Friday Night Dinner Blog

The Menu: 

(prepared by my Aunt Hadassah and my Uncle Eric)

Couscous (both real as well as Picky Foodie Friendly) with vegetables

Cauliflower with almond slivers

Chicken

Poussin

Two kinds of fish

A huge green salad with sprouts, nuts and dried blackberries

Big, juicy strawberries 

And for dessert: Brownies A La Gabriela * and store-bought Appel Strudel

The Story:

In some places, Sundays are magical; others have Saturday or Tuesday or maybe every time the sun sets, a little bit of fairy dust gets tossed into people’s eyes.  In Israel, this happens on Fridays. 

Most people think of Israel in terms of the conflicts, bus bombs, soldiers.  But there is so much more to this place.  When my family moved to Haifa, like most foreigners, I had spent the majority of my time in orthodox but artsy Jerusalem and funky, partying Tel Aviv.  Haifa is a different place altogether and yet it is still woven from the same cloth as other parts of the country. 

Friday is the day before the Sabbath descends.  The morning starts with madness as people scramble to get the last things before the shops close and cook large meals for their families.  On Fridays, there is always a car honking somewhere and people are even more abrupt than they are on any other day of the week.  There is a manic quality to Fridays, things need to get done now, not later.  Because later will be Shabbat – the Sabbath – and if things aren’t done by then, they will have to wait until the week starts again on Sunday. 

Most people I know in Israel aren’t religious in the slightest: they drive their cars, turn on lights and some eat bacon on Saturdays.  But Friday Night Dinner with the family isn’t a question of God, it’s about being together.  And Saturdays aren’t about going to synagogue but rather claiming a day of rest. So we scramble, and we cook, we wait in line while old ladies cut in front and tell us off when we try to call them on it.  We buy hallah and pita breads, I buy chickpea and brown rice flour to make my own the next day. 

The scent of food is everywhere: Iraqi stews, Polish roast chicken, roots cooking for the Moroccan couscous.  My mother and I decided to forsake the car and instead we walked around the neighbourhood gathering the things we were going to need: fresh, organic greens, the newspaper for my grandmother, some tahini made that morning punctuated with large parsley leaves.  As we walked, I could smell peppers, vegetables and spices, rich scents that reminded me of childhoods so different from my own and yet I had no problem picturing them.

We lit the first candle of Hannukkah, something I hadn’t done in a decade and it felt almost foreign to me though I remembered the words to the prayers and the songs from all the years of having them drilled into me.  Then, we headed to dinner at my uncle and aunt’s.  This is a relatively new tradition, because our small family has only lived so close together for a short time, yet it feels old, familiar, comforting.  We sat around the table with tears of laughter streaming down our faces and ate my aunt’s incredible food until we could burst.  Then we laughed and ate some more, including my uncle’s gluten-free brownies invented especially for me but loved by everyone who tries them. 

Because they’re like that, my aunt and uncle: and, for once, I can eat everything (except the store-bought cake) – from the Picky Foodie Friendly “couscous” to the chicken, from the salad all the way to dessert. 

I have been dreaming of Friday Night at my aunt and uncle’s for over a year – since I was last here. We chat and chew, and it’s hard to remember that we don’t do this every week.  And then my cousins, a little younger than me and Israeli to the core, all head out.  It’s half-past ten and they might not get home until the next morning. But it will be Saturday and they’ll be able to sleep all day.  That’s Friday Night Dinner in Israel.

The Recipe:

*Uncle Eric’s Brownies A La Gabriela

1/2 cup pure cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups rice flakes

1 cup agave

1 bag baking powder

1/2 tsp of salt

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 cup canola oil

4 eggs

Mix the dry ingredients well.

Beat the eggs and oil well.

Add the dry ingredients gradually until an even batter is achieved.

Grease a medium-sized baking pan and spread the batter evenly.

Bake at 170 degrees Centigrade (338 Fahrenheit) for not more than 30 minutes (25 for a more fudgy result)