My grandmother kept a giant jar of these cookies on her kitchen counter year round (except for Passover); they were exceptionally tender, very lightly sweetened and they had a lovely citrus aroma. She wasn’t a baker but she was a very good cook and her cookies were always perfectly shaped and baked with a nice shine from the egg wash brushed on top.

She didn’t use measuring cups or a digital scale, needless to say, she didn’t have access to the infinite number of recipes on the internet, so she baked what her mother and grandmothers did and her recipes were not written anywhere.  For these cookies, she used a Turkish coffee cup (which roughly equals to a third of a cup) each of sugar and oil and she added the flour by just feeling the dough. I made multiple batches of these cookies, adding more flour, using less, only baking soda, some baking soda and some baking powder trying to replicate the same cookies she made so effortlessly. I find, the key to the tender crumb is the baking soda.

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I first came across this beautiful challah recipe last year, around Rosh Hashanah. Many bloggers raved about this apple filled, slightly sweet and delicious challah that in a way resembles cinnamon buns but tastes and looks so much better. I love making bread and I especially love making challah, my staple challah recipe is Maggie Glezer’s sourdough challah but I make different ones over the year depending on the occasion like this onion and poppy seed filled challah for Purim or the spiral one for Rosh Hashanah. I followed the recipe exactly the first time but then I slowly started increasing the amount of apples and making a few changes, this recipe makes a beautiful cake like bread that is filled with as many apples as possible, perfect for Rosh Hashanah or with tea on a crisp fall afternoon.



Adapted from: King Arthur Flour

Dough:

• ½ cup lukewarm water
• 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1 ½  tsp salt
• 2 tsp instant yeast

• 3 large apples, not peeled, cored and diced in ¾ inch chunks
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup sucanat (or regular granulated sugar)

• 1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
• Turbinado sugar, optional

Mix the dough ingredients in the bowl of a food processor or stand mixer until smooth; the dough should be soft and not sticky. Grease a bowl lightly with oil and let the dough ferment for about two hours or until doubled in volume.

Meanwhile prepare the filling bymixing the apples, cinnamon and sugar in a bowl, set aside.

Deflate the dough gently and roll into an 8×10 inch rectangle, place half of the filling in the middle third of the dough, fold the short edge over the apples, place the remaining filling and cover it with the other edge.

Cut the apple filled dough into 16 pieces and place them in a greased 10 inch springform pan, cover with a tea towel and let it rise for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 325F. Brush the egg glaze over the challah and sprinkle with sugar, bake for about an hour or until it looks golden brown. Remove from the oven; let it cool slightly before serving.



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• 2 medium-large eggplants
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• ¼ cup finely chopped parsley
• Sea salt

Wash and prick the eggplants with a fork, roast them over an open flame until charred or the eggplants can also be roasted in the oven.

If using the oven method, turn the oven to broil and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, place the pricked eggplants on the baking sheet and broil on both sides until the skins are completely charred and the flesh is very soft. Peel the eggplants or make a slit down the middle and remove the flesh with a spoon. Transfer the eggplants to a sieve and let it stand to drain the excess liquid, for at least half an hour.



Transfer the drained eggplants to a food processor with the lemon juice, olive oil and a healthy pinch of salt, pulse until thoroughly combined or the eggplants can also be cut finely on a cutting board.

In a large bowl, combine the red onion, tomatoes and parsley, add the eggplant, check for the seasoning and serve at room temperature or keep in the fridge until ready to serve.



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• ¾ cup coconut flour (plus more for the pan)
• ½ cup almond meal
• 1/3 cup agave nectar
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 2 egg
• 3 tbsp virgin coconut oil or melted butter (plus more for the pan)
• 1 1/2 cup blackberries, preferably frozen
• Coarse turbinado sugar to sprinkle on top (optional)

Preheat the oven to 325F, grease and flour an 8×8 inch oven proof dish or a cake pan, set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine the coconut flour, almond meal, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl combine the lemon juice, zest, agave nectar, buttermilk, eggs, and canola oil.

Add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and mix with a fork, fold in the blackberries using a spatula and transfer the cake batter into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with coarse turbinado sugar, if using.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake cool slightly and serve warm or at room temperature.

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• 1 pound shelled fresh fava beans
• Juice of 1 lemon or more to taste
• ¼ cup tahini
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 scallions, chopped
• 1 cup loosely packed mint leaves

Place the shelled fava beans in a medium pot and cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook for about 5 minutes, drain and peel them.

Transfer the peeled fava beans to a food processor along with the other ingredients and pulse until pureed, taste for the seasoning, add more salt or lemon juice if necessary.

Transfer the fava bean hummus to a bowl, garnish with a mint leaf and serve with crudités, crackers or fresh bread.

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