Balaboosta

Einat Admony is a 21st-century balaboosta (Yiddish for "perfect housewife").She's a mother and wife, but also a chef busy running three bustling New York City restaurants. Her debut cookbook features 140 of the recipes she cooks for the people she loves--her children, her husband, and the many friends she regularly entertains. Here, Einat's mixed Israeli heritage (Yemenite, Persian) seamlessly blends with the fresh, sophisticated Mediterranean palate she honed while working in some of New York City's most beloved kitchens.

The result is a melting pot of meals for every need and occasion: exotic and exciting dinner-party dishes (harissa-spiced Moroccan fish, beet gnocchi), meals just for kids (chicken schnitzel, root veggie chips), healthy options (butternut squash and saffron soup, quinoa salad with preserved lemon and chickpeas), satisfying comfort food (creamy, cheesy potatoes, spicy chili), and so much more.

"Admony, winner of television's Chopped and chef/owner of three Manhattan restaurants, offers a multinational smorgasbord of intensely flavorful dishes in this eclectic and appetizing collection. Balaboosta, also the name of one of her restaurants, is Yiddish for the perfect housewife, which Admony redefines as anyone who lives with gusto, relies on instinct, and expresses emotion through food. She sees herself as one in a long line of balaboostas, including her mother and aunt, both of whom heavily influenced a young Admony. The mother of two, she dedicates a chapter to kid food, from Israeli couscous to root veggie chips. She also includes a hodgepodge collection of recipes suitable for dinner parties including corn salad, spicy chicken tagine, Moroccan carrots, and Casablanca catch. Dishes such as zucchini patties and mussels drenched in ouzo provide flavorful options for fast meals while really-not-so-short ribs and overnight turnips are better suited for long, slow cooking. Admony also offers barbecue options such as tangy tabbouleh and healthy choices like whole roasted fish. Her best chapter focuses on Israeli classics from kibbeh soup and chicken with pomegranates and walnuts to falafel and sabih. Restaurant meals, while appealing, are more challenging such as pan-seared duck breast with cider and mustard seeds, and homemade spinach fettucine with ricotta and walnut quenelles. Admony's offerings are solid and satisfying, and her many fans will find much here to relish. (Sept.)" Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Einat Admony is the chef-owner of New York City’s popular Balaboosta and Taïm restaurants, which have been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and New York magazine, among many others. When Einat is not at her restaurants or competing (and winning!) on shows like Chopped and Throwdown! with Bobby Flay,she can be found at home, cooking for the crowd of family and friends continually gathered around her dining table.