Tefteli - Russian Meatballs

Published first on The Nosher 

For the first five years of my life, we lived in the apartment next door to my grandparents. I may have only been a toddler, but I still have vivid memories of being in that home with its many house plants overflowing in their pots, tchotchkes and art from the former Soviet Union. What I remember most about being at my grandparents’ home was the food. Often, there was a pot of something simmering on the stove. On the best days, that pot was filled with tefteli, otherwise known as Russian meatballs. I can still see myself sitting at my grandmother’s table in front of a steaming bowl of tefteli, eagerly waiting for them to cool down so I could start eating.

What makes Russian meatballs different from other kinds? While tefteli come in all types of variations and preparations depending on your own family’s tradition, one of their defining features is that they’re typically made with rice. It’s likely that rice was first incorporated into the dish as a means to stretch the meat, but it also adds a great texture and flavor. Unlike the Italian kind, most Russian meatballs don’t use breadcrumbs, or much by way of herbs or spice. Some folks make them with beef, some with chicken or turkey. The non-kosher versions are often made with pork, and are cooked in a creamy tomato sauce. Some cooks dust the meatballs in flour and then brown them before adding them to the sauce. Some bake them in the oven. Some make a sauce that ends up so thick it is almost shakshuka-like. Usually, shredded carrot is added to the base of the tomato sauce, adding sweetness. Tefteli are also meant to be eaten on their own as a main course, and they are frequently served with creamy mashed potatoes, but I also love them with a side of polenta, or even with just a slice of good crusty bread.

 Every time I make tefteli I try to replicate what my grandmother made for me. Yes, I’m biased, but her tefetli are the best I’ve ever tried. This recipe is fairly simple in terms of its ingredients and steps, but the key to her tefteli’s success is one step that you can’t rush or skip: caramelizing the onions. Caramelizing onions was my grandmother’s go-to flavor builder. When onions get golden and jammy from cooking slowly in a little fat, they add sweetness and umami to any dish. The rest of this recipe mainly involves adding things to a large pot. Leftover rice is great for the meatball mixture, but if you don’t have some on hand, I find the timing works out well if you cook the rice while you’re caramelizing the onions and making the sauce. I prefer to use dark meat ground chicken for this, but you can definitely make this with turkey or beef.

 This is the kind of dish that rarely gets a written recipe. I’ve given you specifics, but deviating from what is suggested will only make this better. Taste and modify your tefteli to your own liking. For instance, my mom actually dislikes rice in tefteli, so she adds breadcrumbs or matzo meal instead. I like to add chili flake for subtle heat, but that can be completely omitted. I find that these are perfect when they’re on the larger-side, but if you like smaller-sized meatballs go for that. In any form, these are best made in a big batch so that they can be shared with loved ones, and so that they can fill your home with warmth and the smell of good simple food.

Tefteli - Russian Meatballs

Serves 4-6

For the sauce-

• 1 large yellow onion, diced small
• 3 Tablespoons oil (sunflower, avocado, or canola)
• 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
• 2-3 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• 2 (15 oz) cans plain tomato sauce/pureed tomatoes
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup or 1 Tablespoon sugar, or to taste
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano or thyme
• Pinch of red pepper flake, or to taste
• 1 (28 oz) can filled with water (about 3.5 cups)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

For the meatballs-

• 2 lbs dark meat ground chicken or turkey
• 2 cups cooked Basmati or Jasmine rice (about ¾ cup uncooked)
• 1 large onion, minced very fine
• 1 large clove of garlic, finely grated or minced
• 1 large egg
• 2½ teaspoons kosher salt (Diamond brand)
• Ground pepper, to taste
• Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

For the sauce-

Add oil to a Dutch oven or large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the diced onion to the pot. Allow the onion to soften and caramelize until golden, stirring occasionally, about 15-20 minutes (you can go for longer if you want the onion to caramelize more deeply). Add grated carrot, minced garlic, and a big pinch of salt to the pot. Stir and sauté for 3-4 minutes, or until the carrot has softened and the garlic is aromatic. Add the tomato paste and stir until everything is coated, about 1 minute. Add the crushed tomato, tomato sauce, maple syrup, herbs and chili flake to the pot. Fill the empty 28 oz crushed tomato can with water and add that water to the pot. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture come up to a simmer.

For the meatballs-

In a large bowl, combine the ground chicken, cooked rice, and onion. I like to use a microplane to grate my garlic straight into the bowl. Add the salt, pepper, and egg. Combine everything together until well incorporated, but make sure not to overmix or the meat can become tough. Clean hands work best for this. Before I cook the meatballs, I like to take a spoonful of the mixture and cook it in a small pan to taste for seasoning. I add more salt or pepper accordingly.

Form the ground meat mixture into even-sized balls. I prefer my tefteli slightly larger than a golf ball, but make them according to your own preferences. Drop the formed meatballs into the simmering sauce. Make sure the sauce returns to a simmer, then lower the heat and partially cover the pot with a lid. Simmer the tefteli for 35-45 minutes or until cooked through. If you find the sauce is too thick you can add more water. If you want the sauce less thick, you can simmer it for longer to reduce and thicken.

Serve the meatballs with a generous ladle of sauce, topped with chopped fresh parsley alongside mashed potatoes, your favorite side, or slices of good bread. 

Meatballs can be made several days in advance, and they freeze and reheat well.

Instant Pot Georgian Pomegarante Chicken

For the full article, head over to The Nosher!

As documented by the queen of Jewish cooking, Joan Nathan, and by Georgian food guru, Carla Capalbo, the Georgian Jewish community traditionally makes chicken cooked in pomegranate juice for Rosh Hashanah. It’s a perfect recipe for the High Holidays: sweet, tart, flavorful, and eye-catching. This recipe is an adaptation from multiple recipes for this dish, but in any variation the chicken is braised in a generously-spiced, fruity pomegranate juice-based broth, and then topped with fresh red jewel-like pomegranate kernals.

The pomegranate juice adds expected sweetness, but there’s also an assertive and awakening tang that comes through, especially with the addition of tamarind and pomegranate molasses. The copious amounts of onion and garlic add deep levels of sweet and savory flavors to the dish. The coriander, hot pepper (not too hot), and thyme play off each other with their respective perfumy-ness, heat, and minty-ness. It is Rosh Hashanah, so a hint of honey makes its way into the pot to remind you of sweetness without being at the forefront of the show. After 15 minutes at high pressure, the chicken barely clings to its bones, and the sauce becomes rich with and fortified by the golden schmaltz left over from browning the chicken. Take the chicken out and let that liquid simmer (still in the Instant Pot), and the mahogany-colored sauce will thicken and become silky and as decedent as a festive meal demands. Once the chicken and sauce are plated, you shower them with the bright green fresh herbs and the glistening ruby red pomegranate. Dark meat works best for this, but you can certainly make it with white meat as well. And like all great holiday dishes, you can make this several days in advance and it only gets better when reheated. It also freezes well, just leave off the fresh garnish until right before serving. And yes, if you really don’t want to cave to culinary social pressure, you can make this recipe the old fashioned way.

Instant Pot Georgian Jewish Chicken in Pomegranate Juice
Serves 6-8 (recipe can be doubled)

• 12 whole chicken legs, or 6 bone-in thighs + 6 legs (about 4 lbs)
• Sunflower or avocado oil, as needed
• 3 medium red onions, halved and sliced thin
• 4-5 cloves garlic, minced fine
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1½ teaspoons aleppo pepper, or ½ teaspoon red pepper flake, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 2 Tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 cup pomegranate juice
• 2 Tablespoons pomegranate molasses
• 2 Tablespoons tamarind paste
• 1 Tablespoon honey
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Arils/seeds of 1 whole pomegranate
• ½ bunch fresh cilantro or parlesy, for garnish
• Salt and pepper, as needed

Start by generously seasoning your chicken with salt and pepper on both sides.

Turn your Instant Pot or pressure cooker to the sauté setting, which should produce high heat for browning. If needed increase the heat to MORE or according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Once the pot is hot, add a drizzle of oil. Brown each piece of chicken until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes on each side. Cook the chicken in batches so as not to crowd the pot and cause the chicken to steam instead of brown. On the stoevtop, brown the chicken in a large pot or Dutch oven on medium high heat. 

Once all of the chicken is browned, transfer it from the pot and reserve.

Next, add all of the onions to the same pot so that they can cook in the remaining chicken fat. If your chicken did not release very much oil, and another tablespoon or two of oil to the pot. Season the onions with salt and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until softened and starting to slightly brown. Add the garlic, coriander, and paprika to the pot and sauté for an additional 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant. Add the tomato paste, and stir everything until the onion mixture is well coated in the tomato paste. Nestle the reserved browned chicken back into the pot. Press CANCEL to turn off the sauté function on the pot. Follow the same steps on a stovetop.

Add the pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses, tamarind paste, honey, thyme and bay to the pot. Place the lid on the Instant Pot, close the pot and seal it. Press the POULTRY or MANUAL setting and set the time to 15 minutes. Let the steam naturally release for 10-15 minutes, and shift the valve to venting if more air needs to be released. On the stovetop, cover the pot and simmer for 30 minutes on medium-low or until the chicken is tender and cooked through.

Press CANCEL, open the lid and transfer the chicken to a platter and lightly cover with foil to keep the chicken warm. Remove the bay leaf and thyme stems. Turn on the SAUTE function again. Allow the sauce to simmer and reduce by half, or until its reached your desired thickness. On the stovetop, turn the heat to medium-high and simmer.

Once the sauce has reduced and thickened, pour the sauce over the chicken. At this point you can keep dish warm in a low oven, or you can cool it and freeze if making in advance.

Just before serving, garnish the chicken with the fresh pomegranate and roughly chopped cilantro or parsley.

Raspberry Danish Twist - Entenmann's Style

For the full article, head over to The Nosher!

Entenmann’s Style Raspberry Danish Twist

Makes two danishes, or one large one

Ingredients: 

For the danish-

• 1 cup milk, warmed
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 1 packet (7 g) active rise yeast
• 3 cups (450 g) all purpose flour, plus more for dusting or as needed
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla powder, or 1 vanilla bean (split, and seeds scraped out)
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
• 1 cup raspberry jam
• 1 egg yolk plus one teaspoon of water, for the egg wash

For the icing-

• 1 cup sifted powdered sugar
• 1½ Tablespoons milk or water
• 1 teaspoon vanilla powder or ½ a teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Grease two 8 x 6 baking dishes and line with parchment paper. You can also make one large danish in a 9 x 11 baking dish.

Heat the milk until warm to the touch but not too hot, about 100°F. Add the sugar and active dry yeast to the milk, and allow the yeast to proof for 5-10 minutes. The yeast will get foamy and bubbly, if it doesn’t your milk may have been too hot or too cold and it is best to start again.

In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, combined the flour, salt, and vanilla powder. Alternatively, you can make the dough by hand, you will just need to mix and knead for longer.

Add the milk and yeast mixture to the dough, along with the two eggs. On medium, mix until a very shaggy dough is formed. Next, with the mixer still on medium, add the room temperature butter one cube at a time; allow each piece of butter to incorporate before adding the next. Once all of the butter is incorporated, the dough will appear smoother and stickier. Switch the paddle attachment for the dough hook, and mix on medium speed for 5-6 minutes, or until a soft, smooth, elastic dough is formed. It will start out looking very sticky and wet, but will ball around the dough hook towards the end. If it looks too wet and does not start forming a ball, you can add a few tablespoons of flour to help with the consistency.

Gently transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl (it will be very soft and pour out), and cover it with a damp clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise until roughly doubled in size,1-2 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen.

Once the dough has risen, punch it down and divide it in half. You can make two 8 x 6 raspberry danish twists at this time, or freeze half the dough for future use (just allow it to defrost and come up to room temperature). Dust a clean surface with flour, then take one half of the dough and divide it into three equal balls. Roll each ball into a strand that is about an inch longer than the length of the baking dish, then gently twist each strand and fit them in lengthwise into the baking dish. Cover with a lightly damp clean kitchen towel, and let the dough rise again for another 15-20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Add the jam to the danish. Between the 3 strands of dough, you’ll make two strips of jam, each about a ¼ cup of worth of jam, or ½ a cup per danish (if using a larger dish, simply evenly add jam between each strand). I gently nudge the stands apart, and with a spoon, fill with jam between the strands. Brush the top of the dough with the egg wash. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until deep golden brown on top. Rotate once halfway through baking.

Once baked, allow to cool on a rack. While the cakes are cooling make the icing. Once mostly cooled, you can ice the cakes by drizzling the icing free form with a spoon, or you can fill a small ziplock back with the icing, and snip off a small piece of the corner to ice in any design you prefer.

Mukmura (or Mahmoora) Chicken

For the full article, head over to The Nosher ...


There are three distinctive Jewish Indian groups that happened to be largely isolated from each other: the Cochin Jews of Kerala in South India, the Bene Israel Jews of India’s West Coast and Mumbai, and the Jews of Kolkata in East India (formerly known as Calcutta). In The Book of Jewish Food, Claudia Roden recounts how Shalom Cohen from Aleppo was the first known Jew to settle in Kolkata in 1798. Soon after, Syrian and Iraqi Jews followed and developed a strong community there, where they worked as merchants and traders, and lived in harmony with their neighbors. Things changed in 1947 when India gained independence, and again in 1948 with the creation of the State of Israel; anti-Semitism grew as the Jews became associated with the colonial British power. During that time, most of the Jews from Kolkata immigrated to Israel, the US, England, and Australia. This once vibrant Jewish Indian community is now all but gone from Kolkata.

While only a handful of Jews still live in Kolkata, the food from this community has travelled with its people. Their style of cooking involves a combination of ingredients and preparations from the Middle East, with the spices and techniques of Indian cuisine. There are several cookbooks and articles devoted to Sephardic foods and Indian Jewish cookery that have documented some of the dishes of the Jews from Kolkata. I was first struck by a recipe I found in both Copeland Marks’ book, Sephardic Cooking, as well as in Indian Jewish Cooking, by Mavis Hyman. Mukmura (or Mahmoora) is a dish of chicken and almonds in a slightly sweetened tangy lemon sauce. I like any recipe that looks like it is simple to prepare but still offers big flavors, and this was clearly that. This chicken dish calls for easy to find bold ingredients like ginger, garlic, ground turmeric, lemon juice, and fresh mint. The chicken is braised, which means the meat won’t get dry, and it can easily be made in advance for entertaining, Shabbat, and holidays. By slowly simmering all of the ingredients together you develop a slightly sweet and sour sauce with all those warm spices and aromatics. After making the dish a few times, I experimented with some tweaks to the original method to boost the flavor even more, like browning the chicken before braising it, and being generous with the lemon juice and ginger. This dish is simultaneously comforting and exciting. It is the type of food that makes you feel like you’re eating something exotic and new, but with the benefit of having accomplished that from the comfort of your own home kitchen.

Mukmura

Kolkata-Style Chicken and Almonds in a Lemon Sauce

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1 4-5 lb. chicken, cut into 8-10 serving pieces

1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste

2-3 tablespoons oil

1 medium white or yellow onion, chopped fine (about 1½ cups)

2 large garlic cloves, minced fine

1 Tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1½ teaspoons ground turmeric

1 cup water

¼ cup raisins, rinsed

¼ cup sliced or slivered unsalted almonds, without skin

¼ cup fresh lemon juice, about 2 lemons

1½ Tablespoons agave syrup or 2 teaspoons sugar

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint, or to taste

lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions:

1. Cut the chicken into 8-10 pieces; reserve the backbone for chicken broth if desired. You can also find a pre-cut whole chicken, or you can use 4-5 lbs. of your preferred bone-in skin-on chicken parts. Season the chicken pieces with a teaspoon of kosher salt.
2. On medium high heat, heat a large Dutch oven or deep skillet with a lid. Add a drizzle of oil to the pot and then brown the chicken pieces on each side, about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Brown the chicken in batches if needed so as not to overcrowd the pot. Remove the browned chicken and reserve.
3. Over medium heat, add the diced onions to the same pot so the browned bits that remain on the bottom can flavor the onion. Add an additional drizzle of oil if there is not enough remaining chicken drippings. Sauté the onion until softened and beginning to turn golden but not browned, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Add the minced garlic, grated ginger, and turmeric to the onion mixture. Sauté for another 1-2 minutes, or until fragrant.
5. Add the reserved browned chicken back to the pot in a single layer. Pour the water over the chicken.
6. Bring the liquid up to a simmer and then lower the heat and cover the pot. Simmer for 20 minutes.
7. Add the raisins, almonds, lemon juice, and agave syrup to the pot. If your water has significantly reduced, add a little more water so there’s liquid in the pot. Cover the lid again and simmer an additional 15-20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through with an internal temperature of at least 165°F. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.
8. Transfer the chicken to a serving dish, pour the sauce over the chicken, and top everything with freshly chopped mint and a few lemon wedges. Serve with rice or your favorite side.
9. Chicken can be made a day in advance and reheats well.

Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies (with Rye Flour)

For the full article, head over to .alma

...What I love most about these cookies is that they’re endlessly versatile. I like to add rye flour to the batter for extra nuttiness, and flake salt before baking for a pop of flavor and crunch, but you could easily use entirely all purpose flour and leave the flake salt out completely. If you’re not into chocolate, you could substitute the two cups of chocolate chunks with two cups of chopped dried fruit or chopped nuts. If you’re feeling adventurous (or frisky?) you can even use all three. In keeping with romantic cliches, just as in matters of finding true love, these cookies benefit from patience. If you chill the batter overnight the cookies taste even better when you bake them off the next day. But between you and me, you can break the rules and succumb to instant gratification and make the cookies the same day and they’ll still work out just fine.

I always hope that Valentine’s Day can be less a celebration of coupledom and traditional forms of romantic love, and more of a an excuse to celebrate all love-filled relationships, including with one’s self. I can assure you that whether these are made for your partner, secret crush, lonely hearts club band, or for you yourself and only you, making these cookies in all their tahini-chocolate goodness is a rich expression of love and all things good.

Tahini Chocolate Chunk Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

Ingredients:

¾ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons rye flour (optional, can substitute this with all purpose flour)

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ cup tahini

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

¾ cup brown sugar

¼ cup sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

2 cups (8 oz) chopped chocolate chunks or chips

Flake salt, as needed (optional)

Directions:

1.     In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, rye flour if using, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Reserve.

2.     Using a stand-mixer or handheld electric mixer, cream together the tahini, butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. You can also do this by hand, but it will take slightly longer.

3.     Add in the egg, and mix until well incorporated.

4.     On a low speed, slowly add in the flour mixture to the tahini mixture. Mix until just incorporated, be careful not to overmix.

5.     Stir in the chocolate chunks until just incorporated. Ideally, refrigerate the cookie dough for 24 hours or overnight. If you can’t wait that long, let it chill in the fridge for at least one hour.

6.     Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

7.     Scoop out the dough, one heaping tablespoon at a time, and roll into equal-sized balls. You can also use a small ice cream scoop to do this. Place the dough balls on the baking sheets a few inches apart - they will spread as they bake. Sprinkle the dough with flake salt, if desired.

8.     Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden around the edges. Allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

9.     Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Salad Olivier

Full article is available via The Nosher

...This salad was first prepared by Lucien Olivier in the 1860’s. Olivier was the French chef of a famous restaurant in Moscow called The Hermitage, hence the very French name for this now popular Russian salad. Also, Russians were obsessed with French culture at that time. Salad Olivier was an immediate hit, and it became the restaurant’s signature dish. Originally, it was made with crayfish, capers, and even grouse. After the revolution, simpler and easier to come by ingredients were more commonly adapted into the recipe. These ingredients are also all conveniently available in the dead of winter.

The popularity of the salad spread beyond Russia to Eastern Europe, the Balkans, and even to Iran and Pakistan. In fact, in our family we call this dish Salad de Boeuf (pronounced as “de beff”), which is what this salad is inexplicably called in Romania and Western Ukraine. Boeuf means “beef” in French, and this salad contains no beef at all. In each geographic locale, the salad might differ slightly. Sometimes the potatoes are mashed instead of cubed, or there’s shredded chicken instead of smoked meat, or sometimes there’s no meat at all, as was the custom in our family. What makes this type of potato salad uniquely a Salad Olivier is the presence of potatoes combined with carrots, peas, pickles, and hard boiled eggs. Everything should be chopped to roughly the same size. The appeal of something seemingly odd and vaguely average is ultimately mysterious, but the combination of hearty firm potatoes, sweet cooked carrots, crisp pickles, earthy peas, and silky eggs in a creamy tangy dressing just works. The ingredients meld all together, each losing its own particular edge to combine to make a complete range of salty, sweet, tangy, satisfying tastes in each bite. I think this salad’s enduring and far-reaching popularity proves that it’s eaten for more than tradition’s sake.

If you’re going to attempt to make this for the first time there are a few things to know. For one, this recipe reflects how my family likes this dish. If you’ve had this before it might be slightly different from what you’re used to. More importantly, the quality of each ingredient matters to the overall success of the dish. I like to use Yukon Gold potatoes because they hold up well and have a pleasant rich sweetness, but you can definitely try it with your favorite potato. Taste the carrots before you cook them; they should be sweet and flavorful, not the dull astringent variety you sometimes end up with. The best pickles for this dish are ones that come from the refrigerator section, that still have a crunch, and are brined in salt with zero vinegar added. They’re also known as “naturally fermented” pickles. The type of mayonnaise you use is also key, and I swear by Hellmann's/Best Foods brand mayo.

Salad Olivier

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

For the salad-

1.5 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, about 4-5 medium

3 large carrots

4 large eggs

3 large dill pickles, or to taste (use naturally fermented/brined pickles)

1 cup frozen peas, thawed (you can substitute with fresh cooked peas or even canned)

For the dressing-

1 cup good quality mayonnaise

2 tablespoons olive oil

Juice of ½ a lemon, or to taste

1 Tablespoon pickle liquid (optional)

¾ Tablespoon kosher salt, or to taste

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (optional)

Directions:

1.     Wash the potatoes and carrots well. Add them to a pot, and fill with water. Bring the water to a boil, and boil the potatoes and carrots until easily pierced through with a knife. The carrots will cook faster, about 15-20 minutes. Once they’re tender remove them from the pot and allow the potatoes to finish cooking, about 15-20 minutes more, or 30-35 minutes in total. Be careful not to overcook your potatoes and carrots, you do not want them to end up as mush in the salad. Once cooked, set aside to cool or refrigerate. This step can be up to 2 days in advance.

2.     While the potatoes and carrots are cooking, hard boil your eggs and allow them to cool.

3.     Once cooled, carefully remove the peels from your potatoes. You can either remove or keep the peel on your carrots depending on your preference.

4.     Cube all of the potatoes, carrots, and eggs to the same size. I like a medium-small dice.

5.     Dice the pickles slightly smaller than the other ingredients as they have a stronger flavor.

6.     Add the cubed potatoes, carrots and eggs to a large bowl. Add the pickles and thawed peas to the bowl.

7.     In a separate small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the dressing and whisk together. Taste and adjust accordingly.

8.     Add the dressing to the potato mixture, and carefully stir until everything is fully coated in the dressing. Taste and add more salt if desired (every brand of kosher salt differs in salinity). If you want it creamier/tangier, add more mayonnaise or lemon juice. You can also use sour cream or yogurt if desired.

9.     Allow the salad to chill for at least one hour before serving so that the flavors can all come together. This salad can be made up to a day in advance, and stores well for 2 days. You can also make this without the dressing up to 3 days in advance, then add the dressing before serving.

10.   Before serving, transfer the salad to a serving bowl. This salad is known for being creatively decorated and festively garnished with fresh herbs, vegetable roses, etc. You can doll it up in any way you like.