×

Debit/Credit Payment

Credit/Debit/Bank Transfer

Returning to a Home at War

Recipes

Schnitzel, Israeli Style

What comes to mind when you think of Israeli food? Falafel, shawarma, kabobs, pita and hummus usually top the list. However chicken schnitzel has become one of the most common foods in Israel, adapted from German wiener-schnitzel made with veal. Home-made schnitzel is the ultimate comfort food, but it is also very tasty at fast

Continue Reading »

Winter Warm-up!

{image_1}The air in Israel now has a chill and the winter rainy season is not far behind. Warm, hearty, comfort foods like goulash are back on the menu. Goulash made with cubed beef is a stew, but with ground beef—a soup.

Continue Reading »

A Sweet New Year

{image_1}Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls on September 4–5 this year. All over the globe, Jewish people will be celebrating with prayers and repentance at the synagogue and family get-togethers with lots of delicious food at home. As is true for most Jewish holidays, traditional foods are eaten that relate to the event that is being commemorated. Passover recalls the tears of slavery with salt water while a Hanukkah table remembers God’s miracle with foods fried in oil. And of course, these traditions often vary from community to community, having been influenced by local cuisine and the availability of ingredients, especially spices.

Continue Reading »

Figs—a Blessing from the Almighty

{image_1}August is the hottest month of the year in Israel with temperatures often topping 33°C (91°F) in Jerusalem and over 40°C (104°F) further south. The weather forecast is the same nearly every day: “Sunny and hot.” Evenings frequently cool down, so shopping, daily walks, or barbecuing with guests now happen after the sun goes down.

Continue Reading »

Is It Meat or Not?

{image_1}The prohibition in the Torah (Gen.–Mal.) against boiling a kid in its mother’s milk provides the basis for the practice of separating meat from dairy. Cheesy sauces and cream-filled desserts are not served at the same meal as a juicy steak, nor is butter for your broccoli or milk for your coffee. Israelis have been very innovative, however, and non-dairy substitutes abound, to be eaten with delight alongside your beef roast or lamb chop.

Continue Reading »

Delicious Israeli Mangos

{image_1}If you are like me, the taste of a juicy, ripe mango conjures up visions of a tropical island paradise with glorious beaches and beautiful sunsets. The fruit, however, grows in a number of subtropical areas far from the sea, and Israel is actually the northernmost spot on earth to successfully cultivate it. Hebrew University has developed a variety that is not only popular with Israelis, but is a favorite in European countries as well.

Continue Reading »

Tell Them, “I Love You!”

{image_1}There is a saying among Israeli cooks: If you want to say “I love you” with food, make memulaim, the Hebrew name for stuffed vegetables. Usually involving peppers or egg plant, this delightful tradition came to Israel in an endless variety of forms from all over the Diaspora. Although a little labor intensive, the following recipe is bound to communicate warmth and welcome to the friends and family around your table.

Continue Reading »

The Versatile Pumpkin—with a Jewish Flair

{image_1}As I write this, we have just finished the fall holiday season here in Israel, and as you read it, you may be preparing for the celebration of Christmas, Hanukkah, and the New Year. Many of the foods found on Israel’s holiday table may be very different, but some dishes can easily make the transition. One of those versatile foods with an incredible Jewish history is pumpkin!

Continue Reading »

A Treat Fit for a Rich Man

{image_1}A story is told of a poor man looking into the window of a fine restaurant, watching the very rich inside talking gaily and eating blintzes. When he arrived home, he asked his wife if somehow she could make him blintzes. He just had to have some. She assembled the flour, water, egg… “Oh, my dear, I have no cream cheese,” she said. “Just skip it; make them anyway,” replied her husband. “There’s no honey,” she cried. “Don’t need it,” he replied.

Continue Reading »

Nuts about Nut and Fruit Cake

{image_1}Dried fruits and nuts are standard fare on the Middle Eastern table and have been for millennia. Figs, dates, and apricots were delicious, nutritious staples in the ancient Israeli diet, and drying them insured they could be eaten year-round. Today, many a holiday menu is augmented with colorful dishes of these tasty delights, and generations of Israeli cooks have come up with literally hundreds of creative ways to use them in main dishes, salads and desserts.

Continue Reading »