2 Tbsp. butter
350 gr. mushrooms, chopped
2 Tbsp. onion, chopped
2 Tbsp. sweet cream
salt and black pepper to taste
6 artichoke hearts, cooked, at room temperature (may used tinned)
In a skillet melt the butter and in this saute the mushrooms and onions until they have browned. To these add the sweet cream and the salt and pepper and heat through. Fill the artichoke hearts with this mixture and place in a hot oven for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
(Serves 4 - 6)
24 large asparagus, fresh
1 cup avgolemono sauce, hot (recipe follows)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
juice of 1 large lemon
dill, chopped, for garnish
Trim the stems and cook the asparagus in boiling salted water with the lemon juice and oil added, just until tender. Lift out gently with a slotted spoon and let drain.
Pour the avgolemono sauce over the asparagus, sprinkle with the dill and serve at once.
Serves four to six.
Judging by its popularity, you would think that the avocado has been grown in Israel for many years. In fact, until recently, they were not grown in Israel at all. Today, the avocado is an Israeli favorite and avocado fields dot the countryside.
1 medium avocado
1 minced onion
lemon juice to taste
2 hard boiled eggs
salt, pepper, paprika to taste
Cut avocado in half, scoop out fruit. Add chopped eggs, onion, seasonings and lemon juice. Serve on lettuce.
In Israel, it is not unusual for guests to drop in for a visit without prior notice. In such cases, they are likely to get a light snack or impromptu meal. In anticipation of such contingencies, one such prepared dish is baba ghanouj, which can be found in virtually every Israeli refrigerator.
1 large eggplant
1 medium onion
2 tbs. lemon juice
1/2 bunch parsley
1/2 cup tehina
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tsp. water
1 tsp. salt
dash of cayenne pepper
Place whole unpeeled eggplant directly on a gas burner with flame set at medium, turning as the skin chars and inside becomes soft, or bake in a pan at 450 deg F (250 deg C) until charred and tender (about 30 minutes). Let cool slightly, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out eggplant pulp with wooden spoon (the wooden spoon preserves the flavor). Chop fine in a ceramic or wooden bowl. Grate onion on largest holes of a grater. Squeeze juice from onion. Chop parsley fine and blend with eggplant and onion. In a separate bowl, blend tehina thoroughly with lemon juice and garlic. Stir in small amount of water until white in color. Add to eggplant mixture, with salt and dash of cayenne pepper. More lemon may be added for extra flavor. Garnish with parsley. Makes 2 1/2 - 3 cups.
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup onion, chopped
2 - 3 cloves garlic, chopped
4 medium to large potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 Tbsp. tomato puree
1/2 tsp. each salt, pepper and oregano
about 1 cup chicken stock
Tabasco sauce to taste
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and saute the onion and garlic until golden-brown. Add the potato slices, tomato puree, salt, pepper, oregano and just enough stock to cover the potatoes. Season to taste with Tabasco. Bring to a boil and then reduce the flame. Simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender (about 25 minutes).
Serves four to six.
Ingredients:
4 bunches broccoli
3 Tbsp. olive oil
3 - 4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cup dry white wine
salt and pepper to taste
Wash the broccoli well and cut off the tough stalks. Place upright in the bottom part of a double boiler in rapidly boiling salted water. Keep the flowers uppermost for 10 minutes and then invert the top part of the double boiler over the flowers and steam for 3 - 4 minutes.
In a skillet heat the olive oil and in this saute the garlic until browned. When the broccoli is nearly tender transfer it to this skillet and fry for about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer 5 minutes longer. Correct the seasoning with salt and pepper to taste and serve in the oil and wine sauce. Serve hot.
Serves 6-8.
Carrot salad is easy to make and refreshing. When Israelis abroad long for their homeland, they recall the incomparable tastes of Israel's fruits and vegetables.
4 carrots
1 handful raisins
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp. sugar
Peel and grate carrots. Mix in a bowl with raisins and orange juice. Add sugar to taste.
750 gr. fresh asparagus
1 cup walnuts, chopped finely
6 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup each soy sauce and vinegar
1 - 2 Tbsp. walnut or sesame oil
pepper to taste
Tie the asparagus in serving bunches and stand in a high pot with several inches of salted water. Bring to the boil, cover and let cook just until tender (6 - 8 minutes). Drain well and arrange on a serving dish. Mix together the remaining ingredients and pour over the asparagus, lifting the asparagus so the dressing penetrates. Sprinkle with pepper, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before serving.
Serves 4-6.
The famous Arab geographer al-Muqadasi, writing in the year 985 CE, noted among the marvels of Jerusalem pine nuts called kadam, which are unrivaled anywhere on earth.
200 grams pine nuts
Olive oil
A bunch of fresh coriander
A bunch of fresh parsley
Fresh lemon juice
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
A little vinegar-wine
Salt
Roast the pine nuts carefully in a small pot on a low flame, using a little oil. It is important to stir constantly. Don't do other things in the meantime! Stir all the time and make sure the pine nuts do not burn.
With a large, sharp knife chop the coriander and the parsley, place in a bowl and add the pine nuts, which have by now cooled.
Squeeze in lemon juice, drip in a little olive oil, season with garlic, vinegar-wine, and salt. Taste, adjust the seasoning, and serve.
A few green onions, very thinly sliced, can be added to the salad.
4 cucumbers, peeled and thinly sliced
1/4 cup wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. sugar
1 clove garlic, mashed
generous pinch of red paprika
black pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. crushed cumin seeds
parsley, chopped, for garnish
Place the sliced cucumbers in a glass bowl and sprinkle liberally with salt, stirring. Let stand for 1 hour and then drain the accumulated liquids. Dry the cucumber slices on paper toweling and then return to the bowl. Combine the wine vinegar, sugar, garlic, paprika and pepper and mix well. Pour over the cucumbers, tossing well. Sprinkle the cumin and parsley over the top. Serve lightly chilled or at room temperature.
Serves 4-6.
the greens and stems from 1 kg. beets
6 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 - 6 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
Wash the beet greens well, shake dry and cut into 1" (2 1/2 cm) long pieces. Transfer to a saucepan, pour over water to cover and boil just until tender (about 5-6 minutes). Drain and squeeze out the excess water.
Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the garlic for 1-2 minutes. Add the beet tops and continue to saute over a low flame for 15 minutes longer. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper and cook over a very low flame for 5 minutes longer. May be served hot or chilled.
Serves 4.
The abundance of fresh fruit in Israel, ripe from the fields and orchards, makes fruit salads a natural choice. After a good meal, nothing is more refreshing than this cool dessert.
3 oranges
2 apples
lemon juice
nuts
1 tbs. sugar
2 fresh peaches
grapes, melon, pears, or 1 can fruit cocktail
Cut the apples and oranges into small pieces. Add lemon juice and sugar. Add the rest of the ingredients a short time before serving.
3 Tbsp. olive oil (or more if the skillet dries out)
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 cup unsalted, skinned peanuts
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
675 gr. (1 1/2 lb.) green beans
1 large green pepper, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onions, nuts and garlic until the onions are translucent. To this mixture add the green beans, green pepper, salt and black pepper. Continue to saute until the beans are tender. Serve hot.
Serves 6
This is a Romanian dish which is also featured in Middle Eastern menus. Israeli green peppers are known for their sweetness.
4 large green peppers
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs. lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 deg F (210 deg C). Place whole peppers on a flat baking tray and roast, turning often, until skin is soft. Remove from oven and peel. Remove seeds and cut peppers into strips. In a non-metal dish, mix oil, lemon juice and garlic. Stir in pepper strips, season with salt and pepper, and chill.
2 Tbsp. wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
black pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. onion, chopped finely
1 Tbsp. parsley, chopped finely
1/4 kilo mushrooms, sliced thinly
lettuce leaves for serving
In a mixing bowl beat together the vinegar, olive oil, salt and black pepper. Add the onion and parsley, mix well and then add the mushrooms, turning gently to be sure all the slices are coated. Marinate 2 - 3 hours, turning occasionally. Serve chilled on lettuce leaves.
(Serves 4 - 6)
Ingredients:
Ripe tomatoes
Green pepper or red pepper (not sweet)
Green small hot pepper according to level of spiciness desired
Oil, salt, pepper
Chop the tomatoes with the skin, and the peppers into cubes. The hot pepper, cut into big pieces, so you can take it out before eating. Put everything in a big pot with boiling oil. At first, you cook it on medium light; afterwards, about an hour later, on low heat until the tomatoes turn a part of the mixture. You can eat it hot or cold, as dressing for rice or potatoes. And the best is to dip it with fresh Challah on Friday.
1 cup mushroom caps
1 cup olive oil
2 large green peppers, halved
2 medium onions, halved
2 tomatoes, halved
2 small zucchini squash, halved lengthwise
1 tsp. dill seed
1/2 tsp. each salt, pepper and ground garlic
juice of 2 large lemons
pinch of rosemary
Combine the oil, lemon juice and seasonings and mix well.
Put the vegetables in a mixing bowl and pour the marinade over. Toss gently and let stand for 1-2 hours, mixing occasionally.
Over a charcoal fire or under a hot broiler, grill the vegetables until the tops begin to blacken. Turn and coat each with a bit of the marinade and cook the second side until beginning to blacken but before burning. Serve hot.
Serves 4.
Because this dish is always better when made in large quantities, this recipe will serve 12 - 15. Always better the day after cooking (and even better the day after that), ghivetch may be served hot, lightly chilled or at room temperature and may be accompanied by yogurt or sour cream. There is a clear relationship between this Romanian dish and French ratatouille.
4 onions, sliced
1 1/2 cups olive oil
1 small head cabbage, shredded
1 small cauliflower, broke into flowerettes
1/2 kg. lima beans, shelled
8 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped coarsely
6 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 small carrots, sliced
125 gr. okra, cut in thick slices
125 gr. string beans, trimmed and halved or quartered
1 green pepper, seeded and cut into strips
the white portions of 3 leeks, sliced
2 or 3 zucchini squash, cubed
2 parsley roots, diced
1 celery root, diced
1 cup sour grapes or 2 sour plums (may used tinned)
1/2 cup parsley, chopped finely
8 - 12 cloves garlic
salt and pepper to taste
Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a 5-liter flameproof casserole or Dutch oven, and fry the onions until golden brown.
Add all of the vegetables, herbs and fruits and mix gently, sprinkling with salt and pepper.
In a saucepan, bring the remaining oil to a boil and pour over the vegetables. Cover tightly and cook over a moderate flame until the liquids begin to boil. Transfer to a medium oven until all of the vegetables are cooked and most of the liquids have evaporated (1 - 1 1/2 hours), adding more liquid if the casserole dries out during the cooking. Stir gently once or twice during cooking. Season to taste with the salt and pepper and, if desired, serve with yogurt or sour cream.
12 baby eggplants, with stems intact
3 cups red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, chopped finely
1 1/2 Tbsp. each salt and ground cumin
2 - 3 dried red chili peppers
1/2 tsp. oregano
black pepper to taste
Make a 1" (2 1/2 cm) slit in each eggplant. Place the eggplants in a saucepan with a large amount of lightly salted boiling water and cook until just tender (about 10-12 minutes). Drain, cool and transfer the eggplants to a large crock or jar.
In a mixing bowl, combine the remaining ingredients with about 4 cups of water. Pour this mixture over the eggplants. If necessary, add water so that the eggplants are covered. Cover the container tightly and let stand at room temperature for 3-4 days.
To serve, drain and serve whole.
Serves 6-8.
4 large potatoes, peeled and grated
1 large onion, grated
1 apple, peeled, cored and grated
2 eggs, separated
pinch of sugar
2 Tbsp. Matzah meal or flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. white pepper
about 1/4 cup shortening
applesauce for serving
Combine the potatoes, onion and apple and place the mixture, a large handful at a time into a towel or cheesecloth and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Combine the potato mixture with the egg yolks, sugar and just enough flour to thicken the mixture to the consistency of cooked oatmeal. Add the salt and pepper and mix well.
Beat the egg whites stiff and fold these into the mixture.
In a large heavy skillet, heat the shortening (there should be about 1/2" [1 cm] of shortening in the skillet). Drop the pancakes into the shortening from a tablespoon, fry over a moderate flame until the first side has browned (5-7 minutes) and then turn and brown the other side. Drain on paper toweling, sprinkle over with salt to taste and serve hot with applesauce.
Serves 4-6.
This is a simple, adaptable dish to serve during the year or at Passover. It is easily modified to include different vegetables such as root vegetables, eggplant or squash. If you are substituting tougher root vegetables such as rutabaga, turnips, or carrots, these should be sliced thinly and cooked a bit longer. Just put the root vegetables in the roasting dish 15 minutes before adding onions or other soft vegetables.
2 T. olive oil
3 medium yellow or red onions, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, sliced
1 green pepper, sliced
1 pound cleaned, sliced mushrooms
1/2 tsp. thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Put the oil in a shallow, large roasting dish. Heat for several minutes in the preheated oven. Spread the sliced vegetables in one or two layers over the oil. Turn the vegetables a few times to coat with the warm oil. Sprinkle with thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover dish, and return to oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and return to oven for 15 minutes. Serve with roasted poultry.
A Sephardi favorite. No Middle Eastern restaurant menu is complete without it, though Hungarians also delight in this dishwith the addition of lots of paprika. Leshakshek means "to shake" in Hebrew. Every cook from North Africa has his or her own personal version of this egg and tomato dish. Whatever vegetable is used, it must be fresh, not canned.
1 lg. onion (finely chopped)
4 eggs
cooking oil
6 medium tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
In a large frying pan, saut onion until lightly browned. Grate tomatoes on largest holes of a grater. Mix grated tomatoes and onion, cover and cook over low heat for 25 minutes. Remove cover and break eggs over the surface. Stir gently to break yolks, cover and cook for about 3 or 4 minutes until eggs are set. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Variations: One minced garlic clove may be added to the onion, or 3 to 4 slices of red pimento may be sauteed with the onion.
1 kg. eggplant
about 1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice or more to taste
1 Tbsp. sweet paprika
4 - 6 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. ground cumin
harissa sauce for serving (recipe follows)
From each eggplant, cut out 3 vertical strips of skin, leaving it with a striped effect. Slice the eggplant into 1/2" (1 cm) thick slices, salt and let drain in a colander for 1/2 hour. Rinse well and squeeze gently. Pat dry using paper toweling.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and fry the slices, several at a time, until golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper toweling and then mash the eggplant, garlic and spices together. Return this mixture to the skillet and fry until all of the liquid evaporates and only oil and vegetables remain. Stir often during cooking.
Pour off the oil and season with the lemon juice. Correct the seasoning with salt to taste and let come to room temperature. Serve with the harissa sauce.
Serves 4.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup oil
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 fresh chopped hot peppers
1 big chopped onion
5 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon curry leaves (dried)
1 kilogram boiled potatoes -slightly smashed
Salt, black pepper
2 teaspoons turmeric
Pinch cardamom
1 cup fresh chopped coriander
Coating:
1 cup humus flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt
Water
Put oil in the pot, and fry mustard seeds, garlic, onion, curry leaves and hot peppers. Stir it for about 5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the potatoes. Mash and stir for a minute. Turn off heat, and add the coriander and spices. Stir, cover and chill well.
Put the humus flour in a bowl. Add egg, turmeric, and salt. Stir and add water until you get a thick and smooth mixture.
You make from the potato mixture, small flat balls, the size of ping-pong, dip them in the humus mixture coating and deep fry in oil until the coating turns a little golden. Drain oil (on paper towel) and serve with coriander and mint chutney.
This is a typical Israeli recipe for eggplant. A popular Arab proverb in the Middle East claims: "A woman who does not know how to prepare eggplant 101 different ways is not yet prepared for marriage."
1 medium eggplant
1 onion, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
chopped mint to taste
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cooked rice
3 tbs. oil
3 tbs. white wine
juice of 1 lemon
Cut eggplant in half, scoop out pulp, cube and fry with onion. Add tomatoes and rice, salt, pepper, cinnamon and mint. Fill in shells and steam in a covered pot adding a little oil. Add wine and lemon juice. Cool and serve.
The idea of salad for breakfast is probably a little strange to North Americans. But this trademark Mediterranean salad is enjoyed by Israelis three times a daybreakfast, lunch, and supperregardless of whether they are from Russia, Morocco, Yemen, or the United States.
1/2 head lettuce
1/4 head cabbage
4 medium tomatoes
2 medium cucumbers
2 medium carrots
5-10 radishes
green onion
2 hard boiled eggs
2 tbs. parsley
Dressing
2-3 tbs. lemon juice
2-3 tbs. oil
Cut vegetables (except carrots) into small cubes. Grate carrot and egg. Garnish with parsley. Combine lemon juice and oil, add to salad before serving and mix well.
White kidney beans
Salt
Sage stalk (not essential)
1 large onion, sliced thin
A bunch of fresh parsley, finely chopped
Oil
Black pepper
Lemon juice
Vinegar
Soak the beans in water overnight.
Strain and cook in salt water until they soften (for a marvelous touch, add a stalk of sage to the water), strain, and cool.
Add the onion and parsley, season with oil, black pepper, salt, lemon juice, and vinegar.
Zucchini was mentioned in the Bible (Book of Leviticus), and, until this day has remained part of the fare in Israel and neighboring lands.
6 small zucchini
1/2 cup olive oil
2 chopped onions
salt and pepper
1 chopped green and/or red pepper
1 cup chopped tomatoes
Cut zucchini into rings and fry in oil. Set zucchini aside. Fry chopped onion until transparent. Add tomatoes, black pepper, salt and green and/or red pepper. Saute until soft. Pour over zucchini rings.
