A rustic but still decadent strawberry dessert for Mother’s Day? Shavuot? Just because? Yes, yes, and yes, please. Ever since seeing a photo last year of a strawberry cassata, a Sicilian-style ricotta cake, it’s been on my list to try. This year’s arrival of spring’s best strawberries motivated me to do it—to create my own Read more
Calzones, like other turnovers, are comfort food that can be eaten on the run. But I’ve always found them to be too delicious not to sit and savor. And although they are often considered folded-over pizzas, they do pizza one better in giving you more of the tender crust, browned Read more
Normally, you won’t find me making or sipping a smoothie. Or a green kale juice thing. I like to chew my food, and I don’t subscribe to the need for detoxes or cleanses. BUT, after a season of too much—sweets, rich and bountiful meals, chocolate, whipped cream, politics, tweet-storms, everything—a sparkling Read more
After the potato latkes, then what? Here are some recipes honoring the oil and/or dairy traditions that have caught my eye for savoring Hanukkah this year. At the bottom are also links to a few personal recipes that I like to revisit for the holiday. Marquesitas by Pati Jinich—Pati calls these hard wafer rolls, Read more
Like a doughnut, but better. These fritters are less fussy to make, wonderfully chewy and flavorful—and they have a Jewish-Italian connection that I love. Plus, most fittingly for this year of holiday overlaps, in Italy, similar versions are enjoyed for both Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations. In a new piece for Jewish Food Read more
Pumpkin and squash were historically favored by Italy’s Jews. You could find these fall fruits in soups, risottos, pastas, stews, fritters, and yes, even cake. I found recipes for Jewish-Italian pumpkin cakes, but decided to develop an updated version. We served samples of this during my talk in September about the culinary history of Italy’s Read more
Even though I have some favorite recipes for Rosh Hashanah (hard to tear myself away from the brisket with cranberries and mushrooms from Meatballs and Matzah Balls served with mashed potatoes and roasted vegetables), the coming of the new year often finds me looking through books, blogs, and Web sites Read more
At my recent talk about the rich culinary history of Italy’s Jews, I discussed how Sicilian Jews had adopted the combination of raisins and pine nuts (often with spinach) from Arab conquerors. This beloved pairing stuck and became a common dish among Italy’s Jewish communities. We offered samples of this dish Read more
The pound cake arose, sometime in the 18th century, as a cake of simplicity—originally one pound of each ingredient, flour, butter, sugar, and eggs. As recipes do, of course this one evolved, using modern ingredients like leaveners and glazes and adjusted to more manageable sizes for a household. Bakers Read more
On the Jewish culinary calendar, it’s time for cheese—all thanks to the holiday of Shavuot (starting Saturday night), celebrated with dairy foods. That inspires me to look longingly at cheesecake recipes of all sorts and think that it’s been too long since I’ve made my Nutella Mousse Cheesecake. But I Read more
Jews and Romans historically and spectacularly had their conflicts. But later, Jews also had centuries of fairly peaceful existence in Italy—even adopting and contributing to Italian cuisine. The holiday of Lag Ba’omer prompts my reflection on all that and a brand new Jewish-Italian recipe for a beautiful and savory pasta Read more
Passover breakfasts. Ah, almost as daunting as Passover desserts, especially for those who enjoy cereal or toast for the morning meal. Weekday breakfasts are not something I usually want to spend much time on, and I also aim to have those first bites of the workday be relatively nutritious and good Read more
There’s not much that’s truly simple about Passover cooking. I think that’s why a granita seemed like such an appealing addition to my playbook. This Sicilian frozen sweet is not only easy but also fresh and refreshing plus it requires just a few ingredients, looks beautiful, and is a versatile nondairy Read more
Matzah balls are one of the most iconic foods of modern American Jewish cuisine—and that’s of course how they became part of the title of my cookbook, Meatballs and Matzah Balls. So believe me when I say that I don’t mess with them lightly. But although I love them in Read more
Early on, one of the most intriguing aspects of DGS Delicatessen Chef Brian Robinson’s menu of dishes inspired by Meatballs and Matzah Balls for the April 3 Jewish Food Experience special event was his plan to garnish my pasta with hazelnut dukka (pronounced DOO-kah). It sounded good, but I’ll confess I didn’t really know what it Read more