Simple and Amazing

Recipe: pomegranates, juicer
Prep time: 4 minutes
Servings: 2-3 pomegranates/cup
Rating: 5 (out of 5)

Pomegranates are an amazing fruit, with amazing flavors (sweet/tart) and super-nutrients. In Israel, the season runs from early September until late December, which makes a juicer a worthwhile investment (not to mention the oranges and grapefruits that appear later on).

Last year, I left my juicer in Rona and Michal's custody, and throughout the year I fantasized about the delicious juices they were (or should be) enjoying. One of my summer tasks was to dissemble and clean the juicer.

Juicer in action

I was walking through the shuk looking for blueberries (no luck) when I came across a single booth selling pomegranates. Despite their rarity (frequency=better) and price, I indulged and bought six. The next day, I made juice, which was somewhat tart/bitter. But the season is only beginning, and it can only get better!

Two full cups, from 6 pomegranates

L'Chaim!

Putting the crushed fruits into the neighborhood compost pile

Shake it Up, Shakshuka Style!

Recipe: below
Prep time: 25 minutes
Servings: 2-3
Rating: 5 (out of 5)

Shakshuka is one of those rare dishes that can be consumed for any meal. Breakfast? Great. Lunch? Yum. Dinner? Perfect. This recipe favors heft and flavor, and can be made for any number of diners. The amounts listed below are for 1-2 portions.

A word of caution before we begin: unlike omelets, which require a wide frying pan, shakshuka requires depth. Therefore, a small pot will serve you better (i.e. ignore the frying pan in the pictures...)

Chopped ingredients, ready to go!

Heat up olive oil, and saute 1/2 a chopped onion . Yellow onions are great, but you can add another layer of flavor by adding red onion, leeks, or green onions. After a few minutes, add 1/2 a finely chopped pepper (I prefer red). Saute for a few more minutes, until the pepper softens. Add 2-3 finely chopped ripe tomatoes, 2 cloves of minced garlic, and a handful of fresh, chopped parsley and cilantro. Add a 2-3 spoonfuls of tomato paste (or if you must, ketchup), and spices: a few dashes of ground cumin and paprika, a dash of black and/or cayenne pepper, and a few granules of salt (to counter the tomato paste's sweetness).

Spices and eggs, lined up for frying.

Cover, and lower the heat. Let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally. Gradually, the chunks will melt into a delicious, flavorful sauce.

Chunky tomatoes, ketchup and general goodness

Turn off the heat. Make 2-3 dimples in the sauce, and pour an egg into each one. Try to keep the eggs intact (again, ignore the pictures...), and try to cover each egg with some sauce. Cover, turn on low heat, and wait for eggs to be thoroughly cooked.

The hot sauce helps cook the eggs

To serve, put a slice of good, whole wheat bread in a bowl and top with shakshuka. Add a few splashes of olive oil, and devour.

The bread makes the dish more filling, and the olive oil makes it more delicious.

Bonus: If you're short on time, you can make large quantities of sauce and freeze it. Besides shakshuka, the sauce works wonderfully in lasagna.

There's No Taste Like Home

Recipe: below
Prep time: 1:15 hour (+ time to cool)
Servings: 6-8
Rating: 10 (out of 5)

This recipe is an all-time favorite. When I received it, the cake was much, much heavier. Over the years I've reduced the amount of sugar, eliminated 1 egg, and increased the amount of cheese. The result: a fluffy, light and subtly sweet dessert. Even without any toppings, this cake is amazing. But, throw on the right toppings, and you've got a winner. This cake requires gvina levana (white cheese), which is an Israeli cheese with the consistency of yogurt. If you manage to get your hands on it, MAKE THIS CAKE. You will not regret it.















In Israel this is 3% cheese. In the US it's 97% fat free. Go figure. Crumble the tea biscuits, mix with a teaspoon of sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and a slab of melted butter. Pat into the pan and bake at 350° F for 5-7 minutes.














Everything tastes better with an old-fashioned egg beater. Beat 1 egg, then add 1/3 cup of sugar, 500 grams of gvina levana, and a splash of vanilla. Blend thoroughly.














Carefully pour the batter onto the baked crust, taking care to not displace the crust. Bake at 350° F until the cake slightly rises - don't let it seriously brown!











For the final layer, mix some sour cream with a tablespoon of sugar, and let sit. Later, spread atop the warm cake. Let the cake cool before topping/devouring.











The best topping is finely sliced kiwi with wine preserves. Another phenomenal hit is pomegranate concentrate - the tartness is a wonderful complement to the cake subtle sweetness. Otherwise, summer fruit works, or simply eat plain cake!!

Hummus for the Masses

Recipe: secret
Prep time: 2 days (including soaking beans), 20 minutes (after beans have been boiled)
Servings: many
Rating: 3 (out of 5, my own fault, not Hummusious's)

To celebrate completing the first year of graduate school, and to honor my classmates who put up with my incessant kvetching about American food, I decided to host an end-of-the-year potluck picnic. I decided to make homemade hummus, according to a recipe I finagled from Hummousious (aka Ron) last year. This recipe includes his secret tips on how to pamper the beans (soak in tchina) and stir (one direction), but I can't give it away in its entirety....


Soaking the beans with baking soda softens them more quickly, and reduces cooking time.


The pectin-rich cooking water will serve you well.... Save it!


Fresh lemon, garlic and hot peppers create the subtle, yet awesome, tang. Don't forget the parsley! (I did)


Yum. Top with some sauce and za'atar, and enjoy!!

Wrapping Up

Recipe: below
Prep time: 1:15 hours (2 people)
Servings: 5-6
Rating: 4.5 (out of 5)

It's spring, which means homemade dolmas (stuffed grape leaves)!! This is a habit I picked up last year when I had an awesome vine in my yard, and realized how easy they are to make.

After realizing that vines do indeed grow in DC, I stole a few of leaves from a courtyard bar (consider it settling the balance for the $6 slurp of wine).














Pick leaves large enough to roll, but still somewhat rubbery.
Wash and boil them for ~1 minute, until they soften and darken.














In a bowl, mix: raw rice, olive oil, salt, pepper and finely chopped onion, parsely and tomato.














Place the leaves fuzz side up, put in some filling (the rice will expand, so don't overstuff) and roll! Start by folding over the sides, then tuck in the stem, then roll down to the tip.














Tightly pack the rolled leaves into a pot - layers are OK, as long as it's tightly packed. Pour in enough water to cover 1/2 of the first layer, drizzle some olive oil and squeeze in at least half a lemon. Put a small plate (or lid) over the dolmas to keep them packed tightly, and simmer until the rice is soft. Add water as needed, but don't turn up the heat. This will cause the leaves to tear.














Final product. Yum!!

Red Kubeh Soup

Recipe: YNET (Hebrew)
Prep time: 3 hours (2 people)
Servings: 15+
Rating: 4 (out of 5)

Kubeh is a traditional Iraqi dish consisting of meat-filled dumplings in a vegetable stew. It is quite popular in Israel - a bowl of kubeh soup can be an entire meal! I'm partial to the red pumpkin/vegetable soup, although kubeh comes in a few varieties: beets, chickpeas, and okra.

There are 3 stages: the dough, the meat filling, and the soup. Here are a few pictures to document our adventure!



Cutting and chopping

Onion goggles

The secret (and salty) ingredient

Meat cooking

Rolling kubeh

Dinner's ready!

YUM

Upshot: The soup was a little watery - the recipe never specified how much water to add, and we were afraid of the kubeh colliding and sticking to one another. Also, the recipe seemed to lack something: either the left-out celery leaves, or parsley, tomatoes or cumin. This recipe might be a good second try.

Please Try This at Home!

Originally, this blog was intended to help readers prepare (and eat!) healthy, tasty and wholesome food. The idea was that such food often requires some preparation or advance thought, and the blog readers would be guided through the process of soaking beans, buying seasonal produce, and trying new recipes. Thus, follow the eater. But as I've been exiled to the land of crappy food (hopefully temporarily), and my cooking/housing situation is less autonomous, the blog will document other homemade culinary adventures.