Ava received a copy of this book to review. All opinions are strictly our own.
Deep Flavors – A Celebration of Recipes for Foodies in a Kosher Style
- Author: Kenneth Horwitz
Pre-Covid19, I used to laugh at “FOODIES.” My husband is a FOODIE and consumes about 10,000 calories a day –no lie—and says a slim 165 at 6’1. I look at food and gain weight. 25 pounds in the last year…due to staying at home and eating. But along with the bad comes the good. I now garner recipes from all over and love to try different things. For the comfort of my husband, who works in an essential job with COVID thrusting its terrible threat all around him, it is a joy for me to come up with great meals to comfort and nourish both of us. Sigh. At long last, I have become a FOODIE myself.
So, you all say, so what! Well, much to my own surprise, I now rush to buy cookbooks as well as the latest Michael Connelly or Layton Green novel! And this one is a doozy…in a good way!
What I Adore about Deep Flavors
Mr. Horwitz advises, informs, and thrusts succulent recipes in and about in such a way that he feels like family.
DID YOU KNOW?
Asparagus Processing (page 6)
“The stems of asparagus are invariably stringy up to within an inch or so of where the tender tip of the spear begins. Therefore, asparagus should always be peeled with a vegetable peeler, a step rarely performed in restaurants, and rarely demonstrated on cooking programs. Cutting off an arbitrary length of the base may save a little work but does not eliminate the stringiness and is wasteful.”
WE eat a lot of asparagus and now I feel like a Chef with a capital C when I peel first and engage in a tender, delicious asparagus side dish.
The eclectic array of recipes and information on how to cook all kinds of ethnic sauces (Indian, Cajun, French) made this cookbook a gem. I have tried cooking potato pancakes for my husband and they never come outright. So, I was thrilled to read Deep Flavor’s recipe and to offer up these delightful pancakes to my husband last night (YUM).
“Mashed Potato Pancake/Frittata (page 44)
This recipe is intended for a 12-inch pan (to feed four)
Ingredients
- 3 cups or so chilled mashed potatoes (leftovers)
- 8 eggs (I generally use jumbo eggs)
- 1 cup whole milk (in addition to that already used to make the mashed potatoes)
- Salt to taste (if the potatoes are well flavored, just add enough salt to flavor the added eggs-not more than 1 teaspoon of kosher salt)
- 2-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
Proportions are approximate and not critical other than not adding too much salt, but what is important is the mashed potatoes. This recipe is easily scalable for a single serving using an 8-inch skillet or 10-inch skillet.
Mix the first 4 ingredients well. Lightly brown the butter in a nonstick skillet. Pour the egg mixture into the pan, filling the pan-but not do full that you cannot move it to the oven. Cook on the stovetop for a couple of minutes. Then move the pan to a preheated 350-degree F oven to finish for about 30 minutes. (If you are using an 8- or 10-inch skillet, reduce the cooking time.) The pancake/frittata will be fully set in the middle and the edges lightly browned. The cooked pancake/frittata should slide right out onto a plate or cutting board. Slice and serve. Leftovers are great and served with some sour cream and salt.”
YUM! As you can tell, Mr. Horwitz explains everything which I so appreciate. So many cookbooks leave me hanging to guess about the process. Horwitz shows the exact techniques.
So many wonderful recipes. There is a special section for Jewish Traditional Food, but this cookbook is extremely eclectic and just delightful. If you need a gift for the holidays, don’t leave this cookbook off of your list! I adore it.
- Deep Flavors is available now at DeepFlavorsCookbook.com
