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.

Agvaniot

I just want to ask when the last time you bought tomatoes like this in the grocery store in the states? You don't want to know how little I paid for these.

Nana Mint Nana Mint

So, last year my favorite thing was my little concoction with green tea (Zen) and just lemon that I liked to call Tiger Woods (a little twist on the old fashioned Arnold Palmer). In Israel we have invented a drink just as refreshing. It starts back at Burke Williams Spa. They always have ice-cold water scented with lemon, orange and sliced cucumber. I can't imagine anything more refreshing when you step out of a sauna or come from a wrap. Not that I go often, but every once in a while my mom likes to treat my sister and I. Anyway, this is the base of the drink. Yesterday when we were at Shook Faisal, Scott got some fresh nana (mint) for making hot tea (it cost less than a dollar for a huge bunch). As we were driving home the fragrance of the mint filled the car and there was only one word to describe it: refreshing. Upon arriving home, I made some fresh lemonade (with lemons from our neighbors tree) and some mint and last night we made some tea with it. While we were sipping we agreed that the mint would be really good with out water drink. So, here it is:

Add a few sprigs of mint to a large iced tea jar. Pour in a cup or so of hot water and let it sit for a few minutes. Meanwhile, slice 1 orange, 1 lemon, 1 cucumber. Add fruit/vegetable slices to jar and fill with cold water and refrigerate. Yum. Don't expect something with strong flavor, however. It is subtle and very refreshing.

As a side note, I have been collecting a list of trees and herbs I would like to have in my garden one day and mint has definitely moved up on the list. My friend Melissa made a carrot salad with mint and garlic the other day and it was great. I'm not sure the exact recipe, but it was something like: grated/julienned carrots, chopped fresh mint, chopped garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

The Set Table

Our origianl plans were to spend Passover with our friend Amir and his family in the Yemen tradition, but our hosts in Israel made a last minute trip here this week and wanted to do a seder at the house. They were going to bring in some rotisserie chicken and pre-made salads, when the host in me said "I'll cook."

In the states probably the most common Passover main entree is Brisket, something I have gotten down pretty well. Now, I know that they don't use the same cuts of meat here in Israel - the use an international numbering system that, as usual, the US doesn't follow. So, finding the right cut of meat is always a little interesting. I went to the store and tried to eyeball it, thinking that it was probably cut Shelosh. But they didn't have it. I sent Scott out yesterday to do some hunting and basically said try to find it, but whatever you do, just come back with something. He came home with cut Chamesh, which to the best of my ability is a Chuck-eye Roast. Not a great cut of meat, but still very expensive here. So, I did a little search on the web and found a recipe from none other than Cook's Illustrated. Wish me luck.

The Menu:
Matzoh Ball Soup
Chopped Liver (Liver in Israel is very popular. Scott loves chopped liver and even though I insisted I would not make it, I am.)
Cucumber Salad
Beet Salad
Hummus and some other purchased salads
All the usual seder items, except the lamb shank. We have our own at home that Scott has cleaned and saved for use at Pesach, but we didn't bring it with us. Our neighbor said they just use any bone they have, so I figured I'll use the wish bone I saved from the chicken soup I made. Ha Ha.

I don't really have high hopes, but we'll see!