Don’t be scared by the fuchsia color of this dip. The sweet-earthiness of the beets, the sharp bite of the garlic, and the nuttiness of the almonds more than makes up for any phobia of brightly colored food. And it’s well worth it. I promise. Continue reading “Beet, Chickpea, and Almond Dip”
It did begin with me alone in the kitchen with an eggplant, but this wasn’t some lame attempt to recreate a Laurie Colwin essay. I was trying to come up with a quick meal using only the ingredients I had on hand that could be easily reheated. And considering I hadn’t been shopping all week, this was a particular challenge. That’s when I remembered the eggplant. Two of them. Trapped in my crisper for a week, or was it two? They couldn’t still be good. But against all odds they looked fine. They smelled innocuous. I cut into them, surprised to find completely typical, fresh eggplants. Now I just needed a plan. Continue reading “Baingan Bharta: A Tale of Pantry Desperation and Innovation”
Bittersweet and slightly medicinal, The Negroni is easily my favorite cocktail. It’s not for everyone. And that’s ok. Meant as an aperitif to whet the appetite I will happily sip on Negronis all night. Continue reading “Ode to the Negroni”
Fennel is clearly in season in Be’er Sheva; it’s in abundance at the supermarkets and the shuq. High in vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and calcium, this anise-flavored vegetable is incredibly versatile. A member of the parsley family the whole fennel can be eaten, from the bulb to the feathery fronds (which are great to season soups and stocks). Thinly sliced fennel adds a crisp component to any salad and goes particularly well with oranges. When cooked, fennel softens and the flavor mellows and sweetens. Continue reading “Fennel Baked in Stock”
I know I should have been making my own stock all along. But it took moving to Israel, where all they have are overly salty bouillon cubes and soup mixes to light a fire under me. I was going to make soup, so why not start with the broth? I found a recipe for Quickest Chicken Stock in Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything that looked unbelievably simple. And it was. Continue reading “Homemade Chicken Stock”
As you may or may not have noticed, I’m a little obsessed with figs right now. I bought a huge box of them at the shuq last week and in addition to the chicken with figs I’ve been eating figs with yogurt and honey for breakfast and grilled fig and cheese sandwiches for lunch. I could eat them morning, noon, and night. But I wouldn’t want to overdo it. Continue reading “Balsamic-Rosemary-Fig Jam”
My favorite thing about pomegranates – a seductive fruit if ever there was one – is that eating them is an activity in and of itself. It’s meditative. Pomegranates force you to take a moment and be mindful; it’s hard to multitask while eating one. You may get impatient and try to rush through, but the pomegranate, messy and playful, will just spit its juice at you. Continue reading “Meditation on Pomegranates”
For the first two weeks I was in Israel I made the foods that were familiar to me. Beef stew, pasta and sauce, even Pad Thai. But this week I was ready to embrace the beautiful flavors and ingredients that are so readily available to me and start creating something with some Mediterranean flavor. I’m obsessed with the figs here. They’re everywhere, they’re ripe, they’re bursting with color and flavor. I knew I wanted to do something with that. Continue reading “Embracing the Flavors of my New Home”
Every year around this time I start to crave stew. I always thought the change in seasons signaled this urge, the cold tinge in the air sending my brain messages. But right on time as soon as October hit I wanted nothing more than beef stew. Did I mention I live in the desert? Continue reading “A Stew for All Seasons”
