As rich as the Ashkenazi Jewish tradition is, twice each year I wish I had descended from Sephardim. The first time is, of course, on Passover, when Sephardic tradition allows for grains. I imagine Passover breakfasts of sweet corn pancakes, and big, filling dinners of fried rice with spring’s first peas and scallions, and Passover…
“Would You Make This?” is a sporadic new column where personal chef Alix Wall evaluates a new cookbook by making two of its recipes, sharing them with friends and asking what they think of the results. Hi, my name is Alix and I’m a member of the cult. The cult of Ottolenghi, that is. I…
The only High Holiday where alcohol is a requirement is Simchat Torah. This is a mistake. Let me explain: Drinking is a part of Simchat Torah because a rabbinic interpretation for the commandment to rejoice on festivals is to drink wine. Yet the rabbis never specify Simchat Torah. As it says in Sifra Emor 12:4,…
Rosh Hashanah is the perfect holiday to bring out all the stops in your kitchen. Without the restrictions of Passover, it’s a great time to get creative (I’m thinking Asian BBQ brisket) or lovingly revive a special family recipe. But cooking a holiday meal for your family or friends can be intimidating, whether you’ve done…
The first time I saw my Granny putting ice in her hamburger mixture, I thought she was crazy, but it’s something she did nearly every Friday night when I visited as a child. She would prepare her specialties — meatloaf or hamburgers, salad with extra garlicy dressing, and icebox cake for dessert — in her…
Frisée! My CSA nemesis. What to do with this morass of spindly, bitter leaves that poke wildly in my mouth? The word frisée means ‘curly’ in French, and a head of this green indeed resembles a Medusa-like afro on the most humid of days. I’ve never bought frisée on my own accord, having experienced it…
I’ll admit it — I’ve always wanted to be a Sephardi Jew. When the thought of handmade couscous excites you more than the prospect of a Lady Gaga and Rihanna world tour, when you take desperate and unsuccessful measures to work on your tan despite your freckly fare skin and when schug (Yemenite hot sauce)…
Every family has that one dish. The one that makes your stomach grumble in anticipation, that brings up childhood memories of crowded Shabbat dinners and cozy one-on-one gabfests with bubbe (or Mamie, as I call my grandmom). In my family, that dish is boulettes aux petits pois (meatballs with green peas). Like any comfort food,…
It’s been a busy few months for the team at Prime Grill Hospitality. In addition to revamping meat restaurant Solo into Solo Dairy Italian Kitchen and moving the flagship Prime Grill from East 49th Street to new digs on West 56th Street, the group has also been putting the finishing touches on “The Prime Grill…
After 10 delicious and extraordinary days of eating Israel’s best hummus, shawarma, and halva, with 40 of my new best friends, one amazing memory from my Birthright trip stands out — an afternoon at Israel’s Shvil Hasalat (“Salad Trail”) farm. Deep in the desert, right near the Gaza strip, the Shvil Hasalat grows everything from…
Last March I visited a good friend studying in Spain. Being early spring, I packed scarves, boots, and jeans for our trip to Valencia. My friend and I arrived at the hostel in a full sweat, annoyed at just how inaccurate the weatherman had been. Tired and hot, I checked out the forlorn hostel kitchen….
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