Currently browsing

Recipes

Wintry mangold-wheat soup

There are soups for every season. This is a soup for winter. We are in the midst of Israeli winter at its most intense. It rained for three days straight, and oh, what rain! Some places even had a bit of snow. Fine, laugh. I know it's not exactly winter in Siberia, but rain manages to paralyze the country every time. Yesterday the rain flooded one of the country's most central highways, causing traffic jams that lasted for hours and leading the police to recommend against even attempting to enter Tel Aviv. As for those of us already in the city? I probably should have stayed home for the third day in a row, but I didn't, and a short trip across town -- a 5-10 minute drive in normal weather -- turned to a 40-minute opportunity to bond with the cabby. On the bright side, we were seated in a cab while the rain was falling sideways. Though as my husband points out, if it's going sideways, it isn't really falling now, is it? More ...

Porcini-leek risotto

"What would you eat if you hadn't eaten in a week?" my husband asked the waitress. That's how I feel sometimes. The day slips by, so many things need to be done, and by the time I finally find the time to eat, I'm so hungry I don't even know what I want. I want everything. In one messy heap. Right now. It'd been one of those days when we wound up at Lilush on a chilly December afternoon. The little cafe, sitting on the corner of Frishman and Masarik Square, offers a long list of soups, a handful of pasta dishes, and mulled wine to sip at the outdoor wooden tables. Distracted by all the food at the tables around me, I couldn't decide what I wanted. "What would you eat if you hadn't eaten in a week?" my husband asked the waitress. More ...

Ghormeh sabzi — Persian herb soup

One day when I was feeling particularly stir-crazy, I packed the baby into the carrier and took a bus down to the Levinsky Street market. There, we made our way through the narrow, crowded streets to Salimi, arguably the area’s best little restaurant for Persian food. Just the two of …

Jerusalem, where food and cultures collide — a cookbook review

Could a book entitled “Jerusalem” really not be political — even if that book is a cookbook? That was the main question in my mind as I waited to receive a review copy of Yotam Ottolenghi and Sami Tamimi’s latest book, named after the city where both chefs were born …

Fresh yeast sufganiyot — Hanukkah donuts

I’m going to admit it — I’m not into Roladin donuts. We may have another week to go until Hanukkah begins, but the Roladin donuts have been out in force for a while now, due to popular demand (and marketing). I must be the only person in the country who …

Black rice pilaf with beet and goat feta

Pilafs are a lovely, easy way to make a quick meal — a wide range of ingredients meld together into a coherent whole. So I’ve been making a lot of them lately. The base here is black rice — not wild rice, which can cost as much as 60 shekels …

Flame-roasted eggplant with chipotle-lime tahini

One of the things Israel lacks is Mexican and Tex-Mex food. We have plenty of ethnic food here, as I’ve noted before, but it tends to be from different ethnicities, those with more of a presence here. And we don’t have many Mexicans. That said, some of the key ingredients …

Black lentil salad with pomegranate and baby greens

Little pomegranate jewels poke out from a jumble of shiny black lentils, resting on a tousled bed of greens — a lovely light meal that couldn’t be easier to prepare. And seasonal, too. It’s been a long few months — too long, perhaps, as this is the longest I’ve ever …

Majadera with caramelized pumpkin

One of the ironies of the Israeli summer is pumpkin. Because when it’s so hot that you want to crawl out of your skin, there’s nothing more appealing than a steaming bowl of pumpkin soup. Or stewed pumpkin. Because this is when pumpkin (and other so-called “winter squashes”) are in …

Apple chunk breakfast loaf

My apple guy is one of my favorite market vendors. Always with a ready smile when I’m buying or even just passing by. Last time I was there, he introduced me to his grandchildren, though you’d hardly guess he’s a grandfather by his looks. And, oh, he likes to sit …