The spotless chef: Omer Miller
“Your food tastes exactly like you look; keep your kitchen clean and tidy.” That’s what chef Yaron Kestenbaum told me 15 years ago, when I was sent to cook in the field as part of the catering team I worked for.
It was a high-end event in the Judean Desert for one of the country’s wealthiest people, and I showed up wearing a starched chef’s jacket with a stain on it. Yaron was horrified. He stood in front of me and gave me a full lecture about how I needed to be neat and spotless, even if I’d just fed 357 people at a bar mitzvah in the desert. Wow, was he right.
Mom’s chicken drumsticks with dried fruit
Ingredients:
- 8 chicken drumsticks
- 1/4 cup olive oil (my mom used canola)
- 3 onions, peeled and sliced into half-moons
- 1 cup pitted prunes
- 1 cup dried apricots
- 1/2 cup black raisins
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 3 tablespoons silan (date syrup)
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- Boiling water, to cover
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
1. In a large pot, fry the onions in oil until golden.
2. Add all the dried fruit and cook for about five minutes.
3. Add the drumsticks, silan, sugar, salt and pepper.
4. Pour in enough boiling water to cover the ingredients and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer on low for about an hour.
6. Transfer the pot to a preheated oven at 465°F (240°C), uncovered, for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.
Perfectly fried Sofrito: Avi Bitton
A crucial tip for Sofrito and other meat stews: Always sear the potatoes before cooking. And when frying them, like in the recipe below, don’t cut corners. Fry them to the level of perfect French fries. The crispy coating will later soften into one of the most satisfying elements of the sofrito. Also, make sure to properly sear the meat until it fully caramelizes, that's where all the umami flavor hides.
Veal Sofrito
As cliché as it may sound, this is my late mother’s recipe, a dish I used to eat at her house and at my grandmother’s. It’s precious to me not just because it’s theirs, but because it uses so few ingredients. If you were taught to cook with what’s in the fridge, my mother taught me to cook with what’s not in the fridge, and that’s the genius of this recipe.
Ingredients (4 servings):
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) veal shoulder, cut into cubes
- 2 kg (4.4 lbs) potatoes, cut into cubes
- 8 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 cup cold water
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. In a deep pot, fry the potato cubes in oil until they resemble French fries. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
2. In a wide, deep pot, heat canola oil and sear the meat for about five minutes on each side. Season with salt and pepper, then remove to a plate.
3. Leave the rendered fat and meat bits in the pot; don’t wash it. Add the water and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom, letting all the flavors infuse.
4. Return the meat to the pot and nestle the fried potatoes among the pieces.
5. Cover and cook on low heat for 1.5 to 2 hours, until the meat is tender and the liquid has reduced.
Serve with white rice and a fresh vegetable salad.
Mascarpone magic: Miki Shemo
When whipping cream to a firm texture, many people add sugar, powdered sugar or instant pudding, altering the flavor in the process. I recommend adding a bit of mascarpone cheese instead (about 10% of the total mixture). Since the fat content in whipping cream and mascarpone is similar, it won’t affect the fat ratio or flavor. The resulting texture is especially smooth and easy to pipe.
You can also finish off a classic biscuit cake with a piped top layer for a more elegant touch.
Classic Israeli vanilla-mascarpone biscuit cake
The charm of a biscuit cake lies in its simplicity.
Ingredients:
- For the base:
- 1 package Petit Beurre biscuits (200 grams)
- For dipping:
- 2 cups milk
- 3 teaspoons instant coffee
- 1/4 cup sugar
- For the filling:
- 3 containers heavy cream (38% fat, 750 grams total)
- 2 cups milk (400 ml)
- 1/2 cup sugar (about 100 grams)
- 1.5 packages instant vanilla pudding mix
- 1/2 container mascarpone cheese (125 grams)
- For the chocolate topping:
- 1/2 container heavy cream (125 grams)
- 125 grams dark chocolate
Instructions:
1. Whip all the filling ingredients until smooth, being careful not to overwhip.
2. Gently heat the milk, sugar and coffee for dipping until the sugar dissolves.
3. Lightly dip the biscuits into the mixture and arrange a single layer in a square or rectangular pan.
4. Spread a layer of the whipped filling over the biscuits. Repeat the process two more times, finishing with a layer of cream. Refrigerate.
5. For the topping: heat the cream and chocolate together, stirring until smooth.
6. Remove the cake from the fridge and pour the chocolate topping over it.
7. Refrigerate for at least two hours before serving.
A cutting board jump-start: Shaul Ben Aderet
Is your cutting board slipping? Place a cloth napkin, sponge or damp towel underneath to stabilize it. Another tip that will instantly upgrade your kitchen: use separate cutting boards for meat, fish and vegetables. That’s how professional chefs work to maintain both hygiene and order.
Salt-roasted chicken
This is the easiest and most delicious chicken you can make. Perfect for both beginners and seasoned cooks. You can’t mess it up, and the result is a deeply golden, crisp-skinned, irresistible chicken. While it roasts, the lemon inside turns to marmalade, infusing the meat with fragrance and flavor. You could easily devour the whole thing by hand, straight from the pan.
Ingredients:
- 1 whole chicken
- 1.5 kg (about 3.3 lbs) coarse salt
- 1 whole lemon
Instructions:
1. Place the chicken in a roasting pan and pour the salt all around it. Make sure the salt doesn’t touch the chicken itself.
2. Insert the lemon whole into the chicken’s cavity.
3. Roast in the oven at 390°F (200°C) for 50 minutes.
In praise of slowness: Or Spitz
Here’s a simple tip that changed my baking life, especially for chocolate cakes: bake them slowly, at a low temperature. Don’t worry, it won’t dry the cake. Instead, you’ll get a flat, even top without cracks or doming. Give your cake an extra half hour in the oven at 320°F (160°C) and you’ll be rewarded with a moist, rich result. Remember, baking takes patience.
Moist chocolate cake
Ingredients:
- 4 eggs
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 200 grams melted dark chocolate
- 1 cup self-rising flour (or all-purpose flour plus one packet baking powder)
- 1 cup oil
- For the ganache:
- 200 grams chocolate
- 200 grams heavy cream (or non-dairy alternative)
Instructions:
1. Whip the eggs, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy (about 6 minutes).
2. Gradually fold in the melted chocolate.
3. Add the flour and oil and mix to combine.
4. Pour into a baking pan and bake at 340°F (170°C) on turbo setting for 40 minutes.
For the ganache:
1. Heat the chocolate and cream together, stirring until smooth.
2. As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, cut it into squares and pour the ganache over the top.
Carrot hack for cleaner frying: Jeki Azulay
Want perfectly golden frying oil that won’t darken too quickly? Drop a piece of carrot into the pan while frying; it will help keep the oil clear.
Chicken and cauliflower patties
I love making meatballs and always add different vegetables. I don’t stick to peas or potatoes but rather switch it up with fennel or artichoke. Don’t be afraid to throw in whatever you have. With meatballs, almost anything goes.
For the patties:
- 1 kg (2.2 lbs) ground chicken
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- 1 egg
- 3-4 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- Pinch of nutmeg
- A little turmeric
- A little cumin
- Salt and white pepper
- Oil for frying
For the sauce:
- 4 celery stalks with leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets
- 2 cups water
- Salt
- A little white pepper
- A little turmeric
- A little cumin
- Oil for frying
Instructions:
1. To make the sauce: In a wide pot, fry the onion. Add the celery and cauliflower florets. Season with spices.
2. Add the water, stir, and bring to a gentle boil over low heat.
3. For the patties: In a bowl, mix all the ingredients well. Form into small balls and lightly fry them in a bit of oil, just enough to brown the outside.
4. Transfer the browned patties to the pot with the sauce.
5. Cook over low heat for about 20 minutes. You can reduce the sauce to your preferred consistency.