The New Jewish Table explores the melding of two different cooking cultures—seasonal

American and Eastern-European Jewish—sharing the mouthwatering recipes that result

from this flavorful union. More than a love story about what one can do with fresh

ingredients, Todd and Ellen talk about the food they grew up with, their life together, and

how rewarding the sharing of two people’s traditions—and meals—can be. When Chef

Todd married his wife, Ellen, who is Jewish, their union brought about his initiation into

the world of Jewish cooking. In 1999, Todd combined his love for farm-to-table ingre-

dients with his passion for Jewish cuisine, opening the acclaimed Equinox Restaurant in

Washington, D.C.

With more than 125 recipes, including reinterpretations of traditional Jewish favor-

ites made with fresh, seasonal ingredients, from Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Latkes,

Ellen’s Falafel with Pickled Vegetables and Minted Lemon Yogurt, and Roasted Heir-

loom Beets with Capers and Pistachios, to Matzo-Stuffed Cornish Game Hens, Fig and

Port Wine Blintzes, and Chocolate Hazelnut Rugelach, there are recipes for every occa-

sion that the entire family will enjoy.

A celebration of the pleasures of cooking and the joy of sharing food with fam-

ily, these updated Jewish favorites exemplify the message that chefs and home cooks

have embraced: seasonal, local foods, prepared simply but with love and thought, are

the best meals you can eat anywhere.

FOREWORD

INTRODUCT ION

FALL

BRUNCH

STARTERS

LUNCH

D INNER

S IDES

DESSERTS

WINTER

BRUNCH

STARTERS

LUNCH

D INNER

S IDES

DESSERTS

SPRING

BRUNCH

STARTERS

LUNCH

D INNER

S IDES

DESSERTS

SUMMER

BRUNCH

STARTERS

LUNCH

D INNER

S IDES

DESSERTS

HOLIDAY MENUSROSH HASHANAH

YOM K IPPUR

HANUKKAH

PASSOVER

CHEF ’S APPENDIX

INDEX

CONTENTS

PART ONE

PART TWO

PART THREE

PART FOUR

FROM OUR TABLE TO YOURS ELLEN: This book really represents the blending at our table in the truest

sense, a culinary convergence as our dear friend and mentor, Joan Na-

than, refers to it. The New Jewish Table would not have come to be were

it not for Joan, who penned an article in The New York Times in 2009

entitled, “At Hanukkah, Chefs Make Kitchen Conversions,” highlighting

culinary blending in marriages between Jews and non-Jews. Joan was the

one who actually recognized that ours would be an interesting story to tell.

Until she wrote that piece, we never realized how different, yet similar, our

backgrounds were.

TODD: Above all, though, the emphasis of The New Jewish Table is on

seasonality, with the hope that readers make every effort to source locally

and support our nation’s farmers, food artisans, and watermen.

To that end, we have divided the book into four seasons—Fall, Win-

ter, Spring, and Summer—each with six chapters: Brunch, Starters, Lunch,

Dinner, Sides, and Desserts. We suggest you browse the chapters at your

leisure—you may find a recipe in Brunch that sounds like lunch to you, or

one in Lunch that might be just what you want for dinner. Sidebars linked

to specific dishes throughout the book relay anecdotes, moving memories,

or pertinent food methodology. Boxes with useful preparation tips appear

alongside many of the recipes. Every recipe has been given a dairy,

parve, or meat designation.

Additionally, we have included comprehensive menu suggestions

for four Jewish holidays (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Hanukkah, Pass-

over) and an Appendix of culinary fundamentals—here you’ll find recipes

for many of our favorite dressings, sauces, condiments, and stocks; basic

prep information for various ingredients; and explanations of frequently

used cooking methods.

From our blended table to yours, happy cook.

“ The New Jewish Table is filled with the lore of Ellen’s family’s passion for Jewish food and Todd’s youthful explorations of Pennsylvania-Dutch cuisine and his chef’s training. It is a delightful blending of recipes, tips, and tales, with the culinary traditions that nurtured both, reinterpreted for everyone to cook in Todd’s sure and professional hand.”—from the foreword by Joan Nathan, author of Jewish Cooking in America

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT

SALAD OF ROASTED HEIRLOOM BEETS WITH CAPERS AND PISTACHIO

APRICOT HAMANTASHEN

BAKED VEAL ROAST

BEET CURED SALMON GRAVLAX

CARAMELIZED CAULIFLOWER WITH ALMONDS AND RAISINS

MINI PASTRAMI REUBENS WITH SPICY RUSSIAN DRESSING

TODD: Whenever I went to New York with the great Italian chef Roberto Donna, he’d always say, “Oh, we have to go to Carnegie Deli and get Reuben sandwiches.” Everybody loves Reubens—the gooeyness of the cheese, the dressing oozing out, the buttery crunchiness of the rye bread, the tang of the sauerkraut, the fatty richness of the meat. I prefer them with pastrami instead of corned beef (but feel free to use either, or turkey for that matter) because of the spice the peppery crust adds. Many a time when the Kassoffs wind up at our house on Sundays, Reubens hit the pan and get cut up into bite-sized pieces for noshing. Using party rye is neater and more suitable for serving at cocktail parties.

MAKES 8 SMALL SANDWICHES

16 slices party-style marbled rye bread

Spicy Russian Dressing (recipe follows)

1 cup sauerkraut, drained (from either a jar or package)

½ pound sliced pastrami

16 slices Swiss cheese

Dill pickles for serving

Arrange 8 slices of bread on a work surface. Spread each with a

teaspoon or two of the Russian dressing. Then layer the sauerkraut,

pastrami, and cheese on them, distributing evenly; top each with

another slice of bread. Working in batches if necessary, cook the

sandwiches in a panini press until the cheese is melting and bread is

well toasted. (If you don’t have a panini press, heat a little olive oil

in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook the sandwiches in it until

the bread is toasted and caramelized—place a skillet on top of the

sandwiches to press them if you like.) Serve family style, passing the

remaining Russian dressing and some dill pickles at the table.

SPICY RUSSIAN DRESSINGMAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS

With a fork, blend 1 cup mayonnaise with ¼ cup ketchup, 1 table-

spoon sour cream, ¼ teaspoon Tabasco Sauce, ¼ teaspoon salt, and

¹⁄8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper in a small bowl; stir in 4

finely chopped cornichon pickles and 1 tablespoon finely chopped

scallions (include a little of the green part). Cover and refrigerate

until ready to use.

MIXED

ETROG CAKEELLEN: Etrog is a lemonlike citrus fruit readily available in Israel (See: About Etrog), but as far as I can tell only one farmer grows it in the United States, so it is not always easy to find. Ask your specialty food store if they carry it or how to order it, or check online. Around Sukkot (four days after Yom Kippur), you can order etrog and lulav “kits” from certain local synagogues or Jewish organizations.

TODD: Lemons are perfectly reasonable substitutes for this pound-cake-like dessert.

MAKES ONE 4-BY-8- INCH ROUND CAKE

2 etrogs (or 2 lemons)

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed etrog juice or lemon juice

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice

2¾ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (½ stick), softened

1¾ cups sugar

3 large eggs

1¼ cups freshly squeezed orange juice (3 to 4 juice oranges)

3 tablespoons Grand Marnier (orange-flavored liqueur)

Orange and blood orange segments for garnish (optional)

MAKE IT PARVE. Use margarine instead of butter.

Make a citrus seasoning mixture. Grate the zest of the etrogs with a

rasp or citrus zester, being careful to get all the zest off of the citrus

without cutting into the pith below the skin. Whisk together the

lemon juice and lime juice in a small bowl; whisk in the etrog zest.

Set aside 1 tablespoon of this mixture to use later for the glaze.

Mix the batter. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spray a 4-by-8-inch

loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and line the bottom with

parchment paper or rub the pan with butter and dust it with flour,

shaking out the excess. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and

salt. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, cream the batter with

the 1¼ cups of the sugar in a meduim bowl until light and fluffy.

Add the eggs one at a time, beating until smooth and scraping down

the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula after each addition. Beat

in the nonreserved portion of the citrus mixture. Add a third of

the flour mixture, beating just to combine; then add ½ cup orange

juice, followed by another third of the flour mixture, another ½ cup

orange juice, and finally the last of the flour, mixing only until just

combined after each addition.

Bake the cake. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a

toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean—45 to 55 minutes.

Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes, then

turn out onto the rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze. Meanwhile, stir together the remaining ½ cup sugar,

remaining ¼ cup orange juice, and the reserved tablespoon of the

citrus mixture in a small saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring

DAIRY

frequently, just until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the

pan from the heat. Stir in the Grand Marnier. Let the glaze cool.

To serve, slice the cake and place on dessert plates; drizzle the glaze

decoratively over each portion—we like to use a ladle to do this.

Garnish each plate with a few orange segments if you wish.

SUMMERTIME LEMON CAKEFresh raspberries are a perfect complement to the fresh, sweet-tart

flavor of the Etrog Cake. So when raspberries are in season (and

etrog is not), we make this cake with lemons and serve it garnished

with wonderfully ripe, juicy berries. Irresistible!

ABOUT ETROGELLEN: One of the harvest rituals at Sukkot involves waving a palm frond (Lulav) wrapped with myrtle (Haddass) and willow twigs (Aravah) and an etrog, a citrus fruit that grows abundantly in Israel. (It’s also known as citron.) Sukkot is an eight-day holiday that takes place at harvest time, four days after Yom Kippur. The word sukkot refers to huts that Jews built in the fields during the harvest to maximize their time working there. Sukkot were also erected as temporary shelters during the forty years the Jews wandered in the desert. The holiday therefore is a time to celebrate earth’s bounty and to remember the hardships of the exodus.

TODD: I had never heard of etrog, let alone seen one, until Ellen told me about it. They look like lemons on steroids, only craggier. Although they are enormous, they are mostly pith; the citrus part inside is very small. Etrogs can be hard to find, so substitute lemons if you need to.

BEEF SHORT RIBS IN RED WINE SAUCE

TODD: Make sure you buy the American cut of short ribs, which each have a 2-to-3-inch-wide bone in them with a big chunk of meat attached, rather than the flanken (or Korean) style short rib that is cut laterally into a long, thin strip with several bones. Use a deep, wide-bottom casserole or skillet, which can be used on top of the stove as well as in the oven. Brown the ribs in batches. Overcrowding the pan keeps the ribs from browning evenly. (See: On Braising)

SERVES 6

¼ cup grapeseed oil

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

12 beef short ribs, each 3- to 4-inches long

1 carrot, sliced into ¼-inch rounds

1 medium yellow onion, sliced

2 celery ribs, cut crosswise into ¼-inch slices

6 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 bottle Cabernet Sauvignon wine (750 millileters)

8 cups veal stock (see About Veal Stock and recipe in Chef’s Appendix)

1 herb bouquet (see Chef’s Appendix)

MEAT

Sauté the meat and vegetables. Put the flour in a shallow dish.

Heat the oil in a large flameproof casserole over medium-high heat.

Sprinkle salt and pepper over the short ribs. Working in batches if

necessary, dip the ribs in the flour, turning to coat and then shaking

off the excess; transfer to the casserole. Sauté the ribs until golden

brown—about 4 minutes per side; remove from the pan with tongs

and set aside on a paper towel-lined plate. In the same pan, sauté the

carrots, onions, celery, and garlic until lightly caramelized—about 10

minutes.

Braise the ribs. Preheat the oven to 350º. Stir the tomato paste

into the vegetable in the casserole and cook, stirring occasionally,

for 5 minutes more. Lower the heat to medium; add the wine and

cook until the liquid is reduced by half—about 10 minutes. Add the

veal stock, herb bouquet, and ribs. Raise the heat to medium-high

and continue to cook until the liquid is simmering; then cover the

casserole and place in the oven. Cook until the meat is pulling away

from bone—approximately 1½ hours.

To serve, transfer the ribs to a platter. Pour the sauce from the pan

through a mesh strainer and over the ribs; discard the vegetables.