The best way to remember Judy Zeidler is through her recipes.
Many years ago, I was searching the aisles of a restaurant supply store in Los Angeles when I ran into Dario Cecchini, the world-famous Tuscan butcher, who was visiting his friends Judy and Marvin Zeidler.
I introduced myself and reminded him that I was also a friend of Judy’s.
Cecchini instantly reached out and hugged me.
“So we are family!” he said.
About Judy Zeidler
Judy Zeidler, who died Oct. 31 at age 92, was a food writer, restaurateur, and philanthropist whose passion for Jewish and Italian cooking was utterly contagious. She turned all who ate at her table into family.
Some cookbook authors expand your tastes, others share your cravings.
Judy was that second kind: She loved biscotti as much as you, but she would spend hours tracking down an expert baker near Siena for the recipe.
In 2010, I came back from a food conference in Turin eager to recreate the single best thing I ate there: focaccia di Recco, a pool of melted fresh cheese between two thin, crisp layers of dough.
I couldn’t find the recipe anywhere. Then Judy sent me the manuscript of her new book, “Italy Cooks,” which featured a recipe that she had traveled to Recco to learn to make directly from the bakers there.
Judy, who was born in the Boyle Heights section of Los Angeles in 1930, began cooking professionally after moving with her husband Marvin and their three children to a ranch in Topanga in 1963. A local restaurant asked her to supply it with her homemade apple strudel.
That turned into a career. Judy published “The Gourmet Jewish Cook” and eight other cookbooks. In the 1980s and 1990s, she hosted “Judy’s Kitchen” on the Jewish Television Network and began writing food columns for numerous publications, including the Los Angeles Times and the Jewish Journal, where I became her editor, and her friend.
Focaccia di Recco
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 cup “00” pizza flour (approximate)
- 1 pinch salt
- 5 ounces water
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 pound crescenza cheese
- salt
Instructions
- Make a dough: Place flour and a pinch of salt in a bowl, making a well in the center. Add olive oil and water and mix to combine into a soft but pliable dough. You may need more or less flour until you get a nice pizza dough consistency. Divide and shape into two balls, cover with a towel and set aside. Preheat oven to its hottest setting, at least 485 degrees.
- Roll dough out very thin. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, round or rectangular. Spoon gobs of cheese evenly all around, then top with a second layer of thinly-rolled out dough and press to seal the edges. Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and pinch holes with your fingers all around. Bake for 12 minutes, slice and serve.
