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Meatballs & Matzah Balls by Marcia Friedman

exploring Jewish-Italian food & more

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Spicy Chocolate Sfratti (Jewish-Italian Stick Cookies)

Zucchini and Corn with Dill

Spinach Arancini

Mushroom and Barley Soup

Almond Kifli

Fried Mashed Potato Balls

Deconstructed Pumpkin-Bourbon Cannoli

Turkey and Fennel Stuffed Cabbage

Apple Bourbon Caramel Sundaes with Hot Honey Cinnamon Crunch

Peach Crostata

Spicy Stuffed Artichokes

Classic Matzah Ball Soup

Introducing “The Essential Jewish Cookbook”

Savory Noodle Kugel

Apple Spice Buricche (Turnovers)

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The Essential Jewish Cookbook

Features 100 straightforward recipes for classic Jewish dishes from across traditions, made simple and modern. From Challah French Toast to Classic Potato Latkes to Adafina and Doro Wot, these recipes highlight the delicious breadth and depth of global Jewish cuisine. Find tips and tricks for getting the most out of each recipe, from preparing certain steps in advance to swapping ingredients to make dishes kosher. From weeknight dinners to holiday feasts, create meals everyone will love.

    Now available on Amazon.com

From my Instagram feed

meatmatzahballs


Baked Sea Bass with Artichokes, Mozzarella, and Ol
Baked Sea Bass with Artichokes, Mozzarella, and Old Bay Seasoning! This warm casserole's an old fav that’s particularly comforting this time of year with its melty Italian cheeses, briny artichokes, tender fish, and warm spices from the Old Bay (created by a German-Jewish immigrant). The recipe takes inspiration from a Jewish-Italian dish of mild fish baked with artichokes, and I incorporated the Old Bay and cheesiness from a seafood dish I used to love from the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The flavors and textures work spectacularly, and the dish has just 8 ingredients and can be on the table in about 30 minutes. Be sure to enjoy it hot while the cheese is wonderfully gooey. I shared this recipe from the Meatballs and Matzah Balls cookbook with Tablet Magazine awhile back—find it through the link in my profile. 
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#jewishitalian #jewishfood #jewishcooking #recipes #jewishcookbooks #oldbayseasoning #artichokes #fishmaindish #dinnerin30 #glutenfree

DC PR powerhouse @jillcollinspr being honored by B
DC PR powerhouse @jillcollinspr being honored by Bob Madigan, WTOP news’ former "man about town." What a wonderful celebration of Jill Collins Public Relations at 30 years—and going stronger than ever. There were so many funny, warm stories of Jill’s generosity and fierce, uncompromising focus on achieving the best for her clients—as well as for the entire DC hospitality industry. So grateful to have first gotten to know you, Jill, many years ago through your work with the DC GRAMMY Awards office, and so grateful for your enthusiastic support for my cookbooks. Congratulations on this milestone, and here’s to many more! 😘 #JCPR30
And what a beautiful spread @carminesnyc DC restaurant!

I can prepare all the fancy appetizers I want, but
I can prepare all the fancy appetizers I want, but nothing gets my family to the table faster than this Artichoke Parmesan Dip (a beloved recipe you can find in the Meatballs and Matzah Balls Cookbook). It's creamy, a little tangy and garlicky, and just the right amount of chunky for scooping onto a cracker. The warm dip is also lovably retro, which adds to the charm of it. There’s rarely more than a spoonful or two left, mostly because everyone is too polite to scrape the baking dish. 

Another plus—you can easily keep the ingredients on hand to pull together on short notice for a gathering or, say, when you decide to have it for late breakfast like we did this week. 😋
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#artichokedip #appetizers  #hotappetizers #cookbooks #partyfood #artichokes

Whether you are making potato latkes for the first
Whether you are making potato latkes for the first time or as something you do every year, you are stepping into a tradition begun more than a 150 years ago in Eastern Europe. There Jews found the recently introduced potatoes to be plentiful, cheap, and perfect for frying into crispy pancakes for Hanukkah. And I’m so glad they did because latkes are another of my favorite Jewish foods. It took me a millisecond to thrill to my husband’s family’s latkes with their crisp exterior and almost creamy center. Sour cream is nice but often I prefer them as is, so I can really savor the potato flavor accented by onions, salt, and pepper. The Friedman family recipe featuring finely hand-shredded potatoes is the one my husband’s grandfather Jacob made when he lived in what is now Ukraine. That he and his family survived the Holocaust is a miracle to be celebrated on this holiday of miracles, and making his recipe adds great joy and meaning to the celebration. 

Find the Friedman recipe in the Meatballs and Matzah Balls Cookbook (where you can also find a photo of Jacob!). And of course, latkes are a Jewish food essential, and you can find a version you can make with the food processor in The Essential Jewish Cookbook.

Whatever foods you make and share with loved ones this holiday season, hoping you find them meaningful, comforting, and delicious!
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#happyhanukkah #Hanukkah #Chanukkah #latkes #potatolatkes #Hanukkahlatkes #Hanukkahtraditions #jewishfoodtraditions #Ashkenazifood #Hanukkahcooking #jewishfood #jewishholidaycooking #friedfoods #deepfried #friedpotatoes #essentialjewishfoods

Figs and Sambuca-spiked honey elevate what was alr
Figs and Sambuca-spiked honey elevate what was already a special and long-loved Jewish-Italian Hanukkah dessert, fried dough fritters with honey syrup. I love the little bursts of fig caramel-like richness and the elegance the anise flavor gives. 

These cousins to the Sephardic bimuelo are delightfully homey and sophisticated at the same time—and they are easier than doughnuts! Even better, the little fried dough shapes can honor both Jewish-Italian and Italian Christmas honey fritter traditions at once, an especially nice symmetry for a year when the two holidays overlap. Sprinkles in the colors of Italy or blue and white are pretty but optional. Find the link to the recipe in my profile.
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#Hanukkah #Chanukkah #Hanukkahdesserts #Hanukkahcooking #jewishfood #jewishitalian #fritters #sambuca #jewishholidaycooking #friedfoods #deepfried #frieddessert

I know it's all about the potato latkes for many a
I know it's all about the potato latkes for many at Hanukkah and I get that because fried potatoes are one of nature's perfect foods. 😁 But did you know that among the first Hanukkah latkes (pancakes) were Italian ricotta cheese pancakes? In honor of that, years ago I created this Italian-inspired recipe for Lemon-Ricotta Pancakes with Limoncello Cream, and I find it mouthwatering to this day. Besides being exquisite and pretty, the quickly fried creamy pancakes nicely capture both the dairy and frying themes of Hanukkah. Plus the dish works beautifully for dessert as well as brunch.

BTW, we evolved from cheese to potato pancakes by way of necessity. Eastern European Jews found that during the long, cold winters, cheese was expensive, but after potatoes were introduced to Europe, they were plentiful and cheap—and made a pretty terrific pancake. Hence, a new beloved latke would soon take the world by storm. 

Find the link to the Lemon-Ricotta pancake recipe (along with a short article I wrote about it) through the SmartBio link in my profile.
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#Hanukkah #Chanukah #jewishholidays #jewishrecipes #jewishfood #jewishitalian #cheesepancakes #ricotta #ricottapancakes #Limoncello #jewishholidaycooking

Rugelach are one of the first Jewish sweets I feel
Rugelach are one of the first Jewish sweets I feel in love with when I started exploring Jewish food—and the classic cinnamon version had a lot to do with it. Not only did I adore the buttery, warmly spiced delicate pastries from Ashkenazi Jewish traditions, but everyone I made them for swooned for them, too. And just like that, a Hanukkah rugelach-making tradition was born and has been growing ever since. My recipe for Cinnamon with Brown Sugar and Pecans is a yearly must, but other flavors have joined the party, including Cranberry-Walnut, laced with pink icing, and some chocolate dough variations I’ve been tweaking over the years, including one with Nutella.

When I was writing The Essential Jewish Cookbook, among the first foods that came to mind to include was rugelach, most definitely a Jewish essential that also happened to charm its way into American hearts and stomachs over the years. The book’s Chocolate Rugelach (not pictured here but equally awesome) features a decadent chocolate filling that definitely calls for licking the spoon.
***
Find my Cinnamon Rugelach and Cranberry-Pecan Rugelach recipes through the Smart Bio link in my profile, and find the Chocolate Rugelach recipe in The Essential Jewish Cookbook. 
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#rugelach #Hanukkah #Hanukkahdesserts #Chanukah #jewishholidays #jewisholidaybaking #essentialjewishfoods #jewishrecipes #jewishfood #Ashkenazifood #bakingwithlove #bakingobsession #holidaybaking #jewishbaking

Before I ever knew what a kugel was, this was our
Before I ever knew what a kugel was, this was our version of a baked noodle pudding—my mom’s (and my grandma’s and great-grandma’s) baked macaroni and cheese. Rather than gooey, it is set like a kugel but still has a hint of creaminess from the milk and cheese, all topped off with an extra thick layer of cheese that turns delectably browned. To this day, it remains my most favorite “kugel” and when it’s served at a family dinner, there’s usually a (semi) playful tug of war over the last spoonful. One of these days, when I can make it as reliably perfectly as Mom does, I’ll share the recipe. 
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#macaroniandcheese #bakedmacaroniandcheese #pastaandcheese #kugel #familyfavorite #macncheese #bakedpasta #homecooking

Fried Mashed Potato Balls! This recipe makes me ha
Fried Mashed Potato Balls! This recipe makes me happy to see cold, stiff leftover mashed potatoes in the refrigerator. With a crispy coating and creamy interior, these are decadent little bites that give a whole new spectacular life to a favorite Thanksgiving side dish. I particularly love making and freezing them to reheat in the oven later (such as for Hanukkah coming up, for which they are perfect!). Recipe link in profile.
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#Thanksgiving #Thanksgivingleftovers
#leftovers #leftovermashedpotatoes
#mashedpotatoes #friedpotatoes
#fried #Hanukkah #jewishholidaycooking

I’m already excited about Thanksgiving leftovers
I’m already excited about Thanksgiving leftovers, like these kreplach (stuffed pasta triangles) filled with turkey and stuffing moistened with a touch of gravy. I made them last year and they are irresistible AND easy using my dough shortcut in The Essential Jewish Cookbook (but you can always use your own favorite kreplach dough).

Kreplach are a sort of Jewish ravioli and I especially love this overlapping of Jewish and Italian food traditions. The beloved kreplach are usually served in soup or boiled quickly then fried as I’ve done with my turkey kreplach, whereas ravioli are more often served with sauces (my favorite being butternut squash ravioli with sage butter sauce, a recipe in the Meatballs and Matzah Balls cookbook). It doesn’t matter what you call them, though, these stuffed dumplings are a delight, and it’s no surprise variations found homes in different cultures over the centuries. When stuffed with Thanksgiving leftovers, these treasures become a unique celebration of intersecting Jewish, Italian, and American traditions. Such a treat.
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#Thanksgiving #Thanksgivingcooking #holidaycooking  #Thanksgivingleftovers #turkeyleftovers #kreplach #jewishitalian #leftoverturkey

Making pie? Try shredding your (very) cold butter
Making pie? Try shredding your (very) cold butter before incorporating it into the dough. It’s an easy way to get even butter bits that help ensure that flaky texture we all prize. Just be careful not to overwork your dough after you add the butter and liquid or it will become a little tough. Speaking from experience. 🙄 This year, I tried a new step—freezing the shreds for 15 minutes before combining with the flour to lessen melting during rolling. That dough is in the freezer awaiting some pumpkin pie filling later this week. We’ll see how it turns out. Thankfully my family is used to being guinea pigs. 
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#Thanksgiving #Thanksgivingcooking #holidaycooking  #Thanksgivingdinner #Thanksgivingdessert #pie #piedough

My butternut squash soup made, poured, and stored
My butternut squash soup made, poured, and stored in the freezer for Thanksgiving. I consider make-ahead dishes like this essential to my mental health anytime I host a big dinner. Other items in the freezer already include rolls, my pie crust (which tastes better when made in advance, by the way), and homemade turkey stock for the gravy plus flavoring and moistening the stuffing. I’ve also stashed away a few bags of cubed and dried challah for the stuffing. This weekend I’ll be making a schedule—a step I swear by—so I know what needs to cook where and when. And I’ll plan and also psych myself up for my turkey taking way longer than expected to cook, which has become somewhat of a tradition for me. 😆
...
Find the butternut squash soup recipe in the Meatballs and Matzah Balls cookbook and The Essential Jewish Cookbook, and find my recipe for challah rolls in the link in my profile. 
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#thanksgivingprep #thanksgiving  #thanksgivingcooking
#holidaycooking
#thanksgivingdinner #makeahead

Spicy Chocolate Sfratti (Jewish-Italian stick cook
Spicy Chocolate Sfratti (Jewish-Italian stick cookies)! I’m thrilled to share the fascinating history behind this recipe in my latest @tabletmag article. The original honey-and-nut sfratti nods to the time when Tuscan Jews were evicted from their homes and sent to ghettos by stick-wielding officials. Eventually allowed to return home, they created a stick-shaped sweet to commemorate their survival and ward off future bad events. In my new recipe, bittersweet chocolate with a hint of spice makes these cookies uniquely decadent and also deepens their meaning by representing the eviction of Sephardic Jews from Spain and Portugal, and how their dispersion helped foster the adoption of chocolate. Find the article and recipe through the link in my profile (or search tabletmag.com).
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#jewishitalian #italianjews #sephardicjews #jewsandchocolate #jewishfood #jewishfoodstories #jewishbaking #sfratti #italiancookies

One of my favorite fall snacks—roasted pumpkin s
One of my favorite fall snacks—roasted pumpkin seeds. Just save them after you do your carving this weekend, toss with olive oil and sea salt, and roast in a 350-degree oven, stirring every few minutes until lightly browned. Transfer to a lined plate and sprinkle with a little more salt to taste. And for the win, besides the unique nutty, roasty flavor, they offer a good dose of antioxidants, vitamin K, magnesium, potassium and zinc, among other nutrients. 
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#pumpkin #pumpkinseeds #roastedpumpkinseeds #fallbounty

Honeynut squash! After trying one, I went back to
Honeynut squash! After trying one, I went back to the farm stand and bought nearly a bushel! You could think of this relatively new variety as baby butternut squash (though technically it’s a cross between butternut and buttercup squashes) that is more tender and richer and sweeter in flavor than the full-sized versions. I just sliced it and roasted the pieces, coated in olive oil, salt, and pepper, and found it delicious. The edible skin takes on a delightful crispness when roasted. I’m also enjoying cutting up chilled leftovers and tossing them in my salads. Luckily I’m smitten with them because I probably have enough for the whole winter. :-)
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#honeynutsquash #fallsquash #farmstand #locallygrown #fallbounty #roastedsquash #eatyourveggies #farmstandfresh

More Sukkot or fall al fresco favorites! This time
More Sukkot or fall al fresco favorites! This time, let’s go with some Ashkenazi dishes. First, Goulash. This Hungarian stew spectacularly melds slow-cooked  beef and paprika flavors, ideal and warmly comforting served over wide noodles—there’s a reason this became a beloved Hungarian national dish that was also eagerly embraced by the Jews.

Second, my recipe for Turkey Stuffed Cabbage. Before I started testing recipes, my only memory of stuffed cabbage was not liking it as a kid (sorry, mom!). BUT, I created a recipe that honors the tradition with updates I love—the turkey lightens the flavor, and fennel seeds give it that sausage-y zing. It’s so good that one of my recipe testers regretted committing to giving most of her batch away.

Third, my Savory Noodle Kugel--a pareve, nicely peppery version that you can serve with anything. I think the wide Italian pappardelle noodles make it delightfully substantial, and I’ve been known to spike it with olives and sundried tomatoes. Find these recipes on meatballsandmatzahballs.com and in The Essential Jewish Cookbook.
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#Sukkot #jewishfood #jewishholidaycooking #fallalfrescodining #stuffedcabbage #goulash #noodlekugel

The 8-day fall harvest festival of Sukkot begins t
The 8-day fall harvest festival of Sukkot begins tonight (Sunday night)—yay! If you’ve heard me give a talk, you already know it’s one of my faves. To be honest, some years are easier than others to observe the holiday between weather and schedules, but I look forward to it all the same. And it’s a time that I especially love returning to some Jewish-Italian recipes ideal for keeping you warm and happy during cool fall al fresco dining. Pictured are: Butternut Squash Bomba di Riso (risotto casserole), Peperoni Ripieni (Eggplant Stuffed Peppers), Roasted Asparagus and Tomato Sformato, Matzah Lasagna, and for the win, Pumpkin Cake (Torta di Zucca) with Orange-Mascarpone Topping. Find all these recipes (except the Matzah Lasagna, link in bio) at meatballsandmatzahballs.com.
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#sukkot #jewishholidays  #jewishitalian #falldining #jewishfood #jewishholidaycooking #butternutsquash #eggplant #pumpkin #pumpkincake #risotto

Leftover brisket means Brisket Bourekas! I see tho
Leftover brisket means Brisket Bourekas! I see those holiday meal remnants as just waiting to be stuffed into puff pastry (or stuffed into pasta dough to make kreplach, depending on my mood). Shaped bourekas can be frozen to bake later if you prefer, always a plus. And although it’s good if the meat is moist, avoid a heavy layer of pan juices or gravy, which can make the turnovers soggy. Brisket (or leftover roast chicken or vegetables) bourekas can be a delicious remembrance of the holiday season later on, and make bubbe proud of your resourcefulness, too.

BTW, for store-bought pastry, I recommend Pepperidge Farm puff pastry, which is pareve (not all brands are).
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#bourekas #brisket #brisketbourekas #brisketleftovers #jewishfood #jewishcooking #jewishholidaycooking

Bialys! As good as (better than?) bagels, and much
Bialys! As good as (better than?) bagels, and much easier to make at home than bagels. I love this recipe, which creates rolls with a delightfully chewy texture and the classic onion and poppyseed center that makes them so irresistible. They are stellar warm from the oven, but they freeze beautifully—and would be lovely frozen and thawed just in time for Yom Kippur break-the-fast. They also make outstanding little pizzas for a delicious Jewish-Italian mashup. Find my beloved recipe for bialys (with note on making them into bialy pizzas) in the link in my profile, as well as in the Meatballs and Matzah Balls cookbook.

BTW, these cousins to the bagel originated in Bialystok, Poland, and came to the United States with Jewish immigrants in the 1900s. Baily bakeries sprung up in Jewish communities, and the delicious indented rolls featured prominently at Jewish restaurants until being surpassed in popularity by the bagel. 
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#bialys #homemadebialys #jewishfood #jewishbaking #Ashkenazifood #jewishitalian #bakedwithlove #breakthefast #bread #homemadebread #breadbaking

A little love letter to my Sweet Challah with Cinn
A little love letter to my Sweet Challah with Cinnamon and (Rum-Spiked!) Raisins.

Find my recipe, aka my cinnamon roll challah, in the Meatballs and Matzah Balls cookbook. Shanah Tovah!
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#challah #sweetchallah #sweetraisinchallah #bakedwithlove #roshhashanah #jewishfood #jewishholidaybaking #jewishfoodtraditions #jewishholidayfoods #shanahtovah #breadbaking #homemadebread


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Meatballs and Matzah Balls

No matter where your cultural journey has taken you, the kitchen is always your best way home.

  • more than 100 recipes
  • more than 60 full-color photos
  • nine essays exploring intersections of Jewish and Italian life
  • classic and new recipes for soups, stews, breads, appetizers, pastas, grains, meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, Passover, and, of course, desserts!
  • recipes cover classics from both cuisines as well as recipes that bridge the two in origin, ingredients, or spirit
  • all recipes can be made kosher

“Italian by birth and Jewish by choice, Marcia has amassed a delectable feast filled with nostalgic reflections from both traditions.”—Judy Bart Kancigor, author of Cooking Jewish.

    Finalist—2014 Indie Book Awards

      Buy print and ebook versions now on Amazon.com

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