Kitchen Memories Archives

Richard Simmons’ Beet Bowl Salad

Living in Los Angeles has all kinds of perks… great weather, beautiful beaches, and the possibility that when you’re out and about, you might justRead More

Duff Goldman, Duff’s Cakemix, and Beef Barley Soup

“I really like being Jewish. It’s really cool.” You’ve got to love Duff Goldman. He approaches Judaism, cakes, art and music the way he approachesRead More

Erika’s “Unorthodox” Rugelach

What makes a rugelach recipe “traditional”? Is it the dough or the filling? Is it how the rugelach is rolled and shaped? Which rugelach isRead More

Jason Alexander, A New Musical, & Lokshen mit Kaese

A few weeks ago, I found out that my friend Danny Gold is producing a new stage musical here in the Los Angeles area. TheRead More

Tilly’s Pastelles

Sometimes a flavor can spark a memory, or a flood of memories. In the case of these hand pies, the memories revolve around a grandmother,Read More

Claudia Roden’s Riz au Saffran – Saffron Rice

A few weeks ago, I had the honor of talking with one of my culinary heroes, Claudia Roden. Claudia is a world-renowned culinary anthropologist andRead More

Norene Gilletz’s Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup

A couple of weeks ago, I had the pleasure of interviewing cookbook author Norene Gilletz. Norene lives in Toronto, Canada. She’s the author of someRead More

Gil Marks’ Keftes de Prassa – Sephardic Leek Patties

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “walking encyclopedia” to describe someone with a vast amount of knowledge. You’d be hard pressed to find somebody moreRead More

Joan Nathan’s Honey Orange Chicken

With the Jewish High Holidays just around the corner, I am feeling nostalgic about my cooking journey. I had never really considered a career inRead More

Mary Goldberg’s Passover Mandel Bread

Passover is one of the most important Jewish holidays, a seven-day springtime festival commemorating the liberation of the Ancient Israelites from Egyptian enslavement. It alsoRead More

Michael Berkowits’ Tiramisu

On Friday, I had the pleasure to meet Michael Berkowits, an 81 year-old Holocaust survivor and chef living here in Southern California. I had heardRead More

Marha Pörkölt – Hungarian Beef Paprika Stew

A few months ago, our friends Ron and Vanessa invited us over for dinner. Vanessa recently had twin girls – Carmel and Julia – akaRead More

Potato Bhajee

Barry and Sallyanne’s father-in-law, Ezra Joseph Gubbay, a Jew of Calcutta – 1930, 8 yrs. old. As I wrote about in my last post, blogRead More

A Vintage Jewish Cookbook from Calcutta, India

A few months ago, blog reader Barry Scott wrote me an intriguing email: Dear Tori, I thought that you might be interested in this cookbook. Read More

Kourabiedes – Greek Butter Cookies

During my sophomore year of college, I took a semester-long course that changed my life. It was a writing class, geared to help us improveRead More

The Levin Family—Polish Ashkenazi Food and Traditions (Part 2)

For our traditional Polish Shabbat meal, Etti Hadar and I consulted the memoirs of Etti’s late uncle, Dov Shimon “Beraleh” Levin. We wanted to makeRead More

Uncle Dov’s Memoir: Polish Ashkenazi Food and Traditions (Part 1)

Dov Levin, a soldier for the Jewish Infantry Brigade in Italy – Dec. 8, 1944 My friend Etti Hadar descends from a Polish Jewish family.Read More