Category: sephardic
Breads Bakery’s Djerban Dairy Dill Bread for Shavuot
April 23, 2018
When Uri Scheft, the baking mastermind behind Tel Aviv’s Lehamim Bakery and, more recently, New York City’s renowned Breads Bakery (which devoted Poppy and Prune readers may recall as the winner of my 2018 NYC hamantaschen challenge), was researching his excellent cookbook Breaking Breads, he visited the island of Djerba, Tunisia.
Greek Mac and Cheese
April 16, 2018
What could be more perfect for Shavuot than a Jewish take on mac and cheese? This Greek dish, hailing from the Jewish community of Komotini in Thrace, is a delicious variation on a beloved crowd-pleasing classic—and it’s relatively simple to prepare.
A Simple and Healthy Sephardic Okra Dish: Bamia
April 12, 2018
I’m still on my post-Pesach detox, and today I have a great, healthy, simple dish—bamia—featuring a vegetable that doesn’t get enough love: okra!
An Easy and Delicious Moroccan Carrot Salad
April 9, 2018
Anyone else in need of a post-Pesach reset this week? I love cooking (and eating!) for Passover, but it’s always heavy on the eggs, dairy, sugar—oh yeah, and matzah. By the end of the holiday, I’m ready for a change. I’m also ready to stop spending quite so much time in the kitchen, much as […]
An Unusual Persian Spinach Omelet for Passover (or Rosh Hashanah)
April 6, 2018
Today I have a delicious Persian Spinach omelet, perfect for Passover or any time of the year, with an unusual addition: walnuts!
A Passover Cult Classic: Claudia Roden’s Almond Orange Cake
April 5, 2018
By all accounts, this is THE Passover cake. Claudia Roden’s almond orange cake, based on a traditional Sephardic recipe, is one of the most raved-about Jewish cakes out there.
Eggplant and Cheese Casserole: Almodrote de Berengena
April 2, 2018
Casseroles consisting of eggs, vegetables, and cheese are a mainstay of Sephardic cooking. They go by many names: fritada, sfoungato, quajado, cuajada, esponga, or, in Syria, sabanigh b’jiben. And, last but not least, almodrote. Hailing from Turkey, it can be made with eggplant, spinach or zucchini, and while all are delicious, I’m partial to this eggplant variety, since it’s the first […]
Libyan Butternut Squash Pudding for Passover
March 27, 2018
This Libyan butternut squash pudding would make a perfect post-seder dessert: it’s pareve, relatively light, and, most importantly, not only can chill for hours (or even overnight) but is in fact at its best right out of a lengthy stay in the fridge.
Jennifer Abadi’s Syrian-Style Apricot Haroset
March 23, 2018
If you haven’t noticed, I’m pretty excited to be cooking my way through Jennifer Abadi’s Too Good to Passover. This haroset from the book highlights an unusual fruit: apricots!
Iraqi Almond Macaroons with Rosewater and Cardamom for Passover
March 19, 2018
These delicious Iraqi Passover almond macaroons come from Jennifer Abadi’s awesome new cookbook, Too Good to Passover. More than a cookbook, this is an absolute treasure trove of Passover recipes, traditions, and memories from the Sephardic world and beyond, including from some less-discussed Jewish food traditions like Ethiopian and Yemenite.