We’re in full thrust of the holiday season and even though I (thankfully) don’t have Christmas music blaring in every supermarket to remind me, I still feel the annual baking itch approaching. I’ve also been promising Evan I’d make chocolate chip cookies since the day I got here. That was two months ago. Chocolate chip cookies are as good a place to start as any! Continue reading “Good Old Fashioned Chocolate Chip Cookies”
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”
Anyone who knows me well will attest to the fact that I love to make macaroni and cheese. When I’m feeling serious I go all out on the baked variety. But when laziness strikes – primarily at the end of a late night, the afternoon after a late night, or lunch – I go with this quick stove top version. Controversial as it may be, lunch is my least favorite meal of the day. I’m not big on cold cuts and I can only eat eggs, grilled cheese sandwiches, and hummus so many days in a row. This week the inspiration struck to get out of my lunch rut. And what do you know, I had a big hunka cheddar in my fridge and a box of mini shells in my pantry. Continue reading “Stovetop Mac n’ Cheese”
When I saw beet greens at the shuq I knew I had to have them. Even though at first I thought they were chard. Either way, I’ve been craving me some leafy greens. One of my favorite ways to cook hearty leaves like this is to quickly braise them (I know, a bit of an oxymoron) in broth and some balsamic vinegar. With lots of garlic. Decide for yourself where on the scale of raw to creamed greens you like, and stop cooking at that point. This is an easy side dish for any meal. And while other greens like chard can be substituted, beet greens are particularly flavorful. Continue reading “Braised Beet Greens”
My friend Beth and I recently spent the day in Tel Aviv in search of amazing soups for a freelance article I was working on. In between steamy bowls of black bean, matzoh bowl, and ramen we also stopped for sushi and found an incredible cheese shop. With aged gouda, walnut brie, fresh ricotta, tangy goat cheese. The labels were in English and Hebrew and the cheese-monger, an old Tel Avivan, insisted we try everything before we buy it. It was here that I got the crème fraîche. How could I resist? It’s not exactly something I can pick up at the shuq here in Be’er Sheva. Continue reading “Fettuccine with Lemon and Crème Fraîche”
It’s doesn’t get much simpler than this. Pancakes. Fun to make, even more fun to eat. They’re not particularly time consuming yet still evoke images of lazy mornings. The best of both worlds. I made these one weekday when Evan started class a little later than normal. And honestly they’re not any more work than adding eggs to a box mix. Once you get the basic batter down – just a mixture of flour, baking powder, eggs, and milk – you can add pretty much anything else you want. This time I went with a combination of banana and chocolate chip, but go wild. Any mixture of fruit, nuts, and/or chocolate is bound to be a success. Continue reading “Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes”
Doesn’t the name of this dish alone entice you? Even now, after making and eating this meal, typing the title makes my mouth water. There’s something beautiful about it, lyrical almost. I don’t know if it’s the pasta, the chicken cooked in wine, the saffron-scented sauce, or a combination of the three that I find so alluring. Continue reading “Rigatoni with Wine-Braised Chicken and Saffron Cream”
And we’re back! Our computer crashed, or rather had a shelf crash into it, and so I’ve been on a bit of a forced computer hiatus. We’ve got a lot of catching up to do. And so we pick up where I left off.
I love tuna, but I don’t cook it often. And being in the desert fresh fish isn’t, well, as fresh as it could be. But one of the local supermarkets has a nice selection of frozen seafood that is about as fresh as we’re going to get in Be’er Sheva (Union Square fish market, how I miss you). I wanted to flavor the tuna without turning it into a ceviche so I quickly marinated it in a mixture of soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, and parsley. A coating of sesame seeds and a quick sear over high heat finished the dish. Any number of sides would round out the meal but I went for a healthy quinoa salad and slices of avocado. Continue reading “Sesame-Crusted Tuna with Avocado”
Warning: this dish is addictive. The super savory cumin contrasts with the sweet pomegranate syrup and meaty eggplant for a killer vegetable side dish with bold Middle Eastern flavors. Since most of the cooking is done in the oven and the eggplant can be served at room temperature this is an easy side to make ahead for company. I served it with Butternut Squash and Sage Cannelloni, but it would be an equally good accompaniment for braised meat, roast chicken, herbed couscous, or a light salad. A dollop of labneh on top of each eggplant (a la this recipe) is also really good. Continue reading “Cumin-Scented Eggplant with Pomegranate”
