Jew-Ish: A Cookbook: Reinvented Recipes from a Modern Mensch

by Jake Cohen

Overview

A New York Times bestseller!

A brilliantly modern take on Jewish culinary traditions for a new generation of readers, from a bright new star in the culinary world.

When you think of Jewish food, a few classics come to mind: chicken soup with matzo balls, challah, maybe a babka if you’re feeling adventurous. But as food writer and nice Jewish boy Jake Cohen demonstrates in this stunning debut cookbook, Jewish food can be so much more.  

In Jew-ish, he reinvents the food of his Ashkenazi heritage and draws inspiration from his husband’s Persian-Iraqi traditions to offer recipes that are modern, fresh, and enticing for a whole new generation of readers. Imagine the components of an everything bagel wrapped into a flaky galette latkes dyed vibrant yellow with saffron for a Persian spin on the potato pancake, best-ever hybrid desserts like Macaroon Brownies and Pumpkin Spice Babka! Jew-ish features elevated, yet approachable classics along with innovative creations, such as: 

• Jake’s Perfect Challah 
• Roasted Tomato Brisket 
• Short Rib Cholent 
• Iraqi Beet Kubbeh Soup 
• Cacio e Pepe Rugelach 
• Sabich Bagel Sandwiches, and
• Matzo Tiramisu. 

Jew-ish is a brilliant collection of delicious recipes, but it’s much more than that. As Jake reconciles ancient traditions with our modern times, his recipes become a celebration of a rich and vibrant history, a love story of blending cultures, and an invitation to gather around the table and create new memories with family, friends, and loved ones. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358353980
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	03/09/2021
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	55,005
Product dimensions:	8.10(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Jake Cohen is a bright new star in the food world, a former food staffer at Saveur, then food editor of Tasting Table and Time Out New York, and most recently the editorial and test kitchen director of social media juggernaut the Feedfeed. When he isn’t writing about food for publications including Food52, Food & Wine, and Real Simple, he’s posting challah braiding videos and recipes on his Instagram and TikTok (@jakecohen). He lives in New York City with his husband, Alex.

Editorial Reviews

02/15/2021

Cohen, a carb-loving secular Jew with a passion for whipping up Sabbath dinners, shares traditional recipes with numerous variations in his chatty and inventive debut. Drawing from Ashkenazi as well as Persian and Iraqi culinary traditions, the author sets an unorthodox table. Eye-opening creations include pastrami biscuits and gravy, as well as salted honey chopped liver. Russian nachos decode as potato chips topped with caviar and crème fraîche. Even schmaltz finds a new twist, seasoned here with thyme, sage, and lemon zest. Cohen’s noodle game is strong, scoring with three types of kugel. Chicken, of course, is ubiquitous, turning up in everything from soy-glazed chicken salad to Persian chicken and celery stew. And for dessert, what else but matzo tiramisu? Cohen shares a smart take on the importance of brisket recipes, which are “a vessel of family pride and tradition,” and a succinct history of cholent (a “Jewish mash-up of baked beans and beef-barley soup”), but the writing overall is a love it or leave it proposition, with sometimes groan-worthy jokes (the matzo ball soup recipe is a minefield of low humor) and a tone that will either inspire or grate. Home cooks who can roll with Cohen’s banter will find much to kvell about. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Jake Cohen is the creative, youthful future of Jewish food. There is a thrill in reading and cooking from a book by someone you can hardly keep up with—he is SO alive, as is his food!” —Joan Nathan, James Beard Award-winning author, most recently of King Solomon’s Table “Jew-ish is a wonderful celebration of identity. Jake's recipes are memorable, packed with flavor, and filled with joy.” —Michael Solomonov, chef and co-owner of Zahav “With his killer cooking chops and innate understanding of how to create community—be it at the table or on TikTok—Jake Cohen has created a thoroughly modern cookbook for our times. With his deft, doable, delicious takes on Jewish classics, combined with a genuine talent for contextualizing his culture into something we can all learn from, you certainly don’t have to be Jewish to love Jew-ish.” —Adeena Sussman, author of Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors From My Israeli Kitchen “Jake Cohen is the modern master of menschiness!” —David Lebovitz, author My Paris Kitchen and Drinking French “I’ve long wished for a way to bottle up Jake’s infectious enthusiasm for Jewish food and delicious fun twists on classics to keep in my kitchen for excellent vibes and inspiration. And, well, this book does exactly that! Jew-ish is packed with the kind of bright flavors that will make any meal a party.” —Molly Yeh, cookbook author and Food Network host “This is a rambunctiously uplifting book, vibrantly full of warmth, joy, and deliciousness.” —Nigella Lawson, food writer “Home chefs and casual readers alike will be entranced immediately by his description of Friday night observances (aka Shabbat), designed as an evening of both gratitude and relaxation.” —Booklist “This fun collection will appeal to all home cooks looking for creative takes on modern cuisine with a Jew-ish flair, and anyone with a sense of humor.” —Library Journal —

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2021

Food writer Cohen, Editorial and Test Kitchen Director at Feedfeed, presents an inviting introduction to modern Jewish cuisine as it has adapted over the years. Beginning with what it means to be Jew-ish, Cohen brings a conversational approach to his stories and recipes, offering enough history so that a non-Jewish cook can understand the importance of the recipes, while also taking care to make sure that each meal is accessible to the Jewish person looking to extend some of their own traditions. With personality and humor, Cohen describes everything from his obsession with babka to his love language of carbs. This deep appreciation of food translates when guiding home cooks to re-create meals such as One-Pot Persian-Ish Pasta or Spice Herb-Roasted Mushrooms. A chapter on kugel is a highlight, featuring plenty of options for making kugel-based dishes within a limited amount of time, as is a section on babka, with chocolate-tahini and pumpkin spice fillings, among others. VERDICT This fun collection will appeal to all home cooks looking for creative takes on modern cuisine with a Jew-ish flair, and anyone with a sense of humor.—Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Oregon Inst. of Technology, Portland

Library Journal