Nosh
Plant-Forward Recipes Celebrating Modern Jewish Cuisine
Healthful and ecoconscious, the plant-based recipes compiled in chef and nutritionist Micah Siva’s cookbook Nosh riff on global Jewish traditions with palate-expanding innovations.
Rooted in memories of her bubbe’s kitchen, Siva’s dishes also keep holiday requirements and the strictures of home cooking in mind. The book begins with explanations of both Jewish culinary and cultural terms and recommendations for substituting ingredients in staple dishes first reliant on the inclusion of meat and dairy. Nostalgic eaters will be comforted by the book’s spins on deli classics: there’s Carrot “Lox” made with liquid smoke, slow-roasted Celeriac “Pastrami,” Sesame Tofu “Schnitzel,” and “Brisket” made of a pulled mushrooms and tofu mix. There are recommendations for making matzo balls airy using seltzer, too, as well as a recipe for the borough-evocative black-and-white cookie.
Reflecting the diversity of Jewish life in the diaspora, the book includes, and sometimes intermixes, flavors that are Sephardic, Mizrahi, and Ashkenazi. In addition to twists on classics, as with Poppy Seed, Potato, and Caramelized Onion Kreplach (soup dumplings) and the delectable Pumpkin Kugel with Pecan Streusel, there are piquing recipes for wholly fresh dishes like Olive, Chickpea, and Zucchini Stew with Preserved Lemons; Beet and Sumac Salad with Oranges; and Olive Oil, Pistachio, and Ricotta Cornmeal Sheetcake. Symbols throughout indicate Passover-friendless and the presence of purely vegan dishes, and there are menus provided for help with planning for special occasion meals. Nor does the book eschew dessert and libations: mini halvah cakes and the Halvah Milkshake are assured crowd-pleasers, and you’ll want to raise a toast to the new year with the Apple and Honey Whiskey Sour.
With its mix of plant-based twists on classic dishes and exciting new plates featuring global ingredients, Nosh is a tantalizing addition to the Jewish cookery canon.
Reviewed by
Michelle Anne Schingler
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
