Kiss the Rain… More Autumn Shades

More colours of autumn..pitter pattering on my doorstep. I like the smell after the rain, I want to gulp it down.

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Autumn Shades of Time and Tandoori Chicken Kebabs

Time. Time is a mysterious and magical entity. It speeds up and slows down at whim, making minutes seem like hours and months seem like days. How is it that waking from a short nap can feel like emerging from underwater, yet a night’s sleep can leave you struggling to understand how it is already morning when you just lay your head down on the pillow.

Roasted Garlic Spread

A new post for a new year (Jewish calendar), a new home and a new phase in my life. I have neglected you, dear readers, over the past few months, as I have worked hard to close several chapters in my life and open several new ones. Over the past six weeks I have finished my Master’s degree, completed a course to become an Aerobics Instructor, packed up our lives and possessions into neatly double-taped boxes and moved home.

Wined, Dined and Pedicured

 You may have noticed that I haven’t been very present here recently. I am forcing myself to stay away from my blog for a short while because, despite the pleasure it brings me, sometimes in life we  just need to prioritize. When there are only 24 hours in the day, and at the moment most are spent writing papers, preparing for exams, practicing aerobics, and a few sleeping and eating, there isn’t much time for the delights of blogging.

Good Old Blighty and a Tempting Graze

Sometimes, not very often but every now and then, I really really miss living in England.  It might hit me after a burning hot week, when stepping outside is reminiscent of stepping into a furnace. As the sweat slowly starts to trickle, I daydream of lush green gardens, Kenwood Park, that lovely damp smell after the rain, RAIN, wild daisies, late sunsets and the unmistakably English summer sounds of tennis being played outdoors.

Sautéed Zucchini and Endamame

A simple but delicious idea for the beginning of the week…

Meat Bourekas…finally something Middle Eastern

This is perhaps only my second mention of meat here so far. Anyone who reads this blog regularly might get the impression that I am not too fond of meat. But these people would be wrong – I love sinking my teeth into a juicy steak, and enjoy a  good piece of meat just as much of the next average carnivore.  I just don’t enjoy cooking it so much. The long, sweltering Israeli summers turn me off meat (and generally off  hot food)  leaving me perfectly happy eating cold soups, salads, cheeses, breads, eggs, fish and rice all summer long.

We do, however,  always eat roast chicken on shabbat. Last week I decided to make a meat dish as well: a simple Middle Eastern food called bourekas.  These filled puff pastry pockets, parcels or triangles are eaten in many countries, from Turkey to Bosnia, and are very popular here in Israel.

Orange Crisps…ALMOST so delicious

Ah, the trials and tribulations of baking and cooking are plentiful. Ninja says I am never happy with what I create in the kitchen. I always think it hasn’t come out well: I’ve burned it, I’ve ruined it, I am disappointed with the way it looks, or the way it sank in the middle.

“I can’t serve this, I am not serving this,” I declare frequently, when preparing for a meal with friends. Ninja rolls his eyes and reassures me that it is delicious (or so he says) or that it looks fine, and I should stop being so silly. Nine times out of ten I do serve it, whatever it may be that week, everyone likes it, and I forget about my earlier crisis of confidence.

Parmesan and Poppy Biscuits and a Farewell Party

Last week was a baking blitz. I spent hours upon hours in the kitchen, preparing for a small family goodbye party. My only brother, his wife and three adorable children  are going back to England for a few years. They are going to do important community work there and I am very proud of them, but they will leave a big hole behind them.

Zucchini and Ricotta Soup

 
This seemed to me a perfect soup for an Israeli summer: it involves minimal work, is an attractive colour and has refreshing flavours. The soup is supposed to be made with dark green zucchini but I could only find the pale ones…I’m not sure what difference this may have made to the flavour but it was still yummy. Ricotta is quite expensive here in Israel, so I exchanged it for what we call ’Gvina levana’ a white, low-fat cheese similar to fromage frais, making the soup both healthier and more economical.