Mi Shebeirach - Prayer for Healing
Yom Kippur Worship Services: Haftarah Blessings
The blessing after the reading of haftarah always sanctifies the day on which it is read. Throughout most of the year, that day is Shabbat, but haftarah is also read on the High Holidays.
Czech Apple-Filled Yeast Cake (Ceske’ Buchty)
This cake combines Czech culture with Jewish tradition, placing the symbolic holiday apple inside the traditional Czech dough and making it into a ring to symbolize a year of never-ending good.
Algerian Vegetable Melange in Pastry Shells
This simple but elegant holiday dish is served at the Aferiat home. Yolande Aferiat, from Oran, taught her daughter-in-law, Kathy, how to make it. Kathy, in turn, described it to me. Kathy’s use of peas rather than fava beans is a sign of the Americanization of Yolande’s traditional dish.
Persian Nan o Paneer (Bread with Cheese)
A Persian cheese plate is a perfect starter for a hot summer meal. Persian Lighvan cheese made from sheep’s milk is traditionally used in this dish, but as it’s hard to find, feta cheese — especially Bulgarian feta — is a good substitute.
Fiori de Zucca Ripieni [Stuffed Zucchini Flowers]
Recipes that combine mozzarella and anchovies are most strongly associated with the cooking of the Roman Jewish ghetto of the 17th century.
Pesce en Saor [Fish in a Sweet and Sour Sauce]
This recipe was originally prepared for sailors at sea because the sauce preserved the fish over long journeys.
Baked Chicken with Barley
This classic Bulgarian Shabbat dish is delicious, comforting, and very easy to make.
Eggplant Salad with Pine Nuts (Kioupia)
About four miles inland on the island of Rhodes, I found a converted farmhouse nestled in the mountains, where I was served this eggplant dish.