Cookbook author Emily Paster, author of “Epic Air Fryer Cookbook” and “Instantly Mediterranean,” came from a food loving family.
“We always celebrated the Jewish holidays with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins,” Paster, founder of the West of the Loop blog, told the Journal. “My grandmother and my Aunt Ann were outstanding Jewish cooks who made everything – gefilte fish, matzo balls, kreplach – from scratch; we connected with our culture and heritage through food above all.”
While food was always a big part of her life, and even though she had an aunt in the food business, it initially didn’t occur to Paster, a former lawyer, that food was a possible career path,
“If you … cast your mind back to the 1980s and 1990s, food did not have the place in our culture that it does today,” she said. “Even when I was practicing [law], I was at my desk, researching the next restaurant I wanted to go to, planning the next dinner party I was going to host [or] dreaming about what was going to be at the farmer’s market that week,” she said.
After having kids and staying home with them – “My husband’s also a lawyer and two lawyers and two kids was a lot,” she said – Paster started a food and parenting blog that then transitioned to a food blog.
She also started a recurring popular event, called the Chicago food swap.
“At the time, a lot of people were doing a lot of DIY stuff: people were canning or fermenting or they were raising backyard produce or raising backyard chickens,” she said. “So the people who were doing the various sorts of culinary DIY tasks [had an abundance of their specialty] wanted to get together and swap.”
“This was a big trend around 2010, 2011 … and I thought there should be a food swap cookbook, so I wrote a proposal, got an agent and, sheer luck, we sold the book,” she said.
Fast forward to 2018 or early 2019. Paster was approached by an editor who had an idea for an air fryer cookbook.
“He basically said, ‘I know you’re a good author, a good recipe developer; how are you with the air fryer?’” she said. “I just lied and said, ‘Oh yeah, totally familiar with the air fryer.’”
At the time, she didn’t even own one and had never used one.
“I took the gig and I’m so glad I did,” she said. “It was an international bestseller, it’s been translated into multiple languages but also it basically exposed me to the air fryer, which I now love.”
While most of the air fryer cookbooks at that time were very much about using processed ingredients, Paster’s book exemplifies how she cooks.
“It is from scratch, whole ingredients, healthy, global cuisine,” she said. “And because they’re in the air fryer, they’re quick, they’re accessible, they’re a little healthier than stove top versions that use a lot of oil.”
One of Paster’s favorite, easy air fryer recipes is for lamb and bulgur kofta.
“It’s ground lamb with some soaked bulgur wheat; you can use a little bit less meat [and it’s] a little bit healthier,” she said. “You form a little patty or a kebab.”
If you are not yet an air fryer person, there are other cooking options
“I live in Chicago, so during our short, nice weather, I have my husband throw them on the grill,” she said. “But for the rest of the year, it’s absolutely [made] in the air fryer; it’s quick, super juicy and the cleanup is not bad at all.”
Paster’s recipe for lamb and bulgur kofta from “Instantly Mediterranean: Vibrant Satisfying Recipes for Your Instant Pot, Electric Pressure Cooker & Air Fryer” is below.
While Pasted believes some people have this mistaken notion that all you can do is fry in an air fryer, it is perfect for reheating leftovers and is good for cooking so many other things.
“If you like to roast brussels sprouts or broccoli in your oven, try it in the air fryer; it is amazing and quick,” she said. “Maybe the most unique thing is fruit.”
To caramelize pineapple or peaches in the air fryer, just brush on a little melted butter and some cinnamon. Cook softer fruits, such as peaches, at 375 for 8 to 10 minutes; cook tougher fruits, like pineapple, at 400 for around 15 minutes. Then, enjoy it with a dollop of creme fraiche, yogurt or even ice cream.
“If you’re going to be indulgent, that’s a beautiful dessert,” she said.
Learn more and get additional recipes at WestoftheLoop.com.
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Lamb and Bulgar Kofta
Serves 4
1/4 cup finely ground bulgur wheat
1 pound ground lamb
1/2 an onion, grated
1/4 cup packed chopped fresh herbs, such as flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, mint or a combination
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Oil for spraying
Tahini Sauce for serving (optional)
Mix the bulgur with 1/4 cup of boiling water in a heat-proof bowl. Let stand for 7 minutes.
To form the kofta, combine 1/2 cup of the cooked bulgur with the lamb, onion, herbs, salt and spices in a medium bowl and mix thoroughly with your hands .
With damp hands, form the lamb mixture into 8 equal, tightly packed oval patties. Place the patties on a plate, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
When you are ready to cook the kofta, preheat the air fryer to 400ºF for 3 minutes. Spray the basket with oil to prevent the patties from sticking. Working in two batches, so as not to overcrowd the air fryer basket, arrange half of the patties in a single layer in the basket. Cook until the kofta are browned and the internal temperature reaches 145ºF degrees, about 10 minutes, turning once halfway through cooking. Repeat with the second batch of patties.
Place the cooked kofta on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb any excess oil. Serve warm with tahini sauce.
Tahini Sauce
Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups
3/4 cup tahini
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 to 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup cold water
Place all of the ingredients except the water in a blender or food processor and pulse a few times until the mixture forms a paste. With the motor running, slowly pour in 1/2 cup water and blend until the sauce is lighter in color and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. If the mixture is still quite thick, which will depend on the consistency of your tahini, add the remaining water in the same manner and process until the mixture is completely smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Tahini sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.
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