Last year, I was blessed with the best present when our first grandchild, Raquel Luna, was born the day before Mother’s Day. Soon after her birth, my son Sam decided that Raquel would call me Maman.  

Growing up, my parents would speak to my brothers and me in French and Spanish. I would mostly answer in French or English. The word for mother in French is Maman and that is what my brothers and I called our mother. 

If you are a regular reader of our column, you know that over the past five years, we have shared many “Maman” recipes. It’s my way of keeping her memory alive. It’s my way of paying tribute to an amazing mother, who taught me to cook but most importantly taught me to be the best person I can be. 

When my son Sam and niece Anabella were little they also called her Maman. And it stuck. All her grandchildren called her Maman. 

My mother Rica was an exceptional grandmother. She loved to spoil her grandchildren. She would always cook their favorite foods. She would sneak cash into their pockets. She would act silly, sing songs and tell funny stories to make them laugh. And most of all, she looked forward to gathering them around her Shabbat table every Friday night. 

We all miss her terribly, but we were blessed to have enjoyed so many years of her love and care.

As you can imagine, I feel it is a huge responsibility to be called Maman. It has taken me this whole year to accept the honor. I pray that I will be able to fill Maman’s shoes.

A few years before my mother passed away, I bought her a sweatshirt with Maman embroidered on it as a Mother’s Day gift. 

This year, Raquel Luna’s birthday falls on Mother’s Day. I think I will proudly wear Maman’s sweatshirt and hold her close to my heart. 

I can’t wait to hear Raquel Luna call me Maman. 

Happy Mother’s Day!

—Rachel

One of my formative memories is of my mother reading the classic novel “Heidi” by Johanna Spyri to my brother Rafi and me. I was five years old and hearing my mother read inspired a lifelong love of books and reading (I belong to two book clubs).

When my maternal grandparents made aliyah from Baghdad to Israel, my grandfather Aba Naji was a headmaster of a school in Zichron Ya’akov. Naturally, my mother did her national service as a teacher and continued teaching after she married my father. 

When they moved to Australia, my mother pivoted to working in the fashion world, but she always retained a teacher’s passion for learning. She taught my brothers and me to love art and architecture, history and geography. 

My mother was blessed to have the respect, love and devotion of my father and they were true partners in everything. They taught me that any dream is possible. That with a little imagination and a lot of work and perspiration, you can build so much. I learned from them to take life in stride, to be grateful for the blessings and to fight the challenges with a strong attitude. 

My mother is an overachiever in the kitchen. An incredibly talented cook, she has mastered recipes from so many cuisines, including Iraqi/Babylonian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Thai and everything in between. She is adept at creating healthful recipes and capable of cooking ridiculously huge quantities of food. 

When I was a little girl, I remember her scolding my grandmother Nana Aziza for serving too many dishes on her Friday night table. Of course, I noted that when she entertained, she did the exact same thing. 

Every Shabbat, when I stand in my kitchen cooking a crazy amount of food, I remember that exchange between generations. I shrug my shoulders and continue cooking too much food. Poor Alan, he has to work his way through the leftovers!

The birth of my son Ariel made my mother a very young grandmother. Thankfully, Nana Sue continues to cook all her grandchildren’s favorite foods, especially the dishes that my grandmother used to cook. Kubbah sh’wandar (kubbah in a beet broth), kubbah bamia (kubbah in an okra stew) and a delicious fried kubbah b’ral (a bulgur shell stuffed with ground beef, onion, parsley and pine nuts). 

If you ever feel like sampling her food, head on over to Kahal Joseph Congregation (where my baby brother is the rabbi). Every Friday, my mother cooks a huge t’bit (overnight chicken and rice) and it is served on Shabbat day. —Sharon 

Spring is in the air and there is an abundance of seasonal new crops. A Mother’s Day brunch is the perfect occasion to showcase all the wonderful fresh new produce in the market. This quiche recipe is the perfect marriage of nutty asparagus, rich zucchini and the subtle oniony flavor of sautéed leek along with a creamy savory egg custard and a delightfully flaky puff pastry crust. 

Bright ruby red strawberries are plentiful right now! And this strawberry cake takes advantage of all that bursting delicious flavor. There are strawberries inside the cake, a pretty strawberry design on top and a sweet, tangy sauce to pour over. You’ll love the hint of lemon from the zest and the sour cream in the recipe keeps the crumb moist. Baking strawberries into a cake takes the flavor out of this world.

These recipes are simply perfect for a brunch or an afternoon tea!

—Rachel and Sharon 

Quiche Recipe

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, defrosted

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

6 tablespoons olive oil

2 leeks, pale green and white parts only, thinly sliced

2 medium zucchini, thinly sliced

1 lb asparagus, stems cut in 1 inch pieces, stalks left in 3 inch pieces, kept separate

6 large eggs

1/2 cup mayonnaise

2 tbsp turmeric

2 tbsp granulated garlic powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 425°F.

Lay the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface, then use a rolling pin to gently spread the pastry.

Cut into a circle and place in an ovenproof pie dish, then use a fork to prick the bottom and sides of the pastry. Spread the Dijon mustard on the bottom of the pie crust and set aside.

In a skillet, warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and sauté, until soft and translucent. Remove from heat and set aside.

Warm another 2 tablespoon of olive oil, then add the zucchini and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, until softened. Remove from heat and set aside.

Warm remaining olive oil, then add the stems of the asparagus and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the eggs and mayonnaise. Add the turmeric, garlic powder, salt and pepper and mix well. Add the leeks, zucchini and asparagus stems. Stir gently to combine.

Pour the egg and vegetable mixture into the pie crust. Place the asparagus stalks in a decorative pattern.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the puff pastry is a golden color and the center of the quiche is completely cooked.

Serve hot.

Strawberry Sour Cream Cake 

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup light olive oil or avocado oil 

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 lemon, zested 

2 cups all-purpose flour 

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 lb strawberries, washed and hulled 

1 tsp powdered sugar for dusting, optional

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9″ springform pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. 

Prepare strawberries for the cake by dicing 8 oz of strawberries into slivers and slicing the second 8 oz into halves.
In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer (or stand mixer), beat together the eggs and sugar on high speed for 5 minutes, until mixture is creamy and a pale yellow.
Add sour cream, oil and vanilla, then beat on low speed until well combined.

In a small bowl, whisk together: the flour, baking powder and salt until well incorporated. With the mixer on med/low speed, add a third of the flour mixture to the batter, letting the flour incorporate. Continue with 2 more additions and mix until well combined. Do not over-mix.
Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Top with the diced strawberries and pour remaining batter over the top. Cover the top of the cake with the halved strawberries (cut-side-down), pressing them slightly into the batter. 

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. 

Let cake rest in pan 15-20 min before removing the ring. 

Run a thin spatula around cake edges to loosen from pan and transfer to a cake platter. 

Strawberry Sauce

16 oz strawberries, washed and hulled 

1/4 cup granulated sugar, or to taste

In a blender or food processor, combine strawberries and sugar, then blend until pureed.

To serve—

Dust cake with powdered sugar. Drizzle individual slices generously with strawberry syrup and serve with fresh whipped cream.

Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website sephardicspicegirls.com/full-recipes.