From Abraham to Instant Couscous: An Immigrant's Tale
Plus a super quick and easy recipe for couscous with vegetable soup & a bonus playlist celebrating my 50th birthday. So many things.
Shalom from Israel,
This week brings together two significant milestones that have me reflecting on the meaning of home: Israel is observing Aliyah Week which honors the journeys of many individuals who have chosen to move to Israel and make it their home; and I celebrated my 50th birthday. Together, these two events feel like a meaningful coincidence and WTF because they force me to realize that I have now lived more years in Israel than I did in the United States. I have officially spent more years eating hummus than hamburgers.
While the country is clearly not in a celebratory mood, there is still much to be proud of and acknowledge. Speaking of celebrations, it's fitting that Aliyah Week coincides with the Torah portion "Lech Lecha," the original tale of leaving one's homeland for Israel. When God said Lech Lecha, (go forth) Abraham became the first person to make aliyah - and probably the last one to do so without filling out a single piece of paperwork. The comparisons end there though because while I had to worry about my kids growing up as Israelis, Abraham had to worry about his kid becoming a sacrifice. He also never had to stand in line at the Ministry of Interior, so I win.
Sweet Tastes of Home
Never missing an opportunity for celebration and profits, the popular Golda ice cream chain (as ubiquitous as Dunkin' in Massachusetts or Starbucks in Manhattan) has announced special flavors in stores in honor of Aliyah Week:
Crème brûlée (France)
Ethiopian coffee (Ethiopia)
Peanut butter and jelly (United States)
Mint chocolate (United Kingdom)
Kiev cake (Ukraine)
Salted dulce de leche (Argentina)
Each scoop costs about what I imagine a plot of land in ancient Canaan would cost - minus the lengthy negotiations with Ephron the Hittite. Biblical comedy!
Finding Our Place
I often get asked if I feel Israeli. After more than 25 years here, it's not a simple yes or no answer, more like a series of moments that sneak up on you. Like when you find yourself arguing about tahini brands with a passion sports fans reserve for the World Cup or Superbowl. Karawan and HaYona are the best. Come at me.
My wife Ziva is also an immigrant from the United States, and while we felt acculturated into Israeli society – me through the army and music and Ziva through the arts – our true integration began when Tzofia, our first child, started school. There was an entirely new aspect of Israeli culture we were being exposed to. We weren't religious and weren't quite secular either. We're very lucky to live in a city with a progressive Jewish school affiliated with the Israel Reform Movement, where our children can learn Jewish values in a pluralistic environment.
A Cookbook of Family Recipes
Back in 2015, when Tzofia was in third grade, her grade celebrated Aliyah Week by putting together a cookbook of the students’ favorite family recipes. The collection shared recipes from Morocco, Kurdistan, Tunisia, India, Egypt, Argentina, Italy, Iran, Algeria, Russia, Denmark, Uruguay, Romania, Spain, Syria, and even a recipe from a family who can trace their lineage in Jerusalem back over fifteen generations. There are recipes for kadeh (a Kurdish Jewish flatbread), ghondi (a Persian-Jewish dumpling made of chicken and chickpea flour), tbit (Iraqi slow-cooked chicken in rice) and, courtesy of yours truly, a recipe for black and white cookies. USA! USA!
But our favorite and most used recipe – now a family staple – from this collection is the Ron family's Couscous with Vegetable Soup. Tzofia is on the cusp of graduating high school and enlisting in the IDF, and we still eat this couscous 2-3 times a month during the winter here. If my calculations are correct, which they definitely aren’t, because I’m terrible at math, we've made this dish approximately 104 times, and it's a hit each time. It's super easy, super flavorful, and super comforting. This is a no nonsense recipe. There's no sautéing involved, just place all the ingredients in a pot of water, add and enjoy. Thanks to Saba Yehoshua from Algeria for the recipe, but apologies for using instant couscous.
Grateful for each one of you reading these dispatches about Jewish food, Israel, and recipes as I celebrate my 50th birthday. Know someone who loves exploring Jewish and Israeli cuisine and culture? Sharing this newsletter with them would make my birthday just a bit more special. Thank you.
Until next week,
Harry
Saba Yehoshua's Couscous with Vegetable Soup
Ingredients
For the Couscous
2½ cups (500g/17.6 oz) instant couscous
2½ cups boiling water or according to package instructions
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
For the Soup
8 cups (2 liters) water
3 carrots, chopped
1 onion, diced
2 cups pumpkin or butternut squash, cubed
3 zucchinis, chopped
1 bunch of parsley, chopped
1 bunch of celery, chopped
1 small cinnamon stick
Salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Cumin, to taste
1 cup cooked or canned chickpeas
2-3 tablespoons vegetable powder soup base (or to taste)
Instructions
Fill a large pot with 8 cups water and add all soup ingredients except the chickpeas.
Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.
Add the chickpeas and simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare couscous:
Place couscous, turmeric, salt, and pepper in a large bowl.
Mix well to distribute the spices evenly.
Pour boiling water and olive oil over couscous mixture.
Cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
Fluff with a fork.
Serve hot soup over prepared couscous.
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Servings: 4-6
Bonus:
Happy 50th to me! I made a playlist of 50 tracks—a song from each year from 1974 to 2024. Are these my favorite songs? Some, but not all. They're mostly songs with meaning that I associate with specific parts of my life. I can't hear Stevie Wonder's 'Sir Duke' without being transported to the dance floor at our wedding. When Matthew Sweet's 'We're the Same' comes on, I'm brought back to my college years, when I spent more time seeing live music than I did in classes. Or Superchunk's 'What a Time to be Alive,' which brings me to the optimism I felt in 2018, when I had a successful professional trajectory just before the global pandemic. It's a playlist that jumps back and forth from joy to sadness, but it's never angry—and that's deliberate.
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⌇⋰ Email : harrysbaked@gmail.com or respond to this email, I love to hear from you.