RFCJ RECIPE ARCHIVE
Posted by : Ruth Heiges Purslane & Baby Greens w/Cucumber & Shredded Cabbage - pareve
In the current cooking column by Zillah Bahar in the Jewish Bulletin of Northern California, she writes: "Paula Wolfert has been writing about the cuisines of the Mediterranean region since the early '70s. In the more recent of her six cookbooks on the subject, Israeli recipes have been cropping up as the country's national cuisine takes shape. "Although Israel is highly influenced by European culture, Wolfert predicts that the prevailing food style will be Middle Eastern in its essence. 'I don't see Ashkenazi food surviving,' she said in an interview, just before embarking on a fall tour to promote her _Mediterranean Greens and Grains._" It's my bet that Wolfert spoke with some of the Israeli chefs featured in the cover story of the current "Jerusalem Report" magazine. (Unfortunately, the online version does not carry this story.) The message of that article is that Israelis are, at last, developing a penchant for more refined dining and that this Israeli ~haute cuisine~ is largely Mediterranean in character. The comparison in this article is not to Ashkenazi food, however, but to European ~haute cuisine~. I've lived in Israel for 21 years, and Ashkenazi food has never been a factor on the culinary scene during that time. There is only a handful of such restaurants even in Tel Aviv, and I believe they will always have their core clientele. My personal take is that the period of ~nouvelle cuisine~, which found a lot of young Israeli chefs experimenting with that concept vis-a-vis both the Jewish dietary laws and locally raised products, served as a transition into the current period. I've not included the recipe for zhug, which appears with this article, since I think the ones we've had submitted recently are much better. Bahar notes, "Sumac ... is an edible berry with a distinctive sour, lemony flavor. You'll find the more exotic varieties of greens used in the recipes in farmers' markets." Ruth --From "Mediterranean Greens and Grains" by Paula Wolfert (367 pages, HarperCollins, $27.50). PURSLANE AND BABY GREENS WITH CUCUMBER AND SHREDDED CABBAGE Serves 6 2 cups very young purslane leaves (3/4 pound uncleaned) 1/2 cup scallions, white part only, thinly sliced into rings 1 cup peeled, seeded and cubed cucumber 1 cup shredded cabbage, soaked in salted water for 30 minutes, rinsed and drained 2 cups baby greens or mesclun 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice or more to taste 3 to 4 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil salt freshly ground black pepper sprigs of fresh mint, salad burnet and chives for garnish Wash the purslane and pat dry with paper toweling. Combine the purslane with the scallions, cucumber, cabbage and baby greens. In a separate dish, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, mixing well. Toss with the greens; garnish with the mint, burnet and chives. Serve as an accompaniment to grilled fish, lamb kabobs or just good bread. ------ East Bay writer Zillah Bahar is author of "Kosher Light: Your Traditional Jewish Favorites Cooked Healthy" (Viking). Copyright Notice (c) 1998, San Francisco Jewish Community Publications Inc., dba Jewish Bulletin of Northern California. www.jewishsf.com/jb/cook.htm September 4, 1998
