Dipping freshly baked challah in honey is a tradition observed during the holiday of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. This act combines the Shabbat bread with hopes for a sweet New Year. The custom is to serve a round or spiral-shaped challah, one of the symbolic foods eaten during Rosh Hashanah. Typical is the challah baked in a circle to signify the desire for a long life, peace and…

The kids may be gone, but the kitchen still gets a workout Chiles Rellenos My son Paul and his wife, Amber, were the original baby boomers, graduating from college in the ’80s, getting married and raising four children. They both love to cook, and when their kids were growing up, they always ate family dinners together, every night.  The only rule was for the kids to try everything on their…

Pomegranate Ice With Frosted Grapes. Photos by Dan Kacvinski Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is considered a High Holy Day, but it’s also a happy holiday, full of hope and optimism. I am always impressed by the fact that food plays such an important part during one of the most sacred of Jewish holidays. The traditional foods — apples, pomegranates, honey, grapes — all have a special meaning, and…

Chanukah is not just for children, but usually they have most of the fun. They open presents, light candles during the eight days of the holiday and get more than their share of cookies and potato latkes. Our Chanukah party will be shared by four generations this year because our two great-granddaughters will be joining us. In planning a Chanukah dinner for the entire family, I always try to remember…

It all started with Signora Grazia, an elderly cheese maker in Panzano, Italy. While vacationing in this Tuscan village, just 30 minutes south of Florence, we walked by her farm early one morning and saw the sign that read “Pecorino and Fresh Ricotta for Sale.” We hiked up the path and, peering through the open barn door, saw her making hot ricotta cheese in a big copper bowl over an…

During these difficult times, whether you are trying to make Passover a little less costly this year or looking for a way to spend less time in the kitchen, there’s a simple solution: a one-pot Passover dinner. All the traditional Passover ceremonial foods remain the same: charoset, salty egg soup, bitter herbs and matzah. The only change is that the chicken soup and roast chicken, although served in two courses,…