Cooking Like a Jewish Mother
Including Chicken Noodle Soup, Challah from Scratch, and Challah French Toast.
Hey everyone,
My friend Ben Mims once came to stay with me and as a “thank you” gift he brought me a copy of the vintage cookbook How to Cook Like a Jewish Mother. Crazily enough I already had a copy that I found at a vintage shop in Concord, Massachusetts. But having two copies felt right even if, truth be told, I rarely cook like a Jewish mother.
Mostly I cook like an Italian grandmother? Ribollita and ragu are more prominent in my repertoire than blintzes and chopped liver, but all of that changed on Friday night when I inadvertently made a Shabbat dinner not because I was feeling religious but because we both have colds.
Starting with the inevitable chicken soup from scratch. Let’s go to the video:
It’s a pretty rustic soup recipe — one that I’ve been making for a while (since 2005!) — but it always hits the spot. And it tastes so much fresher than anything you might get from a box or a can.
Even Winston, who didn’t have a cold, wanted some.
Along with the chicken soup, I tapped into my inner Jake Cohen and made, for my very first time, challah from scratch.
Of course I used Joan Nathan’s recipe (featured in the NYT, though you can find it all over the internet) and found the dough a pleasure to make. Essentially it’s yeast, flour, sugar, oil, water, and eggs. It’s after it rises twice and you cut it in half and then into five balls which you roll into logs that things get tricky.
They were supposed to be about 12-inches long and 1-inch thick, and I got close enough (I do keep a ruler in my kitchen). The braiding was tricky. Even though I watched a Great British Baking Show episode recently where Paul Hollywood demonstrated a neat braid, Joan Nathan’s technique felt like quantum physics:
“Move the outside right strand over 2 strands. Then take the second strand from the left and move it to the far right. Take the outside left strand and move it over 2. Move second strand from the right over to the far left. Start over with the outside right strand.”
This felt less like bread making and more like an IQ test or an audition for Mensa. Thankfully, I got the hang of it and after letting it rise and brushing with egg, I baked it for the requisite 25 minutes and it came out golden and beautiful.
Not bad for my first challah. Next time, I may wrap it around itself and go for a round challah that looks like Princess Leia’s hair. It would be nice to get bigger peaks. I’m guessing in the comments some of you will say “roll those logs thinner” or “go for a tighter braid.” Have at it, Jewish mothers!
Of course, I couldn’t have all of this challah and not make Challah French Toast the next day.
True the breakfast sausage made with pork wasn’t very Jewish, but the guilt I felt about eating it was.
Challah French Toast is the ultimate treat and when you make the challah yourself, it’s even better.
Hey let’s look at some links:
The new color Kindle could be great for cookbooks! (Kottke.org);
Sausages, beans, and soups from Nigel Slater (The Guardian).
That’s all for today, folks!
See you back here on Thursday….
Your pal,
Adam
Those are beautiful challahs and even more impressive considering they are your first! Saw your post the other day - cant beleive you make soup when you are sick. I make inas recipe (sans garlic) and it makes so much soup i have enough for freezer for when someone gets sick. You kinda do cook like a jewish mother / grandmother - food from the heart! Also - what happened to podcast?
“Have at it, Jewish Mothers!” 😂👋
Have you seen the Jewish or not Jewish Alex Edelman bit from the high holidays at ikar?! He talks about how everybody makes party, good-tasting chalahs now instead of the disgusting parve of ones (“how they’re supposed to be!”)