Anyone who knows me is aware of my torn heart. Part of me is happy to be home in the Midwest, close to my family and personal roots.
But the other part of my heart is in Israel, on the porch of my house in the Galilee or wandering the cobblestone streets of Rosh Pina or Jerusalem. Part of me comes alive when I hear the rolling rhythm of spoken Hebrew and part of me feels incomplete when I’m away.
“The Book of New Israeli Food” by Janna Gur (Schocken Books, $35) does nothing to solve my problem of geography but it does appeal to my longings by taking me on a sensual journey of Israel.
The coffee-table cookbook includes gorgeous full-page photos by Eilon Paz that describe the context of Israeli food eloquently. Aside from the mouth-watering and esthetically appealing close-up shots of food, there are street scenes and landscapes; breathtaking shots of olive orchards, goats at a dairy farm, street markets; and more.
These are scenes of the Israel that I love, the one hidden by travel posters and that embraces the gnarled trunks of olive trees, the unparalleled sweetness of baklava from a tiny Arab bakery in the Galilee, and a plate of sublime spinach and cheese bourekas.
The food in this book looks amazing. After an introduction that explains Israel’s transformation from “Spartan austerity to a true gastronomic heaven,” Gur provides almost 300 pages of food, wine and stories.
Chapters are: “Salads etc.,” “The Street and the Market,” “Simple Pleasures,” “Grill,” “Shabbat” and “Holidays.” Stories scattered throughout the book describe “The Israeli Breakfast,” “Olive Oil — The Soul of the Mediterranean,” “Fishing in Israel,” “Bread — From Standard to Sourdough,” “Fruits of Paradise,” “Coffee,” “Cheese — Between White, Yellow and Salty” and “Wine Fever in the Holy Land.”
The recipes come from the range of cultures in Israel — North African, Turkish, Ashkenazi, Syrian and Iraqi, among others — and include items from Arab restaurants and a selection of dishes for Ramadan.
She also made the book a great resource by including explanations of Israeli food basics, such as a sidebar about the different types of olive oil or a primer on hummus that includes how to choose the best tahini.
She also captures the Israeli flexibility and ingenuity by offering many alternatives to the same basic recipe. For example, after showing and telling how to flame roast an eggplant, she gives eight dips and salads, then four ideas for serving eggplant dip.
As we enter winter in the Midwest, I will keep this book nearby to fill my heart — and stomach — with flavors from the Mideast.
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