It's Day 4 of my trip to Israel and ......I'm stuffed. When people find out you're a food journalist, it's only natural they want to feed you. So on day 4 we had not 2, or 3, but 6 meals, each one comprised of the classic dishes of Israel--lots of salads, hummus, and falafel. It's typical for them to bring out anywhere from 3 to 6 little bowls of vegetable salads. And in our case, this number usually increased to 8. What you will find is: roasted peppers, chopped salad of tomatoes,onions and cucumber, grilled eggplant in tahini sauce, hummus, pita bread, zucchini, pickled carrots, tabouleh, babaganoush, ..among others. Today we had a lunch in Tiberius, the coastal town Jesus lived in for part of his life. I can't even begin to remember what all the dishes were, but it was truly comical to look at the table littered with probably 15 bowls of food--all very delicious. We finished it off with Turkish coffee and mint tea. On to day 5....after a run on the beach.

 Day 3 

It's the third day of my trip to Israel. And as press trips go, we've packed about as much into each day as possible. From the Dead Sea  we took a cable car up to  Masada, the ruins of King Herrods palace in the desert.  Then we headed north to the Sea of Galilee. There we went to a kibbutz on the water, that specializes in St. Peter's fish (another name for tilapia). They fry it whole--head and all, and serve with a variety of salads and of course hummus. Very tasty. It's a shame Americans are so squeamish about fish with its head on as this was a great way to eat it.

As it is almost 100 degrees here, one of the things I've enjoyed the most is the abundance of fresh squeezed orange juice. Stands will big piles of oranges just waiting to be manually squeezed are everywhere--particularly in Jerusalem and all the open air markets. 

Next it's off to more ruins, and Tel Aviv.

Hi everyone, I'm in Israel for the next 8 days and hope to share my experiences, food and otherwise. If you've been and want to share yours, I'd love to hear them. Click the comment button.  

 Day 2

Today we went to the shuk (market) in Jerusalem  that sells just about everything under the sun. It's permanent outdoor market with streets lined with restaurants, t-shirt shops, fish stalls and bakeries. As it's June, it's burgeoning with beautiful fresh produce.  As a foodie, I love markets, and all the curious smells, people,   and foods that go with it. We bought halvah (sesame seed "fudge"), curiously shaped apples named "Annas", fresh pita with zatar, labana sandwiches and fried meat pies called "kubbe." But the highlight of  our day was our trip to the Dead Sea, just south of Jerusalem through the dessert of Judea. It's the lowest place on earth, with water that is 33% salt. You can't put your head under or really do anything but float in the water. I live in the south and am used to the heat, but this was the hottest I've ever been. It was a cool 112 degrees at the Dead Sea, with the water not being much cooler. After our float in the sea, we all had a mud bath, that I will spare you the details of...........

Here are some of the sights of the market. 

Hi everyone, I'm in Israel for the next 8 days and hope to share my experiences, food and otherwise. If you've been and want to share yours, I'd love to hear them. Click the comment button. 

OMG, is Israel the coolest place on earth or what? I know I sound like my 13 year old, but it is indeed the most captivating and beautiful country I've ever visited. I'm here for 8 days and our first stop is Jerusalem. We trekked to the old city and the Western Wall (the only remaining wall of the very first temple) and saw an amazing outdoor light show at the Tower of David Museum in the ancient Citadel. But on to the food.

One thing is for sure, this place is all about hummus from the minute you step on the plane to every restaurant and street vendor.They serve it in great big heaps with chickpeas, olive oil and parsley puddled in the center. It's much richer and creamier than most hummus in the states. Of course puffy hot pita bread accompanies it. Israel (at least Jerusalem) is also about rosemary and olives and salads. For dinner we ate at the "Olive and Fish restaurant." Fortunately as we were all a bit cross-eyed from jetlag, the menu was simple. To start, they brought out a procession of small salads--all refreshing and bright--pickled beets, sweet potatoes in chili sauce, zuchini, chopped salad of tomato, onion and cucumber (found everywhere all the time,  I'm told) tabouleh with grapes and some kind of corn on the cob. As that was really a meal in itself, the simple grilled fish with herbs, was perfect as a light entree. It was served with rosemary roasted potatoes that were a revelation. Speaking of rosemary, it's everywhere--lining all the old roads like shrubs. I don't think I'll be able to smell it again without thinking of Israel, and I might just have to start using it more. Here are a few snapshots of my trip so far as well as a recipe for tabouleh.Combine with with pita bread, hummus (store-bought or homemade), feta cheese for a light summer meal. 

Tabbouleh Salad

Photo by Mark Boughton; styling by Teresa Blackburn

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We used Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Bulgur in this recipe. 

Ingredients

Salad: 

1 cup bulgur 

1 cup boiling water 

½ cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped 

2 medium ripe tomatoes, chopped 

¼ cup chopped red onion 

¼ cup fresh chopped mint 

1 cup fresh chopped parsley 

1 cup canned garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed 

1 garlic clove, minced 

Dressing: 

1/3 cup red wine vinegar 

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil 

1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

Instructions

1. To prepare the salad, soak bulgur in hot water until water is absorbed, 15 to 30 minutes. 

2. Combine remaining salad ingredients in a large bowl; add bulgur, and mix thoroughly. 

3. To prepare the dressing, blend ingredients with a whisk; pour over salad. Serve chilled or room temperature. Serves 12. 

Recipe by Stacey Morris, Relish Good Food Fast, "The Joy of Not Cooking," August 2007 

Nutritional Information

Per serving: 110 calories, 5g fat, 3g prot., 14g carbs., 4g fiber, 110mg sodium.

My good friend Robin lives on a teeny tiny lake, in a teeny tiny town in a teeny tiny house. She is the original pioneer woman (as another friend pointed out one day as she was spinning her own wool on my front porch). She really is quite amazing. She roasts her own coffee, makes her own soap from goats milk, bakes her own bread, makes her own hard cider, fruit preserves, dries her own tomatoes, and now, raises her own chickens. Twenty four hours at her house is an exercise in sensory stimulation and a lot of education. I learned that each of her 6 Golden Comet chickens will lay one egg a day for about 3 years--giving her an ample supply of omeletes. But probably the coolest thing I learned was how to roast coffee beans. I used to think folks who roasted their own beans were a little crazy. It just seemed like a lot of work. But it's actually not. 

Robin buys her beans in bulk on-line from sweetmarias.com. Unroasted beans cost about $6/pound. She roasts them in an inexpensive coffee roaster that she got a Target, that looks a lot like a standard coffee grinder--it's about the same size. It took her about 7 minutes to roast our beans to a nutty brown, with a flavor so good, that I actually ate a few beans whole by themselves. She brewed us cups in her standard drip coffee maker for delicious, smooth cups of coffee. But the best was the espresso she made in her little bialetti stove top espresso pot--which costs about 20$ at a Italian cookware store. It works the reverse of a drip maker--heating up the water and sending it up through the coffee grounds. It's adorable, doesn't take up counter space, and simple--something I will definitely get. 

Typically I don't put a lot of stock in what a server says is his "favorite dish." So when the bartender at the Tuscan Bistro in Traverse City, Michigan told us the Rigatoni with Peas, Proscuitto and Parmesan was his favorite, I didn't think much of it. (Honestly when my sister suggested the place, I expected something a couple notches above the Olive Garden.) What a surprise. I suggested my daughter order the rigatoni  partly because I knew she would like it, but mainly  because I wanted some. It was by far the best rigatoni I have ever had. Maybe it was because the kitchen had to make it special as we had my sister's Winter carry-out menu, and it was June. Maybe it doesn't ordinarily taste that good. Who knows. But all of our pasta dishes were surprisingly  good, including my cavatelli with wild mushroom ragu and my son's pasta pomodoro. I don't expect a lot out of resort town food (or any restaurant food for that matter) so this was a real high point. If you're ever in Traverse City Michigan, home of the Cherry Festival every July,  check  out The Tuscan Bistro on SW Bayshore Drive.  

So, the garden is coming along. We planted some zinnias for color, and"installed" ( I use that term loosely) a tepee for the green beans and peas to climb. My son, Sam and I picked up 4 sticks on a walk, then stick them in the garden--very scientific and calculated. We think they look pretty good.We're going to plant more basil, as you can never have enough and it's taking its time growing. 

 There was a mystery green growing in the plot "down the street" from ours. No one knew what it was, and we figured out it was sorrel--very lemony and prolific, and great in a salad. Here is a recipe for crispy chicken cutlets topped with a salad of greens--perfect with sorrel.

Lemon Fried Chicken with Tart Salad Topping

 1. To prepare cutlets, blend together garlic, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken, toss to coat thoroughly, and refrigerate, covered, 1 to 2 hours.
2. Beat eggs in a wide, shallow bowl. Stir together matzoh meal, remaining salt and pepper, and lemon zest. Spread on a large sheet of wax paper or plate. Dip each cutlet into egg, coating well on both sides. Let excess egg drip back into bowl. Dredge cutlets on both sides in matzoh meal mixture. Pat cutlets firmly on each side so matzoh meal adheres. Place on a rack and let stand 15 minutes for the coating to set.
3. Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 10- to 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add cutlets, in batches if necessary, and cook until golden and thoroughly cooked, about 2 minutes on each side. Add more oil if needed before cooking remaining batches.
4. Transfer cutlets to a baking sheet lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Keep warm in a 200F oven until all cutlets are done.
5. To prepare salad, combine tomato, onion, olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Add greens and toss well.
6. Serve cutlets topped with salad accompanied by lemon wedges. Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe adapted with permission from Jayne Cohen’s Jewish Holiday Cooking (John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2008). Relish Winter 2008 Supplement.