Cookbook offers the many tastes of Israel

By Kaplan Tuttlebaum

article created on: 2008-08-03T00:00:00

In this stunning new work that is at once a coffee-table book to browse and a complete cookbook, Janna Gur brings us the sumptuous color, variety and history of today’s Israeli cuisine, beautifully illustrated by Eilon Paz, a photographer who is intimate with the local scene.

In Gur’s captivating introduction, she describes Israeli food as a product of diverse cultures: The Jews of the Diaspora, settling in a homeland that was new to them, brought their far-flung cuisines to the table even as they looked to their Arab neighbors for additional ingredients and ideas.

Gur herself is a Diaspora Jew come home. She was born and raised in the former Soviet Union and immigrated to Israel in 1974. She is the founder and chief editor of the leading Israeli food and wine magazine. She lives in Tel Aviv, on Israel’s Mediterranean coast.

The delicious, easy-to-follow recipes represent all of these influences, and include some creative interpretations of classics by celebrated Israeli chefs: beetroot and pomegranate salad, fish falafel in spicy harissa mayonnaise, homemade shawarma, chreime–North African hot fish stew and roasted chicken drumsticks in carob Syrup.

With favorite recipes for the Sabbath (Sweet Challah Traditional Chopped Liver, Chocolate and Halva Coffeecake) and for holidays (Balkan Potato and Leek Pancakes, Flourless Chocolate and Pistachio Cake), this book offers a unique culinary experience for every occasion. All recipes in the book are kosher.

All of this is enriched by Paz’s gorgeous color photographs and by short narratives about significant aspects of Israel’s diverse cuisine, such as the generous and unique Israeli breakfast (which grew out of the needs of kibbutz life), locally produced cheeses that now rival those of Europe and a dramatic renaissance of wine culture in this ancient land.

“In less than 30 years,” Janna Gur writes, “Israeli society has graduated… to a true gastronomic haven.”

Other contributors to this volume are Rami Hann, a translator and writer with extensive experience in cooking and food journalism; Adam Montefiore, who wrote the Wine and Olive Oil chapters and contributes to the “Oxford Wine Companion,” “Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Book” and “The Wine Route of Israel;” Orly Pely-Bronshtein, a chef and veteran food journalist and the author of best-selling volumes such as the Kitchen Helper series; and Ruth Oliver, a chef and pastry chef who teaches in the best cooking schools in Israel and is the author of “More Chocolate,” among other cookbooks.

Hann has created a book that does full, delectable justice to the significance of Israeli food today–Mediterranean at its heart, richly spiced and imbued with cross-cultural flavors.

Writing in Israel’s Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, Israel Aharoni said of this book, “Finally, a book about Israeli food that is modern in its approach and comprehensive in its scope… [With] beautiful photography, an attractive format, plenty of useful recipes, and some food stories to boot, [it] is a perfect gift… Warmly recommended.”

“Filled with delicious recipes, Janna Gur’s gorgeous new book puts Israel on the culinary map–exactly where it deserves to be,” said Bonnie Stern, the author of “Bonnie Stern’s Essentials of Home Cooking.”

Ingredients (serves 8-10)
½ kg (1lb 2 oz) small dry chickpees
1 tablespoon + ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raw top-quality tahini
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
Salt to taste

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in a larg bowl of cold water with one tablespoon of baking soda.

2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and put them in a larg pan. Add water until it reaches 1 inch above the chickpeas. Add the remaining ½ teaspoon of baking soda and bring to a boil. Cook covered over low heat for 2-3 hours, until the chickpeas are very soft. Cool slightly, drain and save some of the cooking liquid.

3. Put the chickpeas in a food processor, add 2/3 cup of the tahini and process until amost smooth. If the paste is too thick, add a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Season with lemon, garlic and salt; taste and adjust the seasoning. For a richer creamier version, add the remaining tahini and process until the hummus is completely smooth and fluffy.

“The Book of New Israeli Food, A Culinary Journey” by Janna Gur with photographs by Eilon Paz, Schocken Books, 2007, hardcover, $35.