Hanukkah

This oversize version of khachapuri, the Georgian cheese-filled bread, is both a time-saver and brilliant way to feed a group.

These classic pignoli cookies gets their chewy texture from almond paste and egg whites and crunch from the pine nuts embedded in their crispy surface. 

Crispy, chewy, and naturally gluten-free.

Simmer duck legs in a chile-infused, maramalade-based braise until tender, then reduce the sauce to a sticky-rich lacquer to glaze over the crisp skin.

This vegetable fritter recipe calls for onions, cabbage, potato, and carrot, but you can use any combination of vegetables you have.

Classic Russian cheese pancakes have a tangy-sweet flavor that goes well with a dollop of jam or sour cream on the side.

Herby turkey meatballs get flavored with pistachios, tangy pomegranate, and grape molasses. Serve the meatballs as wraps with lavash and crisp lettuce.

An outer coating of sumac-sugar gives these slice-and-bake cookies a bright pop of flavor that balances the rich, buttery shortbread.

Deviled eggs get way more exciting when you cover the egg whites in a deeply flavorful spice mix and swap out the filling’s usual mayo for yogurt-y labne instead.

Quickly shallow-frying chicken halves locks in their juices and yields crispy, golden-brown skin. Serve them with garlicky potatoes, fried shallots, and dill.

Boneless chicken thighs cook in an apple-thyme sauce until they’re tender, then get served on top of a crispy, large-format potato pancake. You’ll finish it off with a squeeze of lemon and fresh herbs.

The only way this tender, oniony brisket could get any better? Pair it with ultra-oniony kugel and fresh spring vegetables.

Enliven traditional chicken soup with fresh fennel and a dose of green kale. Dill-flecked matzo balls bring the classic to another level.

Don't have eight hours to wait on a brisket to cook? Neither do we. This recipe gets it done in less than half the time and is packed with spicy, Korean flavors to boot.

This version of the flaky holiday pastry is made with a cream cheese dough and filled with quince paste, walnuts, and demerara sugar. It’s simple to make—and perfectly buttery.

Aranygaluska—also called golden dumpling cake, butter puffs, and monkey bread—has been extolled by Jewish immigrants from Hungary for years.

For an easy make-ahead dessert recipe that’s also a showstopper, look no further. Pouring the cream over at the table adds a dramatic touch.

This recipe is in the Mains chapter of my cookbook, but I have to say, I've eaten it at all times of day. It's made it to my breakfast table, and I've definitely whipped it up for a weekend lunch. After I eat it, I always feel so nourished and happy—and my body seems to love me for that. The spices are definitely what make this dish so special.

The smoky sauce and mix of spices in this meatball recipe complement lamb perfectly.

Trimming a generous amount of the stem from the brussels sprouts makes it quite a bit easier to tease apart the leaves for this winter slaw recipe.

For deep apple flavor, the fruit in this pie is macerated. The juice is then reduced to a syrup and returned to the filling, along with Chinese five spice powder (a blend of star anise, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, and Sichuan peppercorns).

I‘ve substituted sage here for the more commonly-used dill, to keep the soup’s flavor more in line with Thanksgiving. If it’s post-holiday time and you have leftover turkey meat, feel free to add it to the soup in hunks, about 5 to 10 minutes before serving, to warm it through without overcooking it. You can use neutral oil in place of the chicken fat, or even melted butter, if you don’t keep a kosher kitchen and/or want to make your ancestors turn over in their graves.

Sticky rice is worth using for this porridge-y, comforting chicken soup recipe; it releases lots of creamy starches and helps builds nice body as it cooks.

This cumin and paprika-spiced number gets added punch from a tangy green sauce and an avocado and cucumber salad.