Mushrooms and red wine create layers of savory flavor in this creamy, irresistible risotto. Mushrooms appear in various Italian and Jewish-Italian risottos, and it’s no wonder. They produce an almost meaty taste, especially with the wine and onions, and wonderful texture. It’s all deeply and warmly comforting, and satisfying enough to be a main dish. […]
Fried Mashed Potato Balls
November 14, 2021 · by
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 a texture and flavor sensation […]
Spicy-Smoky Black-Eyed Peas
August 29, 2018 · by
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. Long before America was even colonized, Jews in Egypt […]
Turkey Meatballs with Spicy-Sweet Pepper Sauce
March 20, 2018 · by
Growing up, oh how we loved my mom and dad’s meatballs. And I kind of thought these were our own special food. Which they were, in the sense of connecting us to my dad’s Italian heritage and my parents’ specially tweaked recipe. But they also were not, as I would learn soon enough, in the […]
New Favorite All-Season Lemon Bars
March 8, 2018 · by
These lemon bars do so many things right. Most important, they balance all the delightful contrasts in a good bar—soft, creamy filling and dense crust, sweetness and tartness, fruitiness and nuttiness. But they are also gluten-free and Passover-friendly, and sport a nutritious whole grain base. Thanks to quinoa flour, the crust holds nice structure and […]
Polpettone di Tonno with Horseradish Green Sauce
September 27, 2017 · by
No, that’s not gefilte fish. And that’s exactly what I love about it. Let me introduce you to my version of Polpettone di Tonno, Italian tuna loaf. It plays the “gefilte fish” role of festive holiday fish appetizer, but with more nuanced and fresher flavor. I was honored to have my Polpettone di Tonno featured as […]
Spinach with Raisins and Pine Nuts
September 27, 2016 · by
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 at the event, and I […]
Breakfast Rainbow Quinoa Bowl
April 27, 2016 · by
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 for me (that generally excludes […]
Strawberry and Mint Granita
April 14, 2016 · by
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 and pareve dish. It can […]
Chef Brian Robinson’s Hazelnut Dukka
March 31, 2016 · by
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 was. And I’m rather sorry […]
Baby Artichoke Risotto
March 31, 2016 · by
The Venetian Jewish ghetto turned out to be a surprising cultural crossroads and culinary mixing bowl—and one of the many dishes adapted and enjoyed by Venice’s Jews was artichoke risotto. 2016 marked 500 years since the creation of the ghetto, and this mild, creamy dish seemed a fitting tribute. Below is the article I wrote […]
Butternut Squash Bomba di Riso (Rice Casserole)
November 2, 2015 · by
Every year I seem to find a new way to love butternut squash, and this year it’s as part of my new recipe, Butternut Squash Bomba di Riso. It’s an Italian-style risotto rice casserole that I originally developed for Sukkot but that would warm up any cool night. Below is the article I wrote for The […]
Chocolate Lava Cakes
March 19, 2015 · by
Passover, let me introduce you to my newest sweet friend, the chocolate lava cake…wait, what? You know chocolate lava cake’s Italian grandmother? Seriously? Yes, that’s right. Lava, molten, or pudding cakes with that luscious liquid chocolate center might seem like a hot, hot, hot contemporary fad, but the concept has a connection to Italy. In […]
Lemon Blueberry Cake
March 18, 2015 · by
Years ago, I found a recipe for a clementine cake made with ground almonds. This sponge-style cake (getting most of its body from beaten egg whites) enticed me as a contrast to a Christmas dessert buffet of heavy, creamy, and chocolate-y confections. The way my imagination rendered the recipe, it would be light, fresh, and […]
Dates Stuffed with Roasted Pine Nut Butter
February 3, 2015 · by
Spring might seem pretty far away for many of us (I write as a wicked winter wind howls outside my window), but in Israel, the earliest blooming trees are starting to shake off winter. Marking that is the holiday of Tu B’Shevat, or the new year for trees. One of the traditional foods to enjoy […]
