Shabbat. The Jewish day of rest. A Friday evening tradition. Although I’m not Jewish, I went to a predominantly Jewish college. You couldn’t ignore Shabbat. Even for those students who were not Jewish, seeing others rush to services marked the start of the weekend.
52 Shabbats: Friday Night Dinners Inspired by a Global Jewish Kitchen, by Faith Kramer, is a collection of recipes to mix and match, and to inspire the Friday evening meal. The recipes are not inspired by a particular place but by all the places, not a particular time in history but by modern flavors. Each of the season chapters opens with a list of special holidays and their meaning. Dispersed throughout the book, there are short essays about the Jewish diaspora. Recipes come with background information and/or helpful hints. Each of the entrée recipes comes with a menu suggestion for appetizers, side dishes, and dessert for those planning a full dinner menu.
Chapter breakdown:
- INTRODUCTION
- JEWS, JEWISH FOOD & THE GLOBAL JEWISH KITCHEN
- HOW TO SHABBAT
- ABOUT THE INGREDIENTS
- HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
- FALL
- WINTER
- SPRING
- SUMMER
- SIDE DISHES & ACCOMPANIMENTS
- DESSERTS
- FUNDAMENTALS
The recipes that I see myself cooking:
- Pickle brined chicken, two ways
- Stuffed cabbage meatloaf
- Oregano roast chicken with leek and mint fritters
- Pulled turkey with pomegranate molasses
- Za’atar roast turkey
- Skillet paella with chicken and sausage
- Grilled rib eye steaks with preserved lemon and green onion sauce
- Tahini mashed potatoes
- Flourless chocolate berry cake
- Mango and cardamom mini cheesecakes
- Twice baked lemon cookies
- Raisin and almond twirls
- Friday night challah
I wanted to cook something that didn’t require me to buy too many ingredients, but something that felt both new and timeless. I eventually settled on the Shawarma Roast Chicken (I might have had roast chicken on the brain because I watched Buzzfeed’s Worth It episode on whole chicken the day before). There’s a spice rub made of garlic, cumin, salt, cayenne pepper, sumac, paprika, cardamom, turmeric, black pepper, allspice, oregano, cinnamon, olive oil, and lemon juice. The rub sits on the chicken for at least an hour before cooking but can be done the day before. I almost forgot that I was making a rub, and only seasoned it an hour ahead. (Try not to forget! Don’t be like me.) The chicken then cooks in the oven at 350F until done. The ingredients list says 4 to 6 pound chicken, and the instructions indicate that it’ll probably take 80 minutes to 2 hours total to cook. When I was originally planning this, I figured that my 4 pound bird would take closer to 80 minutes than the 2 hours, but I was wrong. I don’t know my exact total cook time because I kept adding time, but I was closer to the full 2 hours. Your experience may vary based on chicken size and how accurate your oven is, but plan for 2 hours total even if your bird is on the smaller side. I’ve learned my lesson.
Regardless of my mistakes, it was very easy to put together. Most of the time spent on this recipe was passive. Even with just a 1 hour marinating/dry-brining time, it was still an excellent roast. I served it with just some sweet potato mash, but I was not disappointed. It wasn’t dry. Maybe not quite as juicy as a rotisserie chicken, but with bolder flavors than what you can get from the market. (Bolder but still fairly versatile! I think this chicken recipe would go well with lots of different side dishes.)
I think this book is appropriate for many home cooks, regardless of background. Nothing comes across as difficult or intimidating. Perhaps if you’re a beginner cook, this book isn’t for you since there aren’t many accompanying photos. I also recognize that if you’re on a tight budget, this might not be the book for you. It relies a lot on a stocked spice pantry, or calls for a specialty item like pomegranate molasses. These recipes are more celebration recipes, not weeknight recipes, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t use some of them as make ahead meals (like roast chicken!). But it probably means a bit of pre-planning (except maybe for the make ahead meatballs – there’s nothing too daring there). The book is available for sale on December 14th. If you pick up a copy, let me know what you think. Better yet, help me decide on what to make next.
Disclaimer – I received a digital copy of this book from The Collective Book Studio for this review. I’m not getting paid for this post. The views and opinions expressed are purely my own.
Reference Links:
https://thecollectivebook.studio/
Awesomesauce Eats 