Along the narrow central alleyway of the Shuk in Tel Aviv is a small open air kitchen selling Yemeni dishes, run by Elad. Elad is a chef who cooks the flavours he grew up with, learned in his mother's kitchen, learned on the streets of Tel Aviv & Jerusalem. I ate there every chance I got.
"Hello, my brother!" he'd shout out as we elbowed our way closer to the counter, finding empty stools & climbing up to get a clear view of the menu - a scrawl of English & Arabic chalked up on the wall above. "What will you eat today?"
"Anything Elad, surprise me. I want everything & I can't decide!" My standard reply.
I knew I'd be eating something fabulous in moments. Elad's cooking was delicious from the very first mouthful, & that's how it was until my last mouthful, weeks later when the time to return home to Auckland had finally arrived. I just love those flavours!
I knew I'd be eating something fabulous in moments. Elad's cooking was delicious from the very first mouthful, & that's how it was until my last mouthful, weeks later when the time to return home to Auckland had finally arrived. I just love those flavours!
The secret of his ras-el-hanout blend I never learned, but these are spices used across the Middle East in all manner of ways, in Jewish & Arabic food, & eastward across Persia & into India...coriander & cumin, cinnamon & clove, ginger & paprika. Inspiration lingers here for me, so this week's fridaynightdinnerbox dishes have been written with these dishes & flavours in mind.
So then, this week in the fridaynightdinnerboxes: free-range chicken rubbed with a home made harissa paste & flame grilled. Served along side, Mejadra, a dish common in the markets & small restaurants all over Israel & Palestine which combines rice & lentils, cumin & coriander, crispy fried onions. A small Israeli salad of cucumbers & tomatoes also.
Your part is simple: get in touch by Thursday afternoon, cos that's when I go shopping, & tell me how many dinnerboxes you'd like.
Drop-offs Friday from 4pm onwards, to the office/site/home just let me know what suits.
To order, contact me by txt or email:
txt: 021 676 123
email: pabloskitchen@yahoo.com (subject heading: “fridaynightdinnerbox”)
& I’ll confirm your order when received.
talk to you soon…
talk to you soon…
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