THE COOKBOOK TEST #0037: NOSH: PLANT-FORWARD RECIPES CELEBRATING MODERN JEWISH CUISINE
INSTALLMENT #0037 (FREE) BRIDGE BUILDING / SOMETHING LOST, SOMETHING GAINED / THAT'S NOT BRISKET... OR IS IT?!? / A NEW SHAKSHUKA
Dear Readers,
What's the first thing you think of when you hear the words "Jewish cuisine"? More likely than not, you're going to fixate on something tightly within the American diaspora orbit, a narrow band of exceptionally tasty (and, sure, exceptionally fatty) foods defined by the skinny space between Zabar's, 2nd Avenue Deli, and Russ and Daughters. Plenty of corned beef, pastrami, brisket, bagels, rugelach, black and white cookies, and babka, to be sure, but when you consider the Jewish community's roots (truly global at this point) and age (very very old), there's a lot more truly delicious Jewish food out there that the East Coast scene misses.
One of the many appealing things about NOSH: PLANT-FORWARD RECIPES CELEBRATING MODERN JEWISH CUISINE is that while a healthy selection of favorites are present and accounted for (babka, brisket, bagels, hamantaschen, latkes, and more), author Micah Siva makes a tremendous effort to cut a truly representative slice of a polyglot cuisine. There are dishes like Malabi Porridge with Rose Essence, Pomegranate, and Pistachio that feel practically Persian; a Fattoush Salad with everything bagel-inspired seasoning that marries the Middle East and the Upper West Side; and Jackfruit and White Bean "Shawarma," which manages to straddle all sorts of divides.
That's the thing about this remarkable book - it's very much about building bridges, between the world of meat and the world of vegetarians, between the Middle East and the West, between the traditional and the contemporary, and between readers who have been steeped in Jewish cuisine since birth and those just starting to explore it in middle age.
Whether Siva's carefully researched recipes will win over traditionalists who expect, for example, their brisket to be made from cows and their gefilte fish to be, you know, fish, is a hard question to answer, but she makes a sincere and winning attempt to define and capture the flavor of each dish as originally conceived before moving on to her effective and thoughtful adaptations.
Siva, unlike many cookbook authors these days, is a trained chef, and she told me in an interview [1] that she cooked through each recipe in the book multiple times - often many times - before sending them out for another independent test. That kitchen competence shone through when I tried a couple of her recipes - they were both easy to read, easy to cook, well balanced, and delicious without adjustments.
At any rate, Nosh is the sort of contemporary cookbook that I absolutely love. The author's point of view is incredibly well-defined, the dishes are thoughtfully contextualized, and the whole work reflects a deeply pondered way of eating - it doesn't feel like a grab-bag, it feels like a curated journey. In its own highly specific way, this could be a cookbook for anyone - it's smart, inclusive, and fun to cook out of.
at your service,
James
NOSH: PLANT-FORWARD RECIPES CELEBRATING MODERN JEWISH CUISINE
BY MICAH SIVA
THE COLLECTIVE BOOK STUDIO | 2024 | $35
Given space and time and a different career, I might well be vegetarian at this point - or at least leaning more heavily into a plant-based diet. It's not just that I have found a lot of recipes I love that don't lean upon meat; it's that I often feel better - lighter, and happier - when I'm able to sidestep it and still eat a fulfilling meal.
But lacking that opportunity, books like Nosh are always a real pleasure to explore. Can you make an effective taste-alike for meat-based dish, sans meat? Sort of! Exploring how that's done and what's lost (and gained) in the process is fantastic food for thought, to say nothing of what's on the plate. I appreciate that Siva, in writing Nosh, really committed to connecting to the traditions of the dishes involved, so while the ingredients are sometimes innovative, they're never radical, and the flavors, time and time again, return to comfort and a tried-and-true sense of balance. I've tried a lot of dorky, gimmicky vegetarian versions of meat-based dishes over the years, and that's not the road that Nosh travels.
THAT'S NOT BRISKET... OR IS IT?!?
Siva recommended that I try her recipe for mushroom-based "brisket," and it was a hoot to make and taste. I'm not including it here, as it's a specialized enough dish that I think anyone who would really enjoy it would also enjoy and benefit from Nosh as a whole, but I've got some notes on the making and tasting of this classic main.
As with any meat-to-vegetarian conversion, this brisket loses some of the richness and umami of the real deal. It's not a fatal loss by any reckoning, as this dish's rich, complex sauce and the nature of mushrooms themselves restore a lot of that complexity. But it's a lighter, less impactful main than the traditional cow-based rendition.
The method is really simple, but it works wonderfully: you bake seasoned tofu and mushrooms on a sheet pan, then you drench them in flavorful sauce and bake them again until it thickens.
The recipe calls for King Trumpet mushrooms, which I have to assume is some sort of California thing; as a cook and a foraging-conversant person, I have never before heard of this variety, nor seen them in a coop or farmer's market. Google suggested that shiitake would make for a good substitute, and while it's hard to tell just how good they were as a 1-for-1 for King Trumpets, I can say that they shredded and tasted substantial in a way that was an acceptable stand-in for beef.
Siva layers flavor like a pro with this - from garlic powder to paprika to soy sauce to dijon mustard to a lot of dry red wine, this recipe picks up a tremendous amount of depth from the ingredients that surround and infuse the mushrooms and tofu that are its heart. The result is a dish that is at once tart and earthy, chewy and garlic-y, and pleasantly rich, a fine pairing with whatever sort of carbs you might want to pair with it. Potato latkes would be a smart (and classic) choice.
A NEW SHAKSHUKA
If you've never had shakshuka before, it's a killer savory brunch: a spicy, deeply flavored tomato sauce topped with poached eggs and made as a best friend and confidante to strips of challah, homemade whenever possible.
I learned how to make shakshuka from an honest-to-goodness Israeli (thanks, Roee!) and it's one of my powerhouse breakfast dishes. I made it for about 20 people during this year's Febgiving celebration (using one of those comically giant cans of tomatoes you generally only see in pizzerias), and cracked at least 24 eggs into the bubbling mass in order to make sure everybody got one or more.
So: I am sort of already married to a shakshuka recipe. Nevertheless: in the spirit of openness, I tried the version from Nosh, and ended up pleasantly surprised.
Nosh's version (which isn't made with eggs, but could certainly support them if you so chose) leans into bell peppers, green olives, nutritional yeast, garbanzo beans, and (most importantly) a tahini drizzle to define its flavors. It's still a tomato-based breakfast, but it's a shift from essentially being a deeply spiced tomato sauce to something more like a vegan stew, the the tomatoes gently sidelined into a "supporting player" role amid a large ensemble of contributors.
As per usual with these recipes, a specific spice mix (harissa powder) was called for, and I ignored it and instead used whatever I grabbed first out of my pile of Middle Eastern spice mixes (Baharat.)
I particularly love the nutty richness of the tahini, which adds an unexpected creamy note to a plate that is otherwise leaning more toward the acidic.
My wife and I finished off most of this shakshuka for lunch without really trying, so I adjusted the author's "serves" from 4 people to 2-3. The good news is that it should double or treble or whatever very easily.
There is a direction in the original recipe to simmer for 15-20 minutes to thicken the tomatoes, but when I made this version, the tomatoes were practically there already, so I just gave it another 5-10 to warm the chickpeas and olives through before seasoning and garnishing.
CHICKPEA AND OLIVE SHAKSHUKA
Serves 2-3 people
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, cored and cut into 1/2" pieces
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp harissa powder or red pepper flakes or Middle Eastern spice blend of your choosing
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 14 oz. can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup pitted sliced green olives
salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbsp tahini (thin, pourable tahini is preferable to the thick, peanut butter-like stuff)
2 tsp sesame seeds
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Heat your olive oil over medium in a skillet until it shimmers and add onion, garlic, and bell pepper. Saute until they soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the paprika, cumin, and spice blend, stir to evenly distribute, and cook for 5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, brother, and nutritional yeast, and bring to a low boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in chickpeas and olives and simmer until warmed through and tomato sauce has thickened slightly, 5-15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Drizzle with tahini and sprinkle with sesame seeds and parsley.
Option: While simmering your sauce, drop in 2-3 eggs and let them poach in the skillet. Serve with challah cut into strips for dipping.
Because I am a cheerful and generous person (at least as often as I can manage it) here's my recipe for shakshouka, adapted over the years from Roee's in a few important ways but still pretty similar at heart.
My shakshouka is a little more tolerant of simmering than the Nosh version (which thickened up pretty fast), so it's a perfect brunch-with-guests dish because I can get it to the simmer stage just as people are supposed to arrive and then crack eggs when they actually walk through the door, ensuring that everyone's eating 10-15 minutes after their arrival.
Oh, you may have noticed that I keep spelling “shakshoukah” in different ways. Here’s how I feel about that.
SHAKSHOUKA
Serves 4
Olive Oil, 2 tbsp
Half Onion chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
Sweet Paprika, 1 tsp
Curry or Mideastern spice blend, 1 tsp
Berbere or Ancho chili powder, 1 tsp
Cayenne, 1/2 tsp
Cumin, 1 tsp
Turmeric, 1/2 tsp
Sugar, 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste, 1/2-1 tsp
5 medium tomatoes or 1 can tomato sauce
1 (additional) can of tomato sauce
1/2 can tomato paste (about 1/4 cup)
6-8 eggs (2 per person)
A half loaf of challah or egg white bread, cut into strips for dipping
In a large heavy deep pan, heat up olive oil and add paprika and curry. When hot, add onions.
Leave them in for a while (about 10 mins, I like mine soft). Add the garlic and spices for about 30 seconds, and then add tomatoes and paste.
Bring to a boil and then let simmer for a while with very low heat, about 20 minutes.
When you've reached the desired consistency, break eggs as evenly as possible over the sauce. Raise the heat a bit and cover. Leave covered up to 5-15 mins, depending on how soft/hard you like your eggs.
Serve with egg bread in strips.
THE VERDICT ON NOSH
(***BUY IT*** / BORROW IT / SKIP IT / SCRAP IT)
I truly enjoyed Nosh, which was sharply written, properly tested, beautifully photographed, and intelligently conceived. It covers a lot of cultural ground effectively, and manages to convert classic dishes into plant-based alternatives without losing sight of their original meanings and purposes on the dinner table. For some readers, this book will be a must (I’ve already bought it for some close friends in D.C.) but for anyone curious about food and cooking, it’ll provide a lot of illuminating nights in the kitchen and some very tasty meals.
[1] I talked to author Micah Siva for a very pleasant half an hour at Quixotic Coffee in St. Paul, pulled out my audio recorder several days later to transcribe, and found out that the batteries had exploded in a corrosive mess and took the interview with them. Highly disappointing.