The New 60
The country and its food and wine have come a long way.
Annabel Cohen
Special to the Jewish News
T
here's one 60-year old that looks
better than ever. Israel at 60
hardly resembles the scrappy
land it was six decades ago. In many
ways, this ancient land is extremely
young. Officially part of Asia, it seems
European and American is so many ways.
The food of this small country is mod-
em as well. There is every type of res-
taurant serving some of the world's most
interesting and contemporary cuisine.
However, to many, the best Israeli food
is that that we have come to identify as
the national cuisine, with its mish-mash
of traditional Middle East and European
offerings.
Sure falafel can be found in every dive
and on every corner. Shawarma is omni-
present as well. Moreover, every little
establishment will serve simple to elabo-
rate salads that are fresh, crisp and laced
with olive oil. It's all that I need to make
me happy.
For variety, however, I offer these reci-
pes — also found in so many restaurants
— as my takes on easy Israeli cuisine.
They are not trendy, just delicious. And
together — the menu as a whole is a
complete dinner, just perfect for celebrat-
ing this momentous birthday.
Carrot Salad
8 cups shredded or coarsely
grated carrots
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce
(such as Tabasco)
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl
and toss well. Cover and chill up to a day
ahead. Adjust seasonings to taste, toss
again and serve. Makes 8 servings.
Kibbe Bi Sanyeh
The difference between the egg-shaped
kibbe you see on the streets of Israel
and this dish is purely presentation. This
mixture is spread in a pie dish or round
A42
August 21 • 2008
Ai
cake pan and baked. It calls for the kibbe
to be cut into wedges and served warm.
Filling:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 pound lean ground lamb
1 tsp. ground allspice
Y2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground pepper
to taste
2 tsp. pomegranate molasses
(optional), available at specialty
stores
1 /2 cup pine nuts, toasted in a 350°F
oven until golden, about 5 minutes
Kibbe:
1 pound lean ground lamb
2 cups fine chopped onions
2 Tbsp. tomato paste
1-2 tsp. salt
Ground black pepper to taste
1 /2 tsp. ground allspice
1/ tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. red-hot pepper sauce (such as
Tabasco)
1 1/2 cups fine-ground bulgur
Make filling: Heat oil in a large skillet
over medium-high heat. Add the onions
and saute for about 8 minutes until they
are softened. Add the lamb and spices
and cook, breaking the meat up as you
stir until just cooked through. Remove
from heat and add the molasses, if using,
and pine nuts. Stir to combine well and
set aside.
Make kibbe: Combine all kibbe ingre-
dients except bulgur in a large bowl and
set aside.
Put the bulgur in a large bowl and stir
in hot water to cover. Let stand 5 minutes.
Drain the bulgur and rinse well. Cover
the bulgur with fresh water and allow
it to soak for about 20 minutes more.
Drain the bulgur again, squeezing with
your hands or paper towels to remove as
much water as possible. Mix the bulgur
with the kibbe mixture and knead well to
combine.
Preheat oven to 350F. Pat half of the
kibbe mixture into a 10-inch-round
cake pan or pie plate. Spread all of the
lamb mixture over the kibbe and cover
with remaining kibbe mixture. Press the
mixture to make it smooth. Cut the kibbe
into 8-10 wedges and brush the top with
a little olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes and
broil to darken the top of the kibbe. Let
stand about 15 minutes before recutting
the wedges. Serve warm or at room tem-
perature. Serves 8-10.
Roasted Eggplant With Red
Pepper Dip
Similar to baba ganouche, this Bulgarian-
inspired Israeli recipe is a bit more com-
plex.
I medium eggplant (about 1 1/2
pounds)
3 red bell peppers
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. minced garlic
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
Kosher salt to taste
Preheat oven to 450F. Prick whole egg-
plant in several places with a fork and
place on a sheet of foil. Place the bell
peppers on the foil as well and roast,
uncovered, for 30 minutes (bell pepper)
to 1 hour (eggplant), or until the egg-
plant is very soft and skin is dark (turn
the vegetables over halfway through
cooking). Allow the eggplant and peppers
to cool to the touch.
Rub the skin from the peppers, remove
the stem and seeds and chop finely.
Transfer to a medium bowl.
Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out
the flesh, discarding the peel. Cut the
cooked eggplant and add to the bowl
with the peppers. Add remaining ingre-
dients and stir well. Chill until ready to
serve, up to 2 days ahead. Stir well, adjust
salt to taste and transfer to a serving
dish. Serve with pita wedges. Makes 8-12
servings.
Baked Chicken Cutlet
(Shnitzel)
Olive oil
11/2 cups flour
2 eggs
2 cups plain bread crumbs
8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
(about 2 pounds)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
to taste
2 lemons, sliced in wedges
Preheat oven to 375F. Coat a baking sheet
lightly with sides
Israeli Wines
Wine has been mentioned in Jewish literature forever.
But only in the last 50 years has it become an important
Israeli industry.
According to Tom Natoci, a partner at Cloverleaf
Fine Wine in Royal Oak, there's more good wine from
Israel being imported to the U.S. than ever. "In general,
Americans are drinking more wine," he said. "Think
about California. Thirty years ago, there weren't nearly
the number of wineries as there are today. Increased
supply comes from increased demand."
The big question is are Israeli wines any good?
According to Natoci the answer is a resounding yes.
The wines Natoci suggests:
• Dalton, Canaan Cabernet, Merlot and Shiraz blend
and its Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling blend
• Segal's, Galilee Heights Chardonnay, Cabernet Merlot Blend and Special
Reserve Merlot
• Galil Mountain Cabernet
• Benyamina Yogev Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Blend and Special Reserve
Cabernet Sauvignon
- Annabel Cohen