Jewish cooking .. ever want to try making?

[Gifted Gourmet]

the SF Gate article which made me think about this topic

In the reading of eGullet these days, there is most definitely an increasing interest in learning to do all manner of ethnic cuisines ...

This made the reading of this particular article from San Francisco Gate even more appealing as a means of answering my question: even if you are not Jewish, have you ever wanted to learn something about the cuisine?

or, even if you are Jewish and had no traditional cooking at home growing up .. as I did! ... do you ever wish you knew how to make a matzo ball? a knish? a blintze? maybe even a kugel?

I would love to hear from you!

[tejon]

No Jewish heritage here, but I've always found something very comforting about the dishes I have encountered. Besides, what's not to love about a well made knish? Mmmmmm

[CompassRose]

Oh, yes! I have a real thing for Jewish cookbooks and cooking. I s'pose that's probably because though not Jewish, I am mostly of Eastern European descent, so all the traditional foods of Eastern European Jews "taste like home" to me.

(I remember when I had nothing but variations on egg matzoh for breakfast for, oh, at least a month. And kugels! Oo, kugels are SO yummy!)

I love, too, that Jewish cookbooks, much more so than other cookbooks, are as much about the people, and the whys and wherefores, as the food. There are lots of good cultural and historical reasons for this, of course... Since cookbooks are for readin' in my house, that's an extra added bonus.

[Carrot Top]

Nice article...thank you.

My favorite line was "Now we'll use some butter, because...why not?"

[Squeat Mungry]

I'm a total goy-boy, but have had a long-time interest in Jewish cooking, and Jewish culture and the Jewish faith in general. (I can even read biblical Hebrew, though not exceptionally well.) A quest for non-mushy latkes is actually how I found eGullet!

bloviatrix has been a tremendous resource for me via her generous PMs in response to my specific inquiries, in addition to her eloquent and informative posts in the forums. I'm very grateful to her.

A couple of other resources that have been helpful to me:

Joan Nathan's Jewish Cooking in America. I actually haven't bought this book yet, but it is at the top of my list. I have had it from the library several times and it is very useful.

A dear friend in Columbus, Ohio (may she be written in the book!) sent me a delightful book called The Rogue's Guide to the Jewish Kitchen, by Daniel Rogov, David Gershon and David Louison -- a Russian, a New Yorker and an Israeli (I don't know which is which) who put together a bunch of recipes and stories in the mid-80s. She also sends me recipe clippings from the Columbus newspaper! Yeah, Shira!

Gifted, thanks for the great topic, and for linking the article. I just adore the Chronicle's Rent-a-Grandma series. Brilliant!

Cheers,

Squeat

[bloviatrix]

I strongly suggest for anyone interested in getting an good overview of Jewish Cooking that you take a look at Claudia Roden's The Book of Jewish Food.

[chile_peppa]

There's not a drop of Jewish ancestry in my United Nations of a family, but I like Jewish food a lot (well, ok, there's not much I don't eat). I make a pretty good latke and a brisket like the one in the article, and I haul myself down to Manny's now and then for a matzoh ball. I'd like to learn how to make those, but I don't have a Jewish grandma who could help me learn how to gauge the correct lightness of hand needed.

I like the idea of rent-a-grandma for adults. What better way to learn how to cook than in your grandma's kitchen?

[Pan]

Squeat, Daniel Rogov is the Israeli in that group. He's well known in Israel as food critic for Haaretz, and is also a member of eGullet.

[elrap]

I'd like to recommend From My Mother's Kitchen by Mimi Sheraton. Best modern Jewish cookbook I've run into. Bought a copy for my father & he actually uses it now and then.

There was a book by Jennie Grossinger that was supposed to be very good - maybe on the web somewhere. . .

Have fun,

--L. Rap

[Carolyn Tillie]

I have always wanted a good, authentic recipe for chopped liver -- and people usually look at me silly when I ask for a good chopped liver recipe...

[Squeat Mungry]

I strongly suggest for anyone interested in getting an good overview of Jewish Cooking that you take a look at Claudia Roden's The Book of Jewish Food.

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Thanks, bloviatrix! I just bought this and the Joan Nathan book on eBay.

Squeat, Daniel Rogov is the Israeli in that group. He's well known in Israel as food critic for Haaretz, and is also a member of eGullet.

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Thanks, Pan. I thought the name was familiar, but I hadn't made the connection.

Squeat

[melkor]

I have always wanted a good, authentic recipe for chopped liver -- and people usually look at me silly when I ask for a good chopped liver recipe...

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That's not why they are looking at ya funny

Chopped liver is usually made with schmaltz, chicken livers, and some onion. Cook some onion in schmaltz, once its translucent add the livers, cook them completely through, add some more schmaltz, puree in a food processor.

[Susan G]

Yup, add me to the list of folks saying they have no heritage, but have found a love for the food.

I'm an uber-WASP, and how I love my bagels and lox, the take-out matzoh ball soup, the honey cakes this time of year!

Thanks to all who have given recommendations for great cookbooks.........

[rosebud]

I am another gentile who was introduced to "Jewish" food by some of my coworkers in Beverly Hills, low these many years ago. They took me to "Linny's" and everybody ordered the greplach (sp?), except for me who ordered the mazto ball soup simply because I had heard of it but had never eaten it. I then learned to LOVE greplach, and have never had any as good as that at Linny's.

I have never made matzo ball soup from scratch, but remembered a tip one of the girls gave me: when you mix it up, the longer you keep it in the 'fridge, the "fluffier" it will be. Years later, I learned that there was a dispute between those who liked their matzo balls "dense" as opposed to "fluffy." I come down squarely on the fluffy side.

As strange as it may seem for a Catholic girl (non-practicing), I get the urge to make matzo ball soup and potato latkes whenever Hannukah rolls around.

Go figure.

[jess mebane]

I'd love to know anything at all about Kosher cuisine. Always been too embarrassed to ask what everything was; is there a short glossary of dishes, ingredients, etc., somewhere?

[irodguy]

There's not a drop of Jewish ancestry in my United Nations of a family, but I like Jewish food a lot (well, ok, there's not much I don't eat). I make a pretty good latke and a brisket like the one in the article, and I haul myself down to Manny's now and then for a matzoh ball. I'd like to learn how to make those, but I don't have a Jewish grandma who could help me learn how to gauge the correct lightness of hand needed.

I like the idea of rent-a-grandma for adults. What better way to learn how to cook than in your grandma's kitchen?

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Hmm let's see you missed the extreme cheek pinching All though my grandmother did teach me to make both Matzo Balls and Gefilte fish from scratch, other than that she generally boiled things until they were about 5 steps past dead.

[KatieLoeb]

That's not why they are looking at ya funny 

Chopped liver is usually made with schmaltz, chicken livers, and some onion.  Cook some onion in schmaltz, once its translucent add the livers, cook them completely through, add some more schmaltz, puree in a food processor.

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You forgot the chopped hard boiled egg! Gotta have some egg in it or it isn't proper chopped liver.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I'd love to know anything at all about Kosher cuisine.  Always been too embarrassed to ask what everything was; is there a short glossary of dishes, ingredients, etc., somewhere?

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http://www.jewishfood-list.com

http://www.koshercooking.com/hot.html

http://www.kashrut.com/recipes/

http://www.empirekosher.com/pages/recipes.php click on the drop-down menu list .... millions!

[Stone]

My mom's recipe for chopped liver is on this thread. She uses calves liver, not chicken liver. Which could explain why I like hers, and pretty much no one else's.

[Daniel Rogov]

With all due respect to the SF gate (which in truth I do not know) and to Claudia Roden (for whom I have enormous respect), let me call to mind that the issue here is not at all "Jewish food" but the food of those Jews who originated in the shtetls (small and generally poor peasant villages) and cities of Central and Eastern Europe.

Giving dishes such as gefilte fish, cholent (with or without kishke), kugel, tzimmis and pirogen, sweet and sour beef stew and knishes an exclusivity as to claims on representing the Jewish kitchen is to ignore the fact that those Jews of Sepharadic origin had a very different but no less "Jewish" cuisine. To such Jews their "Jewish kitchen" does not smell of gefilte fish but of sicj treats sd chraime, couscous, fattoush (bread salad), sardines wrapped in vine leaves, Circassian chicken, sambusak, shisliks and kebabs.

None of which of course is to "knock" that kitchen that has come to be associated with Yiddish. I'm am absolute sucker for it and no matter how large the first portion, will never refuse a second helping of cholent (with kishke, dammit, with!!!)But then again, who would I be if I refused a second portion of couscous royale?

Best,

Rogov

Edited September 25, 2004 by Daniel Rogov (log)

[markk]

I have always wanted a good, authentic recipe for chopped liver -- and people usually look at me silly when I ask for a good chopped liver recipe...

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I used to make it with my mother, in the 50's and 60's, all the time. Here's how we did it:

Sautee some pretty finely chopped onions in some vegetable oil until they start to caramelize - the sweet taste of the caramelized onions was crucial part of the taste for us. Then add a bunch of chicken livers and sautee until cooked through and crumbly. Of course, you'll want to season to taste with salt and pepper.

In the meantime, you'll want to have hard-boiled a couple of eggs.

Also crucial was that you chop everything in a wooden bowl with one of those hand-held double-bladed choppers. I was too young to sautee things, but my mother would dump everything into the chopping bowl (the slightly cooled liver and onions from the pan, and the peeled hard-boiled eggs) and I'd do the rest. You just chop and chop until all of a sudden it looks like the chopped liver you always dreamed of. Hope this helps.

[rlibkind]

me, you'll want to have hard-boiled a couple of eggs.

Also crucial was that you chop everything in a wooden bowl with one of those hand-held double-bladed choppers. . . .You just chop and chop until all of a sudden it looks like the chopped liver you always dreamed of.  Hope this helps.

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I go with Markk's suggestion. But by no means use a food processor. It will make pate, but that's not chopped liver. For chopped liver, you've got to chop. If you are making seriously large quantities, a meat grinder, with the coarsest blade, is acceptable.

[markk]

my question: even if you are not Jewish, have you ever wanted to learn something about the cuisine?

or, even if you are Jewish and had no traditional cooking at home growing up .. as I did!    ... do you ever wish you knew how to make a matzo ball? a knish? a blintze? maybe even a kugel? 

I would love to hear from you!

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OY! You left out a whole category of people. What's the matter with those people who are Jewish and grew up eating the traditional foods as a matter of daily routine, but never learned how to cook many of them, and now, many years later, long for the dishes they ate as kids? To me, stuffed cabbage, latkes, and chicken soup with kreplach are "comfort food". What's the matter, we cant want to know how to make that food as well?

My grandmother did the serious cooking. My mother hated to cook and mostly dropped the frozen steaks into simmering water at dinnertime as well. The only Jewish thing she made at home was the chopped liver I've referred to elsewhere in this thread. Other than that, we'd go to eat everything Jewish at her mother's house, wherupon Grandma Ethel would send home with us in jars enough foods that she had cooked up and saved for us so that there were at least two or three nights a week that we didn't have to eat my mother's "cooking", if you will.

And now, the photo of my recent flanken at Wolfie Cohen's Rascal House in Miami Beach - taken unfortunately, after the kreplach were devoured. This was just how Grandma Ethel used to make it, and for anybody craving all these foods, a trip to Rascal House should be your very next order of business. They make it all, and they make it well.

[Gifted Gourmet]

I go with Markk's suggestion. But by no means use a food processor. It will make pate, but that's not chopped liver.  

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Have to still go with markk's mezzaluna ... no meat grinder here! Thanks for the great chopped liver input! Too bad it is still Yom Kippur for the next hour ... can actually taste the stuff, albeit virtually!

[Gifted Gourmet]

OY!  You left out a whole category of people.  What's the matter with those people who are Jewish and grew up eating the traditional foods as a matter of daily routine, but never learned how to cook many of them, and now, many years later, long for the dishes they ate as kids?  To me, stuffed cabbage, latkes, and chicken soup with kreplach are "comfort food".  What's the matter, we cant want to know how to make that food as well?

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Not about leaving anyone out ... in my zeal to be so very politically correct and "inclusive", I made my title reflect the all embracing love of Jewish culinary arts, markk ...

and I did not grow up with these foods but the guy I married did and I tried to "recreate" his grandmother's home .. in so doing, I surprised even myself! And what a pleasure it has been to stuff my kishkes with all manner of Judaic eastern European nosherai!

Thanks for your great posts and the flanken picture ... but, alas, missing the ever essential kreplach! I once spent an entire day learning the proper way to make kreplach only to have them "wolfied down" in a few moments of rapturous gluttony ...