Dedication

     Over these past months, most of my time was devoted to this cookbook, working many, many hours in solitude at the computer.  I had a lot of time to reflect.  Much of the time was spent thinking about my mother, Besse Royce z"l, who would have turned 91 this years (my father, Elliott Royce, who will have his 91st birthday in 2010 is still in robust health and leading an active life).

     I thought about her dedication to her family and her friends; about her planning & preparation of dinners every evening at six o'clock when my father returned from work; about her special Friday Shabbat meals and our holiday dinners which were such memorable occasions.

     I regretted that I didn't spend time with her learning how to make her one-of-a-kind dishes--such as lime Jello mold and lemon meringue pie--which are now lost forever.  While I appreciate the recipes that I have (and are included in this book), I regret the loss of so many others.

     Not wanting to repeat the same mistake, I realized that if I didn't  collect these delicious recipes now from my sister-in-law Espi & my brother-in-law Moshe & his wife Laya (world class cooks!), then their Iraqi specialties (e.g. kubbe, sambusak, baklava & hamin) would be lost.

     My work was cut out for me.  As I immersed myself in the project, I realized how intercultural my life was, with family & friends from every corner of the globe:  my background is Ashkenazic with grandparents who moved to the U.S. from Romania & Poland; my husband Yitzhak’s family is from Baghdad, but he regularly attends a Moroccan synagogue; my daughter-in-law Keren is half Tunisian/half Moroccan; and, women in my exercise & ceramics classes are from Iranian and Yemenite families.  Thank you to everyone who so generously shared their family’s traditional recipes.    

      I spent a lot of time thinking about how important Jewish cooking was in the culture and the continuation of the Jewish people.  Also, I thought about the significant role the Jewish mother played in that process.  She brought the family together to share in the holidays and worked tirelessly to plan and prepare for Shabbat and holidays (especially Rosh Hashanah and Passover).  What Jewish mother didn’t have recipes for chicken soup, chopped liver, knishes or hamentashens?

     I trust that Maternal Instincts will provide you with an appreciation of Jewish foods from around the world.  Moreover, my hope is that this cookbook will inspire you to have home-cooked meals with your families at dinner time, to prepare delicious meals at your Shabbat meals and to celebrate the beautiful Jewish holidays during the year.

Judy Petel

March 2010

P.S.  Don’t forget to write down YOUR mother’s recipes…

 Contents

• Merkaz Rachel             
• Dedication                
• What is Jewish Cooking?                  
• Appetizers                
• Soups                       
• Main Courses             
• Salads & Vegetables              
• Dairy, Pasta & Side Dishes                  
• Desserts, Baked Goods and Breads                  
• Holiday Foods        
• Low Fat Modifications         
• Contributors                    

  ~~~~

   Sambusak 

   Sephardic pastry filled with chickpeas or potatoes as prepared by Espi Yehuda.

Dough

½ kg. white flour 

2 T. oil

2 T. vinegar 

½ t. curry powder

1 t. salt 

1½ cups water

Mix everything except water. Add 1½ cups water (enough so the flour turns into sticky, solid dough).  Allow to “rest” for several hours.

Chickpea Filling

½ kg whole chickpeas 

2 medium onions

½ t. curry powder

½ t. cumin

½ t. black pepper

Soak chickpeas in lukewarm water for at least 8 hours.  Cover with water, bring to boil, then simmer for 2 hours, until they are very soft.  Drain, but keep liquid.

Chop onions and sauté until they are translucent.  Add curry, cumin & salt.  At end of frying add black pepper (according to taste).

Process cooked chickpeas in food processor with a little of the cooking liquid; process until well ground. Add to onions.