If there is such a thing as a rock star in the kosher cooking world, it surely is Susie Fishbein. I’ve been to her appearances. The excitement is palpable.
After publishing eight cookbooks in the popular Kosher by Design series with almost 500,000 in print, the effervescent Fishbein is closing this chapter of her career with her ninth and final cookbook (and possibly her best, in my opinion): Kosher by Design Brings it Home.
Having taught cooking classes and led tours throughout Israel, Mexico, Italy, France and North America on her 15-year culinary journey, Fishbein brings it home with 115 tempting recipes from her travels.
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Fans take heart. “This is not the finale for me,” she said by phone from her home in New Jersey. “I’m too young and too excited by the kosher food world to retire. I will still tour and give cooking classes.”
A perfect dairy meal for Shavuot (and why would you consider anything else?) is Fishbein’s riff on Israel’s iconic shakshuka: eggs poached in a piquant tomato- and pepper-based sauce. But this is no ordinary shakshuka – the whole shebang is baked in pizza dough boats.
Khachapuri shakshuka
Khachapuri is Georgian comfort food at its best. This boat-shaped delicacy is traditionally filled with a combination of tangy and gooey cheeses. Just before the bread hits your plate, an egg is added, which you stir into the cheese and devour before it has a chance to fully set.
o 1 onion, peeled
o 1 jalapeño pepper
o 1/2 green pepper
o 6 cloves fresh garlic, minced
o 1/4 cup olive oil
o 1 (28-oz.) can crushed tomatoes
o 3/4 cup water, plus more for thinning sauce
o 1/4 cup tomato paste
o 2 tsp. sweet or hot paprika
o 1/2 tsp. fine sea salt
o 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
o 1 ball prepared pizza dough (enough to make a standard pie)
o 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
o 5 eggs
o chopped parsley, for garnish
Prepare shakshuka: In bowl of food processor fitted with metal “S” blade, chop onion, jalapeño, green pepper, and garlic. Heat oil in large pot over medium heat. Add vegetables; sauté until shiny and translucent, 8-10 minutes, or until fragrant.
Add crushed tomatoes, 3/4 cup water, tomato paste, paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Lower heat; simmer 15 minutes, adding water a tbsp. at a time if sauce is too thick, stirring occasionally.
Preheat oven to 450. Cover 1-2 cookie sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.
Cut dough into 5 equal parts. Roll each into rectangle or oval, 1/3-in. thick. Lay dough on prepared cookie sheets. Roll each long side over itself and pinch each end into a canoe shape. Use your fingers to spread edges and stretch dough to make space in centre for shakshuka. Ladle some shakshuka into centre of each boat (you will have extra).
Bake 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Sprinkle with feta. Crack 1 egg into centre of each boat. Return to oven until egg white is slightly set, 3-4 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. Yields 5 servings.