Israeli Birthday Cake
Every birthday deserves a great cake. This iconic, cocoa-based, richly iced cake fits the bill.
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CAKE
1 cup milk
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
12 ounces butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1⁄2 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 cup boiling water (optional: 1⁄4 cup instant coffee for additional flavor)
3⁄4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
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FROSTING
1⁄2 cup whipping cream (optional: add 1 tablespoon instant coffee)
4 1⁄2 ounces dark chocolate, crumbled
Sprinkles, for decoration (optional)
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Israeli Green Salad with Strawberries
Ramat Hasharon, where I live, was once famous for its strawberry fields.
SALAD
2 cups mixed lettuce leaves (use different kinds of lettuce)
2 cups spinach leaves
1 basket of strawberries, hulled and halved
1/2 cup sweet pecans
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DRESSING
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup silan (date honey)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Stuffed Peppers with Rice
Stuffed vegetables are hugely popular in Israel and this is a dish you can find at workingman restaurants and Shabbat tables across the country. On Fridays we can smell it cooking throughout our building. I prefer small peppers for stuffing as opposed to the large ones.
6-8 assorted sweet peppers
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FILLING
1 cup Persian rice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1 teaspoon ras-el-hanout (a Moroccan spice blend)
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted (optional)
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SAUCE
1 pound diced tomatoes, fresh or canned
2 cups boiling water
1 cup beer or white wine
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1/2 tablespoon hot paprika (optional)
Eggplant Baladi
Eggplant is so popular year-round in Israel that it shows up in every restaurant, cookbook, and home kitchen in seemingly endless recipes.
2 medium eggplants
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
Sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste`
3 tablespoons tahini
3 teaspoons silan
Parsley leaves, chopped
Pine nuts, toasted
Pomegranate seeds
Orange and Fennel Salad
Combining fruits and vegetables in salads is very Israeli. Oranges, in particular, are identified with Israel and this recipe pairs them with fennel for an unusual flavor combo.
2 oranges
½ cup Kalamata or oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 small red onion, thinly sliced
1-2 fennel bulbs, sliced
½ cup fresh basil and/or mint leaves, torn
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons silan (date honey)