new york | In 1981, when Mandy Bachrach was in the second grade at the Arie Crown Hebrew Day School in Skokie, Ill., several mothers collected recipes for a school cookbook. There were no photos or frills, just basic directions for brisket, matzah brei and other traditional Jewish foods.
“It was the usual spiral-bound community cookbook with contributors’ names next to their recipes,” says Bachrach, an illustrator and the mother of six children, three of whom attend her alma mater.
After a couple of lapsed attempts at updating the school’s first effort, an administrator posted a notice in its newsletter asking for volunteers to produce a new cookbook.
“I was the only one who responded to the notice,” says Valerie Kanter, a polymer clay artist and the mother of five children, four of whom attend the Arie Crown School.
The school’s staff told her: “The cookbook is your baby. Take over.”
You can’t do this by yourself,” Bachrach told Kanter, a friend who lives nearby. At that moment, “Crowning Elegance: A Kosher Culinary Experience” was conceived, with Kanter as editor and Bachrach as assistant editor.
What makes “Crowning Elegance” different from all other community cookbooks? It’s a coffee-table volume with a real binding and more than 400 glossy pages of sophisticated recipes accompanied by 180 breathtaking photographs.
In a collaborative spirit, each woman brought something “to the table.” Bachrach comes from an Ashkenazi background; Kanter hails from the Syrian Jewish community of Brooklyn. This diversity influenced the range of recipes they chose.
With no publishing house to back them, Kanter and Bachrach managed to produce an upscale cookbook that can compete with any title on the market by drawing on the school’s parent community — professionals in a variety of fields.
With the Jewish New Year approaching, what are Kanter and Bachrach likely to serve?
“Spinach, orange and pomegranate salad is yummy and sweet because the dressing contains honey,” says Kanter. It’s also a colorful, refreshing salad that will brighten your holiday table.
“Even though we’re Ashkenazi, my family loves the Moroccan couscous soup,” says Bachrach. This hearty autumn soup is brimming with chickpeas, vegetables and short ribs. It’s especially warming for Rosh Hashanah this year, which falls in October.
Braised stuffed veal breast is a dish worthy of Rosh Hashanah’s importance; it contains raisins, which like apples and honey symbolize sweetness in the New Year.
A labor of love, “Crowning Elegance” — its title chosen for the Crowns, a prominent Chicago Jewish family for whom the day school is named — has absorbed every spare minute of Kanter and Bachrach’s time since 2002. Juggling several roles, each woman conceived her fifth child while nurturing the cookbook. Since then, Bachrach has given birth to a sixth child.
“Crowning Elegance had our heart and soul for the past three years,’ says Kanter, who like Bachrach, considers the book her child. Launching it with love, they wish their creation a sweet future, the hope of all Jewish people everywhere at this special time of year.
Spinach, Orange and Pomegranate Salad | Serves 8
1 medium pomegranate
2 bunches fresh spinach leaves, coarsely torn, stems discarded (about 8 cups)
2 navel oranges, peeled, pith removed, segments halved
1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
Slice pomegranate in quarters. Remove seeds and set them aside. Place spinach in a large salad bowl. Add oranges, red onion and pomegranate seeds.
Dressing
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
In a small bowl or jar, combine olive oil, red wine vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Drizzle salad with dressing and toss to coat. Serve immediately.
Moroccan Couscous Soup | Serves 8-10
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 onions, chopped
1 lb. short ribs
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 head green cabbage, cut into thirds
1/2 small butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch slices
2 chicken legs and thighs
10 cups water
1 tsp. turmeric
5 Tbs. chicken-soup flavoring
salt and white pepper to taste
1 (10-oz.) pkg. couscous
parsley or cilantro sprigs, optional
In an 8-quart stockpot over medium flame, heat oil, add onions and sauté until translucent. Add short ribs. Turn until browned. Add chickpeas, zucchini, cabbage, squash, carrots, chicken, water, turmeric, chicken-soup flavoring, salt and white pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for 3 to 4 hours. Taste and adjust salt and pepper before serving. Prepare couscous according to package directions. For a hearty soup, place a few tablespoons of couscous in individual soup bowls. Ladle broth with vegetables, meat and chicken on top of couscous. As a main course, place all of the couscous on a large serving platter and spoon vegetables, meat and chicken on top. You may use the broth as a starter on its own with a simple garnish of fresh parsley or cilantro.
Braised Stuffed Veal Breast | Serves 6
2 cups day-old Italian bread cut into 1/2-inch squares
1 cup rice milk
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
4 medium cloves garlic, slivered
1/2 lb. sliced pastrami, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
1/2 cup dark raisins soaked in warm
water to re-hydrate, drained
coarse salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
olive oil for drizzling, plus 2 Tbs.
1 (4-lb.) veal breast. Ask butcher to separate meat from bones. Take home meat and bones.
kitchen twine
4 hard-boiled eggs, shelled
1 cup red wine
1(15-oz.) can tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
Stuffing
In a large bowl, soak bread in rice milk for 5 minutes. Using clean dry hands, squeeze out and discard excess rice milk. Add parsley, garlic, pastrami, pine nuts (if using) and raisins. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil to moisten and mix thoroughly to combine.
Veal
Line counter with one or two 18-inch pieces of plastic wrap. Place veal on plastic wrap. Make a deep slice along side of veal breast, and fan open like a book. Lay another 18-inch piece of plastic wrap on top. Using the smooth side of a mallet, pound veal until it’s about 1/2 inch thick, being careful not to tear veal. Discard top sheet of plastic wrap. Rub surface of veal with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Lift veal and place 3 strands of kitchen twine across plastic wrap. Place veal across twine. Spread stuffing evenly over veal, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Place the eggs lengthwise down the center. Roll up veal jellyroll style, using plastic wrap for support. (Don’t roll plastic into veal. Discard it after veal is rolled.) Tie twine securely around veal. Rinse veal bones. In a large roasting pan, over medium heat, place about 2 Tbs. olive oil. Carefully lift veal roll and place in roasting pan. Sear stuffed veal breast on all sides. Add wine, tomato sauce, water and veal bones. Cover and simmer for 1 hour, turning and basting occasionally. Discard bones before serving.