Growing up, Shabbat was the most constant and perhaps my favorite (outside of Lox and Bagels on Sunday morning) weekly food tradition in my household. This was also one of the most complete meals we aimed to assemble. We always tried to get at least three separate components in this nightly meal. A salad, soup, and main course continues to be a great formula for success. With it being such a built out meal, here are some tips, tricks and resources to get your own Shabbat tradition going. I was excited to introduce this tradition with Rachel.
Tips and tricks
Find Inspiration from unlikely places
Many of the traditional favorites are just the beginning when it comes to prepping a Shabbat dinner. Find a different cuisine that you like and do a fusion.
Make a list
These meals are more extensive so making a list of the ingredients you need to gather can be helpful. You can also write out your prep tasks that you need to accomplish for the dish. If you’re making a veggie dish, you can write out that you need to prep your veggies before cooking. Breaking down everything into actionable steps makes the cooking process feel more attainable.
prep ahead of time
If you know you can prep something a day or two ahead of time without degrading the quality of the product, go for it. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when putting together such a big meal.
Cookbooks and websites for inspiration
1. Jew-ish
Jew-ish is a cookbook by Jake Cohen featuring a wide variety of recipes that are a modern take on Jewish culinary traditions. The dishes in this cookbook draw from different cultures and focuses on the importance of sharing meals with family and friends. We recommend the chicken schnitzel fingers and kale tabbouleh salad.
2. Manischewitz products
We recently discovered the boxed matzo ball soup from the brand Manischewitz. We were able to find this at our local grocery store and it was incredibly easy and delicious. To enhance this comfort food, we added some carrots and celery to the soup while it came to a simmer. We are excited to keep our eyes peeled for similar products on our next grocery store visit. (not sponsored)
3. My Jewish learning - recipe page
This is an interactive and comprehensive list of recipes to consider for your meal. These recipes for the most part are very traditional. Do note that some of these recipes are not necessarily Shabbat specific.
