Below the Hermon Mountain, the Sa'ar Fall carries water only in the winter. In season, you can find the local Druze population selling their home made products, especially, especially their heavenly Labane balls, marinating in olive oil. These cheese balls are so delicious that you will devour them as quickly as you can. Traditional Arab cuisine has become an inseparable part of the Israeli kitchen. Its freshness, its simplicity, and its diverse food delicacies, fill this unique kitchen with extraordinary flavors.

1 liter goat yoghurt
1 1/2 tsp sea salt
Kitchen cheesecloth

Mix the yoghurt and sea salt. Line a large bowl with a double layer of sterillized cheesecloth, leaving plenty of the material overlapping the sides. Pour in the yogurt mixture. Tie the ends of the cloth together and secure with a string. Hang the mixture over a bowl. Let the yoghurt drain in a cool pantry or unheated room overnight. Chill the well-drained mixture until it is firm to touch, this makes it easier to handle. Using your fingers, shape the resulting soft cheese into 1-1/2" (4cm) balls and store in a jar filled with olive oil. Serve the Labane cheese with zaatar and hot pita bread.

Shakshuka tastes of Friday afternoons in the summer after shopping in the market, after cleaning the house, and just before Shabbat begins. Enjoy it with a glass of ice cold beer and fresh challah

For 4 people

4 beautiful eggplants
1 tsp coarse salt
4 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup of sweet pomegranate seeds

Roast the eggplants over an open fire (your stove or grill) rotating until the peel is burnt, crisp and blackened all over. Cut each in half. Mix lemon juice, chopped garlic, olive oil and salt with the chopped mint leaves. Drizzle 2 spoonfuls of the mixture over each slice of eggplant. Add fresh pomegranate seeds on top. Best served with fresh yoghurt.
 

When you walk in the Old City of Jerusalem, you'll see young boys carrying huge wooden trays on their head, full of just baked pita bread. The smell us enticing as you walk through the ancient alleys. Pita bread is such an important element in Jerusalem's daily life, one could say, peace actually exists thanks to this round, soft bread. Everyone, Arab of Jew, young or old, cannot resist the taste of the comforting bread.

1 kilo white flour
2 tsp dry Yeast
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp olive oil
2 1/2 cups of warm water
Jerusalem Zaatar spice
Dry salty cheese
2 fresh tomatoes
Fresh Parsley

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Make a small depression in the middle of the flour and pour yeast, 1/2 cup of warm water and sugar into the depression. Slowly add the remaining 2 cups of warm water and stir until elastic. Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes until no longer sticky. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel, allow to sit in a warm place for about 3 hours, or until it has doubled in size. Roll into small balls (size of a tennis ball) and flatten them. Bake in an oven (220C) until golden brown. Take the pita bread out of the oven, brush olive oil and zaatar on top and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Slice salty cheese and fresh tomatoes, add chopped parsley on top.

Shakshuka tastes of Friday afternoons in the summer after shopping in the market, after cleaning the house, and just before Shabbat begins. Enjoy it with a glass of ice cold beer and fresh challah.

1 large onion, chopped
4 fresh tomatoes
2 sweet red peppers
4 fresh garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp powdered cumin
1 pinch sugar
1/2 tsp. Hot paprika with olive oil
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
4 eggs
1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup water

Heat a 6-quart of larger saucepan and add the olive oil. And the onion and sauté to a golden color. Add tomatoes, red peppers and garlic and sauté, stirring gently for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and water and bring to the boil; cook for 10 minutes until the sauce is thick. Add salt, black pepper, cumin, sugar and paprika and keep mixing. Break the eggs in individually and Cook another 5 minutes, until the sauce has thickened and the eggs nearly solid. Remove from heat and add fresh chopped parsley.

Long red peppers called "Shuska" are sweet and long and can be found in the markets for only a short period of time. Those who are familiar with them, cherish them like a treasure, and buy them immediately. The marinated peppers go wonderfully with Feta cheese and fresh Shabbat Challah.

6 sweet peppers (long or regular)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped garlic
One branch of fresh rosemary

Mix the ingredients of the marinade and pour over the whole sweet peppers. Line a sheet pan with the peppers and place in the oven for 30 to 40 minute, until the skins are completely wrinkled and the peppers are charred, turning them twice during roasting. Shut off the oven and leave the peppers to sweat for about a half an hour. Remove the stems of the peppers and cut them into long strips. Remove the peele and seeds and place the peppers in a bowl along with any juices which may have collected.

Jeruzalem: you can feel the unbelievable mix of cultures which uites the Israeli people. The stories, the recipes and the cultures of generations run in the veins of the city and are felt everywhere. The salty Sephardic Bischochos, made by hand and served with sweet mint tea, are the pride of ecery Sephardic mother.

1 kilo white fluor
1 tbsp sea salt
1 1/2 cups sesame seeds
50 Gr. Butter cut into pieces
1/2 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp baking powder

Mix the flour, baking powder, salt, butter and 1/2 cup of sesame seeds. Add water and mix until the dough is elastic and easy to handle. Roll the dough into 1/2 thick ropes. Cut the ropes into 6 lengths and bring the ends together to form rings. Dip the rings into lightly beaten egg, then into a cup filled with the remainder of the sesame seeds. Place the cookies on a baking sheet and bake for 20 min (medium heat) until crispy and golden brown.