Eggplant Salad

One of the sayings in Israel is that if a woman doesn't know how to make eggplant 80 different ways she will not make a good wife (or something like that). I, personally, love eggplant and have done some experimenting with a salad/dip. It's very similar to Bhabaghanoush, but since I don't know what's in Bhabaghanoush, I won't call it that.

1 lg. Eggplant
1 lg. Red Bell Pepper
2 cl. Garlic
About 1/4 C. Tehina
1 - 2 tsp. Lemon Juice
Salt
Pepper
1/2 - 1 tsp. cumin
Water, if needed.

Fire up the grill (the best way) or your broiler. Wash the pepper and eggplant. Poke holes in the skin of the eggplant all the way around (this will keep it from exploding). Roast on the grill or the broiler until the vegetables are very soft (eggplant) and the skin is charred (pepper).

Meanwhile place the garlic clove, tehina, Lemon juice, salt, pepper and cumin in a food processor bowl.

When the vegetables are done remove them from the grill and place the red pepper in a covered dish for about 10 minutes. Cut the eggplant in half, scoop out the middle, and place it in the food processor bowl. Peel the skin off of the pepper (should just rub off) and remove the core and seeds. Place the pepper in the food processor bowl.

Process on pulse until the vegetables are chopped and all the ingredients are combined well. Adjust seasonings as necessary and add water if the dip seems too thick.

Serve with Pita.

Shakshukah

Shakshukah is a very common egg/tomato dish here in Israel. Just about every restaurant has it on their menu. I believe it is traditionally Yemin, but may be from another Sephardic origin. It is a common Shabbat breakfast because you can let the sauce simmer on low heat overnight and develop a rich flavor. I've experimented with it a few times and believe I have finally found my masterpiece.

1 Onion, sliced
3 cl. Garlic, finely chopped
1 Sm. Red Bell Pepper, sliced
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste
Pinch of crushed red peppers
1/2 Tbsp (or more) Cumin
About 12 oz. Tomato Paste
Water
1 Med. Carrot, coarsely grated
1 Small Zucchini, , coarsely grated
5-6 eggs

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron works great, but you have to be sure to cook other foods in the skillet between shakshukah because the tomato will ruin the "seasoning" on the cast iron). Add onion, garlic, red pepper, salt, pepper, and cumin. Saute until the vegetables are soft.

Add tomato paste and stir in water until the tomato is quite runny. Let the tomato mixture simmer on low, stirring occasionally for about an hour or more, adding water, if necessary. The tomato mixture should be a dark red color and the sauce should have thickened.

Add more water to loosen the sauce and stir in the carrot and zucchini. Make a divet in the mixture with a spoon and crack an egg into the space. Continue until you've added all your eggs (or there is no more space in your skillet). Allow the eggs to cook to your desired consistency. Typically the eggs are hard cooked here, but we found that we like the yolk a little runny.

Serve with bread or pita for dipping/scooping the vegetable mixture. Feel free to experiment with the vegetables you add as well. There is debate in Israel whether chopped tomatoes should be added. I, personally, like it better without.

Why didn't we find this place earlier

You may read in all of the tour books and magazines about the famous Abu Shukri Hummus in the old city of Jerusalem, or Abu Ghosh, but the truth is that the hummus you find in the north far exceeds all others. Whether it be Hummus Said in Acco or Abu Adam in Kfar Yasif, it is simply better. Another gem we recently discovered in Kfar Yasif is a little bakery. On a few occassions we have had baklava here made with peanuts. I suppose if you are a big peanut butter and honey fan (Nina) this may appeal to you, but I prefer the salty goodness of pistachio...that is I did until we found this place. The pistachio baklava is great, as is the Kanafe, but the peanut baklava has stolen my affection. They grind the peanuts so that it is almost the consistency of peanut butter - good, natural, chunky peanut butter. Salty. Sweet. Amazing.

So much anticipation...can you stand it?


Kanafe. I'm not really sure what it is, but Scott loves it. I'll safe my calories for the nut filled treats.


And, finally, the baklava in a variety of shapes and sizes.


It is by far the best baklava we've had in Israel... and anywhere else for that matter.

Hummus with Mushrooms

In Israel they don't eat Hummus like a dip as Americans do. Hummus is sometimes an appetizer, but may also be a main course - probably not for dinner, but definitely for lunch. This is my adaptation of a recipe we have found in several restaurants. It's makes a great weekend lunch or a nice vegetarian dinner. Serves 2-3

Olive oil
12 oz. Small Button Mushrooms
1 Onion, sliced
2 cl Garlic, chopped finely
1/2 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Tumeric
Salt and Pepper to taste
Hummus
Tahini (Add lemon juice, water, garlic, and parsley to taste. Whisk until the sauce thins)
Pita

Wash the mushrooms and trim the ends off. Place oil in pan and turn to med-high heat. Add onions, garlic, mushrooms and spices (I'm guessing about how much I use because I just eyeball it - feel free to experiment with the amount that you like). Saute until the vegetables are soft and have released their moisture, so the pan is no longer dry.

Prepare a plate by spreading the hummus on the bottom creating a sort of crater. Place a moderate amount of the tahini sauce in the crater, so that there is a thin layer filling it. Top it with the mushroom mixture.

Serve with warm pita. As a tip, most people in Israel buy pita fresh and place it in the freezer. When they need it they heat it on the stove or in the oven. This keeps it fresh.

The figs are coming...

I wasn't sure if the figs on the tree in our backyard were ripe until I noticed the sugary syrup that hardened as it had dripped from the opening at the base of some of them. So, I picked a few. Ilan went crazy over them and we both had a couple. Today I scooped the pulp out of a couple of them and mixed it with some plain yogurt. Yum. I can't wait to find other ways to use them. Let me know if you have any ideas. Typically they ripen in stages, so you don't have a bunch of ripe figs all at one time. I think we'll have figs for the rest of our time here.