The 30 Minute Kosher Cook: More Than 130 Quick & Easy Gourmet Recipes

Assuming that her readers are already familiar with kosher cooking, Zeidler (The Gourmet Jewish Cook; Master Chefs Cook Kosher) sidesteps the specifics of ritual meal preparation and offers easy-to-prepare dishes that will please hungry family members in a hurry. Key to quick kosher cuisine, she says, is a well-stocked and organized pantry and refrigerator, plus learning how to perform a number of kitchen tasks simultaneously. Most of Zeidler's dishes are lighter than traditional kosher fare, with only a handful relying on meats (which usually take a longer time to cook). Vegetable dishes include Mashed Potatoes and Green Cabbage, Potato Latkes with Chopped Olive Spread, Spinach with Anchovies and Pine Nuts, and Balsamic Glazed Carrots. Zeidler offers a surprising assortment of entrees: Halibut with Kumquats and Passion Fruit; Chilean Sea Bass with Tomato-Fennel Stew; Skillet-Grilled Lamb Chips with Mushroom Sauce. There are also recipes for traditional Jewish favorites for cooks with a bit more time, such as Classic Challah Bread, Holiday Sweet Potato Kugel, Poppy Seed Hamantaschen and Passover Hazelnut Sponge Cake. Home cooks do not need to keep a kosher kitchen to enjoy Zeidler's recipes. (Feb.)