Happy New Dishes Every year my mother reminds us of the rules that she learned at the table with her grandfather Yosef Chai—that we wear white, that we greet each other cheerfully and that we be especially careful not to break anything. Photos by Alexandra Gomperts Every Rosh Hashanah, my mother, my daughters and I…
Tomatoes: A Summer Romance We can’t imagine anything more perfect than tomatoes to eat on these hot summer days, so we thought we’d share our all time best tomato salad recipes. Fresh, juicy, grassy, aromatic tomatoes are abundant and at their peak right now. So many different varieties—Roma, plum, heirloom. So many different colors—red, yellow,…
One of my favorite recipes is this Spectacular Summer Semolina Cake, a great way to incorporate the flavor of peaches (and to use up all the ripe peaches in my home). A favorite summer ritual, as a young married couple, was to pick up a peach pie from Marie Callender’s, a famous Los Angeles pie…
Rachel and I have been inspired to become mixologists and make Gazoz for our social gatherings, only we add a bit of liquor to add to the fun! When we went back to visit Israel in September 1973, everything was different from what I knew of life in Sydney, Australia. The change from the soft…
We share Rachel’s Arroz con Leche recipe, but encourage you to make it your own. This dessert lends itself to many and any add ins. Arroz con leche recipe 1 cup Aborio or other short grain rice1 cup water2-4 slices of lemon rind2 star anise or 1 cinnamon stick4 cups whole milk1/4 cup sugar (or…
The spices that are featured in this Thai vegetable curry—turmeric, cumin, paprika, cinnamon and ginger—are common to the Sephardic kitchen. This is just that recipe that we go back to time after time, year after year. This is just that recipe that doesn’t require a lot of thinking. This is that recipe that is a…
Fresh figs are a deliciously romantic addition to desserts, cheese boards, tarts and salads. Lovely and luscious, figs are one of those ephemeral delights of the summer, only in season from June to October. With their dark and dusky, soft velvety skin, their honey-sweet, berry-flavored, silky pink flesh filled with tiny seeds, their syrupy nectar…
We were inspired to take our grandmother’s baba ghanoush recipe and give it a flavor makeover. Eggplant journeyed from its origins in India and Sri Lanka to China, where there is mention of this plump and glossy vegetable as early as the 5th century. From there, eggplant embedded itself In the culinary repertoire of the…
We Jews love our brisket. But there are some amazing butchers that provide the kosher consumer with cuts of meat from the rear half of the cow. Can there be a Jewish holy day or Friday night dinner without a brisket? It’s the quintessential cut of meat that’s great for a crowd, perfect for leaving…
Kubbah is the crowning glory of Iraqi cuisine and there are many different kinds. There were days when she’d take my brother Rafi and I for a swim in the crystalline blue waves of Bondi Beach. Afterwards, she would buy us Heart ice creams, crispy chocolate coated vanilla ice cream popsicles in the shape of,…
The beauty of a quiche for brunch or any meal, is that it can be prepared ahead of time and then reheated quickly. Mother’s Day, 2003 was a typically bright, beautiful Southern California day. The perfect balmy weather to host my mother, mother in law, my husband’s aunt Barbie, our good friend Louise and other…
Every community has different traditions surrounding the Mikvah, but I really loved this Syrian Mikvah ceremony because it included everyone. On the morning of my son Sam’s wedding in Cancun, all the female guests woke up bright and early and dressed in white to accompany Estrella, his beautiful bride to the mikvah. We drove away…
Garlic is an indispensable ingredient in practically every recipe in every cuisine. The day before his bar mitzvah, my brother Rafi had a high fever. To add to the drama of the situation, my uncle Ben’s wedding was mere hours away. My family, including my grandparents, had flown all the way from Sydney, Australia to…
There is nothing more heavenly than the wonderful smell and taste of freshly baked challah. We will be watching Shtissel. We will probably be frying schnitzel. And, on social media, we’ll be keeping a keen eye out for all the fabulous Shlissel Challahs. This first Shabbat after Passover is known as “Shlissel Shabbos.” Shlissel is…
Passover is often referred to as Hag HaMatzot (the feast of unleavened bread) and matzo, the bread of affliction, is definitely the star of this holiday. The prohibition against eating chametz has us cleaning our homes and ridding our kitchens of anything and everything that contains grain, from alcohol to vinegar, from cereal to cakes,…
When Vivian met Nik she was charmed by his Irish accent and was amazed to find out that there were Irish Jews. Jewish history in Ireland began over a thousand years ago, when five Jews brought a gift to Toirdelbach, the king of Munster, but they were soon sent back to where they came from….
Two months after I started to date my future husband, I asked him, “Am I more Israeli, Australian or American?” His answer surprised me. “You’re more Iraqi.” My parents were born in Iraq but they met and married in Israel, where my older brother, Rafi, and I were born. My mother’s family moved to Australia…
One of the greatest treasures I possessed as a child was a brightly colored book called Bible Stories for Jewish children. It faithfully recounted every Parsha of the five Books of Moses. And I faithfully read each story from the Torah over and over. The illustrations by Laszlo Matulay were captivating and distilled the essence…
While the rest of the world anxiously awaits the end of 2020, the Jewish people are saying goodbye to 5780 and looking forward to a healthy and happy, peaceful and prosperous New Year. Nothing gladdens the heart more than a deliciously sweet treat. We baked these in the hope that they portend a year of…
Rachel’s Family Arroz Con Pollo Recipe 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided1 3 1/2-4lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces1 large onion, diced2 garlic cloves, finely diced1 cup finely sliced celery2 medium carrots, diced1 medium zucchini, diced1 red or yellow bell pepper, sliced1 cup long grain rice, rinsed and drained1 1/2 cups saffron water (or 1 teaspoon…
