Health & Fitness

FOOD

Eat Like An Israeli!

Some simple ways to celebrate 60 years of statehood.

Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News

I

srael looks great at 60.
Yom HaAtzmaut is Israel's
Independence Day, celebrated on the
fifth day of the month of Iyar (May 10 this
year). But the observances are going on all
summer long. And with nearly all of them
comes the food.
Of course, Israeli food is as diverse
as the population itself. It's as old as the
region's culture and as new as the cuisine
of the people who've flocked there in the
last century.
The recipes below are my own versions
or are influenced by the superb ingredi-
ents of the region. Some are adaptations
of my favorite street foods and others just
sort of feel Israeli. They're all perfect for
getting into the "feel" of the festivities.

Layered Eggplant and Zucchini
and Feta Salad
1 /4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 medium (about 3/4 pound) egg-
plant, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch
rounds
2 large plum tomatoes, sliced into
thin rounds
1 cup crumbled good quality Feta
cheese
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano leaves
V2 cup Kalamata olives
1 Tbsp. drained capers, optional
1 /4 cup red or white balsamic vinegar
Kosher or sea salt and fresh ground
pepper to taste
1 /4 cup fresh chopped parsley, garnish
Preheat oven to 450F. Brush 2 baking
sheets with some of the olive oil (reserve
remaining oil) and place the eggplant
rounds on one and the zucchini rounds on
the other. Roast zucchini for 10 minutes
and remove from oven to cool. Roast egg-
plant for 12-15 minutes, until tender, and
remove from oven to cool.
Place 1 eggplant slice on each of 4 din-
ner sized plates. Top with tomato slices
and zucchini. Sprinkle cheese over the
vegetables and top with remaining egg-
plant slices. Sprinkle the oregano over.
Dot the plate with olives and capers if
using. Drizzle the remaining oil around
the vegetables (not over) and drizzle the
vinegar over the eggplant. Season with salt
and pepper and sprinkle the parsley over.
Makes 4 servings.

Kufta
Lamb kebabs are easy to throw together,
and they make a crowd-pleasing dish for
a summer barbecue. Make sandwiches for
your guests; or create a stuff-your-own-
pita bar with fresh-baked pitas, chopped
tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, spicy
harissa or shug (hot pepper sauce), and a
drizzle of tahini.
There are so many different recipes for
this wonderful street food. I like it a bit
spicy and served warm. Occasionally, I'll
turn these into kebabs, formed around a
metal skewer (like a thick sausage).
2 pounds ground lamb
2 cups chopped onion
Y2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 egg
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. kosher salt
Y2 teaspoon pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and
mix with your hands until uniform. Use
wet hands to form the mixture into about
16 egg-shaped patties. Chill until ready to
cook.
Preheat grill to medium-high. Spray the
patties with nonstick cooking spray and
grill on all sides, about 10 minutes total.
Serve warm or at room temperature. You
may make these into pita sandwiches, like
shawarma (see below).

Vegetable Pita Pockets
with Hummus
2 large pocket pitas (any flavor), to
create 4 pockets
1 cup prepared hummus or baba
ganouche
8 thin sliced tomato rounds
1 roasted red pepper (jarred is fine),
sliced thin
3 /4 cup thin-sliced seedless cucumber
'/2 cup shredded carrots
1 /2 cup shredded radish
1 cup alfalfa sprouts
Lemon wedges
Spread hummus on inside one side of
each of the pita pockets. Arrange 2 slices
of tomato over the hummus and top with
the roasted red pepper. Divide the remain-
ing ingredients among the pita pockets.
Serve the pockets with lemon wedges on
the side. Makes 4 servings.

Roasted Red and Golden Beet
Salad with Fig Vinaigrette
Beets:
5 medium red beets, scrubbed with
leaves removed
5 medium golden beets, scrubbed
with leaves removed
1 /2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 /3 cup water
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
'/2 cup yellow raisins
Vinaigrette:
2 Tbsp. fig preserves or jam
1 /4 cup red wine vinegar
1 /4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 /4 cup minced shallots
1 /2 tsp. cumin seeds
Preheat oven to 400F. Place red whole
beets in baking dish; drizzle half the
olive oil over. Add 1/2 cup of water to the
pan. Place golden whole beets in another
baking dish; drizzle the remaining olive
oil over. Add 1/2 cup of water to the pan.
Cover both pans with foil. Roast until ten-
der, about 45 minutes.
Meanwhile make vinaigrette. Combine
all vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl
and whisk well. Set aside.
When the beets are tender, uncover and
let cool to the touch. Use your fingers to
rub the peel off beets. Cut each beet into
8 wedges (keep them separate so that the
red beets don't stain the golden beets).
Just before serving, toss all the ingredi-
ents together with the vinaigrette and add
salt and pepper to taste. Makes 6 servings.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
For traditional hummus, leave out the bell
pepper.
1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained
Juice of 1 lemon
1 /4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
3 cloves garlic
1 /4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 /2 tsp. ground cumin
1 /2 cup roasted red bell peppers or
1 roasted red pepper (canned is fine,
drained)
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a
food processor and process until smooth.
If the mixture is too thick, add a little
warm water. Adjust seasonings. Place in a
serving dish and drizzle with a little olive
oil or sprinkle with paprika. Makes 2 cups
of hummus.

Shortcut Chicken Shawarma
Normally, shawarma is layered chicken
or meat on a spit that's slow-roasted or
grilled. This recipe is a shortcut version,
grilled quickly at home. Eat this with or
without hummus. Or use the chicken as a
topping for a salad.
2 pounds boneless and skinless
chicken thighs or breasts
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. allspice
1 /2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 tsp. cardamom seeds
Tahini Sauce:
1 /2 cup prepared tahini
2 garlic cloves
1 /4 cup lemon juice
Topping:
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup chopped English cucumber
1 cup chopped red or sweet onion
1 cup chopped parsley
1 Tbsp. sumac
Salt and pepper to taste
8 lavash (about 10 inches round) or
pocket pita
2 cups prepared hummus
Combine all chicken ingredients in a
medium bowl and toss well. Transfer to
a gallon-size zipper bag and chill 8-24
hours.
Make the sauce: Combine all sauce
ingredients in a food processor and pro-
cess until smooth (adding extra lemon
juice or warm water if the mixture is too
thick — it should be the consistency of
heavy cream).
Make the topping: Combine all ingredi-
ents in a medium bowl and toss well.
Preheat grill to medium-high. Remove
the chicken from the marinade and place
on hot grill. Discard the marinade. Grill
the chicken on all sides until just cooked
through, about 10 minutes total (do not
overcook!). Allow the chicken to cool for 5
minutes before slicing it very thinly across
the grain.
Make the sandwiches: Arrange the
lavash on a clean surface. Spread about
1 /4 cup of hummus down the center of the
pita. Place chicken along the center (about
1 /8 th of the entire amount). Drizzle a little
tahini sauce over and top with vegetables.
Roll the sandwich (like a burrito) and
serve. Repeat with remaining ingredients.
Makes 8 servings.

❑

May 15 • 2008