Author: Emily
Don’t Toss Those Spinach Stems! Channel Your Inner Jewish Nonna and Make Testine di Spinaci
May 10, 2020
Like a lot of people, this pandemic has got me doubling down on reducing food waste. Not that it was ever something I didn’t care about, but every last scrap has never seemed more precious than it does right now. For me, that means cooking with some veggie scraps I formerly would’ve tossed without a […]
Turkish Braised Leeks with Tomatoes (Prassa Yahnisi): An Easy Jewish Recipe to Cook in Lockdown, No Dodo Feathers Required
May 4, 2020
One thing that’s become clear in lockdown (if it wasn’t already) is that we all have different ideas of what constitutes an “easy” recipe composed of “basic” ingredients. You’ve probably seen the memes poking fun at professional foodies who seem woefully out of touch with what does and does not constitute a pantry staple for […]
Passover in Tough Times through History, from the Egypt to the Inquisition to the Holocaust to the USSR
April 1, 2020
Jews who escaped from Poland to Russia, baking matzah for Passover, USSR, 1943. Yad Vashem Photo Archives 7995/1 There’s no denying that for most of us, this is going to be one weird Passover. Social distancing means no getting together with friends and family for seders, and grocery shortages (not to mention the risk involved […]
The Blessings of a Black Radish: On Abundance, Scarcity, and COVID-19
March 27, 2020
One Passover a few years back, I took it upon myself to try one of the most shtetl-tastic foods out there: the black radish. It’s rarely found in the United States today aside from occasional appearances around Passover and Rosh Hashanah, but the black radish is the most ancient type of radish, as well as […]
Venetian Purim Cookies: Impade
February 11, 2019
Given that my blog is called Poppy and Prune, you might assume I am a hamantaschen fan. And you wouldn’t be wrong. But I also love learning about lesser-known Purim delicacies. Like impade, a hard S-shaped cookie filled with almond paste, a traditional Venetian Jewish dolci (sweet) traditionally eaten at Purim, but also enjoyed year […]
World Shabbat Breads: Dabo, the Other Ethiopian Bread
February 4, 2019
When you think Ethiopian bread, you probably think injera—the spongy, sour flatbread made from teff that you use to scoop your food at Ethiopian restaurants. But while injera is the everyday staple bread of Ethiopia, for both Jews and Christians, there are Ethiopian wheat breads too. And one of them is dabo, a tender, spiced, […]
Panadería Brooklyn: Meyer Lemon Curd Rugelach
January 22, 2019
Everywhere my grandmother lived, she planted a Meyer lemon tree in her backyard.
Everything Bagel Biscuits
January 14, 2019
If you follow me on Instagram, you might have noticed that I’ve gotten into sourdough baking lately. Really into it. I’ve got not one, not two, but THREE jars of starter going, which I keep on a strict rotation in and out of the fridge, and I’ve been baking up several batches sourdough goodies every […]
Sweet and Savory Persian Carrot Omelets for Tu b’Shevat
January 7, 2019
Tu b’Shevat, which this year begins the night of Sunday, January 20 (aka the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Shevat), is a holiday that has never really been on my radar. I don’t think I’ve ever celebrated it in any way. That’s a shame, since there’s actually a really nice meaning behind it: […]
Turnip the Heat with Alsatian Lentil Soup
December 31, 2018
I don’t know about you, but this winter’s been hitting me pretty hard. It started early, and while there haven’t been any REALLY freezing days yet, the cold (and the dryness) are pretty relentless. All I really want to do is curl up under the covers with a nice warm bowl of soup. (What, you […]