Judging by its popularity, you would think that the
avocado has been grown in Israel
for many years. In fact, until recently, they were not grown in Israel
at all. Today, the avocado is an Israeli favorite and avocado fields
dot the countryside.
1 medium avocado
1 minced onion
lemon juice to taste
2 hard boiled eggs
salt, pepper, paprika to taste
Cut avocado in half, scoop out fruit. Add chopped eggs,
onion, seasonings and lemon juice. Serve on lettuce.
Carrot salad is easy to make and refreshing. When
Israelis abroad long for their homeland, they recall the incomparable
tastes of Israel's fruits and vegetables.
4 carrots
1 handful raisins
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 tsp. sugar
Peel and grate carrots. Mix in a bowl with raisins
and orange juice. Add sugar to taste.
This is a Romanian dish which is also featured in Middle
Eastern menus. Israeli green peppers are known for their sweetness.
4 large green peppers
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 tbs. lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, minced
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400 deg F (210 deg C). Place whole
peppers on a flat baking tray and roast, turning often, until skin is
soft. Remove from oven and peel. Remove seeds and cut peppers into strips.
In a non-metal dish, mix oil, lemon juice and garlic. Stir in pepper
strips, season with salt and pepper, and chill.
Ingredients:
Ripe tomatoes
Green pepper or red pepper (not sweet)
Green small hot pepper according to level of spiciness desired
Oil, salt, pepper
Chop the tomatoes with the skin, and the peppers into
cubes. The hot pepper, cut into big pieces, so you can take it out before
eating. Put everything in a big pot with boiling oil. At first, you
cook it on medium light; afterwards, about an hour later, on low heat
until the tomatoes turn a part of the mixture. You can eat it hot or
cold, as dressing for rice or potatoes. And the best is to dip it with
fresh Challah on Friday.
A Sephardi
favorite. No Middle Eastern restaurant menu is complete without it,
though Hungarians also delight in this dishwith the addition of lots
of paprika. Leshakshek means "to shake" in Hebrew. Every cook
from North Africa has his or her own personal version of this egg and
tomato dish. Whatever vegetable is used, it must be fresh, not canned.
1 lg. onion (finely chopped)
4 eggs
cooking oil
6 medium tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
In a large frying pan, saut onion until lightly browned.
Grate tomatoes on largest holes of a grater. Mix grated tomatoes and
onion, cover and cook over low heat for 25 minutes. Remove cover and
break eggs over the surface. Stir gently to break yolks, cover and cook
for about 3 or 4 minutes until eggs are set. Sprinkle with salt and
pepper.
Variations: One minced garlic clove may be added to
the onion, or 3 to 4 slices of red pimento may be sauteed with the onion.
Ingredients:
1/3 cup oil
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 fresh chopped hot peppers
1 big chopped onion
5 cloves of chopped garlic
1 tablespoon curry leaves (dried)
1 kilogram boiled potatoes -slightly smashed
Salt, black pepper
2 teaspoons turmeric
Pinch cardamom
1 cup fresh chopped coriander
Coating:
1 cup humus flour
1 egg
1 teaspoon turmeric
Salt
Water
Put oil in the pot, and fry mustard seeds, garlic,
onion, curry leaves and hot peppers. Stir it for about 5 minutes. Lower
the heat and add the potatoes. Mash and stir for a minute. Turn off
heat, and add the coriander and spices. Stir, cover and chill well.
Put the humus flour in a bowl. Add egg, turmeric, and
salt. Stir and add water until you get a thick and smooth mixture.
You make from the potato mixture, small flat balls,
the size of ping-pong, dip them in the humus mixture coating and deep
fry in oil until the coating turns a little golden. Drain oil (on paper
towel) and serve with coriander and mint chutney.
The idea of salad for breakfast is probably a little
strange to North Americans. But this trademark Mediterranean salad is
enjoyed by Israelis three times a
daybreakfast, lunch, and supperregardless of whether they are from Russia,
Morocco, Yemen,
or the United States.
1/2 head lettuce
1/4 head cabbage
4 medium tomatoes
2 medium cucumbers
2 medium carrots
5-10 radishes
green onion
2 hard boiled eggs
2 tbs. parsley
Dressing
2-3 tbs. lemon juice
2-3 tbs. oil
Cut vegetables (except carrots) into small cubes. Grate
carrot and egg. Garnish with parsley. Combine lemon juice and oil, add
to salad before serving and mix well.
Zucchini was mentioned in the Bible
(Book of Leviticus), and, until
this day has remained part of the fare in Israel
and neighboring lands.
6 small zucchini
1/2 cup olive oil
2 chopped onions
salt and pepper
1 chopped green and/or red pepper
1 cup chopped tomatoes
Cut zucchini into rings and fry in oil. Set zucchini
aside. Fry chopped onion until transparent. Add tomatoes, black pepper,
salt and green and/or red pepper. Saute until soft. Pour over zucchini
rings.