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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.
Vegetarian bun rice noodle salad
You may wonder why I'm posting a recipe for bun, a Vietnamese salad rife with mint, basil, and lettuce, served with some sliced meat (or "meat") over a bed of rice noodles and lime sauce.
The answer is that it's really quick and easy to make, given that you have a package of rice noodles and some salad mix. I've been eating quite a bit of it over the past week and a half as I recover from a nasty bout of flu.
Bun is also easily made kosher given that you use a kosher tofu or mock meat. Vegetarian ham has the most satisfying consistency, but kosher tofu is much easier to find.
As for kosher soy sauce, Kikkoman has you covered. I recommend the green bottle (low-sodium).
Vegetarian bun (Vietnamese rice noodle salad)
1 package rice noodles (medium-thickness pancit bihon noodles work well for this, though Vietnamese bun rice noodles are best)
1/2 cup sliced vegetarian ham (or marinated tofu)
3 cups washed, dried, and torn lettuce leaves (about a head of lettuce, or one package of spring mix)
mint and basil leaves to taste (I use about half a bunch of each, usually around 20-40 leaves)
Juice from 2 limes (about 1/4 c)
about 1/4 c soy sauce
A few dashes of vegetarian fish sauce (optional)
1 T nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 t sesame oil (optional)
1. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Cook the rice noodles according to package directions. After they're done cooking, rinse well under cold running water for 1 minute. They should separate easily and not stick together. Drain well.
2. While the water for the rice noodles is coming to a boil, pan-fry the vegetarian ham or tofu until golden brown. Remove from heat and let cool.
3. Arrange lettuce in a bowl. Toss in mint and basil leaves, then add rice noodles. Top with vegetarian ham.
4. Just before serving, mix the lime juice, soy sauce, salt, pepper, and optional seasonings together. Pour over the salad, toss, and serve.
Chard pesto
Pesto is one of my favorite sauces to make. I love its hints of garlic, its bouquet of basil, and its creamy nuttiness. It's also one of the easiest, given that you have a blender or food processor.
There are four basic ingredients: basil, olive oil, nuts, and garlic. I usually measure the basil and nuts by handfuls and blend them together with a few cloves of garlic and a few tablespoons of olive oil until it looks right--a grainy, creamy paste.
It's a formula that lends itself to experimentation. The Peruvians use spinach instead of basil and omit the garlic--that dish is called tallarin con espinaca. I use chard.
Chard pesto sauce
1 bunch chard, stems trimmed off
2 cloves garlic
1-2 T olive oil
1/4 c - 1/2 c water
1 c walnuts
salt and pepper to taste
1 T nutritional yeast (optional)
1. In your blender or food processor, process the chard until all the large chunks are gone.
2. With the motor running, drop in the garlic and let it run for about 15 seconds before adding the walnuts.
3. Add walnuts and drizzle in olive oil. Let it run for about a minute, until no large pieces are left.
4. Keeping the motor running, drizzle in 1/4 c water slowly and let the sauce come together into a grainy, creamy paste. If it looks too thick to you (it should spread like jam), drizzle in a little more water.
5. Blend thoroughly.
6. Season it with salt and pepper (and nutritional yeast if you want a cheesy flavor). Pour over pasta and serve.
You can also heat it over the stove until it's heated through, but I just let the warmth of freshly cooked pasta do its work.
Potato garlic soup
Sometimes on a cold winter day I feel like curling up on my Comfy Sack with a cup of thick soup and a book. The feeling intensifies after I've put in a full day's work, and just want to relax after fighting the traffic on the way home.
For times like that, I like to make a quick soup that doesn't require much maintenance or thought. Just cut the ingredients, throw them in the pot, wait for them to soften, add some broth, wait until it's hot, and then eat it. Done. (The dishwasher can handle the dishes.)
Below is one of those soups. All you really need are potatoes, garlic, water/broth, and salt and pepper. You can fry the garlic a little bit to bring out a little more flavor, but if you're feeling REALLY lazy, you can just smash the cloves and drop them in with the cut potatoes.
Potato garlic soup
For times like that, I like to make a quick soup that doesn't require much maintenance or thought. Just cut the ingredients, throw them in the pot, wait for them to soften, add some broth, wait until it's hot, and then eat it. Done. (The dishwasher can handle the dishes.)
Below is one of those soups. All you really need are potatoes, garlic, water/broth, and salt and pepper. You can fry the garlic a little bit to bring out a little more flavor, but if you're feeling REALLY lazy, you can just smash the cloves and drop them in with the cut potatoes.
Potato garlic soup
1/2 tsp oil
4 potatoes, diced, peeled if desired
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth
herbs, salt, and pepper to taste
4 potatoes, diced, peeled if desired
3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
1 quart (4 cups) vegetable broth
herbs, salt, and pepper to taste
1. Heat oil over medium heat in a 3-quart pot or soup pot.
2. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Drop in potatoes and fry until they have some color on them, about 5 minutes. You can leave them alone and sort your mail if you like.
4. Pour in broth and herbs (rosemary works well here). Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste (and whatever other herbs and spices you like with your potatoes).
7. Turn off the heat. Get your immersion blender and blend the soup until it is smooth, or whatever consistency you like your potato soup. For me, the creamier, the better. If you want it to be perfectly smooth, you can push it through a chinois, but that defeats the purpose of a no-fuss, quick, easy soup.
8. Serve hot with some bread (cheese bread works well here).
2. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
3. Drop in potatoes and fry until they have some color on them, about 5 minutes. You can leave them alone and sort your mail if you like.
4. Pour in broth and herbs (rosemary works well here). Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste (and whatever other herbs and spices you like with your potatoes).
7. Turn off the heat. Get your immersion blender and blend the soup until it is smooth, or whatever consistency you like your potato soup. For me, the creamier, the better. If you want it to be perfectly smooth, you can push it through a chinois, but that defeats the purpose of a no-fuss, quick, easy soup.
8. Serve hot with some bread (cheese bread works well here).
