Estee Kafra is passionate about food and making it look beautiful on film. She’s been thrilling readers of Binah Magazine for the past two years with her fun, innovative, and delicious recipes, like Beef and Vegetable Stew with Red Wine; Celery Root Potato Latkes; and her amazing recipe for Roizy’s Famous Kokosh cake.
Now, after culling through countless recipes from Binah magazines of the past two years, testing, tasting and testing again, Kafra has put together an incomparable collection of recipes that will transform your kitchen, whether you’re a novice cook or a seasoned pro.
The theme running throughout Spice It Right is, as the name implies, spices. Inside you will find a brief tutorial on various herbs and spices that will teach you how to take the most mundane of recipes and upgrade them into the “crème de la crème” of fine cuisine.
The design of the cookbook is breathtaking, similar in design to Donna Hay’s cookbooks, with vibrant colours and tantalizing pictures on every page. Kafra did her own food styling and photography and she has included a full-colour photo for each recipe, which her readers will love.
As a special bonus, Spice it Right also includes a special guide prepared by the Kashruth Council of Canada (COR). This guide gives detailed instructions on checking for and removing suspect insects in fresh herbs.
With easy-to-follow directions and full sections on everything from appetizers to soups, salads, side dishes, main dishes and desserts, this is one cookbook you can’t afford not to have in your kitchen! Each recipe includes a helpful clock icon indicating the estimated preparation time.
When I spoke to Kafra recently, she told me she is absolutely thrilled with the response from her readers. Her favourite quote came from an enthusiastic young woman who told her, “Ever since the day that I bought the book, I have used it every night to make supper, and everything I made was delicious!”
Books are being sold worldwide in all Judaica stores. In Toronto, Spice it Right is available at Kitchen Art, Seforim Warehouse, Kosher City, Israel’s Judaica and Negev Importing. For more information, check out the website at –www.spiceitrightcookbook.com. Spice it Right makes a wonderful gift for Chanukah or any time of year.
Kafra shared two of her favourite Chanukah recipes with me that are sure to impress your family and friends. Enjoy!
15 minutes preparation time
Here’s a slightly different version of typical potato latkes. The celery root adds wonderful flavour and is a great idea for those who are watching their carbs.
2 cups grated Idaho or russet potatoes
2 cups grated celery root
2 eggs
1/4 cup flavoured breadcrumbs
1 tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
freshly ground black pepper and salt, to taste
vegetable oil for frying
Place the grated potatoes and celery root into a colander and press to squeeze out extra juices.
Pour into a large mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients except oil; mix well.
Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan and place tablespoons of batter into the hot oil. Be careful not to overcrowd.
Once edges have browned, flip latkes over and cook on other side. Remove latkes from oil with slotted spoon or spatula and place on prepared sheets of paper towel to drain. Yield: 10 latkes.
15 minutes preparation time
I have to confess, it was my cousin Ruchi who requested this recipe. I was making these latkes one day while she was over (they are my children’s favourite) and she begged me to include this recipe so she could have her own copy to prepare for her family. Ruchi, this one’s for you.
Note: These cheese latkes have less flour, less sugar and more cheese than most printed recipes that I’ve seen.
1 cup low-fat cottage cheese (I prefer 1 per cent)
1 lb. farmer cheese
4 eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp. flour
1/3 cup sugar (or less – or substitute with Splenda)
1 tsp. vanilla sugar
low-sugar strawberry jam for garnish
oil for frying
Simply place all the ingredients except oil and jam into a large mixing bowl. Using an immersion blender, blend all the ingredients until a thick batter forms.
Heat 2 frying pans with a thin layer of oil. Drop in batter, a tablespoonful at a time. You may have to adjust the temperature so that the first side doesn’t burn before you are ready to flip the latkes over. Once the batter has firmed up somewhat and the bottom side is brown, flip over until cooked on the second side.
Remove from the pan and place on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Variation: I sometimes add a bit of jam in the middle of the latke just before it firms up. To do this, make small indentation in the centre with a spoon and place a small amount of jam in the indentation. Flip over carefully. Enjoy! Yield: 14 latkes.
Norene Gilletz is a cookbook author, cooking teacher and food consultant For updated information, call 416-226-2466 or visit http://www.gourmania.com.
