Rosh Hashanah

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Joan Nathan's book The Foods of Israel Today. Nathan also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Nathan and Israeli cuisine, click here. I remember with pleasure the Turkish Spinach burekas we ate every Friday morning when I worked in the Jerusalem municipality. The ritual was as follows: Simontov, the guard at the front door downstairs, would appear carrying a bronze tray with Turkish coffee and the heavenly, flaky pastries filled with spinach or cheese, called filikas in Ladino. It is rare today to have such delicious burekas, in Jerusalem or anywhere else in Israel. Most of the dough is commercially produced puff pastry, much thicker and less flaky than the homemade phyllo used to be. A few places, like Burekas Penzo in Tel Aviv (near Levinsky Street), which has been making the pastries by hand in the Turkish style for more than thirty years, produce a close second to those I remember from my days in Jerusalem. Various Ladino names like bulemas and boyos differentiate fillings and distinguish a Jewish bureka from a Turkish one. If you can find the thick phyllo dough, that works well. Otherwise, try this. My fifteen-year-old makes and sells them for fifty cents a piece. They are great!

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are excerpted from Joan Nathan's book The Foods of Israel Today. Nathan also shared some helpful cooking tips exclusively with Epicurious, which we've added at the bottom of the page. To read more about Nathan and Israeli cuisine, click here. Sometimes called Turkish Salad, this typical Israeli salad, served at almost every meal, has many variations. But one thing remains the same: the tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cucumbers must be cut into tiny pieces, a practice of the Ottoman Empire. Two types of cucumber are common in Israel: one, like the Kirby cucumber, goes by the name of melafofon in Hebrew and khiyar in Arabic; the other, called fakus in Arabic, is thinner, longer, and fuzzy, and is eaten without peeling.

(Uborkasalata) With little or no refrigeration and often only impure water available until the twentieth century, ordinary people did not risk eating fresh vegetables that couldn't be peeled or shelled. Cucumber, beet, or cabbage salads were about the only ones used in Eastern Europe, and cooked salads featuring eggplant or broiled peppers were served in many Mediterranean countries. Lettuce, the base of most crisp salads we eat today, had to be cleaned in sterilized water and eaten immediately.

The chicken and vegetables are strained out for a clear soup. If you'd like, save some chicken and vegetables to serve along with the matzo balls in the soup.

This soup features the flavors of India: aromatic nigella seeds, curry powder, curry leaves, and cumin seeds.

Helene Cypress of Franklin Square, New York, writes: "My grandson loves this family favorite and always asks for it. I usually end up making extra to share with other guests and neighbors."

We found that 1 green chile was enough, but add more if you like things fiery.

Everything is approximate with brisket and tzimmes, since some people can't stand prunes and others want nothing but. The amounts listed below are estimates; feel free to change them. Though Karen Stabiner calls for first-cut brisket, which is relatively lean, we prefer the more evenly marbled second cut for moister, more succulent meat.

A kugel is traditionally baked in a single large pan, but using a muffin tin is a bit more elegant—and produces an abundance of tasty browned edges. Serve the kugels as a main brunch dish or an accompaniment to pot roast or baked chicken.

This is more of an infusion than a true tea, since it isn't made with tea leaves. You will have leftover spice tea to store.

Pairing chick-peas and Swiss chard is nothing new—Armenians have been doing it for generations. But with great tomatoes and a squeeze of lemon, this quick vegetable stew is as fresh as summer. If you can’t find Swiss chard, spinach is an authentic substitute.

(Torta di Bietola ed Erbe) In the more rugged areas of Tuscany, like the Garfagnana and Lunigiana in the northwest, savory tarts are as popular as their sweet counterparts. Vegetable tarts are quite common and usually include greens and herbs. This one features Swiss chard, thyme and oregano. Other herbs used in such tarts are tarragon, sage, nettles and borage.

This soup, actually my mother's recipe, is traditionally served at Passover, but it's so good that my family likes to make it all year round. A little chicken stock goes into the matzo balls, and the rest makes up the soup base. You can also use canned chicken broth, but for the best-tasting and most authentic soup, we think nothing beats homemade chicken stock. Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 1 1/2 hr

Hoisin sauce is sold at Asian markets and in the Asian foods section of most supermarkets.

This recipe originally accompanied a story on a matzoh ball taste test.