision I have made in my life.

2. What did you really feel when your husband-to-be “politely suggested” it was time to pay a visit to his mother’s kitchen to learn the art of Persian cooking and what was it like spending that much time with you mother in law?

I was supper happy! You see, my Kallah (Bride) teacher taught me that in relationships it is much more important to be smart than to be right! Also, he was not suggesting in any way I needed to learn how to cook, or that my food was not good enough and I needed to learn from his mom. I was already a great Latina cook…but it was Persian food that enticed him! Making my husband happy has been tremendously rewarding and paying that “visit” to my mother-in-law’s kitchen allowed me to create a great relationship with her. Not only that, I am in love with Persian food…so it was a win-win situation!

3. How does your Venezuelan background influence your cooking?

My Venezuelan background is extremely important to me and I certainly make a lot of Venezuelan and Latin American food in my home. In fact, I am currently in the making of a Latin American Kosher cookbook. However, I am incredibly devoted to keeping Persian cuisine as genuine as possible. After all, I have to feed a true Shirazi man! Hence, no matter how Venezuelan I might be, there is no way I am making a “Basmati Arroz con Pollo.” Venezuelan cuisine is as genuine and legendary as Persian cuisine and they both deserve their respective separate places in my kitchen.

4. What advice do you have for the busy home cook?

I am a perfectionist, so when it comes to being a busy mother of 5 kids (and a husband) I must run my household like an army base! I have kept a diary of my menus for every single Shabbat and holiday for the past 7 years. I make notes of what was successful and what was pathetic. I make sure my table is always set a day before…that puts me in the mood and gives me time to be creative. I have a love affair with my freezer and even have pictures of how my drawers should be organized so that my cleaning help does not misplace my beloved gadgets. I plan the Shabbat menu on Tuesday, shop on Wednesday and cook on Thursday and Friday depending on how much company I have (usually over 20 people every Friday night). I think that cooking, even if it takes 5 minutes, has to be fun so I always play good music while I cook and dance a lot. I do not wear an apron and often cook on high heals because they make me feel fabulous. And last, leftovers are not my enemy; they are a source of inspiration!

5. I love the pictures of your kids cooking, what advice do you have for getting kids in the kitchen?

In all honestly it took me a long time for me to let my kids in the kitchen. I love cleanliness and neatness and my kids always make a big mess. It was therapeutic (and incredibly difficult) to finally allow my kids to get flour all over the place. I think in my case I just needed to “let go” and enjoy their sweet little dirty faces licking the bowl clean of cake batter. To get them interested, I treat food like toys. I use tons of cookie cutters in all areas of the kitchen…even when I make Tadig! They love checking eggs for me and also help me brading Challah. Even my 2 year old likes cutting onions (with a plastic knife)! Go figure! Since I have 5 little boys, I have to make sure they will be able to make amazing dinners for their wives!

6. What are the most popular misconceptions about Persian cuisine?

Most people, even some Persians, tend to think Persian food is difficult to make. Some also tend to think it takes a long time to achieve. Both are wrong. Persian food is extremely easy to make when you have the right ingredients and a user-friendly recipe.   Up until now, there was no Persian cookbook out there that allowed for both.  I feel blessed to be able to share the short cuts to Persian cuisine keeping it genuine. I get so many incredible letters from young Persian brides that felt apprehensive about making the food of their ancestors and were finally able to conquer it using the cookbook.

7. What is your favorite food?

I love all food. Period. I am a huge fan of dining and one of the highlights when I travel is to eat at Kosher restaurants all around the world. My favorite restaurant is Darjeeling in Paris. This is the only place where I allow myself to over eat to the point of no return! I was just in Chicago and I have to say that Shallots was amazing! I love Sassi Sushi Bar and Café in Encino, CA. There are way too many fabulous restaurants to be able to mention them all…I am getting terribly hungry now!

8. What is your least favorite food?

I like everything. I really do. Even gefilte fish and kugel! I love it!

9. What was your most memorable cooking moment?

I must say my best cooking memories come from my childhood and teenage years while learning to cook from my Mother and Grandmother. Specially learning to make Venezuelan desserts and Paeya. Another of those moments was learning to make Persian Dolmeh from my husband’s Grandmother. However, the most memorable cooking moment must have been when I struggled to make Turkish Coffee for the Crown Prince of Iran HIH Reza Palavi. I was so nervous and I had no idea how to make it…but at least I tried!

10. What is your earliest memory of cooking?

I honestly feel I was born in a kitchen! I come from a very traditional culture where women spend much of their lives in the kitchen making their families and husbands happy. These same women will assure you the man is the “head” but the woman is the “neck” and you know how the rest goes! My earliest memory from cooking is licking cake batter from my Mother’s old Electrolux mixer. She is the best baker in the world, although my aunt Anna (the French Pastry Chef) is pretty good too! By age 10 I was already an expert at making desserts and at eating them too!

Here are few recipes from my book for you to sample:

Tomato Persian Rice

Chicken Kebab

Refreshing Lime Syrup

***GIVEAWAY*** In order to have a chance to win a copy of Reyna’s Book “Persian Food from the Non Persian Bride” leave a comment below telling us your favorite kosher ethnic dish. Winner will be picked at random. US residents only. Contest ends July 13 2011 at 9 am EST.

THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED. WINNER TO BE ANNOUNCED SHORTLY.

For nearly thirty years Chef Lévana Kirschenbaum has owned and operated a catering business, a bakery and a successful Manhattan restaurant all while raising a family.  Levana continues to offer weekly cooking demos in New York City to locals and visitors who enjoy dinner and a show.  Levana has published four cookbooks, Levana’s Table: Kosher Cooking for Everyone, Levana Cooks Dairy Free, In Short Order and her latest hit, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen.  You can find more from Levana on her blog, LevanaCooks.  Read about her new book here.

1. Share some of your favorite memories of growing up in Morocco?

The great hospitality. It’s in the blood. If you pass by a family gathered around a meal of bread, olives and dates and a pot of mint tea, they will offer you some. If the repairman fixes your leak, you pay him, and you offer him a cup of tea and a pastry, served in real china. If someone is at your door without any warning, you beg him to come in and have something.

2. How does your cultural heritage inspire your culinary choices?

In every imaginable way. We were eating whole foods every day of our lives without even knowing it: whole foods was the only thing available. So in everything I teach and write about, I’m hardly exploring a new field and novel ideas. when we first started as a bakery, we were considered pioneers and won awards for several desserts: they were never commercial, they were always natural, and unadorned. Good is good and speaks for itself loud and clear: it never needs any adornment. Also, my native cuisine is called one of the world’s greatest: not for nothing. What I love best about it is how on earth you whip up something so simple, with the most plebeian ingredients. and end up with something delicious. Our flavors are bold and vibrant, they just know what to do!

3. Since the closing of your restaurant you have been working on what you describe as your “Magnum Opus” cookbook, The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen.  Why whole foods?  Why now?

I should tell you here a few words about my “Magnum Opus”: it has suffered some serious technical glitches, and as a result is looking very poorly laid out and doesn’t reflect the great content and photography we put in. The books from the first printing are being sold below cost—the content is still phenomenal.  The great news is, it’s out for a reprint: same great content, but looking the way it was intended to look: gorgeous!

I have always taught cooking, and done a lot of writing, even while I had my restaurant. This last book is the culmination of my life work. If with this book I greatly emphasize the whole foods part, it is certainly not because it is a new topic for me, it is because, quite simply, it is an idea whose time has come for everyone!

4. This book has more than 350 recipes, 250 of which can be made gluten-free and 250 of which are kosher for Passover.  Why do you think gluten-free cooking has become so popular?

It is most unfortunate that gluten-free cooking has become popular. It means more and more people are getting allergic to one thing or another, often to several things. We deal with a severe allergy problem daily with one of my grandchildren, it is a real torment, so I know the problem only too well.

There is one inescapable equation I hope the public finally comes around to, we would save ourselves so much disease and suffering, more processed foods means more exposure to toxic substances and more allergies and ailments. That said, not everyone cooking with gluten-free suffers from celiac.

It’s just another expression of how extreme many people get, except for celiac people, no one needs to convert their whole diet to GF.  Exploring with the whole wonderful gamut of whole grains would, in one fell swoop, lower your gluten, increase your fiber, increase your protein, taste great, and keep you in shape. What’s wrong with that? As you know, I bake absolutely everything with spelt, and get unbelievable results.

5. The book begins with a story of Rivka, a young woman who was able to reclaim her health through choosing a diet of whole foods.  How do you think this story will inspire others?

Oh my gosh!  Not only did Rivka clamor to have her story told and her before-after pictures displayed, she likes to say she is the poster child for losing weight (losing over 200 pounds!!!!) just by switching to whole foods: what overweight person, after having tried the whole plethora of diets without any luck, wouldn’t LOVE to try this?

Losing weight WHILE eating? I’m there!

6. You say you learned from your mother that there was nothing that you couldn’t cure with food.  How has that helped you over the years?

I discuss this at great length in my book. There are some delicious and miraculous ingredients you can’t catch me without: ginger, cinnamon, turmeric, olive oil, oats, green apples, unfiltered cider vinegar, garlic, to name just a few.

7. Your cooking classes are fast becoming an Upper West Side institution – much like your groundbreaking restaurant.  Do you miss the life of a restaurant chef or do you prefer being a teacher and mentor?

Contrary to what many people believe, I was not the chef at my restaurant, so I was always a teacher, and until recently, a caterer. I was co-owner of my restaurant: I miss that life terribly: we were the first, and the best. Life as a restaurateur was hard and grueling and interesting and fun and delicious! We are remembered for countless great events. We had the longest and best run: we move right along, no more moping!

8. What is your favorite Jewish holiday to cook for and why?

Without hesitation I would say Pesach. That’s when we are left with the most seasonal stuff, that’s when we can exert the most integrity since so much junk is off limits. Pesach is my gastronomic week, down the line.

9. What is your earliest memory of cooking?

Oyoyoy, I will never live down that fiasco. I was barely 17. First year away in college. We had a gorgeous chestnut tree outside our dorm. I picked some chestnuts and decided to cook them, thinking, how hard could it be to cook a handful of chestnuts? I put them in a skillet on my tiny stove, and went in for a quick shower. I was interrupted by some furious pounding on my door. I hurriedly put a robe on my wet and soapy body and opened, trembling: Security! The chestnuts had exploded and flown in all directions making such a racket that my terrified floormates thought of the worst and called the front desk… Tough times we live in… The guards looked at me with such contempt: Don’t you know you must first make a slit in the chestnuts’ skin before roasting them? Thanks for the lecture, busters! Now I know! I’m still vexed there was ever a time in my life some cops knew how to roast chestnuts and I didn’t!

10. You tell us not to let unfamiliar foods intimidate us.  Do any foods intimidate you?

Honestly: no! All aboard!

11. You shun many prepared foods, salad dressings, frozen fish sticks.   What advice do you have for the busy mom that can’t get dinner on the table some nights of the week?

My advice, complete with menus and ridiculously simple recipes, is plastered all over my books, my blog, my demos, EVERYWHERE!!! In less time than it takes to reheat those fish sticks and get a rubbery mess, throw a nice piece of salmon under the broiler. Buy prewashed greens and dress them in a jiffy with olive oil and vinegar. Just look at this post: the instant dorm feast.  Just as soon as the mindset makes that capital shift from “I’m too busy so I’m reheating fish sticks” to “I’m too busy to even dignify this junk, so I’m making some super quick soup, fish, chicken salad or whatever”, then every mom will be on her way and loving it, she and everyone around her!

Try these delicious recipes and your whole body will thank you.

Beet, Kale & Seaweed Salad

Oatmeal Pot de Creme

Thai Summer Rolls

WIN LEVANA’S COOKBOOKS! You could be the lucky winner of all FOUR of Levana’s cookbooks: Levana’s Table, In Short Order, Levana Cooks Dairy Free, and her new book The Whole Foods Kosher Kitchen. In order to qualify for a chance to win, leave a comment below telling us how your family eats healthy. One winner will be picked at random. Contest ends Thursday June 23 2011 at 2pm EST. Contest open to US Residents only.

The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook, was published by Rizzoli in March, 2011.  Prior to jumping into the freelance food writing world, Leah worked at Hazon for several years, where she managed their Jewish CSA program, organized the first Hazon Food Conference, and edited The Jew & The Carrot: Hazon’s award-winning food blog.  She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, musician Yoshie Fruchter.

1 How did you learn to cook?

Growing up I never had a strong desire to learn to cook, despite having a mom who was a wonderful home cook and who made family dinners a priority.  My passion for feeding others was sparked in college while I was living in a coop.  Making dinner for the housemates was one of the weekly requirements of living there – an idea that, at first, terrified me.  Luckily most of my housemates were talented in the kitchen – the kind of cooks who could open up the fridge, pull about a bunch of random ingredients and make something amazing.  At first I just watched them, and offered to chop a carrot or do whatever small task was needed.  But slowly I began to pick up some skills and gain confidence.

2 How did you end up working on an organic vineyard in Italy and what did you learn?

It all started with a broken heart!  My college boyfriend and I had broken up that year (senior year), and I was looking for a post-college experience to take my mind off of being sad – kind of like Eat, Pray, Love, but two years before the book was published.  So I signed up with WWOOF, an organization that matches up volunteers for work-stays on organic farms all across the world.  From there I totally lucked out – I got to spend a month working on this amazing vineyard in Tuscany, living in a medieval castle, drinking lots of delicious wine, and cooking amazing dinners in a gorgeous kitchen using produce from the garden outside. I had some tough, cathartic moments out in those vines, but many years later the heartbreak has long since faded, but the experience itself has stayed with me.

3 How do your recipes help the Jewish cook create every day meals?

The recipes in this book focus on simple, delicious, fuss-free dishes that any cook, regardless of background, could enjoy.  With the exception of Shabbat and the holidays when we focus on special, traditional foods, Jews eat with the same globally-inspired palate as our non-Jewish neighbors – and I wanted the book to celebrate that.  What makes the recipes Jewish is firstly, that they’re all kosher.  And secondly, whenever possible I tried to incorporate Jewish touches – either an ingredient that has Jewish resonance (like pomegranates, dill pickles, or tahini), or a bit of history that ties the dish into its Jewish context.

4 You have been involved with a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) and you are a strong proponent of using local, organic and seasonal ingredients when preparing menus.  What inspired your personal “eco-lution” ?

I’ve always been an environmentalist – ever since I first learned about recycling and the hole in the ozone as a second grader.  But I did not always make the connection between food and living an eco-friendly lifestyle. In college I majored in environmental studies with a focus on religion, and ended up working for the Jewish environmental organization, Hazon, for the first four years after I graduated.  My duties at Hazon included running their Jewish CSA program, planning their first-ever Jewish Food Conference, and editing their food blog, The Jew & The Carrot.  During that time I met many inspiring farmers, chefs, nutritionists and other food professionals who were doing amazing work around local, seasonal food – those experiences absolutely changed the way I think about eating and cooking.

5 What advice do you have for the busy home cook?

1. Save time by planning ahead.  I’m not the type of person who can plan out my meals for the week and then go shopping for them – though if you are, more power to you!  But when making dinner, think about the 2-3 things on your menu (i.e. a casserole, a side dish and a salad), and plan accordingly.  Are you chopping garlic for more than one recipe?  Chop it all at once and portion out what you need for each dish.  What dish will take the longest?  Start with that and once it’s browning in the oven or simmering on the stove, use that cooking time to make the other dishes.

2. Invest in a good set of sharp knives and learn how to use them (i.e. sign up for a knife skills class at a local culinary school or your JCC).  Being able to chop vegetables swiftly, safely and efficiently is the number one way to speed up cooking times and make meal prep less of a headache.

6 How can people on a budget support sustainable agriculture?

Prioritize!  If you can’t afford to buy everything organic or local (and who can?) pick the 5-10 things that you never compromise on – like dairy, eggs, and meat, and certain produce – and do your best to buy sustainable versions of those products.  Signing up for a CSA is a great way and economical to support sustainable agriculture and benefit from the farmer’s fresh, delicious produce.  If that’s not your thing, then try treating yourself to 1-2 items from the farmers’ market each week.  They may cost more than what you find at the grocery store, but you’ll be supporting local farmers and chances are good they’ll be worth the added expense.

7 You feature many cuisines in your cookbook.  Do you have any travel stories related to food? What is your favorite food city?

It sounds cliche, but Rome is definitely my favorite food city.  Cacio e Pepe (Spaghetti with cheese and black pepper) is my absolute favorite comfort food.  It’s so elemental and satisfying.  Also, my husband and I spent some time in Rome a couple of years ago and I had a chance to research the city’s Jewish history and storied Jewish cuisine. (Here’s an article that came out of that research. Here’s another.)  While there we also got to eat a Shabbat meal at the home of a kosher caterer that was literally one of the best meals of my life.  It was everything you hear about when people wax on about Italian hospitality and meals that stretch on for hours – plus it was Shabbat so all the better.

8 What food do you dislike?

I’ll tolerate eggplant in certain dishes (especially deep-fried, when you can’t really taste it!), but I would never go out of my way to eat it.  There’s something about the mushy texture and the smoky taste that doesn’t do it for me.

9 What is your most memorable cooking moment?

Testing the recipes for this book was definitely memorable.  Partly because I tested them last summer when it was 95 degrees out for most of July and August (and I don’t have an air conditioned kitchen)!  But throughout the process I just felt so incredibly lucky to have the opportunity to get to cook professionally and share my passion for food with others.  At the end of the process I could also feel how much I had grown personally as a cook – what a gift!  I hope that everyone who reads or cooks from the book ends up feeling that way too.

Here are few of Leah’s recipes for you to sample the unique flavors in this book:

Ginger Sesame Tempeh with Green Beans

Radish Sandwich

Turkey Fig Sandwich

***GIVEAWAY*** You could win your very own copy of Leah Koenig’s Cookbook – The Hadassah Everyday Cookbook. All you have to do to have a chance to win is leave a comment below telling us what your go-to everyday kosher meal is. One entry per person. Winner will be picked at random from qualifying entries. Contest ends June 1st 2011 at 9 am EST. Contest open to US Residents only.

Roberta Kalechofsky, Ph.D is a writer, speaker, and animal rights activist, focusing on the promotion of vegetarianism within the Jewish community.  She has written several books including The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook and The Vegetarian Shabbat Cookbook.  Roberta lives, writes, publishes, and cooks in Massachusetts.

1              How did you wander into vegetarian cooking?

How I became a vegetarian:  in 1985 or 86, Richard Schwartz sent me a copy of his book, “Judaism and Vegetarianism” for publication.  At the time I ate kosher meat, and was shocked at his description of factory farming and the idea that factory farmed meat was kosher.  I found this hard to believe, having been raised, like most Jews, to believe that kosher meat was merciful.  There’s nothing merciful about the factory farming method.  It’s brutal.  I called my butcher and read him two paragraphs from Schwartz’ book and asked him where our meat came from.  His answer changed my life. “Mrs. Kalechofsky,” he said, “all meat for the commercial meat market, kosher or not, comes from the same place.  We just killed the animal differently.”  I read the paragraphs to my husband and told him what our butcher had said and then told him, “We’re not going to eat meat anymore.”  He was a little surprised at first, but followed me into this adventure twenty-five years ago ahd has had no regrets.

2              All of your recipes are vegan (no dairy, no eggs, no meat)  What do you think is the biggest misconception about vegan food?

The biggest misconception about vegan food is that you can’t get enough protein.  There are many sources of protein—beans, nuts, quinoa, lentils, green vegetables—and all of them healthier sources than meat.

3              What do you say to those who believe you have to have fish and meat on Shabbat?

The idea that you have to have meat on Shabbat was over-ruled after the fall of the Temple, when the sacrificial system came to an end.  It was then accepted that wine—or any source of pleasure at the table–was acceptable.  The point of the Shabbat is that you should have “joy,”—that joy does not have to come from meat, and for vegetarians it  does not.

4              How do you make your holiday and Shabbat meals special without meat?

We make the Shabbat special without meat by cooking excellent food–like one of our cholents or vegetable pies or vegetable loafs—dishes I might not have the time to make on a weekday.  We do what most Jewish households do on the Shabbat—we light candles, we have challah, we have a very good meal which we eat leisurely.  A meal is made special not by meat, but by the Shabbat atmosphere.  During Biblical times Jews rarely at meat at any time.   Fish and beets were most often eaten on the Shabbat.

5              What advice would you give someone considering going vegetarian or vegan?

Someone who is considering going vegetarian or vegan should definitely read  two or three of the excellent cookbooks available on vegetarian/vegan cooking and discover how varied and pleasurable vegetarian food is.  Don’t start by making the most difficult dishes, and certainly consider the taste of the other members of your family. The vegetarian cuisine is like any cuisine you have to learn about. Choose two or three nights a week for a vegetarian meal (make the Shabbat one of them) Within a few months everything will be familiar to you, and you will be eating vegetarian food ’round the clock.   There are considerable taste adventures to be had in vegetarian cooking, herbs and spices that will titillate your palate.  Once you have become familiar with vegetarian cooking–from making interesting rice and kasha dishes–to half a dozen ways of cooking beets or broccoli or asparagus, then discover the health qualities and the overwhelming impact on global warming that reducing the consumption meat has—and notice that I put enjoyment before health and environment—I am a glutton for good food.

6              Who is your cooking inspiration?

There have been many vegetarian “cooking inspirations” in my life.  Early on, it was Molly Kazan, but her cookbooks are heavy on eggs and cream. When I consult them today, I “convert” them.   As I became vegan, Robbie Schiff, my co-author for “The Vegetarian Shabbat Cookbook” has been an inspiration because she is so knowledgeable about vegan food.  It’s also a pleasure to shop with her–again because she knows so much about spices, etc.   I also learned a great deal from Rosa Rasiel, my co-author of “The Jewish Vegetarian Year Cookbook.”  She was not a vegetarian at the time- but the most  knowledgeable person I knew about cooking at that time and how to put a cookbook together.  Trained as an editor, she taught me how to write a cookbook.  (I am a ficton writer by experience.)

7              What has been your most memorable cooking experience?

My most memorable cooking experience was probably the five summer days I spent cooking dishes for “The Vegetarian Shabbat Cookbook” with Robbie.  It was a marathon.  The heat was about 95 degrees—and I do not have air conditioning.  We set up fans in my (small) kitchen, and cooked nine to five every day—and then went out for dinner.  Yes, it can be done.  Have everything on hand and think about the steps you will have to make.  Have your shopping list ready—last minute sprints to the market are fatiguing.

8              What is your favorite ingredient and why?

My favorite ingredient is tofu—really!  Unfortunately, most people don’t know what to do with it.  It is amazingly versatile.  You can make pies, loaves, burgers, eggless “tuna” and eggless “chopped eggs.”  Unless you’re allergic to tofu or soy beans–you can make almost anything from tofu.  After tofu, I like lentils—such an inexpensive and wonderful substitute for meat.

9              What is your earliest memory of cooking?

My earliest memory of “real” cooking was making a meal for company soon after I was married.  One of my dishes was stuffed baked potatoes.  For some reason the potatoes refused to bake well enough to scoop them out.   I finally cut them open, tried to cook them in a saucepan,  turning my kitchen into a haze of starch.  Finally I  mashed them half cooked,  with piles of butter and milk to soften them—and served them.  My guests looked puzzled.

10        What do you miss most since you went “meatless”?

I missed tuna and chopped eggs for years—they were always among my favorite dishes.  I think I  never really cared for meat–but ate it because everyone else did, and didn’t realize how much I disliked meat until I stopped eating it. Most of us are “socialized” into eating meat and I certainly was.

CONTEST ALERT: ENTER FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN A COPY OF THE VEGETARIAN SHABBAT COOKBOOK AND BRING MORE VEGETABLES TO YOUR TABLE.  COMMENT BELOW ON HOW YOU HAVE TRIED TO INCLUDE MORE VEGETABLES IN YOUR LIFE. [Contest open to US Residents only. Two winners will be picked at random on Wednesday May 4, 2011 at 9am.]

Here are a few recipes to try your hand at vegan cooking:

Fettuccini with Mock Alfredo Sauce

Jim Feldman’s First Eggless Challah

Broccoli Kugel

We are very excited to invite Marcy Goldman into the JoyofKosher kitchen.  Marcy is a cookbook author, pastry chef, food journalist and writer.  Since 1997, Marcy has been the editor, host and master baker behind BetterBaking.com.  Marcy’s first cookbook, A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking, recently was published as a 10th Anniversary Edition by Whitecap Books.  She has also written The New Best of Better Baking.com, A Passion for Baking with Oxmoor House and The Baker’s Four Seasons with Harper Collins is due out this fall 2011.  Montreal-based, Goldman is also a frequent guest on Martha Stewart Sirius, and appears in the Washington Post, Food and Wine and is an official baking Tweeter for the New York Times.

1      What is unique and different about A Treasury of Jewish Holiday Baking and this 10th Anniversary Edition?

What’s different about this book? Everything! I added 35 of my very best, quintessential cooking recipes for the Jewish holidays – from Cola Brisket to deli-style knishes and my famous Paradise Charoses.  It’s the basics, but done to showcase flavor.  This makes the new edition a complete book – you have all the baking AND the main and side dishes.   Makes it a wonderful gift book especially if you already have a copy of my first Jewish baking book – this would be the one to give your kids or friends or a new bride.   This edition also has a ton of photos – all taken here in my test kitchen by a wonderful food photographer.  So now you can actually SEE what my recipes look like, such as my Apple Challah, Hamantashen, Dairy Cheesecake, legendary Majestic and Moist Honey Cake. (more…)

Julie Negrin is a nutritionist and culinary instructor in New York City and the author of Easy Meals to Cook with Kids.  Julie ran the culinary program at the JCC in Manhattan for 5 years, transforming the fledgling culinary program into one of the most popular cooking programs in Manhattan. Julie has her own blog, My Kitchen Nutrition that can be found  on her website, www.julienegrin.com.

1.     Your book is for adults who want to cook with kids ages two years old and up.  What made you decide to write this cookbook?

The inspiration for my cookbook came from my students and their parents. In my cooking classes, I discovered that kids, even picky eaters, are much more receptive to new foods if they are involved in the meal preparation. While the parents of my students watched in awe as their kids tried brown rice, sautéed vegetables, beans, tofu, and salads, they encouraged me to write down my recipes for other families. (more…)

Joan Nathan is the author of ten cookbooks and a regular contributor to The New York Times. She is the author of the much-acclaimed Jewish Cooking in America.  Her latest book, Quiches, Kugels, and Couscous: My Search for Jewish Cooking in France, chronicles 2,000 years of Jewish history through memorable stories and 200 delicious recipes.

1.  When did you decide to be a cook book author and journalist?

I went to Jerusalem in my twenties and landed a job with the mayor of Jerusalem.  We ate food at the homes of many people.  I found that there was hostility towards the mayor, but all the barriers broke down when he broke bread with them.  I saw Jewish food from all over the world and learned to cook from watching them.

I look at Jewish people in three ways, first their identity as associated with Kashrut (the dietary laws), then where they are living at the moment and finally, their history.  Similarly, I look at food in three ways, there is every day food, traditional food (from our history) and dress up/restaurant food.

I look at food as part of culture and history and I believe it is important to preserve old recipes and make them usable in our modern time. (more…)

Shifrah Devorah Witt and Zipporah Malka Heller are the mother and daughter team that coauthored The Complete Asian Kosher Cookbook.  As they grew in religous observance and began following the laws of kashrut they were not willing to give up the chinese food and asian dishes they love.  The inspiration for this cookbook was born.

1  How do you explain the Jewish people’s love affair with Asian food?

Shifrah Devorah-You know the joke. The Jewish man and the Chinese man are talking and the Chinese man says, “My culture has been around for 2,000 years.” And the Jewish man says, “Well my culture has been around for 3,000 years.” And the Chinese man looks at the Jewish man and asks him, “So what did you guys eat for the first thousand years?” This joke describes my love affair with Asian cooking. My earliest memories of eating are in dark Chinese restaurants with my parents. I don’t know if that explains the Jewish love affair but it certainly explains ours. (more…)

Jamie Geller left a fast-track career as a New York City television producer to embark on the frazzled-track career of Jewish wife and mother.  Jamie’s  first cookbook, Quick & Kosher – Recipes From The Bride Who Knew Nothing was a runaway success.  Jamie’s new book, Quick & Kosher: Meals in Minutes responds to the needs of today’s busy home cook, by sharing quick, simple dishes that have the gourmet look and taste, without elaborate preparation.

1       You began your professional career as a writer and producer for HBO, what made you decide to switch from cable to a cutting board?

The switch was born from necessity. I had never intended to leave TV and that was my life’s goal for a very long time. However, as I adopted a kosher lifestyle, my goals changed. Having 20 people in my home for shabbos quite regularly became one of them. So I quickly realized that it was time to hit the cutting board! (more…)

The release of Kosher by Design Teens and 20-Somethings marks the seventh book for cookbook author Susie Fishbein. The wildly successful series has already sold over 400,000 copies worldwide and has led to hundreds of appearances by Susie from coast-to-coast and Canada. Profiled in the New York Times and on CNN, Susie has been named one of the 50 most influential Jews by the Forward. She has been a guest on dozens of network TV and radio shows. Susie was featured at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival at Disneyworld, and taught at the Degustibus cooking school in NY. Recently, Susie was an honored guest at the White House in recognition of National Jewish Heritage Month. Susie resides in Livingston, New Jersey with her husband and four children.

1     Your new book is written for the next generation of kosher cooks. How do today’s teens and 20-somethings approach food?

I believe there are two types of kosher teens out there. The first group is composed of those that have grown up with the luxury of incredible take-out choices. There was a kosher pizza store in the town I grew up in. If you wanted anything else it was an event. My whole family got in the car and drove to a restaurant or for a bigger deal we took the train into the city. The array of food within a short walk to many of the Jewish neighborhoods is huge. So, my hope is to reach out to those eaters and break them of the fast-food habit, let them experience the joy of cooking for themselves and the benefits of it. The 2nd group is the part of this generation that is health conscious and food savvy, and that often goes hand in hand. A large part of these kids are very in tune to what they are putting into their bodies, the effects of food, the health benefits and I wanted to give those readers plenty to work with. These readers grew up watching cooking shows, surrounded by cooking media, and hopefully have grown up on Kosher by Design food so they will have high expectations. (more…)

We are very excited to invite Paula Shoyer into the joyofkosher kitchen.  Paula is a pastry chef who owns and operates Paula’s Parisian Pastries Cooking School in Chevy Chase, Maryland.  She received her pastry diploma from the Ritz Escoffier Ecole de Gastronomie Francaise in Paris, France in 1996.   She is the author of The Kosher Baker: Over 160 Dairy-free Recipes from Traditional to Trendy (Brandeis University Press).

1    I am very excited to have The Kosher Baker around to inspire me this High Holiday season!  What made you decide to write this cookbook?

I was working on recipe testing for Susie Fishbein’s great entertaining book back in 2004, and halfway through, I thought that maybe I could write my own book.   I had been developing recipes for my classes since 1996 and started to feel that the kosher world needed and deserved better parve dessert recipes. (more…)

We are excited to invite Bonnie Taub-Dix into our joyofkosher kitchen.  Bonnie is a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and Director and Owner of BTD Nutrition Consultants.  Bonnie’s website can be found at http://bonnietaubdix.com.

Bonnie collaborated with Susie Fishbein to create Kosher by Design Lightens Up: Fabulous food for a healthier lifestyle.  Her new book, Read It Before You Eat It: How to Decode Food Labels and Make the Healthiest Choice Every Time will show you how to make sense of food labels and avoid tricky marketing ploys.

1     Michelle Obama has helped draw international attention to the problem of childhood obesity in this country.  You have been an advocate for healthy eating and wellness for nearly thirty years.  What do we need to do to win the war against obesity in this country?

Obesity is a result of many factors and cuts across all age groups and ethnicities. Although simplistic, the 4 words “eat less” and “move more” says it all. Fad diets and skipping meals have generally been shown to create an unrealistic weight loss followed by weight gain. The easiest way to embark upon a weight loss journey is to try to cut back on portion sizes, eat more vegetables, and try to be more physically active than you have been.  Don’t compare yourself to others, compare yourself to yourself and aim for progress… not perfection. (more…)

I go with the Cucina Povera philosophy. The Italian philosophy (which means “poor kitchen”) uses local ingredients, food that is in season and as local as possible – not schlepped from half-way around the world.  Though I am not necessarily poor, I like to use what is in season, naturally available and prefer for it to be right outside my front door, I also buy my food in whole ingredients.  I am not purchasing pre-made mixes, faux food or laboratory food.  If a dish cannot be made without losing the integrity of the dish, then rethink the menu.  This is how all chefs think.  Somehow, kosher chefs have a disconnect and try to “mirror” foods that are not necessarily kosher/pareve or whatever.  They lose the whole point of the dish, not even mentioning nuance from subtle combinations.

It is our pleasure to have Chef Judy Zeidler in our joyofkosher kitchen!  Chef Judy is a well known food expert and author of The Gourmet Jewish Cook, The 30 Minute Kosher Cook: More Than 130 Quick & Easy Gourmet Recipes, and Master Chefs Cook Kosher.  You can see Judy on her syndicated television show, “Judy’s Kitchen” and she is regularly asked to be a guest on national television and radio programs.  Judy and her husband spend a few months every year in France and Italy and are constantly finding new and innovative ways to cook kosher.  Judy is currently working on a new cookbook based on her adventures in Italy.  Here Judy shares some of her cooking experiences with us.

1       For a long time, gourmet kosher cooking was an oxymoron, but now we have our own celebrity chefs, fine dining establishments and wines that even Robert Parker can rave about.  How do you account for this dramatic change over the past several years?

I think people realize that Kosher cooking does not have to be the traditional Jewish food that they grew up with.  But, that every dish or recipe can be translated to kosher with just a little creativity.

2.      What do you see as the next big trend in kosher food?

I think Italian Cuisine is here to stay.

3       Describe your best cooking moment as a chef?

I think my best cooking moments are when my husband and I are cooking for friends in our home.  I always make a menu that includes the preferences of the guests that we have invited.  And I love serving appetizers in the living room … they become an ice-breaker when you invite friends that have never met before.

I also love when I am teaching a cooking class and inspiring people to cook and entertain more at home.  I love when they say, that they can’t wait to get home and prepare the dishes that I prepared in class.

4       You have gotten the chance to cook alongside some of the most famous chefs in the world, including Roger Verge, Michel Richard and Stephan Pyles.   What were some of the most memorable lessons that you learned from these master chefs?

For me Michel Richard was and is the most creative chef in the world.  Cooking, for him is more important than anything in his life.

Cooking with  Thomas Keller, whose restaurants are the most famous in America, was a wonderful experience.  He is humble and so talented, usually those two ideas never go together.

5       What are some of your favorite dishes?

Spending one to five months at a time in Italy for the past 35 years… the people and their food has totally won me over.  I love to make my own pasta, risotto, gnocchi etc.   They become carriers to whatever you want to cook them with, whether it be vegetables, fish, or meat.

6       What is your earliest memory of cooking?

When visiting my grandparents in Boyle Heights, Los Angeles I would go into the Jewish Bakery with my mother.  When I saw all the breads and pastries, I wanted to see how they were made, rather than craving to eat them.  I started baking chocolate chip cookies, lemon meringue and apple pies at an early age.

7       You were writing and talking about 30-minute meals before Rachel Ray.   What advice would you give the busy home cook?

Yes, I guess I was writing and talking about 30-minute meals before Rachel Ray.   People don’t realize how many recipes can be adapted to 30-minutes meals. It is important to read a recipe through and see where it can be adapted to a shorter version. But still keep away from too many ingredients that are pre-packaged or pre-cooked.  Remember a cake mix consists of only the flour, baking powder/baking soda/salt.  You still have to mix in the eggs and liquid and bake.   It takes little extra time to add your own flour etc. and then you really know exactly what went into what you are serving your family and friends.  And can say that you really made it from scratch.

8       When you are not wearing an apron and standing behind the stove, what do you like to eat?

When we go to a restaurant I am totally turned off when I am served an entre that covers the plate.  I don’t think more is better.  I enjoy a lot of courses of small dishes (tastes).

9       When did you know you wanted to cook for a living?

I always knew I loved to cook, but it wasn’t until I married my husband and we began to cook together that I knew it was what I wanted to do.  With his encouragement it became a career.

10     Describe your worst kitchen disaster as a chef?

Just recently I gave a cooking classes for the American Jewish University.  It was based on teaching the dishes that Thomas Keller prepared on my tv show.   I found that the Cornets were much more difficult to make than the recipe.  (Cornets are cone or horn shaped foods)

11     You and your husband spend several months a year in France and Italy traveling, tasting and adapting classic and modern recipes for a kosher audience and we are incredibly jealous!  What are some of the best food and cooking memories from your recent travels?

We have made so many friends in Italy that have restaurants it would be difficult to pin-point just one.   Each restaurant has a special dish that I remember.    I have just completed a manuscript based on these friends and their recipes, which will be published in the very near future.

12     As we approach the holiday of Shavuot, our thoughts turn to cheesecake, ravioli and other dairy delights.  Can you share a few of your favorite dairy recipes?

I have shared some of my favorite Shavuot recipes with joyofkosher.com, such as Oven Roasted Tomato Bruschetta, Fresh Fava Beans with Pecorino Cheese, and Ricotta Souffles.

In connection with the launch of our brand new website, joyofkosher.com, we are very pleased to be able to invite Chef Jeff Nathan into our joyofkosher kitchen. Chef Nathan is the executive chef of The Abigael’s Group, which includes Abigael’s on Broadway and the Green Tea Lounge.   He is also the author of two popular cookbooks, Adventures in Jewish Cooking and Jeff Nathan’s Family Suppers.   At his restaurants, and on his acclaimed public television series, New Jewish Cuisine, Chef Nathan emphasizes the flavors of modern America while strictly observing the laws of kashrut. Chef Nathan is setting a new standard for kosher cooking with his innovative dishes and creative presentations.