Tahini

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Medjool Date Gondi

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Olive Oil Semolina Cake with Blood Orange Syrup

To celebrate citrus season here in Israel, Ben Gingi and I created a beautiful, easygoing loaf-cake recipe you’ll make again and again. Sumac makes it extra special, and olive makes it dairy-free. The interior is impossibly moist, and thanks to the semolina the exterior has the most alluring crunch. The hot-pink blood orange syrup we drizzled on top adds another layer of zing. Enjoy!

Tahini Smoothie

With so many incredible juice bars around, it’s no wonder you’ll find Israelis, cup in hand, sipping on a cool juice or shake at any given hour. This is a riff on the rich, milk- or yogurt-based shakes you’ll find on offer for breakfast, lunch, or even dinner in a pinch. If you’re a planner, freeze the bananas. Pit the dates and freeze those, too. Swap in any nuts you like, use regular (or any other faux) milk, or yogurt, instead of the almond milk. Other than the frozen banana and the ice, you can load the whole thing into your blender pitcher the night before and refrigerate it. Just don’t skimp on the tahini; it’s the glue, literally and flavorwise, that holds the whole thing together.

Blood Orange Campari Soda

This recipe is super easy, refreshing, and can be made using regular oranges if you don't have blood oranges.

Medjool Date & Root Vegetable
Meat Stew

A dreamy pot of good stuff! The dates soak up the rich white wine-based sauce, you use any root vegetables you have, and you finish with some chopped lemon. Just trust me here.

Pitaquiles

I’m a Californian who lives in Tel Aviv and loves Mexican food. Chilaquiles, traditionally made with tortilla chips or strips moistened in a spicy tomato sauce, are a favorite of mine. I’ve started making a version using pita strips and a spicy roasted cherry tomato sauce. It’s great for brunch (or brunch-for-dinner), and you can double up on the sauce and finally find a use for those stale-ish pitas.

Honey and Olive Oil Challah

If you follow the instructions, the recipe is foolproof and solves a lot of the problems challah bakers have.

Tahdig Rice

Taught to me by Persian Rotem Lieberson.
Yogurt is the secret ingredient. It seems complicated. It’s not. I promise you can do it!

Preserved lemons

When lemons are at their peak in the winter months, I hoard and preserve them to last me all summer.

PARMESAN FRICO & PESTO EGG

This crispy parm cracker, topped with the spicy pistachio pesto from Sababa and a runny egg, is my new obsession. If you’re pressed for time, use any store-bought pesto!

Triple Ginger Persimmon Loaf

Simple, but special. If persimmons aren’t in season, you can substitute one pound of very ripe mango, peeled, pitted, and puréed in a food processor until smooth. (Or 1 cup canned pumpkin).