yom ha’atzmaut
Food for Thought on Yom Ha’atzmaut
KERI WHITE | SPECIAL TO THE JE
I srael turns 74 on the night of May
4. While 74 isn’t one of those big
milestone anniversaries, we’re still
ready to celebrate.

So we’re going to celebrate some-
thing that the early Zionists and found-
ers — when they thought Israel would
be a light unto the nations — never
considered: food. Everyone loves food,
right? And like the Torah itself, recipes are
portable. On this page, we reprint a few Israeli
recipes that have appeared in recent
years in the Jewish Exponent’s food
section. Falafel Salad
Serves 2 for a meal
I am generally a homemade
cook and tend to avoid premade
ingredients. But I make an exception for things
that are just as good (or better)
bought than what I could create
in my kitchen, or that are so labor
intensive and messy to prepare that
I can’t justify the effort. Falafel ticks
both boxes.

This salad can be adapted to your
preference and your pantry. Olives
would be a nice addition. Ditto pep-
pers, either mild or hot, and red or
sweet onions.

If you can’t find halloumi, feta is a
reasonable substitute.

And if you want a pareve salad,
skip the cheese entirely.

The heat/texture contrast of this
dish make it unique and tasty. It also
makes it feel a bit more substantial
than a mere salad for dinner.

4 ounces halloumi cheese, sliced in
¼-inch pieces
Oil to spray cheese
6 store-bought falafel
6 cups lettuce, such as spring mix,
romaine or Boston, rinsed, spun
and torn
1 cup cherry tomatoes
½ cucumber, peeled and sliced
¼ cup prepared hummus
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sprinkle of ground cumin, salt and
pepper, to taste
Spray the cheese with oil and pan
fry it in a skillet over medium high
until crisp. Place on paper towels
and set aside.

Prepare the falafel according to
package directions. If no prepara-
tion is needed, simply heat them up.

In a shallow bowl, mix the lettuce,
tomatoes and cucumbers.

Make the dressing: In a small
bowl, mix the hummus, lemon juice,
oil, cumin, salt and pepper. Mix with
a fork and taste for seasoning.

When all the components are pre-
pared, place the cheese and falafel
on top of the salad and drizzle with
dressing. Serve immediately.

1 chicken or vegetable bouillon cube
1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped fine
In a large saucepan, heat oil over a
medium flame until warm, about 1-2
minutes. Add garlic, turmeric and salt
and sauté. Add the rice and stir until
grains are coated with oil.

Slowly drizzle in more oil, if the
mixture is dry and rice is sticking
to the pot. Add the saffron threads
and stir.

Pour in the water, followed by the
bouillon cube. Stir briefly.

Celebrate Yom Ha’atzmaut
Quick Pickled Cucumbers with
Cilantro Serves 4 with other sides/salads
A note on the cucumbers: If you
use Persian or English cucumbers,
they don’t really need to be peeled,
which is my preference. But if you
can’t get your hands on those, just
peel and slice the cukes — or be OK
with a thicker skin. This will keep for
several days in the fridge, and the
flavors will deepen.

2 cucumbers, sliced into discs
2 tablespoons white vinegar
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all the ingredients in a small
bowl. Let it sit at room temperature
for an hour or two, or longer in the
fridge. Cover the pot and reduce the flame
to low. Simmer for 20 minutes, stir-
ring occasionally. The bouillon cube
should be completely dissolved.

Check to see if more salt is needed
and add gingerly, if desired. Add
more water if it bubbles away too
quickly. Continue to simmer for another 5
to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the
rice is no longer firm in the center.

Move the rice to an attractive bowl
and sprinkle it with cilantro.

Serve immediately. JE
WEDNESDAY MAY 4 th ,
7:00 - 9:00 pm 2022
Har Zion Temple
Minimum $54 Israel Bond Investment to attend
Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, drinks, and a capella.

Honoring All our local Philadelphia Heroes who served in the Israel Defense Forces including:
Evan Benedon
Itamar Ben Yashar
Aviya Ben Yashar
Joshua Frankel
Akiva Goldstein
Adam Klazmer
Alyssa Kleiner
Shirly Kolet
Liron Kolet
Arkadiy Landa
Yair Lev
Michael Levin z”l
Avi Mermelstein
Adi Ozery
Boaz Ozery
Alisa Rassin
Noa Rassin
Asaf Romirowsky
Asaf Rothschild
Evan Saltzman
Eric Schorr
In Partnership with
Ari Sirner, Executive Director
ari.sirner@israelbonds.com 267.443.2007
Sponsorship opportunities available
Cyndi and David Kosloff
Ivy and David Mermelstein/
Active Realty Associates
Israeli Yellow Rice
1 tablespoon olive oil, or more,
if needed
4 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon turmeric
⅛ kosher salt, or more if desired
1 cup basmati rice
A couple saffron threads, optional
2½ cups water
Contact Sponsored by
LINDA MOREL | SPECIAL TO THE JE
Serves 6
1500 Hagys Ford Road
Penn Valley, PA 19072
H OST C OMMITTEE
Y OUNG I NVESTOR S OCIETY C O -C HAIRS
F ARRAH & A DAM N ACHMANI
H OST C OMMITEE
J ORDAN G OLDFARB
J OE A CHENBACH
K IMBERLY & J USTIN G ROEN
A RIEL & G ABE A MZALLAG
S OPHIE K RUGER
S ARA & J OE G LYN
M AAYAN & R OBERT L ATTIN
D AVID G OLDBERG
R OBIN L EVENSTON -K UDISCH
& J EFF K UDISCH
E VENT C HAIR
B RAD A BRAMSON
R ICK M ILLER
S ARAH W AXMAN & J ACOB C OHEN
J AKE R OSENBERG
E LANA W EINSTEIN & K EN B ROWNSTEIN
J ULIET S TEIN
D ANIEL Y ADGAROFF
M ELISSA H OCHBAUM S TRAUSS
M ARLA & R OB Z IPKIN
S HELBY Z ITELMAN & D AN S TAMM
& J OSH S TRAUSS
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