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Latest War in the Middle East Over Hummus

partysugar — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 07:45:18 -0700

A group of Lebanese businessmen have accused Israel of stealing their traditional dish, hummus. Although the exact origins of the creamy garbanzo bean spread are unknown, the Lebanese Industrialists Association, lead by Fadi Abboud, plan to sue Israel for ownership. Abboud hopes to make hummus a dish with protected geographical status.

Similar to how feta cheese must be made with Greek sheep and goat's milk or how champagne must be made with grapes native to the Champagne region of France, Abboud believes hummus and other local delicacies (baba ghannouj, tabbouleh) deserve geographical protection. His case may be futile, though; the Protected Geographical Status Law applies only to countries in the European Union. There is no such law in Lebanon and Israel.

I think the whole thing is a bit comical: who has time to fight over the ownership of hummus? Still, I'm curious to see if hummus is declared a product specific to Lebanon. What do you think about the claim?

Lemony Chicken With Couscous Is a Hearty, One Pot Meal

YumSugar — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 08:00:23 -0700

While I love to go all out when hosting dinner parties, I often opt to throw together a casual, one pot meal when close friends come over. This was the case a few weekends ago, when an old friend from high school and I caught up over a meal of chicken, Israeli couscous, and vegetables; the no-fuss dish seemed to set a relaxed tone for the rest of the evening.

Although the recipe was straightforward and basic, I couldn't have been more impressed by the result. The chicken was so tender, it fell apart at the bone, and I loved the fact that the plump couscous was tinged with fragrant lemon peel and saffron. To make this for your friends, read more.

Chicken and Israeli Couscous With Tomato and Lemon
From Martha Stewart Living

Ingredients

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 1/2 pounds chicken thighs (4 to 6 thighs)
1/2 medium onion, thinly sliced
4 Roma or plum tomatoes (about 1 pound), cut lengthwise into 6 slices
3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
4 strips lemon peel (2 inches each)
Pinch of saffron
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc
1-1/2 cups homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken stock
1/2 tsp coarse salt
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add couscous, and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Transfer to a bowl, and return skillet to heat.
Cook chicken, smooth side down, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip, and cook for 2 minutes more. Transfer to a plate, reserving drippings in skillet.
Reduce heat to medium, add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, garlic, lemon peel, and saffron, and cook, stirring frequently, until tomatoes begin to break down, 2 to 3 minutes.
Return chicken to skillet. Add wine, and cook for 4 minutes. Add stock, salt, and couscous, and stir. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until couscous is tender and chicken is cooked through, 12 to 14 minutes. Stir in peas, and cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Serve immediately with lemon.

Serves 4.

Nutritional Information Per Serving: 446 calories, 3g saturated fat, 9g unsaturated fat, 86mg cholesterol, 45g carbohydrate, 342mg sodium, 32g protein, 9g fiber

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Chicken And Israeli Couscous with Tomato And Lemon

YumSugar — Fri, 13 Mar 2009 13:52:11 -0700

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Food Section Sampler - Sept. 16, 2009

YumSugar — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 11:45:58 -0700

What caused legendary Central Park destination Tavern on the Green to file for bankruptcy? - New York Times
Homemade versions of fast-food favorites turn out to be cheaper. - Washington Post
LA is facing a proposed city ordinance that would require farmers markets to pay tens of thousands of dollars in fees. - Los Angeles Times
Israeli hummus tastes nothing like its American counterpart. - Boston Globe
Learn how to make your own naan. - Chicago Tribune
A preliminary tasting of Indian wines looks to be promising. - Wall Street Journal
Even Bourbon's biggest skeptics will find no flaw with the Rhodie cocktail. - San Francisco Chronicle

Source: Flickr User phenominam

Noteworthy Nibbles - Aug. 11-18, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 14:30:27 -0700

If you don't have any solid plans for this weekend, don't let the food festivities pass you by. From New Mexico's Hot Chili Days, Cool Mountain Nights event to an Iowa homage to sweet corn, August is packed with distinctive culinary celebrations.

Personally, I wish I could attend North Carolina BBQ pitmaster Ed Mitchell's dinner at the James Beard House - but I'll happily settle for a local lesson in making Summer farmers market cocktails. What's on your tasting itinerary for the weekend? Pipe up and tell us in the comments!

Houston, TX: Houston Restaurant Week - Aug. 11-23
New York, NY: Modern Israeli Cuisine at the James Beard House - Aug. 12
San Francisco, CA: Botanical Spirits & Summer Farmers Market Cocktails – Aug. 12
Chicago, IL: Taste of the Nation Chicago - Aug. 13
West Columbia, SC: Eat, Drink & Think Local - Aug. 13
Red River, NM: Hot Chili Days, Cool Mountain Nights - Aug. 13-15
West Point, IA: West Point Sweet Corn Festival - Aug. 13-16
Boston, MA: Fisherman's Feast – Aug. 13-16
Delcambre, LA: Delcambre Shrimp Festival - Aug. 13-16

To see the rest, read more.

Springfield, MO: Summer Sizzle BBQ – Aug. 14-15
Emporia, KS: Flint Hills Beef Fest - Aug. 14-16
Sonoma County, CA: Grape to Glass Weekend - Aug. 14-16
San Rafael, CA: San Rafael Food & Wine Festival - Aug. 15
Cary, NC: Beer, Bourbon & BBQ - Aug. 15
Hayward, CA: Hayward Zucchini Festival - Aug. 15-16
Napa, CA: Taste of the Nation Napa Valley - Aug. 17
Philadelphia, PA: Taste of the Nation Philadelphia - Aug. 17
New York, NY: Legends of Barbecue with Ed Mitchell - Aug. 18
San Francisco, CA: Summer Garden Party at the Magic Flute - Aug. 18

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Guess Who?

YumSugar — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 15:01:18 -0700

Alright, I'll admit it, this one's going to be a difficult one. However, it's an interesting bit of trivia and I'm confident that some of you will know it right away. You ready?Guess which world-renowned (think high-profile non-US) chef was seen at the international premiere of Ratatouille? To find out who he is, why he's there and who he's pictured with (several of whom are internationally famous chefs themselves), read more

Why it's the famous Ferran Adria of El Bulli (the top restaurant in the world) fame. He's pictured here with:

Row 1 - Brad Bird (director), John Lasseter (producer), Brad Lewis (producer)
Row 2 - Cyril Lignac (a "French Jamie Oliver"), Ferran Adria, Jeroen Meus (Belgian chef), Israel Aharoni (Israeli chef)

Ferran was there because he actually has a speaking role in the Spanish dubbed version (he plays a restaurant patron - the role goes to Thomas Keller in the US and Guy Savoy in France. Jamie Oliver voices a different character in the British version).

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Source: San Francisco Chronicle

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Festive Foods: Sufganiyot

YumSugar — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 11:50:12 -0800

I've only made donuts once before, but I stumbled across this recipe for Israeli Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts (aka Sufganiyot) and it looks like I might just have to try again. These tasty looking doughnuts are traditionally consumed in the weeks before and during Hanukkah. Originally
two rounds of dough with jam sandwiched in between, it has been updated to have the jelly injected afterwards. The oil they're fried in commemorates the miracle associated with Temple oil.

If you're looking for a new Hanukkah recipe, want to be exposed to new cultures or just downright love jelly doughnuts, then be sure to give this recipe a try. read more

Israeli Hanukkah Jelly Doughnuts
from Karen Miltner

1 package (2¼ teaspoons) dry yeast
3 tablespoons sugar, plus extra for rolling
¼ cup lukewarm water
3½ cups all purpose flour (about)
½ cup lukewarm milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
Pinch of salt
Grated zest of 1 lemon
3½ tablespoons butter, at room temperature
About 3 cups vegetable oil, for frying
Apricot jam (or any flavor jam or jelly of your choice)

Dissolve the yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the water. Let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.

Put the flour in the bowl of a food processor equipped with a steel blade. Add the dissolved yeast, milk, whole egg, yolk, salt, lemon zest and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar. Process until blended. Add the butter and process until the dough becomes sticky yet elastic. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Remove the dough to a lightly oiled bowl, cover with oiled plastic wrap, and let rise in a warm place for at least an hour, until double in bulk.

Dust the work surface with flour and roll the dough out into ½-inch thickness. Using the top of a glass, cut into rounds about 2 inches in diameter and roll these into balls. Repeat with remaining scraps of dough. Cover cut doughnuts with a clean towel and let rise about 30 minutes.

Pour 2 inches of oil into a heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees.

Drop the doughnuts in the oil, 4 or 5 at a time, and cook anywhere from 30 seconds to 1 or 2 minutes per side, turning when light brown. Drain on paper towel.

Use an injector to insert a teaspoon or two of jam in each doughnut. Or put jam in pastry bag with a wide tip, poke a hole in the side of the doughnut with a skewer and insert tip of bag into doughnut and squeeze out the jam.

Place extra granulated sugar in a bowl and roll each doughnut in sugar. Serve immediately.

Makes about 2 dozen doughnuts.

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