Missiles are flying and food is still on my mind

I’d like to think that we won’t have to get used to this.

Pillows, blanket, radio (and now a teddy bear for our granddaughter) on the floor in the hallway - our “safe” area.
Flashlights strategically placed around the house.
The light left on all night and the front door we leave unlocked, just in case.

Will I get used to watching T.V.?

Except for an occasional cooking show or movie classic, television never held my interest. I’m much happier reading a good book or listening to music. But here I am now, checking every few hours for news updates.

After this morning’s news, I happened on a lesson broadcast for high school students in the south, where schools are still closed. The teacher was contemporary Israeli author Meir Shalev. His subject – King Saul, David and Goliath (Samuel I). How interesting to hear his thoughts on the Tanach delivered in eloquent literary Hebrew.

He encouraged the students to think about contemporary leaders in light of biblical heroes. How does charisma influence leadership? Can young people contribute creative solutions to the tough problems we face today? He stressed the importance of thinking “outside of the box”.

At the end of his lecture he took a slingshot out of his pocket and began to demonstrate David’s technique in his match with Goliath.

At which point my mind wandered to Shalev’s novel that I’d recently read in translation - “Four Meals”. His story revolves around four gourmet meals eaten by the narrator. Ah yes, it was back to food for me ….

Remember those garbanzo beans I was cooking the other day?

My husband and I collaborated on this delicious meal. It's not a formal recipe. There are no measurements. Just these general guidelines:

Whole Chomous and Eggplant (Parve)

1. Pre-soak and then cook a cup or two of garbanzo beans (chick peas, chomous). When they are nearly done, season with salt to taste and cook them a little more until they’re very soft. There should be a little cooking liquid left. Add a tablespoon or so of extra-virgin olive oil to the beans.

2. While the beans are cooking, grill an eggplant or two until the skin is charred and the inside is completely soft. Slit the eggplant with a sharp knife and let it drain in a colander.

3. Chop the cooled eggplant coarsely. Season it with techina (Especially easy with more liquid pourable techina sold here.), salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and chopped parsley. Garlic is good too.

4. Toast a handful of pine nuts in a small dry skillet.

5. Put the warm garbanzo beans into a serving bowl or arrange them on a platter.

6. Spoon the eggplant on top of the beans. Sprinkle with a little sumac (or paprika) and then with the pine nuts.

Enjoy!