Jewish cookbook author and longtime food editor of the London Jewish Chronicle Evelyn Rose (z”l) was writing about Jewish cooking and food decades before bloggers came onto the scene, before competitive televised cooking and before the fetishizing of food. Her daughter, Judi Rose, took all of those recipes (thousands, according to the publisher) and narrowed them down to the 100 their family liked the most.
“100 Best Jewish Recipes” is full of true kosher classics, hailing from Jewish communities all over the world. You’re not going to see any modern fads sprinkled through the pages, but plenty of comforting, haimish dishes.
One of the things I appreciate about the “oh-man-it’s-almost-Shabbat” style of cooking is the commitment to preparing meals in advance. This book’s secret sauce is its handy notes on what can be made ahead of time, what can be frozen and how long things keep.
My children have long deemed meatballs acceptable forms of protein, and of course rice is a no-brainer, so these are the recipes I tested. They turned out great, and everyone ate dinner. May you find many of your own successes in “100 Best Jewish Recipes: Traditional and Contemporary Kosher Cuisine from Around the World” by Evelyn Rose with Judi Rose (Interlink).
Albondigas Al Buyor Greek-Jewish Meatballs in a Sweet-and-Sour Sauce
Serves 4
For the meatballs:
2 large eggs
1 slice white or brown bread, 1-inch thick, torn into pieces
½ small onion, quartered
½ tsp. salt
7 grinds black pepper
1½ tsps. dark soy sauce
1 large sprig parsley
1½ lbs. ground beef
1 Tbs. flour with pinch of salt and pepper
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
For the sauce:
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tsp. salt
10 grinds black pepper
3 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 Tbs. lemon juice
½ cup tomato paste diluted with 1 cup water
For the meatballs, mix the eggs, torn bread, onion, salt, pepper, soy sauce and parsley in a food processor for 30 seconds, or until smooth. Transfer the egg mixture to a bowl and mix in the raw meat with a fork until smoothly blended. Set aside for 30 minutes. With wet hands, shape the mixture into patties or balls.
Put the seasoned flour on a plate, and dip each ball into it. Shake off excess flour. Heat oil in a heavy frying pan until very hot. Place meatballs in pan and fry until a rich brown color on both sides. Do this in batches so as not to crowd. Transfer to a casserole or saucepan using slotted spoon. Remove any burned bits from oil.
For the sauce, using the same pan and the same oil, sauté onion till golden. Add remaining sauce ingredients and simmer 5 minutes. Pour sauce over meatballs in casserole/saucepan. Cover. Simmer on stovetop 30 minutes over low heat, or bake in a 300-degree oven for 45 minutes.
Simple Rice Pilaf
Serves 6
1¾ cups basmati rice
3 Tbs. oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cups (scant) hot chicken stock
2 tsp. salt
15 grinds black pepper
Rinse rice in a sieve under cold water till water runs clear. Heat oil in a heavy saucepan and cook onion 5 minutes until soft and golden. Add rice and stir for 3 minutes. Stir in hot stock, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover pan tightly and cook over low heat for 20 minutes or in the oven at 400 degrees. Fluff rice before serving.
Josie A.G. Shapiro won the 2013 Man-O Manischewitz Cook-Off, is the co-author of “The Lazy Gourmet” and works at the JCC of San Francisco. Her columns alternate with those of Faith Kramer. Her website is www.thechickencontests.com.