This recipe makes use of fermented pickle brine and caraway seeds to give you a classic Eastern European rye bread flavor without the need for sourdough starter. (If you want to make my classic sourdough rye bread recipe, check out my recipe here.) This bread has a wonderful consistency, including […]
Jewish
Fried Green Tomatoes (Using Raw or Fermented Green Tomatoes)
What better way to bring together my roots as a Georgia boy raised by two Jewish New Yorkers? Lesser known fact that while the Kosher pickle peddlers of the Lower East Side brought a great variety of pickles to the US, including the iconic Kosher Garlic Dill, the fermented green […]
Jewish-Style Sourdough Rye Bread
There may be nothing better for a sandwich than some hearty rye bread with plenty of caraway flavor. This recipe contains all my regular rye bread must-haves: cocoa powder, molasses, caraway and dill seed, but this recipe amps up the flavor even more with garlic powder and black pepper. The […]
Pomegranate – Apple Cider Braised Brisket
Although here in the South people normally identify brisket as a barbecue food, being raised by Jewish Yankees reversed my experience. Growing up I always had that sweet, juicy braised brisket at the holidays. I once stayed at a friend’s house and was told we’d be eating brisket, I assumed […]
How to Make Smoked Whitefish Salad & Whitefish Spread
Growing up with my New-York born Jewish parents, weekend bagel brunch was a given, and I have such fond memories of us sitting around the table, laughing, my father reading the paper and me reading the Sunday funnies, surrounded by all the classics: bagels, cream cheese, lox or smoked salmon, […]
Complete Guide to Making Smoked Whitefish
NOTE: This post gives complete guidance on smoking whole whitefish, but if you can’t find whole raw whitefish in your area or don’t want to spend the money to order it and still want to make your own whitefish salad and whitefish spread (which is superior to buying it pre-made), […]
Holishkes (Beef & Rice Stuffed Cabbage Rolls)
Both my grandmothers used to make this traditional Eastern European Jewish dish. In my hazy memory, I think I was really doubtful I would like these, but the sweetness pulled in the otherwise picky young eater I was. I wish now I could ask them what any of their tips […]
Huevos Haminados (Sephardic-style Eggs for Passover)
Ready to leave those plain old white hard-boiled eggs behind? Umami is a popular term nowadays, but these eggs were bringing it centuries before we were using this special word to describe that rich meaty flavor. I do not have a Sephardic background (Jews from Spain and the Levant). I […]
Sauerkraut or Kimchi Latkes (potato pancakes)
For the last several years, I’ve been getting pretty experimental with my latkes (potato pancakes) at Hanukkah time. Eating oily and fried foods is part of the Hanukkah tradition and relates to the holiday’s miracle of the oil that burned for eight days. Latkes are normally just potatoes, matzah meal […]
Kvass Pickled Eggs
I recently put up a post about making kvass – a drink with Russian & Eastern European origins – which wasn’t specifically a beet drink originally but beets were sometimes added. In case you hadn’t noticed, beets impart an incredible color to liquids and most anything they touch. Although I […]