Israeli salad
I went on Birthright in June and had a blast. Even though I've been back for almost two months I still haven't processed the trip.
Israel is breathtakingly beautiful, totally chaotic, cold, friendly, delicious, comforting, and irritating all at once. It's hard to describe unless you've actually been there.
Their food is marvelous. It tastes far fresher and much more real than the stuff we get here at home. Israel does grow most of its own food, and because the country is so small, food doesn't have to travel far to get to hungry people.
In Tzfat I found a Yemenite shop that sold malawach. I relished the impossibly flaky, buttery warm frybread, filled with freshly cut tomatoes and blazing hot skhug. A good thing, too, since I never came across it again.
Israelis know how to make breakfast. Every breakfast, be it humble or fancy, is an array of salads made up of fresh vegetables (some marinated, some not), hummus, labneh, and bread. Sometimes there's shakshuka. (I was happy that my poor man's shakshuka tastes pretty much like the real thing.) The best thing is that all those veggies and fruits don't weigh you down for the rest of the day. I felt fantastic and refreshed every day, despite total lack of sleep, because breakfast was such a clean meal.
When I got back, I missed the felafel, the salads, and the breakfast spreads. Below is a really easy recipe for Israeli salad that's great to make now because it's the peak of tomato season. Serve it fresh.
Israeli salad
4 firm, ripe tomatoes, seeded
2 English cucumbers, peeled or 4-8 Persian cucumbers, washed
Juice from 2 lemons
Olive oil to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
Dice the tomatoes and cucumbers. Toss in a bowl with the lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Correct the seasonings and serve.
Filipino cheesecake
Last year I posted my lola's holiday cheesecake recipe. She makes that one twice a year, at most.
This year I'm posting her typical one. Unless you have a lola like mine, this is definitely not your grandmother's Shavuot cheesecake.
I still remember when I was five, watching her make it. It's unlike any other cheesecake I've had. Instead of a crust filled with sweetened, flavored and whipped cream cheese, this one is a cake. (Okay, technically it's a quickbread because of the ratios.)
For the longest time I wondered how she made it--it's impossibly dense but still airy, and rich-tasting without actually being rich. She uses Bisquick, cream cheese, and butter, and stirs it with a wooden spoon. It turns out much airier when she uses mascarpone instead of cream cheese.
In a feeble attempt to mimic my grandmother, I present a version made from scratch.
Filipino cheesecake
Dry ingredients:
2 c flour
1 c sugar (my lola will use 1/2 c or less--"This one is not too sweet--I used half the sugar.")
2 t salt
1 T baking powder
Wet ingredients:
1 c (2 sticks) of butter, softened. Use the real stuff for the best flavor.
2 c milk
4 eggs
4oz cream cheese, softened
For the center:
4oz cream cheese, cut into cubes
Modification: If you're using mascarpone instead of cream cheese, use 4oz mascarpone instead of the cream cheese and halve the milk. Omit the center cream cheese cubes, if you like.
1. Preheat oven to 350F. Lightly grease a 8" or 9" cake pan. A stoneware pan browns most evenly, and keeps it nice and warm longer.
2. Whisk the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
3. Blend the wet ingredients together until smooth in another bowl.
4. Make a well in the dry ingredients, then stir in the wet ingredients until incorporated. Do not overmix. The batter should resemble thick pancake batter or banana bread batter.
5. Pour batter into the cake pan. Drop the cream cheese cubes around the center. They'll sink in a little.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. It should have a nice golden brown crust on the top and sides. Let it sit for a minute outside the oven to firm up.
Serve hot. We used to spray it with a little melted butter, but there's really no need for it.
Enjoy! It serves around 8-10 people.
Vegetarian chicharon!
Yes, it exists. (No, there is not a hekhsher on it.) This particular vegetarian chicharon is made from potatoes and soy, and tastes so much like the real thing that if I had closed my eyes I'd think it was. Powder it up and sprinkle it on pancit, or just eat it straight from the bag. You can see what I chose to do.
Matzah cinnamon toast
When you just don't want to make another batch of matzah brei, or if you're already run out of eggs for it, make this instead. It's based on a snack my lola makes where she fries up a bunch of fresh wonton wrappers and rolls them in cinnamon sugar. (That snack is a great way to use up torn-up lumpia wrappers, too, but you'll have to wait until after Pesach is over.)
Matzah cinnamon toast
5 matzot
1 - 2 T cinnamon (try Saigon cinnamon for a sweet-hot kick)
1/4 - 1/2 c granulated sugar
Oil for frying
Spray bottle of water (a plate with enough water in it to cover the bottom works too)
0. Bring oil to 350F in a deep-bottomed (3+ inches) pan or pot. Meanwhile, combine cinnamon and sugar in a bowl.
1. Do this one matzah at a time. Lightly spray a piece of matzah with water. One pump per side, held about six inches away from the nozzle should do it. If it gets soggy, set it aside and try again. If you're using a plate, barely touch it to the surface of the water.
2. Break the matzah into 4-6 pieces. Drop the pieces into the oil and fry until golden brown. Remove and let drain for a minute.
3. While they're still hot, roll the matzah pieces in the cinnamon sugar. Serve immediately.
For a healthier option, try toasting the matzah in a toaster oven for about 2 minutes, then proceed with step 3.
Chag sameach!
