eG Foodblog: Swisskaese - The Israeli Table - Not Just Felafel and Or

[Swisskaese]

1) Would the Ethiopians running this shop (I'm assuming that this is the case) be some of the "falashas"--the Ethiopian Jews that Israel welcomed when civil war erupted in that country?

2) "Yehuda" I know. "Mahane" is...?

All that noise must get to you after a while, I imagine.

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Yes, a majority of the Ethiopians here in Israel are Ethiopian Jews. I don't like to use the term Falashas because it is a bit like using the n-word. This term was a derogatory term used by the non-Jews in Ethiopia. It means "invaders". The majority of them were airlifted from 1984-85 and also in 1991. They are a very attractive and lovely people and they haven't had an easy time here.

You may also here the term Falash Mura, which are Ethiopian Jews that converted to Christianity, but returned to Judiasm.

Mahane Yehuda means "The Camp of Yehuda". The street near the Shuk is called Mahane Yehuda Street.

Edited August 13, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Daniel Rogov]

Michelle asked me earlier to jump in with comments about Sima and their "me'yurav Yerushalmi" (mixed Jerusalem grill). Following is my mini-crit that gives some of the details.

Sima *

Rehov Agrippas 82, Jerusalem. Tel. (02) 623-3002

Despite its hyper-simplicity, this Jerusalem landmark is nearly always packed, and most come here to feast on the magnificent "mixed Jerusalem grill" - a mixture of chicken hearts, gizzards, livers and other chicken innards with bits of lamb, all of which have been seasoned marvelously with a mixture of spices so secret that the owner swears that no manner of torture, coaxing or bribery will get him to reveal his ingredients, before being griddle-fried with generous amounts of onion and garlic. On one occasion, after three glasses of Arak, the owner confessed to me that he uses allspice, black pepper, cumin, tumeric and coriander. With a sly smile though he then told me he also uses something called "pilpel Gruzini" ("Georgian pepper"). That not a living soul within a thousand kilometers has the foggiest idea of what Georgian pepper is probably more than mere coincidence. Whatever, fare fit for the gods!

Order it by the plateful if you want to be among the hoi-polloi but do it in a pita if you truly want to enjoy yourself. Also worth trying are the grilled kebabs and lamb chops, each of which are accompanied by really good cole slaw, pickles, olives, and Turkish salad. Good for a casual feast at any time of the day. Open 10:00 – 01:00. Closed Friday night and Saturday until the end of the Sabbath. Reasonable prices. Kosher.

As to chicken and turkey schnitzels.....I remember when first arriving in Israel (to which I often refer fondly as DisneyLand Middle-East) ordering a schnitzel and finding that it was made from chicken. I wanted to kill the cook and commit suicide. Schnitzel, by heaven, is made from veal!!!!!!! So much so that in Vienna if you substitute pork (the only acceptable substitute to Viennese) the menu has to say that in bold letters. I suppose over the years I've accepted the chicken schnitzel as part of Israeli life. On a pita, with shredded cabbage, any of a doen hot pepper sauces, perhaps a bit of amba, perhaps some sliced onions.......Only way to go!

Finally, with regard to shwarma made from goose. Oh yes!!!!!! And if it was not a few minutes after midnight here I'd be running out to find one to stop my salivation.

Edited August 13, 2006 by Daniel Rogov (log)

[Swisskaese]

Can you tell us a little more about sabich?  What makes it different from regular pita?

One of my colleagues had chicken schnitzel, potato salad and roasted peppers:

I was in Israel with my graduating class years ago. It seemed chicken/turkey schnitzel was served to us daily! Is it still very common everywhere? I didn't want it again for months when I got home - but now I use Pereg breadcrumb mixes to make it with the same ta'am (flavour) I remember.

Looking forward to more...

edited because I left the wrong picture in..

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The sabich was/is considered breakfast. It is a full breakfast in the same way a cornish pastie was a full meal for the tin miners in Cornwall. Typically it doesn't have shwarma meat in it. I say was because some of the Sabich stands stay open all day, so you can eat it whenever you want.

Schnitzel is big here. You find 20 or more varieties of schnitzel in the freezer section of the supermarket, including smiley faces, dinosaur and other shapes. I don't buy them. The only time I make schnitzels is during Passover, when I coat them in matzah flour.

Edited August 13, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Swisskaese]

I totally agree with Daniel and his comments about schnitzel. I come from a German family and my uncle had a German restaurant in my hometown. His restaurant was famous for its Weiner Schnitzel. I am a purist when it comes to schnitzel. I really have a hard time calling the chicken ones schnitzel. It is fried chicken!!

[Pam R]

But it's good fried chicken!!

(Actually, all I ever had in Israel was turkey - not chicken).

[Swisskaese]

I forgot to mention that just for Ling, I am planning to go to a couple of pastry shops.

[Ling]

^WOW! I'm really excited! I love looking at pastries from around the world!

Thanks for the picture of the rugelach too. My rugelach looks very messy compared to the ones in the picture...that is why no one has seen a picture of my rugelach floating around on EG.

[Swisskaese]

Well, this will have to be the final post of the evening. I have an early morning tomorrow. I will try my best to check in throughout the day, but I won't be able to post any pictures until tomorrow evening.

Tonight, Tapenade made dinner. We take turns during the week. He accidently defrosted a whole chicken instead of chicken wings. And, he just got new glasses.

Seriously, it is not a work of art on the plate, but it was delicous.

He roasted chicken with HP sauce (very British), pomegranate molasses, orange juice, melange du diable (a salt mixture that we bought in France. It has salt, anise, corriander and lemon and orange peel.), fresh oregano and garlic.

Green beans and corn

We had a glass of unfiltered cabernet sauvignon that we received as a gift from our hosts at a zimmer that we stayed at last year in the North, near the Lebanese border. The family is originally from Tunesia and they have live on a moshav. They have about 8 acres of land that contains wine grapes and fruit trees. They gave us three bottles of wine and a case of apples. A zimmer is a wooden cabin that you can rent for a week or in our case a weekend. They usually contain a jacuzzi for two in the cabin. This one had a fireplace, jacuzzi and a four poster bed. It was very romantic and I really hope we can go their again. They served a lovely breakfast every morning to our cabin with homemade cherry jam. I think about them often.

Tapenade used the apples to make his famous Charoset for Passover. Charoset symbolizes the mortar that held the bricks together which the Jewish slaves used to build the buildings for the Pharoah. It is typically made of apples, sweet wine, nuts and cinnamon. Tapenade's is in another league. But that is for another thread.

Lila Tov Kulam! Goodnight everyone! Let's all pray for peace.

[Swisskaese]

I am off to show you a little of my hood. I will be back a little later to show you more of the Shuk and the meal we had afterwards. The restaurant specialises in food that Chufi recently wrote about. Any ideas?

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I won't answer that! But I can't wait to see it!

Oh that siniya looks so good. I love the combination of ground beef and tehina. Is the tehina warm or cold (baked with the dish or put on top afterwards?)

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I really am going to bed. I realised I missed this question. It is put on top and baked with the rest of the dish.

And this is the perfect time to mention that I am planning to make the Palestinian national dish, Makloubeh. It is also made in Jordan and probably in other Arab countries, but I am making a Palestinian version of this dish. Now, I need a little help from you. I need to serve other things with this dish. Makloubeh contains chicken, rice, eggplant and cauliflower. What salads would you suggest I serve with it?

Edited August 13, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Pan]

[...]You are all invited to my home on Friday for a Sabbath meal.[...]

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Thank you! What kind of wine should we bring?

(For those of you who never saw Woody Allen's Bananas, where one of the funny scenes has to do with what the Woody Allen character should bring to his meeting with the leader of the revolution in a fictional Latin American country, Jews are taught never to show up emptyhanded, especially when invited for a meal. So if not wine, cookies or a cake are things to bring, or unusual fruits when appropriate for a thanksgiving blessing [shehechianu] over the "first fruits" of the harvest.)

Michelle, thanks for blogging this week, and hang in there.

I have a special request: When I was in Israel in 1977, the best food I had was Yemenite food, specifically in a restaurant in Tel Aviv called Shaul's, which I think was on or perhaps on a side street close to Dizengoff Street. If you like Yemenite food, perhaps you'd like to show some. I hope I didn't ask for the same thing when you did your first blog...

[CaliPoutine]

Thanks for the pics of the Halvah, Im drooling. ( I love it).

How are the prices there in comparrison to the US. What is the exchange rate?

Thanks for blogging.!!

[Daniel Rogov]

And this is the perfect time to mention that I am planning to make the Palestinian national dish, Makloubeh. It is also made in Jordan and probably in other Arab countries, but I am making a Palestinian version of this dish. Now, I need a little help from you. I need to serve other things with this dish. Makloubeh contains chicken, rice, eggplant and cauliflower. What salads would you suggest I serve with it?

Consider a truly green salad - romaine lettuce (chasa Aravi), baby leaves, arugula, fresh basil and a hint of fresh mint, those with a vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, dash of mustard). And so help me if you add even a single cherry tomato I'll come to your home and spank you!!!!

Edited August 14, 2006 by Daniel Rogov (log)

[Swisskaese]

I have a special request: When I was in Israel in 1977, the best food I had was Yemenite food, specifically in a restaurant in Tel Aviv called Shaul's, which I think was on or perhaps on a side street close to Dizengoff Street. If you like Yemenite food, perhaps you'd like to show some. I hope I didn't ask for the same thing when you did your first blog...

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Pundak Shaul or Shaul's Inn is in the Yeminite Quarter of Tel Aviv. This section of Tel Aviv is near Shuk HaCarmel and Neve Tzedek, which is the original part of Tel Aviv. I will try my best to feature Yemenite food this week. The restaurant serves grillled meats and yemenite soups, all sorts of salads, borekas, etc. I have never been there, but I have heard that it is good.

[Swisskaese]

Boker Tov.

I have to run to an appointment this morning. Breakfast was plain yogurt, a nectarine and some coffee.

Later, I am going to show you the "Land of Flowing Milk" restaurant. It specializes in sheep's cheese.

[SuzySushi]

each of which are accompanied by really good cole slaw, pickles, olives, and Turkish salad.

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YES! Turkish salad.

Michelle, Daniel, I have been trying to re-create Turkish salad since discovering it in Israel 10+ years ago. (This is the kind that's a tomato-based salsa, not a "peasant salad" with leafy greens and feta cheese.)

Does either of you have a recipe?

[Swisskaese]

each of which are accompanied by really good cole slaw, pickles, olives, and Turkish salad.

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YES! Turkish salad.

Michelle, Daniel, I have been trying to re-create Turkish salad since discovering it in Israel 10+ years ago. (This is the kind that's a tomato-based salsa, not a "peasant salad" with leafy greens and feta cheese.)

Does either of you have a recipe?

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I usually buy it, but I will check if I have a recipe in one of my cookbooks.

Edited August 14, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Swisskaese]

And this is the perfect time to mention that I am planning to make the Palestinian national dish, Makloubeh. It is also made in Jordan and probably in other Arab countries, but I am making a Palestinian version of this dish. Now, I need a little help from you. I need to serve other things with this dish. Makloubeh contains chicken, rice, eggplant and cauliflower. What salads would you suggest I serve with it?

Consider a truly green salad - romaine lettuce (chasa Aravi), baby leaves, arugula, fresh basil and a hint of fresh mint, those with a vinaigrette (lemon juice, olive oil, crushed garlic, salt, pepper, dash of mustard). And so help me if you add even a single cherry tomato I'll come to your home and spank you!!!!

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You're in luck. I am allergic to raw tomato. Salad sounds great and healthy.

[Swisskaese]

I forgot to post one of the photos from Mahane Yehuda. You can of course buy loose teas and spices. I really like fruit teas and herbal teas. One of my favourites is called Tunisian tea. There is a picture of it in my previous blog. It has dried roses, ginger and other goodies. For spices like Baharat, Hawaiij (sp?) and Ras al Hanut, I only buy small quantities at a time.

Edited August 14, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Pan]

I have a special request: When I was in Israel in 1977, the best food I had was Yemenite food, specifically in a restaurant in Tel Aviv called Shaul's, which I think was on or perhaps on a side street close to Dizengoff Street. If you like Yemenite food, perhaps you'd like to show some. I hope I didn't ask for the same thing when you did your first blog...

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Pundak Shaul or Shaul's Inn is in the Yeminite Quarter of Tel Aviv. This section of Tel Aviv is near Shuk HaCarmel and Neve Tzedek, which is the original part of Tel Aviv. I will try my best to feature Yemenite food this week. The restaurant serves grillled meats and yemenite soups, all sorts of salads, borekas, etc. I have never been there, but I have heard that it is good.

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Wow, I'm amazed the place is still in business after so many years, and might still be good! I'm sure you won't have what I had for dinner there: Grilled bull's testicles. Quite good! My parents had less "out there" food and felt their meals were very good, too.

[Swisskaese]

On Friday morning Tapenade, Miriam Kresh and I went to a very special restaurant/dairy called Eretz Tzvat Halav or Land Flowing with Milk. This restaurant is located at Moshav Nehalim, which about 15 minutes from my house and this is the first time I have been there. I believe the moshav grows persimmons.

The restaurant offers a buffet brunch on Friday. They specialize in sheep cheese and it is delicious. They used to have a large herd of sheep on the moshav, but for the past seven years they have been getting their milk from a sheep farmer in the North. However, they do have a few sheep that roam around the restaurant. Don't worry, they are behind a fence, but they are adorable.

Miriam used to have a soap business. She made gourmet soaps from sheep, goat and cow's milk. She can tell you more about that herself. Anyway, she knows the owners and she arranged for us to taste sheeps milk. It is delicious. It is sweet and very rich and creamy.

The owners, Aharon and Tami Markowitz really love what they do and you can see it in the quality of their cheese and the way they have decorated the restaurant with beautiful plants, fruit trees and fresh herbs.

They produce the following cheeses (taken from a sample menu on another website):

Banias

Ripened soft cheese chopped flat with white mold created in several natural flavors, wild mushrooms, smoked onion and more.

Adva

Ripened soft cheese covered with mold and textured delicate charcoal.

Ma’ayan

A hard cheese, spicy and dominant, aged approximately 6 months.

Gal

Semi-soft cheese in yellow color with a spicy taste.  Aged approximately 4 months.

Gal Yayin

Round cheese steeped for approximately 10 days in red wine.

Peleg

Ripened hard cheese in yellow color with slight spicy taste. Aged for six months.

Tal

Delicately ripened cheese, soft texture that melts in the mouth.

Shnir Cheeses

Cheese for spreading (16% fat) in a variety of flavors including garlic, dill, paprika, onion and more.

Shnir Cheese Balls

7 Shnir cheese balls in different flavors

Yogurt Cream

Soft cheese 16% fat delicately fermented.

Bio-yogurt

Fermented delicacy packed in solid packages of 250 gr.

Yogurt for Drinking

Delicately fermented containing 500 ml in natural flavors, strawberry, peach and Mediterranean.

We purchased the Banias and the Tal.

The cheese in the back is the red wine cheese. I think the one in the front is the Banias.

Cheese wrapped in grape vine leaves and various sheep cheese spreads. Some had herbs and another had bits of roasted red pepper.

Some of the roaming sheep. They are so cute!

Pomegranate Tree decorating the restaurant

Something I have never seen before, a baby pomegranate bush. Anyone seen this before?

View from our table.

Fruit and spinach salad. This salad was delcious. It had a balsamic dressing on it. The fruit was pineapple, dried figs and dried apricots.

Here is Tapenade's plate. The restaurant also has a gas-fired taboon that produces very nice fresh pita.

View of the buffet. The cheese shop is in the background.

Beautiful cheeses.

My only complaint is that they do not serve fresh juices.

Edited August 14, 2006 by Swisskaese (log)

[Swisskaese]

[Wow, I'm amazed the place is still in business after so many years, and might still be good! I'm sure you won't have what I had for dinner there: Grilled bull's testicles. Quite good! My parents had less "out there" food and felt their meals were very good, too.

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You didn't try the tonsils?

You are a brave man. After eating some scary things in China and Japan in my pre-kosher days, I just don't have the stomach for that anymore.

[Swisskaese]

Thanks for the pics of the Halvah, Im drooling. ( I love it).

How are the prices there in comparrison to the US.  What is the exchange rate?

Thanks for blogging.!!

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I will have to check the prices. I rarely buy halvah.

[Safran]

Oh Wow!! The scenery, the food!!!!!! I see pavement and buildings from most restaurants here!

[Anna N]

Michele,

That salad of spinach, pineapple, dried figs and dried apricots looks awesome. Such unusual ingredients for a salad! I will have to try it. Enjoying your blog enormously. Thanks for taking the time.

[Pan]

[Wow, I'm amazed the place is still in business after so many years, and might still be good! I'm sure you won't have what I had for dinner there: Grilled bull's testicles. Quite good! My parents had less "out there" food and felt their meals were very good, too.

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You didn't try the tonsils?

You are a brave man. After eating some scary things in China and Japan in my pre-kosher days, I just don't have the stomach for that anymore.

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I've always like innards, or at least since I was a little kid. Chicken livers, kidneys, etc.

I probably would have tried the tonsils if I had gone back a second time.