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With more than 200
recipes, the book travels around the world of Jewish
cuisine, from Artichokes, Sephardic Style--a spicy,
fried, Egyptian dish--to Mississippi Praline
Macaroons, a recipe that traveled with its originator
from Vienna, Austria, to Natchez, Mississippi. Because
the book includes recipes from both Ashkenazic and
Sephardic traditions, editor Linda Amster notes that
the ingredients in some recipes may not be acceptable
to other communities (for example, the allspice in
Claudia Roden's Matzoh-Meat Pie perfectly reflects its
Arab-Jewish influences, but probably would be out of
place on an Ashkenazic Passover menu).
Through the years at
the Times, many Passover recipes have come from
accomplished home cooks in the New York area (such as
Florence Aaron's Salmon and Egg Salad). More recently,
however, the paper has given some star chefs a turn at
the traditional Seder dishes, so you'll also find such
gourmet delights as Jean-Georges Vongerichten's Beet
Tartare, Paul Prudhomme's Veal Roast with Mango Sauce,
Charlie Trotter's Carrot Consommé, and Maida Heatter's
Chocolate Walnut Torte. In addition to the wealth of
recipes, The New York Times Passover Cookbook features
a thoughtful introduction on the meanings of the
Passover ritual by Joan Nathan, author of the
award-winning Jewish Cooking in America. Threaded
through the book are four essays by Times critics and
columnists Ruth Reichl, Mimi Sheraton, Molly O'Neill,
and Howard G. Goldberg. Goldberg's informative piece
on Kosher wines may cause you to put the sweet
Manischewitz aside for a dryer Israeli Cabernet or a
Californian Semillon. Whether you're looking for a
classic apple-nut Haroseth or a fusion-cuisine
Southwestern Tsimmes Stuffed in Anaheim Chiles, The
New York Times Passover Cookbook is an excellent,
comprehensive sourcebook for the Passover meal.
Passover is celebrated at the table with ritual words
and food; this serious new collection does justice to
both. And as Amster, a regular contributor to the New
York Times food pages, points out, there's another
tradition associated with Passover. Every year, home
cooks eagerly await recipes, conforming with the
holiday's dietary restrictions, published in the
Times. The 175 recipes reprinted from cookbooks by the
paper's well-known food writers, as well as by
celebrated chefs, range from the traditional to the
innovative and are drawn from European, Mediterranean
and Middle Eastern traditions. Anne Rosenzwieg offers
a haroseth recipe that uses rhubarb. The section on
gefilte fish includes Wolfgang Puck's variation,
served in cabbage leaves, and Barbara Kafka's version,
prepared in the microwave. In addition, Amster imparts
seven ways to roast a chicken, including Chicken
Breasts with Green Olives and Tomatoes. Paul Prudhomme
serves up his Veal Roast with Mango Sauce, a dish he
prepared in Jerusalem in honor of the city's 3000th
anniversary. Nathan's knowledgeable foreword describes
dietary restrictions and offers definitions and
explanations of the symbolism behind the food. Taken
together, Amster has produced what may be the
definitive word in Passover cookbooks, from recipes to
the feelings evoked by sitting at a beautifully set,
bountifully laden table. |
