The Second Avenue Deli Cookbook Read Free Page A

comfort in a baffling new world, Yiddish plays were as nourishing and vital to them as food and drink. The Jewish stage prospered through the 1940s, when it fell victim to assimilation and the diminishing number of Yiddish-speaking Jews.
    In the early 1990s, inspired by perestroika, Abe developed a new passion: to open the first kosher restaurant in Moscow. Robbed of his childhood by the rise of Communism, he enthusiastically hailed its demise. His intention was to begin restoring to Russian Jews—via matzo ball soup, chopped liver, and potato latkes—their long-lost heritage. The profits from the restaurant—which was to be called Rishon (Hebrew for “First”)—would be donated, in his parents’ name, to a Russian yeshiva. Abe made many trips toMoscow trying to set things up. In the end, however, a combination of bureaucratic mire and Russian corruption (thugs demanded under-the-table payments for “security”) put an end to this cherished project. Though deeply disappointed, Abe soon put Moscow behind him and returned his focus to the Deli, which by now had attained the status of a Big Apple landmark.
    After decades of struggle, Abe’s dream of success in America was a reality—a reality that he enjoyed tremendously until the last moment of his life. He loved people, he loved food, he loved his restaurant, and he loved New York, especially his East Village neighborhood. The Second Avenue Deli has long been the anchor of that neighborhood, its glowing neon sign the symbol of a vibrant community of successful businesses, shops, restaurants, and cafés. During his lifetime, other businesspeople in the area dubbed Abe “the Mayor of Second Avenue.”
    If Abe had been aware of his own violent death, he would have seen it as an anomaly, not as a sign that crime was rampant on the city streets. He was always upbeat about New York. And he would have wanted his restaurant to continue to flourish and feed the public. Soon after Abe’s death, his widow, Eleanor, and his brother, Jack, reopened the Deli. They knew Abe would have wanted it that way. Under their loving stewardship, the kitchen has maintained its excellence and authenticity, while continuing to experiment and evolve. The same waitstaff is on hand to warmly welcome customers. And a final dream of Abe’s has also been realized: in 1997, a sparkling new interior and façade were created by one of America’s most prominent restaurant designers, Adam Tihany, who breathed new life into our surroundings without sacrificing the Deli’s all-important traditional
gemütlichkeit.
    Every night, people still form long lines outside the Deli’s doors, waiting to savor its peerless pastrami and incomparable chopped liver. When there are especially large crowds, waiters come out with platters of hors d’oeuvres to stave off the pangs of hunger. The Second Avenue Deli remains a vibrant New York institution that we hope will survive forever as a loving tribute to its founder, Abe Lebewohl.

ABOUT THIS COOKBOOK

    I N THE COMING PAGES , you’ll learn the secrets of all the Second Avenue Deli’s classic creations—our award-winning chopped liver, Old World cholent, fork-tender brisket of beef, and crisp potato latkes.
    Our traditional fare is the ultimate expression of comfort food. Dripping in schmaltz and nostalgia—and as diverse as the nations of the Diaspora—it’s redolent of Jewish culture and history; almost every dish evokes a holiday ritual. But Abe’s eclectic enthusiasms couldn’t be contained even in the wide spectrum of Jewish cuisine. If he especially liked something he ate, Abe wanted it served in his restaurant, Jewish or not. Hence, our menu—and the recipes in this book—include such unexpected items as spicy barbecued chicken, buffalo wings, a California-style bow tie salad with sun-dried tomatoes, chicken cacciatore, and even vegetable lo mein!
    Every