‘Nosh with Tash’

Your new favorite cooking show might draw its name from the mamaloshen. And it’s streaming on a device near you.

Nosh with Tash is the multi-platform project of Los Angeles chef Natasha Feldman. Incorporating a sleek website offering enticing recipes, weekly YouTube videos, and a swoon-worthy Instagram feed (think flat lays of LA’s finest cuisine and charming candids), Nosh delivers a variety of appealing culinary content.

“I use the term ‘nosh’ all the time. When I was trying to think of a name for this new cooking video, I learned that a lot of the dictionary definitions of ‘nosh’ had to do with eating enthusiastically,” said Feldman, 30. “Instead of eating small amounts, you’re talking about being enthusiastic about little bites here and there.”

A departure from her previous endeavor, Cinema & Spice―a Webby-nominated cooking show inspired by movies and TV shows like the Harry Potter series and Breaking Bad―Feldman’s new project focuses on easy-to-follow recipes aimed at the kitchen novice. For every Nosh episode, she uploads three different cuts to her channel: a long-form video (which runs between 3-6 minutes) to illustrate process and technique, a quick-cut of the recipe, and a bonus video with extra tips. For example, in episode 1, “Brown Rice That Doesn’t Suck,” Feldman teaches the viewer how to make tasty herbed brown rice from start to finish and offers bonus tips about how to use up leftovers. Whether she’s addressing her Vitamix in a British accent or talking about her baller storage containers, she balances clarity and quirk

“I was so tired of cooking shows giving people a false idea of what it’s like to cook,” said Feldman, noting the behind-the-scenes prep work that occurs on scripted shows. A fan of Yotam Ottolenghi, she also recognizes that the average person’s pantry is not likely stocked with specialty items such as harissa and za’atar. “I wanted to break down all those barriers,” she said.

For Feldman, who grew up in a town outside Portland, Oregon, with a small Jewish population (her bat mitzvah was held in a church because there were no nearby synagogues), her connection to Judaism has always come from food. She recalls eating her grandma’s matzo ball soup during visits to Long Island and cites Passover as her favorite Jewish holiday thanks to the unique dishes and ritualistic elements specific to the seder.

Culinary prowess also runs in the mishpachah. Feldman says that her great-great-grandmother, Clara, was apparently a caterer in her village in Poland. When she immigrated to New York, she would bake numerous cakes and cookies for family members.

“My mom has some of her very old recipes that are insanely delicious, like a sour cream coffee cake,” she said.

While the cleverly-named recipes presented on Nosh aren’t strictly Jewish―think zesty New California flavor with a pinch of schmaltzy Old World comfort―they’re all as vibrant as Feldman herself, who was audibly enthused about the project during our phone conversation. From “Serial Kaler Salad” and “Kabocha Squash (the Patriarchy) with Sticky Maple Syrup” (see below!) to “Everything Bagel-Style Pumpkin Seeds” and “Wine-Drunk Short Ribs,” her recipes are equally suitable for your next girls’ night and Shabbat potluck.

“They’re designed to be broad enough so you can extrapolate what you learned to other recipes,” Feldman said. “The idea is that the recipes are malleable and fluid. Once you have the skillset, you can go off and have more fun.”

To get you started, go forth and (kabocha) squash the patriarchy yourself!

Serves four:

Ingredients:

• 1 kabocha squash (or delicata if you can’t find kabocha)
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• A few sprigs of sage (roughly chopped)
• 2 tablespoons safflower oil
• A few pinches of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil or a silpat
3. Place squash on the sheet and coat with olive oil , sprinkle with salt, and drizzle ½ of the maple syrup
4. Roast for 20 minutes until the underside is golden brown and flip em over
5. Add the rest of the syrup and sage
6. Cook until both sides are golden…. now that there is syrup all over that squash careful you don’t burn it!

Serve hot with a touch more sage and salt or chop it up once it’s cold and add it to your fav grain salad.

Enjoy!

Photo courtesy Natasha Feldman