From Publishers Weekly
Davis, author of Foie Gras and Cook Something, draws on his Ashkenazi (European Jewish) heritage and family recipes to produce The Mensch Chef. The recipes include familiar Jewish fare like his hearty Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls, Basic Brisket and Gefilte Fish. Several traditional recipes are given tasty new twists, from the slight citric bite of the sweet Apple-Orange Lokshen Kugel to the Baked Fish in Sweet-and-Sour Sauce. Some dishes, like the robust Hummus and the healthy Carrot and Raisin Salad, are more modern Israeli than Old Country, but are growing popular at Jewish tables. The kosher status of each recipe meat, dairy, pareve, or pesadich is indicated, and where appropriate Davis provides alternative versions of recipes that take dietary laws into account. The Pareve Rugelach, for instance, are made with Sweet Chicken Schmaltz and peanut oil instead of dairy products so that they can be eaten after a meat meal. Kosher regulations, ingredients, and tools are all covered in the introduction. Davis's borscht-belt wit spices up the recipes, as do historical tidbits and quick, troubleshooting bits of advice on everything from "How do I grate an onion?" to "Instead of pancakes I made a mess!" This well-written, appealing cookbook will tempt nostalgic Jews and culinary tourists alike. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Library Journal
At first glance, The Mensch Chef seems rather flippant in tone chapter titles, for example, include "You Call That a Piece of Cake?" but it's actually a serious cookbook, written with an irrepressible sense of humor. Davis, food writer and author of several other cookbooks, wrote it in part for Jews who usually don't cook "Jewish food" until the holidays come around and want to serve the dishes they grew up with, as well as for those who crave childhood favorites but never learned how to make them. There are recipes for Gefilte Fish and Brisket and Babka in short, all the traditional dishes along with entertaining and informative commentary about each one. It's an "Ashkenazi ABC," as Davis describes it. There is also a glossary, called "Yiddish for Cooks," and a source list for "Groceries" and "Cravings," along with an annotated reading list. Strongly recommended. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
The Mensch Chef, by Mitchell Davis, runs counter to commonly held wisdom by defending the proposition that the Jewish male is a competent kosher cook. Davis presents a host of typical Ashkenazic dishes--from chopped liver to cholent--to establish his credentials as a serious cook. Sidebars give lots of both sober and tongue-in-cheek advice to the amateur Jewish chef. Each of Davis' recipes is categorized into meat, dairy, or pareve groups essential to observing kosher dietary law. A glossary of Yiddish terms introduces the unfamiliar to the vocabulary of what Davis humorously calls "kitchen Judaism," religion practiced only in terms of holidays and their associated foods. This is a good addition to any specialized collection. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Review
“Mitchell Davis’s very personal blend of humor, anecdote, fact, and schmaltz makes for a very addictive read.” —Chef Daniel Boulud

“A wonderfully passionate celebration of a much-maligned cuisine.” —Jayne Cohen, author of The Gefilte Variations

“While I always knew that Jewish food could be so fattening, I never realized that it could be so funny. Any book that can make gefilte fish giggle and chicken soup chuckle is nothing short of miraculous.” — Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of Kosher Sex and Judaism for Everyone

“It’s not just the tempting dishes that make this book a winner. To me there’s no better recipe than Jewish humor mixed with Jewish food, and Mitchell serves up generous portions of each.” —Faye Levy, author of 1,000 Jewish Recipes

“A delightfully humorous book filled with the edible treasures of our past. The recipes bring back the warmth and comfort of my Nana’s kitchen.” —Jeffrey Nathan, host of New Jewish Cuisine

“Mitchell Davis was born too late to be a Borscht Belt comic. That must be why he wrote this cookbook. It is irreverent, even blasphemous, and very, very funny, yet with delicious recipes. I wish I had written The Mensch Chef myself.”—Arthur Schwartz, host of Food Talk and cookbook author

“If my mother had had a copy of The Mensch Chef, we would have eaten a lot better at my house. Mitchell Davis has written a funny, warm-hearted, generously spirited book, as restorative as a big bowl of matzo ball soup.” —Ed Levine, author of New York Eats

“In this irreverent Jewish cookbook by the irrepressible Mitchell Davis, you can hear the voice of a new generation of Jews and cooks. Sensuous, passionate, and intelligent, The Mensch Chef is your guide to Jewish food as a full-body experience, complete with belly laughs.”—Professor Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, NYU


Book Description
Great Jewish Food, Without the Guilt

Here’s the ideal cookbook for anyone who wants great recipes for matzo balls, mouthwatering kugel, or perfect brisket, but who can live without the how-to-host-a-seder advice or the laws-of-keeping-kosher overtones that dominate so much of Jewish cookery. The Mensch Chef is not just a cookbook; it’s the new Bible (or maybe Talmud) of Kitchen Judaism, whose great questions don’t concern eternal life, salvation, or evidence of a divine being, but rather: What’s the difference between kreplach and knaidelach? How do you roast a chicken? Can you really make Passover cake that’s edible?


From the Inside Flap
Great Jewish Food, Without the Guilt

Here’s the ideal cookbook for anyone who wants great recipes for matzo balls, mouthwatering kugel, or perfect brisket, but who can live without the how-to-host-a-seder advice or the laws-of-keeping-kosher overtones that dominate so much of Jewish cookery. The Mensch Chef is not just a cookbook; it’s the new Bible (or maybe Talmud) of Kitchen Judaism, whose great questions don’t concern eternal life, salvation, or evidence of a divine being, but rather: What’s the difference between kreplach and knaidelach? How do you roast a chicken? Can you really make Passover cake that’s edible?


From the Back Cover
“Mitchell Davis’s very personal blend of humor, anecdote, fact, and schmaltz makes for a very addictive read.” —Chef Daniel Boulud

“A wonderfully passionate celebration of a much-maligned cuisine.” —Jayne Cohen, author of The Gefilte Variations

“While I always knew that Jewish food could be so fattening, I never realized that it could be so funny. Any book that can make gefilte fish giggle and chicken soup chuckle is nothing short of miraculous.” — Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of Kosher Sex and Judaism for Everyone

“It’s not just the tempting dishes that make this book a winner. To me there’s no better recipe than Jewish humor mixed with Jewish food, and Mitchell serves up generous portions of each.” —Faye Levy, author of 1,000 Jewish Recipes

“A delightfully humorous book filled with the edible treasures of our past. The recipes bring back the warmth and comfort of my Nana’s kitchen.” —Jeffrey Nathan, host of New Jewish Cuisine

“Mitchell Davis was born too late to be a Borscht Belt comic. That must be why he wrote this cookbook. It is irreverent, even blasphemous, and very, very funny, yet with delicious recipes. I wish I had written The Mensch Chef myself.”—Arthur Schwartz, host of Food Talk and cookbook author

“If my mother had had a copy of The Mensch Chef, we would have eaten a lot better at my house. Mitchell Davis has written a funny, warm-hearted, generously spirited book, as restorative as a big bowl of matzo ball soup.” —Ed Levine, author of New York Eats

“In this irreverent Jewish cookbook by the irrepressible Mitchell Davis, you can hear the voice of a new generation of Jews and cooks. Sensuous, passionate, and intelligent, The Mensch Chef is your guide to Jewish food as a full-body experience, complete with belly laughs.”—Professor Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, NYU


About the Author
MITCHELL DAVIS is director of publications of the James Beard Foundation, author of Cook Something, coauthor of Foie Gras, and frequent contributor to a wide range of magazines, including GQ and Food & Wine.
In his spare time, Mitchell is both a Ph.D. candidate and a professor at New York University’s Food Studies Program. He grew up in Toronto, graduated from Cornell’s School of Hotel Administration, and trained as a chef in France and Italy. He lives in New York City.


Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Roast Chicken
from The Mensch Chef

This is it. Roast chicken. The ne plus ultra of Jewish entrees, or at least right next to brisket in prominence. My mother has eaten so much roast chicken in her life she wondered aloud recently if she weren’t going to start laying eggs. The reason she eats so much of it is that her roast chicken is amazing; my siblings and I ask for it every time we go home. It is always downright juicy, flavorful, and so tender it falls off the bone. We used to think the secret was in the roasting pan – she always uses an oval-shaped aluminum prewar beauty that came from my grandfather’s house. But then we saw her work her magic in a newfangled glass baking dish. Then we were sure it was the chicken. But she makes as good a roasted chicken from a jaundiced, mass-produced, supermarket-bought bird as she does from a pristine, plump one that comes from an exclusive kosher butcher.

After studying her make roast chicken in my own New York kitchen (she lives in Toronto), the secret emerged. She cooks it covered, breast side down, on a bed of a lot of onions for a long time so that the chicken actually steams. Then she removes the cover, turns up the heat and browns the underside to a crisp. A final browning of the breast side produces an exemplary roast chicken – deliciously overcooked but moist and yummy. No basting. No special treatment. Be warned: once you master this technique, you may start sprouting feathers.

Makes 1 roasted chicken, about 3 or 4 servings

kosher status Fleishig. Use a kosher bird if you are being strict, and decrease the amount of salt to 1 teaspoon.

2 large onions, (1 pound), chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 (4 1/2-pound) roasting chicken
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1 1/2 pounds (4 medium) Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks (optional)

Special Equipment

1 roasting pan with a tight-fitting lid or heavy-duty aluminum foil

Preheat the oven to 350F. Please the onions and minced garlic in the bottom of the roasting pan. Set the chicken breast side up on the onions. Sprinkle 1/2 tablespoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the granulated garlic, 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of the paprika on the chicken and in the cavity. Turn it over, breast side down, and sprinkle with the remaining spices. Cover the chicken with a lid or aluminum foil and set in the oven for 1 hour.

Remove the cover or foil and scatter the potatoes (if using) in the onions and cooking juice around the base of the chicken. Raise the oven temperature to 400F and continue roasting until the skin begins to brown, 15 to 25 minutes. Using two large forks or a pair of tongs, turn the chicken over so the breast is facing up. Continue to roast for an additional 30 minutes, until the skin has browned and crisped. The potatoes should be fork-tender. Remove from the oven and let cool for about 10 minutes before cutting up the chicken to serve.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Real Jewish food, without the guilt: Now, there's a challenge, and Mitchell Davis is up to it.

"Somewhere between the Exodus from Egypt and the migration to New York City's Upper West Side, Jewish food got a bad rap," writes Davis. He freely acknowledges that Jewish food is perceived as old-fashioned, greasy, and overcooked. Even the Jewish food that has gone mainstream -- bagels and rugelach, for example -- often end up a pale flavor imitation of their true selves.

Davis comes to the rescue with this collection of basic Jewish recipes, served up with big doses of humor. This is not a comprehensive book with impressive recipes, he says modestly. He wants readers to think of it more as the Ashkenazi ABC's, a book for those who want to cook Jewish food several times a year, probably during the holidays.

Davis offers delicious recipes for the mainstays of the Jewish table: gefilte fish, chopped liver, knishes and perogis, kugels, three kinds of brisket, roast chicken, carrot and sweet potato tzimmes, and all kinds of kosher desserts. He's got the basics, too: how to render schmaltz (both beef and chicken), how to make egg noodles and challah, and how to boil a beet are some of the instructions offered.

Although the collection is clearly intended for the not strictly observant, each recipe comes with its own kosher status (milchig, fleishig, or pareve) and a tidbit or two (bissel in Yiddish) of advice. His mother's favorite recipe direction: "Salt it like you're salting the road."

The last sections of the book are particularly helpful -- a glossary of Jewish culinary terms, sources for specialty foods, and a strong list of other Jewish cookbooks.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Great Jewish Food, Without the Guilt

Here’s the ideal cookbook for anyone who wants great recipes for matzo balls, mouthwatering kugel, or perfect brisket, but who can live without the how-to-host-a-seder advice or the laws-of-keeping-kosher overtones that dominate so much of Jewish cookery. The Mensch Chef is not just a cookbook; it’s the new Bible (or maybe Talmud) of Kitchen Judaism, whose great questions don’t concern eternal life, salvation, or evidence of a divine being, but rather: What’s the difference between kreplach and knaidelach? How do you roast a chicken? Can you really make Passover cake that’s edible?

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

Davis, author of Foie Gras and Cook Something, draws on his Ashkenazi (European Jewish) heritage and family recipes to produce The Mensch Chef. The recipes include familiar Jewish fare like his hearty Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls, Basic Brisket and Gefilte Fish. Several traditional recipes are given tasty new twists, from the slight citric bite of the sweet Apple-Orange Lokshen Kugel to the Baked Fish in Sweet-and-Sour Sauce. Some dishes, like the robust Hummus and the healthy Carrot and Raisin Salad, are more modern Israeli than Old Country, but are growing popular at Jewish tables. The kosher status of each recipe meat, dairy, pareve, or pesadich is indicated, and where appropriate Davis provides alternative versions of recipes that take dietary laws into account. The Pareve Rugelach, for instance, are made with Sweet Chicken Schmaltz and peanut oil instead of dairy products so that they can be eaten after a meat meal. Kosher regulations, ingredients, and tools are all covered in the introduction. Davis's borscht-belt wit spices up the recipes, as do historical tidbits and quick, troubleshooting bits of advice on everything from "How do I grate an onion?" to "Instead of pancakes I made a mess!" This well-written, appealing cookbook will tempt nostalgic Jews and culinary tourists alike. (Mar.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Library Journal

At first glance, The Mensch Chef seems rather flippant in tone chapter titles, for example, include "You Call That a Piece of Cake?" but it's actually a serious cookbook, written with an irrepressible sense of humor. Davis, food writer and author of several other cookbooks, wrote it in part for Jews who usually don't cook "Jewish food" until the holidays come around and want to serve the dishes they grew up with, as well as for those who crave childhood favorites but never learned how to make them. There are recipes for Gefilte Fish and Brisket and Babka in short, all the traditional dishes along with entertaining and informative commentary about each one. It's an "Ashkenazi ABC," as Davis describes it. There is also a glossary, called "Yiddish for Cooks," and a source list for "Groceries" and "Cravings," along with an annotated reading list. Strongly recommended. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING

￯﾿ﾽMitchell Davis￯﾿ﾽs very personal blend of humor, anecdote, fact, and schmaltz makes for a very addictive read.￯﾿ﾽ -- Chef Daniel Boulud

￯﾿ﾽA wonderfully passionate celebration of a much-maligned cuisine.￯﾿ﾽ -- Jayne Cohen, author of The Gefilte Variations

￯﾿ﾽWhile I always knew that Jewish food could be so fattening, I never realized that it could be so funny. Any book that can make gefilte fish giggle and chicken soup chuckle is nothing short of miraculous.￯﾿ﾽ -- Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, author of Kosher Sex and Judaism for Everyone

￯﾿ﾽIt￯﾿ﾽs not just the tempting dishes that make this book a winner. To me there￯﾿ﾽs no better recipe than Jewish humor mixed with Jewish food, and Mitchell serves up generous portions of each.￯﾿ﾽ -- Faye Levy, author of 1,000 Jewish Recipes

￯﾿ﾽA delightfully humorous book filled with the edible treasures of our past. The recipes bring back the warmth and comfort of my Nana￯﾿ﾽs kitchen.￯﾿ﾽ -- Jeffrey Nathan, host of "New Jewish Cuisine"

￯﾿ﾽMitchell Davis was born too late to be a Borscht Belt comic. That must be why he wrote this cookbook. It is irreverent, even blasphemous, and very, very funny, yet with delicious recipes. I wish I had written The Mensch Chef myself.￯﾿ﾽ -- Arthur Schwartz, host of "Food Talk" and cookbook author

￯﾿ﾽIf my mother had had a copy of The Mensch Chef, we would have eaten a lot better at my house. Mitchell Davis has written a funny, warm-hearted, generously spirited book, as restorative as a big bowl of matzo ball soup.￯﾿ﾽ -- Ed Levine, author of New York Eats