These are traditional at Shavuot, which happily occurs when cherries are in season. Instead of using canned cherries, stew a pound of fresh cherries in 1 cup water and sugar…
Browsing Cuisine: Jewish
Creamed Beets
This Polish dairy dish is a very suitable main course for Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks.
Dried Fruit Compote
Any combination of dried fruits can be used, and the spicing varied to taste. Don’t cook compote in an aluminum pan; the acid in the fruits will react with the…
Iced Poppyseed Roll
This is a good cake to have on hand to serve unexpected visitors. Prune or nut filling can be substituted for poppyseed, if desired; for instructions on making the filling…
Herbed Lentil Stew
Was this lentil stew the “mess of pottage” for which Esau sold his birthright? It is a typical Middle Eastern stew, this time from Lebanese Jews. It is a one-pot…
Indian Stewed Chicken
The Beni Israel of Bombay usually serve this chicken with the deep-fried potatoes known as Aloo Makalla, though it is equally delicious with rice. Garam masala is a curry mix…
Kurdish Kibbeh
Kibbeh is another kind of meatball, cooked inside a shell of cracked wheat or bulgur, partially cooked cracked wheat. Kibbeh is eaten in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Kurdistan. What makes…
Noodles with Nuts
Believe it or not, this is a breakfast dish! I saw it on the breakfast menu of a Hungarian restaurant in Jerusalem and was shocked. For those with conservative breakfast…
Passover Matzo-Layer Cake
This simple recipe, which seems to be an Israeli invention, is easy enough for a child to make and incredibly delicious.
Passover Cinnamon Cookies
These cookies are very simple, but so delicious it is surprising they are not better known. The stiffness of the cookie dough will depend on the amount of egg white…
Passover Tongue with Sweet and Sour Sauce
This is another classic Polish dish, adapted here for Passover. At other times of the year, cookies made with honey and black pepper would be crumbled into the sauce instead…
Jewish Apple Strudel
Strudel is so inextricably linked with Jews in most people’s minds that I have included it here. Jewish cooks did indeed bake strudel frequently in the days of the Austro-Hungarian…
Chicken Stuffed with Orange
This is another Israeli favorite for festive occasions and Friday nights.
Mandelbrod
These zweiback-style cookies, called komishbrod, were introduced into Eastern Europe from the south–probably from southern Italy, where an almost identical cookie, biscotta alia mandarla, is popular. It is equally possible,…
Persian Purim Halva
The halva in the Middle East is a mixture of ground sesame seeds, almonds, or even peanuts and honey; it is best made commercially in huge blocks. This dessert from…
Sabbath Kugel
No Sabbath midday meal in Poland or Russia was complete without a kugel. The very slow cooking of this type of pudding turns the starch into dextrin, giving it a…
Sephardic Sabbath Rice
This savory baked rice pudding would be cooked like a kugei along with the Sabbath stew. It is kosher for Passover for Sephardic Jews only.
Halibut Steaks with Fish Liver Dumplings
Fish liver can be bought from good fish merchants, but should be ordered in advance. This is another popular Friday evening entree.