If you travel around Israel these days, you’ll be delighted to see all the new
green carpets covering areas that were previously brown and yellow. Among
the grass and flowers growing rapidly in the fields are many wild herbs, which
have been used for in local cuisines for centuries. Now is the time to look for
those fresh and truly original Israeli produce at its best.
Much as we
are now rediscovering local ingredients and flavors such as olive oil, tehina,
eggplant and other foods that have recently found their way into local gourmet
restaurants, it is time to unveil the secret of cooking with the local wild
herbs and fruit.
Chef Amos Sion of the Helena in the Port restaurant in
Caesarea has prepared a seasonal menu that makes use of herbs that are ready to
be used this time of year, changing the way they are used in the traditional
kitchens and using them in his own special way. Sion believes that there should
be a connection between the soil and the food we eat. Rediscovering authentic
ingredients that have been used for cooking in our area for decades, such as
wild herbs, will take the Israeli cuisine a step forward toward a regional
cuisine, much like regional cuisines that are being developed in other parts of
the world.
Among the wild herbs he is introducing at his restaurant this
month are the gundelia (akub-kotz), cyclamen leaves, wild spinach, wild mustard
and many more. They may be weeds to those who like to go for walks, but not many
know how to cook them.
If you choose to pick your own, make sure that you
recognize the plant and know for sure it is not poisonous. Choose young
leaves, wash the plant very well and do not pick all the leaves – so as not to
kill the plant but let it regenerate and flourish.
STUFFED WILD JERUSALEM
SAGE Makes 4 servings
The leaves of the sage plant are wide, and it is at its peak right now. If you
can’t find them, you can replace them in the recipe chard or wild
spinach.
✔ 1 bunch Jerusalem sage
✔ 1⁄2 cup dark raisins
✔ 1⁄2 cup pine
nuts
✔ 1 cup friki (smoked green wheat)
✔ 1 onion, chopped
✔ 4 cups broth or
water
✔ Olive oil
✔ 2 onions, sliced
✔ 1⁄2 cup lemon juice
✔ 1 tsp. baharat
✔ 1
tsp. salt
✔ 1 bunch parsley, chopped
Remove the stems of the sage leaves, blanch
in boiling water for 30 seconds and immediately place in ice water to stop
cooking.
Fry the chopped onion in olive oil, add the baharat, friki, pine
nuts and parsley. Add 11⁄2 cups of boiling broth or water, season, cover
and cook over low heat about 8 minutes.
Let cool. Add the raisins and
roll into small cigar-shaped tight rolls. To roll: Fold the wide side towards
the center and then roll.
Line the bottom of a heavy pot with slices of
onion. Arrange the stuffed leaves closely together in layers, and sprinkle the
raisins between the layers.
Fill the pot with broth or water to cover the
stuffed leaves and top with lemon juice and a little olive oil. Bring to a
gentle boil, cover with an upside-down plate and the lid. Simmer on low heat for
50 minutes.
AKUB (GUNDELIA) SHAKSHOUKA Makes 2-4 servings The akub
(gundelia) is a thorn that grows wild in the Galilee but is now also grown in
small amounts and is available for a short time in the markets. It is crucial to
wash it well before cooking.
✔ 1⁄2 kilo peeled akub, sliced into
2-cm. slices
✔ 150 gr. sheep’s feta cheese
✔ 2 onions, sliced thinly
✔ 1
tsp. sugar
✔ 2 garlic cloves, minced
✔ 1 bunch parsley, leaves only
✔ White
pepper
✔ Salt to taste
✔ 4 eggs
✔ 3 Tbsp. olive oil
✔ Green onion
Sauté the onions in oil until golden,
add sugar and a little white pepper. Add akub, cover with water, season
with salt and cook for half an hour or until the akub is tender and the sauce
thickens. Carefully break in the eggs into the pan, crumble the cheese over the
eggs and cook covered until the yolks are a little settled and the cheese begins
to melt. Serve hot with bread.
HUBEZA AND RICOTTA TORTELLINI Makes 2-4
servings The hubeza (halamit in Hebrew, or mallow in English) is a wild pink
flower that is very common in Israel, growing in the fields but also in the
city, in backyards and on the side of the road. The leaves can be cooked much
like spinach.
For the pastry: ✔ 1 cup flour (use semolina or durum)
✔ 1
level tsp. salt
✔ 1 egg
✔ 1 Tbsp. olive oil
For the stuffing:✔ 1⁄2 kg. hubeza
(or spinach) leaves, chopped
✔ 2 garlic cloves, minced
✔ 1 Tbsp. olive oil
✔ 200
gr. ricotta cheese
✔ White pepper and salt for seasoning
✔ Nutmeg
✔ Olive oil
✔ Cloves of small green garlic, sliced. If not available, replace with a few dry
garlic cloves or a small bunch of garlic chives.
✔ Parmesan cheese,
grated
Place all pastry ingredients in the food processor bowl and blend until
crumbles form. Remove from bowl and continue kneading by hand until pastry
forms. Using a pasta machine or a rolling pin, roll out the pastry to a
very thin sheet.
To prepare filling: Reserve 1⁄2 cup of the chopped
leaves and sauté the rest and the garlic in olive oil until tender. Place in a
strainer to drain until cooled. Mix with ricotta, white pepper and nutmeg and
season with salt.
Cut out rounds in the pastry, using a glass or cookie
cutter. Place a heaping tsp. of filling in the center of each round and
shape into tortellini.
Cook the tortellini in boiling salted water only
until they float to the surface.
In a frying pan, sauté garlic slices in
olive oil for 1-2 minutes. Remove the tortellini from the water and place in the
skillet with oil and garlic. Stir gently. Add the reserved chopped hubeza
leaves, sauté together for 1 minute and serve with Parmesan cheese.
GREEN
SALAD WITH BEETROOT AND MOZZARELLA Makes 2-4 servings ✔ 1 head lettuce; use only
light green inner leaves
✔ 8 hubeza leaves (or very young, tender vine leaves)
✔ 5 small celery leaves
✔ 8 parsley leaves
✔ 5 basil leaves
✔ 1 roasted or
pre-cooked beetroot, cubed
✔ 1 orange, segmented
✔ 1 fennel bulb, thinly sliced.
Discard the hard part in the middle
✔ 10 green almonds, unpeeled. If not
available, use dry almonds
✔ 1 large ball of fresh mozzarella
✔ 1⁄2 red chili
For the dressing: ✔ 1 Tbsp. honey
✔ 2 garlic cloves
✔ 7 hubeza leaves (or small
vine leaves)
✔ Juice of 1 lemon
✔ Salt
✔ 6 Tbsp. olive oil
Place all the
dressing ingredients except the oil in a food processor bowl. Set the
processor on low and drizzle the oil in slowly while mixing until dressing is
smooth.
Tear the greens into bite-size pieces and toss together with
orange, fennel and almonds in a salad bowl. Pour the dressing on top and toss
again. Tear mozzarella into bite-size pieces, place on top of the salad and
serve.
AMBERJACK TARTARE WITH GREEN FAVA, CHARD AND SUMAC Chard can be
replaced with arugula or watercress ✔ 100 gr. amberjack, cubed (called Inthias
in Israel) or other white fish
✔ 1 tsp. sumac
✔ 1 Tbsp. roasted pine nuts
✔ 1
bunch arugula or chard leaves
✔ Juice of 1 lemon
✔ 1⁄2 cup green fava beans,
blanched
✔ Salt
✔ 2 Tbsp, yogurt (sheep’s or goat’s)
✔ 2 Tbsp. olive oil
Toss
together all the ingredients except the yogurt. Place yogurt on a serving dish
and spread with the back of a spoon.
Heap the fish and leaf mixture on
the yogurt, drizzle a little olive oil on top and serve.
Recipes and photos
courtesy of chef Amos Sion and Helena in the Port restaurant in Caesarea