When Judy Bart Kancigor was excitedly expecting her first grandchild, she suddenly realized: how would this coming generation ever know her family’s history, hear the wonderful stories—and, more importantly, taste its wonderful food?
And what wonderful food it is: Layered Hummus and Eggplant with Roasted Garlic and Pine Nuts, Moroccan Spicy Apricot Lamb Shanks, and, essential for any holiday, Gramma Sera Fritkin’s Russian Brisket. The secret? Marinating the brisket in lemon juice tenderizes it and lends a tartness that contrasts with the tangy chili sauce…although “I doubt they had chili sauce in Minsk!”
Mixing warm stories of the author’s Rabinowitz family with the treasure of five generations of recipes, COOKING JEWISH (Workman Publishing; December 2007; $19.95) is home cooking at its best. Kancigor has collected 532 traditional and untraditional recipes from her large and wacky clan—“in-laws of in-laws begged to be in my cookbook”—and interweaved them with over 160 family stories and more than 500 photographs reaching back to the 19th century.
COOKING JEWISH blends the old with the new, the sweet with the savory, the recipes with the stories behind them. How did Aunt Sally’s Red, White and Blue Cake get its name, for example? “When Harold was courting Marilyn, Aunt Sally offered him an assortment of her cakes. He took one look at her chocolate, vanilla, and cherry marble cake and said, ‘Do I eat it or salute it?’ They’ve been calling it Red, White, and Blue Cake ever since!” And Aunt Shirley’s Chicken Stupid—well, you’ll just have to consult the recipe to find out!
But all is not without controversy. There are the matzoh ball floater-lovers versus the sinker-lovers. The Litvaks versus the Galitzianers (the Jewish version of the Hatfields and McCoys). And in an essay called “The Kugel Wars,” Kancigor reveals the heart-wrenching dilemma she faced in whittling down the myriad kugel recipes submitted to a mere dozen. “‘Take mine!’ ‘No, mine!’ they all pleaded. It got ugly. Otherwise perfectly agreeable cousins came practically to blows extolling the virtues of …what? We’re talking a noodle concoction here!” Rita’s Special Kugel, layered with pears and peaches, wins out as “the king of kugels.” And the crowning touch? Try it with Toffee Walnuts.
Kancigor and more than 200 family members leave no Jewish food stone unturned. You haven’t had chicken soup until you’ve had Lillian Bart’s (Judy’s mother, of course!). You’ll find Old World comfort food like Pirogen (Cheese and Potato), and Kancigor’s signature hors d’oeuvre, Potato Knishes (“I’ll go to my grave believing that if my daughter-in-law Shelly hesitated for one minute about marrying Stu, it was my knishes that pushed her over the edge”), new versions of old favorites like Malaysian Potato Latkes, with ginger, jalapeños and cashews (“a latke with pizzazz!”), and a whole chapter for Passover.
And befitting the work of passionate cooks who will use any excuse to get together for coffee and “a little something,” you’ll find FOUR chapters on sweets. “Some people have a sweet tooth, but we have sweet teeth, every one of them,” writes Kancigor. Pore over pages of pies, cakes, cookies, bars, and half a dozen cheesecakes, not to mention Rugelach, Hamantaschen, Mandelbrot, Sufganiot (Hanukkah jelly doughnuts), Kancigor’s mom’s Honey Orange Sponge Cake with Aunt Sally’s Pineapple Apricot Sauce, and Tanta Esther Gittel’s Husband’s Second Wife Lena’s Nut Cake.
COOKING JEWISH speaks to the Jewish food lover in anyone who recalls standing on a chair to help Mom cut out butter cookies. COOKING JEWISH is cooking from the heart, a memory in every bite.
Just a quick flip through the book will have you salivating for Mama Hinda’s Challah, Cherry Chili Chicken, and Bubbe Rose’s Apple Cake. So dig in for a little nosh! Or as Kancigor says, “Not ‘little’ like the French with their dainty amuse-bouches. Not that little. And why just one? Have a knish and borekas and some chopped liver too. M-m-m-m.”
About the Author:
Judy Bart Kancigor is a contributing feature writer for the Orange County Register, the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles and the Canadian Jewish News, a food columnist for the Register and a popular teacher of Jewish cooking and family life. She self-published her first cookbook, Melting Pot Memories, just for her family. Eight printings later she had sold 11,000 copies, and Workman Publishing offered to publish her new book, Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family. Daughter of the late singer Jan Bart, Judy has delighted audiences across the country, appearing for many organizations, synagogues and cooking schools. She lives with her husband, Barry, in Fullerton, California.
Web site: www.cookingjewish.com
Email: judy@cookingjewish.com
