October is here, and Heshvan, or that “bitter (mar)Heshvan” has arrived. These eight new Fall cookbooks should erase any bitterness however:


Ottolenghi Test Kitchen:
Shelf Love:
Recipes to Unlock the Secrets of Your Pantry, Fridge, and Freezer:
by Noor Murad and Yotam Ottolenghi
North America Publication Date: October 19, 2021
Publisher: CLARKSON POTTER

Doesn’t it seem as if Yotam and his London team publish a new cookbook every few months?
In his latest book, he is unplugged, and offers over 85 irresistible new recipes. The recipes (led by Noor and Yotam) are Middle Eastern-based and the goal is too innovate from staples on your kitchen / pantry shelves: like a can of garbanzo beans/chickpeas, a bag of frozen peas; a box of Macaroni and Cheese (add Sumac/Za’atar). The authors recommend that you MIYO (Make It Your Own), like Oat Porridge with ginger-garlic crumbs; Parmesan Chickpeas; Kale Pesto Strata; Spiced Butternut Mash with Pancake Omelettes; Curried Cauliflower Cheese Filo Pie; Muhallabieh with burnt honey orange syrup, katai and pistachio sugar; Dumplings with Caramelized Onions; Fish Kofta in Ancho Chilli and Tomato Sauce; Spiced Semolina with Fried Corn, Peanuts and Coriander; Upside-Down Lemon, Maple and Vanilla Pudding with Lemon-Maple Butter.

SAMPLE RECIPE

Salmon with Za’atar and Tahini
Noor and Yotam recommend that you match fish and tahini for a real treat.

Ingredients
4 salmon fillets (600g), skin on and pin bones removed
2 tbsp za’atar
2 tsp sumac, plus ½ tsp extra for sprinkling
60ml olive oil
250g baby spinach
90g tahini
3 garlic cloves, crushed
3½ tbsp lemon juice
1½ tbsp roughly chopped coriander leaves
salt and black pepper
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Pat dry the salmon and sprinkle with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, combine the za’atar and sumac, then sprinkle this all over the top of the salmon to create a crust.
Place a large ovenproof sauté pan on a medium-high heat and add a tablespoon of oil.
Once hot, add the spinach and a pinch each of salt and pepper and cook for 2–3 minutes, until just wilted.
Top with the salmon, skin side down, and drizzle the top of the fish with 2 tablespoons of oil. Bake for 5 minutes at 425F.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the tahini, garlic, 2½ tablespoons of lemon juice, a good pinch of salt and 100ml of water (0.4 cups) until smooth and quite runny.
When ready, remove the pan from the oven and pour the tahini all around the salmon (but not on the fish at all). Bake for another 5 minutes, or until the fish is cooked through and the tahini is bubbling. Spoon over the remaining tablespoon each of lemon juice and oil and top with the coriander and extra sumac.

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Sweet Potato Shakshuka

Ingredients
1kg sweet potatoes, skin on and scrubbed clean
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rounds (100g)
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
150g mature cheddar, roughly grated
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds, roughly crushed with a pestle and mortar
8 medium eggs
25g unsalted butter
¾ tbsp sriracha
2 tbsp picked fresh coriander leaves, with some stem attached
salt and black pepper

Preheat the oven 425F
Poke the sweet potatoes all over with a fork (about 8–10 times) and place them on a medium, parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until cooked through and softened.
Set aside to cool and turn the oven temperature down to 350F.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together an onion, 1 tblsp of lemon juice and a pinch of salt and set aside to pickle.
Remove the cooked potato skins and tear them into roughly 4cm (1.5 inch) pieces.
Transfer the potato flesh to a large bowl and set aside. Place the skins back on the baking tray and toss with 1 tablespoon of oil, ¼ teaspoon of salt and a good grind of pepper.
Bake for 8 minutes and starting to crisp up. Set aside to cool and crisp up further.
Use a fork to mash the potato flesh until smooth, then add the cheddar, garlic, cumin, another tablespoon of oil, the remaining tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 teaspoon of salt and a generous grind of pepper, and mix to combine.
Put the remaining tablespoon of oil into a large frying pan (you need a lid), and swirl around to coat the bottom.
Spoon the mashed potato mixture into the pan, using your spoon to distribute it evenly. Place on a medium-high heat and leave to cook for about 7 minutes.
Turn the heat down to medium and use a spoon to make eight wells in the potato mixture, breaking an egg into each. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, cover with the lid and cook for 4–5 minutes, rotating the pan, or until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny.
While the eggs are cooking, put the butter and some sriracha into a small saucepan on a medium heat and cook until the butter has melted, whisking constantly to emulsify.
Remove the mixture from the heat before it starts to bubble – you don’t want it to split.
When ready, spoon the sriracha butter all over the eggs, then top with a good handful of the crispy potato skins, half the pickled onion and all the picked coriander leaves.
Serve right away, with the rest of the potato skins and pickled onion to eat alongside.

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Claudia Roden’s Mediterranean:
Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel
by Claudia Roden
U.S. Publication Date: October 26, 2021
U.S. Publisher: TEN SPEED PRESS

Yotam blurbs her book, saying “Claudia Roden channels the sun and warm glow of the Mediterranean. To read Claudia is to sit at her table, with everything, simply, as it should be. Pull up a chair for the food; stay at the table for the stories.”

The MED has been her lifelong focus. She was born and raised in a once-cosmopolitan Egypt, surrounded by a mix of cultures – Greek, Italian, French, North African – and she longs for that way of being. But at home in London, cooking brings her there. The smell of garlic frying with crushed coriander takes her to the Egypt of her childhood; the scent of orange zest and cinnamon takes her to Spain; saffron and orange zest mingled with aniseed and garlic triggers memories of the French Riviera. Roden started to collect recipes at 20, which were from Jews leaving Egypt in 1956 after the Suez Crisis. They were recipes passed down in Jewish communities – a mosaic of families from the old Ottoman Empire and around the Mediterranean. Three of her grandparents had come from Aleppo. Every recipe was hugely precious and full of emotional baggage. And, yes, there was hummus and baba ghanouj, grilled halloumi cheese and bulgur pilaf. The first ones she wrote down changed her life. They also changed the way people eat in Britain and around the world. Before “A Book of Middle Eastern Food” was published in 1968, there had been no major English language cookbooks at all about this cuisine, and magazines were not featuring these dishes. So turn on as “Ya Mustafa”, sung by Bob Azzam; squirt on some Diorissimo eau de toilette, and join world-renowned food writer Claudia Roden on a culinary journey across the Mediterranean, all from the comfort of your own dinner table.

Included are her favorites – but more refined – from France, Greece, and Spain to Egypt, Turkey, and Morocco. Dishes include those for Chicken with Apricots and Pistachios, Vegetable Couscous, Eggplant in a Spicy Honey Sauce with Soft Goat Cheese, Bean Stew with un-kosher meats, and Plum Clafoutis

SAMPLE RECIPE
Moroccan inspired Red pepper and tomato salad, with her signature BOILED LEMON

INGREDIENTS
3 large fleshy red peppers
1½ tbsp olive oil
300g of cherry or baby plum tomatoes (ie Santini)
½-1 fresh chilli, seeded and chopped, or a good pinch of ground chilli (optional)
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp sugar
salt
1 small boiled lemon (boil it 40 minutes)
To serve
extra virgin olive oil 3-4 tbsp
coriander a few sprigs, leaves chopped
Preheat the oven to 425F
Line a baking sheet with baking parchment or foil.
Cut the peppers in half through the stalks, remove the stalks, seeds and membranes and arrange them, cut-side down, on the baking sheet.
Roast for 25-35 minutes until they are soft and their skin is blistered.
Put them in an empty pan with a tight-fitting lid or in a bowl with a plate on top and leave them to steam for 10 minutes, which will loosen the skins.
When cool enough to handle, peel off the skins and cut each half into four ribbons.
While the peppers are roasting, heat the oil in a frying pan and add the tomatoes and chili (optional).
Cook over low heat for 10 minutes, shaking the pan and turning the tomatoes over with a spatula until they are soft. Push them to the side of the pan, add the garlic to an empty bit of the pan and cook, stirring, until the aroma rises. Add the sugar and some salt and stir well.
Add the peppers to the tomatoes. If using the lemon, cut it into small pieces and add it to the pan, juice and all, but removing the pips.
Stir gently over low heat for a minute or so. Leave to cool.
Serve at room temperature, drizzled with plenty of extra virgin olive oil and a sprinkling of coriander.


Simply:
Simply Gourmet, Every Day
by Rivky Kleiman
Publication Date: October 27, 2021
Publisher: Mesorah Publications, Artscroll, Shaar

Rivky became a kosher cookbook star with Simply Gourmet. She is the co-author of the Bais Yaakov Cookbooks and has a popular column in Mishpacha Magazine. In her new October 2021 book there are over 140 recipes with (kosher food porn) photos. Also, a new section for “Simple Suppers” with tips ‘n (non Halloween) tricks, pairings, and prep-ahead suggestions. Ms. Kleiman was born in Brooklyn and was her mother’s “sous chef.” Her mother had attended culinary school before pursuing a career in medicine. Rivky resides in Lakewood, NJ. You can see 11 sample pages HERE


The Essential Jewish Baking
Cookbook: 50 Traditional Recipes
for Every Occasion
by Beth A. Lee of OMG YUMMY
Hardcover Publication Date: October 5, 2021
North American Publisher: Rockridge Press

I don’t know if you noticed, but before the Jewish New Year in September 2021, it seemed as if all the U.S. food editors were borrowing holiday recipes from the pre-publication version of this cookbook. Food blogger, Beth Lee, teaches you to prepare traditional Jewish baked goods at home, whether it is a challah or babka or a macaroon. There are fifty recipes, from bagels and bialys to rugelach, kugel, and more. It’s beginner friendly. There is a recipe for pletzel, a Polish specialty that’s also called onion board. The book taps traditions, including those of Sephardic and Mizrachi cultures, in addition to Ashkenazic. It also gives details on making the recipes kosher. A highlight is challah rolls with an apple filling. There’s taiglach; Russian honey cake; andapple cake with candied ginger and cinnamon. There’s a recipe for duvshaniot, the Israeli spiced honey cookie, as well as apple kugel and a blintz casserole.


Baking with Dorie:
Sweet, Salty and Simple
by Dorie Greenspan
Mark Weinberg (Photographer)
Publication Date: October 19, 2021
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt HMH

Say Dorie, and people think of “Finding Nemo.” Say “Dorie Greenspan” and they think baking.
150 new baking recipes from Dorie Greenspan, author of thirteen cookbooks and winner of five James Beard awards. What’s new? Berry Biscuits. Apple pie with browned butter spiced like warm mulled cider. S’mores ice cream cake with chocolate sauce, salty peanuts, and toasted marshmallows. A Lemon meringue layer cake. Caramel crunch chocolate cookies, made in muffin tins instead of a cookie sheet. Paris-style Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies (because she is living in France half the year nowadays). Apricot-Pistachio Olive Oil Cake. New takes on shortbreads and rugelachs. Apple pandowdy, crisp, crumble and pie. A Father’s Day Pie (with blueberries and cherries). Cranberry Spice Squares. Lick-the-Pot Chocolate Pudding Pie. Miso-Maple Loaf. Smoked Lox Salmon Roll-Up. Vegetable Ribbon Tart. Double-Corn Tomato Crisp. cheese sticks with cream puff dough, Gouda, and cumin. A dense Lisbon Portugal style chocolate cake with cheese swirled babka buns. The chapters are what your would expect: Breakfast Stuff • Cakes • Cookies • Pies, Crusts Curds (all in a single chapter) Tarts, Cobblers and Crisps • Two Perfect Little Pastries • Salty Side Up. She adds her “Sweethearts.” These are tags for her favorites.

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Cravings:
All Together: Recipes to Love: Book 3
A Cookbook
by Chrissy Teigen and
Tel Aviv based chef, Adeena Sussman
Publication Date; October 26, 2021
Publisher: Clarkson Potter

Chrissy shares the recipes that have sustained her and her family during this pandemic, a time of stress and a lost pregnancy. The book was postponed by a year due to the pregnancy complications. But Food and family gave her COMFORT, and is aiding in her emotional and physical recovery. As in the past, Adeena Sussman flew from T.A. and Carmel Shuk and lived with Chrissy as they cooked and prepared the book. Chrissy went more vegie, and less ham and cheese (of course, sadly, she adds it to pasta bake; but you need to). Standouts: Chickpea Crunch Wraps, Gingersnap cookie butter, Cozy Classic Red Lentil Soup, Stuffed Peanut Butter and Jelly French Toast, Meatloaf Wellington, her mother’s Thai-style Sloppy Joes, her husband’s Saturday-morning Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes.


Jewish Food:
The Ultimate Cookbook
by Joshua Korn and Scott Gilden,
and Kimberly Zerkel with Jim Sullivan (Photographer)
Publication Date; October 31, 2021
Publisher: Cider Mill Press

I wasn’t familiar with the authors or the publisher, or even considering lamb chops, the book’s cover picture, as Jewish Food. There are over 300 recipes featured the cookbook. The lead author, Chef Joshua Korn, graduated from the Culinary Institute of America, and worked at the famed chains of B.R. GUEST Inc., the Myriad Restaurant Group, and kitchens owned by Starwood. He also taught in San Diego for over a decade, cooked for Qualcomm Inc, and appeared on Food Network. Co-author Scott Gilden also studied the Culinary Institute of America. The book may be too overwhelming. Best to start with just their RUSTIC Matzo Ball Soup.


Mooncakes and Milk Bread:
Sweet and Savory Recipes
Inspired by Chinese Bakeries
by Kristina Cho
Publication Date: October 12, 2021
Publisher: Harper

If you visit Chinese bakeries a lot as I do (the ones that avoid lard), then you know how those mooncakes appear to coincide with Sukkot and the Jewish New Year. In Mooncakes and Milk Bread, Cleveland native and Bay Area food blogger Kristina Cho (eatchofood.com) introduces readers to Chinese bakery cooking with fresh, uncomplicated interpretations of classic recipes. Her grandparents hail from Toisan, or the Taishan, Guangdong area of CHina, and her grandfather started a restaurant in Ohio when he immigrated from Hong Kong. Her book has baked buns, steamed buns, Chinese breads, egg tarts, turnip cakes, unique cookies, dumplings, Chinese morning entrees and beverages. For me, why bake it if you can buy it, but the recipes are still fascinating: steamed buns, pineapple (shaped) buns, milk tea, “Swiss” rolls. You can also check out her blog for Tomato Egg on Rice, Honey Garlic Blistered Green Beans, Carrot Steamed Buns, Stir Fried Peanut Noodles, Chinese Egg Noodles, and more. (Did I mention that her NJ Bf’s name is Reuben and he is a fan of her everything bagel biscuits?)

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