Melin­da Strauss’s new cook­book, Eat Jew­ish: Over 100 Recipes that Blend Jew­ish Her­itage, Mod­ern Fla­vors and Fam­i­ly Tra­di­tions, is one you’ll want to curl up with. The word that best describes it is ​“com­fort” — the book is fun to browse and full of recipes that evoke warmth, famil­iar­i­ty, and home.

One of the first things you’ll notice about Eat Jew­ish is how beau­ti­ful it is. The pho­tos of the food are stun­ning. The illus­tra­tions are sweet and sim­ple, adding a del­i­cate touch. The font is clear and easy to read. It’s a book that will look good on your coun­ter­top or book­shelf, and it makes a thought­ful gift for any­one inter­est­ed in Jew­ish food.

The recipes are orga­nized into clear cat­e­gories. The ​“Poul­try” sec­tion fea­tures fla­vor­ful options like Apple Cider – Roast­ed Chick­en, per­fect for fall; and Sumac Za’atar Chick­en with its bold Mid­dle East­ern spices. The ​“Side Dish­es” include sta­ples such as Nora’s Broc­coli, Roast­ed Pur­ple Cab­bage, and a hearty Mediter­ranean Rice Pilaf. The ​“Kugels & Casseroles” sec­tion includes both tra­di­tion­al favorites like Pota­to Kugel and mod­ern alter­na­tives like But­ter­nut Squash Kugel and Sweet Raisin Noo­dle Kugel — cov­er­ing every­thing from savory to sweet. In the ​“Dairy” sec­tion, you’ll find baked goods like Mom’s Baked Mac­a­roni and Cheese and Zuc­chi­ni Ravi­o­li, along­side creamy cheese snacks like Lab­neh. The ​“Desserts” offer plen­ty of sweet options: Red Vel­vet Cake, Grand­ma Shelly’s Choco­late Wal­nut Banana Cake, and Apfelkuchen — a Ger­man apple cake with a cre­ative twist. The ​“Cook­ies & Treats” sec­tion fea­tures favorites like Lemon Cook­ies and Tahi­ni Choco­late Chip Cook­ie Sticks, along with more unique treats like Hazen­bluzen and Cin­na­mon-Sug­ar Man­del­broit. The ​“Hol­i­day Recipes” include fes­tive dish­es such as Pota­to Latkes, Bimue­los, and col­or­ful Rain­bow Hamantaschen.

The recipes are writ­ten with clar­i­ty and bro­ken down into sim­ple, log­i­cal steps. The cook­book offers new recipes for famil­iar dish­es and fresh ideas to explore. Over­all, it’s a warm and invit­ing book that enrich­es Jew­ish food with every recipe.