From Israel with Love

bb just returned from a glorious trip to Israel. Actually, bb’s creator went with hubby. bb stayed home – I took a computer-free trip and it was a very good thing to take the techno break. We loved it there. Our Hebew improved. We wanted to stay. The goal that we want to keep returning is what helped us with all the farewells.

We spent most of our time with family in Carmel, Haifa taking in daily life there.

We hung out with cousins in Tzipori, a beautiful moshav in the North, with a famous archaeological dig and beautiful hilltop views all around.

And we spent time with more family in Tel Aviv and the beautiful suburb of Ramat HaSharon.

You know I had fun at the small market at the Tel Aviv port.

Here’s more of a taste of what I experienced there. This trip was most definitely NOT one of those climb-onto-the tourist-bus at 7 am trips. Instead, it was about spending quality time with family, hanging out with the kids and babies (and there were lots of them) and eating, eating and more eating. I’m really fortunate to have lots of cousins in Israel (and what cooks they are!) and going there felt like home.

How’s this for a first course?

or this?

What did I learn?

I love everything at the bakery called Shemo Hakonditorei (patisserie) in Carmel, Haifa. It was around the corner from where we were staying and I kept finding an excuse to go back.

We can eat lots of my cousin’s poppy seed roll in one sitting. Especially at a picnic in a beautiful forest in the North called Ya’ar Menashe.

There’s nothing like enjoying Shakshukah in the Sukkah.

This version included lots of red onion, red pepper and tomato. Don’t tell any Israeli that you  know how to prepare Shakshuka if you’re not willing to get into a lengthy debate. Everyone is convinced their version is the BEST and the only one worth eating.

We love the Israeli rock group from the 1970’s – Kaveret (Poogy in the US). Check out this link hear a sample from 1973. Their reunions draw incredible crowds. Thank you to our cousin Lior who turned us onto it. We’re now hearing the group’s hit, Yo Ya, in our heads all day. Guess we’re a couple of late bloomers. Where were we?

The cheese Danishes from Ma’Afiyah Lachmim are outrageously delicious.

Lots of our cousins are now vegetarian and with the abundance of excellent vegetables, there’s no shortage of wonderful dishes. We were treated to some incredible meals in several homes.

I thought I didn’t care for Halvah. I’ve just never tried the good stuff. That changed in the small exclusive market at the Tel Aviv port where I asked for several samples and chose the vanilla/chocolate.

Halvah TIP: Halvah is made from tahini (sesame seed paste) and honey. Sometimes flavorings or nuts are added. My cousin said that for a quick nibble of something sweet at home (provided you have tahini and honey in the house), simply mix a bit of the solid part of the tahini with a little honey and spread it on a cracker or biscuit. Delicious! or Ta’Yim! As you say in Hebrew (believe me, it was in the Top Ten of our most frequently used words while we were there).

If you bake stuffed peppers in a Bundt pan, they won’t fall over. Thank you, typical Israeli ingenuity. Served here with baked pasta and pickled cabbage.

Thanks to this food blog, I connected with Hanni, one of bb’s followers who runs the Kosher Food Forum for ynet.com. I was so honored that she made the time to drive up to visit with us and have a late breakfast at Café Shani. Not quite. As she posted after our meeting, we connected so quickly and shared so much with each other in the brief time we had, that we forgot to eat! Hanni had to pack up her sandwich and eat it on the way back so she could pick up her youngest (of five) from pre-school. Hanni, can’t wait till we meet again and we loved the Tahini-Date Cake and the Granola you brought us from your kitchen. Maybe recipes to share in the future?

Hotels in Israel, large or small, are known for offering wonderful breakfasts with delicious salads, vegetables, eggs, cheeses and great breads. We stayed at a charming little place in the center of town called the Villa Carmel.Every morning we were asked what type of coffee we would like and how we wanted our eggs prepared. We asked for eggs over medium but had better luck getting an omelet or scrambled eggs. Three days before we left, we saw one of the front desk people enjoying eggs over medium. “Mikael, we’ve been trying to order eggs that way with no luck. How do you say that?”  “These are called Ayin Ha- Foochah,” he answered with a big smile. Delightful. Translated literally, it means Eye, upside-down. That phrase will definitely stick in our heads.

We can get very accustomed to the cafe life. One latte and one Americano, please!

We’ll be back soon. Cuz baby, you felt like home.