Holiday Specials Archive

TRADITIONAL GEFILTE FISH FROM THE OLD COUNTRY

By Larry Levine - One of my most prized culinary possessions is a recipe for Gefilte Fish in my mother’s own handwriting. Mom made Gefilte Fish twice a year and served it as an appetizer for the Passover and Rosh Hashanah holiday dinners. A couple of weeks before the holiday, she would phone the fish [...]
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FEAST OF THE 7 FISHES / In memory of Jim Tabilio

(We first published this article in January 2011 – a bit late for the 2010 holiday season but we found it warm and tender. Marika Tabilio is the daughter of the late Jim Tabilio, who was one of the original co-hosts at the restaurant recommendation web site atLarrys.com. Some six weeks after we published this [...]
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IT’S TURKEY TIME OF YEAR / our annual guide to a great roast turkey dinner

By Larry Levine - I love the taste of a good roasted turkey. I like it unadorned – no smoking, brining or other gimmicks. If you buy a really great bird you don’t need all the rest. If you’re going to pick up a 99-cent-a-pound frozen bird at the local big box store, then reach [...]
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POTATO LATKES ALMOST DAD’S WAY

By Larry Levine - Each year about this time my father would get out the old box grater and set to work hand-grating potatoes and onions for Hanukkah latkes. Mom would peel the potatoes and put them in cold water to keep them from discoloring until Dad could get to them. Most often, we would [...]
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WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEARS EVE?

By Larry Levine - What are you doing New Years, New Years Eve? That’s the refrain from an old song. It’s also a question you should start to think about now if you haven’t already done so. Even in this down economy, New Years Eve tends to loosen up people and their pocket books. The [...]
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TURKEY – THE DAYS AFTER

By Larry Levine - I love turkey leftovers almost as much as I love turkey dinners. That’s why I always buy the biggest bird I can find. When the kids were young and living at home, picking over the carcass the day after Thanksgiving was anticipated for weeks. Now, I break the carcass into quarters [...]
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CHICKEN SOUP – It Really Works

By Larry Levine – It’s jokingly called Jewish penicillin, but it’s no joke. The name is well-deserved because it helps cure not just the common cold but also all manner of other maladies, including flu and chest congestion. It’s chicken soup. There are generations of anecdotal evidence that it works and now comes actual proof. [...]
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BAKED BRISKET OF BEEF

By Larry Levine - 1 Brisket of beef, point end or about 1/2 lb per person 2 Tbls Olive oil Onion powder Paprika 2 brown onions, sliced 2 carrots, sliced 2 celery stalks, with leafs, diced 1 cup water 1 cup red wine Trim surface fat from meat. Trim most of internal fat from point [...]
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MEMORIES OF FAMILY DINNERS GONE BY
MEMORIES OF FAMILY DINNERS GONE BY

By Larry Levine - There’ll be no house full of people for a holiday dinner once again this year. Those times and those memories are part of a very warmly recalled past. Tonight is the first night of Rosh Hashanah, and while our family has never been particularly observant, there was a time when we [...]
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