In September 2025, the Jewish Book Council asked me to review the new cookbook Eat Small Plates by Ben and Zikki Siman-Tov, the married couple behind BenGingi.
Since I am always thinking about Jewish Food Hero & its readers, I reached out to the publisher and got permission to share this Jeweled Celery Salad from the cookbook with you.
Celery: you might remember it as the official vegetable of every diet—because nothing says 'I’m watching my calories' like chewing on a crunchy stick. But it’s 2026, and this salad from Ben and Zikki is something new!
First here is my review of the cookbook, published on Jewish Book Council
Cookbook Review: Eat Small Plates
Imagine being married to someone who loves food and cooking as much as you do. That’s life for Zikki and Ben. They are not only partners in marriage but also in the kitchen, working together to create food that brings people together. Their shared passion for community, flavor, and good eats is the heart of this cookbook, Eat Small Plates.
Their food story is full of different influences. Traveling the world taught them to enjoy food in Vietnam, Thailand, and India. Growing up in Israel, both of them learned to share small plates, use fresh herbs, and cook with seasonal ingredients. They worked in well-known Israeli restaurants like North Abraxas and HaSalon, which helped shape their simple, flavorful cooking style.
Other influences include Zikki’s Ukrainian family, who introduced her to hearty, homemade dishes like varenyky and holubtsi. Time in California taught them how to highlight seasonal produce and cook with fresh, local ingredients. Their travels in Europe, especially Italy, inspired them to focus on slow, artisanal techniques such as making bread and pickled vegetables.
All these influences—Israeli, Ukrainian, American, European, and Asian—come together in Small Plates. The book shows how their diverse lives have shaped their approach to food. They believe good food should be simple, accessible, and shared.
Recipe Categories in Eat Small Plates
This book is organized into clear sections to make cooking easy and fun. Each section focuses on a specific type of dish, helping you plan full meals or casual gatherings. All recipes are simple, flavorful, and meant to be shared.
Small Plates
These are the main focus. Small, tasty dishes perfect for sharing. Examples include Zikki’s Salty Baby Potatoes, Cauliflower & Tahini, and Burnt Beets & Feta.
Breads
Breads are essential for scooping, dipping, or topping. This section has recipes like Tel Avivian Focaccia, Challah, and Jerusalem Bagel.
Salads
Fresh, crunchy, and full of flavor. Examples are Deconstructed Sabich, Israeli Caprese, and The Best Green Salad of Your Life (BTW, best recipe name ever!)
Veggie Bites
Vegetable dishes that are beautiful and full of flavor. Think Moroccan Carrots, Garlicky String Beans, and Zikki’s Eggplant..
Animal Bites
Meat, fish, and seafood dishes. Examples include Kebab, NY Strip Steak, and Seared Scallop Carpaccio.
Something Sweet
Desserts to finish your meal. Recipes include Ma’amoul, Jaffa Sundae, and Citrus Basbousa.
The photos in this book are professional and also feel personal. Some show their hands preparing food, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at the work and care that go into each dish. Some pictures include Zikki and Ben’s faces, making it feel warm and real. I love how the photos make you feel like you’re a guest at their table. They create a sense that you’re right there with them, sharing the meal.
This book is a personal, authentic reflection of the authors’ lives, their love for each other, and their passion for food and community. The acknowledgments show how much they value teamwork, family, and mentorship.
Eat Small Plates is about the joy of cooking, eating, and hosting—creating a practical guide for genuine, down-to-earth hospitality. It reminds us of the importance of gathering and eating together.
Jeweled celery salad Recipe
You didn’t realize you needed this salad until now. We used to call this the leftover salad because it was born out of all our leftovers from a big night of cooking: herbs, nuts, dried fruit, and celery (because who doesn’t have leftover celery?). But the more we made this salad, the more it became a menu staple. And then it became the most important salad we ever served. This salad is fresh and bountiful from the abundance of herbs, satisfying and decadent from the freshly toasted almonds, tart and sweet from the dried fruit, and pulled together using the celery, which is the ultimate vehicle for crunch. To add even more color, toss in an additional cup of pomegranate seeds.—zikki
Serve it with: My Uncle Tal’s Lentil Masabacha (page 79), Zikki’s Eggplant (page 224), Jerusalem Bagel (page 120)
Yield: Serves 3 to 6, makes 3 heaping small plates Total time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds, toasted and roughly chopped
1/2 bunch of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bunch of cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cups raw celery, sliced into small 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped
1 bunch of mint, chopped
1 cup pomegranate seeds (optional, highly recommended)
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon gray salt, plus more to taste
Instructions: In a medium bowl, add the almonds, celery, cranberries, parsley, cilantro, mint, pomegranate seeds (if desired, but highly recommended), lemon juice, olive oil, honey, and salt. Toss until combined, adjust the salt as needed, and serve immediately.
Celery, the cool temperature vegetable, we love you—year after year!
To our health and Inspiration
Kenden
