The Kosher Carnivore

Hersh worked in the New York lighting fixture business before her recent career change to cookbook author. Giving up bulbs for blintzes, her first work, Recipes Remembered, was published by the Museum of Jewish Heritage and focused on recipes from Holocaust survivors. This follow-up volume removes dairy from the equation to concentrate on beef, veal, lamb, and poultry cooked up in dishes that adhere to kosher law. That means it's potatoes, not butter and milk, that give texture to her chicken potpie, and of course beef rather than pork in the sausage and peppers. This is no deli handbook; there is not a sandwich to be found and the only hint of Yiddish joy is her chicken with prunes tsimmes, a sweet dish with honey and brown sugar. Instead, Hersh offers a variety of hearty meals appropriate for both Sabbath dinners and weekend dinner parties alike. There are many traditional entries, including a classic brisket, kasha varnishkes, and matzoh ball soup, as well as a trove of unexpected treats like chicken and scallion wontons, Moroccan lamb shanks with pomegranate sauce, and even chicken fried steak. Many of the recipes are augmented with "Behind the Counter" tips to relay to the butcher, and in case of a blandness emergency, a chapter of chutneys is at the ready, employing flavors such as cranberry, pineapple, and mango. (Sept.)