The Mensch Chef: Or Why Delicious Jewish Food Isn't an Oxymoron [Paperback]

Davis, author of Foie Gras and Cook Something, draws on his Ashkenazi (European Jewish) heritage and family recipes to produce The Mensch Chef. The recipes include familiar Jewish fare like his hearty Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls, Basic Brisket and Gefilte Fish. Several traditional recipes are given tasty new twists, from the slight citric bite of the sweet Apple-Orange Lokshen Kugel to the Baked Fish in Sweet-and-Sour Sauce. Some dishes, like the robust Hummus and the healthy Carrot and Raisin Salad, are more modern Israeli than Old Country, but are growing popular at Jewish tables. The kosher status of each recipe meat, dairy, pareve, or pesadich is indicated, and where appropriate Davis provides alternative versions of recipes that take dietary laws into account. The Pareve Rugelach, for instance, are made with Sweet Chicken Schmaltz and peanut oil instead of dairy products so that they can be eaten after a meat meal. Kosher regulations, ingredients, and tools are all covered in the introduction. Davis's borscht-belt wit spices up the recipes, as do historical tidbits and quick, troubleshooting bits of advice on everything from "How do I grate an onion?" to "Instead of pancakes I made a mess!" This well-written, appealing cookbook will tempt nostalgic Jews and culinary tourists alike.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

At first glance, The Mensch Chef seems rather flippant in tone chapter titles, for example, include "You Call That a Piece of Cake?" but it's actually a serious cookbook, written with an irrepressible sense of humor. Davis, food writer and author of several other cookbooks, wrote it in part for Jews who usually don't cook "Jewish food" until the holidays come around and want to serve the dishes they grew up with, as well as for those who crave childhood favorites but never learned how to make them. There are recipes for Gefilte Fish and Brisket and Babka in short, all the traditional dishes along with entertaining and informative commentary about each one. It's an "Ashkenazi ABC," as Davis describes it. There is also a glossary, called "Yiddish for Cooks," and a source list for "Groceries" and "Cravings," along with an annotated reading list. Strongly recommended.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

The Mensch Chef, by Mitchell Davis, runs counter to commonly held wisdom by defending the proposition that the Jewish male is a competent kosher cook. Davis presents a host of typical Ashkenazic dishes--from chopped liver to cholent--to establish his credentials as a serious cook. Sidebars give lots of both sober and tongue-in-cheek advice to the amateur Jewish chef. Each of Davis' recipes is categorized into meat, dairy, or pareve groups essential to observing kosher dietary law. A glossary of Yiddish terms introduces the unfamiliar to the vocabulary of what Davis humorously calls "kitchen Judaism," religion practiced only in terms of holidays and their associated foods. This is a good addition to any specialized collection. Mark Knoblauch
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“Mitchell Davis’s very personal blend of humor, anecdote, fact, and schmaltz makes for a very addictive read.” —Chef Daniel Boulud

“A wonderfully passionate celebration of a much-maligned cuisine.” —Jayne Cohen, author of The Gefilte Variations

“While I always knew that Jewish food could be so fattening, I never realized that it could be so funny. Any book that can make gefilte fish giggle and chicken soup chuckle is nothing short of miraculous.” — Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of Kosher Sex and Judaism for Everyone

“It’s not just the tempting dishes that make this book a winner. To me there’s no better recipe than Jewish humor mixed with Jewish food, and Mitchell serves up generous portions of each.” —Faye Levy, author of 1,000 Jewish Recipes

“A delightfully humorous book filled with the edible treasures of our past. The recipes bring back the warmth and comfort of my Nana’s kitchen.” —Jeffrey Nathan, host of New Jewish Cuisine

“Mitchell Davis was born too late to be a Borscht Belt comic. That must be why he wrote this cookbook. It is irreverent, even blasphemous, and very, very funny, yet with delicious recipes. I wish I had written The Mensch Chef myself.”—Arthur Schwartz, host of Food Talk and cookbook author

“If my mother had had a copy of The Mensch Chef, we would have eaten a lot better at my house. Mitchell Davis has written a funny, warm-hearted, generously spirited book, as restorative as a big bowl of matzo ball soup.” —Ed Levine, author of New York Eats

“In this irreverent Jewish cookbook by the irrepressible Mitchell Davis, you can hear the voice of a new generation of Jews and cooks. Sensuous, passionate, and intelligent, The Mensch Chef is your guide to Jewish food as a full-body experience, complete with belly laughs.”—Professor Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, NYU

MITCHELL DAVIS is director of publications of the James Beard Foundation, author of Cook Something, coauthor of Foie Gras, and frequent contributor to a wide range of magazines, including GQ and Food & Wine.
In his spare time, Mitchell is both a Ph.D. candidate and a professor at New York University’s Food Studies Program. He grew up in Toronto, graduated from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, and trained as a chef in France and Italy. He lives in New York City.