Classic Challah

This classic challah recipe, enriched with eggs, oil and sugar, was shared by baker Uri Scheft. Read more about his family in "An Israeli Baker Finds His Danish Roots." 

Dabo (Ethiopian Bread)

This recipe was shared by Beejhy Barhany. Read more about her family in "The Sacred Ethiopian Bread That Traveled 500 Miles by Foot and Horse" and try her recipes for messer wot (Ethiopian red lentil stew) and gomen (collard greens with garlic and ginger).

Matzah Ball Soup

Beet Kubbeh Soup

Kubbeh, also known as kibbeh, is a style of dumpling that typically features ground meat wrapped in semolina, bulgar, or rice. Popular in communities across the Levant, kubbeh can be fried in oil, baked, or poached in soup like it is in this recipe from Pnina Shasha. In her Iraqi family, a beef and...

Yemenite Soup With Chicken and Hawaij

For as long as Hilla Segev can remember, she’s eaten this fragrant Yemenite soup for Shabbat. Known in Israel as marak temani (Hebrew for Yemenite soup), it’s typically made with either chicken or beef, lots of vegetables, and a heady spice blend called hawaij. 

Gondi (Persian Dumplings) in Abgoosht Soup

Don’t mistake this as just a soup and gondi recipe. It’s a full meal that “is the classic Shabbat dinner in much of Iran,” explains Persian Jewish culinary expert Tannaz Sassooni. A whole chicken is cooked in what becomes a flavorful broth with chickpeas, and in turn, that broth is used to simmer...

Hamod (Lebanese Lemon and Potato Soup)

This recipe was shared by Nina Dahan. Read more about her family in "In This Lebanese Family, It’s Not Shabbat Without Hamod" and try her recipes for onion mahshi (stuffed onions with beef and rice), zucchini mahshi (stuffed zucchini with beef and rice), and bazela (peas with allspice).

Spicy Moroccan Fish

In Moroccan, Algerian, Tunisian, and Libyan families, it’s common to prepare a spicy fish recipe for the start of Shabbat. This one comes from Anna Masica’s family and has been made in her Moroccan family for generations. “As my mom used to say, this is a dish that has all the nutrients in it,”...

Gefilte Fish

Spayty (Chicken, Bamboo, and Coconut Curry)

This recipe was shared by Elli Benaiah. Read more about his family in "For Four Generations, This Family Has Celebrated Shabbat with Iraqi-Indian Flavors" and try his recipes for mahasha, rice pilau, and aloo makala.

Saffron Roast Chicken

Sheika (Stuffed Chicken Neck)

This recipe was shared by Lyuba Sheynin and Masha Lisak. Read more about their family in "The Russian Recipe One Cook Carried to Siberia and Queens" and try their recipe for poppy seed cake.

Polo Shabati (Persian Shabbat Rice With Beef and Dried Fruit)

This recipe is “my favorite Shabbat dish of all time,” proclaims Ayelet Latovitch, culinary director of Asif. It’s an uncommon recipe and to ensure her rendition matched her grandmother’s, she cross referenced it with the one prepared by her aunts. Like the halim recipe, her grandmother prepared...

Matzo-Fried Chicken

Oven-Poached Salmon

Coffee-Braised Brisket

Moroccan Chickpea Stew With Fish

This recipe was shared by Uriel Benzrihem. Read more about his family in "For Five Generations, This Family Has Marked Fridays With Chickpeas" and try his recipes for fried eggplant with garlic and cumin and matbucha with jalapeño.

Eggplant Tachin (Persian Baked Rice With Eggplant)

This recipe was shared by Orly Elyashar. Read more about her family in "Recipes From a Persian Jewish Community ‘That Knows it All" and try her recipes for Hamadani Gondi Berenji (Meatballs With Rice and Prunes) and Cabbage Dolmeh (Stuffed Cabbage With Split Peas and Rice).

Aloo Makala (Fried Potatoes)

This recipe was shared by Elli Benaiah. Read more about his family in "For Four Generations, This Family Has Celebrated Shabbat with Iraqi-Indian Flavors" and try his recipes for spayty, rice pilau, and mahasha.

Yerushalmi Kugel

This recipe comes from cookbook author Chanie Apfelbaum’s father who grew up in Jerusalem, where this dish, known as kugel Yerushalmi in Hebrew, is a staple. Made with egg noodles that are tossed in a caramelized mixture of oil and sugar and seasoned with lots of black pepper, this recipe yields a...

Yapsuk (Potato Kugel)

This recipe was shared by David Glick. Read more about his family in "How Gussie’s Yapsuk Became a Thanksgiving Favorite." 

Potato Tahdig (Persian Rice With Potatoes)

This recipe was shared by Andrea Strong. Read more about her family in "Wherever This Family Goes, There's Persian Stew" and try her recipe for khoresh (beef and chickpea stew).

Pickled Cucumber Salad

Chocolate Chip Olive Oil Mandel Bread

Compote

Classic Apple Cake

Nearly all of Pauline’s recipes that were written down — and many of the family photos — were lost in a house fire caused by lightning. The one recipe that survived was this one apple cake, which was written on a card that was tucked into a cookbook.