Joyce Goldstein’s Old World, Mediterranean recipes for the modern cook

Longtime chef and cookbook author Joyce Goldstein has a palate that fits perfectly with the Mediterranean diet, which pushes meat to the side of the plate in order to showcase vegetables and grains, olive oil and lemons.

“Lemon is my life,” she said in a phone interview from her home in San Francisco. “Without lemon, I would have to stop cooking. It’s so magic.”

From 1984 to 1996, the well-known chef cooked the foods of Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa at her ground-breaking Square One restaurant in San Francisco, then turned her attention to writing cookbooks, including three connected to Jewish cooking in the Mediterranean: “Cusina Ebraico” (1998) about the Italian-Jewish kitchen; “Sephardic Flavors” (2000) about Spain, Portugal Greece and Turkey; and “Saffron Shores” (2002), about North Africa.

But when the University of California Press asked her to write another Jewish cookbook, she spent two years researching and refining recipes for “The New Mediterranean Jewish Table” (University of California, $39.95), which was released in April. It’s a compilation of 420 dishes from across the entire region, including the Sephardic culture (from the Iberian peninsula), Maghrebi (from North Africa) and Mizrahi (from the Muslim lands of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.)

“This cookbook is much more encyclopedic,” she said. “I had never touched on the Muslim countries before, so there are about 200 new recipes here from that part of the world.”

Earlier this month, Goldstein appeared at The Spinster Sisters restaurant in Santa Rosa during a three-course dinner prepared by Executive Chef Liza Hinman, who chose all the recipes from the cookbook.

“I feel like the flavors of the Mediterranean are really connecting with people right now,” Hinman said. “The use of so many spices and flavors keeps the meals very dynamic, yet soulful and satisfying.”

The menu is perfect for entertaining, since nearly all of the dishes could be prepared in advance, then put together or finished at the last minute.

In the book’s introduction, Goldstein explains the kosher dietary rules its recipes follow. Hinman decided to go with a “meat meal” (with no dairy allowed in the same meal) in accordance with those rules.

“I wanted to approach the meal as I would a Spinster Sisters menu, melding flavors of different cultures into one meal,” Hinman said. “Joyce’s book is great for that, as it gives you a way to follow common threads through many different but connected cuisines.”

Goldstein is an intrepid culinary explorer who knows exactly where she is in the Mediterranean by sniffing out the various flavor combinations favored by each country or region. If a recipe calls for tomatoes and cinnamon, for example, she knows she’s in Greece. If it has coriander and garlic and hot pepper, she knows she is in Tunisia. If it showcases pine nuts and raisins, the compass points to an Arabic country. But some ingredients may overlap in different countries.

“When you see meat with fruit, it might be Moroccan, but originally it would have come from Iran and then parts of Spain,” Goldstein said. “You can watch the trail of people through the food.”

Following that same theme, Hinman began the dinner with a trio of appetizers from across the region: Moroccan Marinated Olives, Rice-Stuffed Vine Leaves and an Italian Eggplant Spread on Toasted Bread.

“There are so many eggplant spreads in the book, and that’s what I like about it,” Goldstein said. “Once you get the technique, you can run with it in many different directions.”

Goldstein, who shops at the farmers market first and then decides what she is going to cook, said the carrots have been stellar this spring. They were showcased in the second course, a Moroccan-Inspired Lentil Salad with Carrots, Dates and Oranges.

For a main course, Hinman chose a more complicated dish: Couscous with Meatballs, White Beans and Greens from Livorno, a city and province in the Tuscan region of Italy.

If you’ve already got some cooked white beans on hand, just make the meatballs and skip the couscous (a braised, vegetable stew), to streamline the dish.

“I make white beans and greens all the time, and I often have it left over,” Goldstein said.

For dessert, Hinman chose a Sephardic recipe - Olive Oil, Orange and Pistachio Cake made with olive oil rather than butter, to avoid using dairy. It can also be made ahead because it gets better on the second or third day, when it becomes more moist.

Now 80, Goldstein has been cooking and eating the Mediterranean diet since she moved to Italy in 1959 and explored the region, from Turkey and Greece to Spain and Portugal. It’s only now, more than 50 years later, that the rest of the world has caught up with her.

“Most of the Jewish cookbooks have reworked the Ashkenazi food,” said Goldstein, who grew up in Brooklyn in an Ashkenazi family with roots in Eastern and Central Europe. “Ashkenazi food is meat and potatoes and fat, and hardly a vegetable passed the plate. They didn’t use herbs and spices, so it was fairly bland and filling ... as a lifetime diet, it’s a heart attack.”

With the rising popularity of cookbooks by Middle Eastern chefs like Yotam Ottolenghi, who was born in Israel, most people’s understanding of Jewish cuisine has deepened and broadened while getting a lot healthier and more delicious.

“People in this country don’t realize all this incredible Jewish food is out there,” Goldenstein said. “Because they (the Mediterranean cultures) didn’t emigrate to this country, their food has been a bit of a mystery ... it’s a new view of what is served at the Jewish table.”

When she set out to write her new cookbook, Goldstein combed through old cookbooks, looking for easy dishes that could be prepared within a half hour, or simmered on the stove for just a few hours.

“I didn’t want to do a restaurant book,” she said. “There’s an emphasis on quick vegetable cooking and slow braises and sauces that can be made ahead of time.”

For the next major Jewish holiday - Rosh Hashanah in the fall - any of the recipes for chicken or lamb with quince would work, she said, because the sweetness of the fruit symbolizes a sweet life in the New Year.

The following recipes are from Joyce Goldstein’s “The New Mediterranean Jewish Table” (University of California Press, 2016).

Master Recipe for Roasted Eggplant: To roast the eggplants in the oven, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prick the eggplants with a fork in a few places so they don’t burst, then put them on a sheet pan and slip the pan into the oven. Roast the eggplants 45 to 60 minutes, turning them a few times to ensure even cooking, until they are soft throughout when pierced with a knife and have collapsed.

When the eggplants are ready, transfer them to a colander to drain and cool until just warm or until fully cooled. One at a time, put them on a cutting board, strip away the charred skin and discard any large seed pockets. Transfer all of the pulp to a colander and let drain for about 30 minutes.

Italian Eggplant Spread on Toasted Bread

Makes 6 servings

3 large globe eggplants (about 3 pounds)

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons brined capers, rinsed, plus more for garnish

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12-18 slices coarse country bread, toasted

- Finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Roast the eggplants as directed in Master Recipe for Roasted Eggplant above. After draining the pulp, chop it coarsely and set aside in a bowl.

Warm about 2 tablespoons of the oil in a sauté pan over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or two just until soft. Do not allow to color. Add the garlic to the eggplant and then fold in the remaining 6 tablespoons oil along with the vinegar. Fold in the capers and season with salt and pepper. If the mixture seems too firm, add a little more oil.

Spread the eggplant on the bread and garnish with the parsley and a few more capers if you like. Arrange on a platter to serve.

Moroccan-Inspired ?Lentil Salad with ?Carrots, Dates and Mint

Makes 4 to 6 servings

2 cups green lentils, picked over and rinsed

- Salt

1/4 cup mild, fruity extra virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing with lentils

11/2 cups diced yellow onion

21/2 cups peeled and diced carrots

3/4 -1 cup Preserved Lemon Citrus Dressing (recipe follows)

20 dates, pitted and sliced crosswise

1/2 cup fresh mint or anise hyssop leaves, cut into very narrow strips

In a saucepan, combine the lentils with water to cover by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Turn down the heat to low and simmer gently until tender but not soft, 20 to 35 minutes. The timing will vary depending on the age of the lentils. After the lentils have simmered for about 15 minutes, add 2 teaspoons salt.

While the lentils are cooking, warm the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onions and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Drain the lentils, transfer to a bowl, toss with a little oil and let cool until warm. Add the onion mixture and toss to combine. Drizzle with the dressing and toss well. Let cool completely, then fold in the dates and mint and toss again. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt. Serve at room temperature.

Preserved Lemon Citrus Dressing

Makes about 13/4 cups

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon ground toasted cumin

11/4 cups extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

- Peel of 1 preserved lemon, homemade or store-bought, rinsed and finely chopped

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, paprika and cumin. Whisk in the oil, stir in the preserved lemon, and then whisk in more oil if needed for good balance. Season with salt and pepper.

Leftover dressing can be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days. Bring to room temperature, then taste for salt and acidity and adjust if needed.

Oven Casserole of White Beans and Meatballs from Tuscany

Makes 6 servings

For white beans:

11/2 cups dried cannellini or other white beans

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 large yellow onion

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

3-4 fresh sage leaves

2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Meatballs:

1 pound ground beef (not too lean)

1 -2 eggs, lightly beaten

2/3 cup fresh bread crumbs or matzo meal

1/2 yellow onion, grated

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

- Few gratings of nutmeg or pinch of ground cinnamon

- Salt and freshly ground black pepper

- All-purpose flour for coasting

- Olive oil for frying

- Water, meat broth, or additional tomato sauce, if needed

For beans: Pick over the beans, then place in a bowl, add water to cover, and let soak in the refrigerator overnight. Drain, rinse well, and transfer to a wide saucepan. Add water to cover by 2 inches and bring slowly to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, warm the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and sage and sauté for a few minutes to soften. Add the onion mixture to the beans along with the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper. Turn down the heat to low, cover, and cook slowly until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.

For meatballs: In a bowl, combine the beef, 1 egg, bread crumbs, onion, parsley, nutmeg, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and mix well with your hands. Add the second egg if needed to bind. Shape the mixture into giant meatballs, shaping them into walnut-size balls. Spread some flour on a plate and season with salt and pepper. Coat each ball evenly with the seasoned flour, tapping off the excess.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pour the oil to a depth of 1/4 inch into a large sauté pan and warm over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the meatballs and brown well on all sides. Transfer the meatballs to the beans, re-cover the pan and place in the preheated oven (or over low heat on the stove top) and cook until the meatballs are cooked through, about 30 minutes. If the beans seem dry, add water as needed. The dish should be somewhat brothy.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.