Cooking Kosher

Two cookbooks to soothe the Jewish foodie.

November 7, 2008

Aaron Leibel
Washington Jewish Week

Food shows are one of my addictions—Jacques Peppin’s “Fast Food-My Way” and “America’s Test Kitchen,” both PBS staples, and, of course, the Food Network’s “Emeril Live” and “Rachel Ray’s 30-Minute Meals.”

But I can’t help cringing when Emeril yells that “pork fat rules,” and I have been known to yell “kashrut” at the TV when Rachel adds heavy cream to her meat gravies. (Where’s Joan Nathan when we need her?)

Obviously, TV cooks can use whatever ingredients they choose, but basing dishes on bacon and shrimp impinges on my fantasy fresses. It’s frustrating being a Jewishly-observant foodie.

Last year, though, two books were published that have helped ease my angst. The Sisterhood at Kesher Israel Congregation in the District has put together “Red, White & Blueberry: Cooking Kosher in our Nation’s Capital,” editing and layout by Sarah Shapiro, Tamar Zakheim and Meagan Buren (Kesher Israel Congregation), 192 pages, $25.

This is a compilation of recipes of members of the Kesher community (including Sen. Joseph Lieberman [I-Conn.], with Baba’s Honey Cake, and his wife Hadassah’s Vegetable Soup) and their relatives and friends.

Jamie Geller gives Rachel Ray a run for her money with her “Quick & Kosher: Recipes From the Bride Who Knew Nothing (Feldheim Publishers), 359 pages, $34.99.

Ms. Geller doesn’t quite equal Ms. Rachel’s super-fast meals at 30 minutes from start to finish. But her recipes supposedly can be prepared in 15 minutes or less for cooking or chilling.

The author was a TV producer who couldn’t cook before she met her future husband. Even before meeting him, Ms. Geller writes, she had decided to become a more observant Jew. So, she not only had to learn to cook, but to do so according to the high kashrut standards of the Orthodox Monsey, N.Y., community where she and her family live.

This cookbook of more than 160 recipes is evidence that she learned what she needed to. Of them, 120 are accompanied by color photos of the finished product.

Among the more scrumptious-looking recipes are Crispy Artichoke Hearts and Spiced Gefilte Fish appetizers; fish dishes like Grouper with Pineapple and Corn Chutney and Seared Yellowfin Tuna over White Beans; Veal Stew with Apricots and Prunes and Beef Sukiyaki with Noodles in the meat section; and Jelly Roll and Chocolate Liqueur Pie among desserts.

“Red, White & Blueberry,” on the other hand, is a loose-leaf cookbook lacking the full-page, color recreations of the finished products found in “Quick & Kosher.”

As such, the synagogue publication hones the imagination of us foodies. (The fund-raising publication, which can be purchased at www. kesher.org was put together entirely by volunteers.)

We have to see Cholent Salad in our mind’s eye, activate our olfactory imaginations to deal with Grandma’s Brisket and climb on our fantasy flights to conjure up Insalata di Roso, Zucchini Couscous, Yerushalmi Kugel, Sufganiyot (doughnuts) and Rajma (Indian kidney beans).

The cookbook, which is divided into clever take-offs on Washington themes (“Committee on Ways and Greens,” “The Soupreme Court,” “Steak of the Union,” “Sea.I.A.”), has “user-friendly” symbols inside circles that accompany the recipes. For instance, candlesticks tell readers recipes are Shabbat-friendly, while a leaf indicates vegetarian dishes.

In addition to meat and dairy recipes, “Quick & Kosher” has chapters on setting up the kitchen, “Secrets of the 15-Minute Chef,” tips on shopping and on wine, what to do on Jewish holidays and a short Yiddish, Hebrew and Arabic glossary.

Both cookbooks have indexes.

On the negative side, I found some of the pages with a light blue typeface in “Quick & Kosher” almost impossible to read.

By and large, however, both books seem good additions to kosher kitchen libraries – and neither once called for the use of lard.