Around the World with a Kosher Menu

By Guest Columnist Gayle Squires

Growing up, I used to watch the ball drop in New York every New Year’s Eve. One of my favorite parts of the broadcast was watching crowds across the globe gather to celebrate the incoming year. They’d generally start in Sydney, move to Tokyo, skip over to Paris and London, and then finally land in New York. I’ve been very fortunate to have visited several of these cities in the past decade and to collect recipes from around the world. Since moving to Boston a few years ago, I’ve traveled to Cairo, France, Spain, Portugal, the Czech Republic, Tokyo and Panama. I thought it would be fun to have a Shabbat dinner the night before our New Year’s Eve while people across the globe are already celebrating. Here are a few of the recipes that I’m planning to prepare.

Mojito (rum and mint based cocktail: Cuba)
Salmorejo (an all tomato gazpacho: Spain)
Ceviche (raw, marinated fish: Panama)
“Shevi-Randi Salad” (mango-avocado salad: South Africa)
Braised Short Ribs (braised in wine and tamarind: Eastern Mediterranean)
Tarte tatin aux poires et vin (upside-down pear tart with caramel sauce: France)

About the Author

Gayle Squires, who often goes by her Hebrew name Zahavah, writes the food blog KosherCamembert.com from her home in Cambridge, MA. When she gets home from long days as a health care executive, she delights in cooking up her favorite foods and sharing them with friends and family.  Her own recipes are inspired by local and international travel, and she has developed or adapted recipes from as close as Maine and as far away as Panama, Spain, Egypt, and South Africa.

December 29,2012