“In the spirit of giving back during the holiday season, we are delighted to be able to bring a little holiday cheer to the children in our region and those that will be celebrating the holidays in hospitals” said Consul for Public Affairs Gil Lainer. By spreading the joy of Channukah (most importantly with sufganiyot) “we hope this will be the beginning of a sweet year for them and their families” continued Lainer.

We had some incredible partners too! On Monday, Consulate staff teamed up with Amber Collins, Miss New York 2011 and a host of Miss New York 2012 contestants for a night of fun at the Ronald McDonald House. This marks the second consecutive year the Israeli Consulate has thrown a Channukah party at the Ronald McDonald House. The Ronald McDonald house is an amazingly supportive institution for children receiving treatment in the New York area, providing them and their families a wealth of services and housing at a nominal fee of only $35 per night.

The holiday party brought smiles to kids who truly need all the love and support in the world. There were magicians, cotton candy, bunnies, clowns, and of course, dreidels.

“Ronald McDonald House New York is honored to host the Consulate General of Israel in celebration of a holiday that means a great deal to us all,” said William T. Sullivan, president & CEO of Ronald McDonald House New York. “With Chanukah’s deep roots in hope and faith, we believe that their visit will bring renewed inspiration to our families.”

On Tuesday night, to ring in the first night of Channukah, the Consulate visited a special after-school program for kids at the Children’s Aid Society in Harlem. If there was one thing we all learned, it’s that playing dreidel transcends cultures. Everyone got in on the action! The girls of Miss New York were also in attendance, as well as a special performance by the hit a capella group “Pella Singers.”

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYmLJ8GSsjk

Later in the week, Consulate officials and staff visited children at the Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey and at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan. Delivering teddy bears and sufganiyot was a small, but important way to lift their spirits during the holiday season.

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For many Israelis and Jews all over the world, the days or even weeks leading up to Passover mean thoroughly cleaning one’s house of chametz, or foods not deemed kosher for the holiday. In addition to bread, this of course means any products which could be considered leavened or contain yeasts. Everything in the cabinet, from hamburger buns to breadcrumbs, and depending on one’s religious affiliation, even rice and corn must be removed from one’s home.

While all of this is of course optional and entirely dependent on one’s religious beliefs, according to tradition, the food is “sold” to non-Jews and then bought back. Essentially, non-Jews are asked by their neighbors to hold on to their food for the eight days in which it is not permitted by religious law to have them.

This year, a smart group of social activists are trying something a little different. In these times, no one should be throwing food away, which prompted one Israeli organization to think about what they can do to help the people of Japan, where 150,000 are currently homeless as a result of last month’s earthquake and tsunami. Everyday goods such as flour and noodles are in dire need in Northern Japan.

“We call on all readers to bring us the products they won’t be eating on Passover, because there are those who need them,” says My Israel Chairwoman Ayelet Shaked. “We want to implement the value of mutual commitment not just within our people, but with other nations as well.”

With help from Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, volunteers will collect donations which will be packaged and shipped for Japan.

Thanks to Ynet for this story.

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Serious Eats, one of the top food blogs out there, sent one of their own to Israel and she’s providing daily reports from her stomach’s perspective. All week, in what they’re calling “Snapshots of Israel,” foodie Leah Douglas is exploring Israel…bite by bite.

Yesterday, she wrote about her experience  in Jerusalem’s famous Mahane Yehuda Market saying “Play your cards right and a halvah salesman may just slip you a couple samples of the buttery, nutty sesame treat. And don’t be scared off by the hustle and bustle—this food is worth fielding a couple shoves.”

Today’s post focuses on what else, falafel. Specifically, Moshiko Falafel, which is a popular Jerusalem joint (though many Israelis would point to Melech Hafalafel as top dog).

Make sure to keep checking out this page at Serious Eats as she continues to fill us in from the land of fried chickpea balls (er, milk and honey).

Also make sure to check out the rest of Serious Eats, especially Max Falkowitz and Ethan Frisch’s homemade ice cream recipe section!

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There are two very important things in this world that are older than the State of Israel. One being falafel, the other being McDonald’s. The first McDonald’s in Israel opened up in 1993, and almost two decades later, they are finally putting a highly-demanded Israeli staple on the menu. After giving the Mickey D’s treatment to kebab and shawarma, starting this week, McDonald’s is rolling out the McFalafel.

“The McFalafel is another one of our products which has been adjusted to the Israeli taste, joining the Iraqi pita bread series which also include McKebab” said McDonald’s Israel CEO Omri Padan. The McFalafel is your basic falafel, fried in canola oil and topped with tahini and chopped salad. At just under 500 calories, it “meets the standards of wise nutrition which have been promoted by McDonald’s since 2003″, according to Padan.

“Israelis’ tastes lean toward healthier foods. In Israel, the preferred toppings on hamburgers are vegetables, whereas in other countries people choose cheese and bacon. The fat content in the meat sold in McDonald’s’ North American restaurants is 20-24%; here it will be 9%,” said Padan in an interview with the Jerusalem Post last May.

To give you an example of the difference between McDonald’s in Israel versus the United States, in Israel, a Big Mac has just 380 calories, about 30 percent less than in the States.

While not all McDonald’s in Israel are completely kosher, most adhere to “kosher style”. That said, while the meat is 100 percent kosher, it may be possible to finagle your way into obtaining a not-so-secret hidden menu item, the cheeseburger.

In terms of cost, three pieces of falafel with tahini will be NIS 10 (around $2.80) , and NIS 16.90 (around $4.80) for five pieces with tahini.

Thanks to Ynet for this story.

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Israelis don’t take New Year’s Eve quite as seriously as people in, let’s say, New York City.  However, when it comes to a great cocktail, it turns out that no one – in the world – makes them better than Israeli Amit Gilad, of “Otto 76″, a popular bar in Tel Aviv.

Amit Gilad beat out 42 competitors at the international Marie Brizard Cocktail Competition that recently took place in Bordeaux, France. For his efforts, he took home a grand prize of €3,000 (about US $4,000) as well as international bragging rights among bartenders.

Gilad was awarded the grand prize for his concoction of Jasmine liqueur, passion fruit, grapefruit juice, anis, and mint.

Ynet describes Gilad, a 17-year veteran of the bartending world, as a member of the “older generation of Israeli bartenders who treat the profession with high regard, just like their middle-aged counterparts in neighborhood pubs in London and New York.”

The Marie Brizard Cocktail Competition is a two-day competition featuring bartenders from 27 different countries. Gilad’s winning cocktail was chosen by the judges in a blind taste test based on technical proficiency, as well as appearance, aroma, and of course, taste.

So this year, whether you toast at midnight with champagne, wine, or one of Gilad’s delicious cocktails: Happy New Year from your friends at isRealli.org!

For more information on the competition and Amit Gilad’s victory there, see this article in Drinks International.

Photo courtesy of Kenny Hindgren on flickr.  Used under Creative Common License.

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Krembo is an Israeli sweet that is virtually unknown outside the small Middle Eastern country. Variations on the theme have appeared in a few European countries but they have never stirred the same amount of passion – and debate – as they have in Israel.

Since 1963, the Krembo is by far Israel’s favorite sweet. Forever identified with the coming of winter, it is too fragile to survive the blistering Israeli summer. Kids know that the appearance of the Krembo in the grocery store means that winter, rain and cold cannot be far behind.

With the arrival of Krembo season comes the national debate about it. We may discuss the peace process, we may fight endlessly about the government’s social-economic policy, but the real debate among Israelis is about the right way of eating a Krembo; namely, top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top? Every Israeli child has his or her favorite way of eating the small biscuit-based, chocolate-covered fluffy vanilla filled Krembo. There are those who will carefully eat the outside chocolate first, then the filling, leaving the biscuit for last. And there are those who start with the biscuit, plunging their teeth into the creamy filling only later. Whatever your favorite way of eating the Krembo, you will fight forever to defend your Krembo way of life – and never waver from it.

To read more from Haaretz, click here

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Taco de Locust....yum?

Remember that scene in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom where they are served monkey brains? Well, that’s not kosher but a lot of very strange things are!

If the prospect of dipping pheasant into hummus with deep fried locusts sounds unappetizing to you, it’s probably because its been a while since this dish was popular. Yes, believe it or not, locusts and many other creatures are not only technically kosher but have actually been a Jewish tradition for quite some time. Of course, just because something can be kosher doesn’t mean it should replace good old fashioned kebab (plus we feel bad eating giraffe).

On the menu at Eucalyptus Restaurant in Jerusalem is swordfish, deer, buck, Mongolian Ringneck pheasants, turtle doves, a few varieties of sparrow, water buffalo, and the aforementioned locusts. All 100% kosher. Dr. Ari Greenspan of Efrat is organizing this very special meal attended by rabbis, zoologists, professors, and anyone brave enough to try these ancient delicacies. The 18-course meal will begin at 6 PM and end at midnight, with a small lecture before the presentation of each dish explaining not only the origins of the traditional yet obscure dish but how it conforms to halakha law.

The goal is to ensure that future generations of Israelis and Jews around the world continue passing along these traditional kosher recipes before they are lost forever. Well, maybe we could do without anything from the grasshopper family…

To read more from the Jerusalem Post, click here.

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Photo: Wikipedia Commons

‘The Zohan’ showed the world that Israelis use hummus for everything from toothpaste to a fire retardant. Though clearly satirical, the truth probably isn’t too far off. We do love hummus, but we wouldn’t think of putting it in our cereal or coffee would we? If that sounds gross, keep reading.

Starting soon, Israel will be unleashing chickpea milk. Yes, it’s a milk alternative not unlike soy milk, hopefully tasting a bit closer to the real thing. Researchers at the Ministry of Agriculture’s Volcani Center have ingeniously found another food group to be dominated by the Israeli-grown product. If this catches on, it will greatly increase Israel’s already massive chickpea industry.

“Chickpeas, unlike other crops like soy beans, are a local Israeli crop, and we want to encourage farmers to increase their yield,” said Dr. Shmuel Galili of the Volcani Center.

Making chickpea milk is as easy as soaking chickpeas in water overnight, grinding them in a blender with water, cooking them, and finally draining that mixture.

There’s no way to know if chickpea milk will ever catch on. Fist, researchers are burning the midnight oil trying to find a way to produce chickpea milk in a cost-efficient manner. Until then, cow’s milk it is.

We thank Ynet for this story.

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There are some dishes that actually taste better when it’s grey and cold outside. These dishes are usually homey, hearty and quite heavy, so a sweet and long siesta is a must after eating them! Therefore the combination with a rainy Saturday is just perfect! Since we only have just a few wintery days left for this year, including tomorrow – I suggest you to hurry up and get ready for this one.

There are many versions of this irresistibly homey casserole for Shabbat, aka Hamin: the famous Ashkenazi chulent, the fantastic Iraqi thbit and the Sephardic sofrito, to mention just a few.

They are all being prepared in a similar way of very slow cooking in minor heat over night. Traditionally they all served for Shabbat lunch. Of course you could sneak some goodies from the heavy pot for breakfast: the brown eggs or even better, try the marrow on your toast. Yummy:)

This following recipe is from Sephardic roots and it’s visually appealing as well as absolutely delicious.

Hamin Macaroni

Ingredients:

1.10 lb Macaroni (1 pack of Macaroni, I use Barilla, number 7)

1 whole chicken cut into parts

5-6 medium size potatoes, peeled and halved

½ cup sunflower oil

Salt and pepper to taste

½ teaspoon paprika

6 eggs

Baking paper

1 teaspoon tomato paste

1 large onion, diced

Method:

1. Season the chicken parts with salt and pepper.

2. Fry the onion until it gets golden and put aside to cool down.

3. In a large pot, fry the chicken parts in hot oil until it get nicely golden. Remove from the pot and put aside.

4. Cook the pasta in boiling water with a lot of salt (1 tablespoon should be fine) for about 6 minutes – until it almost soften. Drain.

5. In a large bowl, mix the macaroni with the oil. Use the entire amount of the oil here. Add the onion and the tomato paste, the pepper and the paprika. Taste and add salt if needed.

6. Place the potatoes at the oily bottom of the pot – the same pot where you previously cooked the chicken. On top on the potatoes place 1/3 amount of the macaroni. On top of it add the chicken parts. Then cover it with the rest of the macaroni. With a spoon, flatten the macaroni nicely and pour a half cup of boiling water on top.

7. Place the eggs in the corners of the pot, on top of the macaroni.

8. Cut the baking paper to the size of the pot. Put a little bit of oil on the paper and cover the macaroni with it. Then close the pot with its lid.

9. Transfer the pot to a 220 F preheated oven and cook it for the night, 7-10 hours.

Serve with: Pickles and fresh vegetable salads – fennel or radishes are great here.

End the meal with some fresh fruits.

BE-TE-A-VON!

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Almost overnight, Israeli cuisine has shaped up to be one of 2010′s hottest new trends. It’s hard to believe it took so long to attract the interest of high profile American culinary experts. Israeli cuisine is more than just falafel, it’s an eclectic mix of everything Mediterranean and Middle Eastern with an influence from countries as distant as Argentina and India. Below, you’ll find three great upcoming events to explore Israeli fare.

In its first ever cooking course, the New York Times’ Knowledge Network has chosen to feature Israeli cuisine for its seminar. To read more about “New Israeli Cuisine” and to sign up for the course which runs from March 23-29, click here.

The James Beard Foundation is having a dinner event on March 24th featuring the notorious Israeli chef, Haim Cohen. To sign up to attend the dinner, or to work up an appetite by reading what they’ll be serving, check out the James Beard Foundation’s events page.

In collaboration with the CIA (don’t get excited, that’s Culinary Institute of America), Chef Cohen will be hosting an event open for all students on March 25th. “New Israeli Cuisine at the CIA” will open with an Israeli wine and cheese reception for those lucky to attend.

Photo by Emily Barley on flickr.  Used under Creative Commons License.

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