Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is fast approaching — the holiday begins at sunset on October 2 — and Jews around the world are busy preparing.
How fortunate we are to have a gem of a Judaica store in Orange County, Golden Dreidle, on El Camino Real in nearby Tustin. Golden Dreidle, Orange County’s home for all things Judaica, owned by Julie and Shahrokh Ghodsi, has been in business for 33 years.
“Shahrokh had a successful jewelry business in downtown L.A., but he was gone six days a week,” Julie told me. “Whenever we needed Judaica, we went to L.A. We figured we couldn’t be the only people in Orange County doing this.”
The store moved to Tustin in January 2020, just before the coronavirus pandemic.
“We love Tustin,” Ghodsi said. “The community has been wonderful to us.”
Looking for a hostess gift? You can find everything for the holidays, from challah plates and lids to honey jars, especially the gorgeous ones from Michael Aram.
“There are matching Kiddush cups,” Julie noted. “He keeps adding Judaica in the most beautiful way.”
And of course, you’ll find plenty of Jewish cookbooks. For more ideas, visit goldendreidle.com.
Just in time for Rosh Hashanah, a new cookbook caught my eye.
More and more each year, it seems, we cook with the dietary restrictions of our guests in mind. “Nosh,” by Micah Siva (The Collective Book Studio, $35), serves up more than 80 plant-based recipes that celebrate modern Jewish cuisine.
Vegans at your Rosh Hashanah table will love this vegetable-inspired gefilte fish, but most importantly, meat eaters will enjoy it too.
As Adeena Sussman, author of the wildly popular cookbooks Sababa and Shabbat, writes in her introduction: “One of the many nice things about cooking with Micah is that it’s not at all preachy or pretentious. She offers gentle suggestions for living a more plant-based life, but there’s no arm-twisting or guilt (Jewish or otherwise) involved. If this is your first ride on the plant-based train, this will be a steam locomotive to get you going. If you’ve already hopped on board, this book will put you in the first-class carriage.”
The word “gefilte” means “stuffed” in German. The original recipe for gefilte fish, a traditional dish for Shabbat and holidays, called for seasoned, ground, boneless fish mixed with eggs and fillers such as vegetables and breadcrumbs, which was then stuffed back into the fish skin and cooked.
Over the centuries, the skin was removed and cooks formed the mixture into balls or patties and cooked them in water.
Fish was expensive, and the recipe was developed as an economical way to stretch it so that every family member could try it. The dish has gained a bad reputation over the years, partly because it is prepared in cans and bottles, which, while convenient, can’t compare to the authentic homemade version.
You don’t have to be vegan – or even Jewish – to appreciate Siwa’s modern interpretation of a classic.
Judy Bart Kancigor of Fullerton is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
Vegan Gefilte Cakes.
From “Nosh” by Micah Siva; gives 10 cookies
This vegan recipe uses a blend of vegetables, seaweed, and spices to recreate the flavor and texture of the gefilte fish prepared by Siva’s great-grandmother, Freda.
Ingredients:
• 2 medium carrots, scrubbed, 1 coarsely chopped
• 1/4 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 medium parsnip, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 medium potato, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1/4 white onion, coarsely chopped
• 1/4 cup raw cashew nuts,
• 1 sheet of nori for sushi, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup matzo meal
• 3 tablespoons of linseed
• 4 1/4 to 6 1/4 cups water, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon of potato starch
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt flakes for serving
• Horseradish to serve
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor, blend the chopped carrots, cauliflower, parsnips, potatoes, and onion until they are the size of peas. Add the cashews and blend until well combined.
3. Transfer vegetables to a medium bowl. Add nori, matzoh flour, flax meal, 1/4 cup water, pepper, salt, lemon zest, potato starch and baking powder and mix until combined. Set aside for 10 minutes.
4. Using a 1/4 cup measuring cup, form mixture into 10 patties.
5. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook cutlets until golden, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer cutlets to prepared baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
6. Meanwhile, slice the remaining carrots into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Combine the carrots with enough water to cover them by 1 inch in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and gently cook the carrots until tender. Drain and set aside. Top the cutlets with the sliced carrots and serve with the horseradish.
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