Harissa is a hot, spicy, aromatic chili pepper paste that is indispensable in the North African kitchen. Many, many years ago, a tiny little woman called Trinh Le changed my life. The first time, I was picking up my grandparents from her home after their acupuncture appointment. She took one look at me and said…
Whether you call it babka, “ugat sh’marim” or by its modern Israeli name “crunch,” this is a truly easy and brilliant dessert for busy Jewish cooks the world over. It was Israel in the 1970’s. I was nine years old and we were visiting my maternal grandparents, as well as my many aunts and uncles…
Grapevine leaves are the perfect festive food. A food that requires the luxury of time. The preparation, research and publication of this article was made possible by a grant from the Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture. My grandmother Nana Aziza had a generous heart and a nurturing spirit. She lived her life recreating the warmth and beauty of her…
Soft and fluffy, light and airy, there’s something special about sponge cakes. They bring back feelings of home and memories from a time long gone. Soft and fluffy, light and airy, there’s something special about sponge cakes. They bring back feelings of home and memories from a time long gone. A classic dessert, sponge cake…
This red cabbage and fennel slaw has a truly festive feel, with its ingredient list of fresh pomegranate, crispy apple and nutty, earthy pistachios. They say hindsight is 20/20 and when I look back at my life, I’m amazed by all the people, famous and not so famous, I’ve met. In 1980’s Los Angeles, my…
Our sincerest wishes for a sweet, happy, healthy, and most peaceful New Year. About 15 years ago, I was on a visit to Israel and staying at my aunt Daisy’s home in Ramat Gan. On motzai Shabbat (Saturday night), there was a gentle knock at the door. I went to open the door with Shevy, my…
May our homes always be filled with the sweet, fragrant aroma of freshly baked Challah. When my beloved grandmother Nana Aziza passed away, my grandfather Aba Naji was 90 years old. Although he was sad and bereft, he was determined to write his memoir. Every day, he and I sat with a hot cup of…
This cake is perfect for Rosh Hashanah and any special occasion. Writing this recipe made an old childhood memory pop up. I hadn’t thought about it in a million years. Perhaps it entered my consciousness because in a few weeks Beverly Hills High School will be hosting my 40th reunion. (I’m still undecided about going.)…
Tamarind is an indispensable ingredient in the kitchen, lending dishes a sweet and sour complexity. When my children were little, the only way they would eat chicken was when I cooked it with a barbecue sauce. And they loved it when I would spoon the sweet mesquite flavored juices over the rice. Nowadays, on Friday…
Sambusak make a truly nutritious snack that are just perfect for hectic school mornings. Despite its Aboriginal name, Kirrawee was a very white, very Christian neighborhood. A sleepy, leafy green, idyllic suburb in the southern reaches of Sydney. If there were any Jews there, we didn’t know them. There were certainly no Iraqi Jews besides…
With tomatoes and cucumbers at the peak of freshness, Rachel and I wanted to share some enticing and bright summer salad recipes. I’m writing this from New York City. I’m here with my daughters Gabriella and Alexandra, “helping” them move into their respective dorm rooms at Yeshiva University. We’re having a great time dining, shopping…
In honor of Tu B’Av, we are presenting you with two fabulous, very easy chocolate recipes. When I was a little girl, my mother worked as a sales lady at David’s World of Fashion, a chain of fashion boutiques in the western and southern suburbs of Sydney, owned by her younger brothers. She worked at…
For Sephardic Jews, it is customary to eat lentils during the nine days before Tisha B’Av as lentils are a mourner’s food. When we came from Casablanca to Los Angeles, my uncle Albert insisted that my parents rent an apartment in Beverly Hills. So, my parents rented a small apartment on the corner of Charleville…
With a recipe for fish “en papillote” This summer, my daughter Gabriella is spending her summer in Jerusalem on a Yeshiva University internship, writing for an Israeli online publication. In every phone call, she tells us about her interviews and of her exploits traveling around Israel visiting the Nova Festival site, Sderot, the Gaza envelope,…
My absolute favorite from the Moroccan kitchen—meatballs and olives. In the early 90’s, many of our friends were married in quick succession. We had all become a tight social circle through our involvement in the Sephardic Educational Center, which hosted weekly Classes for the Masses at the Kahal Joseph Congregation in Westwood. (Kahal is the…
Most Friday nights, you will find soup as the first course at my home. It was the late eighties. My friend Sheila and I flew from Los Angeles to Athens. From there we took a ferry to the island of Evia. Some of the passengers on the ferry were tourists, but there were also some…
In the early 1970s, the pale blue aerogrammes would arrive every month. The thin, almost translucent paper was folded origami style, into an envelope, with the front addressed to my mother in English. But after my mother would carefully open the aerogramme, the contents revealed a missive written in a tight Hebrew script. I remember…
One of our favorite desserts to bake in the summer is an easy fresh fruit galette After struggling and complaining about May gray and June gloom, glorious summertime has finally arrived in Los Angeles. And I’m so happy about all the wonderful fresh seasonal fruits available. Nowadays, we have become used to having fruits available…
This week, we wanted to inspire you with fresh takes on old-fashioned favorites My Moroccan parents embraced all the American holidays when we moved to Los Angeles in 1973. There were costumes for Halloween, a turkey feast for Thanksgiving and fireworks for the Fourth of July. For our first few years in Los Angeles, they…
As a child of Iraqi Jews, The Farhud has forever been a part of my memory and the holiday of Shavuot will always be shadowed by this tragic event. As a child of Iraqi Jews, The Farhud has forever been a part of my memory and the holiday of Shavuot will always be shadowed by…
1 large jar grape leaves, drained and rinsed2-3 cans Great Northern beans, or 1 pound dry beans soaked overnight, boiled and salted Filling:2 pounds ground beef, lamb or turkey1/2 cup long-grain white rice, rinsed and drained2 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon black pepper2 tablespoons oilJuice of 1 juicy lemon1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped2 tablespoons tomato paste Sauce:4…
