‘Joy of Kosher’ queen goes sabra

She’s known as the Jewish Rachael Ray, and there’s a lot that Jamie Geller, the irrepressibly outgoing force behind the Kosher Media Network — her world of kosher cookbooks, magazines, a website and television series — has in common with her fellow celebrity chef.

Both offer quick, easy-to-make recipes for harried parents and home cooks who want to put something flavorful and current on the table. It was Ray who helped popularize the term EVOO, a nickname for extra virgin olive oil, and Geller has a similar approach, taking Jewish and Israeli standards and streamlining them for the American market.

Geller is a genius at marketing, from her new book, “The Joy of Kosher,” a play on the cookbook standard, “The Joy of Cooking,” to her Nefesh b’Nefesh-partnered TV reality series documenting her family’s move to Israel.

The new book lets Geller offer a personal take on many Israeli foods after her first year in Israel.

Jamie Geller (photo credit: Courtesy)

There’s ktzitzot, the standard Israeli meat patty (called Israeli mini burgers by Geller), falafel “poppers,” Yerushalmi kugel with raisins, “Somewhat Sephardic Chulent,” and a host of other traditional Jewish and Israeli classics.

She relies on many shortcuts, including some ingredients and ready-made products not very often found in the typical Israeli kitchen, such as margarine and mayonnaise, cake mixes and ready-made pie crusts, but Geller is adjusting to the Israeli kitchen, she told The Times of Israel.

“I love cumin — I put it in everything,” she said. “In guacamole, with eggplant. And eggplant has become a regular feature in our house; we eat it three times a week.”

But no, none of her five kids eat eggplant. For now, she’s happy they’re adjusting to hummus.