Organic Epicure Wine (and pastrami) flowed at L’Chaim Napa food and wine festival By Alix Wall Aug 10, 2022 The pastrami was plentiful and the wine was flowing on Aug. 7 at the CIA at Copia in Napa, where Congregation Beth Shalom Napa Valley — aka the Synagogue of the Vintners — put on a new iteration of…
Recipe Tahini, silan and dates star in these frozen desserts By Faith Kramer Aug 8, 2022 Tahini and dates give two summer frozen treats a Middle Eastern twist. Tahini and Silan “Ice Cream” is a vegan frozen dessert flavored with earthy sesame seed paste and sweet-tart silan (aka date…
Recipe Kebabs turn paprikash into a perfect grilled summer entree By Faith Kramer Jul 19, 2022 Think of Paprikash Chicken Kebabs as a summer-friendly take on the traditional, paprika-rich braised Hungarian-Jewish dish. This grilled version of chicken paprikash gets its oomph from flavor-packed…
Recipe Kasha varnishkes, Jewish comfort food, gets a summertime upgrade By Faith Kramer Jul 11, 2022 This buckwheat and noodle salad gives a cool, summertime spin to a traditional Eastern European Jewish dish. It works as either a salad or a side dish. An Ashkenazi comfort food, kasha varnishkes (a…
Recipe Start summer with fruit salad and oven-fried ‘everything’ chicken By Faith Kramer Jun 16, 2022 An everything bagel topping makes this summer Shabbat (or anytime) meal fun and tasty, while seasonal fresh fruits add color and zing to the salad. Available at Trader Joe’s and many other grocery,…
Recipe Zesty toppings give flavor boost to grilled lamb and cauliflower By Faith Kramer Jun 9, 2022 Tangy tamarind-tomato sauce puts a Near Eastern spin on grilled cauliflower, and an herb-packed tahini sauce provides a Middle Eastern accent to grilled lamb chops in recipes that get extra flavor…
Recipe Strawberry rhubarb cheesecake for a sweet (and slightly tart) Shavuot By Faith Kramer May 31, 2022 Cheesecakes are traditional for Shavuot (from sunset June 4 to nightfall June 6) because of the holiday’s many associations with dairy foods. Here I’ve combined mini cheesecakes with rhubarb and…
Recipe International Hummus Day: elevate your hummus with these toppings By Faith Kramer May 12, 2022 One of my favorite spring and summer meals is hummus swirled into a bowl and topped with something saucy and delicious. I also like that much of the work can be done in advance. And this is the…
Recipe For Mother’s Day or Lag Ba’Omer, these dishes can’t be beet By Faith Kramer Apr 25, 2022 Turn one can of sliced beets into two delicious dishes for any upcoming spring or summer celebration — or, specifically, for Mother’s Day on May 8 or Lag Ba’Omer on May 19. Use the liquid in the can…
Recipe Passover potato dishes: croquettes, and a twist on khachapuri By Faith Kramer Apr 18, 2022 Potatoes are my go-to solution for family Passover meals. Here I’ve used baked potato as the “crust” of a Pesach interpretation of the traditional Georgian egg and cheese stuffed bread known as…
Recipe Matzah balls bursting with veggies and salmon topped with haroset By Faith Kramer Apr 7, 2022 At holiday dinners, most people look forward to traditional favorites, but I find there is room to tweak the menu to introduce variations and new recipes. So for this Passover, I am adding carrots,…
Our Crowd Honors, comings & goings, opportunities — March 2022 By David A.M. Wilensky Mar 28, 2022 Honors The Tramiel family of Palo Alto was honored March 30 at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum’s 2022 Western Region Tribute event. The late Jack and Helen Tramiel were Holocaust survivors who…
Recipe These Jewish recipes from the early 1900s are just as tasty today By Faith Kramer Mar 21, 2022 Ever wonder what the earliest recipe columns in this newspaper were like? Now that J. and its predecessor publications’ archives have been digitized, I was able to explore what local Jews were…
Small Bites Ottolenghi coming to town; Piroshkis for Ukraine; etc. By Alix Wall Mar 14, 2022 Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky. Galant Food Co. is donating 100 percent of all proceeds from the sales of its Paramount Piroshki through March 25 to…
Recipe A hamantaschen hat trick: tahini, peanut butter, berries By Faith Kramer Mar 10, 2022 Practice makes perfect when it comes to hamantaschen. That’s why I was so pleased to try Chabad of Marin’s wonderful recipe for the triangular cookies this year. Every year, the center’s co-director,…
Small Bites Bagels go brick-and-mortar; new Square Pie shop; etc. By Alix Wall Mar 3, 2022 Food coverage is supported by a generous donation from Susan and Moses Libitzky. In October 2020, we profiled three new bagels worth trying — all made by Jewish bakers, or outlets owned by Jews.…
Recipe Teaming up 2 old favorites: borscht and gefilte fish By Faith Kramer Feb 11, 2022 A leap year on the Hebrew calendar occurs seven times every 19 years, and when it does, an extra month of Adar gets added. Through March 3 we will be in Adar I, and then comes Adar II through April 1…
Recipe A good-luck fish soup for the Jewish leap year By Faith Kramer Feb 1, 2022 Celebrate the current month of Adar I and the coming of Adar II on March 4 — as we are in 5782, a Jewish leap year — with this mellow fish soup with Southeast Asian flavors made from easily…
Recipe A hearty, old-school meal: Pot roast and baked cabbage By Faith Kramer Jan 24, 2022 Winter makes me crave the hearty, full-flavored foods often favored by Eastern European Jews — such as this Paprika Pot Roast in a rich, slightly spicy sauce accompanied by tender Baked Caraway…
Recipe Branch out on Tu B’Shevat with a tree-shaped challah By Faith Kramer Jan 12, 2022 For Tu B’Shevat this year, serve a palm-tree challah — one that you braid yourself rather than using a mold — that’s filled with biblical fruits. The one-day holiday, often called the New Year of…
Recipe The comforting qualities of good ol’ Jewish cholent By Faith Kramer Dec 22, 2021 There is something about this time of year that demands a warm, comforting bowl of that most symbolic of Jewish foods, known variously as cholent, schalet, hamin or adafina. All feature slow-cooked…
Recipe This shakshouka-eggplant mash-up is eggstra special By Faith Kramer Dec 13, 2021 It’s the time of year when I start looking for special breakfast and brunch dishes for family and guests. The idea for this delicious stuffed eggplant dish began from my love of baba ghanoush, baked…
Readers' Choice Readers’ Choice 2021: Books By J. Staff Dec 9, 2021 < Go back to Readers’ Choice 2021 Listings SAN FRANCISCO Green Apple Books (415) 387-2272 • greenapplebooks.com Green Apple Books in San Francisco was founded in 1967 and has grown 10…
Recipe Oil vey: More fried treats to try this Hanukkah By Faith Kramer Nov 29, 2021 A holiday that lasts for eight nights provides plenty of opportunities to experiment with new recipes, including these two — both of which celebrate Hanukkah’s signature moment: the miracle of the…
Recipe Hanukkah preview of ‘52 Shabbats’: brisket, latkes and challah fritters By Faith Kramer Nov 12, 2021 The Hanukkah season is one of delight for young and old. For my children, it was the excitement of lighting the candles, opening gifts, spinning the dreidel and singing songs. For the adults, it was…