Product Description
A celebration of Jewish cooking for everyone who wishes to enjoy Jewish food.

Mark Stark's Amazing Jewish Cookbook is a delightful Jewish cookbook for the entire family. This hand-drawn volume includes recipes for traditional Jewish foods such as bagels, chicken soup, and matzah balls, as well as holiday treats like potato latkes and Passover sponge cake.

Each recipe in this user-friendly volume shows the ingredients, tools, and steps involved in preparing the dish. Recipes are arranged by Jewish holiday, with valuable supplementary material about the celebrations and their customs. All recipes adhere to kashrut, the religious and dietary laws of the Jewish people.

Torah Aura Productions publishes books for Jewish schools and families that help celebrate our heritage and our faith.

We have over 25 years of experience as the leading creator of high quality educational materials that enable Jewish children to become empowered Jewish adults.

Our books guide and enhance the Jewish knowledge, spirituality and identity of children and their families, and our innovative tools bring Judaism alive in synagogues, Hebrew schools, and day schools.

Torah Aura Productions was founded in 1981 by a group of innovative Jewish educators who looked out at the field of Jewish education and found materials that were shallow and dull. They started a company to create new tools for families and teachers that would be exciting and meaningful. For more than two decades, Torah Aura has revolutionized the way Jewish schools enable their students to become empowered Jewish adults, and has helped families make Judaism a meaningful presence in their homes.

Some of the areas we publish in:
- Torah and Bible
- Talmud
- Jewish teaching
- Jewish parenting
- Jewish ethics and values
- Jewish holidays
- the Jewish lifecycle
- Israel
- Hebrew
- Jewish prayer

Torah Aura Productions: Making success in Jewish education an achievable reality. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING
Mark Stark does an outstanding job of combining his fun and whimsical drawings with delicious Jewish cooking. I have prepared many of the dishes from this book and my family loves every bite.My children love to look at the pictures while I cook.The detailed illustrations allow my children tohelp me cook.They love to read me the recipe using Mark Stark's Amazing illustrated instructions.This is a great cookbook for the whole family. It is also a great way to organize your dinner around the Jewish Holidays.All of the meal plans are their for you. All you need to do is prep and cook.You won't be disappointed.Finally a great Jewish cookbook with delicious recipes and illustrations.Bravo!

May be good for kids, but...
I was REALLY disappointed with this cookbook and returned it.It is more like a coloring book with some recipes, and very child-like.Definitely NOT for an experienced cook.

The best mix of recipes and illustrations
One of the most fun cookbooks, Jewish or otherwise.Using cartoons and exciting lettering, Stark offers the readers fun cooking projects for the whole family for Shabbat, Jewish holidays, and other meals.The recipes are in easy to read step-by-step form and well illustrated.Recipes include those for roasted chicken, strudel, borsht hallah, bagels, dill pickles, falafel, hummus, hamantaschen, apple sauce, latkas, lox with onions and eggs, matzah, kugel, coleslaw, blintzes, passover dishes, knishes, kasha, soup, and rugalach.. to name a few ... Read more

Product Description
This Jewish cookbook contains over 1600 recipes laden with a rich culture of taste and tradition according to kosher values and rules. From the book"from the PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

It is with pleasure, and pardonable pride, that the Publishers announce the appearance of The International Jewish Cook Book, which, "though we do say it ourselves," is the best and most complete kosher cook book ever issued in this country. It is the direct successor to the "Aunt Babette Cook Book," which has enjoyed undisputed popularity for more than a generation and which is no longer published. The International Jewish Cook Book is, however, far superior to the older book. It is much larger and the recipes are prepared strictly in accordance with the Jewish dietary laws.

The author and compiler, Mrs. Florence K. Greenbaum, is a household efficiency woman, an expert Jewish cook, and thoroughly understands the scientific combining of foods. She is a graduate of Hunter College of New York City, where she made a special study of diet and the chemistry of foods. She was Instructor in Cooking and Domestic Science in the Young Women's Hebrew Association of New York, and is now Instructor and Lecturer for the Association of Jewish Home Makers and the Central Jewish Institute, both under the auspices of the Bureau of Jewish Education (Kehillah).

Mrs. Greenbaum knows the housewife's problems through years of personal experience, and knows also how to economize. Many of these recipes have been used in her household for three generations and are still used daily in her home. There is no one better qualified to write a Jewish Cook Book than she.

Suggestions and additional recipes, for inclusion in later editions of the book, will be gratefully accepted by THE PUBLISHERS. New York, February, 1918"


· *PUBLISHERS' NOTE*
· *PREFACE*
· *REMARKS*
· *RULES FOR KASHERING*
· *CONTENTS*
· *APPETIZERS*
· *SANDWICHES*
· *SOUPS*
· *GARNISHES AND DUMPLINGS FOR SOUPS*
· *FISH*
· *SAUCES FOR FISH AND VEGETABLES*
· *SAUCES FOR MEATS*
· *FRYING*
· *ENTREES*
· *MEATS*
· *POULTRY*
· *STUFFINGS FOR MEAT AND POULTRY*
· *VEGETABLES*
· *TIME TABLE FOR COOKING*
· *SALADS AND SALAD DRESSINGS*
· *SALAD DRESSINGS*
· *SALADS*
· *FRESH FRUITS AND COMPOTE*
· *MEHLSPEISE (FLOUR FOODS)*
· *CEREALS*
· *EGGS*
· *CHEESE*
· *BREAD*
· *COFFEE CAKES (KUCHEN)*
· *MUFFINS AND BISCUITS*
· *PANCAKES, FRITTERS, Etc.*
· *CAKES*
· *ICINGS AND FILLINGS FOR CAKES*
· *PIES AND PASTRY*
· *COOKIES*
· *DESSERTS*
· *STEAMED PUDDINGS*
· *PUDDING SAUCES*
· *FROZEN DESSERTS*
· *CANDIES AND SWEETS*
· *BEVERAGES*
· *CANNED FRUITS*
· *JELLIES AND PRESERVES*
· *JELLIES*
· *PRESERVED FRUIT*
· *BRANDIED FRUITS*
· *CANNED VEGETABLES*
· *VEGETABLES PRESERVED IN BRINE*
· *PICKLES AND RELISHES*
· *PASSOVER DISHES* ... Read more

Product Description
When most people think of Jewish desserts, the same old rugelach, babka, and stale macaroons come to mind. Author Penny Eisenberg, in her new book, Light Jewish Holiday Desserts, proves that Jewish baking has so much more to offer, including cookies, Charlottes, turnovers, loaf cakes, layer cakes, Bundt cakes, Napoleons, and tarts. Most Jewish desserts are also laden with fat, but Penny shows you, with her absolutely delicious recipes, how to cut the fat by as much as 75 percent in some caseswithout sacrificing any of the taste.

Jewish holidays are steeped in culture and tradition, so the chapters are organized by holiday and explain why certain foods and recipes are significant. Some recipes, though, are just fun, like the Chocolate Nut Roulade that can be shaped to look like a Torah for Simkat Torah. For Passover (Pesach), very strict guidelines must be followed, like no consumption of wheat flour, so Penny offers a Fresh Strawberry Torte with a crust made from ground matzoh.

Many of these recipes are so delicious, home cooks will want to prepare them year round. But come high holidays, these recipes are sure to impress family and friends. Amazon.com Review
Jewish cooking is tied to dishes reflecting where familiescame from and to ingredients with symbolic meanings. For Penny WantuckEisenberg, these links are more essential than specific recipes. It isthe significance of honey on Rosh Hashanah that matters, not whetherthe cake is studded with nuts or made using applesauce in place of oilto cut down on fat. From this viewpoint, in Light JewishDesserts, Eisenberg offers alluring desserts for every conceivableoccasion, from the High Holidays to Tu b'Shevat, a minor holidaycelebrating trees and their fruits, and for weekly Shabbat dinner.

There are recipes for less common treats, like Tayglach, crunchy doughballs bound together with gingery honey syrup, and Bimuelos, theyeasted doughnuts fried in oil enjoyed by Jews of Spanish heritage atHanukkah. There are also very American sweets, from Maple Baked Applesto flaming Bananas Foster, the New Orleans creation symbolicallysuited to Hanukkah. If you think low-fat desserts are unexciting, thequality of Eisenberg's Chocolate Baklava; buttery Hamantashen,triangles filled with sweet poppy seeds or thick prune purée;and her spectacularly showy, creamy Lemon Charlotte will dispel alldoubts. In fact, serve anyone the wonderful Rum Raisin CheesecakeSquares, Sherry-Soaked Mixed Fruit Trifle, and nutty, raspberry-filledChocolate Sandwich Cookies and be prepared to hand out therecipes.

Hesitant bakers will appreciate the careful guidanceEisbenberg provides for choosing and using ingredients. Kosher cookswill find the recommendations for certified ingredients most helpful.--Dana Jacobi ... Read more

Product Description
This is a comprehensive, entertaining sourcebook with original, distinctive ideas and hints on how to emphasize the symbolism of each holiday. It is a book within a book with suggested recipes and handy checklists of "must-have" holiday items, ideas for creating special decorative motifs, and explanations on the significance of each holiday. It is a guide for today's busy host with limited time for preparation and for creative hosts who want fresh ideas for any household. Contents include: Introduction: Entertaining made easy, the Sabbath, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Sukkot and Simhat Torah, Hanukkah, Tu Bi-Shevat, Purim, Passover, Yom Ha-Atzma'ut, Lag Ba-Omer, Shavuot, Tu Be-Av, and tips. ... Read more

Product Description
Since early colonial times in America, Jewish southerners have been tempted by delectable regional foods. Because some of these foods--including pork and shellfish--have been traditionally forbidden to Jews by religious dietary laws, southern Jews face a special predicament. In a culinary journey through the Jewish South, Arkansas native Marcie Cohen Ferris explores how southern Jews embraced, avoided, and adapted southern food and, in the process, have found themselves at home.

From colonial Savannah and Charleston to Civil War era New Orleans and Natchez, from New South Atlanta to contemporary Memphis and across the Mississippi and Arkansas Deltas, Ferris examines the expressive power of food throughout southern Jewish history. She demonstrates how southern Jews reinvented traditions as they adjusted to living in a largely Christian world where they were bound by regional rules of race, class, and gender.

Featuring a trove of photographs, Matzoh Ball Gumbo also includes anecdotes, oral histories, and more than thirty recipes to try at home. Ferris's rich tour of southern Jewish foodways shows that, at the dining table, Jewish southerners created a distinctive religious expression that reflects the evolution of southern Jewish life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Wonderful Surprise
My fiancé and I are Jews from Louisiana, and got this book as a gift. At first, we thought that it was a cookbook, but it is a history book with recipes.

Pleasantly surprised! Love it!

Lots of research, not many insights
This was a wonderful topic for a book -- how Southernness and Jewishness came together in the Jewish kitchen. Cohen Ferris, herself a Jewish woman from a small town in Arkansas, has done exhaustive research, no doubt a labor of love, and has perpetuated many people's memories.

The problem with the book is that it is quite repetitious. Ferris Cohen correctly points out that the culture and history of Atlanta, New Orleans, the Mississippi Delta, and so on are all distinct from each other. Then, however, she spends much of her time recounting menus of long-ago occasions and concluding, over and over again, that the balance between kosher and non-kosher food and between European and American Southern delicacies was important and hard to navigate, because food is so important in daily life.

It is not so much a question of Ferris Cohen's writing style but of the fact that she seemed compelled to put on paper all of the results of her painstaking interviews. Perhaps a more insightful historian could have made more of Ferris Cohen's material, but this book just seemed too long.

Matzo balls and memories
As a Deep South Jewish expatriate, I can't say enough about how thoroughly Marcie Cohen Ferris did her research.There is no doubt that she has covered the differences-and similarities-of the various southern states with great heart and accuracy!The sheer volume of names of those she got family information from is more than admirable.The book belongs in every Jewish household-northern and southern!And non-Jewish readers will get a wonderful picture of the influence food had in Southern Jewish homes-part of American culinary history.

Okay book
Good book if your into a history lesson but I was looking for more receipies.

Outstanding & interesting
This book is a wonderful compilation of Jewish history of the South and Jewish food of the South. Fascinating reading about the history and excellent eating. Enjoy! ... Read more

Product Description
From Chanukah, Purim, Passover, and Shavuot to Rosh Hashanah and Sukkot, Jewish Holiday Treats serves up the traditional with clever twists. Welcome the festivities with tempting treats like Chanukah Star Cookies and Amazing Honey Cake. Tots and grandparents alike will take pleasure in constructing simple toys and decorations such as a deliciously detailed Gingerbread Sukkah. There's something in here for everyone. Classic recipes and fresh ideas combine in an approach to tradition that will involve the whole family. Beautifully photographed throughout, Jewish Holiday Treats will inspire families to cook, create, and celebrate together for years to come. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Fun little book for Jewish kids
This is more than a cookbook - there are also activities for each holiday.It is a great reference for kids so they can make their own contributions with simple things to cook and make.Mom's can also refer to it for ideas and recipes.Our favorite for sure is the gingerbread sukkah pictured on the cover (which can also be done with sugar cookie dough). ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A great cookbook
This is my all-time favorite Pesach cookbook - I have been using it since it came out more than 20 years ago.I have given it as a gift numerous times, including this year, when I wrote notes next to all the recipes and gave it to a good friend, who told me that she's now actually looking forward to Pesach 2010 as she wants to try these recipes, I've been raving about all these years!

Worth seeking out
This cookbook contains over 100 kosher-for-Passover recipes from all over the world, so nearly everyone will find some familiar and many unusual recipes.Most recipes are preceded by notes about their origin, and nearly all are accompanied by beautiful, full-page color photos.I turn to this book whenever I want to make something out of the ordinary and have generally had excellent success, though there have been occasional duds.A few recipes include legumes, which are used by Sephardic but not Ashkenazic Jews during Passover; if you follow Ashkenazic tradition, be sure to read the ingredient lists carefully.

The Passover Gourmet
The recipes and history included with them are excellent.My friends rave about the taste, quality, ease in preparation and wanted to know where I got the book.It can be used all year not just for Pesach time.

A beautiful and easy to use Passover cookbook.
Nira Rousso has accomplished putting together a delectable array of recipes on glossy paper with fantastic photgraphs of almost every recipe. Each mouthwatering entry comes with some interesting history of origin ofthe recipe followed by easy to read and understand instructions. No Jewishkitchen should be without it! ... Read more

Product Description
This exciting collection of recipes includes dishes for every occasion in the Jewish calendar. ... Read more

Product Description
The Emmy and Tony Award-winning performer Mandy Patinkin has long sung the praises of his mother's cooking, from her out-of-this-world chicken soup with matzo balls to her triple-threat brownies.Now in trade paperback, this straight-from-the-heart cookbook brings together home-cooked recipes and memories that have nurtured several generations.

Spanning appetizers to desserts, from everyday delights to special occasions, recipes include:--Grandma Doralee's Chicken Salad
--Potato Latkes
--Sweet-and-Sour Cabbage
--Lemon Artichoke Chicken
--Rack of Lamb with Red Pepper Marinade
--Carrot Pudding
--Spinach Noodle Souffle
--Butter Crisps
--Fruit Kuchen
--Kahlua Cheesecake
--Passover Sponge Cakes
--and much more.

With an introduction by Mandy Patinkin, this delightful and down-to-earth cookbook brings together three generations, one extraordinary mom, and more than 150 irresistible ways to bring tradition and love to the family table.Amazon.com Review
Actor and singer Mandy Patinkin wanted his mother to recordher recipes to preserve them for the family, but happily for all ofus, she turned them into a cookbook everyone can share. It is a joyhaving this intimate view of the enthusiastic palates and the quirkyculinary treasures prized by this food-loving family, through over 150recipes passed along from grandparents, aunts, cousins, andfriends. It is also an intriguing window into the way Jewish Americansate in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, when garlic was an exotic, gourmetingredient.

All the expected and familiar Jewish dishes are here,such as cheese blintzes, egg-rich noodle puddings, dense choppedliver, chicken soup, even a homemade version of lox.But the Patinkinfamily is full of adventurous eaters and creative cooks, so you alsofind Rack of Lamb elegantly marinated with red sweet peppers, portwine, honey, mustard, and rosemary and a creamy coleslaw tangy withchampagne vinegar.

Emphatic flavors make the recipes in this bookdistinctive. Grandma Patinkin punches up her egg salad with chilisauce. She rubs garlic powder on her roast filet mignon, and also putsit in her matzo balls. And she loves curry powder, so it shows up notonly in a frittata, gazpacho, and chicken salad, but also in herchicken soup. You decide if this is heaven or culinary heresy!

Grandma Doralee is a mean baker, and her Cream Cheese Brownies, withtheir rich topping, are not to be missed. Nor are her butter cookies,distinctively sweetened with brown as well as white sugar.

In sum,the Patinkin family's cooking, like Mandy's singing, is unique, bold,and delivered straight from the heart.--Dana Jacobi ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

One Great Cookbook
This is a wonderful cook book, one of those that really rolls back the years to recall all the family meals we love to remember.It is truly a lovely book that will be in your kitchen for years to come.

The best of the best!
Doralee Patinkin's cookbooks are two of my all-time favorites(and I'm not Jewish, so they should appeal to everyone with taste buds).Every recipe I've tried has been absolutely wonderful.Directions are clear, and each recipe is preceded by a brief description of why it is a favorite.The forward is by actor Mandy Patinkin, and the comments about some recipes include his passion for him.These books are very warmly written, and filled with tried-and-true family favorites which will be just as successful in the readers's homes.Absolutely wonderful!

A Find!
I bought this because I was looking for easy but delicious passover recipes.Doralee Patinkin Rubin really came through for me.Her apple cake and Baked Chicken a l'orange were great.I made a few other recipes and they were thoroughly enjoyed.Her recipes if not all technicallykosher come from that great tradition of Jewish women many of us werefortunate enough to have as mothers and grandmothers.

Like being back my grandmother's kitchen
For both traditional and modernized Jewish soul food, this book has quickly become a treasured resource. The recipies are straightforward, not pretentious or gratutuitiously glamourous, and are delicious and easy toprepare. It's traditional ethnic dishes and more, with a wonderful,friendly emphasis on entertaining and sharing events and holidays withfamilies, making food a part of the memories.

If your Jewish grandma is (or was) a great cook...
this is what she would make.

Delicious, festive and family dishes that bring back memories are supplemented with new staples of the American diet, which make this an all around good cookbook for nostalgia and more. Thefood is hearty, wholesome, easy to prepare and shop for; not specialordering or trips running around town for esoteric ingredients. And likeany good grandma's recipies, emphasizes entertaining family and friendswith old favorites as well as experimentation.

I highly recommend it. ... Read more

Product Description
Haunukkah dishes to delight children and grown-ups:
Salmon Latkes
Romanian Noodle Latkes
Brisket of Beef with Dried Fruit
Lettuce Bouquet Salad with Fried Parsnip Chips
Russian Tea Cookies
Ginger Ice Cream
Chocolate Nut Brownies

Fabulous brunch and breakfast menus:
A Three-Course Scandinavian Brunch with Danish Apple Pancakes
An Israeli Breakfast Buffet with Fruited Bulgur Salad and Classic Breakfast Cheese Blintzes
A Passover Brunch with Beet Preserves and Passover French Toast
A Brazilian Brunch menu with Feijoada and Mango Sherbet

Special meals for the Sabbath:
Roast Chicken with Zucchini Stuffing
Hungarian Cholent
Kasha with Mushrooms
Apple-Filled Egg Challah
Macadamia Nut Tart

And for personal celebrations all year round:
Curried Chicken Salad with Roasted Peanuts for a Bridal Shower Buffet
Barbecue-Baked Short Ribs for a hearty Father's Day dinner
Buckwheat Blinis and Caviar on New Year's Eve
Pumpkin Soup and Kosher Mincemeat Tart for a Thanksgiving feast
Tabbouleh, Stuffed Grape Leaves, and Baklava for a Bar Mitzvah Buffet
... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Best Challah Recipe Ever
For anyone who likes to bake bread, this has a great recipe for challah.It works perfectly, and turns out some of the best bread I have ever had!

More exciting than Matzo...
I found this book okay... nothing special.It does have a fair share of interesting recipes and ideas, but it can be a challenge just to find them.Unlike a traditional cookbook it is organized by holiday, theme party etc. So if you want to look at all the soup options, you have to jump all overthe book.I find it daunting to have to work just to find the recipe! Idon't know if I would classify the content of The Gourmet Jewish Cook"gourmet".It might be useful for a beginner or someone underthe impression that all there is to Jewish cuisine is matzo balls &chicken soup, for and advanced cook/gourmet - I'd say pass.

Interesting collection of flavors and ideas
Most of the recipies in this book are innovative and interesting. Judy Zeidler takes tried and true recipies and gives them a new twist. There are a few must tries, inlcuding: The Matza Farfel cookies for Passover andStuffed Grape Leaves! ... Read more

Product Description
"The recipes in this book are mouth-wateringly delicious?I know because I've prepared most of them.This exciting book thoroughly demonstrates that kosher food can be as refined as the most exquisite gourmet cuisine. This is a real winner."
?Charlie Trotter

Laura Frankel, full-time chef and full-time mother, celebrates and enlivens Jewish cooking for the holidays and meals throughout the year with this book of seasonal specialties from Shallots restaurant, adapted for home cooks. In autumn, wow the family at Rosh Hashanah with Quince-Stuffed Veal Breast with Roasted Fennel and Apples and a knockout Chocolate Opera Torte with Chocolate Ganache, and in spring, serve an unforgettable Passover meal of Leek-Spinach Soup and Standing Rib Roast with Porcini Mushroom Crust and Mushroom-Onion Ragout. Jewish Cooking for All Season features 150 tempting recipes for soups, salads, starters, main dishes, and desserts—grouped by season so you can use fresh produce to its best advantage and serve unique dishes for the holidays.

Frankel's passion for the best, freshest ingredients is inspiring. Even when she writes about heirloom tomatoes at the peak of flavor or rhapsodizes about the fragrance packed into a tiny vanilla bean, she helps you genuinely appreciate the difference top-quality ingredients make in everything you prepare. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

MY FAVORITE COOKBOOK!!
I COOK A LOT OF BON APPETIT AND [...] RECIPES.I THINK THIS COOKBOOK IS JUST DELICIOUS!!PICTURES ARE GREAT, RECIPES ARE VERY TASTY AND FULL OF DEPTH.WHENEVER I WANT A SURE HIT I PULL THIS ONE OUT AND MAKE SOMETHING.I LIKE THAT IT IS ORGANIZED BY SEASON. NOTETHAT HER QUANTITIES ARE SOMETIMES VERY LARGE. I JUST WISH SHE CAME OUT WITH ANOTHER COOKBOOK ( I DONT ENJOY SLOW COOKING).

Flavorable Delights
This book is full of excellent recipes that are well described with easy to follow step by step instruction.It's full of suggestions so it makes running of the kitchen easier for me. I love this book. Coney Cullati, Santa Maria, CA.

Good and useful recipes!
We received this book right before Sukkot (actually, we were hoping for this!), and we were happy to note (and use) some of the recipes.It was definitely worth the money!

SEASONAL AND DELICIOUS
This book is filled with delicious recipes which can be made and enjoyed by everyone who loves good food. I love the idea of using the best the season has to offer. This is defineitely one of the finest cookbooks.

A wow of a cookbook
We have not yet had the opportunity to try any of the recipes in the book.But just by reading through it both of us are more excited than we can describe with the opportunities that it offers.Neither of us remembers a cookbook that contains so many interesting and mouthwatering ideas as this one. ... Read more

Product Description

For centuries Jewish communities around the world forged dynamic cuisines from ancient traditions combined with the bounties -- and limitations -- of their adopted homelands. In this important new collection, Matthew Goodman has assembled more than 170 recipes from twenty-nine countries, handed down through the generations and now preserved in this historic volume.

Customer Reviews (5)

Easy Home Improvement by Stewart Walton
-Whether you work from home on a daily basis or simply want somewhere to put your home computer, you will need an efficient space where you can work. In 12 stylish projects, described and illustreated in simple step-by-step sequences, Easy Home Improvement: Your Home Office shows you how to organize your space--from clever storage silutions to desk and printer units designed to suit your own requirements. All projects graded for beginner, intermediate and advanced levels and contain full materials lists and measurements, combined with expert advice.

`Food Maven' Saves Endangered Recipes
Author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

from the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
April 15, 2005

When the El-Ghriba synagogue in Tunisia was bombed by Al Qaeda in 2002, the fragile remnant of a once thriving Jewish community was even further shattered.

"The Tunisian Jewish community is one of the oldest continuous Jewish communities in the world," said Matthew Goodman, author of "Jewish Food: The World at Table," from his home in Brooklyn, "and the site of El-Ghriba was one of the most ancient, going back, I believe, to the fifth century B.C.E. As of 1948 there were 100,000 Jews in Tunisia. Today there are fewer than 2,000."

As the "Food Maven" columnist at The Forward, Goodman used his reporting skills to search out diverse cuisines of far-flung, once vital centers of Jewish life, some now on the brink of extinction.

"What I tried to do with this book was to locate and preserve food traditions from communities around the world that are today endangered because the communities themselves are endangered," he said. "So many of them weren't able to survive the 20th century or survive only in the most attenuated form."

More than 170 recipes, some of which have never before been written down, document the rich and varied Jewish culture of 29 countries, linked by law and ritual, yet distinguished by unique customs, traditions and celebrations, the history of a people told through its food.

But what is Jewish food? Can it even be defined?

"There are very few dishes that are shared by all Jewish communities around the world," Goodman noted, "only two or three, and only one shared ingredient, matzah. You couldn't define a cuisine based entirely on matzah. Jewish food is food that has been made by Jewish communities through the centuries and sustained by them, wherever they happened to be."

Both Ashkenazic and Sephardic cuisines and cultures are celebrated, so you see the Sabbath stew, one of the few dishes shared by all Jewish communities -- charoset is another -- in the Solet of Hungary and the Moroccan Dafina.

"Jewish Food" is an exciting read, filled with fascinating history. Did you know the mother of King Ferdinand of Spain was a converso, that Yemenites were the only people on earth who used Hebrew for communication before it became the official language of Israel and that the earliest borscht was made not from beets but from parsnips?

Nestled among the recipes are essays on selected ingredients, dishes and communities, deepening our understanding of their historical context.

"Food is kind of a repository of a community's history," Goodman observed. "You can see the wanderings of people over time. You can see the influence of conquest, of poverty, of travel. Food becomes a history lesson on a plate."

As an example, he cited the use of pine nuts and raisins in Roman Jewish cooking, as in the Italian Matzo Fritters with Honey Syrup.

"These ingredients were brought to Sicily by the Arabs where the Jews learned how to use them. Then when they got kicked out of Sicily during the Spanish Inquisition, they brought them when they moved up to Rome. The cinnamon and honey sauce, giulebbe, you find in a lot of Roman Jewish desserts. You can see the history of these people in this dish."

And what would Passover be without macaroons? But, if you've tasted only the store-bought variety, you're in for a treat.

"The same way that gefilte fish has gotten a bad name because most people think it comes out of a jar, macaroons got a bad name because they think they come in those metal tins," noted Goodman. "Macaroons you make yourself are so much better and just phenomenally simple to make."

The Pistachio Macaroons are made with rosewater, "a very common ingredient in Middle Eastern cooking, as are pistachios, and used a lot by Syrians," he said. "They're a nice alternative for people who want something a little different than the typical coconut macaroons."

Sadly, some recipes are irretrievable, Goodman said.

"There are so few of these dishes left," he said. "It's really like an extinct species. So many generous people shared their recipes with me. Some in the New York area would invite me to their home and let me cook with them in their kitchen. It was just an amazingly moving experience for me. But with each recipe they'd give me, they'd say, `I wish you could have tried these other two that so-and-so used to do, but she died.' That dish is gone forever."

Pizzarelle Con Giulebbe (Italian Matzah Fritters with Honey Syrup)

Syrup
1 cup honey
1/2 cup water
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Fritters

5 matzahs, broken into small pieces
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher for Pesach vanilla
Pinch of salt
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts
3 egg yolks, lightly beaten
2 egg whites
Vegetable oil for deep frying

1. Make the syrup: Combine the honey, water and cinnamon in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cover and bring to a boil, then uncover, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Remove from heat and let cool. Pour into a serving bowl.
2. Make the batter: Place the matzah pieces in a bowl of cold water and soak until soft but not falling apart, one to two minutes. Drain in a colander and squeeze out any excess water. In a large bowl, mix together the matzah pieces, sugar, vanilla, salt, raisins, pine nuts and egg yolks.
3. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the matzo mixture.
4. Make the pizzarelle: In a Dutch oven or other large, heavy pot, heat at least 2 inches of oil to 375 F on a deep-fat thermometer. In small batches, drop heaping tablespoons of the matzah mixture into the oil. Fry in batches, turning as necessary, until they are a deep brown on all sides, about five minutes total. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve warm or at room temperature, accompanied by the honey syrup.
Makes about 25.

Pistachio Macaroons

3 cups (about 1 pound)
shelled pistachios
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons rosewater

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment paper.
2. Grind the pistachios with the sugar in the bowl of a food processor, leaving some chunks for texture; transfer the mixture to a large bowl.
3. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Gently fold them, with the rosewater, into the pistachio mixture.
4. Drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls in balls onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving at least 1 inch between. Bake until lightly browned, 17 to 20 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
Makes about 30.

Fantastic
This book is addictive.I spent an entire weekend reading it cover to cover.I received this book as an engagement present from a good friend.We are both cookbook collectors.The essays in this book are fascinating.They give you a real feel for the breadth of Jewish experiences in the diaspora.The recipies are exciting.I love to cook interesting and exotic foods and keep a strictly kosher home.It is a joy to have so many sumptuous recipes to choose from.One not of caution for the kosher crowd,I have still not been able to find all of the exotic spices and seasonings with kosher supervision.The majority - yes, but there are a few hold outs.The cookbook is still well worth the money.

A Book of Essays and Recipes
This volume is almost two books in one. One part is a story of the Jewish diaspora told from the standpoint of the foods they had in their new lands. This takes the form of a series of essays that discuss the movement of food with the people. As they went to new places, they encountered new ingrediants and couldn't get others. The food had to change accordingly. These essays give a history of some of these changes and are fascinating to see how foods develop through change.

The other part of the book is a cookbook of Jewish dishes from around the world. Of course there are the old standbys, mostly originating in the middle east. But the variety is what is striking here, you wouldn't think of Bombay curried fish as being a Jewish dish. What about Mexican Baked Blintzes -- what, you don't usually put poblano peppers in your blintzes. Then there's sweet and sour pot roast, brisket with coca-cola and many, many more.

This is an unexpected book because so many Jewish cookbooks only have the traditionals and here there is so much more, and the stories to go with the dishes.

Easy, Sumptuous Recipes and a Joy to Read
Okay, I know this author and I'm crazy about him. I am not what you'd call an accomplished cook, and further, I live smack in the middle of white bread country in an area where mainly Jewish people eat Jewish food and mostly in the privacy of their homes. I might not know about kreplach, kugels, and knishes, except from the Jewish folks I went to college with, and subsequently, from the few Jewish restaurants here in St. Louis, where shiksas like me go to eat exotically. On the other hand, I own a lot of cookbooks and really do use some of them on a regular basis. I watch Food TV on a fairly regular basis and pull recipes off food.com. I like to discover new (Okay, they're usually only new to me!) dishes and test them on my family and friends. Most important, I eat-a lot. While these facts hardly make me a food critic, they do make me feel completely qualified and objective in my decision to award this book all five stars.

1st star: For recipes that are easy to follow and that include vivid descriptions of the finished products. Further, a trip to my local chain grocery store confirmed that the ingredients are not difficult to find.

2nd star. For recipes that deliver, use fresh ingredients, and offer tips for simplifying preparation and also for amplifying flavors and textures. I made Petti di Pollo alle Erbe on the first night I owned this book. It was a good training dish for a Jewish food novice like me--very easy, and the recipe encourages herbs of your choice. I chose thyme and oregano and my family of five proclaimed it truly sumptuous. So encouraged, I made Potato Kugel-my first kugel ever-on the very next day, and it was another hit. The caramelized onions really rock! Next weekend I have to entertain a houseful of friends and relatives and guess what we're having? Probably one of the featured briskets, but I'm dying to try one of the meatball recipes. Conclusion: Even a tentative cook like myself can turn out a great dish using this book. I can't wait to try more.

3rd star. There is a wide selection of recipes; in fact, all the great Jewish dishes you might expect are here, along with many treasures. Recipes are presented from different countries-29 to be exact-and often offer more than one variety of a specific dish.

4th star. This book has been designed with use in mind-lots of clean, white space and good-sized, readable typefaces, making it a great choice for folks who like to write in their books (God forbid!), and those who are visually challenged. There are sections devoted to Poultry, Meat, Appetizers, etc., making it a cinch to find recipes and plan meals around the foods in your pantry-not the case with too many other cookbooks. Also, the ingredients are smartly listed like sidebars alongside the step-by-step instructions, a layout that makes a lot more sense than the usual manner of listing them above the instructions and forcing impatient readers like me to look up and down, up and down...

5th star. What's really special about this book is its lovely collection of essays, which are truly every bit as delicious as the food. They appear in the front of each section and before every recipe and they provide insights and anecdotes that touch on the geography, history, and culture of the people who originated the dishes.They also offer how-tos on cooking and tasting, and even a few savory tidbits from Goodman's own life and experiences. They make this book a treasure to own, and in contrast with most cookbooks, a pleasure for even a culinary proletarian to read, cover to cover.

As entertaining as it is practical, Jewish Food: The World at Table would make a lovely gift for Jew or Gentile-for anyone who enjoys cooking, eating, and a very nice story. I intend to give several to friends and family this year. I pre-ordered my own copy months ago and I'm thrilled to be among the first to own it. I'm already looking forward to Matthew Goodman's next book, and also hold onto the hope that he'll come to St. Louis soon and sign my copy of this one!

... Read more

Product Description
Classic, traditional Jewish cookbook. The real thing. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

The Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook
This was a replacement for my beloved 1955 copy. I wore it out since then and
could not be without the little gem. I am so happy I could replace it.

Tradition
I bought this for my wife who still had her mothers copy . Also bought one for my grandaugfhter .

will impress your mother-in-law (Jewish)
I bought this cookbook about 35 years ago when I had a Jewish boyfriend, a New Yorker who landed in Texas for graduate school and had brought me a bagel from New York as a kind of courtship gift.I had no idea who Molly Goldberg really was until many years later when someone told me about the radio program.Anyway, I come from Texas German Czech stock, so cooking dumplings and cabbage rolls and soups is second nature to me and I used this book until it fell apart. I am buying another one.One time I made the calf tongue baked with tomatoes and I am not kidding you that neighborhood cats lined up on the fence across from my kitchen window and meowed and howled until I brought them a little bit of the neck of the tongue (which has a very naughty name in yiddish). The instructions on what to do with lox wings and bits are great. I tried it out at Zabar's after I moved to New York. Knedlock with chicken broth, (sp) and the stuffed cabbage rolls are great.(grate the onion)I recommend it with all my heart.

Wonderful cookbook!
If you omit the baking powder from the Potato Kugel, you have my grandma's kugel.The latke recipe is the written version of what my mother and grandmother used to make every year, and I can't wait to try the kreplach.Looking at this cookbook is like mentally eating my childhood.

Old, authentic recipes
Thirty-six years ago, I attended a party where cheese blintzes were served.It was my first blintz, and I had never tasted anything so delicious.I asked the hostess about the recipe and she handed me the Molly Goldberg Jewish Cookbook.I went out and bought this paperback ($.95, I believe!).There is a Jewish Deli in Cincinnati, Izzy's, and my husband had always enjoyed their Lima Bean Soup.I called Izzy for the recipe, and he laughed me off the phone ... wouldn't share.Well, lo and behold, a recipe was right there in Molly Goldberg.I have made this soup ever since.Lima Bean Soup was the Thursday soup, and they have at last removed it from the menu.I guess this recipe is not modern enough.But it is certainly authentic. ... Read more

Product Description
There are more than the ceremonial four questions when it comes to the Passover Seder:

• What kinds of traditional dishes should I make?
• What goes on the Seder plate?
• What is the Seder plate?
• Do I have to drink all four cups of wine?

Author Zell Schulman puts your mind at ease with Let My People Eat! the first Passover Seder cookbook that not only takes you step-by-step through the Seder, but also features six Seder menus to suit your religious background, your diet, your budget, and your time. Maybe your husband is Jewish and you're not, and you don't know where to begin. Or perhaps you've recently decided to become more involved in the Jewish holidays and traditions and want to make this Seder special. Maybe some of your guests are vegetarian or watching their weight. You'll find the answers to all of your questions as well as delicious recipes in Let My People Eat! Zell takes you by the hand to help you plan your first Seder with lists, explanations, and sources for the ceremonial objects for the Seder, as well as necessities for the Passover pantry. She tells you the many ways you can prepare the Seder Plate and set your Seder table, including recipes and symbolic meanings for the traditional ceremonial foods. She even has a chapter on kosher wines and food pairings. Let My People Eat! really does make Passover Seders simple. Zell Schulman is the author of two books, a food editor and columnist for The American Israelite, and a columnist for The National Jewish Post & Opinion. She has been on several tv cooking segments throughout the country. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Love this book!
I checked this book out of the library last year and again this year.It is such a great book.I had to buy it this year so I could have my own copy.

Like the other posters said, it is just beautiful.... and very easy!

Passover help
This book has everything you need to make your sedar a success, from the basics to the more complicated.There is no pictures in the book of the items.I noticed some of the items need to be spiced up to taste, other wise there bland.For new or not so new jews, this book will be helpful in getting through the 8 breadless days.

Beyond Gefilte Fish
Zell Schulman should be commended for this fabulous Passover cookbook.With a beautiful layout, charming line illustrations (and a few color photographs), and clear text, she makes the idea of tackling a seder seem absolutely doable.Of particular note are the many "menus" she suggests, detailing recipes for multi-course meals.She has different suggestions for Ashkenazic, Sephardic, "off the shelf" (utilizing available kosher for passover products), vegetarian, healthful (low in fat but high in flavor), and an ecumenical potluck (acknowledging the fact that many other religious groups choose to observe the holiday that was the cause of the Last Supper of Jesus and his apostles).The ecumenical potluck has kosher suggestions but all the other menus are described in a kosher format (meat, pareve or dairy).

Since my husband and I are vegetarian, I was looking for something beyond the more "hippie" resources available for Jewish vegetarian cooking and this book has more than exceeded my expectations.(A note to others thinking of preparing some of the vegetarian dishes: Schulman does include chicken bouillon granules in some of her vegetarian recipes which would render the food NOT vegetarian by the majority of the veggie world - just use powdered vegetable soup granules instead.)She also has an entire extra chapter of other passover recipes so you can switch or substitute to your heart's content.

I think this volume would be especially appreciated by the first-time Seder host/hostess as Schulman gives you a diagram of what your seder table should look like, the various seder plate items and their meaning, and an excellent reference for kosher wines and liquors (I would also recommend kosher.org as an additional resource).This beautiful holiday will certainly be enhanced by anyone choosing to read and implement the suggestions of this book.

It made my very first seder a hit!
Its a valuable book for anyone preparing for Passover ... Read more

Product Description
From the novice to the seasoned cook, the Jewish holidayof Passover presents a host of culinary challenges. But whether yourgoal is to create a new and distinct feast or to reproduce the beautyand traditions of your grandmother's Seder, Joan Kekst paves the wayin her upcoming book, Passover Cookery: In the Kitchen with JoanKekst.

Cleveland food columnist, lecturer, kosher cooking instructor, andpassionate cook, Kekst wrote her book in response to frequent pleasfor help from those making Passover for the first time. She combinescommon sense, easy to follow instructions, with creative recipes fromher extensive private collection into this indispensableguide. Passover Cookery includes:

Dishes that can be made in advance of the Seder
Interesting foods children will love
Numerous low-fat/low-cholesterol and vegetarian recipe suggestions
Ethnic specialties from Sephardic and Ashkenazic heritage
To help first time Seder makers, and those new to Judaism, Kekst provides easy-to-understand explanations of the holiday, its requirements, customs, unique cooking ingredients, and the symbolic foods of the Seder plate. Her "Countdown to Passover" guide helps busy cooks and their families to organize their holiday preparations into easy steps. Starting six weeks ahead, Kekst outlines a schedule for all the preparations necessary to create a "Kosher for Passover" home and a healthy, tantalizing, and meaningful Seder feast. Recipes accomodate all eight days of the Passover holiday. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

A great cookbook!
I love this cookbook. I have yet to be disappointed in any recipe I have made from it. I gave a copy to my best friend, who cooks all of our passover seders. They always have a large number of people at their seders, and the recipes in this cookbook worked well when doubled or quadrupled.

An excellent addition to your cookbook library!
Reviewer: Norene Gilletz, Kosher cookbook author of "The Food Processor Bible" and "MealLeaniYumm! 800 Fast, Fabulous & Healthy Recipes"

Joan Kekst truly understands that everyone recalls the aroma, nostalgia and 'taste memories' of childhood Passovers with their grandparents. Her user-friendly, comprehensive cookbook helps both the new and experienced cook capture and create traditional Passover flavors. In addition to wonderful recipes, it also contains a complete �Countdown to Passover� guide to help busy cooks and their families organize holiday preparations into easy steps. Kekst includes Sephardic and Ashenazic specialties, dishes that can be made in advance, foods that children will love, and low-fat/low-cholesterol and vegetarian recipe suggestions.

Recipes include Boneless Stuffed Breast of Veal, Potato Knishes with Carmelized Onions, Spinach Moussaka, and Passover Grilled Cheese "Sandwiches." A friend raved about the Chocolate Chip Cookies, giving them the ultimate compliment - "These sure don't taste like Passover!" Passover Cookery is sure to provide many traditional and new food memories.

An excellent addition to your cookbook library!
from Norene Gilletz, author of "The Food Processor Bible" and "MealLeaniYumm! 800 Fast, Fabulous & Healthy Recipes", ...

Joan Kekst truly understands that everyone recalls the aroma and nostalgia of childhood Passovers with their grandparents. Her user-friendly, comprehensive cookbook will help both the new and experienced cook capture and create traditional Passover flavors. It contains a complete "Countdown to Passover" guide to help busy cooks and their families organize holiday preparations into easy steps. Kekst also includes Sephardic and Ashenazic specialties, dishes that can be made in advance, foods that children will love, and low-fat/low-cholesterol and vegetarian recipe suggestions. You'll find delicious recipes for dishes like Passover Grilled Cheese "Sandwiches," Potato Knishes with Caramelized Onions, Boneless Stuffed Breast of Veal, as well as Spinach Moussaka that can be made pareve or dairy. A friend raved about Joan's Chocolate Chip Cookies, giving them the ultimate compliment - "These cookies sure don't taste like Passover!"

For anyone facing the preparation of their first Passover
Joan Kekst is a Cleveland food columnist, lecturer, kosher cooking instructor, and passionate cook who in Passover Cookery has compiled and indispensable guide designed for the novice cook seeking to prepare a memorable Passover dining experience. Every aspect of this Jewish holiday meal is covered including its requirements, customs, unique cooking ingredients, and the symbolic foods of the Seder table. Passover Cookery provides a six week "Countdown to Passover" guide to help busy cooks and families break down their holiday preparations into easy, worry-free steps for each week, resulting in healthy, tantalizing, and meaningful dinners for each of the eight days of this annual celebration. Passover Cookery is a "must" for anyone facing the preparation of their first Passover celebration, and has much of value for even the more experienced Passover kitchen cook.

Excerpted from Fullerton News Tribune 3-29-01
Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family

"Passover Cookery" by Joan Kekst (Five Star Publications $24.95) is no ordinary matzo masquerade on parade. I'll be serving her Chicken Roulade with Scallion Sauce year round. Ditto her New York Style Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse. Her full page on the proper beating of eggs is alone worth the price of the book! (My aunt's lemon sponge cake swelled from nice try to mile high under her tutelage.) "Passover Cookery" is more than a collection of recipes. It's a Passover primer, with equal appeal to mavens and neophytes.Especially helpful are her Six-Week Countdown to Passover and sample menus.A welcome twist are Kekst's low-fat Passover tips. (Low fat? Passover? Think that's an oxymoron?) "If you over-indulge on a one-day holiday, it's not so bad," says Kekst, "but keep that up for a whole week, and you'll get in trouble," so the book features a variety of fruit desserts and sorbets as well as defatting options throughout. I caught up with Kekst as she was preparing for her family's seder (the festive Passover meal) as she has for the last 20 years since her mother-in-law packed away her Passover dishes, pots and pans, put them in Kekst's car and said, "It's your turn from now on."37 family members will attend, but with four out of five of her children local, "I never peel a carrot or dice an apple. They all just fall in and out of my house and do their jobs." ... Read more

Product Description
Over 100 Jewish recipes for macaroons, Passover meals, and other family get-togethers. Amazing flavor for Kosher living.

Sample Recipe: Almond Macaroon and Raspberry Ganache Tart
For CrustMatzo cake meal
1 cup whole almonds (about 5 ounce), toasted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1/4 teaspoon almond extract

For Filling
1 (12 ounce) package frozen unsweetened raspberries, thawed, juices reserved
3 tablespoons seedless raspberry preserves1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted margarine
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped1 tablespoon honey
2 1/2 pint baskets (about) fresh raspberries
Crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9−inch tart pan with removable bottom with heavy−dutyfoil, pressing foil into scalloped sides of pan. Grease foil and dust with matzo cake meal.

Finely grind almonds, sugar , cinnamon and salt in processor.

Add half of beaten egg (about 1 1/2tablespoons; reserve remaining egg for another use) and extract and blend until dough holds together.Using moistened fingertips, press dough over bottom and up sides of prepared pan. Bake crust 10 minutes.

Wrap fingertips with paper towels and gently, but quickly, press puffed crust to original shape.Continue to bake crust until pale golden, about 3 minutes longer. Again, gently press crust to originalshape. Cool crust completely (crust will crisp as it cools). Turn crust out of pan and carefully peel offfoil. Return crust to pan.
Filling: Brush bottom of crust with 1 tablespoon preserves.
Melt margarine in heavy medium saucepan over medium−low heat. Add chocolate and whisk untilmelted and smooth. Remove pan from heat; whisk in 2/3 cup raspberry puree and honey.
Pour chocolate filling into crust; smooth top. Refrigerate tart until filling is firm, at least 3 hours.

Brush filling with 1 tablespoon preserves. Arrange enough berries, side by side, atop filling to covercompletely, pressing berries lightly into preserves to anchor. If desired, stir remaining 1 tablespoonpreserves in small saucepan over low heat until melted. Brush tops of berries with warm preserves toglaze. Refrigerate tart uncovered up to 8 hours before serving.
Tart can be prepared 3 days ahead before decorated with fresh raspberries. Cover and keeprefrigerated.
... Read more