Tag Archives: travel

Bites of Tucson

01 Tuesday Sep 2015

Posted by in recipe, restaurant review, travel, Tuesday Travel

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I went to Tucson this past weekend to visit my close friend, Jen, who recently moved there. I have only been to Tucson one time; to tour U of A and then I never returned. Ever. Except to see Matisyahu once.

Where to eat in Tucson, Arizona

This time I was prepared; I asked friends where I should eat. See, pre-college I didn’t care as much about food. It was only when
a) Food Network was my life soundtrack anytime I was in my dorm room
and
b) I had to cook for myself if I wanted home cooked meals
that I fell in love with cooking. So, the first time I went to Tucson I didn’t eat at any of the places I’m about to tell you about and that was a downright mistake. I did have a slushy from eegee’s, however, which had some redeeming qualities. I digress. Here’s where and what I ate in my 27 hours in Tucson this weekend:

Miss Saigon

Miss Saigon saved me, like a delicious superhero, from my breakfast- and lunch-less morning. I ordered Pho Ga (chicken pho) and Jen ordered Bun Tom Nuong (char-broiled shrimp over vermicelli and greens).

Tucson Pho: Miss Saigon. Where I Ate in Tucson.

Everything was so delicious; my favorite part about this type of foods is the fresh herbs, and they were plentiful. I typically never finish a whole bowl of Pho but I totally did this time and I felt as accomplished as the one single time I ever finished a Chipotle burrito, except I didn’t even have to try this time because it was so good. I actually had to stop myself from drinking the broth afterwards. They brought extra Thai basil to dress up my pho, along with cilantro, bean sprouts, hoisin sauce and Sriracha.

Vietnamese Pho in Tucson at Miss Saigon

Sushi on Oracle

Sushi is one of my favorite foods in the world, and I always get excited when I find restaurants with affordable and authentic fare. Sushi on Oracle delivered; I enjoyed Albacore with Ponzu, and Jen and I shared a Spicy Yellowtail Roll and a Vegas Roll.

Sushi in the Desert: Sushi on Oracle in Tucson

The albacore was so fresh it melted in my mouth. The Spicy Yellowtail Roll was also very fresh and had a really nice, delicate yellowtail flavor without being too spicy. And the Vegas Roll is essentially the dessert of sushi; melted gooey cream cheese with soft avocado, succulent salmon and sweet eel sauce is all I need to be sent into sweet sushi-coma submission. I was beside myself for the rest of the night, all I could keep saying was how good it was.

Sushi on Oracle: Vegas Roll

Food Conspiracy Co-op

I have a weakness for organic/local/artisan grocers, so naturally, we went to the Food Conspiracy Co-op twice in the span of a day and a half. Twice. No one was surprised. The first time I stood in the spice aisle for way too long reading every label and then gawking at the river that became 4th street when a hurricane-like storm swept through. A tree fell on someone’s car and the power flickered; panic rose within me at the thought of the registers failing and not being able to take home all the teas and spices and medjool dates in my basket.

Rain Storm at the Food Conspiracy Co-Op

Sonoran Sleep Tea from Tucson's Food Conspiracy Co-op

Don’t worry, I was able to purchase them. In case that visit wasn’t enough, I had to go back the next day to get more tea and more dates and some fresh figs because Jen had never had one and everyone deserves to eat a chilled fresh fig in the summer sunshine with one of their best friends. So we did that, and it was magical. I have tried 3 of the countless teas I bought and love all of them so far, and I am now completely obsessed with dried chipotle chili flakes. I have put them on almost everything savory I’ve eaten since I’ve been home. Jen is going to have to ship me a kilo or 10.

Cup Cafe at Hotel Congress

My sister’s friend told me I must order the baked eggs, and that it would be the culinary experience of a lifetime.

It was amazing.

Cast Iron Skillet Baked Eggs at Cup Cafe in Tucson

I got the baked eggs. It was a culinary experience of a lifetime. I MEAN WHO WOULDN’T LOVE EGGS WITH LOX BAKED IN CREAM???? Yeah, no one, that’s what I thought. This dish typically comes with ham in it but lox was an option and I can’t pass up lox + eggs, ever. It was so good and rich and creamy and good. If you are in Tucson, get the baked eggs. Also, I had my first bloody mary from a bloody mary bar and felt really fancy about it and loved the whole experience.

Bloody Mary with Cilantro, Cucumber, Artichokes, etc.

Now you are ready to go forth and eat baked eggs and buy 100 teas and eat albacore with ponzu and the yummiest pho eva. Report back and let me know if you loved it as much as I did.

By the way, if you’ve ever wanted to watch me cook LIVE now you can!! Join me on Periscope, a new live-streaming app, and watch me cook, meal prep and answer all of your questions LIVE! You can find me @TsiporahBlog on Periscope 🙂

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Home Sweet Home & Tomato Salad with Basil Vin

13 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by in appetizer, brunch, dairy free, gluten free, healthy recipe, salad, salad dressing, summer, travel, vegetarian/vegan

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A little story about traveling the world + a recipe for a refreshing Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette.

Hi Hello! Wow, it has been a while, hasn’t it?! I took a break from blogging because I’ve been very busy this year! After leaving Israel I came home for a week to visit with family and friends before packing up again and traveling across some of Europe, an adventure that changed how I view life. Now I’m home and employed and super happy to be back in my kitchen. While I was traveling I experienced new foods and cultures and a crazy new way of life, and I’m excited to share a little bit about that chapter with you (and a recipe, of course!).

Fresh Summer Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

I initially went to Europe as an au pair. I arrived in Rome on an unseasonably warm and sunny day for February in Italy. 1/4 of my host family met me at the airport; a man named Mario. I was full of excitement and nerves, but I was mainly really happy to finally be in Italy. I had dreamt of visiting Italy my whole life; my parents and I lived there when I was a baby so I grew up hearing stories of small towns and gelato and pizza.

I was instantly mesmerized by the land; Italy is unlike any place I’ve ever been. The endless green and stark white of snow capped mountains with a wildly blue sky will forever be stamped into my memories.

Tsiporah Blog in Italy

A Scenic View in Italy

The events that followed both broke me and strengthened me, and they led to my greatest adventure so far: two months of solo travel through Europe. The au pair job didn’t work out. I’d love to say that the host family and I simply weren’t a match, but it was more than that. It’s quite a long story but more important is what followed, a magically transformative and healing time in my life.

With an enormous amount of support and love from friends and family near and far, I held my head high, booked a train ticket and packed my bags. In a span of two months I traveled through 20 cities in 8 different countries, an opportunity that may never have come my way had things worked out with the au pair family.

A lot of people along my path made me feel better about my circumstances. One man in Cinque Terre said it best; he was traveling with a companion from home who went to the same university as my sister, which sparked a two-hour long afternoon conversation overlooking the ocean, enjoying locally made white wine. He said to me “sometimes bad things happen in order to lead us to the good things in life,” and he was right.

Tsiporah Blog Travels to Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre: I came here to heal

I met dozens of people along the way who helped me and taught me, I saw sights and sat on beaches and experienced new cultures and different people. I struggled and grew and laughed and cried. And I experienced some of the best food of my life.

I’m happy to be back in the kitchen and I’m really looking forward to using some of my food knowledge and inspirations that came from my time abroad. I’ve gained a new appreciation of my home and its local offerings, though I’ll always dream of the colorful outdoor markets across Europe and in Israel. Even though summer temperatures in Phoenix average 100+, our farmers markets are still lively in the early morning, and they’re a welcome reminder of the markets from my travels. Eating abroad made me really respect eating locally, which I intend to carry on into my new life at home.

Mercato Centrale - Florence, Italy

Mercato Centrale – Florence, Italy

A good family friend gave me these tomatoes. They are gorgeous little gems bursting with sweetness and they were locally grown here in Arizona. All tomatoes should taste like this: so full of flavor and goodness, like summer dancing along your taste buds. I knew instantly what I wanted to make with them; a fresh and light tomato salad that I can’t get enough of, dressed with a simple basil vinaigrette that’s easy to whip up in a blender. I used three types of basil in my recipe so that I didn’t pick too many from any one plant in my garden, but you can use any type/combination of basil that you like.

Tomato Salad with Basil Vinaigrette

Garden Fresh Basil + a recipe for Tomato Salad with Basil Vin | via Tsiporah Blog

Ingredients

1/2 lb local heirloom tomatoes
1 large handful of fresh basil
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Scant 1/2 cup white balsamic vinegar
1 garlic clove, grated on a microplane or very finely chopped
1 tsp salt, or to taste
Fresh pepper, to taste

Directions

Cut your beautiful heirloom tomatoes into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to your blender and blend on high until the basil pieces are as small as they’ll get (or until they’re completely blended into the dressing, my blender is just not that cool). Taste the basil vinaigrette for salt and pepper, and adjust to your preferences if you think it needs more/less acidity.

Lightly toss the tomatoes with the dressing. Let the salad sit for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to blend together. Garnish with fresh basil and enjoy!

This dressing keeps in the refrigerator for a week and is also great as a salad dressing. I imagine it would be delicious as a chicken marinade as well.

Tomato Salad + Basil Vin | via Tsiporah Blog

Happy summer everyone, I’m so happy to be back in the blogging world. If you want to read more about my travels and see some photos I took, head on over to my travel blog here: Nicoblossom Travels. If you want to connect with me in other ways, check out the links below…

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An Afternoon at Irit’s

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

Posted by in dairy free, gluten free, healthy recipe, restaurant review, travel, vegetarian/vegan

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05-06-19

I’m lost in Tel Aviv, again. I picked a random street to walk down in the general direction of my destination, and I’m lost, but it’s okay. Wandering just on the outskirts of Shuk HaCarmel, I peer into each shop, my eyes fruitlessly searching for a notebook. Just something small to jot down my thoughts and dreams. I am so intent on my quest to discover new shops and find my perfect notebook that I fail to recognize the street that I’m walking down, that I’ve walked down a few times before. If it wasn’t for the brilliant blue doors and emerald green awning which mark the entrance to her little restaurant, I might have passed Irit’s, but it is the solo outdoor table that catches my eye. An elderly gentleman is seated there, enjoying a tall glass of orange juice. I suddenly snap back to reality as I realize where I am.

Irit's: Tel Aviv restaurant review

I feel a small smile creep across my face as I step into her place. Although Irit likes to keep the radio on, a mishmash of American 90’s, Top 40 and Israeli songs, the real music of Irit’s is the sound of her voice calling over the others. She once told me her age, swiftly followed by the jubilant exclamation that her soul is young! And it is; you can hear it in her voice and see it in the twinkle in her eyes and her glowing skin.

Irit is middle-aged, about the same age as my own Mother, though her cheerful, raspy voice and caring nature leads me to feel as though she is everyone’s bubby.

My intent is to say hello and continue on my way, but soon I am sitting at one of her mismatched tables in a mismatched chair sipping freshly squeezed orange juice prepared by one of her friends, Yosi. Although she is married, I imagine that Irit has many admirers, and Yosi may even be one of them. Irit once told me that she had to turn down many marriage proposals in just one day, and I believe her.

Irit's unique cafe in Tel Aviv

I share the news with Yosi and Irit, although it isn’t really news; I am leaving Tel Aviv in about 10 days, and Israel not long after that. They erupt, as all Israelis do when they hear that the Americayi is leaving.

ARIZONA! boasts Yosi, You are SLEEPING in Arizona! The excitement is here! 

I try to tell him that Arizona can be exciting, but he presses on.

Sometimes (Arizona can be exciting), but here, the excitement is every day!

It’s true, there’s hardly a dull moment here.

Trinkets galore in Irit's tiny restaurant

Fire-Roasted Eggplant with Lemon and Tahini // Tsiporah Blog

I join Irit in her small kitchen and lean over the stove to find out how exactly she makes her fabulous eggplant. Is it low heat? Magic?
Low heat, she tells me, the same low heat used to make lachoch, a spongy and porous flatbread that she makes daily.
Soon I am greeted with a plate of Irit’s eggplant, my favorite dish of hers, along with a fresh pita and the last of the tahini. I am ready to adopt her as my 3rd grandmother.

When I am done, all that remains are 5 little lemon seeds, evidence of the whimsical, erratic method of Irit’s cooking.

Irit's cooking

Irit’s small restaurant is lit by bright daylight pouring in through the two open front doors. The sunlight spills into her small restaurant, and into the hearts of her loyal patrons. Irit is exuberant, always. Everything she prepares is the best I have ever had; the best shakshouka, the best eggplant, the best orange juice. Love is the main ingredient in her recipes, and you can taste it.

Click here for the full recipe on my new blog, Nourishing Wild.

Irit's Smokey Eggplant with Lemon and Tahini // Tsiporah Blog (recipes from Israel)

Smoked Eggplant

Smokey roasted eggplant

Click here for the full recipe on my new blog, Nourishing Wild.

Smokey Eggplant with Tahini // Tsiporah Blog

Click here for the full recipe on my new blog, Nourishing Wild.

Enjoy!

Discover Israel’s Tasty Side

I first discovered Irit’s little cafe through my work with Delicious Israel. Inbal, the owner of Delicious Israel (and my boss here in Tel Aviv), took me to Irit’s for the first time on a culinary tour during my very first week as her intern. I have since returned to Irit’s many times, and I have Inbal to thank for that. If you are visiting Israel, check out Inbal’s Culinary Tours to get the tastiest view of the country and to discover more hidden gems like this one!
Delicious Israel | PH: +972 525 699 499 | info@deliciousisrael.com

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Tomato & Eggplant Ragout

21 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by in dairy free, gluten free, spicy, vegetarian/vegan

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This easy tomato and eggplant ragout is my new favorite thing to make. It is easy enough for a week night, it can be a one pot meal, and it is flavorful enough to impress if you’re cooking for a crowd. I really like the mixture of flavors but you can feel free to add or subtract spices as you choose. This is my first recipe experimenting with eggplant, and my friend Julia and I were so pleased that we have made it numerous times since then.

It’s funny when you think that you know a food, and that you know that you don’t like it. Maybe there are exceptions, for example: some people only like cooked onions, or beets when they are pickled, or some people like fresh tomatoes but hate sun dried tomatoes. Then, sometimes, when you experiment with an ingredient you discover so many new aspects of it.

Tomato & Eggplant Ragout Recipe | via Tsiporah Blog

This is what happened with me and eggplant. I thought for sure I didn’t like it, unless it was made one of these following three ways:

  1. Breaded and fried (eggplant parmesan or maybe even eggplant “fries”)
  2. Roasted or smoked and whipped beyond recognition into baba ganoush
  3. Cooked into a tomato and eggplant dip from a kosher market in Phoenix

Otherwise I really disliked eggplant. Until I came to Israel.

Eggplant is on almost every menu here. There are entire dishes devoted to eggplant and you can often order it as a side. It is roasted, grilled, made into sauces, and cooked into stews, like this tomato and eggplant stew. Maybe the quality of the eggplant is better here, or maybe the people here have just had more time to perfect their preparation of this odd vegetable. Regardless, it is awesome, and I’m completely converted.

Tomato and Eggplant Stew with Middle Eastern Spices via Tsiporah Blog

Tomato and Eggplant Stew

Tomato & Eggplant Ragout

Ingredients

1 onion
4 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium sized eggplant, which feels heavy for its size
5 medium-large tomatoes
5 garlic cloves
2 tsp cumin
3 tsp paprika
3 tsp za’atar spice blend*
Optional- chili flakes (if you want it to be really spicy)
1 tbsp onion flakes
1/2 tbsp skhug chili paste (optional)*
3 tbsp tomato paste
1 vegetable bullion cube
2 1/2 cup water
Salt and pepper, to taste

Tomato and Eggplant Ragout Ingredients | #Recipe via Tsiporah Blog

Spices for Tomato and Eggplant Ragout Recipe via Tsiporah Blog

Directions

In a large & deep skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat. Quarter the onion and cut into 1/4 inch-thick slices and add to the olive oil. Cook on low for 20 minutes until the onions slightly start to brown.

Tomato and Eggplant Stew Recipe via Tsiporah Blog

Meanwhile, cut the eggplant into slices, and then into small cubes or rectangles, and place in a colander. Sprinkle generously with salt and rest the colander over a bowl or the sink to let excess moisture drip off. Chop the tomatoes into rough cubes and mince the garlic; set both aside.

Tomato and Eggplant Stew with Mediterranean Spices via Tsiporah Blog

Tomato and Eggplant Ragout Recipe via Tsiporah Blog

Once the onions are done, remove them from the pan and set aside. Rinse the eggplant to remove the excess salt and press between paper towels to dry. Add the extra 2 tbsp of oil to the pan. Once it is heated, add the eggplant and sear on all sides. You might have to do this in two batches.

Pan cooked eggplant for Eggplant & Tomato Ragout via Tsiporah Blog

Searing the eggplant

Once the eggplant is golden brown on most sides, transfer to a pot. Add the tomatoes and garlic. Cook together on low for 3-4 minutes until the tomatoes just start to soften. Then add all of the spices (cumin, paprika, zatar and onion flakes) and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Lastly, add the skhoug chili paste, tomato paste, water, bullion, salt and pepper.

Vegan Eggplant and Tomato Stew via Tsiporah Blog

Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce the heat to low. Let simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, until most of the water is incorporated, making a thick stew. Most of the tomatoes and eggplant should be completely softened, they may even begin to disappear into the ragout.

Once the ragout has cooked for 45 minutes, taste it and adjust the flavors to your liking. You can add more spices, salt, and pepper.

Tomato and Eggplant Stew with Garlic & Spices via Tsiporah Blog

To serve, remove from heat and drizzle with an extra 2 tbsp of olive oil. Serve over rice or with crusty bread, or even as a dip for challah on Shabbat. Enjoy!

*If you don’t have za’atar, you can substitute a mixture of mostly oregano and a little thyme or marjoram (dried & ground). Likewise, if you don’t have skhoug, just substitute anything spicy that you like, or another chili paste.

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