Tomato-Bread Salad with Za'atar Vinaigrette

A Middle Eastern spice blend with ancient roots.

By Adeena Sussmanfor MyJewishLearning.com

Za'atar, a spice blend popular throughout the Middle East, is ideally a blend of hyssop, sumac, sesame seeds, salt, and other seasonings. Jewish food historian and cookbook author Gil Marks notes that hyssop appears frequently in the Bible, playing an especially prominent role in the Passover story, where Jews were instructed to add hyssop to the blood they smeared on their doorposts. Sumac, the dried and ground red berry that lends za'atar its distinct tanginess, is referenced in the Talmud as a cultivated spice.

Continue reading.

For more great Jewish cooking ideas, check out our    page.

Fool, Falafel, and Tehina (Ful Medemas)- The Syrian Way!

From theJewishHostess.com

When Nina Mustacchi tagged me on Instagram with her Fool Medemas recipe, I was intrigued to know more about her, and the exact details involving this Allepian flavor infused side dish.

Of course, an authentic dish always tastes so much better when you get the background the the food and the real chef behind it, so Nina happily shared her story with me for all of my Jewish Hostesses to enjoy.

Born in Aleppo, Syria in 1970, 15 year old Nina Maleh knew that Syria was not a welcoming  place for her her and the Syrian Jewish community that had lived there for 3,000 years. Travel restrictions, business limitations, jail time, and Nazi-type beatings inflicted by the Syrian government were commonplace among all innocent fellow community members. One by one, the Syrian Jewish community began to escape the country. Most of them trudged perilously by foot to Israel, Turkey, and Lebanon. Nina’s parents had decided to escape Syria the year before so that they could set up a home in Brooklyn for when Nina and her two brothers would be able to escape to Brooklyn.  In 1985, Nina and her two young brothers fled the country by walking 12 hours through mountainous roads to get to freedom in Turkey. Soon after, they finally  reunited with their parents in Brooklyn, N.Y. The day that 17 year old Nina stepped into her new Brooklyn home, she met her future husband, who coincidentally happened to be visiting her parents. Nina told me that the minute that he set eyes upon her, he proposed on the spot! (phew-what a trip!!)

Continue reading.

For more great Jewish cooking ideas, check out our    page.

Four-Minute Recipes

by Dani Abrams aish.com

I'm a busy stay-at-home mom of four young kids, so I love quick dinner recipes. But I always found that the 'quick' recipes in a book or online were not quick enough. “Fry the onions until..” Are you kidding, I have homework to supervise! “First boil up the pasta, then...” uh, sorry, my kids are already screaming to eat!

So I created a book of really quick dinner recipes – ones that take 4 minutes or less to prepare before being thrown in the oven or onto the stovetop and forgotten about till they’re done.
If you'd like a copy of my recipe book in ebook or regular book form, place your order on www.4minuterecipes.com.

Continue reading.

For more great Jewish cooking ideas, check out our    page.

French Toast Matzo With Dill Cream Cheese

From Joy of Kosher

With almost another week of Passover, are you running out of ideas on what to do with matzo?  Jamie Geller has some wonderful ideas.  Try this new twist on French Toast

Taking French Toast and making it kosher for Passover! It is a 3 layer sandwich you will love.

Times
Prep Time : 20 min
Cook Time : 4 min
Ready Time : 24 min
Servings
9 People

Ingredients
3 whole square matzo
3/4 cup diced dill
8 ounce Temp Tee Whipped Cream Cheese
2 cups water
2 eggs
Cooking Spray

Continue reading.


For more Passover ideas, check out our Passover Holiday Spotlight Kit

For more Passover news, check out our    page.