Cafe Liz

Dulce de leche liquor

I first encountered dulce de leche liquor when I was around 20, on a trip to Buenos Aires. Always one to travel light, I went with only a small backpack, which made my mother all the more amused when I returned home, having managed to stuff five bottles of wine and two bottles of dulce de leche liquor into that little bag. (Ah, the good old days, when you could still bring liquid onto flights). Shortly after, she “confiscated” one of the dulce de leche bottles, ostensibly because I was underage. What can I say? My mom likes my taste in liquor. I think she still has some left.

That was years ago. I finished my bottle, and never saw dulce de liquor again — until last month, when I found myself at the Jaffa Market with Eitan’s sister-in-law. Yaakov Lavie of Efrat had set up a stand for his award-winning liquors, and was offering tastes. Hoping not to spend money, I turned him down — I knew that once I tasted it, I wouldn’t be able to resist buying a bottle. But one thing led to another, and I found myself with half a liter of dulce de leche liquor for a very reasonable 50 shekels.

The liquor was nothing short of wonderful, and I should have asked Lavie for a percentage of sales, because I quickly had half a dozen friends wanting their own bottles. The catch? In theory his liquors are sold at chocolate shops around the Tel Aviv, but in practice, you can’t find them anywhere. Except for the Jaffa Market. Which is in the Jaffa port. Only on Fridays. And it’s one hot half-hour bike ride at this time of year.

What to do? Continue reading Dulce de leche liquor…

Green beans with sherry and Romano

These green beans have no one dominant flavor. Rather, everything blends together — sherry, garlic, basil and Romano cheese. It simply tastes good.

The beans have a special, wrinkly texture from being fried — not pan-fried, but really fried, in lots of oil. I was inspired by this recipe for Chinese-style green beans on Rasa Malaysia.

Anyway, nothing Chinese here — freshly grated Romano cheese, which we bought on our last trip to Italy; a few spoonfuls of sherry from a vacation in Spain (it pains me to do anything but drink my good sherry, but really, you don’t need too much); and some freshly clipped basil from the plant on our patio, flowers and all. Continue reading Green beans with sherry and Romano…

Simple eggplant tomato stew

This is somewhat of a classic dish in these parts, and super-simple: Fresh tomatoes meet an interestingly shaped baladi eggplant, and all of the above are in season right now.

You’ll find a version of this eggplant salad just about everywhere here, sometimes served cold, sometimes spicy, and frequently made with tomato paste instead of fresh tomatoes. You can find it at luncheon cafes, served with pita, alongside falafel, or, my favorite, with rice. (OK, my real favorite is homemade, but you get the idea.)

I favor taking advantage of the fact that tomatoes are in season, since bright red tomatoes, sweet and juicy, add something to a dish that no processed tomato product can do.

The baladi eggplants are one of the four major kinds grown around here, alongside the basic club-shaped eggplants and two kinds of mini eggplants. They’re more squat than your usual eggplant, with rippled skin. Continue reading Simple eggplant tomato stew…

Cherry coconut sorbet with amaretto

This recipe really gives it all away at once — cherry coconut sorbet with amaretto. That’s what’s in it: cherries, coconut and amaretto. Oh, and a bit of sugar. It’s really that simple.

I’ve been eying the beautiful cherries at the market for the past several weeks now. They’re not exactly the cheapest fruit, but fortunately the price has been coming down to 20-25 shekels a kilo, and I usually make the splurge. It’s well worth it, because the cherries are juicy and sweet, and I enjoy every last one.

For that reason, I hesitated to use so many of them in anything that didn’t involve just eating them red, shiny and intact. Eitan convinced me that cherry ice cream would be just as good as raw cherries. Fortunately, I can still buy more. Continue reading Cherry coconut sorbet with amaretto…

Sprouted lentils in olive oil and herbs

The combination of sprouted lentils and herb-infused oil produces a dish with a rich, nutty taste. I was inspired by a very similar dish we had at a brunch in Zichron Yaakov. Continue reading Sprouted lentils in olive oil and herbs…

Restaurant: Brunch at Piccotto in Zichron Yaakov

We happened upon this restaurant while strolling through Zichron Yaakov, looking for a place to eat brunch. It turned out to be an excellent deal in a very pleasant setting — about a dozen mezes, alongside fresh-baked bread, coffee and an omelet/shakshuka of your choosing, for 56 shekels a person (about $13).

Fresh vegetables and local herbs played a large role in the mezes, of which all but one (the smoked salmon) were vegetarian. Lots of tahini sauces, and lots of fresh zaatar. My favorites included the sprouted lentils in sage oil (I’m already sprouting my own in order to create an imitation), seared peppers with feta and smoked eggplant salad. Here’s the full menu in Hebrew. Continue reading Restaurant: Brunch at Piccotto in Zichron Yaakov…

Cross-Mediterranean caprese with fried onions and sumac

This version of a caprese salad takes a trip around the Mediterranean: The classic Italian mozzarella and tomatoes, plus Middle Eastern seasonings — fried onions, sumac and cumin.

I used cherry tomatoes (plum cherry tomatoes, to be precise), which tend to be sweeter than regular tomatoes, and thus work very well when tomatoes are the centerpiece of the dish.

Sumac is a burgundy-colored spice with a light tangy flavor. Obviously, this spice is not the same plant as poison sumac or poison ivy; it’s a benign relative. (More information on sumac.) If it’s not something you keep around your kitchen, you could leave it out of this recipe. Most of the seasoning comes from the fried onions anyway. Continue reading Cross-Mediterranean caprese with fried onions and sumac…