Cafe Liz

This dip won over a self-proclaimed hater of zaatar (my husband) and another self-proclaimed hater of herbs (a good friend). Zaatar is quite popular in this part of the Middle East, and is frequently sold as a dry spice mix, which also includes sesame and sumac (and sometimes salt). But this dip contains fresh zaatar, which is nothing like dry zaatar — it has more of an herbal taste, and somewhat resembles oregano. Here it serves as an interesting compliment [...]

It doesn’t get much easier than this. You roast an eggplant, mix it with mayo, and season with chopped herbs. Then you eat it. This is pretty much a Middle Eastern babaganush with a Western twist. The mayonnaise makes it creamier than usual, and the thyme adds an unusual flavor twist. The best way to roast an eggplant is straight on a gas burner (or on a charcoal grill). The cleanest way to roast an eggplant is wrapped in tinfoil [...]

I came to the market a little too late on a recent Friday. It was all of 4 P.M., but half the stands were closed. Discarded vegetables lined the path, as greengrocers dumped unwanted produce before the weekend. Piles of lettuce leaves that came to my waist. Boxes of mushy tomatoes, being picked over by foreign workers. Oh, and a small pile of fresh thyme and oregano. So I admit it: I picked them out of a box in the [...]

I’m not sure I cracked the secret of the secret tahini, but my not-so-secret version is good nonetheless. A few days ago, we were at a vegetarian restaurant called Mezze for the first time. The restaurant isn’t new; how it is that it took us so long to visit a vegetarian restaurant in Tel Aviv, I do not know. But nonetheless, we enjoyed ourselves. Mezze prides itself in its tahini, which is normally not my favorite food. But the menu [...]