Kenneth M. Horwitz is first an accountant and a lawyer. But for decades, his avocation has been cooking. “Deep Flavors,” his hefty new cookbook, is a compendium of his own recipes (sometimes adapted from others) all written for a kosher kitchen. He approaches the kitchen with the same attention to detail that he might apply to a tax file or brief. It’s worth reading the copious text as he explains how his recipes evolved, sometimes with advice he picked up from figures like Julia Child, Mark Bittman and Barbara Kafka. He disdains shortcuts and treasures fresh and unprocessed high-quality ingredients. Pay attention to his advice about preparing ingredients before starting a recipe, like blanching basil for pesto to keep the color. The recipes are Jewish, Southern (he lives in Texas), Middle Eastern and more, tweaked, when necessary, for a Jewish or kosher home. His brownies are winners, as is his Indian-style grilled chicken with a spiced nondairy yogurt. Mr. Horwitz seems to have quite a sweet tooth, shown in the sugar he adds to several recipes, most notably his stuffed cabbage.
“Deep Flavors: A Celebration of Recipes for Foodies in a Kosher Style” by Kenneth M. Horwitz (Inspire on Purpose Publishing, $39.95).
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