Chef Shimi told us how he regularly skipped school to be with his grandmother in her kitchen. He told us how they made kubbah (meat-stuffed dumplings) together. He told us how she gave him an education in spices and a love of feeding people. He told us that she never revealed the secret of his…
Ba’ba tamar are the best treat you’ve probably never had—a thin four inch round cookie made with a crispy, unsweetened dough and a soft, chewy date filling. “Sharon! Your grandmother’s cookies!!” was the excited direct message from our friend Ruth when she saw our Instagram post about the upcoming Sephardic Spice Girls Iraqi Master Bake…
Some of the most precious memories that our good friend Mona has from her childhood are the summers she spent with her grandmother Mamamohtaram in Tehran. Her grandmother lived on the ground floor of a three-story building with high walls and a large garden.Her elder son and his family lived on the middle floor and…
My great-aunts would reminisce about youthful afternoons whiled away at my grandparents home. And all the goodies that would appear from their underground cellar that was filled to the brim with dried dates, nuts, jams, cheeses and other delicacies. My first memory of my grandmother Savta Rosa is at the wedding of her youngest son…
What began as an ode to our mothers and grandmothers has become an important effort to preserve our family recipes and the culinary traditions of the Sephardic and Mizrahi lands for the next generation. Princess Lalla Hasna was the honoree at the Gala called Salute to Morocco: Honoring a Dynasty of Tolerance. The sister of…
When my family and I moved to Los Angeles, I learned to eat the classic American after-school treats—peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and chocolate chip cookies and a tall glass of milk.By I so fondly remember those sunny Casablanca afternoons when my mother and aunt Clara would pick me up from school. My aunt drove…
Nowadays, crispy, golden delicious schnitzel is one of the most popular items in the Israeli kitchen and on restaurant menus. When I was 14 years old, my parents sent my older brother Rafi and I to Israel for our summer vacation. Of course, our Australian summer was smack dab in the middle of Israel’s winter…
Cheese burekas are the perfect package—the short crust pastry has just the right amount of crispy flakiness and the filling combines the rich salty, buttery tang of feta and the sharp, intricate flavor of Parmesan with the comforting creaminess of mashed potato. When Rachel’s husband Neil was eight years old, his maternal grandmother passed away….
Sweet and nutty, this rich, creamy soup has the smooth, airy texture of soufflé. The most surprising thing that happened at our recent Sephardic Spice Girl cooking demonstration at Beth Jacob Congregation? The reaction to our Winter Harvest Squash Soup! We were worried that the audience was getting hungry and restless, so we sent out cups…
Marrakesh was magically transplanted to the beach of Chable Maroma on the Mexican Riviera, with Moroccan lanterns flickering with candlelight setting the scene. The vibe was Old World charm meets New World chic when Rachel and Neil hosted their son’s henna party. Marrakesh was magically transplanted to the beach of Chable Maroma on the Mexican…
Almost 30 years ago, when our friend Yosi was dating his wife Esther, he was amazed that her family in Florida and Brooklyn served the same cookies that his grandmother had baked for him when he was a little boy growing up in Jerusalem.Yosi’s maternal grandmother was born in Aleppo, Syria. When she was a…
If you’ve been to an Israeli restaurant, you’ve seen em’chalala, the pretty pink batons of brined turnip. Once upon a time, in exotic lands far away, our grandmothers and great grandmothers fed their families according to the seasons. The rhythm of life for the Jews of the Middle East and North Africa was dictated by the…
A classic Iraqi dish, kubbah shwandar is a vibrant magenta beet broth with meat-filled semolina dumplings. Rachel and I spend a lot of time talking about food. We reminisce about all the amazing meals we’ve eaten. We make lists of recipes we want to try. We consider what produce is in season and we plan…
Freekeh has a rich, nutty flavor and can be cooked like rice and barley. It makes an excellent addition to soups, stews and pilafs. Move over quinoa. There’s a new grain in the kitchen. Freekeh is the new (rather ancient) grain darling of the foodie scene! Called carmel in ancient Hebrew, it is mentioned in…
For centuries, Sephardic women have soaked almonds and ground them to make almond cakes. Many, many years ago, whenever my grandparents would land at LAX from Sydney, Australia, their first stop was at the Culver City cottage of Trinh Le. Trinh Le was a petite old lady who packed a powerful punch. She was a devout…
Hanukkah is truly the coziest, most joyous time of the year. Artemisia Gentileschi was a famous Baroque artist who lived in the Florence of the Medici and the Rome of the Popes. Her dramatic paintings are filled with heroines from the Bible. But it is the audacious story of Judith, a young widow and unlikely…
While everyone knows that the turkey is the star of the show, every Thanksgiving feast relies on the best supporting actors—delicious side dishes.By The boundless Pacific Ocean filled the horizon beyond the big glass doors. The sun was setting and the sky was perfectly gray and purple and streaked with red. The fireplace crackled with…
Fried fish is very common in the Moroccan kitchen. The Bondi Fish House on Campbell Parade in Bondi Beach has been selling the best fish and chips for longer than I can remember. In February 2020, when I was lucky enough to find myself in Sydney, Australia for my cousin Ari’s wedding, that was my…
The beauty of these delicious little patties is that the herbs and finely chopped onions make a small amount of meat go a long way. Friday afternoons are always the most rushed time of the week for me. It’s all about the last minute preparations for Shabbat. A pit stop at Pavillions for the strawberries…
Reshas are light, crunchy crackers that are twisted into a pretzel shape. Noted Ladino scholar and beloved friend of Neil and the entire Rhodesli community Moshe Lazar explains that the name resha derives from rejas, the Spanish word for ironwork, since the pretzel shapes of the crackers look like the fancy ironwork that adorned many…
There’s no marinating, nothing to sauté. I just sprinkle chicken pieces with paprika, ginger and garlic powder, drizzle some “magic chicken” sauce and bake in the oven. Recently, my middle daughter (and Sephardic Spice Girls photographer) Alexandra Gomperts said to me “I’m so glad that you never fed us chicken nuggets, schnitzel and pasta when…
