JW Magazine - 2014 Winter Holiday Special by Jewish Women International

Winter 2014

Out-of-the-box ideas for Chanukah

Thinking Out of the Box Menorah by artist Laura Cowan

Tips for Latke Perfection Free-Trade Gifts for Any Holiday Enjoying the Holidays with Interfaith Grandchildren Cookbooks to Give (or Keep) A Dozen Delectable Seasonal Recipes Anita Diamant's Boston Girl

a publication of Jewish Women International

A bookshelf at the JWI children's library in Chrysalis shelter, Phoenix, Arizona

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WINTER HOLIDAYS 2014

SHOP & MAKE CHANGE

CHANUKAH GEAR WE LOVE

Fair-trade gifts make Chanukah giving more meaningful

From PJs to platters, products to enjoy during the eight-day festival

14 MENORAHS AND MISTLETOE

Navigating the holidays with grandchildren of varied faiths

16 LATKE DOMINATION

Tips and strategies for (really) the best potato pancakes

24 A DELICIOUS MINYAN

10 gorgeous new cookbooks to give (or keep), and seasonal recipes to share.

45 EATING DELANCEY

A delectable gift book celebrating Jewish soul food, with stories, recipes and foreword by Joan Rivers

47 A NITA DIAMANT'S BOSTON GIRL

In her new novel, the author of The Red Tent looks at friendship and feminism in the early 1900s

51 CHANUKAH REDISCOVERED

How lighting the menorah led to one family's renewed relationship with Judaism

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Volume 17 Number 2 EDITOR

Susan Tomchin CREATIVE DIRECTOR

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JW is published twice annually in print by JWI, and year-round online. Inspired by our legacy of progressive women’s leadership and guided by our Jewish values, JWI works to ensure that all women and girls thrive in healthy relationships, control their financial futures and realize the full potential of their personal strength. The subscription rate is $18 per year, which is included in annual membership dues to JWI. Postmaster: Please send address changes and inquiries to JW, 1129 20th Street NW, Suite 801, Washington, DC 20036. © Contents JWI 2014 The articles and opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the view of JWI or any member thereof. Advertising in JW does not necessarily imply editorial endorsement or guarantee kashrut of products.

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JWI's 2014 class of Women to Watch honorees inspired 1,000 guests at our December gala in Washington, DC.

N ATULA R G N TIO O C

! S

Read all about them at jwi.org/wtw

Celebrating extraordinary Jewish women and their achievements

(Sondra D. Bender Community Leader)

Gabrielle Giffords • Julie Chaiken • Lisa Reiner Cohen • Sharna Goldseker • Sunita Leeds • Roberta Levy Liss • Jodi Macklin • Liz Schrayer • Caryl Stern • Rabbi Shira Stutman Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

shop & make

change From “gelt without guilt” to “Bracelets for Change,” to stylish lapis jewelry made by young Afghan women, you can make your Chanukah giving meaningful by purchasing fair-trade gifts that help women and families.

by Simone Ellin 4

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PRACTICE

ah Humbug. If you’re like many Americans, you

was deeply impressed by how much fair trade principles and

may be turned off by the materialism that has

Jewish values shared in common. “As Jews, we are obligat-

come to define the winter holiday season. For

ed to work for economic justice, to ensure that workers are

Jewish Americans, the holiday season and its emphasis on extravagant gift-giving can be especially daunting. True, it

treated justly and to be responsible consumers,” says Schatz.

was once common practice to give gelt (the Yiddish word

Browsing the fair trade store, Schatz read the nine principles

for money) at the holiday, but Chanukah gift-giving as we

of fair trade posted on the walls along with photos of the

know it today seems to have originated after World War II,

artisans who made the handicrafts and stories about how

as Jews assimilated to life in America, and wanted to make

fair trade had changed their lives.

sure their children would not feel deprived or left out at Christmas-time. In light of all this, some of us have

considered

sticking

with

Chanukah-themed

“I saw a white shawl and it dawned on me that it would make a great tallit," she says. "So I asked if I could have one made. Two weeks later when I returned

gifts such as dreidels

to the store, the tallis

or chocolate gelt for children

and

was ready. It came

do-

nating money to

with a thank-you

Jew-

note and a photo.

ish charity for the

Every time I put

favorite

adults on our lists.

on the tallis, I say a

But those of us

prayer for the arti-

who don’t have the heart

san who made it.”

withhold

gifts from our children or grandchildren or who feel uncomfortable showing up at a friend’s or relative’s Chanukah

party

empty-handed,

may be pleased to learn about another option. What if you could find a unique gift for everyone

Several

years

after

their trip, Schatz and her husband created the FTJ website, and became Fair Trade Federation members. Site visitors can purchase tallit, hand-woven challah covers, col-

on your list, while helping women and girls in need at the

orful kippahs for both men and women, jewelry and other

same time? Purchasing certified fair trade Chanukah gifts

handicrafts from countries such as South Africa, Guatemala,

can do just that.

Nepal, Mexico and Peru. The menorahs they offer, hand-

Ilana Schatz, founder of Fair Trade Judaica (FTJ) and formerly the founding director of the Volunteer Action Center of the

made by a South African craftsman, are unusual – one is made from a bicycle chain; another features two elephants

Jewish Community Federation of the Greater East Bay, has

with intertwined trunks holding aloft the shammos (the

always been passionate about social justice. About 10 years

candle used to light the others); a third, made using colorful

ago, when she visited a fair trade store in Kathmandu, she

beads, features a gardening theme.

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When she discovered that much of the chocolate sold in the U.S. is produced by child laborers who are often kidnapped, trafficked and forced to work in cocoa fields of West Africa, Schatz began selling kosher fair trade Chanukah gelt, both milk and dark, made by a farming co-op in Ghana. “We call it gelt without guilt,” she says. Schatz also lists on her site fair trade certified chocolate, coffee and tea companies that have kosher certification, a useful tool for those who want to support fair trade enterprises when they shop for groceries. Friends Joan Shifrin and Catherine Shimony are also passionately devoted to bringing fair trade products to con-

Fair Trade

According to the Fair Trade Federation, in order to qualify as a fair trade organization, businesses must adhere to the following principles: • Create opportunities for economically and socially marginalized producers

sumers. After attending graduate school together at Johns

• Develop transparent and accountable relationships

Hopkins University, both worked in the field of international

• Build capacity

economic development – Shifrin as the director of commu-

• Promote fair trade

nity education and outreach at the Global Fund for Children and Shimony as director of international programs at American Jewish World Service. Their careers took them to impoverished countries where they met talented women artisans unable to earn a living wage despite the beauty of their products. In 2005, the two women joined forces to create Global Goods Partners (GGP), a fair trade nonprofit where women gain access to U.S. markets to sell their goods at fair wages, bringing financial and social benefits to their families and communities.

Principles

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• Pay promptly and fairly • Support safe and empowering working conditions • Ensure the rights of children • Cultivate environmental stewardship • Respect cultural identity Only handicrafts that are labeled with the logo of the Fair Trade Federation or the World Fair Trade Organization, a global network of fair trade organizations, can be considered truly fair trade. Other free trade products such as foods, wines, fruits, vegetables, olives, coffee, tea or cocoa may also carry the labels of Fair Trade America, Fair Trade USA and Fair for Life.

PRACTICE GGP works with 40 nonprofits that are employing more than 3,000 women in more than 20 countries in Asia, Africa and the Americas. On its website, GGP sells beautifully crafted decorative housewares, toys, scarves, belts, and jewelry. The “hot” gifts for Chanukah include Guatemalan-made “Bracelets for Change,” Shifrin notes. “They come in a few different colors and, depending upon the color, a percentage of the money goes to a charitable cause. Sky blue bracelets go toward solar energy kits, dark blue goes to purchasing eco-filters and brown goes to creating an organic garden” in the communities in which the artisans live. Proceeds from the popular Th(E) bracelets (educate and empower) go toward Guatemalan girls’ education, Shifrin says. “These have really resonated with people and they only cost $10.” Also popular are felt flowers made in Nepal, alpaca shawls made by Indians indigenous to Bolivia, and a stylish

Shifrin and Shimony partner with nonprofit community-

collection of lapis jewelry made by young women artists

based groups who act as liaisons between the artisans and

in Afghanistan. The women are trained as metalsmiths,

Global Goods. In addition to helping the artisans start and

giving them access to skills generally limited to men in

sustain businesses, the nonprofits provide health services,

their country.

literacy programs, safe housing, and educate women about

For Chanukah, GGP is also selling wire-art beaded dreidels

their reproductive and civil rights.

made in South Africa. “I love selling Judaica because it opens

“The empowerment that can come from having money for

up the world to the Jewish community,” says Shifrin.

the first time is transformational,” says Shifrin. “And these partnerships have really expanded opportunities for women and families.” Simone Ellin is a Baltimore freelance writer.

On page 5: a lapis necklace made by a young Afghan woman; left, kippahs from Fair Trade Judaica, made by Mayan women in Guatemala; top: felt flowers made in Nepal; right: Global Goods Partners' "Bracelets for Change." Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Chanukah Time! The holiday lasts for eight days, which gives you plenty of time to enjoy this lively clock by Loni Harris for Deny Designs. And, who knows, you may get so attached that you keep it up all year. $28.99, wayfair.com

Pajama Game The classic union suit has been reimagined as Chanukah onsie PJs for teens and adults, thanks to Gelt Fiend. With alternating menorah and dreidel print. And yes, they have a back flap. $74, geltfiend.com

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PRACTICE

Menorah Magnetism Arrange the components of the colorful Thinking Out of the Box mini-menorah from imaginative Israeli Judaica designer Laura Cowan a different way every night, since the pieces are magnetic. Crafted from stainless and anodized aluminum, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easy to carry, store and enjoy since its box is only a bit more than 4 inches wide and long. Perfect for use in a dorm room or when you have to be on the road for work. Candles are included. $85, lauracowan.com

Feel the Glow Flickering flames reflect off the waterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s surface and safely sizzle out as they burn down, making the Water Blossom Menorah ($360) enchanting, as well as safe. Chicago architect and artisan Amy Reichert created this limited edition piece. $360, amyreichertjudaica.com

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Seasonal Seasoning Dreidel salt and pepper shakers bring a new spin to your Chanukah table décor. Hand crafted from cast brass with an antique silver finish, open the top to add the seasonings. $19.50, potterybarn.com

Top Tier Presentation counts. Serve guests minilatkes or dreidel cookies on this Chanukah Two-Tiered Stand from Williams Sonoma. The appealing menorah pattern in classic blue won’t go out of style so you’ll want to pull this out again next year. Stand disassembles for easy storage. $59.95, WilliamsSonoma.com

Gelty Pleasure Scatter foil wrapped chocolate coins on this Gelt Platter from Pottery Barn for a fun centerpiece to your Chanukah table. Made from embossed glass, matching tidbit plates are also available. $31.50, potterybarn.com

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PRACTICE

Table Art An elegant table covering is the perfect canvas for festive Chanukah gatherings. Made from lustrous cotton, the Hand of Miriam Jacquard Tablecloth, exclusive to Williams Sonoma, features a stylized hamsa, aka â&#x20AC;&#x153;the hand of Miriam.â&#x20AC;? Multiple sizes are available. $129.95 to $159.95, WilliamsSonoma.com

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Body Bling Get ready to party with glittering gold and silver temporary tats with a Jewish attitude. The body art lasts for 4-6 days depending on its location and how well you take care of it. $12.95, moderntribe.com

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PRACTICE A Huggable Hero Move over, Elf on the Shelf! This snuggly plush doll comes packaged in a commemorative box, accompanied by a storybook that teaches children about the origins of Chanukah. The product was invented by Abra Liberman-Garrett, a Dallas mother of two and synagogue pre-school teacher. Maccabee on the Mantel received a 2014 “Product of the Year” award from Creative Child Magazine. $34.99, maccabeeonthemantel.com

Playing with Fire The KidKraft Chanukah Set includes all the necessary pieces to teach a child about the festival of lights. Made for ages 3 - 8, the set includes a menorah with nine candles, a dreidel and six coins, two latkes, a spatula and pan, and storage bag. $33.73, wayfair.com

A Canine for Chanukah With her delightful book, Latke, the Lucky Dog, author Ellen Fischer gives a shelter-dog’s-eye view of the Festival of Lights. Tiphanie Beeke provides buoyant illustrations for a story that children ages 2-7 will adore. $17.95, hardcover; $7.95 paperback, karben.com Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Making the most of the holidays with grandchildren of varied faiths. by Simone Ellin

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PRACTICE Many Jewish grandparents wrestle with how to convey the beauty of Chanukah and Judaism to interfaith grandchildren without stepping on the toes of family members who celebrate Christmas. With this in mind, we turned for guidance to two experts – Rabbi Kerry Olitzky, executive director of Big Tent Judaism/Jewish Outreach Institute (JOI) and Dr. Ruth Nemzoff, author of Don’t Bite Your Tongue: How to Foster Rewarding Relationships with Your Adult Children, (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2008) and Don’t Roll Your Eyes: Making In-Laws Into Family (Palgrave/Macmillan, 2012). Rabbi Olitzky, who created JOI’s Grandparent’s Circle, an education and support program for Jewish grandparents whose adult children have intermarried, recommends the following steps for negotiating the winter holiday season and having fun in the process. • Be the best Jew you can be. • Model a welcoming attitude to all, especially toward your non-Jewish son/daughter-in-law. • Separate out difficulties in your relationship with your adult child from the relationship you want to nurture with your grandchildren. Don’t let them bubble to the surface this time of year.

• Display, demonstrate, and share beautiful holiday ritual objects and explain why they're personally meaningful to you. • Give gifts relevant to the meaning of the holiday, but only if it won't cause discomfort for anyone in the home (and not as the only gifts).

• Support the exposure to the other side of the family, along with holidays and customs.

• If the other side of the family celebrates a different holiday, wish them the proper seasonal greeting for their holiday even if it isn’t your own. And if they offer you the same greetings, a simple "thank you, you too," is all you need to say.

• Share your own Jewish narrative with your grandchildren, especially as it includes their parent, your adult child. And wear your own Jewish identity proudly.

• Make no assumptions about holiday observances or ritual practices. Most families celebrate holidays through the lens of family, not religion. And sometimes a Christmas tree is just a tree.

• Throw the best holiday parties ever. Keep them focused on celebration, not confrontation.

Above all, Olitzky and Nemzoff stress the importance of nurturing relationships with the non-Jewish partners of their adult children. “Whatever our [adult] children decide, if we are to have any influence with our grandchildren, we must be respectful of their decisions,” says Nemzoff, who also advises grandparents to be cognizant of the needs and desires of the non-Jewish machatunim (in-laws). In addition, says Nemzoff, “If your child and his or her spouse choose to bring their children up as Jews, we must appreciate and show appreciation to our in-law kids who give time and resources to the Jewish education of our grandchildren.” Olitzky cautions, “When you meet your child’s partner for the first time, you have a nanosecond to predict what your relationship [with that person] will be. Your only reaction should be ‘Welcome.’ Try to think about intermarriage not as your child marrying out [of the faith], but instead, as your child bringing someone in.” Simone Ellin is a Baltimore freelance writer.

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Tips and strategies for (really) the best potato pancakes by Meredith Jacobs

I started making latkes the first Chanukah after my first child was born. Suddenly, even though she was only three months old and certainly too young to eat the latkes, let alone remember them, it became critically important that I create a special holiday atmosphere in my home – something my mother calls, “making yontif.” And I used my Grandma Hilda’s recipe – the ones we would stay by the stove when we were little, paper napkin in hand, to eat hot out of the oil. They were not as good as I remembered. My latkes were lumpy and gooey and oily. I tried, year after year, until, thank goodness, I read a tip in the Washington Post's food section to scoop the latke mixture with one tablespoon (the kind you eat with, not the measuring kind) and flatten it using the back of another. Then you slide it into the hot oil. Flattening the mixture – just so – made my latkes perfect. So perfect, I have cooked them on national and local television. (Check out out my latke recipe on page 22). Knowing how much this simple tip helped me, I decided to reach out to others for more latke-making wisdom. 16

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NOURISH BONNIE S. BENWICK, DEPUTY FOOD EDITOR/RECIPE EDITOR, THE WASHINGTON POST: While Benwick has garnered many tips over the years editing the food section of the Washington Post, her first tip came after her children’s teacher asked her to come and make latkes for the class. She borrowed her neighbor’s electric skillet (an older one that has a dial to control the temperature) and discovered it was the perfect way to cook latkes! “I like it for the evenness of temperature of the oil and the surface area,” she says, adding, “and, you can be away from the stove!” Benwick explains that some foods lend themselves to an assembly line, so by moving to an area with more space, you can get more people involved in the latke-making process – someone can grate, someone can squeeze out moisture, someone can cut up onions, etc.

Sweet or white?

Hand-grated or Cuisinart?

Benwick likes to combine sweet potatoes with white potatoes – no scientific ratio. She had some leftovers, put them together, and liked the texture and sweetness. She suggests adding scallions or chives to the combo. Straight up sweet potatoes are fine, but they cook a little differently. The combo, she says, gives you “the best of both worlds.”

“I’ve done both, but if you can do it by hand, it’s messier, but you get better consistency. With the Cuisinart, I get nubs. But then maybe that’s operator error.”

Benwick prefers russet over red or waxy potatoes. Yukon Gold and California Gold are also good because they don’t discolor. And, don’t use the pre-grated hash brown potatoes (the kind you find in the supermarket in bags near the eggs), she warns. “They do not make good latkes – I don’t recommend them. Grating yourself is the way to go.”

Onions? “If you’re doing latkes as appetizer or main course, instead of onions, use shallots or scallions. I like shallots a lot – not as much moisture.”

Oil? "Use safflower oil – it’s good for high-temperature cooking and has a neutral flavor."

Can I make them in advance? You can make them ahead of time and reheat in the oven. Put the latkes directly on a stainless steel wire rack (like the one you use for cooling cookies). Place the rack on the inside of a rimmed baking sheet and put that in the oven on 325° or 350° for 10 minutes and they crisp right up. “Placing them directly on the wire means you don’t need to flip them and any grease will fall through to the cookie sheet.”

Applesauce or sour cream? Benwick likes homemade applesauce – “so easy to make and so much better. There is a really good roasted mashed applepear sauce in the Recipe Finder on Washingtonpost.com, a combination of apples and pears, a little sugar and a lot of butter. After 40 minutes in the oven and a potato masher, you have something with texture and body and flavor – it’s a meal in itself.” She’s a sour cream person, too, but prefers crème fraiche and some salmon roe.

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Ingredients • ¾ cup quick-cooking oats or quinoa flakes (see note) • 6 medium-large potatoes — golden or red-skinned, peeled or not; if leaving unpeeled, use organic and scrub well (see note) • 1 medium carrot, grated • 1 medium onion • ½ cup matzo meal (or ½ cup additional quinoa flakes) • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste • Safflower or other high-heat vegetable oil for frying • Applesauce • Vegan sour cream (homemade or purchased), optional Makes about 3 to 4 dozen, depending on size

1. In a heatproof bowl, combine the oats or quinoa flakes with 1 ½ cups boiling water. Stir and set aside while preparing the other ingredients. 2. Combine the grated potato, carrot, and onion, and matzo meal in a mixing bowl. Stir in the oatmeal, then season with salt and pepper. 3. Heat just enough oil to coat the bottom of a large, nonstick skillet or griddle. Drop enough potato batter to form 2 ½- to 3-inch pancakes. Fry on both sides over mediumhigh heat until golden brown and crisp. (Alternatively, see baked variation on the next page.) 4. Drain briefly on paper towels and place in a covered container to keep warm until serving. Serve warm with applesauce and the optional sour cream. Notes Since the definition of “medium-large” potatoes can vary, if you find that the cooked oatmeal mixture isn’t enough to give the grated potatoes a nice even coating (or if the latkes don’t stick together), cook a little more oatmeal or quinoa flakes, starting with ¼ cup additional grain and ½ cup additional boiling water. And of course, use the quinoa flakes as the gluten-free option, both in place of the oatmeal and the matzo meal.

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Adapted from Vegan Holiday Kitchen by Nava Atlas. Photo by Hannah Kaminsky of BitterSweet

NOURISH NAVA ATLAS, VEGETARIAN BLOGGER AND COOKBOOK AUTHOR: Nava Atlas, who writes a vegan food blog (vegkitchen.com) and is author of superb vegetarian cookbooks, including the new book, Plant Power, has developed a Vegan Traditional Latke recipe. The recipe is good not only for those who follow a plant-based diet, but for those who are allergic to eggs. Atlas also offers the option of making them gluten-free by using quinoa flakes. Atlas encourages us to bake instead of fry. “It’s less traditional but much easier and less greasy! I’ve personally fallen in love with doing it that way.”

Here is Atlas’s technique for baking latkes: Preheat the oven to 425°F. Stir 3 to 4 tablespoons of high-heat oil such as safflower into the potato mixture. Line two baking sheets with baking parchment. Use a round ¼-cup measuring cup to drop the potato mixture onto the parchment then flatten lightly with the bottom of the measuring cup. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown on the bottom then flip carefully with a spatula. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer or until golden brown on the second side. (Adapted from Vegan Holiday Kitchen, Sterling Publishing.)

BARBARA SHAW, ISRAELI DESIGNER AND HOME COOK: Can’t remember the recipe? Look on the apron! Barbara Shaw sells “Jewish gifts that smile” both from her website (barbarashawgifts.com) and her store in Jerusalem (and from one soon to open in Tel Aviv). Among her many imaginative gifts are aprons emblazoned with recipes for latkes, challah and chicken soup. Her apron is a must have for the latke chef. And, while you can find her recipe on the apron, you won’t be able to find these tips: “I guess I’m an old-fashioned cook,” Shaw wrote via email. “I prefer to grate the potatoes – they seem to have more texture that way.” She also uses olive oil, which she writes, “makes them lighter and healthier.” Everyone we spoke with mentioned the importance of wringing the moisture out of the potatoes. Shaw helps the process by sprinkling salt on the grated potatoes to get them to “sweat.” Then she squeezes out the moisture by hand (use a paper towel).

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1. Grate the potatoes and onion into a bowl or, if using a food processor, shred the potatoes and onion together. If you prefer latkes softer, after shredding, place the shreds back into the food processor and use the S-blade. Process the potatoes and onions to a fine consistency. 2. Either squeeze the vegetables in a kitchen towel over a bowl or place the mixture in a rigid strainer set over a bowl and press the vegetables. In either case, wring or squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

3. Place the vegetables in a large bowl. Add the matzo meal or breadcrumbs or use the solid potato starch that remains at the bottom of the bowl containing the squeezed liquid. Stir in the eggs, salt, pepper and baking powder. 4. Heat about ¼ inch vegetable oil in a cast iron or other heavy heat-retaining skillet over moderately high heat. Drop some of the potato mixture into the pan, using equal amounts to make each pancake. Fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until the pancakes are golden brown and crispy. 5. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sour cream, nonfat plain yogurt, applesauce or Lemongrass-Yogurt Sauce.

Makes 12-16 latkes.

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Ingredients

Lemongrass-Yogurt Sauce

• 4 large peeled baking potatoes • 1 large onion • 3 tablespoons matzo meal, breadcrumbs or potato starch • 2 large eggs • 1 teaspoon salt or to taste • Freshly ground black pepper to taste • ½ teaspoon baking powder • Vegetable oil for frying

• 1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint • 1 scallion, finely chopped • 2 teaspoons finely chopped lemongrass • ½ teaspoon finely chopped chili pepper • 1 ½ teaspoons grated fresh ginger • ½ teaspoon grated fresh lime peel • 2 tablespoons lime juice • Salt

NOURISH RONNIE FEIN, COOKING TEACHER AND COOKBOOK AUTHOR: Ronnie Fein is author of one of my favorite cookbooks, Hip Kosher, and has a new book out, The Modern Kosher Kitchen: More than 125 Inspired Recipes for a New Generation of Kosher Cooks, that I can’t wait to get my hands on. She’s also a cooking teacher, food writer and blogger (Kitchen Vignettes – ronniefein.com). She was gracious enough to give us her best tips as well as her recipe for latkes and her lemongrass yogurt sauce that I will be trying this Chanukah. To make great, crispy latkes, Fein advises us to focus on two words – moisture and heat:

Moisture: "Use russet type (baking) potatoes because they

have the driest flesh. Avoid Yukon Golds or any other waxy potato. Also, be sure to squeeze as much liquid out of the potatoes as you can. I do a small amount at a time so that it doesn’t require great strength, and I bought a tea towel that I use just for this (I rinse it out, wash it and put it away for the next latke fest). If the potato shreds are not dry the latkes will be soggy. Don’t fret about the shreds discoloring because you are not speeding along with everything. Latkes are fried golden brown. No one will ever know that some of the shreds had discolored before you fried the latke."

Heat: "To keep latkes light, grease-free and crispy it’s impor-

photo by Hannah Kaminsky

tant to fry them in hot oil. If the oil is not properly hot, the latkes will absorb grease and become heavy and loaded with fat. To begin, even before you place your first latke in the pan, be sure the oil is hot enough to make a bread crumb or a sliver of potato bubble quickly around the edges immediately. The oil must stay hot. That means: don’t add too many latkes to the pan – each time you place batter in the pan the oil temperature goes down. Wait a few seconds before adding the next batch of batter. And do not crowd the pan with too many latkes at once because this also brings down the oil temperature."

GRIZZLY PEAK’S ‘OVER THE TOP’ LATKES Finally, we come to tips straight from a restaurant kitchen. I first learned about Grizzly Peak while moving my daughter into her dorm at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. I asked for a restaurant recommendation from her RA and was told to try Grizzly Peak. “They have this steak sandwich,” he said, “but instead of bread, it is served between two latkes.” He continued, “I know what you’re thinking, ‘Chanukah!!!!’ But it’s awesome all year ‘round.” With that recommendation, how could I not call Miguel De La Torre, executive chef at Grizzly Peak, Ann Arbor for his trade secrets? At the restaurant, they build the Brewery Steak Sandwich with grilled hanger steak, between crispy potato cakes with melted cheddar, bacon and porter crème fraiche. I know. Not even remotely kosher, but I love the premise. So, I’m planning on sandwiching my brisket between latkes this year (I’ll top with grilled scallions and Bonnie Benwick’s roasted-apple pear sauce). De La Torre uses the same top secret latke recipe from the time the restaurant first opened 15 years ago. But, he adds, sometimes he’ll change things up and add extra ingredients like roasted red peppers or Spanish onions or even sprinkles of Cajun sausage (again, you can use a kosher variation). He recommends Idaho potatoes, believing they are firmer and have a better flavor. He uses a traditional method of mixing the grated potatoes with eggs, flour, scallions or chives, noting: “personally, I like chives – smaller, and the flavor is less strong than scallions.” Mix to incorporate the ingredients but watch the amount of flour. He cautions: “if you put too much in, it will feel like a rock. You want something nice and firm and creamy – not too hard, not too soft.” After you mix, season with kosher salt and black pepper and “taste it – you should always taste it.” If the mixture is too hard, add a couple more eggs. Too loose, add more flour. De La Torre uses soybean oil because of the flavor. Heat the oil in the pan until it’s hot, but not too hot. “You don’t want to see the pan smoking. Sprinkle some water in and it will jump.” Then (here’s the tip for restaurant-perfect latkes), float a circular cookie cutter in the oil and spoon the mixture into the round mold. Allow to cook for 3-4 minutes (until brown) and then flip to the other side. Cook for another 3-4 minutes and serve. Meredith Jacobs is vice president of communications for JWI and author of Modern Jewish Mom’s Guide to Shabbat (Harper Paperbacks).

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

1. Line a large baking sheet with paper towels. If serving the latkes immediately, preheat the oven to 200°F.

Ingredients • 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and placed in a bowl of ice water • ⅓ cup grated onion • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • 1 cup all-purpose flour • 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional to taste • Freshly ground black pepper • Canola or peanut oil, as needed for frying

2. Have a large bowl of ice water ready. Using a hand grater, grate the potatoes. As the potatoes are grated, transfer them to the bowl of water. When all of the potatoes are grated, set aside for 5 minutes (this allows the starch to separate). Lift the potatoes out of the water (don’t dump them) and drain in a large colander, rinsing with cold water. Transfer to clean bowl. Pat dry with paper towel. Add the onion, if using, the eggs and flour. Add salt and pepper to taste. Using a large spoon or your hands, thoroughly combine the mixture. 3. Meanwhile, in a large, preferably straight-sided frying or sauté pan, add ¼ to ⅓ inch of oil. Heat until a shred of potato dropped in the oil sizzles immediately. 4. Using 2 tablespoons from a regular silverware set, form the pancakes. Scoop a generous spoonful of the potato mixture with one spoon and with another spoon flatten the mixture. Slide the pancake into the oil. Repeat until pan is full, but not crowded. Cook the latkes until browned to your liking on the first side. Using a spatula or two forks, turn the latkes over and cook until done. Transfer the finished pancakes to the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining mixture. 5. If serving the latkes immediately, transfer the sheet to the preheated oven to keep warm. You can also cool and then freeze the latkes for later. Reheat in 350°F oven.

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NOURISH

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A Delicious Minyan

10 gorgeous new cookbooks to give – or keep (and some recipes to share) by Sue Tomchin

A few years ago some predicted that cookbooks would soon be joining the multi-volume sets of the World Book Encyclopedia and VCR players in the realm of the outmoded and passé. The vast recipe databases of the Internet with their hundreds of easily downloadable recipes were just too convenient and varied. How could a traditional cookbook stand a chance? But to paraphrase Mark Twain, the rumor of the cookbook’s demise has been much exaggerated. “There is the desire to go back to our roots, our stoves, and to gather with family and friends around the table,” says Lisa Ekus, founder of the Lisa Ekus Group, a public relations agency devoted to publicizing cookbooks, chefs, and food products. “Now, more than ever, people are turning to the pages of beautifully produced cookbooks for their recipes, stories, and inspiration,” says Ekus, who herself owns more than 8,000 culinary titles. “Cooking is a sensory experience and to open a ‘real’ book be it in the kitchen or in the bedroom, the home cook wants something tangible to hold and recipes that are trustworthy.” We’ve gathered 10 new and recent titles to give or enjoy. They boast attractive design and luscious color photography and showcase creativity and skill, without abandoning the comforting allure of traditional dishes and baked goods. Bon Appétit!

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Cherry-Tomato Goat Cheese Cobbler

Ingredients BISCUIT TOPPING • 3 tbsp whole-wheat flour • ¾ cup/100 g all-purpose flour • 3 ½ tbsp cornmeal • 2 ¼ tsp baking powder • 1 ½ tbsp sugar • ½ tsp kosher salt • ½ cup + 1 tbsp/130 g cold unsalted butter, cubed • 3 ½ tbsp cold buttermilk FILLING • 5 cups/900 g cherry tomatoes • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil • 4 sprigs fresh thyme • 1 tsp kosher salt EGG WASH • 2 egg yolks • 2 tbsp heavy cream • Pinch of kosher salt • 4 to 6 tbsp/55 to 85 g goat cheese serves 4

Notes This is best eaten the day it’s made. Using an egg wash is an absolute must in many recipes in this book… You can use whole milk [instead of] cream… one whole egg instead of two yolks, just the cream, or the eggs alone. Just make sure to always use the salt. Simply whisk until homogeneous. This keeps, refrigerated, for up to two days.

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Zoe Nathan with Josh Loeb and Laurel Almerinda, Huckleberry: Stories, Secrets, and Recipes from Our Kitchen, Chronicle Books, 2014. Photo by Matt Armendariz

NOURISH "This is one of my favorite breakfasts to make during the summer. It won’t look or feel like a traditional deep-dish cobbler, because it’s made in a skillet and there isn’t an overabundance of tomatoes; think of it more as a shallow-dish cobbler. It’s meant to be served family-style, and there’s nothing more fun and beautiful than sitting around a table drinking coffee, all eating from the same warm skillet. I keep a bunch of these biscuits ready to bake in my freezer, so throwing this together at the last minute is easy. This cobbler is really just as much about the biscuits as it is about the tomatoes. Depending on my mood and my crowd, I’ll add more or less goat cheese." 1. To make the biscuit topping: Combine the whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a very large bowl. Stir to blend. Toss the butter with the flour mixture. Work the butter between your fingertips until the pieces are pea- and lima bean-size. Add the buttermilk and lightly toss to distribute. 2. Dump the dough onto a clean work surface. Begin by firmly pressing the entire surface of the dough with the heel of your palm. Toss and squeeze the dough to redistribute the wet and dry patches. Repeat, pressing thoroughly again with the heel of your palm, and continue pressing, tossing, and squeezing until it begins to hold together. But be sure not to overwork the dough! It should stay together but you should still see pea-size bits of butter running through it. 3. Press the dough into a disc ¾ in. thick. Cut the dough into nine biscuits. Transfer to an ungreased sheet pan and freeze for 1 to 2 hours. Preheat your oven to 350°F. 4. To make the filling: Combine the cherry tomatoes, olive oil, 2 sprigs of the thyme, and the salt in an ovenproof sauté pan. Cover and cook over high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking until all the tomatoes burst slightly. 5. Brush the frozen biscuits with egg wash and arrange them, 1 in. apart, on top of the tomato mixture in the skillet. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove briefly and quickly dollop the goat cheese between the biscuits over any exposed tomato. Return to the oven, increasing the temperature to 475°F, and continue baking until the top is nicely browned, about 10 minutes longer. Serve warm or at room temperature, topped with the remaining thyme.

Some people meditate or do yoga in order to relax. Zoe Nathan bakes. Nathan is a chef at Santa Monica, California’s, popular eatery Huckleberry Bakery & Café. The café is celebrated for its baked treats as well as brunch and breakfast fare (not to mention lunch and catering) focusing on seasonal, organic, fresh-from-the-farm ingredients. Along with her baking responsibilities, Zoe is a restaurateur, who with her husband, Josh Loeb, runs not only the café but several neighborhood businesses.

(Chronicle, $35)

After being introduced by their moms, she and Josh bonded over their shared love of food. They opened the Huckleberry Café in 2009, three weeks after their wedding, and it was an immediate hit.

In her new book, Zoe dazzles with 115 recipes for such breakfast and baked treats as rustic Blueberry Cornmeal Cake, a signature cake at the café; Chocolate Chocolate Tea Cake, made with cocoa, coffee and chopped dark chocolate; Cherry-Tomato Goat Cheese Cobbler (her favorite summer breakfast); Ricotta Griddlecakes, which Zoe says are reminiscent of the blintzes she ate at delis with her grandparents; Braised Brisket and Fingerling Potato Hash (serve brisket for dinner one night and for hash the next day!); and Fresh Blueberry Brioche, sumptuously featured on the book’s cover. The best way to eat the latter, she writes, is to “drop it in the middle of your table and have people rip it apart right out of the oven.” Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

"This recipe for impressive little Thai-flavored fish cakes is ideal as one of a selection of canapés served before a dinner party." 1. Put the bread, coriander and coconut in a food processor and whiz briefly. Set aside. 2. Clean the lemongrass by first removing the tough outer casing and finely chop. 3. Roughly chop the fish fillets and place in the food processor. Add the chilies, chopped lemongrass, soy sauce, spring onions and 1 of the eggs. Blitz the mixture until you have a smooth paste – about 20 seconds. 4. Spoon the fish mixture into a bowl, stir in the corn flour and lime zest and season with salt and pepper. Divide the mixture into 36 evenly sized portions and roll into round flat cakes. 5. Dip them into some flour and the remaining 4–5 eggs (beaten) and finally into the coconut, coriander and breadcrumb mix. 6. Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the fish cakes and cook for 3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. 7. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. 8. For the mayonnaise, mix the ingredients together until combined. 9. To serve the stylish way: Place on a dark plate with the mayonnaise in a small dish and garnish with sprigs of coriander.

If you can’t attend one of Denise Phillips’ popular cooking classes in London, then the chef and food writer offers the next best thing: a book that showcases her passion for combining Jewish cooking traditions with modern skills and the latest ingredients. Phillips does an admirable job of reinventing traditional dishes. She uses chicken schnitzel in a noodle and vegetable stir fry and combines the Rosh Hashanah tzimmes ingredients of carrots, sweet potatoes and prunes with chicken to create a one-dish meal that can be eaten throughout the year. Her Passover Beef Lasagna deliciously layers red 28

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

peppers, fresh basil, minced beef and tomato sauce with matzo boards. She also recasts such recipes as Tandoori Chicken and Chicken Paella to make them kosherfriendly. But beyond adaptations, she presents an array of stylish fare for Shabbat, holidays and entertaining including Lemongrass Fish Cakes with Lime Mayonaise (she recommends this as a canapé before a dinner party); Whiskey Chicken; Lamb and Apricot Tagine; Italian Tomato and Bread Soup; and Chocolate Pavlova with Lemon Mousse. Phillips offers a varied palate of spices, sophistication and ease of preparation, an effective threesome for today’s Jewish cooks.

(Thomas Dunne Books, $21.45)

Lemongrass Fish Cakes with Lime Mayonnaise

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

NOURISH

14 ounces fresh white bread 6 tablespoons fresh coriander 1 cup desiccated coconut 2 stalks lemongrass 2¼ pounds boneless, skinless white fish fillets, e.g. cod or haddock 1–2 small red chilies, deseeded and finely chopped 3 tablespoons light soy sauce 4 spring onions, roughly chopped 5–6 eggs 3 tablespoons corn flour Zest of 2 limes Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste 4 tablespoons plain flour, for dipping 8 tablespoons vegetable oil, for frying

For the lime mayonnaise (or alternatively use chili dipping sauce) • • • •

6 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 teaspoons lime juice Dash of chili oil (optional) ¼-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated Makes 36 fish cakes

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Ingredients • • • • • • • • • •

2 tablespoons (30 ml) vegetable oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 medium cloves garlic, chopped 1 ½ pounds (680 g) carrots, peeled and sliced 4 cups (950 ml) vegetable stock 6 whole cloves 1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 g) harissa 1 cup (235 ml) coconut milk (See note) Salt, to taste Shredded and toasted coconut, for garnish, optional serves 6

Carrot Soup with Harissa and Coconut 30

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From The Modern Kosher Kitchen by Ronnie Fein; Fair Winds Press, 2014; used with permission. Photo by Glen Scott Photography

NOURISH "My husband Ed once declared this “the best dish I ever had.” The flavors are intriguing – there’s heat from harissa, but coconut milk to tame the spiciness and whole, fragrant cloves to give it that mysterious 'something.'" 1. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. 2. Add the onion and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and carrots and cook briefly. 3. Add the stock and cloves, bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover the pan partially, and cook for 25 minutes or until the carrots are soft. 4. Remove the cloves. Purée the soup in a food processor or blender (or use a hand blender). 5. Return the soup to the pan. Whisk in the harissa. 6. Stir in the coconut milk. Bring the soup to a simmer. Cook for 10 minutes. 7. Taste for seasoning and add salt to taste. Serve garnished with toasted coconut if desired.

At one time, the name of Ronnie Fein’s new book, would have seemed almost like an oxymoron. How could you combine the words “modern” and “kosher” in the same title when kosher food seemed

to rely primarily for inspiration on the traditional foods of past generations? That has changed dramatically, and Fein, a long time food writer and cooking teacher, played a key role in this transition, thanks to her popular 2008 book Hip Kosher. ( Jamie Geller, another influential contemporary kosher cook, provides the foreword for the new book.) Fein's latest is a book that home cooks, both kosher and not, will relish. Recognizing that modern cooks are intrigued by a range of international ingredients and spices, she uses these to create innovative, multi-cultural recipes that will add interest to family meals and entertaining.

(Fair Winds Press, $19.07)

She seasons carrot soup with the spicy chili pepper paste, harissa, balancing the heat with mellow coconut milk and uses the traditional Jewish beef cut

Note: Canned coconut milk is thicker and more concentrated than refrigerator case coconut milk. You can use either here but I prefer the canned kind for this soup. Hot and spicy ingredients such as harissa need some balance in a dish, otherwise you’re just tasting pepper. Cool, rich, sweet ingredients such as coconut milk do the trick.

flanken as the basis of Grilled KoreanStyle Short Ribs. Plain old pot roast is enlivened with the addition of fresh herbs and a side of horseradish mashed potatoes and she brightens the flavor of roasted chicken breasts with citrus zest and juice and honey. She brings turkey back from its once or twice a year place on the table with recipes for a Roasted Turkey Half Breast with Herbs and Vegetables and Panko-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry and Pear Chutney. Fein’s recipes are creative and easy and she uses healthy ingredients, all qualities that promise to resonate with today’s families. Like Hip Kosher, this is a book that you’ll want to use, rather than shelve, and it may become a dog-eared friend we turn to in the daily struggle to get a tasty meal on the table. Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

"Corning beef takes a bit of time and can be ingredient heavy, but it is a worthwhile undertaking. The beef will corn for five days, and then stew for a few hours. The end result is a bit like Thanksgiving, as the leftovers can be all the fun." 1. Make the brine: Pour 5½ quarts water into a large nonreactive pot, and add the kosher salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, curing salt, garlic, bay leaves, fennel seeds, mustard seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, thyme sprigs, celery, carrots, and onion. Bring to a boil, stirring well to dissolve the salt and brown sugar. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely. 2. Add the brisket to the brine, weighting it down with a plate so it is submerged. Cover and refrigerate for 5 to 6 days. Remove the brisket from the pot, discard the brine, and rinse the meat. 3. Place the brisket in a large stockpot, and add 5 quarts water; it should cover the meat by 2 inches. Add the garlic, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, cloves, cinnamon stick, and thyme sprigs, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 to 6 hours, until the meat is fork-tender. Remove the brisket, reserving the liquid, and cut it against the grain into medium-thick slices. Keep warm. 4. Bring the stock back to a boil. Add the celery to the pot and cook until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Remove the celery with tongs and repeat with the turnips and carrots, cooking them separately. 5. Arrange the sliced brisket and the vegetables in large individual bowls. Strain and pour the hot stock over, and serve.

In 2009, nostalgia for the family dinners of her childhood inspired photographer Karen Mordechai to invite 10 friends to dinner at the Brooklyn loft she shares with her husband. They cooked together, “sat down to eat and had a lovely time,” she writes. “As the sun set over the water, we all toasted the meal and everything felt just right.” She blogged about the experience, word spread and people began asking to attend the next dinner. Thus was born Sunday Suppers, an inperson and online cooking and dining community. Mordechai has now created a cookbook based on the experience, “a compilation of recipes that one might use to plan gatherings for groups both large and small,” she writes, adding, “I hope this book inspires you to set out and make beautiful meals with the people you hold dear.” Mordechai’s photos appear throughout and have an inviting simplicity.

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

The recipes are straightforward and wholesome, yet imaginative with a dash of sophistication. Fried green tomato sandwiches are served with mint mayo and watercress; a winter brunch menu features Tea and Ginger Cured Sea Bass, instead of the more traditional smoked salmon; Apple Cider Cakes are made with olive oil, spiced with cardamom, and baked in mini bundt pans. The book restores a joyous inventiveness and sociability to food preparation and entertaining that can get lost in busy lives. It shows us how to slow down and relish the process of making delicious things together: everything bagels, homemade ricotta and our own mixed root vegetable chips, “a hit with kids and parents alike.”

(Clarkson Potter, $32.50)

If you are looking for special holiday dishes, a recipe for Corned Beef with Root Vegetables, is enticing. The process takes a bit of time, but is not difficult, and seems like the perfect excuse to invite

friends over; and a recipe for Chocolate Bread Pudding with Homemade Challah is delectable and decadent.

NOURISH

Corned Beef with Root Vegetables serves 6 Ingredients BRINE • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

1½ cups kosher salt ²⁄₃ cup brown sugar 10 pink or black peppercorns 3 tablespoons curing salt 8 cloves garlic 4 bay leaves 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds 2 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 6 sprigs fresh thyme 2 stalks of celery 2 carrots ½ onion

BRISKET • • • • • • • • • • •

One 5-pound beef brisket 5 quarts water 6 cloves garlic 2 teaspoons coriander seeds 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds 2 whole cloves 1 cinnamon stick 1 bunch fresh thyme sprigs 2 whole celery hearts, cut in half 2 bunches baby turnips 1 bunch baby carrots

Reprinted from Sunday Suppers: Recipes and Gatherings. Copyright © 2014 by Karen Mordechai. Photographs copyright © 2014 by Karen Mordechai. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, LLC.

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Ingredients • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil  • 1½ pounds boneless beef stew meat, cut into 1 ½-inch chunks  • 1½ cups chopped onions  • 2 cloves garlic, minced  • 1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika • ⅛ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper • 1 ½ tablespoons flour

• • • • •

Water, as needed  4 russet potatoes, cut in large chunks ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste  8 ounces sliced white mushrooms, optional  1 carrot, thinly sliced, optional serves 6

Hungarian Goulash (Gulyás) 34

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From Food, Family and Tradition – Hungarian Kosher Family Recipes and Remembrances by Lynn Kirsche Shapiro; The Cherry Press. Used with permission

NOURISH "We sell Hungarian Goulash in Hungarian Kosher Foods; it is authentic goulash, made with only meat, potatoes, and onions. For this recipe I have added optional mushrooms and carrots. The secret to making a good goulash is, first, sautéing the meat without any liquid, and second, adding authentic Hungarian paprika. Liquid is only added later with the potatoes. Non-kosher Hungarian goulash also calls for sour cream; however, we do not mix meat and dairy." 1. Film the bottom of an 8-quart pot with oil. Add the beef, onions, garlic, paprika and pepper. Sauté, on low, stirring frequently, until the meat is browned, then cover, and cook on low, stirring often, until the liquid from the beef and onions has mostly evaporated, about 1 hour. If the liquid has not sufficiently evaporated at the end of cooking, uncover and cook until ½ inch of liquid remains. 2. After the liquid has evaporated, add flour and stir. Cook to brown, stirring, about 10 minutes, being careful not to burn. Add enough water to cover the meat, stirring until smooth. Add the potatoes and salt. Add carrots and mushrooms if using. Bring to a boil. 3. Cover, decrease heat to low, and simmer until potatoes are cooked and meat is tender, about 30 to 45 minutes. 4. Serve ladled into large bowls, and accompany with fresh bread.

Through the meals and stories her father and mother, Holocaust survivors Sandor and Margit Kirsche prepared and shared, Lynn Kirsche Shapiro was able to con-

(Cherry Press, $35)

nect with daily life from before the war and with the memory of relatives who were killed. “Cooking with my parents connected me with their family and filled the void,” Shapiro writes. Recipes and memoir intertwine in Shapiro’s beautiful, heartfelt book. She relates the story of her parents' survival and subsequent emigration, and how they rebuilt their lives in the U.S., going on to found Hungarian Kosher Foods in Skokie, Ill., the largest kosher supermarket in the Midwest. Her mother was known for her culinary talents, preparing dishes for both the store and her family. Shapiro presents more than 150 original recipes from her mother, relatives and friends, both in the U.S. and Israel. The recipes were carefully tested and preparation methods updated for the contemporary kitchen.

Many of the classic Central and Eastern European Jewish dishes are here: Chopped Chicken Liver; Chicken Paprikás with Dumplings; Hungarian Goulash; Sweet and Sour Cabbage Soup with Meat; Pickled Vegetables; and Marble Cake. She encourages readers not to be intimidated by baking with yeast, and provides a recipe for Sweet Yeast Dough, which uses as the basis of Cheese Danish (Deltelach) and other traditional pastries. Many recipes are accompanied by reminiscences that offer glimpses of pre-war life. The hearty dishes that Shapiro includes are Jewish comfort foods at their best, too satisfying to relegate to the past. Her book makes it possible for us to again make them part of Shabbat and holiday menus, creating new Jewish memories along the way. Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Note: Why a pound of seitan but just 8 ounces of tempeh? Seitan is more moist and less dense; a pound of tempeh would be quite intense in this dish. But if you’re a big fan of tempeh and want a higher-protein dish, go for it—use two 8-ounce packages. This is especially good served over beanthread noodles or Asian brown rice vermicelli, but soba or udon work well, too. Long-grain brown rice and brown basmati rice are good choices as well.

"This sweet-and-sour stir-fry has several steps but can be made easily and at a leisurely pace. Best of all, it results in a delicious and nourishing meal." 1. Heat half the oil, broth, or water in a stir-fry pan or wok. Add the seitan or tempeh and stir-fry over medium-high heat until lightly browned, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside. 2. Heat the remaining oil, broth, or water in the pan. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden. Turn up the heat; add the garlic, broccoli, and bell peppers and stir-fry for 5 minutes. 3. Stir in the zucchini and stir-fry just until everything is tender-crisp, about 2 minutes longer, then stir in the tomatoes and pineapple chunks. 4. Stir in the sauce and cook until it thickens. Taste and adjust the sweet-sour balance with more agave and/or vinegar (as called for in the sauce recipe) to your liking. 5. Serve at once over hot cooked grains or noodles. Pass around any of the optional items for topping individual portions. 6. To make the sauce: Combine the fruit juice with the arrowroot in a mixing bowl and stir until dissolved. 7. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together. Add to sweet-and-sour stir-fries and noodle dishes toward the end of their cooking time and cook until thickened.

When, as a teenager, Nava Atlas announced to her family that she was giving up meat, her mom told her she would have to cook for herself, “as she wasn’t about to prepare two different meals.” Soon Atlas’s family was asking to try her dishes and before long her mom was making meals she could eat, a departure from the “meaty Eastern European Jewish fare” the family often ate. Those early experiences cooking vegetarian sowed the seeds for Atlas’s long-time career as a bestselling author and expert on vegan and vegetable cooking. “Many people would love to adopt a lifestyle that includes more fresh and whole foods and is better for their health,” Atlas writes. The goal of her new book is 36

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

to provide a “template” to do just that, “whether that diet is going to be followed full-time or not.” Atlas’s recipes are varied and colorful: Pasta with Hearty Lentil and Spinach Sauce, Thai-Style Pineapple-Coconut Rice, Sweet and Sour Stir-Fried Vegetable with Seitan or Tempeh; Coconut Curried Vegetable Stew; and Unbaked Fudgy Brownies (flourless and glutenfree!). The recipes are geared to busy people who need to get meals on the table quickly and don’t have hours to spend shopping for hard-to-find ingredients. She readily acknowledges that using canned beans, store bought pasta sauce or salsa and pre-cut vegetables helps when time is limited. In each chapter of

(Harper One, $29.99)

the book she even presents at least one full-fledged “emergency meal” – “that last bastion of hope before you reach for the take-out menus.”

NOURISH

Ingredients

Optional Toppings

• 1 tablespoon safflower or other high-heat oil or ¼ cup vegetable broth or water • 1 pound seitan, cut into bite-size chunks, or one 8-ounce package tempeh, diced (see Note) • 1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced • 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced • 2 large broccoli crowns, cut into bite-size pieces • 2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 medium zucchini or yellow squash, halved lengthwise and cut into ½-inch chunks • 2 medium ripe fresh tomatoes, diced • 2 cups fresh pineapple chunks (about ¾ inch thick) or one 20-ounce can unsweetened pineapple chunks in juice, drained and liquid reserved • 1 recipe Sweet-and-Sour Sauce • Hot cooked rice, quinoa, or noodles (see Note)

• Chopped cashews or walnuts • Reduced-sodium natural soy sauce or tamari • Sriracha or other Asian hot sauce Sweet-and-Sour Sauce • ½ cup fruit juice (pineapple juice works best; mango is good, too) • 2½ tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch • ½ cup vegetable broth or water • ¼ cup rice vinegar • 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium natural soy sauce or tamari, or to taste • 2 tablespoons agave nectar • 1 to 2 teaspoons grated fresh or jarred ginger serves 6 ; sauce makes 1 ½ cups

Sweet-and-Sour Stir-Fried Vegetables with Seitan or Tempeh

Excerpted from PLANT POWER: Transform Your Kitchen, Plate, and Life With More Than 150 Fresh and Flavorful Vegan Recipes by Nava Atlas with permission by HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Copyright 2014. Photos by Hannah Kaminsky.

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Chocolate Cheesecake with Sour Cream Topping

"Just like our recipes, Erin and I are the perfect partnership of sweet and savory. This airy, tangy and chocolaty cheesecake recipe was passed on to us by Mama Patinkin and reflects this balance. Erin says this was her all-time favorite dessert growing up, and she still loves it. The first time we made this cake together, I got hooked, too." Ingredients CRUST • 6 tablespoons (3 oz.) unsalted butter • 2 tablespoons sugar • 1½ cups finely ground graham cracker crumbs (about 12 graham crackers, pulverized in a food processor or by hand) FILLING • 2 cups (two 8-ounce packages) cream cheese, softened • 1¼ cups sugar • ½ cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder • 2 large eggs, at room temperature • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract • Pinch of salt TOPPING • ½ cup sour cream (full-fat or plain full-fat yogurt), at room temperature • 2 tablespoons sugar • ½ teaspoon vanilla extract • Pinch of salt

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Makes one 8-inch cake

NOURISH 1. Prepare the crust. In a small saucepan over low heat (or in a small, microwave-safe bowl in a microwave oven), melt the butter and set aside to cool. Pour the butter into a large bowl and whisk in the sugar and then the graham cracker crumbs. Combine thoroughly. 2. Press the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of an 8-inch springform pan and a third of the way up the sides. Freeze the crust for at least 30 minutes to set. 3. Preheat the oven to 375⁰F. 4. Prepare the filling. Beat the cream cheese in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) on medium speed, until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Turn the machine off, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add 1¼ cups sugar and the cocoa. Mix on low for 10 seconds. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until smooth, about 1 minute. 5. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and with the machine off, add the eggs, vanilla extract and salt. Beat the filling on medium-low speed for about 10 seconds, then increase the speed to medium-high until fluffy and silky smooth, about 30 more seconds. 6. Remove the prepared crust from the freezer, and pour the filling into the springform pan. Smooth the top with a spatula, and bake for 30 minutes. 7. While the cheesecake bakes, prepare the topping. In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, sugar, vanilla extract and salt. 8. Remove the cheesecake from the oven, leaving the oven at 375°F. Very carefully spoon the sour cream topping on the hot cake, and use a spatula to smooth it to form a thin, even layer over the top, being careful not to press too hard on the delicate, hot cake. Return the cheesecake to the oven, and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more, or until the top looks set. 9. Cool the cheesecake completely at room temperature, and then chill thoroughly (at least 6 hours) before serving.

Chicago-born Erin Patinkin did what was expected of her. She graduated from University of Wisconsin, and even went

(Harlequin, $29.95)

on for a master’s degree. But somehow her heart wasn’t in it. She finally acknowledged that her true passion was in cooking and baking and made the plunge – leaving her job, her friends and family in Chicago to venture into the “inspiring test kitchen that is New York City.” Three years later, in 2010, she and Agatha Kulaga, whom she met at a food-focused book club, launched Ovenly, a bakery/ café in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Countless customers and accolades followed. Now, Patinkin and Kulaga share techniques, recipes, and stories about the birth of their business in a book that will appeal to new as well as veteran bakers. The authors are fearless when it comes to flavor combinations. They lace brownies with cinnamon and ancho chile powder or make them super dark with two kinds

of cocoa and espresso powder, finishing with a flourish of sea salt topping. An intensely black chocolate layer cake is made with stout and features a salted caramel cream cheese buttercream icing. Their apple pie is unusual: before applying the top crust, they sprinkle on crumbled blue cheese. The result is a pie they describe as “juicy, sweet and subtly sharp.” Two recipes from the book would be standouts for upcoming Jewish holidays: for Chanukah, on which eating cheese is traditional, there’s an “airy, tangy” Chocolate Cheesecake with Sour Cream topping, and for Purim, Apricot Orange Hamantaschen. The latter features stepby-step photos, one of a number of useful photo how-tos featured in the book. Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Note The easiest and tidiest way to roll beignets in spiced sugar or powdered sugar without getting your hands in the mix is to pile the beignets in a medium lightweight metal (not plastic) bowl with the sugar and tumble them gently back and forth into another lightweight bowl, until all are coated.

1. Combine the warm water, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, and yeast in a small bowl and set aside. 2. Combine the 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, ½ cup water, butter, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Add about half of the glutinous rice flour and all of the white rice flour and stir with a long-handled metal or wooden spoon until smooth. Turn the heat to low and push the dough around the pan for 2 more minutes, turning it over in the pan to avoid scorching. Scrape the dough into the mixer bowl. Break the eggs into the still-hot saucepan and swirl to warm them. 3. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs one at a time, beating after each is added until the dough is glossy and smooth. When all of the eggs are added, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the yeast mixture, vanilla, and the remaining glutinous rice flour. Mix on medium speed until very smooth and elastic. 4. Pour oil to a depth of about 2 inches in the deep-fat fryer or saucepan and heat to 350°F. Using two spoons or a small spring-loaded scoop, place 1½-teaspoon-sized lumps of batter in the oil. Do not crowd the pan or fryer; each lump of batter will expand about eightfold. After a minute or so, use long-handled tongs to turn the beignets. Fry until very brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes. If necessary to test doneness, cut a beignet in half. Drain on a cake rack; repeat with the remaining batter. 5. To serve immediately, roll the beignets in powdered sugar. To serve later, reheat the beignets for 5 minutes in a 400°F oven and then roll in powdered sugar. Beignets may be stored, loosely covered with a paper towel, at room temperature for up to 2 days before reheating. Makes 3 dozen beignets

Alice Medrich is a star in the baking and chocolate worlds. She has won more cookbook-of-the-year honors and best dessert and baking category awards than any other author. She also has another claim to fame: she introduced the chocolate truffle into the American market. With this latest book, Medrich ventures into challenging new territory: she explores the world of non-wheat flours and discovers the unique features and flavors they bring to an array of baked goods.

(Artisan, $35)

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Medrich spent hundreds of hours testing and experimenting, ultimately developing nearly 125 recipes, which she organizes in chapters by type of flour. Some recipes feature only the primary flour, while others incorporate partner flours that support it. Whether your

goal is to bake gluten-free treats or simply to discover delicious new ways of baking, you’ll appreciate the variety and sophistication of what Medrich offers: There’s Corn and Cranberry Scones, Dark and Spicy Pumpkin Loaf and Boston Cream Pie; Chocolate Chip Cookies and Black Cherry Chocolate Linzer Torte; Nutty Sponge Cake and Coconut Key Lime Tart. If you are looking for recipes for Chanukah entertaining, her beignets (relatives of sufganiyot, the Sephardic doughnuts eaten on Chanukah) are made with rice flour and can be stored up to two days after frying and reheated without ill effects. She also features a recipe for Apricot Walnut Rugelach made with oat and rice flours. Several filling variations are featured.

NOURISH "The aroma when frying these beignets is the first clue that they taste gloriously of yeast, butter, and eggs. Powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar are always a good finish, or go overboard and coat them with bittersweet chocolate glaze. Do try the technique for reheating; they are just as good as freshly fried without the last-minute attention. The sweet rice flour holds moisture in these doughnuts and makes them slightly chewy. It also helps them stay fresher longer and reheat splendidly." Ingredients • 2 tablespoons very warm (105°F to 115°F) water • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast • ½ cup water • 4 tablespoons (½ stick/55 grams) unsalted butter • ½ teaspoon salt • ⅔ cup (100 grams) glutinous rice flour or ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons (100 grams) Thai glutinous rice flour • ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon (60 grams) white rice flour or ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon (60 grams) Thai white rice flour

• • • •

3 large eggs 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1 to 1½ quarts vegetable oil, such as peanut or corn ½ cup (55 grams) powdered sugar

Equipment • Stand mixer with paddle attachment • Deep-fat fryer or medium (2- to 3-quart) saucepan • Frying thermometer

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Ingredients • 4 large eggs, separated, plus about 1 additional white, at room temperature (¼ cup plus 2 teaspoons of yolks; ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons whites) • ¼ cup canola or safflower oil, at room temperature • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons water • 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest, loosely packed • ¼ teaspoon pure lemon oil, preferably Boyajian • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour (see note), sifted into a cup and leveled off • ¾ cup superfine sugar, divided • 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder • ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt • ½ plus ⅛ teaspoon cream of tartar

The Renée Fleming Golden Chiffon 42

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NOURISH "This lemony cake soars above all others in my repertoire, making it the soprano of golden lemon cakes. (It is the counterpart to the Chocolate Domingo from The Cake Bible, which I call the tenor of chocolate cakes.) It is extraordinarily light, tender, moist, and lemony – in a word: divine. It required seventeen tests between Woody and me to perfect the texture. The breakthrough came with the discovery of beating the whites beyond the stiff peak stage, which gave higher volume, and raising the oven temperature slightly to set the structure more quickly. This cake is dedicated to my favorite soprano of the golden voice: the incomparable Renée Fleming. The special garnish is a stardust trail of powdered golden lemon zest."

Note: Unbleached all-purpose flour prevents the cake from deflating significantly.

1. Preheat the Oven: Twenty minutes or longer before baking, set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F/175°C (325°F/160°C if using a dark pan). 2. Mix the Liquid Ingredients: In a 2 cup or larger glass measure with a spout, combine the egg yolks, oil, water, lemon zest, lemon oil, and vanilla. 3. Make the Batter: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, mix the flour, all but 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the baking powder, and salt on low speed for 30 seconds. Make a well in the center. Add the egg mixture to the well and beat on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Raise the speed to medium-high and beat until very thick, about 1½ minutes. If you don’t have a second mixer bowl, scrape this mixture into a large bowl and thoroughly wash, rinse, and dry the mixer bowl and whisk beater to remove any trace of oil. (continued on page 44)

Rose Levy Beranbaum is the Dalai Lama of baking, the person who has achieved so much wisdom that she is in a class by herself. She is the winner of numerous awards and followers for books such as Rose’s Heavenly Cakes, The Cake Bible, and The Pie and Pastry Bible. Her new book draws on her expertise in every category of baking and features all-new recipes with the meticulous attention to detail we’ve come to expect, helping us to achieve superb baking results. As Minneapolis attorney Marie Wolf, leader of a group who baked and blogged about every recipe in Rose’s Heavenly Cakes and helped to test many of the recipes in the current book writes: “Rose’s recipes are delicious. And they are delicious without fail.” Baking Bible’s recipes range from informal to elaborate. She shows us how to make the simple, yet divine, Renée Fleming Golden Chiffon, “the soprano

of golden lemon cakes,” adorned with lemon curd whipped cream and lemon zest; she also presents the sophisticated Polish Princess, its sponge infused with Tea Vodka Syrup and topped with two layers of vanilla pudding, one enhanced with cocoa and walnuts and the other with chopped chocolate and raisins. Beranbaum does nothing halfway: Her Luxury Oatmeal Cookies are made with her own homemade granola; and for hamantaschen, she develops her own “tender, slightly flaky, very buttery and vanilla imbued,” sweet cookie crust, a reaction to the “sturdy” doughs she encountered in bakery versions of the Purim sweet. Her book also features recipes for other Jewish classics, including rugelach, honey cake and babka, for which she offers detailed instructions and multiple fillings. With her expert explanations, baking even complex treats seem within reach. Baking Bible is a book to learn from and

(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $40)

be inspired by, not surprising in a book that borrows its name from that other book we turn to in search of a different kind of guidance. Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

4. Beat the Egg Whites into a Stiff Meringue: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk beater, beat the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium-low speed until foamy. Gradually raise the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Beat in the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and continue beating until very stiff clumps form when the beater is raised, about 2 minutes.

6. Bake the Cake: Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. The cake will

5. Add the Meringue to the Batter: Using a large balloon wire whisk, slotted skimmer, or large silicone spatula, gently fold the meringue into the batter in three parts, folding until partially blended between additions and then folding until completely incorporated after the last addition. If using the whisk, you will need to gently shake out the meringue that gathers in the center as you fold.

1 minute, just until it is no longer higher than the rim of the

Using a silicone spatula, scrape the batter into the pan. Run a small offset spatula in circles through the batter to prevent air pockets and smooth the surface. Insert the rose nail, base side down, into the center of the batter so that it sits on the bottom of the pan. (The batter should fill a 3 inch high pan just under half full.)

dome above the top of the pan. Avoid opening the oven door before the minimum baking time or the fragile cake could fall. Watch carefully. When the cake lowers slightly, and a wooden skewer inserted between the sides and the center comes out clean, remove the cake from the oven. 7. Cool and Unmold the Cake: Let the cake sit for about pan. Immediately invert the cake, still in the pan, onto the prepared wire rack and let it cool for about 1½ hours, or until the outside of the pan is cool to the touch. Invert the pan again. Run a small metal spatula between the sides of the pan and the cake, pressing it firmly against the pan and moving it in a sideways manner. Remove the cake strips and the sides of the springform and release the bottom of the cake from the bottom of the pan, pressing the spatula against the bottom of the pan. Invert the cake and lift off the pan bottom. Remove the rose nail and reinvert the cake onto a serving plate.

Making jam is an involved, yet satisfying endeavor. In Israel, this endeavor became a way to connect for a group of women who have lost immediate family members in the Israeli and Palestinian conflict. The women are all members of the women’s group of the Parents Circle – Families Forum (PCFF) an organization that provides an opportunity for Israelis and Palestinians to meet. Rather than allowing bereavement to serve as yet another reason to hate, PCFF's activities aim to use personal stories to build empathy and understanding, in the hope of preventing further bereavement on both sides. Under the culinary mentorship of Israeli star chef and TV personality Gil Hovav and Palestinian chef Hussam Abbas, women in the group contributed family recipes for jams (pumpkin, plum, mixed fruit, etc.), olives and pickled vegetables such as cucumbers, turnips and peppers. They then prepared the recipes together. Compiled in this unique and meaningful cookbook, published by PCFF, the recipes are accompanied by the women’s photos and their individual stories.

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Copies available from the American Friends of the Parents Circle for a donation of $35.

NOURISH

A delectable gift book showcases Jewish soul food with stories and recipes. by Sue Tomchin

“How can anyone hate the Jews with all the scrumptious things they produce?” asks the late, still deeply missed Joan Rivers in her introduction to Eating Delancey – A Celebration of Jewish Food by Aaron Rezny and Jordan Schaps (Powerhouse Books, $35). Perusing this book stirs up up an old-time deli’s size serving of nostalgia for anyone – with New York roots or not – whose food memories reside in the realm of such Ashkenazi Jewish soul foods as chopped liver, kasha varnishkes, kishke and other classics. The pages of Eating Delancey are filled to overflowing like bubbe’s icebox. There are pinup photos of borscht, pickles,

flanken and crusty rye bread and recipes from famous restaurants, past and present: Sammy’s Roumanian's Chopped Liver, Ratner’s Cheese Blintzes and 2nd Avenue Deli’s Mushroom Barley Soup. Food lovers chime in with treasured family recipes. Erica Kalick of Erica’s Rugelach and Baking Company, for example, contributes Aunt Pearl’s OldFashioned Rugelach recipe, which inspired her to start her own bakery.

writes about Cake Masters’ Seven Layer Cake and Designer Isaac Mizrahi about a Brazilian supermodel who swore him to secrecy after he saw her ordering pastrami and cream soda at Fine & Schapiro, a Manhattan deli. Others rhapsodize about Grandma Sylvia’s chalushkas (cabbage rolls) or Grandma Lillian’s butter cookies, or share anecdotes about Passover Seders and other memorable meals of the past.

The book is at its best in the stories it shares. We read about famous Jewish food companies and restaurants like Streit’s, Russ and Daughters and Ratner’s (of blessed memory), but also hear from individuals, both famous and not. Renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman

Jewish food is the stuff that dreams, businesses, humor (and sometimes heartburn) are made of. As Don Rickles writes about living and eating in New York: “When you belched the wind picked it up in California.” Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

more recipes at jwmag.org... 46

Sweet & Sour Cabbage Soup with Meat Panko-Crusted Turkey Cutlets with Cranberry Chutney Apricot Orange Hamantaschen Chocolate Bread Pudding with Homemade Challah Unbaked Fudgy Brownies Rugelach Chocolate Chocolate Tea Cake Chocolate Chip Cookies Chicken Paella

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Clockwise from top left: Photos by Glen Scott Photography, Winona Barton-Ballentine, Hannah Kaminsky, Ben Fink and Matt Armendariz,

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From the Red Tent to the Tenement Anita Diamant’s new novel looks at friendship and feminism in the early 1900s by Meredith Jacobs

In her new novel The Boston Girl (Scribner, Dec. 9), Anita Diamant, author of The Red Tent, brings us the story of Addie, who at 85 shares her life story with her twenty-two-yearold granddaughter. Through Addie’s warm, wise and wickedly funny words, we learn what it was like for a young girl, born to immigrant parents, to come of age in America post-World War I. Her lifelong friendships with the “Saturday Club Girls” – Filomena and Gussie, her sisters – the tragic and desperately sad Celia and the strong and inspiring Betty, and her beloved husband, Aaron, all influence her life and the woman she ultimately becomes. We talked to Diamant about writing The Boston Girl and what it’s like to see her groundbreaking novel The Red Tent reimagined on the small screen in the Lifetime miniseries airing December 7th and 8th. Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

"Women’s friendships unite all my books. And these are crosscultural – I wanted people from different backgrounds. All immigrants. They are all trying to be fulfilled. Things were changing. This is about becoming an American."

I really loved Addie. Is she inspired by your grandmother?

Was there a real Saturday Evening Club?

No, not my grandmother. As usual, I started in a different place and wound up with Addie. She came to me along the way. There is a real place called Rockport Lodge, [a retreat center] where women of limited means could go [early in the 20th century]. I watched it crumble. It was a vestige of a different time. The land was sold and the money was given to a domestic abuse program – so it continues to live on in a different way. I originally planned to write a novel about the lodge, did research on it and found myself in a very progressive era for women. Organizations were being founded to help women and girls. There was even a law school that only women went to. I learned all of this amazing history and wanted to write a book about this era and place the book in Rockport Lodge. I sketched out the characters – all of whom are in Boston Girl – but Addie emerged as the strongest; it became her story.

Yes, Saturday Evening Girls was a club in the North End of Boston at the Bennet Street Settlement house. Now it’s an Italian neighborhood; then it was a mixed community. It was one of the worst tenements – death, disease…horrible. It’s where Edith Guerrier (Chevalier in the book) and Edith Brown (Green in book) created the library clubs for the older girls. They taught girls how to take responsibility and stand up in front of an audience and go out into the world. Addie stumbles into the world. Edith Chevalier sees something in her and the world opens up to her. There she meets Gussie, who goes to law school, and Filomena. Women’s friendships unite all my books. And these are cross-cultural – I wanted people from different backgrounds. All immigrants. They are all trying to be fulfilled. Things were changing. This is about becoming an American.

I didn’t really plot it out. All of my books tell a historical story from a very closeup, not global, perspective. How did the American girl live through World War I? I think, through Addie, I gave an accurate portrayal of that life. I found it so hard to like Mameh, Addie’s mother. I kept hoping she would in some way be redeemed.

Mameh was a very distressed human being. She suffered a lot of losses. She was afraid. She had a daughter who was clinically depressed She lost three children. Not everyone bounces back. I think Mameh was damaged and didn’t have the internal resources to recover. 48

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Why do you have the granddaughter become a rabbi?

It shows how far women came in that century – from women not being able to say Kaddish to women becoming rabbis and running congregations. Can you talk about the newspaper? Why did Addie go to work for the paper?

I needed for her to make a leap forward in her life. She was stuck as a secretary. She wanted to go to college. The columnist shows up and inspires her. For a while I wondered what her career would be. I thought a writer – but that isn’t where she ends up. The wonderful thing about being a journalist is it takes you into worlds you wouldn’t normally have access to. So her world gets widened. And she finds women who are her mentors.

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(L to R): Minnie Driver ("Leah"), Rebecca Ferguson ("Dinah") and Morena Baccarin ("Rachel") star in the all-new Lifetime miniseries, "The Red Tent." Part One premieres Sunday, December 7, at 9:00 p.m. ET/PT followed by Part Two on Monday, December 8. ÂŠ2014 A&E Television Networks, LLC. All rights reserved. Photo: Joey L.

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

Bring healthy relationships home! The first nationwide

Healthy Relationship Shabbat

is planned for February 7th & 8th, inspired by JWI's "Rethinking Shabbat" guide.

I also think that in the process, she learns through the difficulties of the world and even more through Aaron and that leads to social work. Simmons was the first school with a social work program. Social work was a new career – all of this was just being invented. These new fields all gave women entry: telephone operators, typists, clerks in department stores. All that was new. This is where women were hired. What advice would you give a granddaughter wanting to ask her grandmother about her life?

I don’t want to idealize this. In a lot of families, that’s not easy. There are disappointments on both sides. People don’t understand each other. Not all grandmothers are so forthcoming and charming. Addie is a social worker – very selfaware. Not everyone likes to talk with grandchildren about pain. I don’t want to romanticize difficult questions. It’s good to ask if you can but some children are afraid of their grandparents. Addie shared some difficult stuff, but how much do you want to hear about your grandmother’s sex life? She’s a wise guy – she has a sense of humor. Yes, we should ask, but we shouldn’t be disappointed if it doesn’t work. How was the process of writing The Boston Girl different from writing The Red Tent?

Get your synagogue involved, download the free guide and join the campaign: Contact Deborah Rosenbloom at drosenbloom@jwi.org.

Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

I was writing Red Tent in the mid-'90s. It was published 17 years ago. The internet was worthless. I spent a lot of time in libraries. A lot was missing – there were a lot of holes. So I invented stuff – stuff that was historically possible. So no chickens, but goats. I tried to make it historically possible. For Boston Girl, there’s a lot of information. And I live in Boston so I interviewed people. There’s so much more to know and so much more that’s knowable. What they [the books] have in

common is that they are both told in the first person by the main character – they are tied together in the narrator voice. Your book, The Red Tent, has been made into a mini-series that airs on Lifetime on December 7 and 8. Did the characters and backdrop look as you had envisioned?

There’s no way a movie can meet with what I envisioned. I sold the rights. I didn’t have anything to do with the movie. That’s how it goes and I’m okay with that. What I’m curious about is what the audience will think. I’m not going to review the movie. I think they made it with passion and respect. It’s a different vision from mine but it remains a celebration of women’s wisdom and strength – it does communicate that very strongly. I’m sure some people will be disappointed, but it will also introduce people to the book or remind them of the book. It gets the message of women’s strength even in biblical times to a big audience and I’m happy about that. The movie is a different way of telling the story. It’s all storytelling. That’s good. Storytelling makes us human and stretches the imagination. It’s retelling the story. I’m so honored. So honored that someone fell in love with the story to tell the story the way they saw it.

SPEAK

CHANUKAH, REDISCOVERED Lighting the menorah was the first step in one family's renewed relationship with Judaism

While she was immersed in her life as a professional storyteller, wife of a rabbi, and mother of two teenagers, Debra Gordon Zaslow of Ashland, Oregon decided to bring her 103-year-old grandmother, Bubbe, who was dying alone in a nursing facility,

home to live and die with her family. This story is excerpted and adapted from the moving book she wrote about her experience, Bringing Bubbe Home â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A Memoir of Letting Go Through Love and Death (White Cloud Press, 2014). Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

hen David and I began dating in 1978, neither of us had celebrated Chanukah in years. We were so estranged from our Jewish roots, that if you told me then that David would one day become a rabbi, I would have laughed my head off. Three years after our first date, when Rachel was a week old, I opened the newspaper and read, “Chanukah Begins Tonight.” Suddenly it mattered. “Do we have a Menorah?” I asked David. He crawled into our storage space and brought up a huge box. “A Menorah that big?” “It’s just wrapped big," he said. We peeled through layers of yellowed newspaper to uncover a hand-cast brass menorah from Jerusalem that had been handed down in his family for generations. We cleared a space on the hearth, set up the candles and sang the blessings slowly, holding our infant daughter close to the light. We joined the little Jewish congregation in the Valley because we wanted connection to the community and our roots, but we had little connection to God. I went to High Holy Days services in the fall because the words of the prayers made me feel quiet inside. In those days David was too busy working to join me; he was teaching poetry, writing textbooks, and running his jazz club.

On a chilly day in January, a year after he found Judaism, we sat on the couch. I said, “I was afraid we were growing apart, but I think it’s okay now.” He nodded. “We’ve been on different paths.”

Watch a video trailer for the book.

When he dove into studying Judaism I was as bewildered as if he had a new woman in his life, and I felt my bias against Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

When David started wearing a yarmulke I was embarrassed. The handsome poet and businessman I’d married was morphing into a religious man with a scraggly beard. In those days, when I wasn’t busy teaching, storytelling, and taking care of our kids, I was exploring my inner child with my women’s group. For me, psychology was the route to personal growth, not religion. I began to see changes in David, though. For the first time in years, his eyes filled with tears as he prayed and I sensed his softening when he sang Shabbat melodies, lit candles, and taught the children blessings.

It wasn’t until Rachel was seven and Ari almost five that David had a religious awakening. He’d spent two years on an album of children’s poetry with music that ended up an award-winning product, but a financial disaster. After sinking our savings into it, we were broke and David was depressed. He began studying Torah with a local rabbi and going to services while he searched for something missing in his life.

religion rising. My father used to say, “All religious people are rigid, especially Orthodox Jews.” He was probably talking about the stringent rabbis at the cheder he was forced to attend after school when he wanted to play football. Like so many Jews in the post-Holocaust generation, my parents raised me to know my roots but not to be devout. Light candles at Chanukah, eat lox and bagels, but most of all, be American; blend in.

“Yours is more spiritual, mine’s more emotional, but I think we’re headed in the same direction,” I said as I reached up and touched his face. He covered my hand with his. “Are you through complaining about my beard?”

“Done,” I said. Since he’s become a Jewish Renewal rabbi, David’s had room to create his own style, full of singing, poetry, and humor. He leads services with the same soft electricity as when he strummed the guitar in my second grade class. He’s found his place. I’ve slowly carved out a place at his side. When we went to Israel in 1990, I discovered Jewish stories called to me more

SPEAK “Chanukah! Ven did it get to be Chanukah?” Bubbe throws up her hands. “It came early this year,” David says. We set the menorah in front of Bubbe, and I tell Ari to help her put the candles in it. When he has a specific job to do, he’s more comfortable with her. He gently curls his hands around her fingers as they push in one candle for the first night of Chanukah, and the shammos candle to light the first one. Ari lights the shammos, then hands it to Bubbe. Her hand shakes as she slowly finds the wick, and holds it until the flame flickers. We turn off the overhead light, so for a moment there is just that wavering, hopeful light as it joins the other, then grows stronger. When Bubbe says the Chanukah prayer in her thick Yiddish accent it sounds like a different prayer; Broichatoi odonoi elehenu melechoilum. The kids look quizzical, as if they’ve never heard it before.

Debra and Bubbe

deeply than the other folktales I’d been telling. These were my stories. Now I tell stories at services, create plays in our Sunday school, and lead women’s rituals. On Friday nights when we light candles together and bless our children, I see the safety of the circle we stand in; Rachel and Ari know where they belong. “If it weren’t for you,” I tell David, “I don’t know if I would ever set foot in a synagogue.”

David takes out his guitar and we sing “I Have a Little Dreidel.” Bubbe croaks, “Dreidel, Dreidel, Dreidel,” as she spins hers. When Ari points out the Hebrew letters on each side of the dreidle to Bubbe, he’s surprised that she already knows what the letters mean: Ness Gadol Haya Sham, A Great Miracle Happened There. Bubbe looks up at the dancing light, takes in the singing, and says, “I never vould hev believed I’d live long enough to see dis. To be here vit my grendchildren, and great-grendchildren, singing at Chanukah. Who vould believe dis? Ven I get home, I’m going to tell dem about all of you; dey’re not going to believe dis.” ©2014 Debra Zaslow Cohen

He replies, “Then you’re so lucky you married me.” The first night of Chanukah we carry our ancient brass menorah downstairs to light candles with Bubbe. Marilyn, her caregiver, has gotten Bubbe dressed, fed, and up in the chair. She wears loose red sweat pants and a zip-up sweatshirt. Marilyn convinced me to buy her some clothes that are warm, comfortable, and above all, easy to get on and off. Last week I made a run to a local discount store and bought about ten jogging outfits. “Dis is nice,” Bubbe says when Marilyn puts her in a new sweat suit. “But I don’t tink it’s mine.”

storyteller and author Debra Gordon Zaslow

She’s pleased to see us coming in with candles and thinks it must be Shabbat. “No, Bubbe, tonight is the first night of Chanukah,” Rachel tells her. She’s anxious to go, has a six o’clock call for her play, but she leans down and gives Bubbe a big kiss. Jewish Woman | jwmag.org

One in three teens experiences physical, sexual, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner. Most victims tell no one.

Teens need to talk;

learn how to start the conversation.

Learn more at jwi.org/datingabuse

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