There’s never been a better time to be a kosher cook. New products hitting store shelves at dizzying speed continue to offer exciting possibilities for kosher chefs of all skill levels and, even better, there is a bumper crop of kosher cookbooks filled with inspiration, ideas and truly amazing food.
The New Kosher by Kim Kushner is one of the most real cookbooks I have seen in a long time. Kushner, who has developed recipes for Food & Wine and Chile Pepper magazines, has put together a collection of recipes which are not about culinary perfection but about food that comes from the heart and is made with simple ingredients, and that don’t take all day to prepare. Kushner introduces us to dinners in her home, accented not by candlelight and soft music but by bickering kids and ringing phones and meals served on tablecloths that likely sport a stain or two. In short, Kushner is cooking in the real world, which is what makes this book so appealing.
In addition to the typical categories, The New Kosher includes staples that are simultaneously basic and intriguing. Vanilla bean applesauce, with just two ingredients, vanilla and applesauce, is equally at home as a dessert or a condiment. Kushner’s versatile puff pastry twists can be made with savory or sweet fillings, making them the perfect foil to a salad or a hot cup of coffee. Looking to dress up just about any dish? Kushner offers up three fun toppings – spicy maple crumb, sweet crumb and zaatar everything – to give that extra finishing touch to dozens of dishes.
Several recipes really called my name. Simplified ravioli ricotta made with wonton wrappers and filled with ricotta, lemon zest and cinnamon are bathed in a lemon wine sauce. Butternut squash and corn chowder is a great addition to my soup repertoire and making it with frozen corn and squash cubes further minimizes cooking time. Avocado, hearts of palm, edamame and zaatar salad is light and fresh and a welcome change from the usual array of salads that seem to have worn out their welcome. Kushner’s sticky chicky with potatoes (I kid you not) is one of those go-to recipes that doesn’t demand exact measurements, making it a great choice for those times when you need to get that chicken in the oven ASAP. Looking for a light dessert that will close your meal with a “wow” factor? Check out Kushner’s almond granita which can be kicked up a notch by adding in a splash of rum or flavored vodka.
Fun, practical and delicious, The New Kosher is published be Weldon Owen.
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I admit to doing a double take the first time I laid eyes on Kosher Soul Food, a collection of 101 recipes by Sunda Croonquist and Chef Nir Weinblut. Croonquist, a comedian, readily introduces herself as the daughter of a Swedish father, a black mother and a former Catholic school student, which raised alarm bells in my head. But this is indeed a kosher cookbook and in her dedication Croonquist acknowledges the influences of both her grandmother and her mother-in-law, who imbued in her a love of both soul food and kosher cuisine, a unique pairing that results in this one-of-a-kind book.
Croonquist describes her book as “Southern Soul meets Kosher Chutzpah” and her irrepressible personality shines through on just about every page of Kosher Soul Food. It should be noted that there are numerous photographs of Croonquist in the book and she isn’t exactly dressed like a Bais Yaakov girl, and that a miniscule portion of the humor interwoven with the recipes might just be a tiny bit over the line for some. But if you are okay with that, Kosher Soul Food is full of spirit and, better yet, recipes that give kosher cooks a welcome window into Southern cuisine.