For more than 40 years, Joanne Nathan has been writing and exploring Jewish cuisine – not just the cuisine, but the culture.
Her 1994 book “American Jewish Cooking” was as much about the people as it was about the food. She has received numerous accolades, including the James Beard Award for Best American Cookbook. More books followed, some with international themes. So were the awards.
Nathan, 81, has written his 12th book, a warm and charming memoir of his life and food. “My Life In Recipes: Food, Family and Memories” (Knopf Books, $45) covers her childhood in Rhode Island, her marriage and family life in Washington, D.C., and her time abroad as a journalist. We cover everything about travel.
The story is charming, nostalgic, and hopeful. They depict a fulfilling life and an important career.
But Nathan never forgets about food. There are 100 recipes ranging from her family’s favorites of old to her new dishes she made today.
“This book is my attempt to show how you can live a meaningful life by pursuing, tasting, testing, and sharing recipes.”
Why are recipes so important?
Nathan describes food as a love language. The dishes that evoke memories vary depending on the person’s background. But what they all have in common is that they all remind us of home, happiness, and a sense of belonging. That’s why people around the world protect and share their food traditions.
For Nathan, the Passover seder is one of his favorites. She calls Passover “a holy day when the table becomes an altar.”
Passover commemorates the Hebrew people’s exodus from Egypt and their passage from slavery to freedom. The Seder reading of the Haggadah tells the story. Everything on the Seder table is symbolic and represents this defining event in Judaism.
Here are two recipes from the Passover chapter. By the way, this book will be a great gift for the hostess if she is invited to a seder.
Nathan shows us how to make homemade matzo. Unleavened bread is the basis of many Passover recipes to meet dietary laws.
She also shares a recipe for matzo braai, which is fried matzo with eggs. She said her family always debates whether sweet or salty food is better. One year there was also a matzo braai cooking showdown, and “I thought we each won, but this savory version is my favorite,” she wrote.
homemade matzo
2 cups (about 250 grams) whole wheat flour, unbleached all-purpose flour, or emmer or einkorn flour, or matzo cake meal, plus more for your work surface
15 minutes before you plan to start, place the oven rack as high as possible, set the oven’s broiler to high, and place a brick or pizza stone on the lowest rack. Preheat a baking sheet on the top rack.
When you’re ready to start, set your timer for 18 minutes, which is the correct Passover matzo start-to-finish time (otherwise, the matzo would theoretically ferment, so the Passover matzo ).
Quickly mix the flour with 3/4 cup (178 ml) water. Sprinkle more flour on the surface of the pastry, preferably marble. Then knead the dough with the back of your hands for about 3 minutes until smooth. Add more water if it’s too dry and more flour if it’s too sticky. (Moisture has a big effect!)
Using a dough cutter, divide the dough into 5 equal parts. (At this point, the more people you can have to help, the better.) Have each helper knead the dough until it is elastic. Next, use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a very thin, very flat, round shape 6 to 7 inches in diameter. If the dough is too sticky, sprinkle with flour.
Stretch the dough again and poke holes all over with a fork to prevent it from puffing up. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cover with parchment paper. Carefully transfer 2 flattened pieces of dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Then return the sheet to the oven and roast for 3 to 4 minutes, until the matzo is dark brown and crispy. Check through the oven window to make sure the matzo isn’t burning. If this happens, move the oven rack down a notch. Repeat with remaining dough. Hopefully it will be ready and baked within 18 minutes.
Makes 5 matzotto
matzo braai
fried matzo and eggs
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions (chopped)
2 matzo squares
4 large eggs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms and/or spinach
1 1/2 cups diced smoked salmon
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
Heat 4 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
Soak matzotto in cold water for 30 seconds and remove.
Break the eggs into a large bowl and add salt and pepper. Break up the matzot into bite-sized pieces and add to the egg mixture with onions, mushrooms, spinach, or both.
If desired, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in the skillet. Add egg mixture and cook until eggs are just set, 2 to 3 minutes. Just before serving, sprinkle with smoked salmon and dill.
Note: If you prefer something sweet, try my daughter Melissa’s arrangement. 3 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 cup milk, a pinch of kosher salt, and 2 matzots, broken up into small pieces and soaked for 1 minute, or two in cold water.
For 4 people
Recipe from My Life in Recipes: Food, Family, and Memories by Joanne Nathan. Excerpted with permission from Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House, 2024.
