{"id":3125,"date":"2012-12-06T17:21:14","date_gmt":"2012-12-06T17:21:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/?p=3125"},"modified":"2012-12-06T17:26:10","modified_gmt":"2012-12-06T17:26:10","slug":"food-network-was-this-israeli-caterers-cooking-school","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/2012\/12\/06\/food-network-was-this-israeli-caterers-cooking-school\/","title":{"rendered":"Food Network was this Israeli caterer\u2019s cooking school"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/h1>\n

\u00a0By Debra Samuels<\/h2>\n
\u00a0 GLOBE CORRESPONDENT\u00a0 DECEMBER 04, 2012<\/div>\n
\n

CHESTNUT HILL \u2014 Some people watch the Food Network for entertainment. For Liora Kushner, it was educational television, which eventually led to a catering career.<\/p>\n

Kushner, 39, a lawyer by training, switched fields after the birth of her third child, Maya, 5. \u201cI went to the college of the Food Network,\u201d says Kushner, born in Israel of Moroccan parents. With her striking looks and sophisticated take on the cuisine of her homeland, she could probably host her own show.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

On the menu one morning recently is shakshuka, a North African and Middle Eastern dish of spicy tomato and bell pepper sauce, in which eggs are poached just before serving. \u201cShakshuka can be eaten for breakfast or dinner,\u201d says the caterer. As you break into the egg, the soft yolk runs into the sauce. \u201cYou serve it with a loaf of bread,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

A double-handled stainless steel pan filled with the tomato-based sauce is bubbling away on the stove; it simmers for about an hour. Kushner uses a wooden spoon to make several depressions in the mixture. She breaks an egg into a small bowl, then carefully tips the egg into one of the hollow spots, then adds more, and cooks them about five minutes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Kushner and her husband, Ohad, also have two sons, Ido, 13, and Tomer, 11. The family moved to Boston 11 years ago for Ohad\u2019s job in the communications field.<\/p>\n

Liora Kushner admits that she \u201crarely cooked in Israel. I didn\u2019t have to. I was working all the time and if I wanted something I\u2019d call my mom and she\u2019d send something over.\u201d But that changed when she came here. She started making dishes she couldn\u2019t get and drawing inspiration from Ina Garten on \u201cBarefoot Contessa\u201d and Giada Di Laurentiis on \u201cGiada at Home.\u201d \u201cThey make food look so good,\u201d says Kushner.<\/p>\n

She began teaching cooking to children at an after-school program at Temple Emeth in Chestnut Hill, because she didn\u2019t think kids ate well. \u201cIn Israel we don\u2019t have a boxed food culture like here. I wanted kids to know macaroni and cheese doesn\u2019t come from a box,\u201d Kushner says. \u201cWe make everything from scratch and the kids eat it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kushner grew up in Nahariya on the northern border of Israel. After military service, where she met Ohad, they moved to Haifa, his hometown, went to the same university, and eventually married. Her Sephardic parents had emigrated to Israel in the \u201950s. The Moroccan cuisine she grew up on was a lot spicier than her husband\u2019s; he is from an Eastern European Ashkenazi family, where pot roast and matzo ball soup were on the menu. Kushner was raised on her mother\u2019s matbucha, a fiery tomato and pepper spread. Kushner makes her matbucha by cooking the same sauce for the shakshuka, only adding chili peppers, and cooking it an hour longer.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Her catering began with dishes for parties at Temple Emeth. Kushner describes her style as contemporary Israeli and Mediterranean. Popular menu items include a savory tart of roasted sweet potatoes and feta, root vegetable couscous, and panna cotta with passion fruit sauce. She uses the synagogue\u2019s kosher kitchen, even when preparing for other parties.<\/p>\n

She explains that her menu, to use a kosher term, is dairy. This means she serves vegetables, legumes, grains, dairy products, and fresh and smoked fish, but no meat. And her busy catering schedule all comes from word of mouth.<\/p>\n

In Israel, Kushner explains, Jews come from many countries, so she learned about tagines from Tunisian and Algerian families, and garlicky dishes and barbecue from Romanian neighbors. She recalls how mothers in her apartment building shared their specialties and how this influenced her cooking today.<\/p>\n

\u201cIsrael is very international and that\u2019s what makes its cuisine so beautifully fusion-y,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

Liora Kushner catering\u00a0<\/strong>liorascatering@gmail.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

RECIPES<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Shakshuka
\nServes 6<\/em><\/p>\n

A North African and Middle Eastern specialty, shakshuka is a one-pot dish of eggs poached in a rich tomato-bell pepper sauce. It can be served for breakfast or dinner. To turn this into the spicy spread matbucha, (which has no eggs), add a chili pepper or two and cook the sauce 1 hour more. Serve both dishes with fresh pita.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\u00bc<\/td>\ncup olive oil<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\ncloves garlic, finely chopped<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\nred bell peppers, cored, seeded, and finely chopped<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\ngreen bell peppers, cored,seeded, and finely chopped<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\ntablespoon tomato paste<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\ntablespoon paprika<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nteaspoon ground cumin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nteaspoon sugar<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\ncan (28 ounces) diced tomatoes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\ndried chili pepper or 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nSalt and black pepper, to taste<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
6<\/td>\neggs<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

1.\u00a0<\/strong>In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the red and green bell peppers, tomato paste, paprika, cumin, and sugar. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0<\/strong>Add the tomatoes and chili pepper or crushed pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, or until the sauce thickens.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0<\/strong>With the back of a large spoon, make 6 depressions in the sauce.<\/p>\n

4.\u00a0<\/strong>Using 3 small bowls, crack an egg into each one. Tip the eggs into the hollows in the sauce. Repeat with the remaining bowls and eggs. Sprinkle them with salt and black pepper. Cover with a lid and cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until the eggs are opaque.<\/p>\n

5.\u00a0<\/strong>With a large spoon, lift an egg and sauce and transfer to 6 shallow bowls.\u00a0Adapted from Liora Kushner<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Couscous salad with dried fruit and nuts and toasted chickpeas<\/p>\n

\n

Serves 8<\/em><\/p>\n

Dried fruit is often used in North African cuisine to sweeten dishes, as it is in this colorful sweet, salty, and crunchy couscous salad. Liora Kushner seasons her couscous with turmeric, paprika, ground cumin, and caramelized onions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
3<\/td>\ntablespoons olive oil<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\ntablespoon butter<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nlarge Bermuda onion, finely chopped<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nteaspoon salt, and more to taste<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nteaspoon paprika<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\nteaspoon ground cumin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2<\/td>\ncups water<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u215b<\/td>\nteaspoon turmeric<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\ncups plain instant couscous<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
8<\/td>\ndried apricots, finely chopped<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\ncup dried cranberries<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
4<\/td>\ndried figs, finely chopped<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00bd<\/td>\ncup shelled, unsaltedpistachios, coarsely chopped<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
3<\/td>\nstalks celery, finely chopped<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\ncup chopped fresh parsley<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
<\/td>\nBlack pepper, to taste<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

1.\u00a0<\/strong>In a skillet over medium heat, heat1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the butter and when it melts, add the onion and a generous pinch of salt. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often, or until the onion is nicely browned. Stir in the paprika and cumin; set aside.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong>\u00a0In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt, remaining 2tablespoons olive oil, turmeric, and couscous. Stir until blended. Turn off the heat and cover the pan. Set aside for 5 minutes. With a fork fluff the couscous and transfer to a bowl.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0<\/strong>Add the apricots, cranberries, figs, pistachios, celery, parsley, pepper, and onion. Toss well until evenly combined. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper, if you like.<\/p>\n

CHICKPEAS<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
1<\/td>\ntablespoon olive oil<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00bd<\/td>\nteaspoon paprika<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\u00bd<\/td>\nteaspoon ground cumin<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
1<\/td>\ncup canned chickpeas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

1.\u00a0<\/strong>In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil. Add the paprika and cumin and heat for 1 minute.<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong>\u00a0Lower the heat and add the chickpeas. Stir until the chickpeas are coated with the spice mixture. Cook 1 minute more. Sprinkle the spiced chickpeas over the couscous.\u00a0Adapted from Liora Kushner<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u00a0By Debra Samuels \u00a0 GLOBE CORRESPONDENT\u00a0 DECEMBER 04, 2012 CHESTNUT HILL \u2014 Some people watch the Food Network for entertainment. For Liora Kushner, it was educational television, which eventually led to a catering career. Kushner, 39, a lawyer by training, switched fields after the birth of her third child, Maya, 5. \u201cI went to the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3134,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[129,126,120,84,184,100,99,97,131,69,1],"tags":[186,189,187,188,185],"class_list":["post-3125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-breakfast","category-eggs","category-grains","category-israel","category-israeli","category-recipes-by-categories","category-recipes-by-cuisine","category-rice-noodles-pasta","category-the-boston-globe","category-feature-articles","category-uncategorized","tag-couscous","tag-eggs-2","tag-israeli-cuisine","tag-middle-eastern-cuisine","tag-shakshuka"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3125","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3125"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3125\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3140,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3125\/revisions\/3140"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3134"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3125"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3125"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cookingatdebras.com\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3125"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}