Dizengoff center, a mall in the center of bustling Tel Aviv is packed to the gills Friday mornings with families and singles trying to get some home cooked food to start off the weekend. The crowd is a mix of everything; from people walking around with their bikes, to hipsters, to the fanciest strollers you can think of to very cute grannies who have lived in Tel Aviv forever.

This is good ol’ Ashkenazi food. This place called Goldie and Adi. This is the Ashkenazi version of Chullent. It is basically a stew that is put in the oven on Friday morning and cooks all through Saturday (the Shabbat). As religious Jews don’t turn on the oven on the weekend, this is a hot dish that stays in the warm oven. The dish consists of potatoes, eggs, beans, barley and meat. There are many different ways to make Chullent. Sephardic Jews have different versions but it all comes down to the one concept- a one pot meal.

Here are Italian Arancini, fried rice balls, these ones are filled with cheese.

These are Hungarian Cakes called Kurtos Kalas also known as Chimney Cakes. These spiced and sweet cakes are baked on a tapered cylindrical spit over an open fire and covered with nuts.

The next stop is Persian Food. They have many different kinds of rice. The one here has chickpeas, raisins and carrots. Then there is Ghondi. Every Jewish Persian house serves these chicken or lamb meatballs, especially served on Shabat (the Sabbath). This is because back in the day, ground chicken or lamb meat was expensive so it was a once a week kind of treat. The meatballs are made up of meat, ground chickpeas and ground cardamon.

Indian restaurants are hard to come by in Israel so finding Indian food here really made my day. By the way, if you are interested in learning more about Israeli Indian food, check out my friend Shula’s blog.

Every Mediteareanen meal should have olives, these are beautiful.
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Yemenite Jews are known for some of the most popular Israeli foods, all being especially indulgent. This is Mallawach. It is a huge pancake, made of puff pastry, brushed with lots of oil and cooked flat in a frying pan. It is traditionally served with grated tomatoes and Shug, a spicey hot condiment. Here it is layered with hummus and the grated tomato sauce.

Arepas are a favorite of mine. Nothing is Israeli about them but I have a dear Seattle friend from Venezuela who says Arrrrrrepa (rolling the r) in the sexiest way possible and since then I fell in love with them (thanks Valentina). I also love getting them at the Farmer’s Market every Thursday in Queen Anne, Seattle. They gained popularity in the last few months in Israel since a Masterchef contestant made them on the show. Until you have had one, it is hard to imagine the taste; a cross between a pancake and a tortilla. The exterior is crisp and the inside is soft. The ones here are filled with fried beef and vegetables and a secret sauce.

There are many other booths and restaurants which I will try to cover in a future post. This food fest is open Thursday afternoons from 4 pm until 10 pm and Fridays from 10:30 AM-4 pm. Come early and avoid the crowds.The same mall has a nice little kids area for free and a kids play gym with an entrance fee. On Fridays, there is a fashion sale where local designers sell clothes at lower prices. This is definitely a mall to explore.

photo of Restless Chocolates.

It’s the rare visit to the grocery store that I don’t get waylaid in the chocolate aisle. With the large assortment available these days – including many local, artisanal varieties – it is difficult to pick just one. If only there was a way to taste each tempting new variety. Enter the Seattle Chocolate Salon. Returning for its sixth year, the Chocolate Salon allows you to do just that – taste away to your heart’s content. It’s like walking down the chocolate aisle and taking a nibble of each variety that catches your fancy, with the added bonus of chatting with the chocolatiers and learning about their sourcing, philosophy, and inspirations.

While sampling the myriad chocolates there were a few that stood out to me. When I first arrived I asked a woman standing next to me, who had been to every table, which was her favorite. She pointed immediately to Restless Chocolates . I headed over there and was surprised to learn that they are a brand new company, and in fact, today marked their debut. I sampled several chocolates and was impressed with their smooth and creamy milk chocolate Peanut Butter Cream variety. I spoke with the owner and learned that they are hoping to sell in farmer’s markets around Seattle this summer.

Another favorite was Pioneer Square’s Intrigue Chocolate Co. . At first I wasn’t sure about the flavors on offer. But once I tasted them I changed my mind – very quickly. I was impressed with these chocolates for two reasons. First, this was incredibly creamy, melt in your mouth chocolate. Secondly, unusual sounding flavors, such as Basil, were a revelation. Related to mint, a common partner to chocolate, basil surprisingly made an even smoother marriage with chocolate. And I learned that they extract these delicious flavors through simmering in heavy cream. Another favorite here was the Earl Gray variety – it tasted startlingly like a nice cup of Earl Gray tea but in the most perfect, chocolaty way.

The very last chocolate that I tasted was from Massachusetts chocolatier, Taza Chocolate. This one caught my attention due to its deliberately grittier texture. Inspired by traditional Mexican style chocolate which is stone ground, this chocolate’s unusual texture really added another sensory layer to my chocolate eating experience. I liked it enough that I would make a point of seeking out stone ground chocolate in the future. After sampling several varieties I was wowed by their 87% dark. As I was tasting this one it immediately reminded me of something I couldn’t quite place. I finally realized it had the flavor of a rich, dense, flourless chocolate cake – and it ended up being the one chocolate bar that I purchased to bring home. This was a feat indeed, when considering the multitude of options!

About Marisa:
Marisa has been an indispensable part of the Foodportunity team for the last two years.
She has a lifelong passion for home baking and a growing interest in all things fresh, local, organic, and seasonal. Though a native Washingtonian, a love for history took her to Charleston, SC where she obtained her degree in English from the College of Charleston. She works in human resources by day, but would love to give it all up for a life of travel.

Cinco de Mayo is almost here. To celebrate I attended a party hosted by Demitri’s to launch their new Margarita Mixes. Hosted at newish (and fun) Capitol Hill event space Fred Wildlife Refuge, this was a lively party made all the more festive by 7 piece Latin band the SuperSones . Acting as the perfect accompaniment to Margaritas, Mexican food was prepared by Executive Chef, Jaime Mendez of Los Agaves Wandering around the party I felt almost like I was at a circus gone crazy! Not only was there a performance by the mind-boggling aerialist Sally Pepper adding another layer of excitement, but there was also a photo booth and 2 miniature donkeys were hanging out upstairs!

About Marisa:
Marisa has been an indispensable part of the Foodportunity team for the last two years.
She has a lifelong passion for home baking and a growing interest in all things fresh, local, organic, and seasonal. Though a native Washingtonian, a love for history took her to Charleston, SC where she obtained her degree in English from the College of Charleston. She works in human resources by day, but would love to give it all up for a life of travel.

I am in love with this book beyond words. I love anything that has to do with Yotam Ottolenghi. A year ago, I wrote a review of Plenty, the vegetable cookbook by the same chef.
Plenty is my favorite cookbook. Everyone knows that bloggers should never say they have a favorite anything. I mean, we are supposed to not be able to choose, just like we can’t choose a favorite restaurant because it really depends on the mood but I can clearly say and yell to the top of my lungs. I love “Plenty” so friggin much.

I was incredibly excited when Yotam Ottolenghi came out with his second cookbook ” Jerusalem”. This time, in collaboration with Sami Tamimi. The story is sweet: an Israeli chef opens a restaurant in London with a Palestinian Chef. Together they collaborate, work beautifully together, feed hungry hearts and souls- a symbiose that can only be found over food. They end up opening more restaurants together and coming out with a cookbook that presents recipes from both backgrounds, colliding, high fiving each other with Mediterranean elements and every vegetable you can think of.

I have been to Jerusalem quite a few times but have never connected with the place. Mind you, I haven’t explored Jerusalem food in the last decade, my only memories of the place is that The Wailing Wall is beautiful and that it gets really really cold. I know I am totally wrong and I will take the time to explore soon but to me Telaviv is the place to go in Israel. Give me action. I like busy life, gay friendly, lots of colors, bicycles, markets and I am a happy camper. I could eat somewhere different every night in Tel Aviv and never get bored (post on Tel Aviv is coming soon).

The book, though called Jerusalem shows foods that will you find all over Tel aviv and all over Israel.

What to expect:

-In true Ottolenghi style, the recipes have a long list of ingredients. If you want your food to have all the flavor profiles of an Ottolenghi dish then you probably need to get most of them, if not all. His stuff is always worth it, every time.

-Lots of vegetables. He uses eggplants, tomatoes, fennel and lots of fresh herbs.

-Home Cooking. Culturally, home cooking is everywhere in Israel. Kids finish school early every day. They eat lunch at home. You walk into a house and you will always find pots on the stove. Lunch is usually some kind of meat dish and evenings are salad, eggs and cottage cheese or creamy cheese and bread. Even with people working many hours and having very busy lives, home cooking is everywhere. Grandparents are always bringing boxes of food over for their kids. Even if you go to the park in the afternoon, you will see parents with containers full of food, feeding their kids.

- Stories of what every food means to the authors and cultural backgrounds. This is the best part for me, learning about the foods and their stories. That is what cookbooks are for.

Some of my favorite recipes are the Marinated Sweet and Sour Fish, Mejadra (lentils with rice), the Musabaha (warm chickpeas with hummus) and the roasted butternut squash with red onion, tahini and za’atar.

If you like your recipes exotic with interesting herbs and spices, then you will love this book.

One word comes immediately to mind when I think of new restaurant and bar Frolik Kitchen + Cocktails – FUN. Just opened at the Red Lion Hotel on Fifth Avenue, Frolik’s name alone will give you a hint of what to expect. Offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as to-go options, the real party takes place between 4-10pm every night when Frolik hosts “happy evening.” Not just one “happy hour,” but 5 hours – every night of the week. To add to the engaging environment they have an enormous outdoor deck (Seattle’s largest) with seating, a fireplace table, shuffleboard, and ping pong. And the glorious views of the Seattle skyline will remind you that you haven’t, in fact, been whisked away on holiday.

The fun continues on the inside with Xbox consoles as well as board games. I very much look forward to cozying up with a board game, some friends, and one of Frolik’s craft cocktails. I tasted several and my favorite, a “Rosemary Runamok,” was slightly sweet, but still light and refreshing. The cocktail list is quite long and you may also choose from a list of local beer and wine.

With award winning Chef Shailu Salian at the helm, the real highlight of Frolik is the food. Chef Salian has created some lovely bites . Sourcing from many local food purveyors including Salumi salami, Beecher’s Cheese and Taylor Shellfish Farms – Frolik makes an effort to offer local foods on its menu. Of the many bites I sampled, tops for me were “Grape, Goat Cheese, Pistachio Bon Bons,” and “Caprese Skewers.” I also sampled a luscious tiramisu – one of the best I’ve tried.

Frolik is located at 1415 Fifth Ave, Seattle WA. (206) 971 8000

About Marisa:

Marisa has been an indispensable part of the Foodportunity team for the last two years.
She has a lifelong passion for home baking and a growing interest in all things fresh, local, organic, and seasonal. Though a native Washingtonian, a love for history took her to Charleston, SC where she obtained her degree in English from the College of Charleston. She works in human resources by day, but would love to give it all up for a life of travel.

No. They don’t taste like beans. They taste like dense, chocolatey, delicious brownies.

Brownies!

They don’t have flour in them. They don’t have eggs and they don’t have to have milk either.

My kids are obsessed with them, especially the babies. I have already had twelve people taste them and not one person could guess the secret ingredient.

I got the idea from Chocolate Covered Katie. She has the most awesome recipes if you are trying to eat healthier desserts.

I used her Black Bean Brownie recipe with a few changes. I used Azuki beans because my nutritionist/naturopath ran some tests on me that revealed that I am slightly lacking in iron.
His first suggestion was to get some Azuki Beans. And of course, my first suggestion was that I make myself BROWNIES.

I used date syrup as the only sweetener in these and I used Kinder chocolate fingers (and just a few) instead of chocolate chips. I also made the same brownies with black beans but I found that the Azuki beans added a slightly better taste, maybe a tad bit sweeter.

This batter is totally fine for kids. No raw eggs or loads of sugar. My one and a half-year old tried it out for you. And yes, he wears his twin sister’s pajamas and his big brother’s shoes backwards. He is obsessed with everyone’s shoes but his own. He won’t keep his own shoes on for more than an hour.

Enjoy the brownies.

Have you ever fallen head-over-heels in love with a cookbook? I’ve had just that experience with Pam Corbin’s Cakes (River Cottage Handbook.) From the moment I cracked it open and landed on the recipe for “Cornish Fairings, a close cousin of the gingernut” it was love. It is such a lovely and charming little recipe book (and it is little, part of a series of small handbooks from the UK’s River Cottage http://www.rivercottage.net) that I took it to bed with me the first night in favor of the novel in which I was currently engrossed. I read of such things as Welsh Cakes, Jammy Dodgers, and Golden Syrup Cake. And as a lover of all things British, this book stoked my Anglophile (is Britophile a word?) fires right along with my palate. This is a good time to note that this book is imported from the UK and so it follows that the recipes in this book are in the metric system and use some seemingly (to my American ears) unusual ingredients. But I was in luck as I took an extremely useful class last year at Book Larder http://www.booklarder.com called “Baking in Translation – How to Bake British Without Freaking Out” taught by Paola Thomas who blogs at mirrormirror.typepad.com. One of the key takeaways from that class (that will undoubtedly help you with any British baking book) was that the “self-raising flour” called for in British recipe books is NOT the same thing we see on American shelves called “self-rising flour.” Fortunately, for us Paola has spent some time perfecting a substitute that you can make right at home – 1tsp baking powder to one cup or 150g all-purpose flour. If you are unfamiliar with British cooking terms and metric measures, the plethora of information on the internet will be your guide.

Here are some of my top picks from Cakes:

- Flapjacks are an altogether different entity in Great Britain than they are in the US. A British flapjack is more closely related to a granola bar – a softer, chewier and much more indulgent version (although the instructions do note you may cook them longer for a crisper flapjack.) Do make sure you aren’t greedy and impatient like me though. Make sure to let these cool in the pan completely, otherwise they may fall to pieces.

- Rhubarb Pudding Cake with Custard is possibly my favorite recipe in the book. Served warm from the oven and drenched in a pool of custard (I made mine from scratch but feel free to cheat with Bird’s tinned custard powder) this is all that a cake should be. Not too rich, yet warm, cozy, and comforting. And the distinct taste of rhubarb added that extra oomph to brighten this up into a lovely springtime dessert. This is one that I will return to again.

- I’ve long been a lover of scones but was almost entirely unfamiliar with their Welsh cousin, so I was quite intrigued to try my hand at Welsh Cakes. The ingredients are very similar as is the preparation of the dough, however a Welsh cake is fried up in a griddle – just a few minutes per side until it is a warm golden color. It is also much thinner than a scone and surprisingly tastes almost like a scone crossed with a pancake. Quick and easy to prepare, I have no doubt I will be making these lovely little cakes again soon. Corbin suggests these may be eaten with a bit of butter or some jam but they were so tasty just as they were.

- Cardamom Cake, redolent with a warm, cozy spice, this doesn’t sound like a springtime cake. However the spice in this cake is so light and bright that I was proved wrong. The cake may sink a bit in the middle, but as Corbin says, “don’t worry, just think of this as another of its charms.” And let me tell you, it has many. One being this is an understated cake, in the very best sort of way. While it is a spice cake, the flavor is perfectly balanced – leaving a subtle spicy aftertaste on your tongue after the last bite has been (sadly) consumed. Secondly, this cake has a delightfully crusty exterior that gives way to a wonderfully moist and delicate crumb.

If you can’t tell – I absolutely adore this baking book. I have baked quite a few of its other treats and none have disappointed, and I have an ever growing list of not-yet-trieds. This book is filled with simple yet supremely tasty baked goods. If you are looking for something fancy, you will need to look elsewhere for it does not put on any airs. It is a book to turn to when you are looking for a slice of comfort – something that can be made quickly and with relatively few ingredients on those days when you are craving a homey treat. This book and its recipes will warm you up from the inside out and have you dreaming of a cozy English kitchen with an Aga in the corner and a cup of tea.

About the author of this post:

Marisa has been an indispensable part of the Foodportunity team for the last two years.
She has a lifelong passion for home baking and a growing interest in all things fresh, local, organic, and seasonal. Though a native Washingtonian, a love for history took her to Charleston, SC where she obtained her degree in English from the College of Charleston. She works in human resources by day, but would love to give it all up for a life of travel.

Marisa has been an indispensable part of the Foodportunity team for the last two years.
She has a lifelong passion for home baking and a growing interest in all things fresh, local, organic, and seasonal. Though a native Washingtonian, a love for history took her to Charleston, SC where she obtained her degree in English from the College of Charleston. She works in human resources by day, but would love to give it all up for a life of travel.

Wouldn’t you love to have a professional chef with you at home in the kitchen?

A new tech startup, Culination, would like to help you do just that. I had the pleasure of attending a preview party for Culination, hosted by Kathy Casey at her Food Studios, where I learned about this up and coming “online collaboration between home cooks and culinary professionals.”
One of the primary features of Culination is connecting you, at home in your kitchen or on the go with your mobile device, with a professional chef who can help you learn how to cook – one of whom is Kathy Casey herself. While the internet is flooded with recipes, not many of them actually teach you how to cook, Culination would like to help you bridge that gap via multimedia lessons. Culination was conceived in part from its founders’ desire to educate. And what better topic than food – something we all share – a universal connection point. Culination will be launching an Indiegogo campaign on April 9th. Sign up here for the most up-to-date information on this exciting venture.
As host for this event, Chef Kathy Casey treated us to a sampling of several of the delectable deviled eggs in her new book “D’Lish Deviled Eggs.” If you haven’t checked out this book yet please run out and get a copy – it won’t disappoint. Each deviled egg that I tasted was packed with a phenomenal amount of flavor in a perfectly sized and visually appealing package. A favorite was the Chipotle deviled egg and I look forward to preparing it in my own kitchen very soon – as well as many others. Stay tuned for more on this delightful cookbook . . .

This is the sandwich that I have been thinking about it all week.

It is nothing complicated but just the right combination of sweet roasted vegetables and creamy, oozy and slightly tart goat cheese. I use whichever vegetables I can find in the bottom of my fridge; the purplest of cabbage, juicy eggplant, slices of sweet potato and red and yellow peppers.

Roasted Vegetable and Goat Cheese Sandwich

Ingredients:
Purple Cabbage
Eggplant
Sweet Potato
Red and Yellow Peppers
Any bread. I used Ciabetta here.
Goat Cheese or Chevre of choice (one that will melt well)

1. Cut vegetables and drizzle with olive oil and salt. Roast at 425 degrees until you get the color you want (I like them a little burnt on the edges).

2. Layer vegetables on the ciabetta and cover with thin slices of goat cheese.

3. Grill in panini press or if you don’t have one then you can use a frying pan with a heavy pot on top to flatten the sandwich.

The background music is familiar, it doesn’t matter if you have one, two or three kids. You hear the yelling ” Mama, Mama, Mama, Mama”. “I am hungry.” In a perfect world, you already have everything ready to go. Come on, everyone knows you need to plan a week ahead. NOT. Truth be told, I love meal planning and truly believe in it (a post coming soon) but there are days when I really do not have the time or just forget.

I know how to cook a lot of things but when I think of what to make, nothing comes to mind. It is really frustrating. I forget how easy it is to throw some pasta together. I made a short list of quick dinners you can make on those nights when fresh ideas are a thing of a past. Some of these require a little prep (insert into slow cooker here).

1. Quesadillas. Throw some salsa in the slow cooker or the Ninja with some chicken or pour barbecue sauce on some chicken and slow cook it for a few hours. Make the Quesadillas: shred the chicken, add avocado and some cheese into some tortillas, grill them in a pan and your kids will love it.

2. Oatmeal. A huge favorite in our house. We add date syrup and tahini for iron and calcium. My babies love it. Get creative with your favorite add ins such as honey, coconut, berries or dried fruit. In the mornings, we put it in a cup and take it in the stroller for the walk to daycare.

3. Slow Cooker Lasagna. This is delicious and I am not kidding. Just layer the lasagna in the slow cooker as you would in the oven and cook for a few hours.

4. Hummus with chopped vegetables and a nice warm tomato basil soup.

5. The easiest meatballs ever. Sweet and Sour Meatballs. Make these and freeze them for a rainy day.

6. Tortilla Pizzas. Put all the toppings out on the table and have your kids layer the toppings. Use cheese, corn, tomatoes, mushrooms or anything else you like on your pizza. I actually love canned tuna on pizza (don’t judge). Spread some tomato sauce on the tortilla with the toppings and bake or microwave if you are really in a rush.

7. Fruit Shakes with a twist. I like to freeze bananas and add them to some fruit in the blender. I sneak in a little spinach or kale and my kids drink it by the glass. Serve that with a tortilla rolled up with cream cheese and vegetables or the famous peanut butter and banana that my son will take any day.

What are your favorite dinner ideas?