We all know food is an important part of life- even the Bible starts with the forbidden fruit. Scripture mentions many different kinds of food and even recipes! In Israel, the fruits and vegetables are magnificent. It's all grown locally of course and picked when it's ripe. So a tomato here is red, juicy and tasty. Cucumbers are crunchy - not waxy tasting like they are in other countries. We eat tons of "Israeli" salad here - finely diced tomatoes, cucumbers, some green mint since as parsley, mint, a little purple onion. Even for breakfast! The dressing is usually olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice. There are citrus trees everywhere and I usually pick the lemons in my garden.My friends and I usually buy 20 liter canisters of olive oil at the beginning of the "season" from local producers - both Arab and Jewish.

Since I live in a suburb of Tel Aviv, my garden is tiny. But we managed to squeeze in quite a few fruit trees - mango, macadamia nut, lemon, orange, apple and something we call "chesek". I've been told that it's a Chinese apricot. I'm not sure what it is but it is delicious. Unfortunately, the fruit is ripe for picking for only about 3 weeks. Then the birds get to what we can't reach, the rotten fruit falls to the ground, and it's a bit of a mess. But worth it!

And pomegrantes, fresh figs and grapes are so plentiful that we use them in everyday cooking (in salads, chicken dishes and desserts).

I could write on and on about food (and I will in later blogs) but I wanted to share a nutritious, delicious recipe I made yesterday - which uses ingredients found here in ancient times - Lentil, Barley Soup.

Ingredients:

Olive oil, chopped onion, fresh chopped garlic clves, celery, onions, carrots, barley, 1 cup lentils, cumin, black pepper, salt, barley (1/2 cup), about 6 cups water depending on how thick you like it.

I didn't give exact quantities because I've found that this hearty winter vegetarian soup works no matter how much vegetable you add. You saute the onions, carrots, celery, garlic until the house begins to smell great and everyone asks you what you're making. (this takes about 5 mintues in my house). Then you add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil and then a slow simmer for about 45 minutes.

I usually serve it with Israeli salad and toasted pita. I'll share my toasted pita, olive spread and techina recipes later.....Enjoy!

Tags: food 

I just returned from a fabulous Travelujah day tour - to the market in Jerusalem. Walking along the narrow streets through the market, tasting cheeses from around the world, learning about the different types of olives and getting a behind-the-scenes peek in a sourdough bread bakery were just a few of the day's highlights. A group of 25 women from Ra'anana and Ramat Efal met up with Elisa from Travelujah for a sensory-overload experience. I could hardly make it back to the bus because I was shlepping (yiddush for carrying!) my day's purchases which included 2 whole salmon, sea salt, frozen borekas dough, homemade granola, vanilla beans, and a pistachio-cranberry salad topping mix! We had a wonderful guide for the tour, Tali, who is also a master chef and apparently quite well known in culinary circles. Her explanations about the fresh produce and her stories about the people in the stalls were fascinating. I was frustrated that I couldn't carry more because I wanted to buy the fresh peaches which were HUGE - and I've seen some pretty big ones in South Carolina and Georgia! They were the size of grapefruits. The best thing about the trip though was the camaraderie and spirit - it was like a school outing (for grown-ups!). A lot of fun, new friends and great bargains. Thanks, travelujah!

Tags: food jerusalem culinary machane yehuda market