Natasha Nelson is a senior at Brown University. She is passionate and hard working, letting her love for cooking shine through each meal. She is constantly experimenting with new dishes, letting innovation take the place of habit on a daily basis. We made her grandmother’s gazpacho, a simple and refreshing recipe full of fresh vegetables and flavor.
The gazpacho recipe was found in Natasha’s grandmother’s belongings, mixed in with other recipe cards. The original version currently hangs in her mother’s office, directly next to her grandfather’s first building permit. Side by side, her grandparents are immortalized in the documents they left behind. Natasha’s grandmother is an important part of her Jewish identity, making it impossible to separate the two. Gazpacho may not be a traditional Ashkenazi recipe, but it connects Natasha to her family. She explains that her “family is so much a part of (her) Judaism that it would be hard to tear the two apart.” She conflates the categories of Jewish food and family food, because to her they are almost synonymous in her mind. |
“There are definitely foods that I wouldn’t give up on. I’m excited to incorporate new things, but I also think there is a real right of passage in learning to make specific dishes and host a holiday. Learning to make brisket as well as my mom is a part of inheriting the holiday. No one is going to write down the recipe ever; you just have to memorize it by making it for 18 years in a row. Those are the recipes I associate with Judaism.” – Natasha on “inheriting a holiday"
On a day-to-day basis, Natasha’s family is spontaneous with what they cook and eat. Shying away from recipes, dinner is a product of the available ingredients and creativity. Holiday time is a bit different, as traditional Ashkenazi dishes like stuffed cabbage, matzo ball soup, and brisket take the spotlight. However, in an effort to make the often-heavy holiday meals healthier, the Nelson’s started incorporating more innovative dishes into the traditional menu. Natasha sums up this dynamic, expressing: “So Pesach, you have to do brisket. That’s not the option. But, instead of doing mashed potatoes, we might do mashed cauliflower.” By remaining open to change, the Nelson’s holiday meals have become both a product of tradition and a reflection of their family’s desires. |
To Natasha, food means much more than sustenance. As a Jewish woman, it is also a source of empowerment. Women have established their own rites of passage within Judaism, and cooking is one of those. This gazpacho is not just soup; it is family, community, love, power, and tradition too.