2022 brought so many delicious, comforting recipes to The Nosher, from Bukharian plov to Sephardic spinach-and-cheese matzah pie to the perfect tuna salad. These dishes represent multiple Jewish traditions, but they share a common thread: They are simple, satisfying recipes that feed the soul and tell stories of the Jewish people.
Here are the top 10 recipes that you all — our Nosher audience — loved making this year, over and over again.
1. One-Bowl Passover Blueberry Snacking Cake
In 2022, “snacking cakes” were all the rage. What is a snacking cake, you ask? They are cakes not intended for a specific occasion, like a birthday, but merely for, well, snacking. Should we rename this a “noshing cake?” Either way, y’all really loved this Passover-friendly, gluten-free blueberry snacking cake from Sonya Sanford. Bonus point: It’s a one-bowl recipe, which means there is less clean up between you and that noshing cake.
2. Sephardic Matzah Spinach Pie
Matzah pies, called minas, are a classic Sephardic Passover dish, traditionally served for brunch or lunch with slow-cooked, hard-boiled eggs called huevos haminados. This hearty, flavorful mina from Susan Barocas was one of your favorite recipes this year, and it’s no surprise why: layers of matzah, spinach, artichokes, fresh herbs and a ton of cheese make this dish seriously satisfying (and not overly complicated to make).
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3. The Best Classic Jewish Tuna Salad
It’s undeniable: American Jews love tuna salad. But is tuna salad actually a Jewish food? Enjoy Sonya Sanford’s brief history on the dish, and her perfect-every-time recipe made with celery, relish, fresh dill and lemon juice.
4. One-Pot Bukharian Chicken and Rice
Who doesn’t love a good one-pot wonder, especially when it’s a classic Bukharian plov (meat and rice pilaf)? If you haven’t added this simple yet comforting dish to your dinner rotation, now is the time. It was one of your favorite recipes in 2021, and it was a big hit again this year, too!
5. Old-Fashioned KashaVarnishkes
In “Honey Cake & Latkes: Recipes from the Old World by the Auschwitz-Birkenau Survivors,” Tova Friedman writes: “My late husband’s favorite food was tzimmes, but he also shared his family’s recipe for kasha varnishkes. So from the time I had my own family and had children, we always used to prepare tzimmes and varnishkes. This is the “old-fashioned” way to make it: with lots of mushrooms.”
Friedman’s recipe has a few new-world touches that makes it feel both nostalgic and a bit modern all at the same time. I highly recommend the whole cookbook — it’s so beautiful and special.
6. The Best Hamantaschen Recipe Ever
Hamantaschen get a bad rap for being dry, hard to shape, and not always the most enticing Jewish cookie. But I must say: this hamantaschen recipe is moist, flavorful and the perfect starting point for any hamantaschen flavor you can dream up. Just don’t forget our genius tip to ensure perfectly shaped hamantaschen every single time.
7. Moroccan Potato Pie for Passover
Maakouda is a Moroccan baked potato dish, served either as a pie or fritter. Just like Ashkenazi potato kugel, maakouda became a staple of Passover for so many Jewish communities around the Diaspora. It feeds a crowd and isn’t complicated to make, so bookmark this recipe for Passover 2023, if it isn’t on your rotation already.
8. Cabbage Schnitzel
Vegetarian and vegan versions of Jewish classics are gaining momentum, and cabbage schnitzel is a perfect example of this delicious trend. There are actually several traditional ways to make cabbage schnitzel, but this recipe from Sonya Sanford results in a schnitzel patty resembling the shape and thickness of the chicken version, with a golden-brown outer layer and crispy edges.
9. Sweet Potato Pecan Kugel
From Leah Koenig’s encyclopedic and beautiful “The Jewish Cookbook,” this kugel is not only sweet and scrumptious, but is representative of how Jewish communities in the American South incorporated local ingredients and flavors into traditional Ashkenazi dishes.
10. French Onion Brisket
From instagram sensation Jake Cohen’s debut cookbook “Jew-ish,” this French onion brisket recipe draws inspiration from classic French onion soup. It’s both familiar, and a little bit different. Make this for Shabbat dinner, your next holiday gathering or anytime you need a bite of brisket.
