by Nick Zukin
Wise Sons, the brainchild of college friends Leo Beckerman and Evan Bloom, offers a short menu of new-wave and traditional Jewish deli specialties prepared with an artisan attitude. Rye bread is made in-house. Pickles—and we’re not just talking cucumbers—rotate seasonally. Pastrami is bathed in a sweet-salty brine before it’s lightly smoked over hickory and hand-cut for service. Wise Sons’ flair for tongue-in-cheek nods to the proprietors’ Jewish heritage is noteworthy. Shtetl Toast, a name with a Yiddish reference to the crowded enclaves where Eastern European Jews once lived, uses traditional ingredients in a delightfully twisted way. Tempting for the name alone is their Shlubby Joe, a beer-braised brisket on sea salt–sprinkled challah. In a nod to Jewish dietary laws, the menu is pork-free.
Beckerman, dreadlocked and sporting a wraparound head scarf, is the order-taker on my first Wise Sons encounter. Bloom is in the kitchen sweating through an unrelenting rush of orders that may total as many as 300 over about 6 hours. Popular items on a concise menu include outrageously rich chocolate babka French toast, smoked trout salad, and locally made Montreal-style Beauty Bagels. Turns out that Bloom’s two kitchen cohorts, Blake Joffe and Amy Ramsen, are Beauty Bagels, making them in small quantities for Wise Sons and a handful of other Bay Area outlets. In mid-2012, Beauty Bagels leased their own retail space, though Joffe, Ramsen (jokingly referred to as the token shiksa, a sometimes derogatory reference to a non-Jewish woman), Beckerman, and Bloom remain close.
When the rush finally subsides, Beckerman and Bloom are ready to chat, a new generation’s kitchen-centered Simon & Garfunkel. That 1960s musical duo met and began singing in Hebrew school. Beckerman and Bloom, both from Southern California, first joined forces in 2003, cooking at barbecues for a Jewish student group at the University of California, Berkeley. After graduation, Bloom and Beckerman worked separate jobs but stayed in touch. They drew up a business plan in 2009 and started Wise Sons the next year.
Of Wise Sons’ rotating selection of Jewish specialties, Beckerman explains, “We wanted to be able to bring this food to a city that doesn’t have it. And people are coming out of the woodwork.” The Bay Area “has a large Jewish community, and we are trading on the culture.” But Wise Sons’ intended reach extends beyond the Jewish community. Beckerman adds, “We are reaching out to the younger, non-Jewish crowd. We want to expose them to Jewish food, too.”
Judging by Wise Sons’ broad popularity and the critical praise it has generated in a city spoiled by quality cuisine, Bloom and Beckerman are exceeding their most optimistic goals and proving themselves Wise Sons indeed.
Caramelized Onions
Makes 1 to 2 cups
Raw onions transform magically as they are slowly cooked and caramelized. Their cellular structure breaks down and, from a chemical standpoint, caramelization converts the simple sugar molecules to a broad range of flavor-rich compounds as they darken. Adding sugar and vinegar to the cooking onions makes for a more dynamic, rounded flavor, though these ingredients can be omitted for a more straight-ahead oniony taste. Adding a little water during the process will help ensure that the caramel color is evenly distributed, a tip Nick picked up years ago from Julie Sahni’s seminal text, Classic Indian Cooking. The water content of onions can vary widely, which accounts for the variable yield for this recipe.
¼ cup vegetable oil
2½ pounds yellow or white onions (about 5 large), halved and thinly sliced
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 tablespoon distilled white, cider, or white wine vinegar
In a large skillet, preferably nonstick, warm the oil over medium heat and then add the onions. Sprinkle the salt over the onions and stir until evenly distributed. Sauté the onions, stirring occasionally, until the edges of the onions begin to brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in 2 tablespoons water and continue to cook until the browned edges are moistened and lightened, about 5 minutes longer. Decrease the heat to low if the onions are darkening excessively.
Continue to cook, stirring occasionally and adding up to 2 additional tablespoons water if the onions seem dry, until the onions reach a uniform deep caramel color, about 45 minutes. (A light brown or honey color is not dark enough.) Stir in the sugar and vinegar. Continue to cook until the sharp vinegar smell dissipates and the onions darken a bit further, about 5 minutes longer.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the onions to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 6 months.
Pickled Red Onions
Makes 1½ to 2 cups
Our pickling brine moderates the sharpness of raw red onion and sends the flavor in multiple directions all at once: sweet, tangy, spicy, salty, and savory. No wonder these onions find their way into several of the recipes in this book. The pickled onions can be slipped into a sandwich or served as a condiment with grilled meats. Or in the “we can pickle that” tradition of our favorite television show, Portlandia, serve some of these as part of a multi-vegetable pickle platter. These pickled onions will keep safely in the refrigerator for a month, but be aware that the longer they are in the brine, the more potent they will become.
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 bay leaves
1 (2- to 3-inch) cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
½ teaspoon black peppercorns
½ teaspoon whole cloves
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 large red onion (about 12 ounces), halved and thinly sliced
Combine the onion, vinegar, sugar, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, crushed red pepper, if using, peppercorns, cloves, and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Boil for 1 minute. Add the onions and then remove the pan from the heat. Allow the onions and pickling brine to cool to room temperature, and then transfer to a nonreactive container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrigerate for 1 day to allow the flavors to meld. The pickled red onions will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Zesty Zucchini Bread-and-Butter Pickles
Makes 3 to 4 pints
In North American parlance, a pickle is usually a small cucumber that has been preserved either in vinegar or brine flavored with an assortment of herbs, spices, and other flavorings. The world of pickles is far wider and more interesting than the humble cucumber, though. At craft-oriented restaurants in DIY-focused Portland, it seems that every restaurant has a pickle plate boasting a cornucopia of cured vegetables ranging in taste from sweet to downright puckery. When pickled in this particular brine, zucchini pickles are on the sweet side.
2 pounds zucchini, ends trimmed and cut into ¹⁄8-inch-thick slices (about 6 cups)
1 large yellow onion, halved and cut crosswise into thin slices (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons pickling salt
2 cups apple cider vinegar
1¼ cups granulated sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon pickling spice
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
In a salad spinner or large colander set over a bowl, toss the zucchini and onion with the pickling salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, for at least 4 hours or overnight. Dry in the salad spinner, or spread the vegetables out onto a work surface lined with a double thickness of paper towels and pat dry.
In a large saucepan, stir together the vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds, turmeric, celery seeds, coriander seeds, pickling spice, and crushed red pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Add the zucchini and onion, and then remove from the heat. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a nonreactive container with a tight-fitting lid. Refrig
erate for 1 day to allow the flavors to meld. The zucchini pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Kosher Dill Pickles
Makes about 3 quarts
Kosher in name if not strictly in accordance with Jewish dietary laws, salty, sour, spicy, and juicy dill pickles are a Jewish deli staple. A lot of the old-line delis used to (and a few still do) have a dish of them sitting out on every table for customers to nosh on gratis while awaiting the arrival of steroidal sandwiches. Health codes and hard times have made the free pickle dish a relative rarity. The cultural legacy of the dill pickle is one of availability and economy. Dill is one of the few fresh herbs that grow in the harsh northerly climates of Eastern Europe. And pickling a bumper crop of cukes in summer and fall ensured that our forebears would have vegetables of some sort throughout the cold, harsh winters. Pickle recipes abound, so rather than try and reinvent the wheel, we are passing along an adaptation of one we really like: the Lower East Side Full-Sour Dills from Linda Ziedrich’s authoritative The Joy of Pickling.
About 4 pounds pickling cucumbers, 3 to 5 inches long, blossom ends trimmed
8 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons dill seeds or 4 to 6 fresh dill heads
2 small fresh or dried hot chiles, such as japonés or de árbol, slit lengthwise
2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1 tablespoon allspice berries
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
½ cup pickling salt
Layer the cucumbers in a wide-mouth, gallon-size ceramic or glass jar or food-grade plastic container. Sprinkle in the garlic, dill, chiles, coriander, allspice berries, and peppercorns.
Dissolve the pickling salt in 3 quarts water, and pour enough of the brine over the cucumbers to cover them. Push a gallon-size freezer bag into the jar, pour the remaining brine into the bag, and seal the bag. The brine bag should weight down the pickles to keep them submerged in the brine. (The bag is filled with brine instead of water so that in case there is a pinhole leak, the brine in the jar will not be diluted.) If needed, invert a plate or other heavy, flat object over the top of the brine bag for additional weight. It is essential that all of the pickles are completely submerged in the brine; even one pickle breaching the surface will ruin the entire batch. Cover the jar with a clean, dry kitchen towel and keep it at room temperature ranging anywhere from 55°F to 80°F (70°F to 75°F is optimal).
If scum or mold forms on top of the brine, skim it off daily and rinse off the brine bag. Within 3 days you should see the tiny bubbles in the brine, which will become cloudy as it ferments.
The pickles are ready when they are sour and olive green throughout, after about 2 weeks. At this point, remove the brine bag and any scum, cap the jar, and store it in the refrigerator, where the pickles will keep for several months.
Pickled Green Tomatoes
Makes 3 quarts
Compared to canning, pickling is a breeze since there is far less preparation involved. Local groceries do not usually stock pickled tomatoes, so home-pickled versions are a special treat. Traditionally, Jewish delis use green tomatoes, but if you can’t find them, red ones are fine to use, too. Select the firmest, least ripe plum (Roma) tomatoes available. The optional crushed red pepper will add a moderate amount of spice for those who prefer their pickles perky.
3 pounds small green tomatoes or firm red plum (Roma) tomatoes
6 cups distilled white vinegar
3 tablespoons pickling salt
6 cloves garlic, minced or thinly sliced
4 large sprigs fresh dill
1 tablespoon pickling spice
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
Sterilize a wide-mouth, gallon-size, heat-resistant glass or food-safe plastic container by placing it in a clean sink and filling it with boiling water. Let stand for 5 minutes, and then carefully empty out the water. Set aside.
Meanwhile, halve the tomatoes lengthwise. Use a small spoon or your fingers to remove and discard the seeds without disturbing the flesh of the tomato. Rinse the tomatoes under hot tap water to clean them, shaking off any excess water.
Combine the vinegar, pickling salt, and 6 cups water in a large, nonreactive saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat.
While the vinegar mixture is coming to a boil, put the garlic, dill, pickling spice, crushed red pepper, if using, and mustard and coriander seeds into the prepared jar. Place the tomatoes on top, filling the container no more than three-quarters full.
When the pickling liquid comes to a boil, turn off the heat, stir to dissolve the salt, and then let cool to room temperature. Pour the liquid over the tomatoes until they are covered by ½ to 1 inch of liquid, reserving at least 2 cups of the brine in the pot. Set aside to finish cooling.
Once the reserved brine has cooled, add 2 cups of it to a quart-size, freezer-strength, resealable plastic bag and seal the bag. Arrange it over the tomatoes to keep them submerged. (Alternatively, use a small plate to keep the tomatoes submerged.)
Cover the jar with a lid or a double layer of plastic wrap secured with a rubber band. Refrigerate the pickles for at least 1 week before eating. The pickled tomatoes will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
Spicy Pickle Relish
Makes 1½ cups
Relish is a basic condiment typically tossed on top of hamburgers and hot dogs served at summer barbecues. This versatile relish can do far more. It plays a strong supporting role in our Russian Dressing and Deli Chopped Salad. We love the snap and sweet tang of the zucchini-based Bread-and-Butter Pickles called for in this recipe, but if time is short, feel free to substitute a good-quality store-bought sweet pickle variety.
1 heaping cup chopped sour dill pickles
½ cup firmly packed Zesty Zucchini Bread-and-Butter Pickles
½ cup firmly packed sliced pepperoncini
½ cup firmly packed Pickled Red Onions
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine both pickles, pepperoncini, onions, garlic, and crushed red pepper. Pulse, scraping down the sides as needed, until an evenly chopped relish forms. Transfer to a covered container, adding any excess pickle juices, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
Roasted Red Peppers
Makes 4 to 8 roasted red peppers
There is no comparison between raw and roasted red bell peppers. The flavor and texture is completely different, so stark that they might as well be different vegetables. Roasting them takes an ordinary, even unpleasant, vegetable to a higher plane. With their bright color, slippery-soft texture, and mellow sweet-vegetal bite combined with just a touch of char, roasted red peppers make a welcome addition to a kaleidoscope of dishes, such as Ajvar and Grandma’s Goulash. Though there are plenty of excellent jarred varieties available at your local supermarket or Russian market (see Sources and Resources), resolute DIY types will definitely want to roast their own.
4 to 8 red bell peppers
Arrange an oven rack about 6 inches from the heating element and heat the broiler to high. Place the whole peppers on a broiler pan or sturdy baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil the peppers, turning them with tongs as they blacken, until charred all over, 12 to 15 minutes. (Alternatively, the peppers can be charred directly over an open flame on a gas burner or on an outside grill. Using this method is the best way to prevent overcooking.) Be careful to blister the skin only, without cooking the flesh of the pepper any more than necessary.
Transfer the peppers to a shallow bowl, cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap, and let stand for 15 minutes to steam and soften. Remove and discard the skins, stems, and seeds of the peppers under cool running water. Wipe gently with paper towels and cut and use as di
rected.
Ajvar
Makes about 4 cups
Throughout the Balkans, the versatile red pepper–based relish called ajvar (pronounced EYE-vahr) has been used for generations as a condiment, side dish, and spread. Nick likes it so much that he even uses it in place of salad dressing. According to Gil Marks in his Encyclopedia of Jewish Food, the name of this “wildly popular” preparation comes from the Turkish word for caviar, in reference to ajvar’s traditionally lumpy (though fish-free) texture. For a spicier version, use a little more cayenne or swap in your favorite chiles for an equal quantity of the bell pepper. For those on a sodium-restricted diet, the quantity of salt may be halved.
1 medium eggplant (about 1 pound), trimmed, peeled, and cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick slices
Olive oil, for brushing
Kosher salt
8 Roasted Red Peppers (about 2 pounds)
4 cloves garlic, microwaved or boiled in water for 30 seconds
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
¹⁄8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Generously brush the eggplant slices on both sides with olive oil and arrange them in a single layer on the baking sheet. Sprinkle them with salt and roast in the oven until soft when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
In the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the eggplant, roasted peppers, garlic, vinegar, sugar, cayenne, and 2 teaspoons salt. (If you prefer a smoother spread, use a blender.) Process until a spreadable paste forms, 30 to 60 seconds, scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice. Transfer to a covered container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
