When it comes to Jewish holidays, everyone looks forward to the large spread of food which graces holiday tables. Yet, prior to eating the delicious array of delicacies, another spread appears: a large spread of cookbooks covering the kitchen counter. The notebook scribbles, post-it note marked recipes, and piles of barely recognizable books, are sure signs that a Jewish holiday is approaching.
If you’re tired of the effort it takes to piece together recipes from many different cookbooks for one holiday meal, cookbook writers Joshua Korn, Scott Gilden and Kimberly Zerkel provide a solution with their brand-new cookbook Jewish Holiday Cooking. This cookbook brings together all your holiday favorites in one easy to access collection. Whether you are looking for recipes for Shabbat, Hanukkah, Passover, or any of the other food famous Jewish holidays, this cookbook has you covered. Not only does it set you up with a main dish, but it details instructions for side dishes, vegetables, and desserts for each holiday as well.
Unlike other cookbooks which frequently organize the table of contents by type of food, separating an appetizer section from a vegetable section from a dessert section, Jewish Holiday Cooking is organized largely by holiday, with additional sections at the end for bread and beverages. With many recipes filling each section, it has never been easier to plan a holiday menu, while simultaneously still mixing and matching recipes to create the perfect menu for your unique table. Feel like trying something new this Hanukkah? Jewish Holiday Cooking provides alternative options to donuts and latkes, such as Keftes De Espinaca, a vegetarian take on a pan fried concept popular in Sephardic Jewish communities.
Although the straight forwardness of the cookbook makes it very easy to follow, and the instructions are laid out simplistically with the specific cooking length and yield, ingredient list, and numbered cooking instructions, at times the cookbook can feel a bit underwhelming. The very mini-introductive narratives that precede each recipe bring up more questions than answers. I was often left wondering why a recipe was created for a specific holiday, or where a recipe originated. While some recipes, such as Oshi Bakhsh reveal that it is “considered the most recognizable dish of Bukharian Jewish cuisine,” other recipes with specific country roots, such as Concia, leave out that information. This is not a cookbook meant to be read for stories—but if you’re looking to get right in the kitchen and start cooking, then this cookbook makes the perfect guide.
Accompanying many, but not all the recipes in the cookbook are stunningly detailed photographs. Though it can be confusing at times to match photos with recipes since they are not always right next to each other, the up-close views of each ingredient that comes together to create a dish, more than makes up for it. For instance, the vivid imagery of each speck of white vinegar, ground black pepper, cumin, and crumbles of cilantro leaves makes you feel as if the dish is right in front of your eyes. The drizzled sauce over White Wine-Braised Leeks practically summons you to try the recipe. A two-page image following the table of contents, depicts elegant food half-eaten, allowing readers a seat right at the table.
Jewish Holiday Cooking takes the stress out of holiday planning and simply leaves you with the joy of geographically diverse dishes and flavors. So pick up the cookbook, enjoy selecting which recipes to make, and get excited for the next Jewish holiday—it will be here before you know..
Recipes and photos courtesy of Cider Mill Press Book Publishers LLC
