I grew up in a small suburb in New Jersey, in which almost half of my friends were Jewish. Because of the big Jewish community in my town, it wasn’t unfamiliar for me to hear Yiddish slangs and be invited to Bar and Bat Mitzvahs all throughout middle school. And, most importantly, there was a delicious diner where we can get our fix of matzoh ball soup and a bagel shop that we frequented every weekend.
My exposure to the Jewish culture and food continued when I went to college in New York City, and my late night snacks involved going to our favorite diner to stuff our drunk faces with potato latkes and challah french toast. Of course, the morning after, we would just walk across the street to get our everything bagel with lox and extra cream cheese. Oh, the good old days of glorious carbs and gluten! And how I’m paying for it now with my health.
This is why when my fellow bloggers Simone Miller of Zenbelly and Jennifer Robins of Predominantly Paleo came out with their new cookbook, The New Yiddish Kitchen, I jumped at the chance to review it! This book contains over 100 Kosher recipes adapted for anyone living with food allergies, and I love that there are little tips for each recipe that are passed down from Jewish grandmothers. There’s even a glossary of all the common Yiddish terms. So cute and fun!
It was so amazing to open up the book to find beautiful photos of gluten-free and paleo recipes and I cannot wait to try them all! Here are the ones I’m the most excited about: matzo balls, challah bread, Bubbe’s brisket, rugelach, tabbouleh, and ALL THE BAGELS! You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy the dishes in the book. If you love good food, you’ll love all the recipes. And I’m thrilled to give you a chance to win a free copy of the cookbook! Enter below:
This giveaway is open to US residents only. It will be open for entry until April 4th at 11:59pm PST. The winner will be announced below and will also be contacted by email.
The one recipe I HAVE tried from the cookbook and I’m so excited to share with you is the Pan-Roasted Chicken with Figs and Olives! I mean… what about the name of that dish is not to like?
If you want to get your hands on The New Yiddish Kitchen, which I know you’ll love, enter the giveaway above or order it on Amazon!
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, cut up into 8 pieces
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp (10 ml) avocado oil or schmaltz
- 1 cup (160 g) slice shallots (about 2-3 medium)
- 6 dried figs, roughly chopped
- 1 cup (135g) kalamata olives
- 1 cup (240 ml) white wine
- 3 sprigs thyme
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) and place a large, oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.
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Season the chicken all over with the salt and pepper.
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Add the oil to the skillet and swirl to coat.
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One shimmering, add the chicken, skin side down and allow it to sear for 5-10 minutes, or until the skin is brown. Flip and cook for 2-3 minutes on the other side. Remove to a platter.
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To the hot pan, add the shallots and figs and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until the shallots are golden brown.
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Add the olives, wine and thyme sprigs and boil for a minute or so, scraping up any browned bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
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Return the chicken to the pan, skin side up and place in the oven. Roast the chicken for 30 minutes, or until it reaches and internal temperature of 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
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