Between the covers of Deep Flavors, Horwitz combines his hunger for cooking with his passion for making international and regional favorites accessible for home cooks including those who prefer to observe some or all of the rules for kosher foods.
The Beet Borscht, a family recipe from Horwitz's grandmother, is somewhat unusual in that it is vegetarian. "A non-Jewish friend almost refused to eat it because he does not like beets; he had a third helping that evening,” Horwitz shared.
Woven throughout this eclectic anthology of Jewish family recipes and original kosher dishes are flavorful reminiscences and insights about food, sourcing ingredients and preparing meals in a kosher style — all from the perspective of a southern Jew.
Horwitz's goal was to create recipes that are easy to read and easily followed by anyone with a basic knowledge of cooking.
"Too many existing recipes, whether online or in print, leave out critical stages or ingredients, assuming that the reader will instinctively know what to do next,” Horwitz added.
Horwitz's reinterpretation of traditional Jewish dishes plus other regional and international favorites delivers a diverse menu of recipes that will appeal to broad audiences everywhere — Jewish and otherwise.
I had a chance to interview Horwitz to learn more.
Why did you decide to create this cookbook?
A number of years ago, when my son was in his teens, his Jewish youth group had an event at our house with a girl’s teen group one Saturday night. My wife, Bobbie, and I were making blintzes that evening, which in our house is a team event (I cook the crepes and Bobbie fills them). As we were making the blintzes, two of the girls came up to us and asked, “What are you doing?” I responded “We are making blintzes” and one of the girls said, “I’ve never seen anybody make blintzes before”. My immediate thought was that our culture is disappearing.
That was more than 25 years ago, as my son is now 43 years old. Then, a number of years ago my wife and I were on a cruise up the Yangtze River. During the trip, we ate dinner each night with a British couple; one of the topics of discussion was food and cooking. At the end of the cruise, the wife said to me “You should write a cookbook, and you should call it Deep Flavors”. I had been thinking for a number of years about the need to preserve all of the family recipes from my family and my wife’s family, as well as all of the other recipes that we make, so I started drafting recipes. Over a period of time the effort got to the point where I had enough recipes to include in a book and so I put it all together in “Deep Flavors”. It is significant that this has been a collaborative family affair, with particularly my daughter and my wife participating in what I should include. Both Lisa and Bobbie assisted with some of the recipes that they make, such as matzo balls, chopped chicken liver, and other Jewish recipes, as well as desserts.
Why is it important to update traditional recipes or incorporate new flavors into our cooking?
Cooking techniques and tastes evolve over a period of time particularly as ingredients improve and change and as tools become more sophisticated with this trend accelerated by information communication by modern technology. So it is important to keep recipes updated with new techniques and approaches. For example, when my mother made Kreplech (both varieties, cheese and meat) she made the dough from scratch by hand. That happens to be a lot of work and it is far more efficient with no loss in flavor or texture to use already made wonton wrappers, or commercially available Italian rolled out pasta sheets. While I strongly believe in making food from scratch, if there are available acceptable alternatives that do not include unacceptable chemicals, I am more than happy to save the labor. Another example is my mother’s “chocolate pinwheel cake” which she made using a filling made with Crisco. We changed that filling to a butter cream rather than a Crisco filling for better flavor although I am certain that, at the time my mother made the cake, Crisco was state of the art, at least in her circle. Another example of technology influence is my Deconstructed Roast Turkey, inspired by the problems of properly and safely (but not overcooking) roasting turkey with stuffing and made easier by modern thermometer technology simply not available to Mom. I also remember that my mother used a lot more processed foods than we do and while we make similar dishes, we avoid using already processed foods, both because of the desire to avoid added chemicals that are frequently in processed foods and because fresh tastes better. So, for example, while my mother would make green beans, they were canned green beans and not fresh. I do not ever remember Mom making vegetables from fresh, rather she always started with either canned, or later on when frozen when that was available. I think it is just safer (and more delicious) to use foods where feasible that have not been commercially processed. As to incorporating new flavors, I discuss in Deep Flavors the reality of foods that are available now that simply were not available in the south in my mother’s day and that makes eating exciting. For example, we have grown to love fresh and dried mushrooms of all varieties (basically not available to Mom) and incorporate them in our food regularly. They are delicious and healthy. Similarly, there are a wide variety of rice varieties now available that have nuances of flavors that were simply not available to my mother. And as to new flavors, certainly multiple types of previously unattainable vegetables cooked from fresh provide us with the opportunity to add flavors, as we desire. Examples are bok choy, brocolini and many others that add a healthy flair and great flavor to our diet. As another example, my mother never made anything with Indian or Chinese flavorings, which we have grown to love (influenced I am sure by the influx of immigration), and that I incorporate in a variety of dishes, some of which are included in Deep Flavors.
What are some things cooks need to be aware of when they're making adjustments for dietary needs, whether that's due to health, religious practice, allergies, or other reasons?
Deep Flavors is obviously written to comport with Jewish dietary laws, known as the Laws of Kosher or Kashruth. When you are cooking for that dietary practice, you have to know the rules in order to achieve the goal. So, for example, if you need to make a Kosher dish, you need to know such basic rules such as not to use pork or shellfish, and not to mix milk or milk products with meat. In the case of the rules of surrounding what it takes to make a Kosher dish, the rules are also somewhat more complicated, and depending on the cook’s desire to comply with the rules, further study might be necessary. As to other issues such as health or allergies, it is always important to know who your guests are and what their health or allergy issues are so that you do not risk their health when you serve them food. For example, many people have allergies to nuts or are intolerant to lactose or gluten. It is not difficult to avoid these types of ingredients. To me, that is just what is courteous and being a good host. Similarly, when we have vegetarians in our house, I try to make some vegetarian or vegan dishes so that they will feel comfortable eating in my house; properly made these dishes are delicious and everyone can enjoy them. One example is my vegetarian Blue Ribbon Mushroom Spinach Lasagna that won the blue ribbon at the Texas State Fair for Italian food. It all revolves around being concerned with being a good host and making sure your guests are comfortable.
Horwitz's professional drive and the care given to his work have earned him multiple awards, including the Honorary Fellow for a lifetime of distinguished service and the 2017 Chairperson of the Year by the Texas Society of CPA's. Currently residing in Dallas, Texas, Horwitz enjoys sharing his passion for cooking with his wife and his children's families. Horwitz believes that one of the highest compliments he has received came from a longstanding client who uses numerous lawyers. He said, "Ken, you are the only lawyer we use whose work we have not had to fix.” Horwitz's goal is for Deep Flavors to reach that same standard.
To learn more, please visit www.deepflavorscookbook.com or follow the author on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/
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