I'm back! I'm back!

Yes, yes, I know, I disappeared for a period of time longer than the length of the kitchen re-do. I'm bad. I'm naughty. I have no real excuse other than my usual one of getting caught up in life.

But, tonight I finally pulled Ms. Gur's cookbook back out from the depths of obscurity (well, technically that's not true -- I made shakshuka and pita again last weekend for a delicious brunch with my friend E) and not only tried a new recipe, but I broke the cardinal rule of cooking by making a new dish for dinner guests =-O!

Luckily for me, A, my friend M and her husband, M (LOL!) were more than happy to be my test eaters -- and they were not disappointed!

Tonight's dish was Chicken Albondigas in Tomato Sauce, which I served with a side of couscous and broiled zucchini. Albondiga is basically a Spanish word for meatballs, and according to the cookbook, this recipe comes from Jerusalem Sephardic cuisine. Judging from the spices used, I'm inclined to agree with the cookbook's theory.

Now, I mean no disrespect to my Ashkenazi heritage, but the Sephardim have the Ashkenazis beaten when it comes to flavorful recipes that don't make you feel like you've eaten a heavy sack of starch. I've never been a fan of kugel, kreplach, etc. But give me a recipe that contains tomatoes, spices and chicken and I'm a happy woman!

So the albondigas came out great, which I chalk up to the tasty mixture of spices such as turmeric, garlic, onion and paprika -- and the addition of soy sauce and cumin gave the sauce an extra kick. Plus the recipe itself is in on the simple side. The only really time-consuming element is chopping up/shredding the onion, garlic and potato. I was frustrated that the chicken was burnt a little bit, but no one semed to mind. It still tasted delicious, but I think I have to still work out the best heat setting for the pan. Plus the meatballs themselves didn't really hold together well -- perhaps you need to use more than six tablespoons of breadcrumbs to make everything bind.

Chicken Albondigas in Tomato Sauce
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur

Ingredients (serves 4)
The Chicken Dumplings
10 1/2 oz ground chicken (breast or deboned thighs)
1 potato, finely grated and squeezed (Note: The food processor was a big help here)
1 onion, grated (Note: Again, use a food processor if you can)
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 egg
6 tablespoons breadcrumbs (Note: I may try more next time)
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt and coarsely ground black peppers

The Sauce
3 tablespoons oil
1 onion, chopped finely
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons paprika
1 level teaspoon ground cumin
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and coarsely ground black pepper

1. Prepare the chicken dumplings: Mix all the ingredients, knead thoroughly and roll into balls the size of walnuts. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

2. Prepare the sauce: Saute the onion until translucent. Add the garlic, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, soy sauce, spices, sugar and 1 cup water and bring to a boil.

3. Add the dumplings to the sauce and cook covered over a low heat for 30 minutes. Gently shake the pan form time to time but do not stir. Serve with white rice, mashed potatoes or lots of bread. (Note: I went with couscous and veggies -- no complaints!)

It's DONE!!!!!

The stove finally arrived yesterday, the contractor connected it today, and once A braved its dark innards to light the pilot light (still wondering why the contractor didn't do that himself), we can officially announce that we have a fully functional kitchen!

I promise I'll get back into trying out new Israeli recipes soon. Tonight I couldn't handle much more than store-bought tortellini with Ragu sauce, Brussels sprouts and ready-to-bake Toll House cookie dough ;-)

The stove definitely needs to be broken in...

Sunday Brunch

Wow. I have a new favorite breakfast dish :-)

There's an entire section in my Israeli cookbook all about Shakshuka. And I couldn't skip over said section once I saw photos of what Shakshuka was supposed to look like -- Huevos Rancheros (another one of my faves).

As with many dishes in Israeli cuisine, I had never heard of Shakshuka before I received my cookbook. The basic recipe is made primarily of eggs, tomatoes and some sort of hot sauce -- but you can add anything from peppers to spinach to potatoes to sausages to feta cheese. It is to be served in a frying pan along with (what else?) soft bread and a salad. It's a hearty, filling meal that I'd be happy eating either at noon or midnight.

The first thing I did in preparation the day before actually, was I made the hot sauce, which was a huge time-saver. Per the recipe I used, you can use one of many kinds of hot sauces (all of which I want to try eventually), but for my first time, I went with filfel chuma -- a condiment favored by Libyan Jews (which makes sense, considering Shakshuka is originally a Libyan recipe). I think filfel chuma is delicious -- and so does A! It's spicy but it doesn't set your mouth on fire. We were too busy mopping this stuff up with pita that we almost didn't have enough left for the Shakshuka!

Filfel Chuma
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur

Ingredients (makes 1 cup)
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon high quality hot paprika (cayenne pepper)
4 tablespoons high quality sweet paprika
1 level teaspoon ground caraway
1 level teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 cup oil, plus more oil, to cover
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt

Mix the ingredients into a smooth paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a sterilized jar, cover with two tablespoons of oil to prevent spoilage, and store in the refrigerator. It keeps for a long time.

Now on to the Shakshuka itself. I won't lie -- it has the potential to be time-consuming, so definitely make your hot sauce the day before. Between baking fresh pita and peeling and dicing tomatoes, it can take up a good portion of the morning. But it's SO worth it :-)

Shakshuka -- Basic Recipe
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur

Ingredients (serves 4)
4 tablespoons oil, for frying
2 cloves garlic, crushed
5 large tomatoes, peeled and diced (or 1 1/2 cups canned tomatoes, crushed) Note: I used fresh tomatoes
1 tablespoon zhug, filfel chuma or harissa or a mixture of crushed garlic, paprika and hot peppers Note: I used filfel chuma
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (optional) Note: I didn't bother -- the filfel chuma was more than enough seasoning
Pinch of ground caraway (optional) Note: See above
2 tablespoons tomato paste
8 eggs

1. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet and lightly fry the garlic. Add the tomatoes and seasonings and cook for 15-20 minutes over low heat, partly covered.
2. Add the tomato paste, cover and simmer for a few more minutes. Adjust the seasoning -- the sauce should have a strong, piquant flavor.
3. Break the eggs one by one and slide onto the tomato sauce, arranging the yolks around the pan.
4. Turn heat to low and cook until the egg whites set (about 5-7 minutes). Partly cover the pan to prevent the sauce from spraying around the kitchen. Cover completely if you like your eggs "over hard."

Salad With a Kick

One of the few things I already knew about Israeli cuisine before reading The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey was that salads are a core element to most menus. And as Ms. Gur even states ever so simply in the book, "Israelis insist on a salad with almost every meal." Can't say I take issue with that philosophy!

So the good news was I was relatively familiar with the basic Israeli salad of finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers and fresh herbs -- trouble is, I really, REALLY don't like cucumbers :-/

If I try to make Israeli salad WITHOUT cucumbers, I feel the salad will be missing a vital component. It would be like American Idol without Simon Cowell (heh, well, we're going to have to get used to that eventually). 

I promise I will bite the bullet soon and make a full-on Israeli salad -- who knows? I may just like it! The picture of the juicy, succulent-looking veggies look too good to resist. But until I get up the nerve to bite into a cucumber, luckily my cookbook provides plenty of alternative salad choices.

Tonight I tried a Celery and Kashkaval Cheese Salad. And we have another winner! It's a delightful mix of crispy, crunchy celery strips with a tangy dressing of lemon juice and olive oil topped off with anchovies and the previously noted hard-to-find (and never-tasted by me or A before) Kashkaval cheese.

I managed to find the Kashkaval at Sahadi's, and I am pleased to announce that I have a new favorite cheese :-)

Kashkaval, while not an "Israeli" cheese (the one sold at Sahadi's is from Bulgaria), is a mild sheep's milk cheese that offers a nice balance to the zest of the celery salad. Plus it's great to nibble on its own! The recipe says you can use Parmesan if you can't track down Kashkaval, but if you can, I recommend going the extra mile for the Kashkaval. I have a feeling the tang of Parmesan isn't going to help balance out the already salty flavors of the salad.

Celery and Kashkaval Cheese Salad
Recipe courtesy of The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey, by Janna Gur

Ingredients (serves 4-6)
1 bunch celery (one with young, light-colored stalks)
Freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons
Coarse sea salt
10 top-quality anchovy fillets, diced
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil
3 1/2 oz ripe Kashkaval or Parmesan cheese
Coarsely ground white pepper

1. Discard the coarse outer stalks of the celery bunch and cut the inner stalks into thin strips. A vegetable peeler can be used to shave the stalks lengthwise.

2. Mix the celery strips with the lemon juice and some salt. Be careful with the salt -- the anchovies are salty already!

3. Mix the anchovy fillets with the olive oil and add to the celery strips.

4. Using the finest grater, grate the cheese over the salad, sprinkle some ground white pepper on top and serve immediately.

Here we go, so, um, Shalom!

Israeli cuisine. Never gave it much thought up until a couple of months ago. Sure, I'm a self-professed and proven foodie. I LOVE to cook, try new restaurants, throw dinner parties, stuff my face with yummy-tasting goodies -- you get the picture.

But Israeli food? Why? I've never been to Israel, spent most of my years of Hebrew school daydreaming about my future life with Michael J. Fox (as a result, "Shalom" pretty much remains the extent of my Hebrew-speaking ability), and assumed that a typical Israeli menu didn't extend beyond pita, hummus and falafel.

And speaking of falafel, ever since a Hebrew school classmate got sick to his stomach after eating too much of the fried delicacy 20-some-odd years ago at a Yom Ha'atzmaut party I've steered clear of the stuff.

Enter my aunt's recent Chanukah gift and catalyst for this blog:

I started flipping through the cookbook soon after I received it, but I have to admit, I was a little intimidated by the recipes -- where was I supposed to get raw tahini? Or, rather, what exactly IS tahini? What is kashkaval cheese?

And more importantly -- will my Puerto Rican Catholic husband eat any of these dishes? Will I?

So the cookbook wound up collecting dust for a good two months, until a conversation with my fellow foodie and dear friend M helped me to realize that a) I needed a new cooking challenge and b) I should blog about my attempts to cook Israeli food!

Before you read any further, I want to say once and for all that I am NOT trying to pull a Julie Powell here. Yes, this blog is going to document my adventures and experiences in Israeli cooking -- something I know NOTHING about. And (fingers crossed) I hope it will also serve as a forum where people can offer me tips and advice (seriously, please, I need it!). 

I do not intend to "cook my way" through The Book of New Israeli Food: A Culinary Journey -- although I'm going to try to make as many recipes from it as possible. The author, Janna Gur, includes such mouth-watering photographs of her dishes as well as popular food markets and restaurants that it's going to be hard to resist trying to make everything. Also, I'm a busy woman. I won't be posting daily. Or even weekly. I'll try though.

So as I start this journey, I want to thank a few people in advance for their initial advice and support. As previously mentioned, my friend M, who pretty much gave me this idea :-) My friend S, whose recent trip to Israel automatically has made her an eager and willing food-taster. My colleague C, who pointed out the amazing Middle Eastern food market right in my own backyard and who has offered excellent suggestions for the direction of this blog. And, of course, my husband, A, for putting up with this crazy gastronomic challenge to begin with :-)