Latest Recipes of the Season

Latkes - Potato Pancakes

Latkes are traditionally served for Hanukkah because they are cooked in oil (to commemorate the vial of oil lasting for 8 days). However they are a perfect accompaniment to beef or chicken and can also be made into small rounds and topped with sour cream and caviar for an elegant appetizer.

Yucca Root Fries with Mojo Sauce

I learned how to make these wonderful fries when I went to Cuba on a humanitarian mission. Crispy and delicious but the Mojo sauce really makes the dish. Great for appetizers too!

Tortilla Espanola

In Spain, this classic tapas is called Tortilla de Patatas. Here, of course, we reference its spanish origin. Three basic ingredients, potatoes, onions and eggs combine to create an incredibly delicious dish that is extremely versatile. Cut into wedges, this can be a side dish or first course;cut into small squares skewered with toothpicks, the tortilla can be a perfect passed hors'douevres served at a party. You could also serve this in place of hash browns with your morning eggs.

The only difficulty is turning the half-cooked pancake over. The trick is to use a plate larger than the frying pan and to wear an oven mitt while turning to prevent any stray oil from burning you. Well worth the effort and really not that hard.

Crostini with Tapenade

If you're growing peppers in your yard and don't know what to do with with the excess, this recipe is for you. However, starting out with store-bought roasted red peppers makes this a very easy year-round appetizer to have o­n hand in the refrigerator whenever company unexpectedly arrives.And, if you are lucky enough to be able to buy pitted olives, then this recipe should take you less than 3 minutes to prepare (minus the crostini)! Enjoy!

Prune Tzimmes

Tzimmes has its origin in medieval Germany where it was the custom to have meat stews that contained fruit and vegetables. Perhaps the Persian and Western Asian culinary habit of using fruits with meat made it up the Rhine? The sugar beet growing region of southwestern Poland surely influenced the addition of sugar to the recipe, and the use of sweet potatoes is o­nly a few centuries old as the sweet potato was introduced to Eastern Europe from America.

Since the Tzimmes requires long, slow cooking, it is a perfect dish for Shabbat. Its use of carrots and sweetener makes it very appropriate for Rosh Hashanah as well.

This dish, like all stews, tastes better the next day. It also freezes beautifully. Just freeze the meat separate from the vegetables and gravy. Slice the defrosted meat and place in a casserole with the vegetables and gravy and reheat.

White Chocolate Holiday Hash

I developed this recipe with leftovers from one holiday season. Delicious combination especially when you crave salt and sweet at the same time. Easy to make and significantly cheaper than any store-bought version!