I had an idea for this week’s recipe and was very excited to try it. I sliced a large fennel bulb, roasted the slices and then topped the fragrant segments with red pear, Stilton and freshly candied walnuts. It smelled wonderful and looked fabulous. I tasted it and made a face. It did not work. The soft fennel had lost its personality and could not provide a

When my son was about 8 years old, he casually asked me, “Do only Jewish people use crockpots?”

I imagine his thinking was along the lines of cholent. He had mostly seen crockpots being used on Shabbos in people’s homes. I quickly assured him this was not the case. In fact, I, myself, loved to use a crockpot to make meals before leaving for work.

With this, their fourth cookbook in the Made Easyseries, Leah Schapira and Victoria Dwek prove themselves to be the dynamic duo of the kosher cookbook world. Leah, the author of Fresh & Easy Kosher Cookingand the co-founder of CookKosher.com and Victoria, managing editor of Ami Magazine’s Whiskcooking section, both come from

Yield: 3-4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

2 Tbsp oil

1 small red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

½ tsp dried basil

¼ tsp kosher salt

• pinch coarse black pepper

1 (24-in) baguette

• shredded cheese

EQUIPMENT:

3 long

8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 lb fusilli or penne pasta

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

2 red onions, cut into wedges

1 zucchini, cut into half moons

¼  cup olive oil

½ tsp garlic powder

• kosher salt, to taste

• coarse black pepper, to taste

6 oz feta

I saw some lovely striped bass on sale. Ignoring the fact that I had an enormous amount of preparation ahead, and that purchasing some perishable fish may not be terribly wise, I ordered half a pound and added it to my overflowing shopping cart.

Sure enough, I was so busy I had no time to prepare the striped bass. It sat, wrapped and untouched, in my

Bergenfield—Seventy eight gluten-free cakes were donated by Teaneck’s Butterflake Bake Shop to the Gluten-Free Gemach, a short-term gemach which was started by Miriam and Jeff Rosenfeld of Bergenfield. The gemach, highlighted by JLBC in its April 3rd edition, is winding up its second year operating only for the two weeks following Passover. Through publicity on

Vegetarians, and especially vegans, need some high-protein plant food with a bit of heft to keep them going during Passover, especially if observing the Ashkanazic tradition that forbids eating kitniyot—a category that includes legumes, most grains, and some seeds. Meat eaters also might want to break the monotony

Not too far from where I live historians have been fighting to preserve a sandstone house that has one of the last known outdoor kitchens in the northeast. Coincidentally to that, a friend of mine in Arizona was telling me how she had conceived, planned and built an outdoor kitchen for her home—for Pesach.

It was the easiest way, she said, to have a

SWEET AND SOUR POACHED SALMON

2 cups water

1 ½  cups sugar

½ cup raisins (optional)

3/4 cup lemon juice

¼ cup white vinegar

1 cup white wine

1 table spoon peppercorns

3 teaspoon salt

6 bay leaves

3 sprigs fresh dill

2 medium onions sliced

1 side of

CHICKEN SOUP

1 whole chicken (largest you can find)

3 stalks celery including the leafy tops cut into chunks

2 large whole onion not peeled. make sure you have a firm

golden brown onion left whole cut into quarters

2 large carrot or 3 or 4 medium size peeled cut into chunks

1 medium parsnip peeled cut into

SPICY ROAST

I make this recipe in two parts because it needs time to marinate. You need time to make this dish and it can’t be a last minute meal

3 ½ pounds minute roast

4-5 cloves of garlic – sliced

M ARINADE:

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 cup sweet chili sauce

½