TIDBITS

Barilla now has a line of whole-wheat pasta for those who want to eat a healthier variety of pasta dishes.

By EVA BEN-DAVID
barilla wheat pasta 88 (photo credit: )
barilla wheat pasta 88
(photo credit: )
Lehem Erez makes wonderful cheesecakes that everyone in my home found delicious. You have a choice between the classic version, with a sweet base crust, and a baked cheesecake with truffle chocolate. The price for the classic cheesecake is NIS 59, and the one with chocolate is NIS 75. Also available at the Lehem Erez bakery chain are a ricotta yeast cake (NIS 42), bread with Parmesan cheese and basil, or bread with chive and Emmenthal cheese. For this Shavuot Tnuva is cooperating with the Roladin bakeries to market two types of cheesecake, available in most supermarkets. The regular cheesecake was considered quite yummy by our tasters. The lite version, which thankfully lacks the artificial sweetener taste sometimes found in these products, also didn't disappoint. The price for an 850-gr. regular cake is NIS 32.90, and the 800-gr. lite cheesecake is NIS 33.90. Those who prefer to bake their own cheesecakes can use the Tnuva Hachef Halavan or the Strauss Dairy kits. The Chef Halavan kit contains cream cheese, biscuit crumbs and berry sauce; you will have to add some ingredients, depending on whether you bake the cake or prepare it cold. New this year is the kit to make a lite cheesecake, containing 88 calories a slice (the template to cut the exact size slice is added). The box contains cream cheese with 0.5% fat, cookie crumbs made from lite biscuits and whipped cream; the price is NIS 26.95. Other new Shavuot products by Tnuva are Picorini, a nice sharp cheese (NIS 9.90 for 140 gr.), and a parve whipped cream (NIS 8). The Strauss cheesecake kit contains a big container of cream cheese, a package of petit beurre biscuits, whipped cream, vanilla pudding, a chocolate bar and a recipe to prepare a baked or a cold cheesecake; the price is NIS 25.90. New for Shavuot are the feta-flavored Symphonia goat cheese, containing 5% fat (NIS 8.28), Danona cheesecake flavored yogurts with raisins (NIS 3.37 a tub) and Milki strawberry cake-whipped cream desserts (NIS 6.76 for a two-pack). Arava makes yogurts and cheeses from goat's or cow's milk. The goat cheese products are marketed under the name Ha'ez Halevana, and consists of a wide range of products, some of them organic. Unique is the cottage cheese made from goat milk, also available in an organic version, containing 5% fat; a 250-gr. tub of organic cottage cheese is NIS 17. A handy snack for a midmorning break is the goat milk yogurt that comes with a separate container of granola and a spoon (NIS 11.70); also available are yogurt drinks and sour cream, also with strawberry flavor (NIS 6.70 for a 200-ml. tub). The Ha'ez Halevana products are available in health food stores and selected supermarkets. Strauss has some new ready-made Lorenzo pasta dishes. The new varieties are Sicilian ravioli with cheese and olive filling, Napolitano tortellini with cheese and dried tomatoes (NIS 18.50 each) and a family-size package of Tuscan tortellini with smoked cheese (NIS 21). All you have to do is boil the pasta and add a sauce, if you wish; you can find the Lorenzo pasta dishes in the refrigerated department of your supermarket. Barilla now has a line of whole-wheat pasta for those who want to eat a healthier variety of pasta dishes. The varieties are spaghetti, pennette rigate and fusilli; a 500-gr. package of Barilla whole-wheat pasta is NIS 10. Osem is adding two new pasta varieties for the holiday, available for a limited period only. The new pastas are spighe, a wheat-shaped pasta that is suitable for pasta salads, and trottole, with a short, thick shape, suitable for serving with thick sauces; a 500-gr. package is NIS 7.60. If you want to eat your cheeses with some crackers, you can try the new varieties made by Lahmit. Available for a limited period are crackers with Mediterranean spices and crackers with Italian spices; a package is NIS 7.40.