Cooking with Tina

I have always had a passion for food and cooking. Every year I help my mom prepare dishes and bake tasty desserts for the Jewish holidays. Upon learning that the face of food for the Jewish Reform movement, Tina Wasserman, lived in Dallas, Texas, I was eager to meet her. When my mom and I arrived at her house, I was slightly nervous, however, when the door opened, I was lured in by the smell of cinnamon, Tina’s beautiful, organized kitchen, and her friendly smile. Minutes after entering her house, Tina offered my mother and I a sample of her irresistible rugelach and dark chocolate salted caramels.  The flakey, buttery rugelach melted in my mouth. My mother, who swears by her grandmother’s famous rugelach recipe, even admitted that Tina’s rugelach was the best she had ever tasted.

Because I was taking a short cooking lesson, Tina and I planned to make beet humus, a dish she first tasted in an upscale restaurant in Tel Aviv. Tina explained to me the connection between beets and Judaism. Beets, cheap and plentiful in Eastern Europe and Ukraine, were an important component to the diets of the poor Jewish and Polish communities. Who knew?

The recipe for Beet Hummus was simple and easy to follow. While Tina directed me in preparing the dip, she offered me helpful tidbits such as how to chop garlic and how to correctly measure a tablespoon of a liquid. In about 20 minutes, Tina and I had whipped up a beautiful, light pink hummus dip. My mouth watered as Tina pulled out some crackers. I dove into the pretty dip, which was salty and rich from the chickpeas, but had a light, airy texture from the sweet beets. Although I enjoy chickpea hummus, this was definitely the most delicious hummus I have ever eaten.

Although I had expected only a brief cooking lesson and an interview, my experience cooking with Tina was so much more. I can’t wait to explore her cookbook and have confidence that her recipes will be delicious and manageable even for novice home cooks like me!