New York Times Passover Cookbook [Hardcover]

Finally, you can put aside those yellowed newspaper clippings this holiday! The New York Times Passover Cookbook collects almost 50 years' worth of delicious Seder recipes from the Times and its contributors, from Florence Fabricant's Classic Gefilte Fish to Barry Wine's Tsimmes Terrine. 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. --Rebecca A. Staffel

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.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

With more than eight recipes for haroseth alone, The New York Times Passover Cookbook will be invaluable for anyone who hosts a Passover seder?or even takes a dish to one. Amster has put together an impressive and delicious collection of recipes from the Times food section and from cookbooks by three of its well-known writers: Craig Claiborne, Mimi Sheraton, and Molly O'Neill. Chapters are organized by course or special dish, and there are moving reminiscences of special Passover seders, as well as a good general introduction by Joan Nathan, an authority on Jewish cooking. Recipes range from the traditional to the contemporary, with dishes from chefs such as Wolfgang Puck alongside family recipes passed down for generations. Highly recommended. Cooking teacher and author Zeidler offers an appealing collection of simple but sophisticated kosher recipes, with a few more complicated holiday dishes she couldn't bear to leave out. Some are adaptations of top chefs' recipes, such as Alain Ducasse's Fennel "Caviar"; others were inspired by Zeidler's yearly sojourns in Italy. There's no reason that the audience for Zeidler's latest book should be limited to kosher cooks; her Gourmet Jewish Cook (LJ 9/15/88) has been a staple for years. For most collections.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Food is an integral part of many Jewish holidays, but because a number of foods--leavened bread, oats, and rye flour, among them--are forbidden during Passover, the celebration offers some particular challenges and opportunities for cooks. Amster has put together an excellent balance of traditional and innovative recipes culled from the food pages of the New York Times, along with a selection of warm, informative essays contributed by Times food writers, including Joan Nathan and Ruth Reichl. The recipes are organized into suitably topical sections: one chapter is dedicated to the many varieties of haroseth, which is served to represent the mortar that Jews used to construct the pharaohs' pyramids; "Brisket and Beyond" is filled with scrumptious recipes for pot roast, veal, and lamb; and, of course, there's a fine selection of flourless desserts--from fruit compotes and macaroons to cookies and cakes made with matzo flour. Nutrition information is not included, but the number of servings is noted, as is the original source of the recipe. Stephanie Zvirin

The New York Times Passover Cookbook is an excellent, comprehensive sourcebook for the Passover meal." -- -- Rebecca A. Staffel, Amazon.com

More Than 200 Holiday Recipes from Top Chefs and Writers

At last, from the paper of culinary record, comes a treasure trove of more than 200 recipes that celebrate the delicious festivity of the Passover table. Compiled from Times articles spanning almost fifty years, The New York Times Passover Cookbook represents Jewish cuisine from all over the world.

It contains family recipes that have been passed down for generations as well as innovative kosher cuisine from such celebrated chefs as Wolfgang Puck and Alice Waters. Acclaimed Times writers Molly O'Neill, Ruth Reichl, and Mimi Sheraton have all contributed essays on the different ways that the Passover experience has enriched their lives.

Recipes from Craig Claiborne, Mimi Sheraton, Molly O'Neill, Marian Burros, and Florence Fabricant are also included, allowing the reader to see -- and taste! -- how the experts at The New York Times cook for Passover.

With dozens of fantastic main-course dishes for both meat and dairy meals, you'll have a tough time deciding between the Shad with Pineapple-Rhubarb Salsa and the Braised Moroccan-Style Lamb with Almonds, Prunes and Dried Apricots. Maybe this year your guests will savor a traditional dish like Chicken with Fresh Herbs and 40 Cloves of Garlic -- or perhaps something different, like Southwestern Blackened and Braised Brisket of Beef or Paul Prudhomme's Veal Roast with Mango Sauce. The chapter on Vegetables and Salads contains an ample selection of memorable side dishes: Carrot and Apple Tsimmes, Butternut Squash Ratatouille, the Union Square Cafis Matzoh Meal Polenta, and Beet Crisps are just a few of the flavorful recipes you'll want to enjoy all year round.

Linda Amster is the news research manager of The New York Times. She is also a former contributor to the "Food Chain" column in the newspaper's Dining In/Dining Out section. She lives in Manhattan.