In the week that Wales won...(Week 13 - Israel)

 OUR EXPERIENCE

In the same week that Wales beat Israel in the football European Championship Qualifying, we had Israeli food. I was a little surprised with the food from Israel, but I did manage a perfect 10 from my husband for the Tu Bishvat – my husband loved it; even though he didn’t like the idea of prunes, dates and meat cooked together. It was glorious, with a rich – yet smooth – sauce. I served it with the potato pancakes, which were also a success. The falafel, on the other hand was a different story. I made this from scratch and although we ate it, we did not really enjoy it. We have, however, had it before but it was already prepared and whilst it was not a favourite it did taste much better than my homemade version, so I am not sure what I did wrong. It tasted bland and sticky – any ideas are more than welcome. I know this will make purists cringe, but we could only eat it with chilli sauce.... The honey cake, on the other hand was nice, if a little too sweet for our tastes. But saying that, no one complained about having it in their pack lunch boxes! I did manage to find some Tahini in the supermarket, which I was quite surprised about. Although I didn’t make the cookies and nor did we have it with the falafel, as we should of. It has quite a reasonable shelf life, so I might see if I can be brave and use it. If I am being honest, I am not keen on the sound of it as I am not a lover of nutty things.  I also made chicken schnitzel, and served this with Israeli salad. I simply got chicken breasts, beat them flat and then dipped them in egg, and then into a spiced breadcrumb mixture. Browned them in a frying pan and then cooked them in the oven – delicious!

 

Cooked with score (out of 100):

Tu Bishvat (Fruity beef bourguignon)………………………………………90

Latkes (Potato pancakes)…………………………………………………………90

Felafel...............................……………………………………………………….50

New Years Honey Cake...............................................................67

Chicken schnitzel (No recipe)......................................................88

 

Wanted to cook:

Tahini Cookies

Shakshouka

 

Tu Bishvat

This Fruity Beef Bourguignon recipe comes from a restaurant in Ramat Ishai, Jezreel Valley.

Ingredients:

1½ kilos beef chuck shoulder pot roast, cubed (3 cm x 3 cm)

8 garlic cloves

2 onions, sliced into rings

5 carrots, peeled and sliced into circles

Half of a bunch of fresh parsley, chopped

¼ cup silan (date honey) * I used honey

½ litre apple cider

1 cup red wine

10 dry prunes, pitted

10 dried apricots

10 dates, pitted

Olive oil

Flour seasoned with salt and pepper Directions:

1. Coat the meat with the seasoned flour. In a big pot, heat the oil and fry the meat on all sides, and then put aside.
2. Fry the onion, the carrots and the garlic, then return the meat to the pot.
3. Add the silan, apple cider, red wine, and the rest of the ingredients, and season with salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil and then cook for 1½ hours on low flame.
5. Before serving, taste and season as needed.
    

Latkes (Potato pancakes)

They are called levivot in Hebrew. They are traditionally served with sour cream or applesauce on the side.The classic latke is made of potatoes, but there are many other tasty versions, some that use no potato at all!This classic potato pancake recipe makes approximately 25 latkes (serves 4-6)

Ingredients: 5 medium to large potatoes

1-2 onions

3 eggs

¼- 1/3 cup flour or matzah meal

1-2 teaspoons salt

¼- ½ teaspoon pepper

Olive, peanut, or canola oil for frying Directions:

1. Peel potatoes. This can be done in advance (for a few hours) if you keep the potatoes in cold water.
2. If using a hand grater, grate the potatoes and onion on fine side of the grater. Otherwise, cube potatoes and onion and process in a food processor or in a blender with a little bit of water. Drain excess water right away, and squeeze out any remaining liquid.
3. Pour the potato-onion mixture into a large bowl and add the eggs, flour, and spices. Tip: add the flour a bit at a time and mix well, until the mixture thickens and sticks together.
4. Pour oil in a large pan to a depth of ½ -1 inch, and heat on medium-high flame. Alternatively, you can use oil spray on a Teflon pan.
5. Lower the flame once oil is sizzling hot (when bubbles form around a wooden spoon inserted into the oil) and add several tablespoons of the batter (one heaping tablespoon per latke).
6. Fry until golden brown (approximately 5 minutes) then turn over and fry on other side until golden brown as well (another 2-3 minutes).
7. Drain latkes on plate covered with paper towels to absorb the excess oil. Continue to make latkes, using more oil as needed.
8. Serve with sour cream or applesauce on the side. Greek-style yogurt, or labane, or gevina levana (white cheese popular in Israel) also work well!
   
   Note: You can replace some (or all) of the potatoes with the same number of large carrots or zucchini, for carrot or zucchini potato pancakes.
    

New Year's Honey Cake

This cake is typically served on Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement)

Serves 12

Ingredients

⅓ cup self-rising flour

⅓ cup flour

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 Tablespoon cocoa powder

1 medium egg

½ cup sugar

⅓ cup cooking oil

⅓ cup honey

⅓ cup boiling water

Method

1. Preheat oven to 375°F and grease and line a baking pan.
2. Place flour, baking soda, cocoa, and spices into a sieve over a large mixing bowl and shake them gently through the sieve.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the egg with the sugar.
4. Add the oil and honey and mix together.
5. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture in the first bowl.
6. Pour in the boiling water and mix together until smooth.
7. Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 45 minutes.
8. Leave the cake to cool in the pan before removing and serving.
    
    

Felafel

Ingredients

Serves 6 to 8

1 cup canned chickpeas, well-drained

1 clove garlic

½ teaspoon salt

⅛ teaspoon pepper

⅔ cup fine breadcrumbs

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons oil

Oil for deep frying, enough to fill the pot about 3 inches

Pita bread

Method

1. Mash the chickpeas in a large bowl.
2. Cut the garlic into tiny pieces. Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and bread crumbs to the chickpeas. Mix the ingredients together.
3. Add the eggs and oil to the mixture and mix thoroughly.
4. Heat oil in the pot until little bubbles rise to the surface.
5. Shape the mixture into 16 balls, each about 1-inch across.
6. With the mixing spoon, gently place a few of the balls in the oil—do not drop them in because the hot oil may splash.
7. Fry a few at a time until they are golden brown—about 5 minutes.
8. Remove the felafel with the slotted spoon. Drain them on a plate covered with paper towels.
9. To serve, cut pita bread in half to make pockets.
10. Put two or three felafel balls into each pocket and drizzle with tahini sauce.
     

Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

¾ cup tahini (sesame seed paste; can be purchased in stores that sell Middle Eastern foods)

⅓ cup lemon juice

⅛ teaspoon garlic powder

⅓ cup water

Method

1. Mix tahini, lemon juice, and garlic powder in bowl until you have a smooth sauce.
2. Add the water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until sauce is thin enough to pour.
3. Pour tahini sauce over pita sandwiches; can also be used as a dip for raw vegetables.
    

Israeli Salad

In Israel, people enjoy salad with every meal, including breakfast. Israeli base salad consists of finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers, fresh lemon juice, quality olive oil, and a bit of salt and pepper for seasoning. Then any different ingredients can be added to transform this salad from perfectly simple to something a bit more sophisticated. Israeli salad is actually known in Israel as ‘salat katzutz’, chopped salad, or ‘salat aravi’, Arab salad. The vegetables should be room-temperature and fresh and chopped into very small pieces (the smaller the better). Za’atar, a blend of herbs, sesame seeds, and salt, is a wonderful spice for this salad.

Israeli salad is also a great side dish with any meal – add it to a pita with falafel and hummus, or serve it alongside chicken schnitzel and rice.

 

Ingredients serves 4-6

½ head of lettuce

2 medium tomatoes

½ cucumber, peeled

5 radishes

6 scallions

1 green pepper

1 carrot

4 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Pinch of salt and pepper

2 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

 

Method

1. Chop all vegetables except the carrot into small cubes and put them in a bowl.
2. Grate the carrot and mix it with the other vegetables.
3. Just before serving, put the lemon juice, oil, salt, and pepper into a small pitcher and mix with a fork.
4. Pour the dressing over the salad and mix well. Sprinkle the parsley on top

Source: www.foodbycountry.com 

Tahini Cookies

Topped with powdered sugar, they are the perfect complement to a cup of tea or coffee.

Makes 50 – 60 cookies

Ingredients:

200 grams / 7 ounces/ 1cup softened butter or margarine

3 cups flour

200 grams / 1 cup sugar

1 cup raw tahini

10 grams / 2 teaspoons baking Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 170º C / 338º F
2. Mix all ingredients well. The dough will feel slightly dry, but will become stickier when you form the cookies.
3. Wet hands slightly and take small amounts of dough, form into balls the size of golf-balls, and the dough will become more sticky. Place each ball on a baking sheet and press flat with a fork, creating a criss-cross pattern.
4. Bake the cookies for 14-17 minutes, and remove them from the oven before they turn golden. (If they brown too much, the tahini will taste bitter).
5. Leave the cookies on the cookie sheet until they cool completely. Once cooled, dust with powdered sugar.
6. Variation: Press ½ peeled almond in the center of each cookie before baking.

 

Tahini

Like hummus, tahini is a very popular food in Israel. It’s not only a key ingredient in hummus, but also stands on it’s own as a dip, sauce, or even as a salad dressing. It is made from ground sesame seeds, and is used in baba ganoush, marinades, salad dressings, halva, spreads for sandwiches and crackers, as a topping for falafel and shwarma, and even in cookies. This spread is deliciously nutty and also high in calcium.

 

The word comes from the Arabic tahn, which is similar to the Hebrew tahun, for ‘ground’. It's actually pronounced “tcheenah” so if you ask for “taheenee” in Israel you might get a funny look.

A good quality product will be nutty and should not taste bitter. You can make it thick, or thin it out with more water for a light sauce. You’ll see this thinner version at falafel and shwarma stands for drizzling over the stuffed sandwiches.

 

Variations: For “green tahini” (techina yerooka), finely chop a bunch of parsley, mint and cilantro and mix with the tahini. Other optional seasonings include ½ teaspoon cumin, or a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Tip: If you’re making a large amount, or making green tahini, you might want to use a blender instead of whisking it by hand. Follow the above directions, substituting ice cubes for the cold water.

 

Israeli Breakfast
Cheeses – hard, soft, cottage cheese

Olives – whole Israeli olives or other Mediterranean olives

Israeli salad – chopped vegetable salad

Eggs – scrambled, fried, hard or soft-boiled, an omelette…

Bread – freshly baked artisan bread, with a nice crust!

Butter, jams, honey…

Freshly squeezed juices

Tea (mint tea is especially fitting with this meal) or coffee

Directions:

Prepare the Israeli salad (see above)

Prepare eggs. If you’re making an omelette, consider adding chopped fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro), chopped green onions, fried onions, mushrooms, tomatoes, cheese…

Bring out the olives, cheese, bread and spreads

Serve with your beverage(s) of choice

 

 

 Shakshouka (Chakchouka)

www.allrecipes.com

 

Shakshouka (also called Chakchouka) is a Tunisian and Israeli dish of tomatoes, onions, pepper, spices, and eggs. It's usually eaten for breakfast or lunch. It is similar to the Turkish dish 'Menemen' and to the Latin American breakfast dish 'Huevos Rancheros.'"

 

Ingredients

Serves 4

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/3 cups chopped onion

1 cup thinly sliced bell peppers, any colour

2 cloves garlic, minced, or to taste

2 1/2 cups chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 hot chilli pepper, seeded and finely chopped, or to taste

4 eggs

 

PREP 20 mins  COOK 20 mins

 

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the onion, bell peppers, and garlic; cook and stir until the vegetables have softened and the onion has turned translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Combine the tomatoes, cumin, paprika, salt, and chile pepper into a bowl and mix briefly. Pour the tomato mixture into the skillet, and stir to combine.
3. Simmer, uncovered, until the tomato juices have cooked off, about 10 minutes. Make four indentations in the tomato mixture for the eggs. Crack the eggs into the indentations. Cover the skillet and let the eggs cook until they're firm but not dry, about 5 minutes

Originally conceived in North Africa in the 1950s, the dish quickly caught on and became a staple of the emerging Mediterranean cuisine. Shakshouka (also sometimes spelled "shakshuka") can be dressed up according to personal taste, with ingredients like Manchego cheese, diced cream cheese, chives and roasted eggplant added to the mix. It is basically poached eggs in tomatoes, red peppers and onion, served in a cast-iron skillet. The word is derived from the Berber word "chakchuka;" in neighboring dialects it is also called "tuktuka." The two most common versions are the Tripolitan, which is based on tomatoes, garlic and spices (predominantly cumin); and the Tunisian version, which adds onion and sometimes artichoke hearts. Degrees of spice vary by kitchen, and some places leave it to their patrons to decide, but overall, it is a dish with some kick.

Country

Located in the Middle East along the eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea, Israel is slightly larger than the state of New Jersey. Although it is not extremely large, Israel has several different climates that are home to a wide variety of plants and animals including jackals, hyenas, and wild boars roam in some areas of Israel.

Throughout the 1900s, about 200 million trees were planted in an effort to restore forests that were destroyed. Reforestation is helping to conserve the country's water resources and prevent soil erosion, making it easier for farmers to grow healthy crops for food.

 

It has influenced every corner of the world sine it is the Holy Land for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Only about 25% of the people living in Israel were born there. The rest come from over 100 different countries. Israel is famous for the Dead Sea, which is the lowest body of water on Earth, and it has 8 times more salt than in the oceans, which allows you to float on its surface.

 

CUISINE

Popular Israeli food is characteristically simple. A typical lunch in Israel is schnitzel (chicken cutlets breaded and fried) with different side salads, including hummus (mashed chickpea spread) and tahini (spread made from ground sesame seeds), and served with rice or mashed potatoes, and vegetables. For a quick meal on the go, it’s easy to grab a falafel (deep fried chickpea balls) or shwarma (grilled lamb or other meat that is then sliced or “shaved”) on the street, usually stuffed in pita with French fries ("chips") and salad.

 

Israel does not have a universally recognized national dish because the nation is young and its people are so diverse. However, many people believe that it is shakshouka, together with felafel (falafel) and shawarma.  Felafel is made from seasoned mashed chickpeas, formed into balls and fried. The most common way to serve felafel is as a pita pocket sandwich, smothered in tahini, a lemon-flavored sesame sauce. Street vendors throughout Israel sell felafel sandwiches.