Zucchini, corn, and dill form a summer all-star team in this easy saute, a recipe adapted from the Meatballs and Matzah Balls cookbook. While the recipe is most enticing during peak corn and zucchini season, it really works year-round (you can always get zucchini and use frozen corn) as a Read more…
Asparagus, artichokes, and fennel become unlikely but absolutely delicious partners in this Jewish-Italian inspired salad. The dressing of bright lemon and herby slightly pungent oregano—a classic Sicilian pairing—unites the spring and early summer vegetable flavors in beautifully tangy way. This salad spares not one second in delighting the taste buds Read more…
The Italians were onto something with sformato, a creamy egg and vegetable dish that is elegant and yet homey, plus irresistible in flavor and texture. Most traditionally, sformato (pronounced sfohr-MAH-toh, coming from the Latin word for “form”) is a vegetable flan prepared in large ring mold or individual molds. But Read more…
A comforting and earthy classic, this soup emerged hundreds of years ago as an essential for Eastern European Jews. Although porcini mushrooms seem like an exotic item today (and are pricey to boot), Jews in places like Poland, Lithuania, and Ukraine had ready access to this type of mushroom, which Read more…
At once crispy and creamy, fried mashed potato balls take you right from Thanksgiving’s leftover mashed potatoes to a Hanukkah fried delight. And actually, even if I don’t have leftovers, I will make this recipe (don’t worry, latkes, we will be making you, too) because it is uniquely fun and Read more…
Although the most famous Jewish-Italian artichoke dish might be the deep-fried Carciofi alla Giudia (Artichokes Jewish-style), Italian Jews enjoyed artichokes many ways. It helps that they got a head start on other Italians by warmly embracing the petal-packed thistle buds after the vegetable was likely introduced to Sicily by Arab Read more…
One dish I hadn’t thought of as a Rosh Hashanah dish? Black-eyed peas. But it turns out that a stew of these creamy legumes with the signature black dot has a long history as a symbol of abundance for Rosh Hashanah, especially in Egypt and Turkey. In honor of 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…
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…
Looking for Hanukkah ideas? Try this special version of my rice and cheese balls, which landed on the Jewish Food Experience’s “Top 10” List—the fried foods to explore after you’ve had your fill of latkes and sufganiyot. And although these Italian-inspired delicacies make a good fit for the deep-fried holiday, Read more…
The Italians excel at making simple ingredients delicious, something I’ve admired over and over again on my Jewish-Italian culinary exploration. Take bruschetta. This appetizer that you find in both Italian and Jewish-Italian recipe collections is simply toasted or grilled bread, garlic, and good extra-virgin olive oil—ridiculously basic and ridiculously irresistible. Read more…