The Secret Currency of Love is a fine new book, featuring essays by professional writers on the role money plays in their lives. Unfortunately, its significant value is obscured by a cheap subtitle - "The Unabashed Truth about Women, Money and Relationships" - a confessional tagline that sounds designed to attract the fans of supermarket tabloids.

Worse, it's misleading. It implies the book treats the shocking woes of a gender that's been fiscally undone by love. In fact, the majority of those selected for inclusion by editor Hilary Black - including high-fliers like Pushcart Prize-winning novelist Ann Hood - explore the low wages paid to most writers, and the resulting pressure that that puts on their close relationships.

Every form of love that can be affected by the calculus of poverty and wealth is treated by her contributors. Among them are NPR commentator Lori Gottlieb, who covers the cost of raising a child alone in Los Angeles; financial writer Abby Ellin, whose fiscal freedom was bought for her by her parents; and memoirist Bliss Broyard, who learned how to milk friends and guilt people, all by being poorer than thou.

But for each, it was her career choice - rather than love - that determined her shaky earning power and its consequences. Most of the anthology's contributors are freelance writers, and their difficulties arose, or grew, once they tried to meet the needs of someone beyond themselves.

"Before I had a child, I didn't care about money," admits Gottlieb, a single mother who works on contract. On longing for a second child, she found, "I'd gone from being a person who was indifferent about money to one who was obsessed by it."

Some felt less squeezed because others helped pay the bills. Former New York Times columnist Ellin says that her parents sent her "to camp and college and graduate school," and then bought her a city apartment. "With this kind of financial support," she adds, "I've always been armed with the courage to be adventurous."

Adventurous, or entitled? The latter drove Broyard, the daughter of literary critic Anatole Broyard, to mimic the spending habits of wealthy friends, until she was broke. They ended up buying her meals - then traded up to clothes and vacations. "Part of them admires my choice to live slightly off the grid in order to pursue my artistic ambitions," she writes, adding, "They need someone like me in their lives."

Could be. But the question of how to live, and on whose dime, has less to do with gender than it does with individual choices. Too bad the title of this anthology doesn't reflect that.

Stephanie Klein, author of Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp, spent the past week guest blogging on Jewcy. She opened with an explanation of her book's title (and middle school nickname). Then she went on a rant about Japs (as in Jewish American prince/princess), followed by a post about publicizing her life story. She even gave us some insight about why, despite their reputation, Jewish girls do swallow. Finally, she told us about her deal to make a sitcom out of her last memoir. Need some more moose? Buy Stephanie's book!

Last week, Janna Gur, author of The Book of New Israeli Food, posted some insightful and entertaining stories about her book.  In light of this week's holiday bonanza, Janna has graciously provided us with some of her new Israeli recipes to help spice up your meals. Enjoy, Jewcers!

Flame-Roasting Eggplants

Roasting eggplants on an open flame can be messy but is definitely worth the effort as the smoky aroma adds immensely to the taste.

First line your stovetop with aluminum foil. Place a whole eggplant (or more than one if you are confident) on a rack over the open flame and roast, turning occasionally, until the skin is scorched and blackened and the flesh feels soft when pierced with a wooden skewer or a fork. The eggplant can also be broiled in the oven, or grilled on a charcoal barbecue. Cool slightly  (to avoid burning your hands) and peel, carefully removing every last bit of scorched skin, or cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh with a wooden spoon.

Ideally, roasted eggplant should be served shortly after roasting, and seasoned while still warm to ensure optimal absorption of every spicy nuance. But if you need to store it for later, drain the roasted flesh of excess liquid, cover with oil and refrigerate. Season before serving.

Eggplant and Tahini SaladRoasted Eggplant with Tahini

This classic combination always works. Use best quality tahini.

Add ½ cup raw tahini seasoned with 3-4 tablespoons lemon juice, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2-3 tablespoons chopped parsley, a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to the flesh of two roasted eggplants. If the mixture is too thick, add water gradually and stir to desired texture. Sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds or pine nuts before serving.

Roasted Eggplant with Pecans and Blue Cheese

This union of particularly strong flavors produces a delicious sandwich spread. Add about ½ cup crumbled blue (Roquefort style) cheese and ½ cup toasted chopped pecans to the flesh of two roasted eggplants.

Romanian-style Roasted Eggplant Salad

Don't be alarmed by the amount of oil. The eggplants love it, and so do the Romanians.

Add ½ cup oil (the Romanians insist on strongly flavored sunflower oil, preferably unrefined), at least 3 cloves crushed garlic, salt and freshly ground black pepper to the flesh of two roasted eggplants. You may also add two grated onions and/or two peeled, grated tomatoes. To keep the texture pleasantly palatable rather than muddy, mix the oil with the other ingredients by stirring gently with a wooden spoon. 

Last week, Janna Gur, author of The Book of New Israeli Food, posted some insightful and entertaining stories about her book.  In light of this week's holiday bonanza, Janna has graciously provided us with some of her new Israeli recipes to help spice up your meals. Enjoy, Jewcers!

Citrus Semolina Cake

Semolina cakes are found throughout the Middle East and are popular in Jewish Sephardic kitchens. Called basbousa, safra, tishpishti or revani, they can be filled with dates, garnished with almonds, and can even be made with ground walnuts instead of, or in addition to, semolina. These crumbly dry cakes are doused with syrup immediately after baking, making them moist and very sweet.

The following is a slightly unorthodox version that contains freshly squeezed orange (or tangerine) juice and citrus marmalade, and is prepared with separated eggs for a light fluffy texture.

Ingredients (for a 25x30 cm/10x12 inch baking pan):

Citrus Semolina CakeCake
6 eggs, separated
100 g (3½oz, 1/2 cup) sugar
100 g (3½oz, 1 cup) ground coconut
140 g (5 oz, 1 cup) sifted flour
270 g (10 oz, 2½ cups) semolina
25 g (1 oz, 1½ tablespoons) ground almonds
20 g (2 small sachets, 4 teaspoons) baking powder
240 ml (8½ fl oz, 1 cup) oil
360 ml (13 fl oz, 1½ cup) freshly squeezed orange or tangerine juice
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
240 ml (8½ fl oz, 1 cup) orange or lemon marmalade

Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Crushed almonds or coconut flakes for garnish

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).

2. Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the sugar for 8 minutes until they hold stiff peaks.

3. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl: coconut, flour, semolina, ground almonds and baking powder.

4. Beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl, gradually adding the oil, juice, orange zest and marmalade.

5. Stir in the dry ingredients slowly until combined well. Gently fold in the peaked egg whites.

6. Pour the batter into a well-greased pan and bake for 30 minutes, until the cake turns golden and a toothpick comes out dry with a few crumbs adhering.

7. While the cake is in the oven prepare the syrup: Bring the water and sugar to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

8. Take the cake out of the oven and pour on the syrup evenly. Cool completely and garnish with almonds or coconut.

Last week, Janna Gur, author of The Book of New Israeli Food, posted some insightful and entertaining stories about her book.  In light of this week's holiday bonanza, Janna has graciously provided us with some of her new Israeli recipes to help spice up your meals. Enjoy, Jewcers!

Traditional Couscous Soup

This is the vegetarian version of the exotically fragrant Moroccan soup that is served with couscous. Use the same procedure to prepare couscous soup with chicken (see below)

Ingredients (serves 6-8):

1 cup chickpeas, soaked in cold water overnight, rinsed and drained
4 carrots, cut into 2-3 large chunks
4 medium potatoes, quartered
1 large onion, quartered
Salt and freshly ground white or black pepper to taste
Small pinch of saffron or 11/2 teaspoons turmeric
200 g (7 oz) pumpkin , cut into 4-5 large  chunks
4 courgettes (zucchini), cut into 3-4 large chunks
Half a green cabbage, quartered
4-5 stalks celery stalks, peeled and cut coarsely (save the leaves)
1/2 kg (1 lb 2 oz) instant couscous

Traditional Couscous Soup1. Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan, cover with water and cook for about 30 minutes. Drain, pour in 2 liters (2 quarts) of water (to prevent the soup from becoming cloudy later on), and cook for another 30 minutes, until the chickpeas are tender.

2. Add the carrots, potatoes and onion, season with salt, pepper, saffron or turmeric and cook for 45 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

3. Add the remaining vegetables (except the celery leaves) and cook for 15 minutes, until tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the celery leaves and cook for another 15 minutes.

4. Prepare the couscous according to the manufacturer's instructions.

5. Place a heap of couscous in a deep dish. Arrange the vegetables on top  and ladle the soup around and over the couscous.

Red Couscous Soup

When adding the pumpkin, cabbage and courgettes (zucchini), add one small can (300 g, 1012 oz) of tomatoes in tomato  paste and continue according to the recipe.

Spicy Couscous Soup

Add 1-2 tablespoons of filfel chuma (p. 296) or harissa (p. 298) towards the end of the cooking cycle.

Couscous Soup With Chicken

Add 6-8 chicken drumsticks for the last 30 minutes of the cooking cycle.

Yes, you can have you seder catered, but that’s no fun at all. If you don’t feel up to making a brisket and matzah ball soup for 30, at least try making your own charoset—it’s fun, easy, really yummy, and there are tons of different kinds of recipes to try. And remember, charoset is supposed to look like mortar, so the results can be plenty ugly as long as they taste sweet.

charoset: looks nasty, but you know you love itTraditional Ashkenazi Charoset

• 5 pound bag of apples (I like red delicious, but if you want your charoset tart, use granny smith), peeled and cored.
• About half a bottle of sweet red wine (Manischewitz works great)
• 1/3 to ½ cup of cinnamon
• one big bag of walnuts (about a pound)

Grind the apples and walnuts until they’ve formed a weird beige kind of runny paste. Add cinnamon and wine and keep trying until you get the consistency and taste you’re looking for. Ideally, you’d do the grinding with a meat grinder, but a food processor will work as well. Makes enough for two seders of twenty people each.

Looking for a gourmet take? Try Wolfgang Puck’s recipe.

Traditional Sephardi Charoset

Sephardi charoset usually contains dates, and is a little chunkier than its Ashkenazi cousin.

• 4 oz dates
• 4 oz figs
• 4 oz apricots
• 4 oz raisins
• 1 apple (Macintosh, preferably), peeled and cored
• 1 cup walnuts or almonds, ground
• 1 tablespoon honey
• Manischewitz
• cinnamon

In a food processor, grind the dried fruits until they’re chunky and add the apple, which should moisten everything a little. Mix in the ground nuts and the honey, and add some manischevitz until you have the consistency you want (sticky and chunky is the norm, but go with your gut) Then you can either add cinnamon to taste, or roll the charoset into balls about the size of a walnut and refrigerate. A few hours before serving, roll the balls in the cinnamon so they’re completely coated. Serve at room temperature. Makes enough for about 30.

For a gourmet take, try the recipe at Epicurious.

There’s a couple of great collections of Charoset recipes online if you’re looking to be more adventurous. The Canadian Jewish News covers the classics alongside recipes for Coconut and Lemon Charoset, Maple Charoset, Seven Fruit Charoset, and Turkish Charoset. Jewishfamily.com has charoset recipes from Morocco, Afghanistan, and India. Finally, Kosher4passover.com covers every exotic Charoset you could possibly imagine, including Provencal and Georgian.