Kosher Style
Over 100 Jewish Recipes for the Modern Cook: A Cookbook
- Publisher
- Random House Canada
- Initial publish date
- Sep 2019
- Category
- Jewish & Kosher, History, Essays
-
Hardback
- ISBN
- 9780525609889
- Publish Date
- Sep 2019
- List Price
- $35.00
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Description
For the bubbes and the balabustas, the keepers of Jewish kitchens and the enthusiastic neophytes, comes a cookbook that celebrates how many Jews eat today.
In the Jewish culture, as in many others, bubbes, saftas and nanas are the matriarchs of the kitchen and thus the rulers of the roost. They are culinary giants in quilted polyester muumuus and silk slippers who know how to make the Semitic linchpins cherished from childhood--the kugel, the gefilte fish, the matzah ball soup and the crispy-skinned roasted chicken. They all have their specialties but, of course, they won't be around to feed us forever, and that will be a loss indeed. But it will be an even bigger loss if the recipes we grew up on pass away with them, along with those special connections to our past. That's what prompted Amy Rosen, journalist and cookbook author, to spirit the classic recipes from her grandmothers and other role models into the 21st century. All of the dishes in Kosher Style are inspired by the tables and tales and chutzpah of the North American Jewish experience. They also happen to be kosher.
In this book are all the recipes you need for successful shellfish- and pork-free home entertaining, be it for a Jewish holiday or a workaday dinner. From crave-worthy snacks to family-size salads, soulful mains to show-stopping desserts, all of the recipes are doable in the home kitchen and are clearly marked as either a meat dish, dairy dish, or pareve (neutral). Think: Lacy Latkes & Applesauce, Sour Cream & Onion Potato Knishes, General Tso's Chicken, and Toblerone-Chunk Hamantaschen your family will plotz over. In addition to the classics, Amy has included some of her favorite modern recipes, like a Quinoa-Tofu Bowl with Greens & Green Goddess Dressing, Honey-Harissa Roasted Carrots and a Crisp Cucumber & Radish Salad.
Kosher Style is for anyone who likes to cook and loves to eat, and it's especially for those yearning to create new shared memories around a table brimming with history, loved ones and maple-soy brisket.
About the author
Amy Rosen covers everything from travel to bioterrorism for publications such as enRoute magazine and The Globe and Mail. She has won numerous writing awards including a 2003 award of excellence from the North American Travel Journalists Association. This is her third book and she honestly hopes you use it in good health.
Excerpt: Kosher Style: Over 100 Jewish Recipes for the Modern Cook: A Cookbook (by (author) Amy Rosen)
From the Introduction
Kosher Style is for those who love delicious modern food, travel writing or both. It’s a cookbook with food writing that respects the traditions born in eastern European kitchens, while traveling beyond. Jewish readers will love it for the taste memories they can recreate, while others will be won over by the gorgeous full-color photography.
So why is it called Kosher Style? Excellent question. While dozens of countries host at least a small Jewish population, the global community is concentrated in two areas. Israel and the United States account for 83 percent of the global Jewish population, with about seven million in each. Canada is home to about 500,000 Jews. A chunk of this global population of Jews is kosher, but even more of them are what we call “kosher style.”
“Kosher style” is how many Jews eat today. This can mean dining on a smoked meat sandwich at a non-kosher deli, or eating a slice of sour cream coffee cake after you’ve had steak for dinner. It can mean Chinese food on paper plates in your home, or a lobster dinner eaten out while on vacation. For many, being Jewish tends to be more about culture than kashrut (the practice of keeping kosher), and it can be confusing at the best of times. I’ll get into the rules of kashrut on page 4. But first, let it be known that this book isn’t just for Jews. It’s also for the other 99 percent of the population.
Recent market research studies peg the kosher-food industry as being worth over $17 billion, and the kosher label’s popularity is growing. In 2009, 27 percent of packaged foods had the kosher denotation, but by 2015, it appeared on over 41 percent of packages. It’s not that the world has suddenly gone meshugenah for kosher food. The reasons behind the dramatic uptick are completely nonreligious. Some people buy kosher food because of perceived cleanliness, others owing to dietary restrictions (such as vegetarians) and still others to avoid certain allergens such as shellfish.
In this book are all the recipes you need for successful shellfish- and pork-free home entertaining, be it for a Jewish holiday or a workaday dinner. From crave-worthy snacks to family-size salads, soulful mains to show-stopping desserts, all of the recipes in this book are doable in the home kitchen and are clearly marked as either a meat dish, dairy dish or pareve (neutral). Think: latkes, knishes, General Tso’s chicken and Toblerone-chunk hamantaschen your family will plotz over.
Kosher Style is for anyone who likes to cook and loves to eat, and it’s especially for those yearning to create new shared memories around a table brimming with history, loved ones and maple-soy brisket.
Editorial Reviews
“The traditional Jewish food of my ancestors, full of deeply-layered flavor and hearty preparation, is forever the standard by which all other comfort food is measured. That’s why I am thrilled to add Amy’s Kosher Style to my library. It’s a brilliant homage to what is possibly the tastiest food on earth, with recipes that are more relevant and satisfying than ever before. So eat, eat! I’m certain you’ll savor every bite for many years to come.”
—Gail Simmons, food critic, TV host and author of Bringing It Home: Favorite Recipes from a Life of Adventurous Eating
“Evoking memories of tables past, Amy Rosen has written a joyful cookbook with a modern approach. With her charming, witty style she draws you in—Jewish or not. You will love the stories, the ambience and the perfectly-tested recipes. Egg Cream, anyone?”
—Lucy Waverman, food writer and author of The Flavour Principle
“Amy is a woman after my own nostalgic heart. She means business in the kitchen with her hip spins on delicious Jewish classics. Rooted in the tried-and-true, hand-me-down recipes of her bubbes and nanas, Amy’s warm, imaginative eye catches me at every turn of the page. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack, dinner and dessert! I’d happily eat six meals if Amy’s PB&J bread pudding is on the table.”
—Christina Tosi, CEO, Chef and Founder of Milk Bar
“If this comprehensive cookbook of Jewish lore, Jewish love, Jewish language and even Jewish vegetarian chopped liver had come out when I was a child, I could have avoided the agony of attending Hebrew School. It’s a step-by-step guide to culinary bliss.”
—Alan Richman, James Beard Award–winning food writer
“Amy Rosen not only captures the food and flavor of the Jewish kitchen, she gives voice to the cuisine’s hilarious, frequently delicious soul; one that gives seemingly ordinary dishes a personality worthy of a biblical legend (or a great Seinfeld episode).”
—David Sax, author of Save the Deli
“A smart response to food industry news that more than 40 percent of packaged food in the U.S. now has kosher designation. Whether people are buying it for religious reasons, perceived cleanliness, dietary restrictions, or to avoid allergens like shellfish, kosher cooking is highly crave-worthy. Her collection of nostalgic, bubbe-approved recipes includes latkes, kugel and matzah ball soup, plus her own kosher spins like quinoa-tofu bowls and honey-harissa roast veg.”
—Chatelaine
“For those seeking more culinary chutzpah, James Beard Award-nominated, award-winning journalist Amy Rosen channels the matriarchs of Jewish kitchens to bring you the ultimate collection of knishes, latkes and matzo ball soup.”
—The Globe & Mail
