The Man

Yosef Tabak,

age 28

1 child

Office Furniture

Jackson, NJ

The Plan

Friday Night: Moroccan Tilapia, Roasted Garlic, Tomato Dip, Olive Tapenade, Sautéed Jalapeños, Chicken Soup, Grilled Chicken Legs, Skirt Steak, Popcorn Cauliflower, Blueberry Peach Crumble

The Plan

Shabbos Lunch: Moroccan Tilapia and Dips, Eggs, Sautéed Liver, Grilled Chicken, Salad, Cholent, Chocolate, Mousse Cups with, Whipped Cream

Hungarian vs. American: Which will reign supreme?

I’ve always enjoyed cooking, whether it’s grilling, making beef jerky in a dehydrator, or cooking on the stove. Man with a Pan intrigues me, and with my wife’s encouragement, I decide to take on the challenge. My grandparents are Hungarian, with my grandmother being the quintessential Hungarian cook and

my mother following in her footsteps.

My wife, on the other hand, is the first person I’ve ever met with four American grandparents, so this is a great opportunity to see whose cuisine reigns supreme. Watching my grandmother and mother cook, and of course eating their food, gave me a great education in the kitchen. I decide to make everything myself besides challah, which my wife already baked, and mine wouldn’t be anywhere near as good as hers anyway.

My wonderful wife does agree, however, to clean up the kitchen after I make the mess, for which I am very grateful. First thing is the grocery shopping. I do the shopping all the time and especially now with COVID-19, so this isn’t hard. I plan to start cooking Wednesday night, as I work during the day and want to have time to enjoy the process and not rush through it. We usually don’t serve dessert as no one’s hungry at that point in the meal, but I don’t want to take the easy way out, so dessert we shall have. My plan is to make the dessert and dips on Wednesday night, chicken soup on Thursday morning, fish and liver on Thursday night, and everything else on Friday.

Wednesday Night: Jumping In

I tackle dessert first, chocolate mousse cups from a Maida Heatter cookbook. My grandmother found this recipe years ago, and it’s always a winner. I melt Noblesse chocolate in a pan, stirring constantly so it will be smooth. Then I start beating the eggs in a mixer. I’m about to add the melted chocolate when I realize I was supposed to separate the eggs. I quickly crack more eggs, beat the yolks, and add the chocolate. Phew.

The recipe says to “beat the whites until they hold their shape but are not too dry.” I’m not sure what that means so I just use my judgment, and fold the whites into the chocolate one quarter at a time, then pour it into cups. Whip topping goes into the mixer next, with a quarter cup of confectioners’ sugar, and dessert is done. I don’t love mayonnaise, so all the dips I prepare will be mayo free. I slice some jalapenos into circles, including the seeds and membrane as I like it spicy, and throw them into a pot with olive oil to saute. Olive tapenade is next.