Memories in good taste

A passion for cooking and a demand for effective time management prompted one local preschool mom to help create a cookbook that offers enough variety for a five-course meal and includes Jewish holiday recipes within pages of Asian salads and winter gazpacho.

"The Good Nosh Cookbook" features nearly 200 recipes submitted last year by Temple Beth Israel congregants and families of Chanen preschoolers at the Scottsdale temple. All proceeds from the cookbook benefit the preschool and will be used for school programs, special events or items that can be used in classes, according to Sharon Rendelman, preschool director. Since cookbook sales began last month, approximately 300 out of 500 have been sold, says Susan Spier, a member of the cookbook committee.

The success of the cookbook thrills Spier, a mother of three children, two of whom attend Chanen. She recalls receiving a similar type of cookbook from a mother at a different preschool.

"I thought it was such a great fund-raiser and a keepsake, and how useful it would be for families," she says.

The cookbook committee asked all families at the temple and preschool to submit up to 10 of their family's favorite recipes for publication.

"We had so many recipes that we had to be selective," Spier explains. But she stresses that "anyone who submitted a recipe got at least one" published in the book.

The committee chose to print everyday staples such as beverages and appetizers; salads and soups; pastas and casseroles; meat, poultry and fish dishes; side dishes; brunch and breads; and sweets. Traditional Jewish staples such as brisket, gefilte fish, noodle kugel, matzo dishes and more are also in the book, spanning generations and regions. At the end of the book are recipes for kids that include fun ideas like Edible Dreidels, Worms in Mud and Ice Cream Clowns. Although not all of the recipes in the cookbook are kosher, none contain pork or shellfish, says Spier.

In an effort to add a keepsake element to the cookbook, the committee printed artwork by preschoolers on some of the recipe pages. "Not only will I cook from it, but I will be able to have it as a memory of our preschool," Spier says.

"The Good Nosh Cookbook" is available for $15 at Temple Beth Israel, 10460 N. 56th St., Scottsdale. For an additional $5, the book may be shipped anywhere in the country. Call 480-951-3398.

Recipes from "The Good Nosh Cookbook":

Apple Salad

1 pkg. crumbled goat cheese
1-2 Fuji apples
1 1/2 cups toasted or candied pecans
field greens

Dressing:
3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 minced shallot
3/4 cup canola oil

Cut apples into matchsticks or chunks. Cover with orange juice to keep from browning.
Layer salad bowl with field greens, pecans, drained apples and cheese.
Dress salad to taste.

Recipe from Alli Zall

Red Wine Brisket

4-5 pound brisket
Seasoned salt
4-5 medium onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bottle (750 ml) red Burgundy wine
1 cup water
3-4 Tbsp. tomato paste
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.
Sprinkle the brisket generously with seasoned salt and place fat side up in a roasting pan. Roast uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until browned.
Sprinkle the onions over the meat. Stir together the remaining ingredients and pour around the meat. Cover and lower the temperature to 325 degrees. Continue cooking for 4 hours or until very tender.
Use the liquid (without the onions) as the gravy. If taste is too strong, gravy may be diluted with water.
If cooked ahead of time, arrange in a cooking dish and cover with sauce. Reheat at 325 degrees for about 45 minutes.

Recipe from Meg Cain

Vegetable Kugel

6 Tbsp. margarine
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 1/2 cups grated carrot
3 eggs, beaten
1/8 tsp. pepper
1 10-ounce package of chopped spinach
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup matzo meal

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Sauté onion, celery and carrots in margarine for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Cook and drain spinach and combine with vegetables, eggs, seasoning and matzo meal. Put mixture in a 9- x13-inch greased pan. Bake for 45 minutes.
Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Slice into squares.

Recipe from Ari Moffitt

Ami's Rocky Road

1 box semisweet chocolate
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 (16-ounce) package large marshmallows

Melt chocolate in a large pot over simmering water.
Fold in pecans and marshmallows.
Put in a 7- x10-inch pan lined with waxed paper. Smash down with another piece of waxed paper.
Cool and refrigerate. Cut into small squares.

Recipe from Anne Spier

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Memories in good taste

TAMI BICKLEY Special to Jewish News

TAMI BICKLEY
Special to Jewish News