shain

That's a Lebanese way of eating it. I always found it interesting, but couldn't bring myself to make such sandwich. I might be able to eat a quarter of one, then fall asleep The version common here is made with kadayif pastry, and that's the one I prefer. The local version also usually have two pastry layers, but this I don't care about.

This is what I think of as proper tabouleh, it should be mainly parsley with just a little bulgur to absorb any liquids. Lemon and olive oil of course. I like some mint as well. Re the shakshuka, I skip the onion, but add lots of cumin, chili and garlic. I also like serving it with some tahini sauce.

Pasta with a pesto of ricotta, hazelnuts and mixed herbs (garlic, rosemary, sage, thyme - those are briefly fried in olive oil, chives, parsley, tarragon, basil, mint) lemon zest and a some juice.

I'm so happy to know that you enjoyed it

@paulraphael I wish that I could taste your chocolate ice cream. I never had one that I really loved, they seem to all either taste like chocolate milk or be an unbalanced cocoa sorbets.

Honestly, chickpeas and hummus works well with most nuts. Many restaurants that want to save on expensive pine nuts serve toasted almonds flakes instead. And I particularly like cashews in fatteh, they pair well with the yogurt. That said, nothing beat pinenuts (the large Lebanese or European cultivars). I once made massabacha with unsweetened peanut butter instead of tahini. It was tasty, but I prefer the original.

Good tip on making sure the zaatar is all mixed with the oil. Zaatar that is heated dry doesn't develop the same flavor, it should essentially fry. The zaatar I use is one a friend brings to me from Tulkarm. It has good quality zaatar leaves and really darkly toasted sesame,which I like, but it is lighter on the sumac. It's good as is for labneh, eggs etc, but I add more sumac for breads and salads. Sumac is an amazing spice.

A burmease inspired meal. Pan fried soft egg, Pan fried marinated Shan tofu (chickpea tofu). Coconut rice with crispy shallots. A curry/sauce to be mixed into the egg and tofu - made of onions, chilies, a little tomato, a few spices (garlic, ginger, turmeric, cumin, coriander and a few more), lime, some shrimp paste, a little Thai curry paste as a flavor boost. Some cold ouzo as a digestif.

A common easy snack / side which I recommend for zaatar lover is a halved pita bread (as in one pita split into two discs), the inner side scattered with plenty of zaatar and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Put on a grill (from the bottom side only) and heat until crisp and smells like heaven. Best served with labneh and tomatoes, as Nicolai suggested. I like to add extra sumac or a touch lemon.

Sure, here: Please not that this dish is strongly flavored, so adjust the spices to your liking.

5 eggs ~120g dry (~240g cooked) mung beans, small chickpeas or cow peas ~200-250g grean beans (cut to size) or okra (what I get is small, so I leave it whole) 1 spring onion, thinly sliced sauce: ~1 tbsp butter or coconut oil 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced 1 chili pepper (I used a jalapeno) de-seeded and thinly sliced up to 1/3 tsp hing (I love this dish with a strong flavor of hing, but many people can find this spice off putting, please add to taste) 1/2 tsp fenugreek, ground - 1/2 tsp fennel seeds, ground 1/2 tsp cumin, ground 1/2 tsp turmeric 1 tsp ready mixed curry powder (mine is mostly turmeric, cumin, black pepper coriander, fenugreek with some cinnamon and cardamom) Optional: a flat tsp of nutritional yeast or a pinch of MSG 150g thick tart yogurt 2-4 tsp vinegar, to taste (I use apple vinegar) optional: a little minced cilantro salt to taste Cook the legumes and drain. Either stir fry, saute or blanch the green beans / okra until tender but retain a bite. Cook the eggs into a scramble with large distinct pieces, or into an omelette and cut into pieces. - In a pot, heat the butter/oil and briefly cook the garlic, chili, hing and fenugreek until just aromatic. Add fennel, cumin, turmeric, curry powder. Cook until the spices are aromatic and absorbed the fat. Add yogurt, optional nutritional yeast / MSG. Add vinegar, cilantro and salt, all to taste. Add the green onion, cooked beans and green beans / okra and cooked eggs. Mix gently and adjust seasoning and add water/yogurt as needed. Cook gently to warm through and allow the flavors to come out. Best served along a second curry/chutney/dish that has some sweetness to it.

More of a snack. We shared some grilled corn in homemade ginger-teriyaki sauce.

2:3 ratio of vinegar to water. Just a little sugar. Garlic, lemon slices, dried chili, cumin seeds, a smaller amount of turmeric, paprika, allspice, sumac and just a hint of cinnamon. I had extra liquid, so I also made a small jar of kohlrabi and fresh chilies.

Dry weight. ~240g cooked.

5 eggs ~120g (dry) mung beans, chickpeas, other beans 200-250g green beans and/or okra - stir fried or blanched until cooked to your liking 1 green chili, de-seeded 1 scallion, cut thinly 150g tart yogurt The eggs, beans, green beans/okra are each cooked individually. The spices and garlic fried in butter in order (whole spice, then garlic and powders), scallion and chili added and cooked shortly. Add yogurt and flavor to taste. Heat up. I'll share the exact amount if you'd like.

Dry curry cauliflower, caramelized onion, raisins, butter, lemon, chilies, garlic. In a spice mix of turmeric, coriander, fenugreek, cumin, mustard, curry leaves, fennel seeds, pepper, paprika and a few more spices. Green beans, okra, mung beans and scrambled eggs in a thick yogurt sauce with garlic, hing, turmeric, cumin, mustard and a few more spices. Basmati rice flavored with Tadka.

Simple vinegar pickles of lightly cooked vegetables with various spices - chili, garlic, lemon slices, cumin, anise, turmeric, paprika, etc.

Remaining cherry tomato rose sauce served over soft boiled eggs and a crisp baguette. Parmesan and chives. I added more sauce and cheese after taking the picture

Cauliflower torshi.

In Ashkenazi Jewish cooking, the trinity is onion, more onion and a little garlic Jokes aside, my Polish grandma and my mother both made ample use onion, both caramelized and sauteed. At some point schmaltz fell out of fashion in Israel and was mostly replaced with margarine or oil. My grandmother was an excellent cook and gardener, the dishes she made relied on fresh and flavorful vegetables (cabbage, celery and celeriac, parsley roots, carrots), herbs (parsley, celery leaves, lavage) chickens (home grown during a long period) and fish, to be used as stock or ingredients. My Czech/Hungarian grandmother on my father's side used a trinity of poppy seeds, walnuts and apricot jam - she was more of a baker than a cook

I think that if allowed to generalize, Italian cooking avoids overwhelming flavors - be it garlic or spices. That said, I found that in the area of Naples (maybe the rest of Campania), cooks are willing to have a potent amount of garlic, when it suits the dish. I had some delightfully unapologetically garlic-forward dishes of clams, beans and tomato sauces. Many dishes had no trace of garlic, of course. Edited to add this related video which I just happened to watch. I always enjoy watching this video series. press C after playing to turn on subtitles.

My understanding is that east Asian countries have a different approach to milk drinking than the West. Perhaps originating from it once being a novel ingredient. In Taiwan, flavored milks are available bottled in any convenience store, and are made fresh in any night market. And let's not get into milk and bubble teas. I saw many fruit milks there, from bananas (the only fruit flavored milk I've seen here in Israel) to bitter gourds. My favorite was a freshly juiced ripe papaya with just milk added, it was creamy, refreshing and tropical tasting but delicate enough to not overtake the milk (I'm a milk lover, tough I don't usually drink it). I had a few interesting ones from 7-11 - melon milk, orange milk, mixed fruit milk (it tasted familiar, but it took me a long time to figure that it tastes like Trix cereal, which I haven't had in years). Many I haven't tried: apple milk, mango, mung bean milk (note to self that I should try and make anko milk). I guess the bottom line is that I should try mixing juices and milk 👨‍🔬

I envy you, here cherries cost around 4.3 USD per pound, and they are OK, but surely not great

Pasta with bechamel, beetroot, herbed baked ricotta, peas, hazelnuts, nutmeg, thyme.

Bought a bag of my favorite pita breads from a local bakery (lucky to have them nearby, those are among the top 3 best pita breads I had). I snaked on one, still warm, with tomatoes, chilies, olive oil, and herbs. Fluffy, tender, elastic, and flavorful.