Tori Avey's Classic Jewish Recipes: Popular Dishes and More

Tori Avey’s Classic Jewish Recipes: Popular Dishes and More

You’ve just found your way to one of the largest and most delicious collections of authentic kosher Jewish recipes online. Shalom! My name is Tori Avey, I am so happy you’re here.

I started this website in 2010 after meeting my husband, who was born in Israel, and learning to cook the foods he grew up with. Here I share my personal Jewish cooking journey, as well as my broader exploration of Mediterranean cuisine and culture. I am proud that families around the world have integrated these recipes into their own holiday traditions. You can learn more about my culinary story here. If you are looking for unique and tasty Jewish recipes, check out the categories below!

Most Recent

Horizontal shot of floater matzo balls in a shallow bowl of vegetarian matzo ball soup with carrot slices, pieces of celery, and golden saffron broth. Spoon, fresh vegetables, and linen napkin on the white marble counter beside the bowl. Tiles and white jar in background.

Tori Avey’s Vegetarian Matzo Ball Soup: Meatless Passover Delight

Bowl of colorful rainbow salad with peppers, cucumbers, mushrooms and cabbage in a white bowl with glass dish of lemon juice, carafe of olive oil and blue napkin with wooden spoon in the background.

Tori Avey’s Vibrant Rainbow Salad: Easy, Healthy, and Delicious

Square image of a white bowl filled with "unstuffed cabbage". A bunch of fresh parsley sits in the back left corner, a larger serving dish of unstuffed cabbage sits in the back left corner..

Tori Avey’s Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls: Easy, Healthy, Low Carb Delight

Matzo ball soup - horizontal shot of classic Jewish chicken soup with fluffy matzo balls on a white countertop. Spoon and linen napkin beside the bowl, fresh green herbs and white ceramic jar in background.

Tori Avey’s Passover Perfection: Matzo Ball Soup & Chicken Recipe

Overhead shot - sinker matzo ball soup on a white marble surface. Soup includes dense sinker matzo balls, chicken, carrots, celery, and golden broth in a white soup bowl with spoon, cloth napkin, cracked matzo and fresh green herbs beside the bowl. Classic Jewish soup.

Tori Avey’s Flavorful Sinker Matzo Balls: Dense Delight

Horizontal shot of floater matzo balls in a shallow bowl of Jewish chicken soup with carrot slices, pieces of celery, and golden broth. Spoon and linen napkin on the white marble counter beside the bowl. Tiles and white jar in background.

Tori Avey’s Favorite Floater Matzo Balls: Irresistible Recipe

All Jewish Recipes

Browse Tori Avey’s Classic Jewish Recipes: Popular Dishes and More

learn jewish cooking

Jewish Cuisine & Culture

On my journey into Judaism, I had the opportunity to learn a lot about cultural and spiritual Jewish traditions. I have shared quite a bit about Judaism on my site through the years. You can learn more about the Jewish holidays, traditions, and more in the posts below.

Colorful Hanukah designs on wooden items tied on a string

Jewish Holiday Guides

Keeping Kosher

Two lit candles next to a Jewish bread on a fancy tray

Celebrating Shabbat

My Conversion to Judaism - A candid post about my conversion to Judaism and what it meant to me spiritually.

How I Found my Tribe

My Jewish Cooking Journey

In my twenties, cooking became a major focus of my life. I had always been comfortable in the kitchen, but I wanted to be a great cook—a real “balabusta,” as they say in Yiddish. Growing up, my world-traveling grandparents gave me my first introduction to Mediterranean cuisine. Then I met my husband, who was born in Israel, and my culinary world expanded to include an exciting new array of flavors– the Mediterranean Sephardic cuisine of his mom, and the Ashkenazi cuisine of his dad.

In 2010, I started a food blog called “The Shiksa in the Kitchen.” I am a convert to Judaism, and my Jewish husband grew up in Israel, so I have a particular interest in the roots of Jewish cuisine. The blog followed my journey through Jewish cooking and culture. I cooked with families around the world, learning Jewish recipes straight from the source.

Over time my focus broadened into general culinary history, with a particular emphasis on Mediterranean food culture. I gathered a group of distinguished contributors— food writers, professors, and cookbook authors– to share their own fascinating perspectives. A second blog, “The History Kitchen,” was born. Keeping up with two websites was complicated, so I ended up combining them here at ToriAvey.com. The rest, as they say, is history!

I learned to cook the old fashioned way, from friends and family members who have generously shared their recipes and cooking tips with me. This site features many original recipes that I’ve developed in my kitchen, taking what I’ve learned about spices, flavors and cooking techniques to create my own unique dishes. Some of the Jewish recipes featured on this site come from family, friends, and blog readers who submit their personal recipes along with their family story. Once in a while I write about a recipes from cookbooks; many of my friends are cookbook authors, and I love to share their work.

The recipes in this collection are continually tested and refined by a community of engaged food lovers. I never post a recipe that I didn’t really enjoy eating– it has to taste great to make it onto my site. If it’s not something I’ve created myself, the source will be credited in the blog. I regularly read comments from readers (though I don’t always have time to answer!), and will often re-test and refine recipes based on feedback from the community.

The Jewish recipes in this collection are kosher-style, meaning no pork or shellfish. Recipes are clearly categorized by meat, parve, or dairy. I also have special Passover and Rosh Hashanah collections, as well as other holiday recipe ideas, which are linked in the index above. In addition, I occasionally share holiday crafts and tutorials for various Jewish holidays, including printable projects for young children.