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Food
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Boutique cheeses, foie gras, and good olive oils are all being made in Israel, writes Joan Nathan in The Foods of Israel Today (Knopf), which came out last month. "Israel is bursting with culinary creativity," she writes. "The interplay of cultures and cuisines has made eating an art such as it has never been in Israel before." That's a different situation from the one Nathan found 30 years ago when she went to Jerusalem to work as the foreign press attache to then-mayor Teddy Kollek. Only journalists, tourists, and diplomats ate out, and there wasn't a great variety of foods in the marketplace. Today, she writes, Israel is an exciting place to eat, with all kinds of dishes adapted from Turkish, Czech, Arabic, Yemenite, Moroccan, and Tunisian recipes. Anywhere that Jews have lived in the world, they have incorporated aspects of their own standard fare into the indigenous foods. When those dishes appear nearly side by side in Israel, the result is a complex, multilayered cuisine. Nathan calls this food "a hybrid, inspired by every corner of the world, with an increasing emphasis on native ingredients. The original ingredients used by cooks in the land of Israel included the seven biblical foods mentioned in Deuteronomy - barley, wheat, figs, dates, pomegranates, olives, and grapes." Some Israelis still use these foods as the basis for their cuisine, writes Nathan, like the Mizrachi, also called Oriental Jews. Other influences come from the Sephardic Jews, who were forced out of Spain and Portugal during the Inquisition and settled in North Africa, Greece, and Turkey. Ashkenazi Jews from Central and Eastern Europe added other dishes. So a Passover Seder in Israel includes nothing predictable. One table might be set with the Lebanese fettush salad, which looks a lot like a finely chopped Israeli salad, except that it has broken pieces of toasted matzo in it. Another might have a dish of chicken smothered in oranges and ginger root, in a honey-wine sauce boileddown to make it syrupy. And many Jews serve macaroons: Omitting flour for Passover makes baking a challenge, and macaroons can be made with matzo cake meal instead of flour. FETTUSH WITH MATZO Bread salads are common all around the Mediterranean. This Lebanese and northern Israeli version is tossed with toasted pita bread rubbed with olive oil and sprinkled with the Israeli herb blend za'atar. In Israel, za'atar is sold commercially, but you can make it yourself. During Passover, many Jewish Israelis make fettush with matzo. 2 sheets matzo Set the oven at 200 degrees. Brush the matzo with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle it with teaspoon of the za'atar. Toast the matzo in the oven for about 5 minutes or until it is crisp but not browned. In a salad bowl, combine the tomatoes, green pepper, cucumber, onion, scallions, watercress or greens, mint, and cilantro or parsley. Toss gently but thoroughly. Cover tightly and refrigerate. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Just before serving, pour the dressing over the vegetables and sprinkle them with the remaining teaspoon of za'atar. Break up the matzo and toss gently with the salad. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper if you like, and serve at once. SERVES 4 ZA'ATAR Za'atar, writes Nathan, is made from a wild oregano called hyssop that is a cross between Greek oregano and thyme. Nathan makes her own za'atar using Greek oregano (from a Middle Eastern market), her own homegrown thyme, and sumac, a pleasantly bitter red spice that she also buys in a Middle Eastern market. She gets the sesame seeds from an Asian market. Store the za'atar in a jar with a tight-fitting lid in a cool, dry place. 1/4 cup dried Greek oregano In a bowl, crumble the oregano and thyme between your fingers. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, and a generous pinch of salt. Toss thoroughly. MAKES ABOUT CUP ORANGE-GINGER CHICKEN WITH BAHARAT Though baharat, an Eastern Mediterranean spice combination that translates as "pepper," is pivotal to this dish, you can choose any one of baharat's ingredients and use that spice combined with pepper: ground allspice, cardamom, chili powder, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground coriander, ground cumin, ground nutmeg, or paprika. 4 whole skinless, boneless chicken breasts Cut each chicken breast in half lengthwise to make 8 pieces. In a bowl, combine the salt, baharat, and ground ginger. Sprinkle each side of the breasts with the mixture. In a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid, heat the oil and cook the chicken pieces, without crowding the pan, until they are browned on both sides. Remove the chicken from the pan. Pour the wine, orange liqueur, chicken stock, honey, orange juice, and fresh ginger into the pan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer the liquid for about 15 minutes or until it reduces slightly to a light syrup. Return the chicken to the pan and sprinkle with orange rind and crystallized ginger. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes. Turn the breasts and continue cooking for 5 minutes more or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the orange sections and heat them just to warm them through. Taste the sauce for seasoning and add more salt if you like. Serve at once. SERVES 8
THE KING DAVID'S COCONUT MACAROONS These chocolate-covered macaroons used to be served with afternoon tea on the terrace of Jerusalem's King David Hotel. After Passover, you can substitute flour for the matzo cake meal. 3 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut Set the oven at 325 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the coconut, cake meal, and 1 cup of the sugar. Add the eggs and the extra white. With your fingers, mix the eggs into the dry ingredients until they are well blended. For each macaroon, drop about 2 tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between the cookies. Bake the macaroons for about 25 minutes or until they are golden. Let them cool completely. In a saucepan, combine the chocolate, water, and the remaining cup sugar. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the chocolate melts. Bring to a boil, then simmer for a few minutes until the mixture starts to thicken. Let the chocolate cool slightly. Holding a macaroon with 2 fingers, dip one side of the top into the chocolate mixture, so it is half chocolate and half white. Tilt the dipped macaroon against the side of a plate (chocolate side dripping down, so it does not spoil the white side). Then transfer it to a large platter. Repeat with the remaining macaroons. Cool them completely. MAKES 16 MACAROONS |
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