It’s not always about the main dish: the accompanying dishes can be just as important and even much tastier. Potato gratin (the Italian derivation) is one of my favorites and I use it in its supporting role as often as I can. While gratin has its origins in France,
One of my all time favorites is pasta salad. If made well and with interesting and complementary quality ingredients, it can be enjoyed as a tasty side or main dish. This particular recipe I created for the menu of my first restaurant Al Dente in Jerusalem, Israel, back in the
Challah is made usually as a braided bread reserved to be eaten on the Sabbath, at festivals and on special occasions such as weddings. The challah as we know it today has its origins in Eastern Europe but its roots are in the Bible where the Jews are commanded by
Tartufi is a chocolate delight that few can resist. It is also a useful addition to the kosher for Passover dessert menu being offered at the seder night feast. Tartufi in Italian or truffles in French are Ectomycorrhizal fungi (mushrooms) that grow near the roots of trees. Chocolate truffles are
In NZ, number-eight fencing wire is a well-known and popular Kiwi idiom. Here in the Israeli kitchen, number eight can only refer to the best cut of meat suited to a super-tasty longer cooking stew; the importance of food and its consumption is a unique and inseparable part of the
I recently attained the grand age of 62 years old and to my delight received a beauty of a cookbook as a birthday present from my youngest daughter Mika and her man Shahar. Shahar, just back from a business junket in London, was lucky enough to be wined and dined
As a meal or an entrée, the Niçoise salad accompanied by pan seared fresh red tuna is a winner. Originating in the southern French Mediterranean city of Nice, the Niçoise salad is a rounded meal with protein, carbohydrates, greens and vegetables. Many foodies call it the ‘ultimate’ summer salad. Simple
If you want to impress your dinner guests and enjoy a fresh, super satisfying and easy to prepare entree, this creation should be at the top of your list. The tartare dish as we know it today originated in France in the mid-19th century and was made from horse meat.
For me one of the many levels of ‘heaven’ is attained through rhythmically fashioning pasta fresco on my old Imperia lamination pasta machine. The repetitive winding and folding of the lamination process soothes one’s soul until you arrive at that silky smooth texture of perfecto pasta passing between your
I am always looking for an alternate, aesthetic and interesting way to present the carbohydrates on a dinner plate. Mille feuille (thousand leaves) potato or sweet potato is a classy way to jazz up your dinner plate, providing you have plenty of spare time on your hands or an able
A Frenched rack of lamb is one that has been fashioned to an elegant finish. Trimmed of all its excess fat, sinews and bones are left with a thin layer of fat on the top side for flavour and three clean little fingers of bone poking out of the meat,
The jolly time of year comes around more quickly the older one gets. “Christmas cheer” and Chanukah’s unhealthy but tasty oily foods are back upon us before we even know it. The deep-fried doughnut has several versions. In Northern Europe it is traditionally filled with jam and dusted with
As an entree, or for whetting one’s appetite before a swanky meal, pate of chicken, goose or duck liver can be a tasty and attractive option. Usually delivered in tandem with dainty toasts or crostini, the diner will relish the opportunity to be an active participant in the meal,
As an entree, or for whetting one’s appetite before a swanky meal, pate of chicken, goose or duck liver can be a tasty and attractive option. Usually delivered in tandem with dainty toasts or crostini, the diner will relish the opportunity to be an active participant in the meal,
Staying with Thanksgiving. Once the turkey has been consumed, it is customary to round off the festive feast with a traditional dessert. The pumpkin pie is the quintessential go-to Thanksgiving dessert, and I personally put it in the same category as rhubarb pie: most pretend to enjoy them if they
Thanksgiving is just around the corner: a big deal in North America but not so much anywhere else. As an Israeli/Kiwi, I was completely ignorant of Thanksgiving until I began working for the United States Consul General and his family in Jerusalem back in 2017. The Thanksgiving table is
