One of my all-time favourite cookery books, The Book of Jewish Food by Claudia Roden spends more time next to the sofa or the bed for comfort reading, rather than being used for actual recipes- not that the recipes aren't wonderful, but it is a really compelling read too. I've been intending to make a project of cooking my way through it, but it something of an undertaking.
Claudia Roden's book is divided into two parts- Ashkenazi food and Sepherdic food. The majority of the recipes I have made from the book have been the Sephardic dishes, such as bazargan, a nut-heavy bulgar wheat salad made tart with pomegranate molasses. I've experimented with some of the filo pies, both savoury and incredibly sweet (such as m'hencha, a coil of almond paste, wrapped in filo, and then liberally coated in cinnamon and icing sugar). And I have spent a long time painstakingly making just one batch of kobeba (or kibbeh,or kubba, depending on where you are from). There have been other recipes I have made, but even so, I don't feel I have really scratched the surface of the collection of recipes in The Book of Jewish Food.
I haven't really touched the Ashkenazi side, with the exception of some hamantashen- rich poppy seed pastries, and this honey cake which I made this weekend. It is once of those convenient cakes that taste delicious and keep really well. It is quite rich, and stands well alone with tea. Although you could do what I did for the first servng of it, and have it with butterscotch sauce and ice cream. The cake is traditionally served at Rosh Hashanah, but I would happily have it any time of year.
The recipe can be found here.
