Sunday, December 23, 2007

The SEASON!

There are all sorts of foods we eat here in Israel, which we had never even heard of when we lived in New York. Two of them were our "First Course" this Shabbat morning.

They both begin with "A," and neither is an "apple."

Artichoke dipped in avocado. Sorry, but there's no picture of my simple avocado salad.

artichoke
Take a ripe avocado, and mash it with a bit of mayonnaise, chopped onion, some garlic and olive oil. Yes, that's it.
And the artichoke* is also very easy to make.

All you have to do, after soaking and rinsing to try to make sure nothing's lurking in the leaves/petals, is to boil (add peppercorns and lemon to the water) it until the leaves are easy to pull out.

How do you eat it? Well, pull out each leaf and dip the "fleshy part" in "something." That something can be olive oil, avocado salad, mayonnaise, t'china, whatever or nothing. When the leaves are gone, you'll have its "heart," plus the "hair." Pull out the hair and eat the heart, stuffed if you want.

*They are like giant asparagus.

8 comments:

Toto said...

I've got 2 waiting in my fridge right now. I've actually never boiled them, just steamed. I prop them up with wadded tin foil to help them stand upright, spread out the leaves, and sprinkle season salt and sometimes even breadcrumbs. I spray with olive oil spray and steam till the leaves can come off easily. Also yummy, but I think tomorrow I"ll try your way! :) בתאבון

Batya said...

It must take ages to steam, sure takes long enough to boil them.

Enjoy!

We're the ones who have to put up with them said...

Sounds yummy! I'm going to try it tonight for a party. I'll let you know how it turns out....

Batya said...

Great, nu? How were they?

We're the ones who have to put up with them said...

I kept my word and tried your yummy taste treat. It was really delish!!!
None left by the end of the party, although I have to admit I probably ate more than my share.

Batya said...

I'm glad to hear it. And I'm sure you deserved every yummy bite!

Anonymous said...

I lived near Watsonville, Calfornia, most of my life. Most of the USA's artichokes come from that area. I love them stuffed, sauteed in olive oil and garlic and tossed with pasta, steamed and dipped in clairfied butter and shallots, in salads, cooked on the grill. I'll have to try the avocado recipe. Yumm...I'm hungry.

Batya said...

How do you toss them stuffed?