Falafel, Hummus and Cucumber Salad Stuffed Pitas

Falafel, according to many sources, is the "fast food" of the Middle East. A commonplace meal, it's often eaten as a substitute for meat. Since it's made with garbanzo beans (or sometimes fava beans, or both), it can be eaten with either meat or dairy, according to kashrut dietary law.

Hummus, one of the usual accompaniments to falafel, also can be eaten with either meat or dairy, as it contains many of the same ingredients. But, both foods are equally popular among Israel's Arabs and other non-Jews.

Because its easy around here to find quality falafel mix and prepared hummus in most groceries, I saved some time and used store-bought versions of both. That helped make this a weeknight meal you can pull together in a flash. (If you want to make yours from scratch, here's a falafel recipe and a hummus recipe you could try.)

To balance out this hearty pairing, a salad is usually served alongside. In fact, salads are often enjoyed with every meal, including a traditional breakfast. This cucumber salad is simply flavored with lemon juice, olive oil and herbs, highlighting the freshness of the veggies.

The measurements are fairly vague, allowing you to prepare it to your taste. You can also add other ingredients, like chopped onion or carrots, if that's something you'd enjoy. Have fun with it and try something new each time.

This salad was so refreshing, I'll probably keep it on hand as a healthy snack throughout the summer. Here's how I made it:

1 English (seedless) cucumber
4 roma tomatoes
1 red bell pepper
Feta cheese
Olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon (and the zest, if you like)
Fresh parsley, minced
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Chop all the veggies, crumble the feta and place the mixture into a bowl. Drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil and add the lemon juice and parsley. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Shakshooka

Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner once in a while?

While exploring a great Israeli food site I found, I came across this breakfast recipe and simply had to make it, even though my blog focuses primarily upon dinners. Only the eggs make it seem more like a morning meal; tomatoes, onions, garlic, goat cheese, herbs...sounds like ingredients for a yummy supper to me!

This spicy dish, also spelled shakshouka or shakshuka (the word means "all mixed up" in Hebrew), has Tunisian roots in Israel but is popular in many countries throughout the region and varies slightly depending upon where it's made. It typically gets its heat from chili peppers or zhug, a Middle Eastern hot sauce with cilantro and other seasonings. I wasn't able to get my hands on any zhug, so I used red pepper flake instead.

You're meant to sop up the sauce with crusty bread but I found it hearty enough to skip that. Plus, I'd also gotten distracted by the nightly news report, so my sauce thickened and caramelized a bit and there wasn't much liquid left anyway. But, that certainly didn't affect the taste. This is a simple yet satisfying meal that's inexpensive to boot! Definitely, a winner.

Here's how I made it:

Olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
5 plum tomatoes, diced
4 Tbsp goat cheese, crumbled
4 eggs
Fresh parsley, minced
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute the onions and garlic till softened. Add the red pepper and cook a couple minutes before adding the tomatoes. Bring this mixture to a boil. Create 4 holes and crack the eggs into them. Sprinkle with goat cheese and parsley. Cover the skillet, leaving a crack so some steam can escape, and continue to boil till the eggs cook to your preference.

Kashrut

The dietary laws followed by Israel's Jewish majority (people of other faiths, including Christians and Muslims, also live there) are called kashrut. They detail what can and can't be eaten and how allowed foods must be prepared.

Any food that satisfies these laws is deemed kosher, while non-kosher food is called treif. Simply blessing, eating or cooking allowed foods doesn't automatically make them kosher. Particular use of utensils and cookware, as well as rules for proper slaughtering of animals, are critical factors.

Generally, to follow kashrut, the only land animals that can be consumed are ones with cloven hooves that chew their cud (e.g., cows, sheep, bison and deer). Water animals must have fins and scales, so mollusks and crustaceans like scallops and shrimp are forbidden. As for birds, consuming birds of prey and scavengers is not permitted, so chickens, ducks, etc. are safe options. All insects, rodents, reptiles and amphibians are prohibited.

All animals from flocks and herds must be killed in ritual slaughter. No animals killed by disease or other animals can be eaten. All blood must be properly drained and certain parts of the animal can't be consumed. Any derivatives of forbidden animals, such as their milk or fat, also aren't allowed.

All fruits and vegetables are permitted but cannot be tainted by insects, and they--along with fish, eggs and grains--can be eaten with meat and dairy. Birds and mammals, however, cannot be consumed with dairy. Any utensils and cookware used to heat those meats also cannot come into contact with dairy.

The rules are extensive and complex, and I've only highlighted the basics here, which to me seem cumbersome already! But, many Jews manage to keep kosher even though most of the world doesn't. Even in areas without a dense Jewish population, kosher restaurants exist and several grocery items are certified kosher, which leaves only the preparation to worry about.

The Torah doesn't say why these rules were created or must be followed. But, by making each meal a religious ritual, kosher Jews reinforce their faith every time they eat.

Fruity Beef Bourguignon

When I started this culinary experiment, my assumption was that the gastronomic differences between countries aren't as great as one might assume. Tonight's recipe, in my opinion, helps affirm my hunch.

See Beef Bourguignon on the menu, and most people probably expect a dish like Julia Child's famously earthy French stew with mushrooms and bacon.

This version, however, is a rich, slightly sweet recipe accented with fruit instead. Just that one simple difference, utilizing "local" ingredients, differentiates these two recipes and makes them uniques to the countries that enjoy them.

Big thanks to my wonderful wife for pinch-cooking tonight. Here's how she made Israel's version:

Olive oil
3 lbs lean stew beef
Flour, seasoned with salt and pepper, to taste
8 garlic cloves, minced
2 onions, sliced into rings
1½ cups carrots, sliced into discs
Handful of fresh parsley, minced
¼ cup honey
2 cups apple cider
1 cup dry red wine
10 prunes, chopped
10 apricots, chopped
10 dates, chopped
Salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil in a large casserole over medium-high heat. Dredge the meat in the flour and brown it, in batches if needed, and set it aside. Using the same pan, saute the onions, carrots and garlic for a few minutes before adding back the meat into the pot. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat and simmer on low for 90 minutes. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Week #16: Israel

Well, we're back home after a successful (and exhausting) road trip! Sorry I wasn't able to post more from Ireland, but it was a busy week that included two days of driving. So, onwards and upwards!

This week, we're traveling from the Midwest to the Middle East. Given Israel's multicultural makeup, with citizens from all over the globe, its cuisine is diverse as well. Foreign influences in Israeli cooking include European, Balkan, Mediterranean, Northern African, Yemeni, Bedouin, Ethiopian, Arab, Indian, Asian, American and more!

So, join me this week as we explore globally inspired cuisine from the land of milk and honey.

B'shalom and b'teyavon! (In peace and in good appetite!)