His bone-crushing jaws ready, William frightfully honed in on his prey —  bathing suit-clad me. Crazily, I was willingly submerged in the Cage of Death, a clear plastic cylinder plunged into an adrenalin-jolting tank occupied by a pair of homicidal saltwater crocodiles.

At first, 15-foot-long, 1,521-pound William stealthily swam around the dunked cage while his aloof royal partner Kate lurked deeper in the water. The two-person-max Cage of Death — a thrill in Australia’s croc-centric city of Darwin — also encased my husband, who was gung-ho to do this and hmm, might be the more desirable target meat-wise, sparing me.

In Darwin, the Cage of Death gives brave humans a chance to see saltwater crocodiles just inches away. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

To get in this predator predicament, we descended a ladder into the cage that was suspended by chains and then swung by a monorail over the carnivores in their big pool. Dangling above, we were slowly lowered as croc-shared saltwater from below filled up to our chests. I thought I’d wet my wet pants. We’d have 15 everlasting minutes in this acrylic contraption that was already ominously scratched from crocodile claws and teeth. Wearing goggles, we maneuvered underwater in our cage to “swim” with the humongous, astounding assassins who glided close to us. Although I soon lost sight of William.

The Cage of Death is lowered into a tank with a waiting crocodile at Crocosaurus Cove in Darwin, Australia. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

That’s when my husband tapped me on the shoulder and pointed skyward. Standing up, we exhilaratingly came face-to-scaly-face with Willam, his massive head horizontally smack against the cage that was only 1.5 inches thick. I could’ve flossed his not quite pearly whites  just a finger’s length away; only earlier I read a sign saying a croc’s bite force is “equivalent to the weight of a large diesel truck.” William’s slit-shaped membrane-coated right eye hypnotically stared at his gawking entrees. I swear he sneered at us. But he might’ve been distracted — we couldn’t see but his handler at reptile park Crocosaurus Cove had been extending a pole to feed him his favorite non-human snack, crabs.

It’s ironic that Croc Cove saved 60-year-old Willam and a couple other “problem” salties from death — they were escapees from a commercial crocodile farm and instead of becoming wallets, they nabbed this starring role.

A sign outside the Crab Claw Island Resort reminds visitors of what lurks in Australia’s Top End. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Darwin is the tropical capital city and most populated of Oz’s Northern Territory, a vast, mostly uninhabited “outback” region and the must-visit “crocodile capital of the world.” The territory —  twice the size of Texas — is home to an estimated 100,000 wild “salties” (that’s what Aussies call them) and 260,000 people, which is roughly one salty for every couple with a baby. I’m from croc-less California, so there’s no such dangerous beasts lying on beaches, infesting rivers, creeks and harbors, eating you when you swim, and making cameos in public pools, women’s water aerobic classes and backyards. Very weirdly, it’s legal to keep a crocodile as a pet in Darwin if you have a permit and obey strict rules about its enclosure.

The murky Adelaide River in the Northern Territory is believed to contain more than 1,000 saltwater crocodiles. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Besides the Cage of Death, we boated alongside jumping crocs, soared in a helicopter over salties (and the Lost City and towering termite mounds), discovered but didn’t try an abundance of croc cuisine (szechwan crocodile dumplings), and perused countless croc merchandise (claw back scratchers, anyone?).

As she showed me beautiful Aboriginal paintings, I excitedly recounted some of this to Bryony Nainby, art curator at the impressive Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. “Oh,” she said with a knowing look.“You’re a crocophile.”

In fact, I couldn’t wait to see the museum’s stuffed crocodile Sweetheart, a beloved icon who in life gained fame for attacking outboard motors.

 Croc around the clock

A souvenir T-shirt says it all in Darwin, part of Australia’s croc-invaded Northern Territory. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

The Aussies, perhaps the most easygoing folks on the planet, take it all in stride. This area Down Under is known as the Top End and its irrepressible quirkiness is a real hoot. Among notable milestones: The still-active Rocksitters Club, a group of mates who in 1974 started sitting on a Darwin rock and drinking beer for lengthy stretches, finally achieving a 12-day world record in 1980; the late Brahman bull Norman who was a beer-guzzling title winner at his owner’s Humpty Doo Hotel near Darwin; and the Darwin Ice Hockey Club which went undefeated for 32 years because the city didn’t have an ice rink then and the team never played a game. The “world champions,” however, starred in a humorous 2011 commercial for Vegemite, that strange dark spread Australians slap on their toast.

Crocodile Darwin is a company that sells its namesake products at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

On our first afternoon, after checking into the contemporary Hilton Darwin, we set off for popular Mindil Beach, where the wacky 51st annual Beer Can Regatta took place a few months earlier. The usual Mindil Beach Sunset Market buzzed with over 150 colorful craft and food stalls on an embankment across from the Timor Sea.

A plethora of crocodile products are sold at Mick’s Whips at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market in Darwin. The prices are in Australian dollars. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

“The goods are real and the prices are unreal!” shouted Mick Denigan, owner of Mick’s Whips and “the world’s fastest whip cracker” with a record 127 cracks in 10 seconds wielding   two whips. Denigan, a rugged character in his late 50s, had just been outside his crocodile skin-draped Mindil booth, fiercely lashing kangaroo hide whips on the ground. For a few scary moments, I thought the sharp loud cracks were gunfire.

Got an itch? Crocodile claw back scratchers are sold in stalls at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market in Darwin. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Wild salties are protected by law but Denigan is a licensed crocodile hunter who, with government permission, can cull crocodiles or shoot those who have devoured cattle or endangered people. His retail wares included crocodile dog collars, croc stubby beer holders, croc skulls, croc tail key rings, croc tooth necklaces, croc purses, croc foot back scratchers and more. Other vendors peddled similar items and crocodile jerky. Crocs are also raised in farms near Darwin for products (high-fashion Hermes handbags) and vittles. At Mindil, you could dine on crocodile skewers with peanut sauce, croc burgers on brioche buns and creamy croc-vegetable pies.

Crocodiles can eat humans and vice versa. Burgers were on the menu at the Mindil Beach Sunset Market in Darwin, Australia. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

As evening approached, attendees flocked en masse from the Mindil market to sit on the sprawling beach. Four camels, topped with tourists, surreally padded by the shoreline as the sky glowed Halloween orange. When the last drop of the stunning sunset disappeared beneath the horizon, all 1,000 or so onlookers heartily applauded in unison. That’s a funny Darwin custom too.

A tourist caravan of camels strolls along Mindil Beach in Darwin, Australia, (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Snap-happy heights

In the morning, we hopped aboard a three-passenger Nautilus Aviation helicopter for a day exploring the Northern Territory (where “Crocodile Dundee” lived onscreen). Taking off,  pilot Jim Collins told me not to keep anything in my pocket because of strong winds — neither he nor I had a door. Nautilus also offers a Heli Pub Crawl that transports imbibers by air to four of the area’s unconventional bars.

A passenger helicopter from Nautilus Aviation finds a dandy parking place at Sandy Creek Falls in Litchfield National Park. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Even before our copter touched down in the desolate Top End, we spotted salties below in the croc-swarming Adelaide River. While Collins waited for us, we sailed on the Spectacular Jumping Crocodile Cruise with captain Shane Clugston patrolling for Casanova and Stumpy. Instead, we’d encounter Marilyn, Scooby, Snappy, Checkers, Lola and juvenile Bubba in the muddy river, and each time Clugston’s assistant swung a stick with buffalo meat or chicken over their snouts to provoke them to fling themselves vertically, a natural prey-snatching behavior. Some crocs looked bored at the bait, like “I’m not playing this game today.” A few ferociously jumped high in the air, causing a child onboard to squeal with delight.

Saltwater crocodiles, such as this one in the Adelaide River, have the most powerful bite force of any animal in the world.(Photo by Norma Meyer)

Salties had been hunted to near-extinction — there were 3,000 left — when protection laws were enacted in 1971. Now with 100,000 roaming, Clugston warned, “Always have the assumption that one is next to you — because there usually is.”

Crab Claw Island, in the remote Northern Territory, offers camping and cabins at its one resort… but be croc aware. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Returning to the clouds, we floated (or bounced) over never-ending untamed landscapes of woodlands, mangroves, rivers, and rocky cliffs. “It goes on and on and on,” Collins said about the Top End’s topography. He continued to our lunch locale, the casual Crab Claw Island Resort, which is all that’s on the isle and caters to mud-crabbing fishermen. It sits along picturesque Bynoe Harbour but don’t dare go for a dip. Salties will also hang on the beach. I sipped a frosty one in the pub and kept eyes peeled.

Known as the Lost City, these are not ancient ruins but weathered sandstone formations possibly dating back 500 million years. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

We’d soon whirl over part of breathtaking 579-square-mile Litchfield National Park. Under us rose the Lost City, apparent ruins of a mystical ancient civilization.The “city,” however, is actually comprised of gigantic eroded sandstone formations that mimic an archeological site. Elsewhere, hundreds of magnetic termite mounds covered the plains, eerily resembling tombstone-studded graveyards. Those mounds stood about six feet high while Litchfield’s church-like cathedral termite mounds imposingly reached up to 26 feet. Crafted by different species, the colonies were built by grass-cutting termites who added saliva, feces, and sand to construct palaces for their king, queen, nymphs, workers and soldiers.

Hundreds of grave-like magnetic termite mounds are seen from a helicopter in Litchfield National Park. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Litchfield is lauded for its sparkling waterfalls, and Collins swooped at a tilted angle over cascading wonders. (Remember, no door.) For the grand finale, he dramatically landed on a tiny rocky outcrop at magnificent Sandy Creek Falls.

Sprawling Litchfield National Park has a number of beautiful waterfalls, such as this one seen from a helicopter. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Back in Darwin I needed the scoop on Sweetheart, who was male.

“This fella would come up to small boats and dinghies, grab the motor and shake it and throw the people out into the water. But he never even bit anyone,” said Jared Archibald, history curator of the Northern Territory museum.

The preserved body of notorious crocodile Sweetheart is a main attraction at the Museum and Art Gallery of the Northern Territory. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

In 1979, Sweetheart was captured and sedated by rangers, but when he was being towed, his line snagged on a sunken log and he accidentally drowned. Jared’s father, taxidermist Ian Archibald, was called upon to prepare and stuff 17-foot-long Sweetheart for exhibition.

“We had his skull and his skin in a freezer on our back porch,” the younger Archibald recalled.

At Darwin Harbour, beachgoers can safely swim in a large lagoon separated by a seawall from crocodiles in the ocean. (Photo by Norma Meyer)

Around busy Darwin Harbour — named for English naturalist Charles by a former shipmate — up to 300 salties are caught in baited traps annually, most sold to crocodile farms. But no worries: At the bay’s stylish Waterfront Precinct, everyone can safely swim in a saltwater lagoon because a surrounding seawall keeps out crocodiles —  and venomous box jellyfish that can kill a person within five minutes. That’s another story.

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By Hadriana Lowenkron, Bloomberg News

President Donald Trump suggested he could seek to oust Federal Reserve governors appointed by President Joe Biden if their commissions were signed by autopen, in his latest bid to exert control over the central bank.

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The gambit is unlikely to come to fruition.

Previous Trump declarations that he was voiding Biden actions where the former president used an autopen have resulted in little more than eyerolls. Governors would be almost certain to mount a legal challenge to any effort to invalidate their Senate-backed appointments.

But the comments nevertheless represent the latest encroachment by the president on the independence of the central bank.

“I hear that the autopen may have signed those commissions,” Trump said during a political rally in Pennsylvania. “If they signed those commissions — now maybe I’m wrong, but we’re going to check.”

Presidents finalize an appointment by signing a commission after nominees are approved by the Senate to formalize their assumption of a federal office. Trump went on to suggest that an official he had appointed could be thrown “the hell out of here” had he similarly used an autopen. He asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who joined him at the rally, to investigate the issue.

“Would you check that?” the president continued. “Scott, okay, because I’m hearing that the autopen could have signed maybe all four, but maybe a couple of them — we’ll take two. So look at that.”

The Federal Reserve declined to comment.

Autopens have been used in multiple presidencies, and their usage can be traced back to the 1940s during Harry Truman’s administration.

In 2005, White House lawyers asked the Justice Department for an opinion on whether the president may sign a bill by autopen, which no president had done. The DOJ concluded that under the historical and legal meaning of the word “sign” in the early republic, “a person may sign a document by directing that his signature be affixed to it by another,” and that “the President need not personally perform the physical act of affixing his signature to a bill to sign it.”

Still, Trump’s comments were the latest signal the president is eager to assert influence over the Fed after months of frustration with the pace of rate cuts. Trump reiterated Tuesday he intends to bring change to the board, which is expected to announce whether it will cut interest rates at its December meeting on Wednesday.

The seal of the U.S. Federal Reserve Board of Governors is seen ahead of Chair Jerome Powell’s news conference at the Federal Reserve headquarters, following the Federal Open Market Committee meeting in Washington, D.C., on Sept. 17, 2025. (Jim Watson/AFP/GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/TNS)

That includes a new leader after Chair Jerome Powell’s term expires in May.

“We’re going to be looking at a couple different people, but I have a pretty good idea of who I want,” Trump told reporters on the flight to Pennsylvania. Trump has repeatedly hinted that Kevin Hassett, the director of the National Economic Council, could be his pick.

Trump earlier this year moved to fire Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, citing claims she committed mortgage fraud. Cook has denied wrongdoing and filed a lawsuit to block her removal; the Supreme Court said last month it would hear oral arguments in the case in January.

In addition to Cook, Biden reappointed Powell, and appointed Vice Chair Philip Jefferson and Michael Barr as governors on the board. A fifth Biden appointee, Adriana Kugler, resigned from the Fed board in August, six months before her term was set to expire.

(With assistance from Amara Omeokwe.)

©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Visit bloomberg.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.

By MARK KENNEDY

NEW YORK (AP) — As a child growing up in Italy, Lidia Bastianich recalls seeing one particular cookbook in just about everyone’s kitchen. It was called “The Talisman of Happiness” and it was often given as a wedding present to couples starting new lives together.

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“It has all the basic recipes. And it says the basic thing — that food is a connector, that food is happiness,” she says.

The book by Ada Boni — its Italian title is “Il Talismano della Felicita” — was first published in 1929, and became a go-to place to find the recipe for spaghetti carbonara or pork galantine. Its simplicity and accessibility got it compared to “The Joy of Cooking,” but it predated Irma S. Rombauer’s iconic work.

This fall, the first English edition of the complete work — with nearly 1,700 recipes — arrives on shelves, thanks to years of dogged pursuit by Voracious publisher Michael Szczerban.

The hunt is on

He first heard about it from Samin Nosrat, author of “Salt Fat Acid Heat,” and that, combined with his love of Italy, led him on a more than decade-long journey to get the rights to publish it in English. “Just the poetry of that name — ‘The Talisman of Happiness’ — it felt timeless and also like it was from so long ago,” Szczerban says.

Boni, who died in 1973, was one of Italy’s first food writers, and the seeds of “The Talisman of Happiness” grew from a magazine. She codified and tested dishes that have remained the backbone of Italian cooking and reflect regional differences. There are 10 gnocchi recipes, 12 minestrones and 20 risottos.

“This is a cookbook that’s really meant for cooking. It is a book for cooks. It’s a book that’s intended to be used, not just to sit on a coffee table or on a shelf, but to become yours,” says Szczerban.

There’s no frilly language or stories. Each entry includes ingredients, and the directions are usually just a few paragraphs, telling the home cook to look for the meat to be “done” and the vegetables to be seasoned “to taste.”

Unlike recipes from Milk Street, Bon Appetit or America’s Test Kitchen, Boni didn’t weigh things to the gram or even dictate oven degrees. Her Cod with White Wine only specifies “a few spoons” of wine. Elsewhere, she calls for a “finger of oil” or “a few leaves of rosemary.”

“I think that there was a very specific editorial vision for these recipes, which was to give you enough to make it, but not so much that you couldn’t make it your own,” Szczerban says.

A 12-year sleuthing adventure

The more Szczerban learned about “The Talisman of Happiness,” the more intrigued he became. What at first was an impulse to find a copy for himself grew into something larger.

“As I began to understand more of what it was — the place that it seemed to have had in Italian history and culture, and then the spread of Italian cooking throughout the world — I thought, ‘I don’t need just a copy of this. I need to be able to use my position as a publisher to bring this to the rest of the English-language world,’” he says.

The book had been updated regularly in Italy and there had been a few stabs at an English version, but the recipes were changed in order to tailor them to American tastes and heavily abridged. “Nobody had translated the full beast,” Szczerban says.

Szczerban started a sleuthing adventure that took some 12 years — calling random numbers at the Italian publisher with a script created from Google Translate, poring over bankruptcy reports to see who might have inherited the intellectual property rights, and talking to every Italian book figure and agent he could.

A breakthrough came when he contacted a book packager — like a movie producer, but for books — who knew somebody who knew someone else who maybe could locate a relative. A few months later, they found a great-nephew. “I think you needed somebody on the ground in Italy to unlock the relationship of trust,” says Szczerban.

He decided to use the 1959 Italian edition as the model, tapping eight translators. He removed only recipes that were completely unworkable and sections on Italian etiquette that were dated. The original edition was constantly consulted.

“We wanted it to be Ada’s book, still. We weren’t trying to modernize it. We were trying to preserve it and to keep it intact,” he says. “The word talisman, to me, has such power. I wanted it to be the talisman it was back when it was first published.”

Bastianich wrote a forward for the English edition and says it captures the culture, religion, topography and climate of Italy. “Italians really, really cherish their cultural heritage,” she says.

Szczerban has already seen it in effect. For an office potluck, a sales rep who liked the book decided to make Baked Wine Donuts — a sort of shortbread cookie with wine mixed into the flour.

“She’s not a baker. She’s never seen this thing before. But there was something intriguing about it that got her into the kitchen and, I’ll tell you, these were amazing,” he says.

“They turned out the first time, and going out a little bit beyond her comfort zone gave her the confidence to take on the next recipe and the next recipe. To me, that is kind of the magic of a book like this: It can seduce you in some way, but then it gives you something back.”

Baked Wine Donuts

Makes 36

Ingredients

3⅓ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup olive oil

½ cup sugar

¾ cup wine

Oil for greasing

Directions

Put the flour in a heap and add the oil, sugar, and a glass of light wine, white or red, in the well in the middle. You need a paste that is neither too hard nor too soft. Make it into a ball, let it rest for a few minutes, and then divide it into 4 or 5 pieces.

Take one piece at a time and stretch it over a lightly floured board to make a roll the width of your thumb. Cut this into pieces of about 8 inches and make a donut out of each one, pressing the ends together so that they do not then open. Proceed in the same way until all are used up.

Line up the donuts on a lightly oiled baking sheet, sprinkle them with sugar, and bake them for about 20 minutes in a preheated oven at a good heat.

Excerpted from “The Talisman of Happiness” by Ada Boni. Copyright (copyright) 2025 by Elwin Street. Used with permission of Voracious, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company. New York, NY. All rights reserved.

Everyone loves Hanukkah — the colorful candles, the traditional songs, the gifts, and, of course, the potato latkes. Yet holiday cooking often means excess — all that frying, high carbs, and lots of sour cream.

Interestingly, the Hanukkah miracle highlights olive oil, which originated in the eastern Mediterranean, and not potatoes. They were unknown in the Holy Land until long after the discovery of the New World. Making potato latkes for Hanukkah became popular through the influence of European Jews.

Fortunately, we can create delicious, healthier Hanukkah celebrations by emphasizing Mediterranean specialties, such as stews featuring pulses and vegetables. Even potatoes can be enjoyed guilt-free when roasted or prepared as lighter latkes.

This Hanukkah, we plan to make potato and leek latkes with sun-dried tomato tapenade and harissa roasted potatoes. We will also prepare Southern Italian giambotta, a hearty vegetable medley with chickpeas and potatoes; and Sicilian caponata, a sweet-and-sour eggplant dish in an olive-caper sauce.

Vegan potato latkes are shown served with sauteed leeks. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Vegan Potato Latkes with Leeks

These creamy-textured latkes are made from mashed potatoes with sauteed leeks and dill. Serve them with dill-flavored yogurt or a fruit puree.

Yield: 15 latkes

INGREDIENTS

Vegan Dill Yogurt Topping:

1 cup unsweetened plain plant-based yogurt
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Latkes:

1 1/2 pounds yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon Gold (about 6 medium)
3/4 pound leeks, dark green tops discarded
5 tablespoons olive oil, more if needed (divided)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
4 teaspoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons plain dry breadcrumbs
Dill sprigs (optional garnish)

DIRECTIONS

1. Topping: Mix yogurt with dill, salt and pepper in a small bowl, Cover and refrigerate in a covered container for 1 hour to blend flavors, or until ready to serve.

2. In a saucepan, cover whole potatoes with water and add a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, or until very tender when pierced with a fork. Drain; rinse briefly with cold water. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

3. Halve leeks lengthwise, rinse well and cut into 1/4-inch slices. Put sliced leeks in a bowl of cold water; rub to separate the layers. Soak them 3 minutes to remove any sand. Lift leeks into a colander, rinse and drain well.

4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large heavy skillet, preferably nonstick, over medium heat. Add leeks; salt and pepper. Cook, stirring very often, 5 minutes. Cook, covered, over low heat 5 more minutes, or until soft but not brown. Cook uncovered over medium-high heat, stirring, to evaporate any liquid in pan.

5.Peel potatoes; transfer to a large bowl. Mash thoroughly with a potato masher (not in a food processor).

6. Add leeks to mashed potatoes. Add dill, salt, pepper and breadcrumbs; mix well. Taste; season well. Using a 1/4-cup measure for each latke, put some of mixture in your palm and flatten it to a 2 1/2-inch patty about 3/8 inch thick, patting it with both hands to make it smooth and compact. Set latkes on a plate.

7. Heat oven to 250 degrees (for keeping latkes warm).

8. Wipe skillet clean. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in skillet over medium heat. Add 4 latkes to pan, or enough to make one layer without crowding. Fry 3 minutes on each side, or until brown; turn carefully using 2 wide pancake turners. Keep warm on a baking sheet in oven while frying remaining pancakes. Add more oil to pan if it becomes dry.

9. Set latkes on a paper-towel-lined plate. Pat tops with the towels to remove excess oil. Serve hot, with topping. Garnish with dill sprigs.

Sun-dried tomato tapenade makes a tasty topping for latkes, other potato dishes and toast. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Garlicky Sun-Dried Tomato Tapenade

This pungent condiment flavored with capers and olives, from “Cold Canning” by Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, is delicious on latkes and on toast; pair with Greek yogurt if you like. Choose plump dried tomatoes to make it.

Yield: About 1 cup

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup olive oil
8 medium garlic cloves, peeled, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons drained capers
1/2 cup dry-packed sun-dried tomatoes, thinly sliced or snipped in strips with scissors
1 1/2 cups pitted black Kalamata olives
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a small skillet over medium heat for 1 or 2 minutes. Swirl in the oil; add garlic and capers. Cook, stirring often, until garlic begins to brown at edges, about 2 minutes,

2. Remove from heat. Stir in dried tomato strips. Cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

3. Scrape contents of skillet into a food processor, Add olives, vinegar, oregano and salt. Cover and pulse repeatedly, uncovering and rearranging ingredients with a rubber spatula as necessary, until mixture has consistency of coarse, slushy relish.

4. Transfer to 2 clean half-pint jars, leaving about 1/2 inch headspace in each. Cover or seal; refrigerate or freeze. It keeps up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Purees of fruit like blueberries, plums or nectarines are excellent on latkes, as well as on toast. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Applesauce Alternatives

Like applesauce, purees made from other fruits go well with latkes. We like purees from plums, nectarines and blueberries but fruit purees can be combined for a different effect. Mary Shrader, author of “The Modern Pioneer Pantry,” recommends high-acid fruit for this recipe because she preserves the puree by canning it. For small amounts, we refrigerate or freeze it.

Yield: 3 to 4 half pints

INGREDIENTS

4 cups blueberries, peaches, nectarines or plums, peeled and trimmed, pits removed
1 cup water
Granulated sugar, to taste (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine fruit and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring. Reduce heat to low; simmer fruit until soft, stirring often to prevent sticking. Remove from heat.

2. Puree fruit in a food mill, fine-mesh strainer or food processor.

3. Rinse saucepan; add puree and sugar to taste. Bring to a boil, stirring, making sure sugar is completely dissolved. Cool and transfer to jars. Refrigerate or freeze.

Giambotta is a hearty southern Italian vegetable stew with beans. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Calabrian Vegetable Stew — Giambotta

This satisfying, aromatic stew from “Vegana Italiana” by Tara Punzone with Gene Stone begins with a sauté of onions, carrots, celery, garlic and herbs, followed by the Mediterranean favorites of eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, and chickpeas, as well as potatoes.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 cup diced carrots
2 tablespoon finely sliced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cups medium-diced Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup diced eggplant
1 cup diced red bell peppers
1 3/4 pounds thin skinned small tomatoes, diced, or a 28-oz can whole peeled tomatoes, mashed
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup chopped parsley, including stems
1 cup drained cooked chickpeas, or packaged or canned
1 cup diced zucchini
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup basil leaves, torn into small pieces

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a stew pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery, carrots, garlic, thyme, tarragon and pepper flakes. Sauté 8 minutes, or until onion is translucent.

2. Add potatoes; sauté 5 minutes. Add eggplant and peppers; sauté 3 minutes.

3. Add tomatoes, bay leaves and parsley; cook at a low boil 15 minutes.

4. Add chickpeas, zucchini, salt and pepper, Cook for 5 minutes; the vegetables should be firm, not mushy.

5. Remove from heat. Discard bay leaves, Add basil just before serving.

Harissa roasted potatoes are served with pistachio topping and yogurt. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Harissa Roasted Potatoes

For this spicy dish from “Delicious Gatherings” by Tara Bench, the potatoes are roasted with harissa, then served with pistachios, herbs and yogurt.

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1½ pounds baby Yukon Gold or creamer potatoes
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons harissa
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
2 garlic cloves, minced
1¼ cups plain whole milk yogurt or Greek yogurt

Pistachio Topping:

5 tablespoons finely chopped pistachios
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped oregano

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with nonstick foil.

2. In a medium saucepan, cover potatoes with water and add salt. Bring to a simmer. Cook until just tender when checked with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain; let cool enough to handle.

3. Harissa sauce: In a large bowl, whisk together harissa, oil, honey and garlic.

4. Cut cooled potatoes in half, or larger potatoes in 2-inch pieces. Toss with harissa mixture.

5. Put potatoes on prepared baking sheet. Roast until crisp and golden, 25 to 30 minutes, turning potatoes over halfway through cooking.

6. Topping: Combine pistachios, onion, parsley and oregano in a small bowl.

7. To serve, spoon yogurt onto a serving platter and top with potatoes. Sprinkle with topping.

Caponata is a Sicilian eggplant specialty enlivened by olives and capers. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Eggplant Caponata

In their book, “Olive Oil for Dummies,” authors Amy Riolo and Simon Poole, MD, recommend serving this Sicilian specialty as an appetizer, salad, or accompaniment for grilled meat or fish. It’s perfect with potato latkes.

Yield: 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 small eggplants, cut in 1/4-inch cubes
2 tablespoon sea salt
2 tablespoon extra virgin oil, plus more for frying or roasting
1 celery stick, cubed
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup capers, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
1/3 to 1/2 cup balsamic or red wine vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup tomato sauce
1/4 cup finely chopped mint
1/4 cup finely chopped basil
1/4 cup raisins
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

DIRECTIONS

1. Place eggplant cubes in a colander, sprinkle with sea salt and let stand 1 hour. Rinse well; pat dry.

2. Heat 2 inches of oil in a large, heavy skillet to 385 degrees. Fry eggplant in 3 batches, about 3 minutes for each. Drain on a paper-towel-lined baking sheet. Alternatively, roast eggplant with 3 tablespoons olive oil at 400 degrees in an air-fryer toaster/convection oven for 15 minutes or until tender.

3. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a very large, wide, deep skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onion. Sauté until golden and soft, about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in capers, olives, vinegar, sugar and reserved eggplant.

4. Add tomato sauce, mint, basil, raisins and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes.

5. Serve at room temperature, garnished with pine nuts.

Potato wedges are topped with vegan parmesan made of pine nuts. (Photo by Yakir Levy)

Garlic Potato Wedges with Pine Nut Parmesan

This dish is based on a recipe in “Vegana Italiana” by Tara Punzone with Gene Stone. You can make vegan Parmesan with macadamia nuts instead of pine nuts.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1/4 to 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 to 3 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon paprika
Chopped parsley (for sprinkling)

Vegan Parmesan:

1 cup pine nuts
3/4 to 1 cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon salt or to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut potatoes in 3/4-inch wedges.

2. In a large bowl mix olive oil with garlic, salt, rosemary, pepper, onion powder and paprikas.

3. Add potatoes. Toss, coating each piece well.

4. Place potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes or until a fork inserted in thickest piece goes straight through.

5. Vegan Parmesan: Pulse nuts, yeast and salt in a high speed blender or food processor until mixture has consistency of a fine crumble. Do not overprocess into a paste. Store in a jar.

6. Serve potatoes sprinkled with parsley and pine nut Parmesan.

Faye Levy is the author of “1,000 Jewish Recipes” and “Feast from the Mideast.”

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