Busy moms can lose their “green” focus. Green Prophet’s EcoMum goes over 7 focal point tips to keep over-stretched moms on their “eco” pointe. It’s been a while since this EcoMum reported her tips on Green Prophet. I’ve been in my “mummy bubble” and from here I take it for granted that most people these […]
Summer time is tomato time, and not just for salads. Slow-roast some to taste the depth and sweetness of all their flavors. In Middle East open-air markets, we now see piles of ripe tomatoes. And since they’re seasonal and cheap, we enjoy them raw and sliced into all kinds of salads, sometimes cooking them when we […]
This common potted plant can now become part of your daily diet. Naomi offers 4 recipes for taking advantage of this healthful plant, which offers more than just sunburn relief. Image via odetothebigsea Growing up, my mother was always interested in natural remedies to mild health issues, whether it was burns, cuts or the flu. […]
Tel Aviv Carmel Market. Above image via esme Visitors to Israel’s best fruit and vegetable markets already know the country’s two most famous landmarks: The Carmel Market in Tel Aviv, which winds down from trendy Sheinkin Street right down the Mediterranean the Sea. And Jerusalem’s Machane Yehuda market, which anthropologically speaking, is most interesting on […]
The temperature’s rising! Part of your perfect summer meal must be fresh and fruity! Naomi gathers 7 excellent recipes for your feast. Image via vintagedept Did you ever feel like you were running out of options for summer meals? When it comes to meal time in the summer, it is always a challenge to balance […]
Baba ganoush, baba ghannouj or baba ghannoug (Arabic بابا غنوج ) is an Arab dish of eggplant (aubergine) mashed and mixed with various seasonings. It’s one of the best flavors the Middle East has to offer. Scientists say after seven or so years your body’s bones and organs regenerate, meaning most of us are a […]
Originating in ancient Egypt, carrots didn’t start out so orange. Can you imagine how Bugs Bunny would look chomping down on one of these? When you think of carrots what is the first thing that comes to mind? One thing is for sure, you don’t think “Gee, you mean that long purple vegetable.” Well here’s […]
It’s Slow Food defined, but worth it. Miriam winds down the sourdough series with a plan. It’s true, sourdough takes time. So do all good things. But once you’ve established your starter, a world of delicious home-made breads opens up to you. And the good news is that sourdough also makes quicker breads like muffins, […]
Finally, the recipe for sourdough bread! We’ve broken it up in parts, because it’s complicated, but today we’ll put it all together so it’ll makes sense if you’ve been following the parts. Last week we started with making a sourdough starter, and dedicated a whole post on how to care for and feed your sourdough […]
Baking sourdough bread can be a pleasure, but a bit like owning a pet. Miriam continues the series on baking great sourdough bread and how to maintain your starter. Earlier in the week, we covered how to make the starter for your sourdough recipe. But your starter needs to be fed. Yeasts need to be […]
The crucial test, apparently, and one which we should remember and apply, is "would our grandma or great-grandma recognise this alleged food item as food?"
You can bake a sourdough corn bread like this, too. our 4-part series on baking with sourdough starts here. People have relied on wild yeasts to ferment their bread doughs, beer, and wine for thousands of years. By contrast, commercial yeast has only been around for about 100 years. It only became possible to culture […]
Put your mouth where your morals are and eat the plants and vegetables you want to conserve. Image via ivanwalsh Since the beginning of the green movement, there has been a rise in the number of organizations and businesses that are doing their part in the promotion of sustainability through conservation. This past Earth Day […]
Tomato sauce, eggs, and a little chili heat. What’s not to love? Shakshuka came to Israel by way of immigrants from Tunisia. Its rustic North African origin is betrayed by the chili bite and how it makes the most of local ingredients: ripe tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggs. Sustainable, flavorful, folkloric and quick. Can’t get […]
Combat High Meat Prices with Tips for Going Vegetarian Argentina has halted export of a main dietary staple, beef, to keep local prices down. This has led to a beef shortage worldwide, along with an increase in price. How will that affect us here in the Middle East? And what can we do about it?
Slow Food people and chefs like Moshe Basson know that eating slow can reduce stress. New study shows how stress affects health, diet and fat reserves. Image via macbeck Few people would say that they lead stress-free lives. It starts with the pressure to fit in at school, then you need to wear the right […]
Fresh za’atar at Ramla Open-Air Market Chef Moshe Basson created this pungent, chunky pesto in just a few minutes, right under our eyes. Za’atar (Arabic: زعتر, also romanized as zaatar, za’tar, zatar, zatr, zahatar or satar) is a generic name for a family of related Middle Eastern herbs from the genera oregano, calamintha, thyme, and […]
Chef Basson makes za’atar pesto Moshe Basson’s culinary roots stretch back through time from 200 CE, when the collection of Jewish oral law known as the Mishnah began to take shape – to the Jewish presence in Iraq, where his family lived till the 1950s – to the present time in Jerusalem. He takes his […]
Taste of Beirut blog features authentic Lebanese cuisine and a great give-away. I love this blog. I love Lebanese food, and author Joumana, a Lebanese ex-pat living in the States, presents recipe after delicious-looking recipe, Slow Food style. Just a small example – the Toom garlic paste, a staple flavoring in Lebanese kitchens. Whirl garlic, […]
Chef Moshe Basson and health expert Christina Pirello put a vegan twist on a classic Arab dish. After changing location several times, Jerusalem’s Eucalyptus Restaurant has taken root in the prestigious Khutzot HaYotzer artist’s quarter in Jerusalem. Chef Moshe Basson hosted a “Biblical Cooking Class” there last week, taught by visiting American health and nutrition […]
Christina Pirello combines healthy and organic food recipes with delicious and gourmet. Acclaimed American macrobiotic cook, food writer and TV personality Christina Pirello will be in Israel this week, teaching how to cook for health, from the 3rd to the 12th of the month. She has authored five cookbooks and is an activist for better nutrition […]
Karin tries urban foraging and eating weeds from her garden. What are the chances she will live after this experiment? Taking cues from the Arab women foraging for mallows in the kindergarten in front of my house, and Miriam’s latest winter salad recipe, I decided to do a little urban foraging myself. (That’s me above […]
Winter salads are as colorful and appetizing as warm-weather ones. Miriam shares two recipes here. The word “salad” evokes a warm afternoon, sunshine streaming in through the kitchen window and a big ceramic bowl filled with chopped tomatoes and cucumbers. At least, it does to me. But it’s the wrong season for that picture right […]
The Slow Food Movement, founded in 1989, in a non-profit organization that attempts “to counteract fast food and fast life, the disappearance of local food traditions and people’s dwindling interest in the food they eat, where it comes from, how it tastes and how our food choices affect the rest of the world.” Delicious and […]
In every Middle Eastern country, people eat Majadra, the working man’s dish of lentils and rice topped with fried onions. The basic recipe is the same in Syria, Egypt, Lebanon, and Israel, with variations evolving from the local tradition or the taste of the cook. Some might cook the grains in stock instead of water. […]