It is Yom Ha’atzmaut, or Israeli Independence day, and as I write this fireworks are exploding outside my window. For Israelis this is a major day, something they still remember and actively fight for. Sure the Fourth of July is big in the US, but there’s no one alive who remembers the American Revolution; that’s the stuff of history books. Israel is only 63 years old today. Continue reading “Health Salad, A Second Avenue Deli Favorite”
I’ve struggled with my oven in Israel. It’s electric, it’s in Celsius, but more than anything it’s uneven. A cake comes out perfectly cooked on the outside, and completely raw in the middle. I can produce good banana bread, and I’ve even managed to pump out a decent cake, but for the most part my oven is unreliable. So I’ve been trying to expand my dessert repertoire beyond baked goods. Continue reading “Poached Pears, An Elegant Treat”
Monday evening marks the start of Pesach, or Passover, and with it comes a week without yeast or leavened bread. In New York it’s business as usual. But in Israel, the supermarket supplies of flour, bread, and chips began to dwindle the first week of April. Bars won’t serve beer. Take a moment to process that one. And observant individuals thoroughly clean their homes (sort of an imposed Spring cleaning) and rid the kitchen of any chametz, or items not deemed Kosher for Passover. Continue reading “Challah French Toast”
Prior to moving to Israel, I had never had Iraqi-Jewish cuisine. But in the brimming aisles of Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market there is an Iraqi-Jewish enclave with tons of restaurants serving traditional fare. Kubbeh (also called kibbe) is one of those dishes. It’s beautiful, it’s addictive, and it’s unlike anything I’ve ever had. Sort of a beet and beef-stuffed matzoh ball soup. Continue reading “Marak Kubbeh Adom, a Taste of Iraqi-Jewish Tradition”
Samosas were probably the first Indian food I fell in love with. How could you not? Perfectly fried triangles of curried potato and peas in a crispy shell are the ideal snack, almost any time. In college I studied abroad in India and fell even deeper for Indian flavors, although what we in America think of as Indian food is a little different. I’ve been making samosas ever since I’ve had my own kitchen, over 10 years, and they are always crowd pleasers. Continue reading “Samosas with Loquat-Onion Chutney”
At home in New York, I was accustomed to ordering Thai food on any given night when I was too tired to cook, rainy evenings, lazy Saturday afternoons, you name it. Curry Puffs and Pad See Ew have developed into serious comfort food for my husband and I. Now, living in Israel, Thai food is hard to come by. In Be’er Sheva there isn’t a single Thai restaurant, and I’ve been known to lug home Thai take-out from a reputable restaurant in Tel Aviv (which is an hour and a half away). Continue reading “Curry Puffs: A Take Out Mainstay, At Home”
I know, it sounds fancy. It looks fancy too. But this elegant potato and goat cheese terrine is deceptively simple to prepare. And because it needs to be chilled for 24 hours and the final plating takes seconds, it’s the perfect make ahead appetizer for a dinner party. Continue reading “Potato and Goat Cheese Terrine”
It’s been nearly 10 days since I posted anything, the longest gap since I started this blog in September. Between visitors, Purim, rockets, a Med school event, food poisoning, or maybe it was a stomach virus, a culinary tour in Tel Aviv, and articles due I just didn’t have the energy. I didn’t even cook. For a few days I could barely eat. Continue reading “Lunch Special Brown Sauce”
This recipe may have begun with the sunchokes, but it’s all about the halloumi. Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichokes, are everywhere right now. And while we might be in Israel, those nobby little roots that look like ginger or turmeric have nothing to do with Jerusalem. I bought a pound without a plan and while I’ve most often had them in the form of creamy soup, I got it into my head that I wanted to roast them and put them in a salad. I thinly sliced some so they’d get crispy and serve as a sunchoke chip garnish. Continue reading “Sunchoke and Fried Halloumi Salad”
I was beginning to think they just didn’t have broccoli in Israel. It turns out that’s just my American mindset, so accustomed to getting whatever produce I want any time of year. Imagine the concept of seasonality. Here, it’s not just a concept, something farmers’ markets try to convince you of, it’s a complete and total reality. If something is not in season, for the most part we just don’t eat it. When forced to actually eat this way, it really is an entire shift in the way you think about food. The point is, for this post anyway, that broccoli is in season. It’s at the supermarket and the shuk, and as one of our favorite vegetables, you’ll be seeing a lot of it. Continue reading “The Seasonality of Broccoli”
