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The Aussie Gourmet: Sukkos Soup S31 TJH Speaks with Cookbook Author Sina Mizrahi
A Blend of Jerusalem & L.A., Ashkenaz & Sephardi, Lemon & Za’atar
TJH Speaks with Sina Mizrahi, Author of Good Food
BY SUSAN SCHWAMM
Sina, you just came out with your first cookbook, Good Food. Tell us about us a bit about your background.
I’m from Montreal originally, and I grew up with a mother who was always cooking and always in the kitchen. That was my normal. My mother never really let me into the kitchen, so I never really cooked myself. But in my head, I would think to myself: “When I get married, I’ll be just like my mother,” because that’s what I knew. But when I did get married, I wasn’t like my mother. I didn’t know how to cook at all. I literally called my friend and asked her how to make pasta. And it was just very funny. But I always felt this connection to making a meal and connecting around the table through good food. That’s how I grew up.
Eventually, I started cooking a lot. I would cook with my mother on the phone all the time and was always asking people around me for recipes. I always had this desire to be able to be comfortable in the kitchen. And then, I became not just comfortable, I started being creative in the kitchen, because most of my family doesn’t cook with recipes at all. They just tell you what they did, what they put in, and you have to figure out the measurements, etc. by yourself. So that’s how I grew into cooking.
When I had two kids, I felt like I needed to express myself creatively. I started learning photography. I would usually take photos of my kids, but they started disliking it, and I was frustrated. So I discovered this thing called a food blog. When I saw it, I felt, “Wow, that was exactly what I’d love to do. Photography, cooking, writing – everything together.” And so I started a food blog.
What year did you start your blog?
In 2011. Ten years. That’s amazing.
Yes. In September, right before Rosh Hashana.
You just jumped in and didn’t know if it was going to take o or not. What were your feelings then?
For me, it wasn’t even about taking off or not. That wasn’t even in my head. It was more like I was like, “Wow, there’s this medium where you could share things” – kind of like some people share their crafts or their knitting or whatever. For me, I felt, “I can share this part of me. Whoever wants to join, whoever wants to stick around, whoever wants to share with me can join.” But I wasn’t thinking about it at all in the sense of how is this going to grow? I wanted to enjoy the process.
And I was really enjoying it. And, then, obviously, I started making connections, meeting other Jewish culture food bloggers. Then Instagram took off, and everything just evolved one after the other. Truthfully, I always had this dream in the back of my head. I would say to myself, “Wow, I love books. Imagine making a cookbook.” And, b’ezrat Hashem, it happened, eventually.
But along the journey, and still today, you write recipes for magazines. You wrote for Binah. You write for Mishpacha.
Once I started blogging more consistently and really sharing my things, I thought it would be great to be published. I reached out to Binah, and that’s how I started. I worked with them for many, many years – five, six years. And then when I came from Israel to Lakewood, I actually switched over to working with Mishpacha. I felt that it was just a better fit in terms of the audience and having connection to my recipes, because my recipes are not so “heimish”; they’re much more, honestly, Sephardi and have that kind of modern edge to them. The truth is, Middle Eastern food has become very mainstream in the last 10 years or so.
When did you concretize the idea that you wanted to write this cookbook?
It was always in the back of my head. Food bloggers have this as a benchmark: “I want to write a cookbook.” It just feels like it’s a milestone. But it really only came into fruition when I was actually working on a different project. I was going to write something with a different blogger, and it didn’t come to be. And then I said to myself, “You know what? I really want to focus on making a cookbook.” And then when I moved to Lakewood, I found that this was a great time to start, because all my kids were out of the house during the day.
I decided to put it out there and see if they were interested in publishing a book that I would write. Baruch Hashem, they were, so here we are.
How long did it take, start to finish, to create this book?
From the day I signed the contract with ArtScroll, it took a year.
What’s so impressive about your book is that besides for writing the recipes, which is an art and an avodah of itself, you also did the photography.
Yes. I did.
Photography, I guess, is your first love. But how did it work out to write the book and to also photograph the food along the way?
It was very, very intense. When you flip through a cookbook it looks a little effortless, like, “OK, you make a recipe, take a photo. You’re
done.” It’s really not like that at all.
I don’t have to tell you. It was really hard. For most people, when writing a cookbook, they get to focus on the recipe development and the writing, and then somebody else comes and takes over the creative aspect of food styling and prop stocking and setting everything up and taking the photos. That all requires such different skills. But for me, I have a very particular style and aesthetic, and it’s really, really important for me that my food represents that because everything works together. When you look at the photo and you read the recipe and you read the title – I needed everything to just really represent me and my cooking. So I had to do it all.
Truthfully, it worked better for my lifestyle, because having a family, I was able to, in a sense, have control over everything timing-wise. I was also very grateful that I have the skills to be able to do both things.
And you do it so well. This book has me drooling. Your kids must have eaten really well while you were writing it. Speaking of your children, what are some of your kids’ favorite dishes from this cookbook?
My kids love Hearty Bean Stew – that’s a staple in our house. They love a lot of the meat dishes, like the steak and the roast, because they don’t get that on a weekly basis. So that they were super excited about, like, “Wow, Mom’s writing a cookbook. We get all this really good stuff.” Interestingly, my kids aren’t so big on desserts but they did enjoy some of the brownies and the blondies.
I like what you did with the Happy Birthday Chocolate Cake with the di erent toppings for each square. That’s pretty cool.
Yes. It has all different sprinkles. It was my daughter’s birthday, and it was a really fun way to incorporate what I was working on and also celebrate her birthday.
Absolutely. What recipes do you pull o the shelf when you have to make a quick supper for your family on a super busy day?
The funny thing is that obviously most of the book is very Middle Eastern, but I also included those kind of weekday staples that I turn to because I felt that it was important for my cookbook to be more well-rounded. Also, for some people, when they see za’atar and sumac in my recipes, I wanted them to feel like they have something to cook from the book as they ease into the other recipes. So that’s why I include a mix of recipes in my book.
But I will say the Fish Tacos are absolutely a staple. My kids love, love, love them. The Working Mama Meatballs, that’s something super-quick you can throw together, even last minute before dinner, because it comes together very fast.
Schnitzel is a staple in my house. The schnitzel I included in the book is my mom’s schnitzel recipe. The Monday Grilled Chicken, that’s also something I always turn to. And salads. I incorporated salads in a few of the other parts of the book. Like the Pan Seared Salmon, that salad also makes its way into some of the other meals that I make.
recipe. The Monday Grilled Chicken, that’s also something I always turn to. And salads. I incorporated salads in a few of the other parts of the book. Like
You have a real intricate heritage and background. You’re French Moroccan. Your mother’s Libyan, your father’s Moroccan. Your husband has Moroccan, Turkish, and Syrian heritage. Besides for all those cultures, you lived in Israel. You lived in L.A. You lived in Montreal. You live on the East Coast. Tell us how you were able to meld all these di erent influences in your life in the cookbook.
Every single part of where I live influenced my cooking. When you live in L.A., it’s literally a lifestyle in Los Angeles to go to a farmers’ market once a week, once every two weeks, because you really get the best produce in the world over there. That had a huge impact on my cooking.
Living in Jerusalem put everything for me together, all of my cultures, all of my husband’s cultures. Being exposed to so many different types of Jews, having access to all the spices in the world, and even Jerusalem has its own culture regarding food. And I loved just how it con-
nected to me even historically and culturally. I really connected to that. It made me go back to foods that I grew up with, with a lot of Moroccan cooking. I started cooking a lot more traditional living there.
I was also exposed to the restaurants there and how they smelled. Jerusalem cooking is really, really a melting pot of so many cultures – it takes from a lot of Middle Eastern countries, more than the European ones, from all the Jews that came there. So, I think those are the two main influences in my cooking: mostly living in L.A. and having that component of freshness, of the amazing produce, and then living in Jerusalem and really connecting more to my culture. I loved learning about the history of food and how it came to be and how it was traditionally used and celebrated.
You mentioned that you like to use di erent spices in your cooking and love the freshness of L.A. cooking. I see a lot of lemons, a lot of herbs, and a lot of spices in your recipes. What spices should an Ashkenazi cook – or any cook – purchase that are most essential for good cooking?
That’s a great question. And because of that, I wrote the spice section in the back of book. I felt like people might see those recipes and be like, “Oh, I don’t have the spice.” I wanted to give them a small introduction to what the spice is, where it comes from, what it tastes like.
But I would say that my top spice includes ground coriander, which is not a very assertive spice. I don’t think that you need an acquired taste to enjoy ground coriander. I would say cumin is essential, and za’atar, which is a little bit, let’s say, more of an earthier, more savory flavor, so some people need time to get used to it. Sumac has a really nice, tangy, bright flavor. I think it adds so much flavor to dishes. I think people will find a lot of ways to use it. Paprika in oil, which is a Moroccan staple, and it gives a deeper flavor on paprika and it gives a much brighter red color to food because it’s processed with oil. And it’s more flavorful because of the oil.
I have some of these spices, but not all of them, so I got to get cracking. What recipes should someone try from your book to get her (or him!) started on their Sephardic cooking journey?
First try the Moroccan Fish Balls. It’s really an incredible recipe. And I think that most people will be attracted to it in terms of the flavor and how it comes out. It’s very simple to make. Moroccans serve this every Friday night – they either
serve the fish balls or the actual fish fillets, but the sauce is the same. It’s a Friday night staple, although some people make it during the week. I actually only make it on Friday night and we’ll eat the leftovers through the week.
They should also try the Za’atar Grilled Chicken and the Keftas. But I also think they should start with the salads because I think Ashkenazis love all the different salads in Sephardi cuisine and all the different flavors in each one. But I really don’t have that many props. A lot of the props in the book I rented. There’s a prop rental place in Manhattan, which was really amazing, to be able to go there and pick whatever I wanted. But for the most part, when I work on things for my blog or my Instagram page, I reuse things that I already have.
What was the hardest recipe for you to get right for this cookbook?
I get that question often. I’ll tell you the truth that, because I was doing everything and the process was so intense, if something didn’t work after two tries, I moved on. I had so, so, so many recipes, and I actually cut out like 50 recipes from the book –things that I knew wouldn’t fit, but ideas that I had. I included food that were family recipes, staples, things that shows up on my table consistently, because that works, that has amazing flavor, and that’s very approachable. When serving, it’s not just about how food tastes; it’s also about how it looks. What tips do you have for people to serve their food beautifully?
I think that that’s really important. When
Did you not have to make up any recipes specifically for the book?
A few of them I did. They’re, I guess, more creative. The Harissa Fish with Cherry Tomatoes I came up with one Friday inspired by the Moroccan Fish, but it’s an easier version and faster, too. I came up with that and wrote it down and saved it for the book. But once I started working on the book consistently, most of the recipes ended up being ones that I had been making for a long time.
You styled the food so beautifully in the book. Where do you keep all your props?
I have a prop closet. serving, it’s always nice to have nice serving pieces. But I think it’s also very important to use fresh herbs. Use a few toppings on your dishes, depending on the dish, obviously, but it could be anything from a pine nut or pistachio – that brings that bright green hue. It could be pomegranate arils because they add a fruity, tangy flavor and they’re just so beautiful, they make everything else pop. When it comes to meat, that’s very brown, but you can always use greens to give it a pop of green to use greens to give it a pop of green to make it more appetizing. This way, the make it more appetizing. This way, the food doesn’t just taste great, it looks food doesn’t just taste great, it looks good, too. good, too.
There have been so many changes in There have been so many changes in the kosher food industry. the kosher food industry.
I always find that the kosher food industry lags a little bit behind the industry lags a little bit behind the mainstream food industry, which is mainstream food industry, which is normal. But I’m excited to see a lot normal. But I’m excited to see a lot of more health-focused foods, and of more health-focused foods, and a lot of things that are more fresh. I a lot of things that are more fresh. I love all the different types of lettuces that are being offered now – different greens, different herbs. I would love to see “kosher” fresh Brussels sprouts and “kosher” raspberries. You know, I really love, love fresh food. And I love focusing more on the freshness that the food brings along with the colors and the flavors. What recipes from the book should be part of people’s Sukkos menus?
First of all, I’m definitely making the Chicken Barley Soup. It’s super cozy to have in the sukkah. It’s just filling and nutritious. It’s also warm and comforting, and I think it’s so perfect for Sukkos, because you have so much food – it’ really a meal on its own. There’s barley and it’s a little tangy from the lemon juice as well. It’s so delicious.
On Sukkos, I make a lot of food that is stuffed. I am going to be making the stuffed onions. There is pomegranate molasses in it – it’s so perfect for Rosh Hashanah or Sukkot. It incorporates the flavors of the season and is really, really delicious. It’s light but also filling. It has jasmine rice in it. It’s one of my favorite things. It’s a little bit more involved, so I save it for a yom tov meal.
I usually make a roast for yom tov. I put a chuck roast in the book, the Red Wine Chuck Roast, but you can make it also with different kinds of meats, like a brick roast or even a brisket, and use the same sauce. It’s a great dish; you can save some for another meal. And it’s so easy to prep. You sear the meat. You make the sauce. You put it in the oven. You’re done.
We also eat a lot of chicken. I always make some kind of braised chicken dish, either chicken legs or Ktsitsot, which are like chicken patties. They’re so simple to make and are so good.
I also always make the leek patties for Rosh Hashanah. They are so good. They’re a little sweet and a little tangy, and the sauce gets thickened because of the semolina that the patties are fried in. It’s a really, really good recipe.
For dessert, for Sukkos, I always make the Poached Pears. They’re warm. They’re cozy. They have the cinnamon and the brown sugar, which is no-fail, in my opinion. And it looks impressive, and it’s easy to make. You can serve it just as is or with a scoop of ice cream or whipped cream. It’s one of my favorites. I also make a lot of the Moroccan Cookies, because we usually have tea after the meal, and it just goes perfectly with cookies.
You won’t see a lot of desserts in Moroccan cooking. Mostly the desserts in Moroccan cooking are either dry cookies, just like you see in the cookbook, or you’ll see celebration desserts, like I like to I call them –Moroccan cigars stuffed with marzipan and dipped in a honey-orange blossom sauce. Those are usually made for life cycles, like weddings, engagements, bat mitzvahs, bar mitzvahs….
Sina, it’s fascinating how di erent cultures have di erent ways of doing things. It was such a pleasure speaking with you. I feel like I got to know you a lot through the book and through this conversation. And I’m looking forward to taking some of these delicious recipes and adding them to my cooking over the holidays.
