shain

What an inspiring combination! How did you find the pairing of oyster sauce and dill, as well as oyster sauce and ricotta?

Fregula, maftoul, moghrabiah, Israeli couscous - it's a large family. I make it by toasting it in a pot with some fat until somewhat browned. I'll often add other browned onion or other vegetables. dd boiling or hot water - 1 cup of water per cup of couscous (but it can change a bit with the type of couscous, and the pot width). Add salt (I use 1/2 tsp per cup). Bring to a simmer, cover and cook on the lowest flame for 20 minutes. Stir well before serving.

A small "restaurant", open only on Fridays, serving Ethiopian food at backyard of the lovely owner. No menu. You are set with a plate of injeras, and an array of stews and sauces, all vegetarian. The owner was incredibly kind, she makes everything herself, with the help of one assistant. As you can see, the garden is quite large and dinners are seated at a few sparse tables. She will occasionally check on us, serving more injera and stews. The injeras are delicious, amazingly fluffy yet has a nice bite, and are quite thick. They were on the mild side of the acidity-fermentation scale. I came to love the fermented flavor, so i could do with more, but I can see how some find it unpleasant. The stews were gently spiced, again, probably a bit tuned down on spice for the common palate, but were tasty nonetheless. A stew of split peas, one of lentils, one of chickpea flour, beetroot, sweet pumpkin and carrots, home made fresh cheese- whipped with a milky taste. A very spicy green chili paste, with spices, herbs, lemon zest and juice. And the most delicious sauce of dried chilies, ginger, garlic, sesame paste and warm berbere spice. To finish the meal, they served coffee flavored with cloves, and a unique dabo bread, made mostly of whole barley and spelt, with some wheat and other grains, flavored with cinnamon, clove, fenugreek, nigella, and lightly sweetened with honey. It is boldly baked in a closed container, giving it a distinct aroma. The interior is a bit like a pumpernickel (the kind made with whole rye grains). We had some leftover injera, which we asked to be packed. They were so kind as to not only bag it, but also give us two whole injeras and another "mini" dabo bread. When I asked for the recipe for the red chili sauce, I had to stop the owner from giving us a a box of it as well.

Blueberry muffins, made with sour cream and a hint of orange zest, coriander and nutmeg.

I'd be actually disappointed to find chocolate rather than raisins. I find it to overwhelm the banana bread, and I do love plump cooked raisins (make sure to buy good quality ones, not all raisins are palatable, even once cooked).

Beans with grilled shrimp; cheese-less pesto of basil, walnuts, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice and zest, a little mint and dill, pepper; grilled bread. Broiled figs; sour cream; basil reduced balsamic flavored with cardamom, anise, cinnamon, pepper; toasted nuts.

Bechamel, artichoke, rosemary. After baking - toasted pistachio, parmesan, lemon zest, pepper.

Pizza. Neapolitan style dough. Ricotta, spinach, mozzarella, tomatoes, pepper. Bechamel, artichoke, rosemary. After baking - toasted pistachio, parmesan, lemon zest, pepper.

Rice, natto, a little soy sauce, scallions, pickled ginger and some leftover Japanese style mushrooms.

Fluffy buttermilk pancakes with peaches, ricotta flavored with vanilla, pecans, maple.

Spaghettini in marinara sauce, very lightly cooked. Basil, a little garlic, olive oil. Bean salad with basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar. Petite Sirah.

Manakeesh with various toppings - Zaatar and olive oil. Tomato sauce with baharat and feta. Sirene cheese with nigella and mint. A salad with sauteed zucchini, onions, sirene cheese, sumac, olive oil, garlic, herbs, lemon. Labaneh and fresh veggies.

Here the most popular version is a kremsnite. I love the stuff when it's well made and fresh, but it rarely is. Another thing now added to my ever growing to do list...

Hand cut udon noodles with butter garlic sauce, with some miso, soy sauce, oyster sauce, browned onions, scallions. Bold and rich flavors, works well with the thick chewy noodles. Served with pickled ginger. A dish inspired by agadashi tofu. Marinated fried tofu with mushrooms with ginger, rice wine, mirin, garlic, soy sauce, shiitake mushroom sauce. The tofu is to be cut and mixed with the sauce, so it stays crisp while soaking the juices.

Silken tofu with brown sugar and ginger syrup.

Other than recommend for brands I'm familiar with, I can only suggest that you look for tahini produced in the Levant. A good indicator for "authenticity" is it being sold in plastic container (those in glass jars are probably made specifically for western markets). As far as taste, it should be light, nutty but not peanuty (which indicates darker roast, great for sweets and East Asian cooking, less so for hummus and tahini sauce). It should be sweet with almost no bitterness.

A falooda of sorts. Mango smoothie. Peach and vanilla granita. Rice noodles in cherry syrup with rose water.

Sunny side down, fried in olive oil and a bit of chili oil. Zaatar, feta, tomatoes, half of a warm crispy simit.

Tahini based sauces where mention, but for us the default is the classic tahini sauce. Good tahini, lemon, some water, salt. It's served with everything, vegetables raw or cooked, meat, poultry, eggs, bread.

We get plenty of margarine based baklava around here due to a demend for non-dairy kosher desserts. That said, no one I know will claim it to be preferred over butter.

Lately, I enjoy experimenting with creative use of the muffin tin (or muffin silicon, in my case ). I grilled cabbage, onion, chilies, scallions and frozen firm tofu. A quick few pulses in the food processor to get them finely chopped. Added eggs, a little vital gluten, sesame paste, some flavorings - garlic, ginger soy sauce, oyster sauce, five spice, smoked paprika, cumin, nutritional yeast, some MSG. Baked until set. Then brushed them with a mixture of chili oil and hoisin sauce, and grilled until nicely browned. I didn't really know what I was expecting the result to be, other than the flavor profile. Ended up with a very nice vegetarian burger-like patties. Great flavor. Not a lot of bite, but pleasantly tender, not mushy. The scents reminded me of the night markets in Taiwan. Also steamed silken tofu, with douchi, home made chili oil, soy sauce, scallions. I scored it in order for the sauce to penetrate, but it was so tender it broke along the cut. Served with rice.

As in rosé. This is the term we use in Israel for what is better known as "vodka sauce". I guess it is derived from Italian "salsa rosa". However I'm pretty sure that Italians don't use this term for the sauce. Google suggest "pasta al baffo" for a version with ham. I wonder what lead to it being named after "mustache" (baffo)...

Rigatoni with previously frozen rosé sauce (tomato and cream). A few blistered cherry tomatoes and a lot of chives (which works great with this sauce).

I only ever had them pickled, which I adore. I'll assume they will be great grilled or roasted, maybe in a salad or with pasta.

This is the way I make it. Roasted and mixed well with some flavored olive oil. I want each veggie to taste like itself. Last time I made it in used the grill instead. Worked quite well. I love it as a bread topper or omelette filler, but it also works as a side dish.