Food and Beverages from Israel – Discover Unique FlavorsLev Haolam

Freshly baked pita bread on a wooden table

Mushroom Risotto Tekoa Farms

Since its founding, Tekoa Farms has endeavored to broaden its range of unique food items for the Israeli table, to achieve the highest standards and respond to growing demand from our customers for natural and healthy food… Today, thanks to wide variety, easy availability and low prices, “our treasures” can be found in almost every kitchen in Israel. Mushroom Risotto By Tekoa Farms Originally featured on tekoafarms.co.il Ingredients: 1 bag of Tekoa Farms Mushroom Risotto1/3 cup canola oil or other good quality vegetable oil1 onion or 3 shallots - chopped.1 tsp saltA pinch of pepper900 ml (3.75 cups) water40 grams (1.4 oz) butter100 ml (a half cup) sweet cream3 tbsp grated parmigiana cheese Preparation: 1. Heat the oil on medium flame and sauté the onions for 3-4 minutes. 2. Add the rice and mushroom mixture, salt and pepper, and continue to sauté for another minute or until the rice is heated. 3. Add the water and bring to a boil. 4. Reduce the flame and continue to cook uncovered for about 15 minutes while intermittently stirring with a wooden spoon until the water is absorbed by the rice and a creamy consistency is attained. 5. Add the sweet cream and continue to stir until the sweet cream is well mixed into the rice. 6. Taste and add salt if necessary. 7. Remove from the flame. Gently stir in the butter and grated parmigiana cheese until the butter is melted. The rice should be moist but a small hard dot should remain in the middle of the grains. 8. Serve immediately. Tekoa Farms Tekoa Farms was founded by Mira Weigensberg and Oren Kessler in 1986. They specialize in cultivation of high quality fruits and vegetables. Tekoa Farms is located not far from the ancient palace of King Herod on Mount Herodion, and has an unforgettable view. The hills of the desert lay on one side while lush greenery can be seen on the other.

Tomato Spread Tekoa Farms

Ingredients: 1 bag of Tekoa Farms dried tomatoes2 cloves of garlic2 stems of fresh basil2 tablespoons of olive oilSalt and ground black pepper Preparation: 1. Soak the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for half an hour, drain and then blend in a blender with the garlic and basil. 2. While blending, add the olive oil gradually until the mixture becomes thick and smooth in texture. 3. Add pepper and salt to taste and serve. “Since its founding, Tekoa Farms has endeavored to broaden its range of unique food items for the Israeli table, to achieve the highest standards and respond to growing demand from our customers for natural and healthy food… Today, thanks to wide variety, easy availability and low prices, “our treasures” can be found in almost every kitchen in Israel.”

Chicken Tekoa Farms

Tekoa Farms was founded by Mira Weigensberg and Oren Kessler in 1986. They specialize in cultivation of high quality fruits and vegetables. Tekoa Farms is located not far from the ancient palace of King Herod on Mount Herodion, and has an unforgettable view. The hills of the desert lay on one side while lush greenery can be seen on the other. Chicken with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Ginger & Honey By Tekoa Farms Ingredients: 4 chicken pieces1/3 cup canola oil2 shallot onions, chopped1 bag of Tekoa Farms dried tomatoes3 cloves garlic, choppedfresh ginger, finely grated2 tsp fresh lemon juice1 tsp sweet paprika4 tbsps white wine/semi-dry4 tbsps honey1 cups watera small amount of salt and pepper1/4 bunch basil leaves, roughly chopped½ tsp peeled pine nuts Preparation: 1. Heat oil in a wide and flat pot. Brown chicken pieces and remove from pan. 2. Steam onions in the same pot, mix with a wooden spoon until they become light yellow. 3. Add paprika, ginger, garlic, and honey to onions. Mix over high heat for 1 minute. Add wine. Reduce heat. 4. Return chicken to pot. Add water and lemon juice. Season with a small amount of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes. 5. Soak dried tomatoes in warm water for 10 minutes. Remove tomatoes from water. Cut into thick strips. Gently add tomatoes to the pot, in between pieces of chicken. Continue to cook for an additional 10 minutes. 6. Remove pot cover and continue to cook until sauce is a thick glaze. 7. Add basil before the end of cooking. Decorate with pine nuts. “Since its founding, Tekoa Farms has endeavored to broaden its range of unique food items for the Israeli table, to achieve the highest standards and respond to growing demand from our customers for natural and healthy food… Today, thanks to wide variety, easy availability and low prices, “our treasures” can be found in almost every kitchen in Israel.”

Zucchini Wrap

Adina Harris Adina, though born in America, spent most of her early childhood in Israel. After she relocated with her family to Arizona in 2001, she decided to return home to Israel as an adult. She met her husband here and, together, they settled in Kochav Yaakov. Adina loves to cook and has been enjoying posting pictures of her food on her instagram (@adina.harris.foods). She blends her French/Algerian background with the American and Israeli foods she grew up loving.Kochav Yaakov Kochav Yaakov is a religious community in the region of Benyamin, in between Jerusalem and Bet El, about 20 minutes north of Jerusalem. In 2016 it had a population of 7,394 and is home to a diverse group of native Israelis and immigrants. There are synagogues from around the world, to match the diversity of the people, including many Sephardi synagogues, an Ashkenazi synagogue (Eastern-European), North African, and Yemenite. “I love the realness of the people in Israel. I choose to line in Kochav Yaakov because it’s close to Jerusalem and I love the community feeling of the yeshuv and with all different nationalities living there, it’s a beautiful melting pot of people who love Israel with their whole heart.” Zucchini Wrap By Adina Harris Ingredients: 1 kilo (2.2 lbs) ground turkey4 long ZucchiniSalt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, oregano and paprikaOlive oilPack of mushrooms1 onion, chopped finelyTomato Sauce *If you want to be adventurous, you can use this recipe to create individual moussaka wraps by substitute the ground turkey with ground meat and the zucchini with eggplant. Preparation: 1. Preheat oven to 180C/350F 2. Wash the zucchini and use a peeler to peel zucchini in the same place repeatedly to get strips. The longer the zucchini the easier it will be to make the wrap. 3. Take the mushrooms and onions, saute over olive oil with salt and pepper until cooked/soft. Set aside. 4. Heat 2 tbs. of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add in ground turkey. 5. Flavor with salt, pepper, garlic powder, thyme, oregano and paprika to taste. 6. Mix everything together and, using a wooden spoon or spatula, break the meat into small pieces and cook until lightly browned. 7. Place two zucchini strips vertically, and two horizontally so that they are perpendicular. It should look like a plus sign. Spoon in some turkey and some of the mushroom mixture. 8. Fold the bottom/top of the zucchini strips over the filling, then the left/right strips, to create the wrap. 9. In a pan, cover the bottom with tomato sauce, then place the zucchini wraps inside. Drench the remaining tomato sauce over the wraps and put in the oven for 30 min. Enjoy!