Look and Cook

The National Council of Jewish Women, founded in 1893, is a charitable organization with a particular focus on women, children, families and democracy. The Los Angeles chapter was formed soon after, opening a day nursery for the children of working mothers in LA in 1913. In 1925 they opened a home for young women called El Nido (“the nest” in Spanish) which still exists as the El Nido Family Center today. Council chapters have a long history of producing cookbooks as a fundraising tool, with the San Francisco chapter printing The Council Cook-Book in 1909.

 

Cover art on the cookbook is by Mr. Jack Barton

I celebrated Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, with “Baba’s Honey Bread”!! This recipe, by Mrs. Rose Berch. Honey is a traditional Rosh Hashanah food, representing sweetness in the year to come. The recipe also calls for a tablespoon of brandy, so I used what we had on hand - Opuntia Cactus Pear Brandy distilled in Ventura, CA.

 

In addition to honey, harvest fruits that first appear in the fall, such as apples and pomegranates, hold significance in the New Year, as do round challah breads. In some homes, a fish head is placed on the table, representing the “head of the year”. In Sephardic households, pinonate (a pine nut honey treat) might be served. As with much of Jewish ritual, there is debate and interpretation around the meanings of symbolic foods and much writing on it abounds!