I really loved these recipes! Super homey, not too complicated and incredibly delicious! They take me back to my grandmothers recipes and any recipe you need is in this book!

In Jew-ish, the author recreates the food of his heritage and offers fresh and modern recipes that will appeal to a new generation of readers.

The book opens with an introduction to the Shabbat tradition and shows you how to throw a Shabbat dinner.

The author guides you on what to expect when you’re expecting guests including working with the space you have, delegating tasks to your guests (they could bring wine or challah); setting up your mise en place. This means assembling your ingredients, tools, and any equipment you need to prepare a meal🥘

The author also suggests how to incorporate candles, wine, and bread along with specific prayers that accompany these rituals.

He also shows the reader what he has in the pantry: Matzo meal, Egg Noodles, Sour scream, and Cream Cheese, Pickles, Basmati Rice, Saffron, Tahini and offers his recipes using these ingredients. Some recipes include Compound Schmaltz, Spiced Bourbon Applesauce, Horseradish Mayo, and so on.

Subsequent chapters are dedicated to breakfast recipes as well as apps + snacks, salads, vegetables, soups & stews, mains, desserts, amen drinks.

Breakfast 🧇 🥞recipes include Charred Scallion Cream Cheese. In this chapter, the author presents the anatomy of the perfect bagel 🥯 and shows you how to place the toppings accordingly. Some bagel recipes include Sabich Bagel Sandwiches 🥪 and Everything Bagel Galette 🥯

A notable recipe is Shakshuka alla Vodka—but here the author introduces a fresh twist using vodka sauce. Then there’s Cardamom Fresh Toast, Citrus and Poppy Seed Pancakes 🥞, Persian-ish Granola.

In apps + snacks, the author presents the art of the cheeseboard and offers pairing options combing different food items and various cheeses 🧀. For example, berries, grapes 🍇 + Brie.

Recipes in this chapter include Roasted Garlic Hummus, Persian Cucumber Yoghurt Sauce ( Most-o-Khiar ), Smokey Deviled Eggs 🍳, Russian Nachos, and so on.

Salads include Little Gem Salad with Pickled Celery 🥗 and Tahini Dressing; Soy-Glazed Chicken 🍗 Salad, and Kale Tabbouleh Salad🥬 🥗
In the Vegetables section, you’ll find some roasted delights such as Date-Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Roasted Cauliflower with Pistachios and Golden Raisins, *Baharat* Smashed Potatoes 🥔

If you feel like taking the carb route, there are dishes such as Kugel and Cheese; and Crispy Persian Rice.

Recipes in the soups and stews; and the mains include Saffron Chicken Noodle Soup, Roasted Tomato Brisket🍅; French Onion Brisket🧅; Herb-Roasted Spatchcocked Chicken, and Crispy Chicken Thighs with Tzimmes to name a few.

Desserts include Macaroon Brownies, Sour Cherry Rice Pudding. For Drinks: Fresh Mint Tea and Sumac Hot Chocolate 🍫

The book is interspersed with suggestions for recipes for specific occasions such as Hanukkah 🕎 and offers a menu suggestion for a Passover. Some recipes start with a brief overview and are accompanied by beautiful photos. There are also step-by-step instructions (with photos) for some pastries🥮

Suitable for vegetarians, meat lovers, and anyone with a sweet tooth. Highly recommend.

Thank you to Jake Cohen, NetGalley, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt for the ARC of this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book!

Jew-ish is a collection of reinvented Jewish recipes. So as long as you aren’t expecting the recipe for the kugel your mom makes and has always made, you’ll be very happy exploring this cookbook. I think I bookmarked half recipes, so I’d say that’s a good sign! The photos are beautiful and made me even more excited to start cooking. I’m already planning to make some of Cohen’s rugelach recipes this week.

This delightful cookbook is beautifully illustrated and is an entertaining read even if you aren't planning on undertaking brisket braising anytime soon! I love the pantry section and totes agree with the author about horseradish mayo. I may even pickle my own onions soon. I mean, why not? My grocery list got longer and longer as I read through my NetGalley advance copy of this book (no index in my copy--one of my musts for a solid nonfiction title). Really, my only concern is that he would waste his braising liquid on rotini when he clearly understands the pure joy of wide egg noodles!

This is one of the only cookbooks this year, that I've had the honor of reading, that I'd actually want to put on my own shelf. I'm Jewish, but only by heritage. I've only been able to try a few tradition dishes at a friend's house once. Just about every single dish in this book is something I'd make for my loved ones. And the book, even outside the recipes, is very strong. I was moved by it. It's not just about the food, it's about identity. That's something I can really relate to. Very well done. I can't wait to add it to my shelf.

What a FABULOUS cookbook and one I will be adding to my small collection of cookbooks.

Everything I have tried in this book has been amazing. I want to try just about everything in it. Part of that is due to the amazing pictures with each of the recipes.

About a year ago I took a trip to Israel and I fell in love with the food. There are several of those recipes included in this book, and I was so excited to find them!

Most of the recipes are pretty straight forward, but there are a few that look rather intimidating.

I loved the layout. I appreciated the lists of what he buys and what he makes. I also loved that he included the prayers and menus for the different holidays.

I cannot wait for this book to come out so I can snag a copy! This book is great for just about anyone. You do not have to be Jewish or Jew-ish to enjoy it.

I received an eARC from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through NetGalley. All opinions are 100% my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the advance reader copy of this wonderful cookbook!

Jew-ish is a celebration of identity and curiosity. The recipes are fun, new spins of traditional foods. The author reimagines old favorites and comes up with new and novel fusions and twists. The recipes are accessible and delicious, you can imagine whipping them up and hosting your friends for a Shabbat dinner (in a COVID-free future, of course). This is not your bubbe's cookbook. Bring on the schmaltz!

Thank you, Netgalley, for a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my review! This review reflects my honest and unbiased opinion!

Alrighty, what a great resource!!!! I have to admit that I love everything about this book. There is a huge variety of recipes with easy instructions and--most importantly for me--with pictures! You find breakfast items, appetizers and snacks, desserts, salads, soups, and all kinds of other goodies with infos about the Hebrew culture, some step-by-step images, a shopping list of things the author buys or makes himself, and plenty of tips for the recipes themselves. I love exploring cuisine from cultures other than my own and this book definitely takes you on a journey through the Jewish cuisine.

This is a fabulous book. Very well illustrated! His recipes are easy to follow! Thank you for the opportunity to review his book!

When the author mentioned that this is not a Jewish cookbook, but Jew-ish, the alarm on me rang. Oh no! I'm not about to read some interesting Jew traditional cooking!

But nevertheless, the cuisine of Middle Eastern is something obscure to me. So whatever the author would give, I take. And true to his words, this is not a Jewish cookbook. So if you're looking for the authentic one, this is not for you.

Am quite enjoying this book though, with his ideas, some are not just do as it should in the real dishes. But hey, he's allowed for his own way of making things, right?

This is a beautifully illustrated well written cookbook that updates so many of the traditional recipes I’ve been making forever. Accompanying the recipes are “conversations” about them, their meaning and history. I’ve made quite a few of the recipes and they were wonderful.
I really enjoyed that this wasn’t just recipes, but more like a story of the authors experience of them. I highly recommend this cookbook, not only for anyone who is Jewish, but for anyone who likes good love filled food for food truly is love.

I would not recommend this cookbook to be included in a curriculum, but could see it included in a classroom library.

However, I have already shared this title with several friends and plan to make several of the recipes. The recipes were spot-on and included easy to find ingredients and directions. When recipes were more complicated, images for the directions were included. One of the best parts of this cookbook were the photographs - they were beautifully done!

I am so sad that I was not able to access this book, it did not work on any of the usual places I read my book. I will be looking out for it in the future and will then give an updated review.

I really liked this book. I read a lot of cookbooks, both for recipes and entertainment. I really enjoyed the author's fun conversational tone and sense of humor. (Challah back!) I felt like I was part of his family as he discussed his family, traditions and culture.

There were so many great pictures, which I really appreciate in a cookbook. Especially helpful were the step by step photos in the challah and rugala recipes. I'm really looking forward to trying the different varieties of babka and rugala, and the eggplant dolmeh. My only complaint is that it maybe slightly challenging to find some ingredients but the author offers some suggestions to help track them down.

Thank you to Houghton Mifflin Harcourt and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC for review. I'm looking forward to getting a physical copy of this one.

4.5 stars

This is a gorgeous book--the photography and layout is outstanding. It is a combination of cookbook and autobiography as the author discusses the culture of the ingredients and recipes and what that means to him in his lifestyle. There are some adaptations and variations throughout. I liked how he inserted menus for certain events but left the recipes in sections that made sense for a cookbook. (I've had some cookbooks that are separated by event and they are difficult to use.)

There are some recipes that are more complicated or have long ingredient lists, and I think that will deter some home cooks, but he's using many of the same ingredients throughout, so someone who uses a lot of the same types of flavors will not need to buy so many things. I also think that some cooks will want to use these recipes for cooking with others rather than alone before a party. And even with all my dietary restrictions, I found several recipes I would take the time to make.

4.5 Stars!! Yum!! I can’t wait to try some of these recipes! I’ve never really tried Jewish foods before and wouldn’t have known where to start but this book lays it all out and makes it understandable, even to a Jewish foods & recipes beginner like me! I hate when a cookbook doesn’t have enough photos, which wasn’t a problem with this book since this book has plenty of mouthwatering photos to drool over!
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an ARC that was provided to me by the publisher!*

I absolutely love the idea for this cookbook. Jake Cohen is someone who never saw himself as super religious but who has found a lot of joy in his culture. He now feels more tied to Judaism because of the dishes he's prepared and the people in his life who he's gathered for Shabbat dinners. This book had absolutely gorgeous photographs and recipes that made my mouth water. They're accompanied by Cohen's fun anecdotes and tips on how to successfully make each dish. My only complaint is that a lot of the recipes sounded difficult (and were made with ingredients I don't typically have at home). I'm just not strong enough of a cook to be able to tackle a lot of the dishes. However, I can think of several people in my family that I would gift this book to so that they could make me some of these delicious and unique Jewish foods.

JEW-ISH: A COOKBOOK is such a delightful take on recipes and entertaining that it was truly a joy to read. Author Jake Cohen writes the way a good host would entertain and I felt as though I was embraced as I worked my way through his recipes and stories. I especially enjoyed his explanations on how to incorporate age-old traditions into modern lifestyles. So, why then have I not rated this cookbook a 5-star treasure? It is too short. There just isn’t enough here for the kind of cookbook that forms the backbone of a working cook’s repertoire. The recipes that are here are a marvel and well-worth trying and using regularly. I especially like the way the author suggests multiple approaches for basic recipes, such as babkes and rugelaches. But he could have included more recipes and this would be a cookbook bible rather than a specialty title. I hope he writes more. In fact, I can’t wait. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Jew-ish was a neat cookbook for those of us who aren't quite familiar with Jewish food. I may not be familiar with all the ingredients, but there were still several recipes I'd love to try. The book has sections, which makes it easy to find whatever you're looking for and there were some amazing food photos in it as well.

The recipes are fantastic in this book. I love the new seasonings and modernization of recipes. The photography is great with some helpful photographs on how to braid challah and make rugelach cookies. I loved learning about he origins of the crockpot so many interesting snippets of information include in the cookbook in addition to the recipes.