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Reviewed by Ruth Heiges
The Book of Jewish Food: An Odyssey from Samarkand
to New York
by Claudia Roden
Hardcover (December 1996)
Knopf; ISBN: 0394532589
For the fun of it, though, I decided to see what Claudia Roden offers
for Hanukah recipes in The Book of Jewish Food. Along with
latkes, she also gives recipes for poultry, pastries, desserts,
and sweet *couscous*. It is
fascinating to read the research she offers with so many of her
recipes.
Between this book, Joan Nathan's Jewish Cooking in America, and Gil Marks's World of Jewish Cooking, it's hard to imagine there's much left to be covered from the standpoint of the history of Jewish cuisine. The research reflected in Roden's book is prodigious, but written in a light and friendly manner. I would also note that these three books complement each other. Between the Roden and Marks books, I wouldn't be able to recommend one *over* the other.
The Book of Jewish Food includes over 800 recipes, separated between Ashkenazic and Sephardic. To my pleasant surprise, some are decidedly simple in both concept and preparation.
Along with covering both styles of cuisine, non-Americans will be
happy to find the book has a real world orientation. Roden
was born in Egypt into the Sephardic tradition, married an Ashkenazic
Jew, and spent much or most of her adult life in London. There,
the two traditions came together in many ways, with the underpinning
of British-Jewish cuisine having come from Spain and Portugal and
then having been broadened by the influx of
many from Eastern Europe.
As soon as I saw the recipe for chopped, fried-fish balls and her explanation that this form is known only in England, having been brought there by Jew from Portugal, I knew this book would be the perfect birthday gift for one of my dearest friends, who comes from England. When I went to purchase it, though, I found that the edition now being sold in Israel is the British one, published in 1997. Though it is a beautiful volume, its layout and design are different from the American edition. Luckily, another friend was in the US, so I was able to contact her and ask her to bring a copy back when she returned.
Borders is still selling it at the $35 list price, but some catalogues, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble have it for about 30% less (about $25, plus shipping). In Israel, Steimatzky's has the British edition for $45. I recommend Israelis order from one of the online services and be patient about having it sent by surface mail, both for the sake of having the American edition and to save about $15. (Roden's Israeli publisher is Ruth Sirkis, so, perhaps it will be coming out in Hebrew, too.)
Here is one of her Hanukah recipes.
Pollo Fritto
Chicken Pieces Fried in Batter
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Serves 2 - 4
This Tuscan way of cooking small pieces of chicken has become a Hanukah
specialty in Italy. The frying oil commemorates the oil that burned
for 7 days when there was only enough for one day. It is sometimes
part of a
fritto misto, which may include sweetbreads, small pieces of brains,
and tiny lamb chops. The chicken is cut in small pieces -- usually
including skin and bones, but you can use skinless fillets if you
like.
8 small pieces of chicken cut from the breast or leg
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper
Flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
Light vegetable oil for frying, about 1 inch (2-1/2 cm) deep
Marinate the chicken pieces for 1 hour in the lemon juice, a little salt, and pepper. Just before you are ready to eat, roll them all in flour, then in beaten egg (prepare a soup plate of each, and the chicken pieces can all be in at the same time). Heat the oil in a heavy pot and deep-fry the chicken till golden. If the oil is too hot, the batter will burn before the chicken is done.
If you want to make a large quantity, you may reheat in the oven.
Variation
---------
The Tunisian "Livornese" version -- poulet en beignets -- is a chicken
cut in small pieces marinated in a mixture of 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin
olive oil, the juice of 1 lemon, 2 crushed garlic cloves, 3 tablespoons
finely chopped flat-leafed parsley, salt, and pepper, then dipped in
a batter made with 1/3 cup (75 g) flour beaten with 1 egg and a
little water -- just enough to obtain a light cream -- plus salt
and pepper. Deep-fry in medium-hot oil and serve with lemon quarters.
------
I think this recipe illustrates a few things about this book: the research, the fact that Roden has obviously tested the recipes herself, and the international approach (all recipes are written with both English and metric measurements). Cumulatively, it is a wonderful book to read and a rich addition to one's cookbook collection.
