At Miami International Airport I picked up a copy of Fine Cooking magazine to pass the hours before my flight, oblivious to time until I was shocked into reaction mode upon hearing “Last Call for New York City, JFK, gate 50” except I was at gate 24 waiting patiently for a flight to the… Cayman Islands? Of course if I bothered to look around I would have realized I was in the wrong place, surrounded by a disproportionate number of beautiful couples all dressed in vacation chic. So off I dashed, looking like an accident until I reached an attendant who asked serenely “Gate 50?”

“What does it #%$##$%^$# look like? I am running around the airport for FUN?” Actually, I just nodded but sometimes I think the attendants like giving last minute calls just for the amusement of watching flailing travelers run up and down the airport.

So after travelling for 24 hours I arrived home and that is the best feeling in the world.

Spiced Lemon Chicken Spring Roll

This recipe was inspired by Fine Cooking  magazine’s recipe for Thai spring rolls but because I did not have many of the ingredients including shrimp*, nam pla fish sauce and vermicelli, I needed a few substitutions and a bit of inspiration. In fact one of the only items I did have was coriander, a popular herb in Asia as well as in North Africa, giving me the idea of doing a Mediterranean version of the roll.

This recipe is gluten free and also perfect during the week of Passover when leavened foods, such as bread, pasta and flour are not eaten by observant Jews.

 Spiced lemon Chicken

400 grams boneless chicken, preferably thighs cut into thin strips

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon hot Moroccan paprika

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon coriander

Juice from ½ lemon

20 rice paper rounds (22cm)

2 carrots, finely grated

1 bunch coriander chopped

2 scallions, roughly chopped

3-4 leaves romaine or other lettuce, roughly chopped

½ cup toasted almond slivers

Combine all the ingredients for the spiced chicken and let marinate for 1 hour. Drain, pat dry and  fry until golden, preferably in a cast iron skillet. A few tablespoons of vegetable oil can be added so the meat doesn’t stick but I found this was not necessary. Cool.

Assembly

For each roll set up a large bowl of hot water, big enough to immerse the rice sheets. Dip the sheets into the water, just until they become flexible and lay on a kitchen towel, waiting a few more seconds until it softens. Place the filling on the top 3/4^th of the sheet, leaving room on top to fold the roll over.  Add a bit of carrot, coriander, scallion, almonds, chicken and finally lettuce. It should not be more than 2-3 tablespoon. Fold top of rice paper over the filling, closing the sides over while rolling .

I made the Thai dipping sauce based on the recipe from the magazine but think a harissa/tomato based sauced would have better suited the flavors of the roll.

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 ½ tablespoons tamarind concentrate

2 tablespoon soy sauce

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon chopped garlic

2 tablespoon chopped coriander

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Combine all the ingredients and mix well.

*Because shrimp is not kosher it won’t be found in the usual supermarkets but it can be obtained in specialty stores.

For an entire week I lived a life of a senior citizen of south Florida while visiting my ninety two year old grandfather, overdosing on relaxation and being hit on by fellows twice my age in his retirement community.  The trip wasn’t a holiday so much as a disconnection from the chores and errands which usually fill my normal day, leaving me feeling detached with a boredom I hadn’t felt since I was ten during my last week of summer vacation. But I wanted to spend time with my grandfather who I haven’t seen for three years and who, in his quiet way, is the pivot of the family because he is far removed from the emotional drivel that most people carry and able to give practical and useful advice.   

 While those around him are jaded by life or fixated on faded dreams and lost days, he enjoys himself without the jealousy and insecurities that taints happiness in insidious ways.  And through it all he has found romance bringing to mind the old cliché “it’s never too late” but this time around it is even better because now he has no responsibilities. I smile, for my grandfather at ninety two is having the time of his life. 

At night I laid awake, jetlagged, my thoughts floating haphazardly unable to settle, but one keeps coming back…a simple observation my grandfather made “happiness is when reality exceeds expectations”, and I think this layman’s philosophy is just as brilliant as any studied in text books, a simple recipe to live your life. 

Can you spot the alligator

Lavender is often associated with Provence, fields stretching into the horizon, saturating the air with fragrance and perhaps hearts with love as folklore has us believe. It is the aromatic nuance of France, blossom filled sachets scenting countless drawers or dabbed behind the ears as a romantic perfume, but it is also an indigenous plant of the Middle East although nobody conjures up that side of the Mediterranean when drinking lavender tea.  There are four species of lavender growing wild in Israel, yet it never became a prominent culinary herb such as za’atar or thyme, despite being known from antiquity. Perhaps this can be attributed to its restricted area of growth,  or it may have simply fallen out of favor for use as a medicinal herb, as it is neither cultivated or found fresh in local markets.

Lavender is from the mint family (Labiatae) which also includes a plethora of aromatic herbs such as sage, za’atar, mint, marjoram, thyme and melissa all of which grow wild in Israel and have both culinary and medicinal value.  Chefs, breaking away from tradition, have transferred aromatic lavender from the boudoir to the kitchen, a switch that confuses the senses if used in excess.  Only the most discrete amounts, a ghost of a scent, should be used otherwise toiletries and pharmaceuticals are instantly evoked.  The reverse is also true, after eating a pint of lavender scented “soap” ice cream I was surprised with another sensory flip- each time I used my lavender scented soap I couldn’t help but imagine lathering with ice cream. Despite causing Proustian mind games, chefs have begun to use it in a wide variety of ways including in coffee, macaroons, cookies,  creme brulees, cakes, chocolate, and in the mixture herbes de Provence  adding a bit of romance and intrigue.

Traditionally lavender has been used as a disinfectant rinse for cuts and scrapes, a method taking advantage of its antimicrobial properties.  It is also a natural remedy to relieve stress, a widely accepted fact that has been scientifically proven and should be more widely implemented.  I like to imagine lavender farmers in a state of perpetual stress free bliss. The most prevalent wild species in Israel is Lavandula stoechas which also grows throughout the Mediterranean and into Turkey and is often used as an ornamental.  In Portugal specialized honey is produced from bees that collect exclusively from this plant.

Although fresh lavender is not sold in Israel, many municipalities grow Lavandula angustifolia (also called English lavender) as an ornamental plant along with rosemary because it tolerates arid conditions. This is the preferred species for culinary purposes and when I need it all I have to do is walk a block or two to harvest a few flowers.

It should be used with caution as lavender essential oil can be allergenic.

Lavender Cupcakes

This recipe is based on the recipe by Zahavah of Kosher Camembert who has a nondairy (parve) version of it. It has a very subtle lavender scent, which disappears before it can be identified.

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup butter (250 grams)

1 cups milk

4 large eggs

2 tablespoons dried lavender

Zest of 1 lemon

Preheat oven to 180 C (380 F). Grease 2 English cake pans. I used one English cake pan and one 12 unit cupcake pan.

Lavender infusion

Melt butter in a small pot over low heat and add lavender. Heat until fragrant, approximately 7-10 minutes. Drain butter through fine sieve, pressing lavender on mesh. Discard lavender. Allow butter to cool slightly, but it should remain liquid.

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl and mix.

In another bowl add eggs, milk, lemon zest and while continually mixing, the scented lavender butter.

Add the liquid mixture to the dry one. Mix until there are no lumps (this I did by hand)

Pour batter into prepared pan(s) and bake for 40-60 minutes, depending on size of pan. Cake is done when toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.

Cool and serve.

Pasta alla Norma is a traditional Sicilian recipe, consisting mainly of tomatoes, fried eggplants and salata ricotta, a version of ricotta which can be grated over the pasta adding creamy flavor and brightening the color of the dish. It is supposedly named after a beautiful and famous opera, Norma, composed by Vincenzo Bellini in 1831.

I first learned of the provenance of this famous pasta from the social media site twitter after Carmelita (@cookitaly) asked about everyone’s favorite Italian dish. When I mentioned that I liked tomato and eggplant pasta she informed me that it is considered quintessential Sicilian (of course with the 140 character limit she did not use that term to describe it). However, only the soft ricotta cheese is available in Israel, not salata ricotta which is needed to make the classic variety.  Others on twittter (@thandelike and @lovesicily) suggested I use Turkish lor or Cypriot anari cheese as a substitute. With twitter, I went from knowing nothing about Pasta alla Norma to being a Connoisseur on the subject, at least theoretically. For me twitter has become an effective tool to gain insight on international cuisine although once I thought it was completely useless.

At the very beginning I thought I was talking to myself because I was, I had no followers and tweeted into thin air, but that slowly began to change. I found friends by using keyword searches, Mr. Tweet and finding like minded individuals through their blogs and by Follow Friday recommendations. There are countless food sites around the world; some I enjoy for the pictures, others for the connections and still others for the interesting articles. Twitter however is a bit different because the community needs to be built by you for it to be effective and this takes time and effort. A multitude of lists have already been written about why and how twitter is used, but at the end it all comes down to sharing information, connections and conversations.

Pasta Alla Norma, Middle Eastern Style

This is not a traditional Pasta Alla Norma, instead of friend eggplant slices, I roasted them whole and used the smoky pulp in the sauce. I also replaced the cheese with spiced ground meat which I was going to use for lachmajoon but did not have the time assemble. Although this is a Sicilian dish, the Arabs are credited on introducing this new crop to Europe where it once was considered poisonous.

7 ripe tomatoes, peeled

2 tablespoons tomato paste if tomatoes are not red enough (optional)

4 tablespoons of olive oil

5 cloves of garlic

2 eggplants (roasted)

One bunch of fresh za’atar

Ground meat mixture:

500 grams ground meat, lamb or beef

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon baharat (Arabic spice mix, cinnamon can be used instead)

2 tomatoes, chopped

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

Olive oil

500 grams spaghetti such as barilla brand

Tomato sauce

Peel the tomatoes by making a shallow crisscross cut on each side of the tomato and plunging in boiling water until peel begins to curl (about 30 seconds), chop the tomatoes. In a medium sized pan (not aluminum) add the tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. Cook until the tomatoes disintegrate into a smooth sauce and the olive oil rises to the top, about 35 minutes. (this technique I learned from a recipe by Marcella Hazan)

Meat Filling

Preferably in a cast iron skillet fry onion until just beginning to brown, add the garlic and stir for a few moments. Add the meat and cook until it changes color, add the lemon juice, and chopped tomatoes and cook until most of the juices have evaporated and the meat begins to brown. Add the spices and mix well.

Roast eggplant

Poke eggplant in several places with a fork and roast in the oven or over an open flame. The eggplant’s skin will char a bit, this is normal. Rotate the eggplant to cook evenly until the flesh is soft. Split one side open and let liquid drain in a colander. When the eggplant is cooled, scoop the flesh out with a spoon.

Prepare spaghetti according to package directions.

Assembly

Combine spaghetti with tomato sauce, top with roasted eggplant and ground meat mixture. Sprinkle with fresh za’atar leaves. As my kids don’t like the taste of roasted eggplant, I assembled each dish separately.

In high school many years ago I was a fencing champion and was written about in the local paper- the Daily Freeman, which I once thought was so worldly and sophisticated. Everyone was always so impressed when I told them “I won the gold in the New York State fencing championships” as they made a show of raising their eyebrows and tilting their heads in slight surprise and perhaps awe, I would like to think. But of course it was all a joke since there were no other female contestants at this prestigious event.  The organizers scoured the auditorium and found two bewildered nine year olds whom I was told to compete against as it was hardly ethical to present me with a marble mounted trophy for just sitting there. I swiftly put down my young opponents with one lunge and happily accepted my well earned trophy which I have until today. Last summer I visited my fencing teacher, Umberto and his wife Elene who also own a horse farm near the Ashokan Reservoir and who still practice periodically in the nearby town of Woodstock.

Umberto teaching my son tricks in archery

Umberto's and Elene's farm

This is why my carrot fritters are truly the best- it is the only ones that I have eaten in my entire life, there is nothing to compare to them. I passed over the recipe dozens of times while leafing through my Kurdish cookbook but it seemed too simple to bother with, a typical amateur mistake as only quality produce is needed for a delicious meal. When I called my mother to ask if she ever had carrot fritters she told me that her grandmother used to make it often for school sandwiches. That would be a lot of fritters as she has six brothers and sisters.

The Best Kurdish Carrot Fritters

Although carrots can be obtained in Israel all year, their flavor is undoubtedly better during the winter season.

5 medium sized carrots (about 2 cups), finely grated

1 onion, grated

2 eggs

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Vegetable oil for frying

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

In a bowl, mix all the ingredients together until homogenous. Create about 15 flat, round, fritters from the mixture, about 1 cm thick. Heat oil in a pan, enough so that it comes half way up the fritters. Fry fritters until golden brown, on both sides. Remove on to paper towels to absorb excess oil. Serve with labneh or yogurt. Variations: Ground coriander goes well with carrot fritters, either in the mixture or added in the labneh, try adding a variety of herbs such as parley and thyme.