Jew-ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch

 

Jew-ish: A Cookbook is a tutorial guide with recipes collected and developed/updated by Jake Cohen. Due out 9th March 2021 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, it's 272 pages and will be available in hardcover and ebook formats. 

It's well laid out with a trendy appealing vibe (definitely not my grandma's cookbook for sure). The introduction includes some salient observations from the author about ethnicity, food, love, and comfort in old traditions (and making new traditions). 

The introduction covers the basics of Jew(ish) cooking, pantry essentials to buy and make, and essential accessories as well as an intro to the whole idea of pausing at the end of a work week and sharing food with people in our circles. The following chapters include the recipes arranged roughly by category: breakfasts, appetizers & snacks, salads, vegetables, carbs, soups & stews, mains, desserts, and drinks. 

Ingredient measurements are supplied (mostly) in American standard measurements only - there are some recipes which include metric measures.  Nutritional information is not included. Each recipe has a header with a short description of the recipe, yields, and approximate prep-times. Ingredients are listed bullet style in a sidebar followed by step by step directions. Extra tips or recipe alternatives are listed in text boxes in the recipes. The recipes themselves are fairly straightforward and are made for the most part with easily sourced ingredients. Not many of these are very simple, some of them are quite complex (but worth the effort). There are also four sample menus provided for high holiday entertaining and gatherings.

The author has a fun and upbeat style of writing. He's by turns whimsical and entertaining and his love and appreciation for his family, husband, and culture shine through in the text. It's also a beautuful book in its own right: lavishly photographed, the serving suggestions and food styling often include colorful serving accessories and well appointed tables as well as visually appealing well made food.

Five stars. This would make a superlative gift for an enthusiastic cook. Beautifully made babka and rugelach are sublime soul-satisfying blessings (I'm alllll about baked goods) and he includes good expanded recipes for both.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.