Hazana – Review, recipe and giveaway

Cookbooks are beginning to transcend beyond a collection of bound recipes. Great cookbooks take us back to another time or deliver up an unfamiliar culture sharing traditions, cuisine and at times even profiles of the beautiful people of different countries. With great cookbooks, I get to travel and experience a whole new world without leaving my home.

Hazana: Jewish Vegetarian Cooking by Paola Gavin meets all my parameters for a great book. The pages of this book deliver beautiful photographs and crave-worthy dishes beginning with that stunning cover continuing throughout until the very last recipe for Chocolate walnut balls.

In Hebrew, the word “Hazana” refers to nourishment, it is a word that defines the role food and cooking play in Jewish life. Nourishment, of course, comes in many forms – the pages here are also nourishment for one’s soul. Hazana takes us on a journey of twenty countries from Poland to Morocco, Italy, Lithuania, Turkey and more. The first thirty-five pages highlight the Jewish holidays and festivals as well as highlight each of the aforementioned countries sharing details about the history of the Jewish people and their cuisine. 

Here, 140 traditional Jewish vegetarian dishes that have been passed down for generations are covered with photographs peppered throughout. Simple, but elegant, dishes are shared from Mushroom strudel, Swiss chard and white cheese gratin, to Courgette and potato moussaka.

Special thanks to Quadrille for sharing the recipe for Herb omelette with walnuts and barbaries which would be great for Chanukah as well as providing three copies of this book in our contest below. 

 

Herb omelette with walnuts and barberries
Kuku sabzi

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This is one of the most well known omelettes in the Iranian Jewish repertoire, and is often prepared for the Sabbath. It is made from a variety of herbs and greens, such as flat-leaf parsley, coriander (cilantro), dill, lettuce and spring onions (scallions), though the exact proportions vary, according to what is at hand. In this recipe, barberries add a deliciously tart flavour. Kuku sabzi is very good served with drinks, in which case it is usually cut into small squares and garnished with chopped walnuts.

Serves 4

  • 3 spring onions (scallions), very finely chopped
  • 50g (1 cup) finely chopped flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and finely chopped
  • 25g (1/2 cup) finely chopped dill
  • 25g (1/2 cup) finely chopped coriander (cilantro)
  • 2 tablespoons freshly shelled walnuts, finely ground in a blender or food processor
  • 1-2 tablespoons dried barberries or cranberries, to taste
  • 4 eggs
  • 1-2 teaspoons flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons butter, ghee or olive oil

Place the spring onions and herbs in a bowl and mix well, then stir in the walnuts and barberries.

Beat the eggs in a large bowl with the flour and spices. Add the herb and walnut mixture and mix well. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the butter in a heavy frying pan and, when it is hot, pour in the egg mixture. Cover and cook over a gentle heat for 15-20 minutes or until the bottom is golden. Place under a hot grill (broiler) for 20 seconds to set the top, then slide the kuku onto a saucepan lid or plate. Place the frying pan over the uncooked side of the kuku and hold the pan firmly against the saucepan lid. Quickly flip both the frying pan and the lid over, so that the uncooked side of the kuku sits on the bottom of the frying pan. Continue cooking the omelette over a gentle heat on the hob until the bottom is golden. Slide onto a serving platter and serve hot, cut into wedges like a pie.

Recipe excerpted with permission from Hazana: Jewish Vegetarian Cooking by Paola Gavin, published by Quadrille October 2017, RRP $35.00 hardcover.

 

The publisher is offering three copies of this book to EYB Members in the US. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.

Which recipe in the index would you try first?

Please note that you must be logged into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications. Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you are not already a Member, you can join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on December 20th, 2017.

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61 Comments

  • akrupnick  on  November 13, 2017

    Since my last name is Krupick, I'd try the Krupnik (I have yet to fall in love with my namesake soup).

  • VeryVigario  on  November 13, 2017

    Spinach and ricotta ravioli with basil and walnut pesto – all of the recipes look really good (I know nothing about Jewish food and would love to learn)

  • MelMM  on  November 13, 2017

    I'd make the potato and green olive ragu, or the risotto with eight herbs.

  • lgroom  on  November 13, 2017

    Mushroom and potato babka.

  • trmarvin  on  November 13, 2017

    Cabbage and walnut strudel!

  • Angryyew  on  November 14, 2017

    I love hummus, so I'd probably try that recipe first.

  • LeePicard  on  November 14, 2017

    Sour cherry soup. We had this when I was young. The recipe has been lost. I would just love to have this again. I notice there is a recipe also for Schav. I do not have found memories of that :-)! Wonder if I would enjoy it as an adult. Book looks lovely.

  • patioweather  on  November 14, 2017

    Pumpkin triangles

  • kmn4  on  November 14, 2017

    Egg noodles with lentils and caramelized onions (Rishta b’ adas)

  • sarahawker  on  November 14, 2017

    Sephardic rice, chickpeas, tomatoes and oregano (Arroz asopado)

  • aneelee  on  November 14, 2017

    tomato soup with parsley and potatoes sounds fabulously easy to pull off on a week night. 🙂

  • skipeterson  on  November 14, 2017

    Kasha with mushrooms (Kasha mit schveml)

  • daniellespinato1  on  November 14, 2017

    The chilled sour cherry soup sounds intriguing!

  • lpatterson412  on  November 14, 2017

    Sweet pumpkin coils!!!

  • ktwalla  on  November 14, 2017

    Mushroom Strudel

  • contest718  on  November 14, 2017

    Potato salad with apple, capers and dill pickles

  • sgump  on  November 14, 2017

    The spinach frittata with raisins and pine nuts (frittata di spinaci) sounds lovely!

  • matag  on  November 14, 2017

    Orange and black olive salad

  • thecharlah  on  November 14, 2017

    Kasha with mushrooms

  • Signe  on  November 14, 2017

    Mushroom strudel

  • PennyG  on  November 15, 2017

    Pied-Noir garlic soup (Soupe à l’ail)!

  • Karla123  on  November 15, 2017

    Broad bean falafel (Ta’miya)…simply nutritious and delicious!

  • Siegal  on  November 15, 2017

    Carrot tsimmes is my fav

  • rchesser  on  November 15, 2017

    Spinach and ricotta ravioli with basil and walnut pesto (Ravioli di spinaci e ricotta con pesto)

  • WEH  on  November 15, 2017

    Although tempted sorely by the Pied-Noir garlic soup (Soupe à l’ail), I would have to go with as the First Recipe would be an appetizer: the Liptoi cheese (Korozott Liptoi).

  • sipa  on  November 16, 2017

    I'm going to make the Kuku. I make kuku regularly but always with cauliflower so it will be interesting to try a different style.

  • eveaway  on  November 16, 2017

    Potato and apple latkes (Kartoffel latkes)!

  • madelainelc  on  November 17, 2017

    Mmm poppy seed torte

  • RSW  on  November 18, 2017

    Beetroot salad with pomegranate molasses and sesame seeds (Sa’lata shooendar)

  • t.t  on  November 18, 2017

    Broad bean falafel (Ta’miya)

  • robynsanyal  on  November 20, 2017

    Mushroom Strudel

  • Scotsman61  on  November 20, 2017

    Mushroom Strudel

  • fbrunetti  on  November 21, 2017

    North African broad bean soup

  • alemily  on  November 22, 2017

    Ashkenazi split pea soup

  • AnnaZed  on  November 23, 2017

    Beetroot salad with pomegranate molasses and sesame seeds (Sa’lata shooendar)

  • LaurenE  on  November 26, 2017

    Sephardic rice, chickpeas, tomatoes and oregano (Arroz asopado)

  • infotrop  on  November 28, 2017

    North African white beans in hot sauce, perfect for a blustery day

  • verorenee  on  November 28, 2017

    Broad bean falafe

  • Uhmandanicole  on  November 30, 2017

    Lentils and rice with caramelized onions

  • lean1  on  December 1, 2017

    I love eggplant caponata, so that would be my first choice.

  • Littlebirdchoc  on  December 1, 2017

    The chilled Cherry Soup. I've heard tales about this soup – i'd like to try making it!

  • Laura1  on  December 1, 2017

    latkes!

  • lhudson  on  December 2, 2017

    Saffron rice with raisins and pine nuts

  • Elledale1  on  December 2, 2017

    Can’t just choose one. I need the book in my hands for time to explore it.

  • Lafauvette  on  December 2, 2017

    garlic soup

  • rosalee  on  December 2, 2017

    Pied-Noir garlic soup sounds amazing!

  • davisesq212  on  December 3, 2017

    I would definitely want to try the Risotto with eight herbs first!

  • Ordinaryblogger  on  December 3, 2017

    mushroom potato babka sounds really nice!!

  • monique.potel  on  December 4, 2017

    Beetroot salad with pomegranate molasses and sesame seeds (Sa’lata shooendar)
    i love beets so this would be first even though the eggplants recipes looked very tempting

  • Julia  on  December 4, 2017

    Pepper and tomato jam.

  • tararr  on  December 5, 2017

    Mushroom and potato babka

  • bibliophile02  on  December 7, 2017

    Ashkenazi split pea soup

  • Dannausc  on  December 10, 2017

    Liptoi cheese

  • Katiefayhutson  on  December 11, 2017

    Poppy seed torte

  • Senkimekia  on  December 12, 2017

    Mushroom strudel

  • tennyogirl  on  December 17, 2017

    Russian Cabbage Soup

  • wjsisung  on  December 19, 2017

    Cabbage stuffed with rice

  • lauriesk  on  December 19, 2017

    The first recipe I would try is the Sephardic stewed lentils.

  • orchidlady01  on  December 20, 2017

    Harissa and Hummus with whole chickpeas and sumac

  • eboos  on  December 20, 2017

    I'd try the tabbouleh!

  • jmay42066  on  December 20, 2017

    Orange and black olive salad

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