Avocado & Egg Salad

Extremely easy, perfect for last minute prep, and absolutely delicious! A creamy texture with a slightly citrucey and salty twist makes for a perfect avocado salad! Serve it as part of a brunch, as a dip, or simply as another salad on the table as part of any meal, which is what we typically do. Use the 1 avocado to 2 eggs ratio as a guide to prepare the desired amount.

INGREDIENTS

1 Avocado

2 eggs

Mayonnaise

Lemon

Salt

METHOD

1.     Boil the eggs

2.     Clean the avocado and mash it together with the eggs using a fork. 

3.   Mix in mayo, lemon juice, and salt to taste and serve. 

Spinach & Feta Shakshuka (Runny Eggs with Dip Dish)

In the spirit of the holiday, and with the weekend coming up, here's a great Sunday brunch idea. As I've mentioned in my previous Shakshuka recipe, the typical Shakshuka is made with sunny side up eggs with runny yolk on top of a thick tomato sauce and eaten with bread by dipping or serving as a sandwich. This recipe is a twist on the classic shakshuka for those who aren't huge fans of tomatos, or simply for an interesting and tasty morning variety. In the picture you can see I've added some mushrooms and made a smaller portion, so definitely feel free to be creative! This recipe serves 6, so adjust as you wish for your party size. Great with french bread or pita bread, but any bread will do!


INGREDIENTS

2 leeks (white part only), finely sliced

1 tbsp butter

500g fresh  spinach leaves washed and trimmed

2 garlic cloves, crushed

salt

pepper

6 eggs

100g crumbled feta cheese


METHOD

1.     Melt the butter in a deep skillet and sauté the leeks until soft and translucent but not brown.

2.     Add spinach and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Season gently, remember that feta is salty.

3.     Break the eggs onto the spinach arranging the yolks around the pan. Sprinkle the cheese around the pan.

4.     Turn heat to low, cover the pan and simmer until the egg whites set, 5-7 minutes.

5.   Serve immediately with your favorite bread.

Matzo and Coconut Cream Napoleon

Another great dessert solution for passover! Also taken from Janna Gur's The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey this is a fresh twist on our favorite classic napoleon cake. Instead of puff pastry we use matzahs dipped in caramel, our cream is coconut based, and we add some strawberries to liven up the taste! It might look complicated, but it's really quite a simple dish and can make for a very good impression! Just make sure you prepare the different parts ahead of time to allow the cream and matzahs time to cool before assembly.

INGREDIENTS

Coconut cream:

800ml coconut milk (2 cans)

5 tbsp corn starch

8 egg yolks

150g sugar (3/4cup+1/2tbsp)

3 tsp rose water 

Caramel matzot:

10-15 matzos

oil

250g sugar (1¼ cup)

1 cup coconut milk

Plating:

strawberries

confectioners’ sugar

METHOD

1.     Coconut cream: dissolve the corn starch in ½ cup coconut milk, add the egg yolks and most of the sugar, and beat well.

2.     Bring the remaining coconut milk and the remaining sugar to a boil and gradually add to the egg mixture.

3.     Transfer the mixture back to the pan and heat slowly, stirring constantly, until it thickens to a cream. Remove from heat, add rose water, let it cool and then place in a piping bag.

4.     Caramel matzos: wet each matzo with water and wrap in kitchen towel for 30 minutes. Then cut into circles or squares by using a cookie cutter. Fry each piece in oil on both sides until golden. Remove and dry on paper towel.

5.     Dissolve the sugar in a saucepan with a few tbsps of water over medium heat until it caramelizes. Bring coconut milk to a boil and gradually pour into the caramel, stirring constantly. Cook for a few minutes until smooth and creamy.

6.     Dip the fried matzos in the caramel for 2 minutes, remove and cool.

To serve: place a matzo disk, pipe some cream on top, put a few pieces of strawberries, put another matzo, more cream and fruit, and another matzo. Dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve!

Pistachio and Chocolate Flourless Cake

To continue on with the passover edition, here's a solution to dessert with no flour! I got this out of my favorite source which I have mentioned to you before, The Book of New Israeli Cooking by Janna Gur - a must have in my opinion! This cake is extremely simple and quick and made solely out of nuts. If you don't have pistachios you may replace them with hazelnuts. Happy baking!

INGREDIENTS

2 eggs

2 separated eggs

½ cup+1tbsp sugar

1½  cups pistachios

1 tbsp cocoa powder

¾ cup almonds

¾ cup chocolate chips

1½ tbsp melted butter

METHOD

1.     Chop the pistachios coarsely (I like to put them in a ziplock bag and crush with a hammer).

2.     Grind the almonds finely.

3.     Beat 2 whole eggs and 2 yolks with 80g (¼cup+2tbsp+2tsp) sugar using a mixer until a thick, fluffy cream forms.

4.     Add the pistachios, almonds, cocoa powder, and chocolate chips and mix to a smooth batter.

5.     Beat the 2 egg whites with the remaining sugar (2.5tbsp) to soft peaks and fold into the batter.

6.     Melt the butter, stir it into the batter.

7.   Pour the batter into a well greased pan and bake for 40 minutes in 310^oF (160^oC).

Gefilte Fish (Ground Fish Patties)

Since tomorrow is Passover, it's time for a special edition :) This year I found myself making my first gefilte fish all from scratch, and I have to admit - it's not as scary as people make it out to be! So what's gefilte fish all about? It's a traditional dish of European Jews, usually served on holidays, but good any time of the year. It's basically a ground fish patty, often served with horse radish and some of the jelly from the fish stock in which it cooked. The patties are made out of Carp and the biggest challenge in the preparation of this dish is the surgical part - you have to separate all the bones from the meat! Of course, if someone can clean the fish for you, you're whole battle is won, otherwise, give yourself plenty of prep time... Brought to you by grandma's secret family recipe from the good old days in Kishinev, happy Passover!

INGREDIENTS

2 kg carp meat (4.4lbs)

1 kg onion (2.2 lbs)

4 eggs

2 tbsp matzo meal

4 tea biscuits

1 cup soda water

½ tsp baking soda

salt

pepper

2 carrots

1 beet

METHOD

1.     Take a whole carp, skin it, separate all the bones out of the meat. Save the bones, head, and skin. Make sure that the meat, after you clean the fish weighs 2kg (4.4lbs). It took me 2 carps, each weighing close 5lbs, so don't be fooled by the fish's initial weight! If you have less, adjust the quantities ratios appropriately.

2.     Chop the onions coarsely and sauté until they becomes translucent but not brown.

3.     Pass the meat and half the onions through a meat grinder.

4.     Once ground, add eggs, biscuit crumbs, matzo meal, soda, soda water, and salt and pepper to taste (be generous!). However, if making this on passover - biscuits are not kosher so replace with 2 more tbsp of matzo meal.

5.     Beat very very well for 4-5 minutes until the texture is almost fluffy. Form patties and wrap each patty in the fish skin as seen in the picture.

6.     Slightly fry each patty in oil until both sides are golden, but only on the outside.

7.     Separately in a large pot, place the remaining onion, coarsely cut carrots, whole peeled beet, salt and pepper, and cover with 2-3L of water. Cook for 30 minutes.

8.    Place the patties in the cooked fish stock and cook on low heat for 2 hours. 
9.    When ready remove the patties and pass the stock through a strainer to isolate the bones. Pour the stock over the patties and refrigerate together to create the jelly.
10. Serve with horse radish and jelly, enjoy!

Israeli Schnitzel (Breaded Chicken)

Who doesn't love breaded chicken? Just about every culture in the world has it's version of their favorite way to bread meat, and this one is mine! Sesame seeds are a very common ingredient in Israeli cuisine and form an essential part of this recipe. In Israel I buy a premade sesame breading mix, but since it is not commonly available in other places, simply add enough sesame seeds to the breading you buy in the store to mimic the ratio achieved in the above picture. The mixture of spices, sesame and very very tender chicken makes this a dish that's usually gone before it ever leaves the frying pan! 


INGREDIENTS

Chicken tenders

Breading with sesame seeds

Sweet paprika

Hot paprika

Salt

Pepper

Eggs

Milk (optional)

Oil

METHOD

1.     Whisk eggs in a bowl with spices to taste, may add some milk. Ratio of about 1 eggs for 4 schnitzels.

2.     Place sesame breading mix on large flat plate, add spices to taste, and spread evenly.

3.     Place chicken tenders in a ziplock bag one at a time and beat with a kitchen hammer until almost paper thin.

4.     Heat oil in a frying pan (don't use cooking spray or olive oil - it won't turn out!) on medium heat.

5.   Dip each chicken patty in egg, then breading, then place in hot oil. Flip when bottom has slightly browned, fry second side, and remove onto a paper towel to absorb the extra oil. If oil becomes dirty after a batch you may need to replace it to avoid burning the schnitzels.
6.   Serve with fries and ketchup!

Shakshuka (Runny Eggs with Dip Dish)

A hearty and delicious breakfast that I'd be willing to have any day, this north African dish has it all - tomatoes, eggs, and bread! Shakshuka consists of a tomato sauce with soft eggs on top, served either on top of bread or with bread for dipping.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium can diced tomatoes

4 eggs

2 tbsp tomato paste

Harissa sauce

Salt

Pepper

Paprika

Chopped garlic

Bread for serving

METHOD

1.    Place 1 can of diced tomatoes in pan, add chopped garlic and the above spices to taste. Cover and cook for about 10 min.

2.    Add 2 tbsp tomato paste and cook for another 3-5mins.

3.    Break 4 eggs on top of the tomatoes and continue cooking until the desired consistency of the yolk – preferably soft yolk.

 4.  Remove and serve each yolk with the sauce on a piece of bread. 

Traditional Couscous Soup

Couscous, to those unfamiliar with it, is a traditional Moroccan dish that is made of semolina wheat. It is typically eaten with this vegetable soup or other types of stew-like sauces. Today couscous has become quite popular around the world and in most supermarkets you can buy a box of instant couscous without a problem, all it takes is covering it with boiling water and waiting a few minutes. The lengthier part is this soup, but couscous can be eaten simply with salt as a side dish next to just about anything, so if you've never tried couscous before you can start out light!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup chickpeas soaked in cold water overnight and rinsed

4 carrots cut into 2-3 pieces

4 medium potatoes, quartered

1 large onion, quartered

Salt

Pepper

Small pinch of saffron or 1.5 tsp turmeric

200g pumpkin into 4-5 chunks

½ of a green cabbage, quartered

4-5 stalks celery, peeled and cut coarsely, save the leaves

½ kg couscous

METHOD

1.   Put the chickpeas in a large saucepan, cover with water and cook for 30min until tender.

2.  Add the carrots, potatoes, onion, salt, pepper, saffron or turmeric, and cook for 45min until vegetables are tender.

3.   Add remaining vegetables, except celery leaves, cook 15mins, until tender.

4.   Taste and adjust seasoning, add the celery leaves and cook 15mins.

5.  Prepare couscous and serve soup on top of cous cous.

Mushroom Pashtida (Crustless Pie)

This is another delicious type of pashtida (crustless pie) containing the classic ingredient - mushrooms.

INGREDIENTS

4 eggs

1 cup milk

2 cups heavy cream (שמנת מתוקה)

1.25 tbsp chicken soup powder

½ tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 tbsp oil

6-7 tbsp self rising flour

1 medium mushroom can

Grated swiss cheese

METHOD

1.  Spread mushrooms in a baking dish (13x9).

2.  Beat all the ingredients (except grated cheese) together.

3.  Pour batter over mushrooms and top off with grated cheese.

4.  Bake at 180C (350F) for 40mins or until golden.

Dill and Onion Pashtida (Crustless Pie)

This pashtida (crustless pie) is soft textured, somewhat sweet, and a big party favorite. I usually don't make less than 2 of them because the first one is gone before it even comes out of the oven!  The amount of onions might sound tedious, but if you use an onion chopper, preparation shouldn't take more than 5mins!

INGREDIENTS

3-4 medium chopped onions

Chopped fresh dill - about 1 full stock as prepackaged.

¾ cup self rising flour

½ cup oil

½ cup boiling water

2 eggs

½ tbsp chicken soup powder

Black pepper

METHOD

Mix all ingredients and bake at 390F for 40mins

Corn Pashtida (Crustless Pie)

An Israeli childrens' favorite is this savory corn pashtida, or crustless pie. It is a quick fix that can appease anyone's palate!

INGREDIENTS

400g corn

200g cottage cheese

200g buttermilk

3 eggs

2 tbsp corn flour

2-3 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tbsp chicken soup powder

100g grated mozzarella

METHOD

1.   Mix everything, pour into a baking dish, and top off of with more cheese.

2.  Bake at 350F for 40-45min

Kubbeh (Meat stuffed Bulgur Shells)

Kubbeh is a favorite Iraqi dish, which also has many different types, however this one is my personal favorite. It consists of a bulgar shell with meat on the inside and can be served as an appetizer or part of a main dish.

INGREDIENTS

Shell:

8oz fine bulgur wheat

1 red chili

1 onion

Filling:

1lb ground lamb

1 onion

2/3 cup pine nuts

2 tbsp olive oil

1.5 tsp ground allspice

4 tbsp cilantro

METHOD

1.       Soak wheat for 15mins in cold water.

2.       Mix with coarsely chopped chili, onion, half the meat, salt and pepper.

3.       Cook 1 finely chopped onion with pine nuts in olive oil for 5mins.

4.       Add allspice and remaining meat, cook while gently breaking up the meat until it browns.

5.       Stir in cilantro and seasoning.

6.       Form the shell mix into a pie and divide to 12 wedges (when using 1lb of meat). Form Kubbeh by placing the meat filling into each peace and closing.

7.       Pour oil to 2” depth, let sizzle, and deep fry kubbeh for 5min until golden.

Pita Bread / Pita with Za'atar

Pita bread is a well known basic middle eastern food. The pocket inside is used to make sandwiches of all sorts, or alternatively, pieces are torn off and used to "wipe hummus," as we say in Israel, basically referring to dipping pita bread in hummus dip. Another favorite variation of the pita is called "pita im za'atar." This is a pita without the pocket and covered with olive oil and a special spice called Za'atar which you can find in either international/mediterranean markets, or in the mediterranean section of your regular supermarket. It is a kids and adults favorite alike, I highly recommend to try this version of the pita! Find more great recipes like this in my favorite book: The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey

INGREDIENTS

3.5 cups bread flour

25g (1oz) fresh yeast or 1.5 pack active dry yeast

1.5 cups water

1 tbsp sugar

½ tbsp salt

2 tbsp olive oil

Za’atar spice mix:

½ cup za’atar

2 tbsp sesame seed

1 tbsp sumac

½ cup drid hyssop or oregano

½ tsp salt

½ cup olive oil
**The za'atar spice that is sold around here already has sesame seeds so I didn't add any additional sesame or oregano when I made it.

METHOD

1.       Mix the yeast with the flour in a mixer with kneading hook. Add water, sugar, salt, olive oil, and knead for 10mins until dough is smooth, shiny and slightly sticky. If you don't have a kneading hook (which I don't), you can do by hand just the same. 

2.       Transfer to a large greased bowl, sprinkle with olive oil, cover with cling wrap and allow to rise to twice its size.

3.       Place dough on floured surface, divide to 10 parts, roll each into a ball, cover with moist towel, and let sit for 10mins.

4.       Roll each ball into a disk 10-12cm in diameter and ½cm thick.

5.       Preheat oven to 500F and bake for 5mins until they swell and begin to show golden spots. Avoid over baking, cover with kitchen towel for few mins to keep them soft.

6.   For pita with za’atar: combine ½ cup of za’atar spice mix with ½ cup olive oil, coarse salt, few drops of lemon juice, to form paste. Spread 1 tbsp on each pita, bake at 400F for 10mins.