She comes from a Con­ser­v­a­tive Jew­ish home in Bethes­da, Mary­land; he grew up in Fred­er­icks­burg, Vir­ginia, and was edu­cat­ed at an Epis­co­palian board­ing school. Pas­tra­mi and lox, meat and pota­toes — how did Todd Gray and Ellen Kas­soff Gray come to own Equinox, a high­ly acclaimed Wash­ing­ton, DC, restau­rant and fuse their food back­grounds?

The New Jew­ish Table demon­strates the answer. For both of them food was their muse and their plea­sure, and that shows in the blend­ed table they present here. Arranged sea­son­al­ly, the recipes stress fresh local ingre­di­ents with some new twists on famil­iar Jew­ish dish­es — Baked Gefilte Fish, Tuna Noo­dle Kugel, Mod­ern-style Tzimmes gar­nished with plums. The mid­dle ground where the Grays met culi­nar­i­ly was Mediter­ranean food, and their recipes reflect that com­mon inter­est — Quinoa Sal­ad with Figs and Beets, Sweet and Sour Egg­plant on Crispy Gar­lic Toast, Mediter­ranean-style Fish Stew. And there’s plen­ty of just plain good food from both their back­grounds — Fried Green Toma­to Sand­wich and Mat­zo Brei — as well as sophis­ti­cat­ed con­tem­po­rary dish­es and a cou­ple of veg­an spe­cial­ties for Ellen, whose tastes have changed over the years.

In addi­tion to the recipes, the Grays car­ry on a con­ver­sa­tion with each oth­er and their read­ers, dis­cussing each recipe and offer­ing mem­o­ries, expla­na­tions, and cook­ing tips. By the end of the book read­ers will feel as if they made new friends over a well-pre­pared and well-planned meal. There are also menus for Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kip­pur, Chanukkah, and Passover, with fresh takes on tra­di­tion­al dish­es. A Chef’s Appen­dix has excel­lent infor­ma­tion on culi­nary basics. Although some dish­es are not kosher, each recipe is iden­ti­fied as meat, dairy, or parve — with a cou­ple of notable ​“mixed” dish­es like a Reuben sand­wich.

In all The New Jew­ish Table will refresh read­ers’ meals with sea­son­al and cre­ative dish­es. With invit­ing col­or pho­tog­ra­phy, The New Jew­ish Table is a sol­id addi­tion to any cook’s shelf. Chef’s Appen­cix, index, photographs.

Recipe: Chick­pea Sal­ad with Feta Cheese and Mint

Makes about 6 cups

Todd: Espe­cial­ly when fresh veg­eta­bles aren’t plen­ti­ful, it is a great idea to use legumes and beans as the main ingre­di­ent for sal­ads. The extra pro­tein comes in handy to pro­vide the ener­gy our bod­ies need in cold weath­er months. Herbs like mint and pars­ley are eas­i­ly found year-round, so I don’t real­ly con­sid­er using them in the win­ter to be a ​“sea­son­al vio­la­tion.” Here’s a tip for shav­ing the red onion: If you don’t have an inex­pen­sive Japan­ese veg­etable slicer, it’s a good idea to invest in one. It’s a great tool for eas­i­ly slic­ing onions real­ly thinly.

Two 15.5‑ounce cans chick­peas, rinsed and drained
1 cup quar­tered cher­ry toma­toes
1 cup very thin­ly sliced red onion (about 1 small onion)
½ cup crum­bled feta cheese (2 ounces)
¼ cup sliv­ered black olives
2 scal­lions, thin­ly sliced cross­wise, includ­ing part of the green (¼ cup)
2 tea­spoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1 gar­lic clove, minced
¼ cup olive oil, prefer­ably extra vir­gin
2 table­spoons fresh­ly squeezed lemon juice
1 tea­spoon salt
⅛ tea­spoon fresh­ly ground black pepper

Place the chick­peas in a medi­um-size bowl. Add the toma­toes (hold these aside if mak­ing ahead of time so they don’t get mushy), onions, cheese, olives, scal­lions, mint, and gar­lic; stir to mix. In a small bowl or glass mea­sur­ing cup, whisk togeth­er the oil, lemon juice, salt, and pep­per. Pour over the chick­pea sal­ad and stir to mix well. Refrig­er­ate for at least 30 min­utes before serv­ing; if you held the toma­toes aside, mix them in about 30 min­utes before serving.

From The New Jew­ish Table: Mod­ern Sea­son­al Rcipes for Tra­di­tion­al Dish­es Todd Gray and Ellen Kas­soff Gray with David Hage­dorn (St. Martin’s Press, 2013).