197 replies to this topic

[Lior]

My son's lunch



Fussy people like to pick and choose



B'tayavon (Bon Appetit!)

Edited by Lior, 20 December 2011 - 11:12 AM.

[Hassouni]

I'm rather amused: in the US there's a product called "Israeli coucscous" where each grain is about 3-5mm in diameter. What you have there would just be conventional couscous stateside

[Anna N]

....

Then I add a teaspoon of a very concentrated soup broth/paste I made in large quantites a while back as it lasts for months in the fridge.

Can you elaborate on the concentrated soup broth/paste, please?

[Pam R]

Chag sameach! Thanks for the sufganiyot tour -- could you possibly overnight one of each to me? Thanks.

Cottage cheese. We only use this brand now as ever since the social strikes (tent city)many people refuse to buy the other more popular brand as they are responsible for the price hikes of cottage cheese. Cottage is a basic here, there is almost no home without a few containers of it. It comes in 1/2%, 3%,5% and 9%. Guess which tastes best?

Can you tell us which brand that was? I saw things posted about the cottage cheese wars but wasn't sure. I can only get one brand here and think it's the big, bad brand. Do you only eat plain or do you like cottage with olives or other additions?

[heidih]

....

Then I add a teaspoon of a very concentrated soup broth/paste I made in large quantites a while back as it lasts for months in the fridge.

Can you elaborate on the concentrated soup broth/paste, please?

Yes - please! Maybe I can toss my Maggi chicken powder (and guilt) and start using your paste.

[heidih]

I am also a big fan of the disposable aluminum pans and I have the same glass salad bowl.

[Lior]

Hello . here I am with a tummy that is too full-of levivot-latkes whatever you call them! Israeli couscous is what we call P'titim- it is not regular or real couscous but rather toasted pasta in the shape of a big huge grain of couscous. It is also almost a staple here-especially among kids. You lightly fry it and then in the pan add water or broth. Then you can serve as is or add lightly fried vegetables, meat or whatever.

We now use Tara cottage cheese-the container looks like a cow-white and black. The bug bad brand is Tnuva-with the house on the container. The cottage war spread and went wild all summer... other products and inthe end it was a social justice war that began with someone who started a cottage strike on facebook. Over 4000 people marched and protested...It was completely non violent. Oh, and we always eat it plain!! Sometimes on sandwiches the kids ask for cut up green olives with their cottage.

SOup paste- yes-
I learned it from my thermomix - there is one with meat and one without.

[Lior]

Soup paste

50g grated parmesan or even chunks
200g celery stalks
250 g carrots
100 g onions
100 g tomatoes
150 g zucchini
1 garlic clove
50 g mushrooms
1 bay leaf
a few 5-10 leaves/sticks of parsley, and/ cilantro/and/or sage or roemary or all of them-whatever
120 g coarse salt-sea salt is good
30 g white wine
1 Tablespoon of olive oil

Process parmesan to a paste and take out. Add vegetables cut into pieces and herbs and also process into a mush. Add salt, wine and oil. Cook and mix occasionally till thick, cooked and reduced. Add parmesan back in and process everything again. It should be a thick paste and very salty. Keep in airtight jars (I like a few small jars). It keeps in the fridge for a good few months. Use 1-2 teaspoons per 500g water for a veggie stock.

*You can add any other vegetables you want or remove any you don’t want

Chicken broth Paste
300g chicken-no skin or bone and sinew-cut into pieces
200 g mixed vegetables-any like in the veggie broth)
herbs like in the veggie broth
150 g coarse salt/sea salt crystals
100 g white wine
5 coriander seeds

Mince chicken in processor and put aside
Process all vegetables and then add salt, chicken wine, herbs and everything you want. Cook till all soft and reduced. Blend again till thick and smooth. Same instructions as above.

[Lior]

I always use the aluminum ones-a small sin,no?

[Lior]

I promised pictures of the gianduja cups.



dipped and decorated in dark



some got dipped in milk



pull it out and use surface tension







these are a bit messy-oops

[heidih]

Thank you for the stock paste recipe. I do not have a Thermomix and am not all that familiar with them. They add a element of heat above and beyond a blender? Hhmm- wonder how I could adapt it.

[Lior]

Placing after dipping was left out above



coated some teeny petit beurres for fun

[Lior]

Making mendiants

first toast some pecans


Prepare all the dried fruit



blueberries


cherries


cranberries


ginger

[Lior]

lemon and grapefruit peel


strawberries


mendiants


up close

[judiu]

lemon and grapefruit peel


strawberries


mendiants


up close

Oh, MY! Not just beautiful, but yummy, too! Thanks, Lior!

[JeanneCake]

Please tell the sufganiyot ladies from the supermarket that theirs looks FAR better than anything I could get at Dunkin' Donuts (a local coffee and donut chain in the Northeast USA). Far, far better!

[nikkib]

those are the most beautiful mendiants i have ever seen...When i was living at home i would always get a box of them for christmas - this year your images will have to suffice!

[Lior]

Thank you so much nikkib!! WHere is "home?" WHat a compliment!! I will tell them when I go in a few days-they will be thrilled to hear!! I gave them the URL to the blog so I hope they find us here!

Edited by Lior, 20 December 2011 - 10:40 PM.

[Lior]

LAst night we lit the first candle and said the prayers. and sang Chanukah songs. I made levivot:

grate 4-6 potatoes (best by hand with a traditonal grater)(you can replace some of the potatoes with zucchini)
in handfuls, squeeze out the liquid. IN any case the re will always be more liquid,which sits at the bottom of the bowl-but try to anyway!)
grate an onion and also squeeze out liquid -your eyes will burn so I close them while grating and squeezing. It always amazes me how the fingers know how to do this while grating!

beat two-three eggs. Add salt pepper, a tablespoon or two of breadcrumbs and a teaspoon of sugar to the potatoes. I like to fry the onions first but you don't have to. Mix everything up.
Heat oil in a frying pan-not too much, not too little and place tablespoons of the mixture into the hot oil. Flatten and fry on both sides. Place on paper towel and cover with paper towel to absorb extra oil. Eat and enjoy. We eat them plain with some salt and sometines put a spreadable white cheese- kind of like a 5% (imagine) philly cream cheese type of cheese. This cheese is also a staple here like cottage.

pictures will follow.

Edited by Lior, 20 December 2011 - 11:08 PM.

[Lior]

hand grate the potatoes



beat two to three eggs depending on number of potatoes ("apples of the ground/earth")



Fry grated and squeezed onions (wipe your tears)


add breadcrumbs to squeezed potatoes


add eggs and spices (you can add parsley as well-chopped well and fine)


mix


fry

Attached Images

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[Lior]

I mentioned that my kids prefer macchiato to all other coffees. Here my son made himself one to help him "study" for his entrance exams.



opened to show you



get the glass ready with sugar (!)

[Lior]

ON the topic of "Israeli couscous", here it is called P'titim, which is flakes or little pieces or even "chips" as in chocolate "chips".

Israeli couscous

[Genkinaonna]

Those chocolates are gorgeous! I love making mendiants...they're so beautiful and you can use whatever the best dried fruit and nuts you have on the top. And I seriously could eat potato pancakes until I pop...

Have you always been a vegetarian?

[Lior]

Genkinaonna-thank you! I have been a vegetarian since I was 12 years old. My daughters as well-from an even younger age,however, my eldest daughter has begun eating meat recently. The boys are all meat eaters. I have begun eating some fish- long annoying story with my food limitations, but some fish I can eat even though I was told to stay away...

[Lior]

I took some kitchen pictures...

My pantry is in better shape than ever before because of a food moth attack during one summer. It all began 2 years ago when my husband, my youngest daughter and I went to the states. We took her to Disneyworld etc. The boys were home from traveling and university. The pantry was attacked by moths and the boys decided to just close the door to the pantry so that they don't fly all over the house. Mom will take care of it when she returns ! So we had a 2 year battle with the moths. No matter what I did, they came back. I still find one or two every week or so.

My cookbook shelf

[Lior]

[Darienne]

Potato Latkes. My favorite of all time. First had them at my Bubbi's house when I was 7 years old.

We will be having them very soon here. Followed in a day or so by Luchen Kugel.

Heaven on earth. Oh, for a Montreal bagel to go with it all.

[Lior]

your Bubbi. Do you think they know what our memories are of times spent with them? Those precious moments. I remember waking up early to bake with mine. We made babka and small ones-I cantrecall their name right now but surely it had lach on the end. I made her figure out the recipe as it was a completely granny type recipe. A pinchof this a handful of that, if there is no milk replace with this or that... It took forever as I would remove what she had put in the bowl and measured it.

My cat just jumped onto the keyboard and typed all sorts of nonsense. Then she tried to catch the arrow from the mouse!! SOmetimes I sit here and two cats are strolling around the keyboard, the computer and me. Oh I love animals so!

Kitchen pictures. I dream of a huge american kitchen... Oh well!!

My pantry is a room that has so much stuff crammed into it, I should have made it bigger. I suppose there is never big enough.

Edited by Lior, 21 December 2011 - 01:09 PM.

[Lior]

Ah yes, I remembered-Bulkelach.

[Lior]

So some fridge pictures.