Tomato and Citrus Salad
Ingredients
- 4 large ripe Roma tomatoes (about 1½ pounds), or a mixture of heirloom varieties
- 2 large oranges
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 12 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- ¼ cup good quality olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Warm crusty bread, for serving
White Shakshuka With Labneh
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped hyssop leaves (or you can substitute a mix of coarsely chopped fresh mint, oregano, sage, and/or thyme)
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound labneh cheese
- 8 large eggs yolks
- Warm pita, for serving
Eggplant in Paprika and Eggplant in Vinegar
Ingredients
- 4 large, firm Italian eggplants, sliced lengthwise into ⅓-inch thick slices
- ¼ cup fine sea salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
For the eggplant in paprika:
- 1½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1½ teaspoon hot paprika
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
For the eggplant in vinegar:
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
- 3 large bay leaves
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup good quality vegetable or sunflower oil
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Steak and Blackberry Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarsely chopped parsley (1 bunch)
- 1½ cups coarsely chopped mint (leaves from approximately 12 large sprigs)
- 8 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 thick slices of high-quality sourdough bread (about 1-inch thick)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 aged boneless New York strip steaks, about 1-inch thick (1 pound total)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1½ cup chilled fresh blackberries (or raspberries)
Corn Latkes
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 4 cups corn kernels (about 4 medium ears), cut from the cobs of fresh sweet corn
- 1½ cups dried bread crumbs
- 1 cup (about 3 ounces) grated kashkaval cheese or aged provolone
- 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
- Tzatziki with fresh mint, for serving
- Sliced radishes, for serving
Msayer (Pickled Vegetables)
Ingredients
- ½ small head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets
- 1 small bulb of fennel, trimmed and cored, cut into 2-inch-long by ¼-inch-wide petals
- 1 small turnip, peeled, halved, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges
- 1 bunch medium radishes, trimmed and halved
- 4 stalks of celery, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 to 10 large cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
Fish Panzanella
Ingredients
For the fish:
- 2 pounds whole trout (2 to 3 small trout), or other flaky fleshed fish such as salmon or char, cleaned
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
- 6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
- 8 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 12 large green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup heavy cream or whole milk
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 thick slices of country bread (about 1-inch thick)
- ½ lemon
- Chilled vodka, for serving
- Bulgarian feta, for serving
Cherkessian Cheese (Homemade Goat Cheese)
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole goat milk, not ultra-pasteurized
- 2 cups plain goat yogurt
- ½ cup white vinegar
- Kosher salt, to taste
Special equipment:
- A candy or instant-read thermometer
- 2 yards cheesecloth, folded into an 18-inch square 4 layers thick
- 2-cup wicker basket or plastic mold
Eyerlekh Mit Tzvible (Eggs With Onion)
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- 3 large yellow onions
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 large eggs
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into ½-inch pieces
- Smoked fish like white anchovies, for serving
Tomato and Citrus Salad
Ingredients
- 4 large ripe Roma tomatoes (about 1½ pounds), or a mixture of heirloom varieties
- 2 large oranges
- 1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 12 pitted Kalamata olives, halved
- ¼ cup good quality olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Warm crusty bread, for serving
White Shakshuka With Labneh
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped hyssop leaves (or you can substitute a mix of coarsely chopped fresh mint, oregano, sage, and/or thyme)
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound labneh cheese
- 8 large eggs yolks
- Warm pita, for serving
Eggplant in Paprika and Eggplant in Vinegar
Ingredients
- 4 large, firm Italian eggplants, sliced lengthwise into ⅓-inch thick slices
- ¼ cup fine sea salt
- ½ cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
For the eggplant in paprika:
- 1½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1½ teaspoon hot paprika
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
For the eggplant in vinegar:
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice berries
- 3 large bay leaves
- ½ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup good quality vegetable or sunflower oil
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Steak and Blackberry Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups coarsely chopped parsley (1 bunch)
- 1½ cups coarsely chopped mint (leaves from approximately 12 large sprigs)
- 8 scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
- 1 medium red onion, finely diced
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 thick slices of high-quality sourdough bread (about 1-inch thick)
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 aged boneless New York strip steaks, about 1-inch thick (1 pound total)
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
- 1½ cup chilled fresh blackberries (or raspberries)
Corn Latkes
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 4 cups corn kernels (about 4 medium ears), cut from the cobs of fresh sweet corn
- 1½ cups dried bread crumbs
- 1 cup (about 3 ounces) grated kashkaval cheese or aged provolone
- 1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed
- Tzatziki with fresh mint, for serving
- Sliced radishes, for serving
Msayer (Pickled Vegetables)
Ingredients
- ½ small head of cauliflower, trimmed and cut into bite-sized florets
- 1 small bulb of fennel, trimmed and cored, cut into 2-inch-long by ¼-inch-wide petals
- 1 small turnip, peeled, halved, and cut into ½-inch-thick wedges
- 1 bunch medium radishes, trimmed and halved
- 4 stalks of celery, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 8 to 10 large cloves of garlic, crushed and peeled
- ¼ cup lemon juice (about 2 lemons)
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup olive oil
Fish Panzanella
Ingredients
For the fish:
- 2 pounds whole trout (2 to 3 small trout), or other flaky fleshed fish such as salmon or char, cleaned
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the salad:
- 6 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and coarsely chopped
- 8 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 12 large green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- ¼ cup heavy cream or whole milk
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 thick slices of country bread (about 1-inch thick)
- ½ lemon
- Chilled vodka, for serving
- Bulgarian feta, for serving
Cherkessian Cheese (Homemade Goat Cheese)
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole goat milk, not ultra-pasteurized
- 2 cups plain goat yogurt
- ½ cup white vinegar
- Kosher salt, to taste
Special equipment:
- A candy or instant-read thermometer
- 2 yards cheesecloth, folded into an 18-inch square 4 layers thick
- 2-cup wicker basket or plastic mold
Eyerlekh Mit Tzvible (Eggs With Onion)
Ingredients
- 3 medium russet potatoes
- 3 large yellow onions
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Fine sea salt, to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 large eggs
- 3 scallions, white and light green parts only, cut into ½-inch pieces
- Smoked fish like white anchovies, for serving
Read more about Hedai Offaim in “How Hedai Offaim Keeps His Grandmother’s Shtetl Recipes Alive” and try his recipe for eyerlekh mit tzvible (eggs with onion).
On a typical Saturday morning in the Ella Valley, nearly an hour outside of Jerusalem, Hedai Offaim’s table will be laid with plates like a glowing orange and tomato salad, fried eggplant slices prepared two ways, crispy corn latkes, a pan of white shakshuka made by cooking egg yolks in thick and tangy labneh, and a salad of torn bread and cold fish leftover from Shabbat dinner. “And if we have guests, we might even have more,” Hedai, a chef, farmer, writer, and entrepreneur says. He and his family have guests at their table several days a week. Located in the center of their home, the table seats 16 to 18 easily — 25 if they expand it. And, “our table is always open,” he adds.
Hedai’s cooking is an extension of his work as a farmer and an expression of his Zionism, each dish taking inspiration from what flourishes in Israel. Growing up in a working class family in Haifa, he spent his weekends on a kibbutz where his cousins lived. When his cousins would head deep into the orchards to reach the sweet tangerine grove, Hedai would fall off from the group by the grapefruit trees, which were closer to home and wait for them to return. As the time passed, he developed a love for the sometimes bitter fruit. “My cousins were sabras,” he explains using the term for a native-born Israeli. “They walked barefoot on the hot roads… and rode bikes with no hands. I was the city boy.” He longed to be more like them.
In his grade school classroom, there was a photo of an Israeli farmer. “Growing up, it was obvious to me that farmers are the heroes,” Hedai explains.
Hedai’s parents always told him to do what he wanted as long as he wasn’t a barber or a chef. He became an officer in an elite unit in the Israeli military and went on to study Jewish history.
“But, it was clear to me and to my older brother that if we want to fulfill our destiny, [we need] to become farmers,” he says. They started an organic farm in the Aravah in the south of Israel growing tomatoes that were shipped overseas and sold at stores like Whole Foods. Their dream of driving a tractor and snacking on watermelon on the front porch was replaced with hours spent with their accountant. Life “didn’t look like the dream we had in our homeland class,” Hedai adds.
That came into sharper light when a friend of Hedai’s brother was killed while completing his military reserve duty in Gaza. When their slain friend’s father offered a eulogy, he said his son’s legacy and memorial was the land he left behind, the land of Israel. As the brothers drove home, they knew the farm as it was was not what it was meant to be. Hedai traveled around the world learning about sustainability and came back to Israel and started a 10 year transition of their business into a sustainable farm.
Today, he and his brother operate a farm and a handful of cafes and shops selling their cheeses and produce. “We are not farm to table. We are seed to table,” Hedai says, and everything they produce is sold locally in Israel by them.
“We are not farm to table. We are seed to table”
There’s no separation between Hedai’s life as a farmer and his life at home around his table. “I don’t finish my job and go home and do something else. This is my life, how I spend my time,” he says. “Hosting at home is what we do. Even in my restaurant, I feel like I’m hosting at home. Our food is based on the notion of hospitality.”
