This rustic traditional soup is part of our winter menu and also perfect for Tu Bishvat, when it’s customary to eat barley. Pearl barley soup, Krupnik, is a Polish Ashkenazi specialty that warms both body and soul. It’s a lovely way to prepare pearl barley if you’ve had some sitting in your pantry wondering what to do with it. You can make it with or without meat - both options are included in the recipe.

I’m sharing today a recipe for delicious homemade bagels that are easy to make. Bagels have become very trendy in recent years, appearing everywhere from street food chains to restaurant menus. Yet bagels aren’t new at all - they were brought to the United States by Ashkenazi Jews who prepared them, particularly in Poland. They’re characterized by their ring shape and being boiled before baking, which gives them their unique texture, different from other breads.

Kneidlach in broth (matzo ball soup) is a classic of Jewish Ashkenazi cuisine. If you’re discovering them for the first time, these are matzo meal dumplings served in a beautiful golden chicken broth. Simple to make and delicious, it’s a wonderful recipe to introduce you to Ashkenazi cuisine and a magical remedy when you’re feeling under the weather.

Here’s a quick cucumber salad you can serve as is or as a condiment with salmon, deli meats, or a green salad.

Stuffed cabbage is a charming, old-fashioned dish that belongs to the family of comforting home-cooked meals. I discovered it in Israel where it’s deeply rooted in home cooking, an Ashkenazi heritage recipe. It has many cousins as stuffed dishes of all kinds are part of Jewish culinary tradition.