ET Taub
Clifton, NJ

Some of Our Favorite Dishes

Although I love to host, I still make my meals special, even when it’s just my family. Here are some of our favorites:

* Tuna stacks. I found the recipe in a Pesach cookbook, and my kids love it!

* I love serving an interesting salad, but we also have our basic and delicious tomato salad — tomatoes with fresh herbs, salt, pepper, balsamic vinegar, and oil.

* My favorite recipe, which I serve only on Yom Tov or a special Shabbos, is veal. I found the recipe online years ago, and I still make it exactly the same way. Sear the veal steaks with some salt and pepper. Transfer to a baking dish. Sauté garlic, scallions, and bread crumbs. Smear a little mustard on the steaks, top with the crumb mixture, and bake. It’s heavenly!

My Cooking Style

I cook the way I design! I love to make different and interesting dishes. I’m a huge cookbook/magazine junkie.

Every Sunday (when I’m super organized! Or it can be frantically last minute), I sit down to make my menu. (I also plan the week’s meals on Sunday — the life of a working mom!) I pick a few cookbooks and put together a menu with a shopping list.

On Wednesday, the table is set (my table setting is almost more important than my actual food!) and my shopping order is in. On Thursday we start prepping. Any fish or meat that needs to be marinated is placed in the marinade, salad dressings and dips are made (when I’m not lazy!), and chicken soup is put up.

I start off every Friday by making fresh challah, since making challah is one of the few special mitzvos given only to us ladies! Then I prepare cholent, eggs, etc.

3 Things I Love to Serve to Guests

1. Good wine. It’s a good way to break the ice if you have company that you don’t know so well!
2. I love the first course after the challah. We have dips, lots of salads, and fish. I try to make sure that there’s something for everyone, even if someone is picky.
3. Dessert in our house is candy. We put out nuts, candy, and chocolate. When I remember, I purchase something delicious- either a baked good or Urban Pops- because I can’t bake to save my life!

How Do You Challah?

I make Naomi Nachman’s recipe from Perfect Flavors every week.

PSA: If you’re a cookbook lover like me, the best tip I can give is follow the recipe to the T.

Eggplant Dip

• 1–2 eggplants
• mayonnaise
• lemon juice
• salt and pepper, to taste
• techinah, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C).

Wash eggplants and cut in half. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake until soft. Turn over and allow to cool.

Scoop out the inside and combine with a little mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Serve drizzled with techinah.

Tuna Stacks

• 1 English cucumber, sliced
• fresh tuna steaks, cut into squares (ask your fishmonger to do this for you)
• guacamole (whichever way you like it)
• spicy sauce, for drizzling

Sear the tuna steak squares. To serve, arrange a cucumber slice on a plate. Top with a seared tuna square. Add a dollop of guacamole and drizzle spicy sauce on top.

(Originally featured in Family Table, Issue 752)