Krupnik - Polish Pearl Barley Soup
Soups & creamy soups Ashkenazi cuisine Polish cuisine Jewish cuisine Make-ahead Batch cooking Freezable Winter Fall Vegetarian Meat Tu BiShvat Shabbat Barley

Krupnik - Polish Pearl Barley Soup

Here’s a rustic, traditional soup that’s part of our winter menus and also of our Tu BiShvat menu, when it’s customary to eat barley. Pearl barley soup, Krupnik, is a Polish Ashkenazi specialty that warms both body and heart. It’s a lovely way to cook pearl barley, if you have some sitting in your pantry without knowing what to do with it. You can make it with or without meat; both options are given in the recipe.

Vegetarian Kreplach Soup (Krepler) - Mushroom and Potato Dumplings in Vegetable Broth
Soups & creamy soups Vegetarian Jewish cuisine Shabbat Purim Yom Kippur

Vegetarian Kreplach Soup (Krepler) - Mushroom and Potato Dumplings in Vegetable Broth

Kreplach (or krepler, as we call them at home) are Ashkenazi filled dumplings, German in origin, that come in both cheese and meat versions. The best-known kreplach are usually filled with chicken or beef and served in chicken soup, but today I’m sharing a vegetarian (parve) version that’s every bit as tasty!

Beef Cheek Stew with Cumin and Chickpeas - Fork-Tender Israeli Homestyle Braise
Meat Beef Kids Israeli cuisine Tunisian cuisine Moroccan cuisine Stew Make-ahead Freezable Gluten-free Beef cheek Fall Winter Rosh Hashanah Passover

Beef Cheek Stew with Cumin and Chickpeas - Fork-Tender Israeli Homestyle Braise

A slow-cooked dish that gives you meltingly tender meat, so soft you can cut it with a fork, in a really beautiful sauce. It’s a dish you’ll often find in Israel at “home cooking” restaurants. Here is my version, very easy and approved by the whole family.

Duck Confit Parmentier with Sweet Potato Mash (French Shepherd's Pie)
French cuisine Sweet potatoes Potatoes Kids Make-ahead Fall Winter Lactose-free Meat Batch cooking Duck Goose Festive

Duck Confit Parmentier with Sweet Potato Mash (French Shepherd's Pie)

Hachis parmentier, the French shepherd’s pie, is a dish made for sharing, and this duck confit and sweet potato version is a delicious, festive twist on the traditional hachis parmentier recipe. You can make it with duck or goose, the method is exactly the same.

Endive Gratin with Smoked Salmon - a Twist on the French Classic
French cuisine Smoked salmon Fish Salmon Endives Fall Winter Make-ahead Batch cooking

Endive Gratin with Smoked Salmon - a Twist on the French Classic

Endive gratin with smoked salmon is a wonderful variation on the famous French endives au jambon (endives wrapped in ham). To be honest, this is the recipe that won me over to cooked endives. If, like me, you don’t love them, here is a recipe (with tips) that should help you enjoy them. And if you already do, it’s simply delicious, so you should have a treat too!

Pistachio Pudding (Crème Dessert à la Pistache)
Pistachio Creams & mousses Gluten-free Egg-free Snack Passover Shavuot Make-ahead Batch cooking Tu BiShvat

Pistachio Pudding (Crème Dessert à la Pistache)

If you love rich, silky puddings (the taste reminds me of the melt-in-your-mouth Mamie Nova puddings from French supermarkets!), these pistachio ones are for you. They’re easy to make and gluten-free. They’ve become a classic in my house, every time I have some pistachio paste on hand.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls - Ashkenazi Gefilte Kroyt
Ashkenazi cuisine Polish cuisine Jewish cuisine Hungarian cuisine Russian cuisine Winter Meat Shabbat Ground meat Batch cooking Cabbage

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls - Ashkenazi Gefilte Kroyt

Stuffed cabbage is a charming, old-fashioned dish, one of those comforting family meals. I discovered it in Israel, where it is firmly rooted in home cooking, a recipe inherited from the Ashkenazi tradition. It has plenty of cousins, since stuffed vegetables of every kind are part of the Jewish culinary tradition.