By Michal Kramer
KFAR SABA, Israel — My husband Stephen regularly receives new books (in English) for review from Gefen Publishing in Jerusalem. But on the day he received them, Cooking together – The Israeli pantry; recipes from the Gaza area, He gave me the book and said, “Maybe you’d like to review this cookbook. You’re the cook of the family!”
I read a lot and cook a lot, but I’ve never written a book review before. However, I was so intrigued that I accepted the challenge! The only way I could even write a cookbook review was to try out some of the recipes first.
About 75 percent of Israel’s vegetables come from the Gaza border area, known as the Gaza Envelope (in Hebrew, Otef Aza), as do many fruits and dairy products. Since the October 7 attack, 89 percent of Israeli farmers have been affected by the war, according to the Agriculture Ministry.
The recipes in Cooking together features products from the Gaza envelope. It also celebrates Israel’s 76th year of independence by featuring recipes from a mix of immigrant communities. The recipes I tried were simple. Measurements are in grams and ounces. Oven temperatures are in Fahrenheit and Celsius. Each recipe is labeled as dairy, meat, vegetarian, or vegan. There’s also a list of recommended products from Otef (Southern District of Israel) for each recipe – but you can easily substitute.
When I tried some of the recipes, I was delighted to receive many compliments. Although the pictures of each recipe looked delicious, some of the finished dishes I made didn’t really match my expectations. They also didn’t all look the way I imagined them based on the ingredients. Some recipes could have had a little more guidance. For example, how long do you need to pre-boil potatoes?
This cookbook is the result of a collaboration between 28 chefs, including residents of the Gaza Strip, Be’eri Printers in the destroyed Kibbutz Be’eri, the Hebrew website Foody, Gefen Publishing and a team of stylists, photographers and translators.
By eating their food, using their products (as much as I could find), using their family recipes, and talking about them, we honored the people of Gaza who survived the attack. And we had a delicious meal (I was told). This is a great cookbook to own or give as a gift. It is also available in Hebrew. You can enjoy easy, delicious recipes and know that you are supporting devastated communities. Does anyone need a Rosh Hashanah gift?
So what did I serve? I made a pea and potato soup that I served cold, Ashkelon’s famous tomato salad, baba ganoush (eggplant, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and salt), pargiyot (boneless, skinless young chicken thighs) and potatoes with coconut cream and chili sauce. For dessert, there were Rachel’s chocolate chip cookies and a tahini-date-silan (honey) cake. (Rachel Edri is the Israeli grandmother who appeased terrorists who occupied her home while Israeli soldiers hiding outside prepared to rescue her.) Steve said he was glad he gave me the cookbook. Cooking together – The Israeli pantry; recipes from the Gaza area!
Two days after dinner, we took the train to Tel Aviv for a day trip. First on the agenda was breakfast at Cafe Otef, 30 Kaplan St., in the Sarona entertainment district. The cafe is nothing special, just sandwiches, pastries and coffee, but it is run by evacuees from Moshav Netiv Ha’asara who were evacuated to Tel Aviv. A second Cafe Otef recently opened in the Florentin neighborhood of Tel Aviv and is run by evacuees from Re’im. There are plans to open more such cafes in Israel.
You can buy Cooking together at a reasonable price on the publisher’s website. It can also be purchased on Amazon or in Israeli bookstores.
Try it yourself and enjoy delicious Israeli cuisine!
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Michal Kramer and correspondent Steve Kramer live in Kfar Saba, Israel.
