So much of memory is bound up in food. And so many of our Jewish food memories, particularly our Ashkenazic Jewish food memories, involve meat-based dishes. Our ancestors may have only been able to afford animal protein on Shabbat, holidays and simchas, but chicken soup, brisket, pastrami sandwiches and bagels and lox have become the quintessential North American Jewish foods. The Jewish table signifies inclusion and generosity. But some of us have started to feel a bit left out.
Micah Siva, author of NOSH; Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine, shares those food memories. “…food is so much more than what fuels you. It is the accumulation of tradition, culture, stories and community.” She was the child with her hands in the mixing bowl in the kitchens of her grandmothers and mother. But later she evolved toward a more vegetarian or vegan diet. She has done this as a trained nutritionist, but she is not alone. Many of us have been eating more vegetables, fruits and grains for a healthier body, a healthier planet, or perhaps with empathy for our fellow creatures.
The author attended culinary school at age 19, and then pursued a degree in nutrition. Her life has revolved around food, including experience as a food product developer, caterer, and food photographer. Most notably, she has been sharing her plant-forward recipes on her blog Nosh with Micah. Siva has transformed her mother’s and grandmothers’ chicken soup into “Turmeric Vegetable Matzo Ball Soup”. Her yummy “brisket” is made of trumpet mushrooms and tofu. The back cover of her book features a picture of a mouth-watering “pastrami” sandwich made from celeriac. And she suggests smoky carrot “lox” as a substitute for the smoked salmon on your bagel. All delicious; all the foods we want to NOSH on now.
In addition to the Ashkenazic foods of Siva’s ancestors, NOSH includes many recipes adapted from Sephardic and Mizrachi traditions. Among these intriguing offerings are “Malabi porridge with Rose Essence, Pomegranate and Pistachio”, “Beet and Sumac Salad with Oranges”, “Za-atar and Feta Khachapuri” and “Chickpea and Olive Shakshuka”.
Siva is informative, not preachy or prescriptive. She includes expansive answers to the questions “But how are you going to get your protein?” and “What about iron?”. She evaluates various substitutes for dairy products that make a dish not only vegan, but pareve for the kosher cook. And she goes through the pros and cons of using different egg substitutes for different uses. Aquafaba (the liquid in canned chickpeas) anyone?
Like all great cookbooks, NOSH is beautifully illustrated with photographs of foods you want to eat. The instructions and ingredients lists are clear and practical, and the author includes sample menus for holidays and Shabbat. The experienced cook will enjoy the innovative recipes, while the novice will appreciate the helpful hints and measurement conversion table.
Micah Siva will be speaking at Temple Beth David in Temple City on Thursday, December 12 at 7pm, as part of the 26th annual Book Festival of the Jewish Federation of the San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys. Temple Beth David’s Sisterhood will prepare refreshments from recipes in NOSH; Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine. Books will be available for purchase and author inscription. Reservations for this and other Book Festival events may be made using the form included in this issue of JLIFE, or on the Jewish Federation’s website
(www.jewishsgpv.org).
Come join our community as we welcome Micah Silva, listen and learn, schmooze, and of course have a little NOSH.
Classic Yeasted Sufganiyot
Makes: About 20 donuts
On the table in… 2 hours 15 minutes, including 1 hour, 15 minutes of resting time
Vegan
Every Hanukkah, my mom would make us homemade sufganiyot—there was never a commercially made donut in sight. We would prep the dough, let it rise, roll, cut, fry, and fill them, and then we’d eat them until we were stuffed to the brim. Piping hot sufganiyot were always met with fanfare, because her recipe was irresistible and worth fussing over. I took my family recipe and veganized it, resulting in an airy donut stuffed with jam. I love using strawberry jam or grape jelly, but try stuffing these little beauties with vanilla pudding, lemon curd, or date caramel.
2¼ teaspoons (7g envelope) instant yeast
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ cup lukewarm water
2 tablespoons neutral oil, such as grapeseed or avocado
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1½ teaspoons orange zest
½ teaspoon sea salt
2 quarts vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup seedless jam or jelly or your favorite filling
½ cup powdered sugar, for serving
Combine the yeast, granulated sugar, and water in the bowl of a stand mixer or in a medium bowl and let stand for 5 minutes. The yeast should dissolve and small bubbles should form on the surface. If not, you may need fresher yeast!
Add the oil and vanilla and whisk until combined.
Attach the dough hook to the stand mixer. Add the flour, orange zest, and salt and mix on low speed until a smooth and elastic dough forms, 7 to 9 minutes. The dough will be tacky but shouldn’t stick to the sides of the bowl.
Cover the bowl with a damp, clean kitchen towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until doubled in size. You can also let it rise overnight in the refrigerator.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface. Roll out the rough to ¼ inch thickness.
Using a 2½- to 3-inch biscuit cutter or a floured glass, cut the dough into circles and place them on the prepared sheet pan. Let rise for an additional 15 minutes.
In a large, heavy pot, heat the frying oil to 350°F, using a deep-fry or candy thermometer to check the temperature. Set up a cooling rack layered with a paper towel beside the stove.
Spoon the jelly into a squeeze bottle, a piping bag, or a zip-top plastic bag.
Using a spatula, transfer the dough circles, one at a time, into the hot oil. Flip them gently in the oil. Fry up to 4 at a time, for 75 to 90 seconds per side, or until deeply golden. If the oil is not hot enough, it will take longer to cook and the donuts will be greasy; if the oil is too hot, the donuts will cook much quicker and can burn on the outside, with a raw center. Remove the sufganiyot from the oil using tongs or a spider and transfer them to the wire rack lined with paper towel. I like to use two offset spatulas or chopsticks to flip them in the oil. Let the oil come back to 350°F between batches.
Once slightly cooled, use a straw or chopstick to poke a hole into the center of each sufganiyot. Using the squeeze bottle, squeeze the jam into each one. If using a piping bag or zip-top plastic bag, snip the end or corner off the bag and squeeze into the sufganiyot.
Using a sifter or strainer, dust the sufganiyot with powdered sugar right before serving.
Note: Sufganiyot are best served fresh. If you have any leftovers, they will keep for up to 1 day in an airtight container.
Variation: Air fry the sufganiyot at 375°F for 7 to 8 minutes, until golden brown.
Potato and Caramelized Onion Cast-Iron Kugel
Serves: 10 to 12
On the table in… 2 hours
Contains egg
Passover friendly
Potato kugel is comfort food at its finest. Kugels, at their core, are baked casseroles. This potato kugel casserole is crisp and golden on the outside and creamy on the inside. It reminds me of a shareable hash brown or a giant latke, and it’s served at any time of day (try leftovers at breakfast—really!). Using a preheated cast-iron pan ensures that the kugel is cooked to golden perfection, with everyone getting the best part—the crispy edges! Top your kugel with labneh, sour cream, crème fraîche, or coconut yogurt with chives. Serve with eggs for a breakfast dish or alongside your meal.
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium yellow onions, cut into ½-inch pieces
1½ teaspoons salt, divided
2 pounds (3 or 4) russet potatoes
4 large eggs
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup matzo meal
Sour cream, coconut yogurt, crème fraîche, or labneh, for serving, optional
Fresh chives, chopped, for serving
In a 9-inch cast-iron pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat until the oil is hot, but not smoking. Add the chopped onions, spreading them evenly over the bottom of the pan. Decrease the heat to medium-low and let cook, undisturbed, for approximately 10 minutes.
Sprinkle the onions with ½ teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and broken down, 30 to 45 minutes.
Once golden and caramelized, transfer the onions to a large bowl.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of olive oil to the cast-iron pan and place it in the oven to heat up while you prepare the potatoes.
Fill a large bowl with ice water.
Using a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, or a box grater on the largest hole, grate the potatoes. The potatoes will oxidize, so be sure to shred right before use.
Add the potatoes to the bowl of ice water. Let sit for 10 minutes to remove excess starch.
Drain the potatoes, transfer them to a clean kitchen towel, and wring out any excess liquid. The more liquid you can remove, the better! Add the potatoes to the bowl with the caramelized onions.
Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, eggs, black pepper, and matzo meal and stir to combine.
Carefully remove the cast-iron pan from the oven and
pread the potato mixture in the pan, pushing it down to compact the potatoes. It should sizzle on contact with the pan. Return the pan to the oven and bake for 1 hour, or until deep golden brown on top.
Serve with sour cream and chopped chives.
Note: Prepare this kugel up to 4 days in advance and store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Variation: Add ½ cup chopped parsley to the kugel along with the matzo meal.
Substitution: This recipe uses russet potatoes, but you can use Idaho potatoes instead.
Caramelizing Onions
These are what give this kugel a rich umami flavor with a hint of sweetness. Caramelizing onions takes time. To speed up the process, try adding ⅛ teaspoon of baking soda to the onions, which will help them brown faster. Caramelized onions can be made up to 3 days in advance, stored in an airtight container, and refrigerated. I like to caramelize a large batch of onions and freeze them in individual containers with about 2 onions’ worth in each one.
Shelley Klein is the chair of the Jewish Federation’s Jewish Book Festival and a contributing writer to Jlife Magazine.
