The cult of Mejaderah

Shahar from Tel -Aviv writes on the SaveLebanon Speak Out blog:

I am feeling for you, dear Lebanese neighbors, since I know exactly what you are going threw..Beacuse I’m going threw the same, here and now, in Israel, just like you do.

I am not a politician, and this is the first time for me to write to you. I would like to tell you that I was a student until not long ago, lucky to study in France on a student exchange program..meeting there many Lebanese who became to be my best friends over there.. and I guess I know why..Beacuse we had more in common then with any other nationality..having same Falafel (still urging where is there origin whether in Israel or Lebanon) eating same Labaneh and thinking in the same way about many things and issues..

So, for Shahar and others, here’s a recipe for Mejaderah. A favourite among Lebanese, Palestinians and Israelis. May we share food and not sorrows.

Ingredients 1 cup rice or bulgur 1 cup lentils 1 medium sized onion 4 cups water olive oil salt baharat cumin cardamom Method The more common recipe uses rice. Bulgur can be substituted for rice, with the exact same procedure. Fry the lentils in oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously, until the first beans show signs of scorching. Add salt, baharat, cumin, ground cardamon. Add 2 cups water and cover. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until all the water is absorbed by the lentils. Fry the rice in oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring continuously, until the grains change colour. Add salt, black or white pepper, and ground cardamon. Add 2 cups water and cover. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer. After 5 minutes turn the heat off, and leave standing for another 10 minutes. Cut the onion into thin strips (1/2cm x 4cm). Fry the onion in mixed olive oil until crisp and translucent. Mix lentils and rice, top with the fried onion.

(Originaly posted on Wikibooks Cookbook)
Please – feel free to comment / critisize / elighten me. I’m sure I have a lot to learn – in the kitchen and out.

And by the way, I think the Speak Out team would like to recieve more Israeli contributions.

uh, green garlic soup? did you say garlic soup?

Pim brings back warm memories of green garlic. 

Just about this time of year the market in Jerusalem would be full of fresh garlic. Not exactly the kind in your picture – just the plain, good old taste (and bad breath) bomb, straight out of the mud.

We would buy it by the kilo. First, we would plait a few strands to hang on the courtyard walls, to safeguard our house from daemons and bad luck. Then, we would plait another one or two and hand in the kitchen so that the precious bulb would never be more than a hands length away. Finally, I would chop up a few stalks, and make some quiche or soup. Nothing to it, just use any odd leek recipe you mum gave you. Needs a bit longer to cook, but the taste and fragrance is worth it – and far from what you would expect.

weapons of mass destruction

Shall we call them McDeath?

What astonishes me is that McDonnalds in the US is even deadlier:

Trans fats are worrisome, however, because more than any other macronutrient in the diet they not only raise L.D.L., the so-called bad cholesterol, but also lower H.D.L., the good. (Saturated fat, in contrast, raises both kinds.) A daily intake of five grams of trans fats increases the risk of contracting heart disease 4 percent to 28 percent, various studies have shown.

Consuming that much trans fat is far too easy. The Danish study found that a large order of McDonald's French fries in the United States contains almost six grams of trans fats, while a large portion (10 pieces) of Chicken McNuggets serves up almost four grams. Eaten together, they deliver nearly 10 grams of a substance considered so unhealthy that the National Academy of Sciences concluded, in 2002, that the only safe amount of trans fats in the diet is zero.

In Denmark, that same combination of McDonald's fries and chicken contains less than one gram of trans fats. That is because, since 2004, the Danes have limited trans fats to no more than 2 percent of a food's fat content, by weight. Now, even the famous Danish pastry is virtually free of trans fats.

 http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/16/opinion/16teicholz.html