Jewish Holiday Cooking

the appetizer:

Learn about Jewish cuisine with Jewish Holiday Cooking by Jayne Cohen, including an excerpt on the The Jewish Kitchen plus recipes like Artichoke Soup with Light Herbed Matzoh Balls and Romanian Garlicky Ground Meat Sausages (Carnatzlach) with Sour Pickle Vinaigrette and Roasted Red Peppers.

Jewish Holiday Cooking:
A Food Lover's Treasury
of Classics and Improvisations

by Jayne Cohen

Click to buy Jewish Holiday Cooking

Food is at the center of all Jewish holidays. It is the cuisine that connects people with their past and unites old and new traditions. In Jewish Holiday Cooking: A Food Lover's Treasury of Classics and Improvisations, Jayne Cohen provides an indispensable how-to guide for celebrating and cooking for Shabbat, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Hanukkah, Purim, Passover, and Shavuot.

With nearly 300 recipes, those accustomed to preparing the cuisine and those just starting out will find both excellent renditions of well-loved classics and a wealth of imaginative improvisations for each holiday. Alongside familiar recipes for Matzoh Ball Soup, Potato Latkes, and Brisket, Cohen offers fresh new alternatives including Artichoke Soup with Herbed Matzoh Balls, irresistible New Mexican Sweet Potato Latkes with Lime-Sour Cream Sauce and succulent Brisket Braised in Pomegranate Juice with Onion Confit and Pomegranate Seeds, as well as Sephardi treats like Falafel-Crusted Sole, Zucchini Fritada, Iranian Grilled Chicken Thighs with Sumac, and Bene Israel Kheer (Indian Jewish Rice Pudding).

Organized by Jewish holidays, the book includes menus tailored to each occasion complemented by practical advice and creative suggestions on everything from setting a Seder table with ritual objects to accommodating vegan relatives. Cohen's contemporary takes on classic dishes are sure to be passed down for generations.

But holidays are about much more than food, and Jewish Holiday Cooking is about more than just recipes. Cohen has an impressive flair for storytelling, and weaves her recipes together with a complete history of each Jewish holiday and captivating personal recollections. Mining the treasury of Jewish literature and lore, Cohen links the cuisine closely with community, tradition, and culture. She explains, for instance, how eating a new fruit on Rosh Hashanah, the birthday of the world, invites us to participate in the newness of creation. Reflecting on the symbolism and origins of Jewish foods, Cohen pays tribute to deep-rooted customs while simultaneously celebrating the rethinking and renewing that are also an essential part of the rich Jewish tradition.

If you're planning a holiday dinner or simply want to learn more about the fascinating stories behind this distinctively delicious cuisine, Jewish Holiday Cooking provides a feast for the mind as well as the palate.

For Passover, Jewish Holiday Cooking offers:

Tips for planning the Passover seder, from preparation of the seder plate to the rituals and their significance and symbolism to incorporating new traditions creatively
Nine different Passover menus, plus tips for introducing new foods into your traditional menu
Shared history that brings the ancient narrative of exodus to life with modern parallels to stories of oppression, civil rights, and freedom
A complete guide to answering the often-confusing question of what is "kosher-for-Passover"
Suggestions for making Matzoh into a delicious flatbread with garlic, rosemary, and other seasonings, plus recipes for 6 variations on Matzoh Brie, Smoked Whitefish Gefilte Fish with Lemon-Horseradish Sauce, and 5 varieties of macaroons, including Toasted Cashew-Cranberry and Pistachio-Ginger

About the Author

Jayne Cohen is the author of one previous book on Jewish cooking and celebrations, The Gefilte Variations, and the coauthor of another, The Ultimate Bar/Bat Mitzvah Celebration Book. She has written about food for Bon Apphit, Gourmet, Food and Wine, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times, The Boston Globe, and Newsday, and has been lauded in numerous food publications for her improvisational twists on traditional Jewish recipes. Cohen lives in Greenwich Village with her husband, and their daughter Alexandra returns home to cook at every holiday. Jayne can be found online at www.jewishholidaycooking.com.