Up until now, finding familiar ingredients in Israel hasn’t been a problem. But for Thanksgiving, the most singularly American of all holidays, the ante was upped. While it would be interesting, a possible improvement even, to try to merge our new culture with our old, there is something about Thanksgiving that makes that difficult. I can see it happening over years, couscous replacing stuffing, borekas replacing rolls. But for this, our first Thanksgiving in Israel, we tried like mad to make it taste just like home. Continue reading “The Trials and Tribulations of Making Brisket in Israel”
Tag: kosher meat
Chicken Tortilla Soup
When I used to work near Union Square I would occasionally treat myself to the tortilla soup at City Bakery when it was available in the colder months. It was something I enjoyed immensely but never considered making. Although I am in the desert, I’m also on the tail end of a cold and I was craving a hot bowl of soup. And I appear to be on some kind of Mexican kick. Of course Tortilla Soup is an invention of the American Southwest, but it does incorporate Mexican ingredients that are fortunately also abundant in Israel: tomatoes, chiles, onions, and chicken.
Homemade Chicken Stock
I know I should have been making my own stock all along. But it took moving to Israel, where all they have are overly salty bouillon cubes and soup mixes to light a fire under me. I was going to make soup, so why not start with the broth? I found a recipe for Quickest Chicken StockĀ in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything that looked unbelievably simple. And it was. Continue reading “Homemade Chicken Stock”
Embracing the Flavors of my New Home
For the first two weeks I was in Israel I made the foods that were familiar to me. Beef stew, pasta and sauce, even Pad Thai. But this week I was ready to embrace the beautiful flavors and ingredients that are so readily available to me and start creating something with some Mediterranean flavor. I’m obsessed with the figs here. They’re everywhere, they’re ripe, they’re bursting with color and flavor. I knew I wanted to do something with that. Continue reading “Embracing the Flavors of my New Home”
Shortcut Pad Thai
In New York comfort means ordering in Thai food. That was the worst part of living in the Bronx – no Thai delivery. We had to go down to 86th Street if we wanted curry puffs. I was so nervous about being deprived of Thai food that my friends Sam and Manissa cooked me a huge spicy Thai dinner for my going away party. It was the perfect send-off. Continue reading “Shortcut Pad Thai”
A Stew for All Seasons
Every year around this time I start to crave stew. I always thought the change in seasons signaled this urge, the cold tinge in the air sending my brain messages. But right on time as soon as October hit I wanted nothing more than beef stew. Did I mention I live in the desert? Continue reading “A Stew for All Seasons”