Israeli recipes

can mark

Jerusalem Day.

ANNABEL COHEN

Special to the Jewish News

T

here's a song that always
comes to mind this time of
the year. Written in 1967,
just before the Six-Day
War, "Jerusalem of Gold" begins with
the verse, "The olive trees that stand
in silence, upon the hills of time."
This year, Yom Yerushalayim,
Jerusalem Day, falls on May 10. The
holiday marks Jerusalem's reunification
in 1967. If the weather brings us out-
doors, make a point of dining al fresco
with your table pointing east toward
Yerushalayim.
It's fitting that we feast on the foods
Israelis eat — produce like eggplant,
avocado, chick peas, peppers, lemons
and parsley.
The following recipes are perfect
party fare. They're easy to make, fla-
vorful and crowd pleasers: Baba
ghanouche, avocado salad, Israeli
couscous with roasted peppers and
chick peas and meatballs in lemon
sauce.
As the song goes, "I am your child
across the water, I share the truth you
hold." Let us share in Jerusalem, the
city of gold.

BABA GANOUCHE
3 pounds eggplants, unpeeled

(medium eggplants are better than
large)
3/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
juice of 1 lemon
2 T. chopped fresh garlic
1/2 t. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup extra olive oil
12 Kalamata olives, garnish
Preheat oven to 400F. Using a fork,
prick each eggplant in at least 12
places. Arrange the whole eggplants in
a shallow baking dish or cookie sheet
and roast them for about 1 hour,
turning every 10 minutes or so, until
they are tender or soft to the touch,
remove them from the oven and allow
them to cool enough to touch.
Use a spoon to scoop-out and
scrape the eggplant pulp from its skin.
Discard skin and transfer the pulp to
the bowl of a food processor. Add
remaining ingredients, except olive oil
and olives, and pulse until combined,
but with texture (do not puree).
Spoon the mixture into a shallow
bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
Arrange the olives around the edge of
the bowl. Serve with pita wedges or
vegetable crudites. Makes 12-24 serv-
ings.

AVOCADO SALAD
This salad must be made just before
serving to preserve its wonderful
color. You may serve this as described

below or on a bed of greens.
3 ripe avocados, any variety
1/2 cup fresh chopped mint
1/4 cup sour cream or thick plain
yogurt
3 T. olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
kosher salt to taste
Slice one avocado in half lengthwise
around the large pit. Twist both halves
of the avocado in opposite directions
to separate the halves. Holding the
half with the pit embedded in the
center, use a pointed knife to stab the
pit and gently move the pit back and
forth to loosen it from the avocado
flesh. Use a large spoon to scoop the
avocado flesh, in one piece, from the
skin. Repeat with remaining avocados.
Cut the avocado flesh into 1/2-inch
cubes and divide them among 4-6
salad plates, depending on the
amount you have (large avocados go a
long way). Sprinkle the avocado
chunks with fresh chopped mint and
top with a spoonful of sour cream or
yogurt. Drizzle the oil and lemon
juice over the avacado and sprinkle
with kosher salt, to taste. Serve imme-
diately. Makes 4-6 servings.

ISRAELI COUSCOUS WITH
ROASTED RED PEPPERS AND
CHICK PEAS
This is completely different from the
tiny couscous you may be used to.

Israeli couscous is much larger in size,
like small round pellets or beads, and
lightly toasted.
1 red bell pepper, roasted (see
below), or jarred roasted red pepper
3 T. olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 t. minced garlic
1/2 cup diced celery
2 cups Israeli couscous
4 cups boiling water
1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 T. dried parsley flakes or 1/2 cup
fresh minced parsley
kosher salt and pepper to taste
Roast pepper:
Gas stove roasting of peppers:
Cut the bell pepper in half, length-
wise, and remove white membrane
and seeds. Turn the heat to high and
turn on an overhead fan. Place the
pepper, skin side down, over the flame
and char the skin until blackened —
you will have to move the peppers
around to char them completely. Cool
slightly and rub off most of the -
charred skin. (It helps to place the
peppers in a foil packet to cool — this
loosens the skin more).
Oven roasting of peppers:
Preheat oven to broil and move rack
to just above center. Place pepper, cut
side down, on a baking sheet. Broil
until the skin is very blackened, about
10-12 minutes. Cool slightly and rub
off most of the charred skin (use foil

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2002

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