Totally Kosher
by: Chanie Apfelbaum
March 21, 2023 Clarkson Potter
320 pages
As a Brooklyn kind of girl, I’ve always felt a pull towards Chanie Apfelbaum and her ‘Busy In Brooklyn’ social media posts and recipes. (Even once when there was a mistaken post, that was quickly removed, I understood within five seconds how it had happened because it reminded me so much of my relatives.) So when I saw she had released a second cookbook, Totally Kosher, I was excited to test it out.
The first thing I noticed is that while her first book proclaimed it’s modernity right from the title page, this sophomore effort was the one that really glomed on to trends in the kosher food scene. Boards of all types have exploded across simchot and social media recently, and Totally Kosher has an entire instructional section on different types of boards and how to arrange them. if you’re challenged by the visual arts and food presentation in the way I am, you’ll appreciate the step by step.
There was also the notable trend of Jews from Ashkenaz backgrounds embracing more global foods. While she jokingly refers to herself as an “ashkie,” I noted Chanie using more Sephardic ingredients and dishes, although in the case of the kanaffeh pancakes she went for the one thing I dislike in Syrian cooking – the rose water. If you, like me, find it overpowering and reminiscent of eating a bouquet, just leave off the rose water. There was even a take on Georgian food (I won’t list the recipe, so you can see if you find it).
What drew me in most though, was the warmth in the photos of the Apfelbaum family. I realize that the photo of Chanie in a full sheitel and makeup sipping some kind of white wine while grilling is likely not representative of a typical day. The Shabbat photos would obviously have been staged on a non-Shabbat day – because orthodox Jews don’t use cameras on Shabbat an would likely not want a film crew there either. However, when you see these kids sitting at the dinner table you see a visual depiction of Jewish love – they come in all shapes and sizes and they are expressing how they care for one another through the sharing of food. And Chanie is honest – her post that got the most likes? a fancy tuna bagel of all things! Because you don’t need to look a certain way or spend a super huge amount of money to feed those you love – including yourself. This ethos gets to the heart of one reason I love Jewish cookbooks. They allow us to see and be seen through the miracle of a shared meal.
I flagged the most recipes recipes by far in the dessert section. (This is typical for me). I was slightly disappointed by the first recipe I tried – homemade bissli because I absolutely love bissli and was super excited to try and make it myself. That’s OK, it is probably the delicious chemicals that I really should not be eating anyway, in the store bought version that make me love it so much. Thumbing through the pages has brought me inspiration and joy. I’ll probably try my hand at one of these newfangled boards when next I have company over. Come experience Orthodox Judaism through our food. We have a chair for you.
Note – Bookishlyjewish received a copy of this book from the publisher after we requested on.