Like many Israelis, the past week has swung between the shelter and the kitchen, with no one quite able to decide where we actually feel safer.
We do not know if the day ahead will bring quiet or escalation, whether leaders will fall or rise, who abroad will condemn or support us, but one thing is certain: one way or another, we all still have to eat.
Quiet days or loud ones, tension or calm, these are days for food that offers simple comfort when nerves are frayed.
That is why we chose a few simple dishes. Two of them hold a full meal, with minimal effort and without a long list of ingredients, you can slide them into the oven and forget about them. If you need to head to the shelter, the food will keep cooking just fine. An hour more or less will not hurt the dish.
You can serve the pot straight at the center of the table, plate it nicely, pack leftovers for tomorrow, or fill containers for an elderly neighbor or a young mother in the building who spent the week caring for a baby. Chances are they will appreciate a plate of good rice and roasted chicken.
The golden pot: Lemon-garlic herb chicken with green rice and cashews
As the chicken browns, its juices soak into the rice. Garlic, lemon and herbs infuse the whole dish with aroma and depth. Toasted cashews are optional, sprinkled on top at the end.
Ingredients:
6 chicken legs (drumstick and thigh pieces)
2 cups basmati rice, rinsed well
2 large bunches chopped herbs (parsley, dill and a little cilantro)
10–12 garlic cloves, peeled
Juice and grated zest of 1 large lemon
1 additional lemon, washed and sliced
3½ cups boiling water (about 830 ml)
3 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cumin
Olive oil for frying
For serving:
½ cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
Extra chopped herbs (optional)
Preparation:
- Heat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
- In a wide pot, heat olive oil and brown the chicken pieces well on all sides until deeply golden. Transfer to a plate.
- In the same pot, lightly fry the whole garlic cloves until they begin to turn golden.
- Add the rice and chopped herbs and stir for about a minute until the rice is coated in oil and fragrant.
- Return the chicken to the pot, arranging it over the rice.
- Mix the boiling water with lemon juice, lemon zest and the spices, then pour carefully into the pot.
- Bring to a boil, cover and transfer to the oven. Bake at least 40 minutes. If you have to rush to the shelter, the dish can stay in the oven longer without harm, and the rice will simply crisp up more.
- Turn off the heat and let the pot rest, covered, for 15 minutes before opening.
- Serve in bowls topped with chopped herbs and roasted cashews.
The orange pot: Barley mejadra with caramelized squash
Aside from frying the onions, nothing needs pre-cooking. Everything goes straight into the oven for a true set-and-forget meal. Barley likes time to cook, so it requires little supervision. Wheat berries can also be used, or even combined with the barley.
Ingredients:
2 cups pearl barley, rinsed
1 cup black lentils
3 large onions, fried until browned
For the squash topping:
Butternut squash or pumpkin, cut into thick wedges (about 2–3 inches / 5–7 cm wide), peel removed
For the cooking liquid:
5 cups boiling water (about 1.2 liters)
3 tablespoons silan (date syrup)
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Salt and black pepper
For brushing the squash:
Silan (date syrup)
A little cinnamon
Salt
Preparation:
- Heat the oven to 320°F (160°C).
- In a pot, combine the pearl barley, black lentils and fried onions.
- Pour in the boiling water mixed with silan and spices.
- Arrange the squash wedges on top. Brush with additional silan and season generously with cinnamon and salt.
- Cover tightly. For better steam retention, place a sheet of parchment paper under the lid and bake for at least 1½ hours, or up to 2½ hours.
- Remove the lid, switch to broil, and roast briefly until the squash caramelizes.
An upgraded Niçoise
And if what you want is something entirely different, a slightly more refined plate, this upgraded Niçoise salad fits the bill. It features fresh tuna coated in a black pepper crust, quickly seared and sliced, along with seasonal spiral beet that is as sweet as candy and as beautiful as a painting.
The salad has several components prepared separately. None are complicated, but the dish does require attention.
Ingredients:
9 ounces (250 g) fresh red tuna fillet, chilled and trimmed
Plenty of crushed black pepper and Atlantic sea salt (4:1 ratio, pepper to salt)
A little oil
1 spiral beet, very thinly sliced (preferably with a mandoline)
2–3 free-range eggs
A handful of asparagus or fresh green beans
6–8 cherry plum tomatoes, halved
4–5 very small potatoes
2–3 artichoke hearts, canned
½ red onion, sliced
Thinly sliced radishes
A handful parsley leaves
Sliced red chili to taste
For the vinaigrette:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon smooth Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ garlic clove, crushed
Salt and black pepper
Preparation:
- Boil the potatoes in salted water for about 20 minutes, or until a knife slides in easily. Drain.
- Trim asparagus or green beans. Blanch in salted boiling water for 3 minutes, then transfer to ice water to stop cooking and preserve the color.
- Cook the eggs in boiling water for 6½ minutes. Transfer immediately to ice water, peel and halve. The yolk should remain slightly runny.
- Coat the tuna on all sides with black pepper and salt. Heat a heavy pan with a little oil over very high heat and sear the tuna 30–45 seconds per side, leaving the center pink and rare. Rest briefly, then slice into pieces about ½ inch (1 cm) thick.
- Whisk the vinaigrette ingredients in a small jar until emulsified.
- On a wide serving plate arrange the potatoes, asparagus and tomatoes. Place the seared tuna slices on top. Add artichokes, egg halves and beet slices, then scatter onion, chili and parsley. Drizzle generously with vinaigrette just before serving.