When Meir Adoni moved to Kibbutz Snir, he became acquainted with the culinary world of the "Far North" • Until we can return to visit and eat at restaurants, get a taste of the food of the area
In recent years the
center of my life
has
moved to the far north,
as the area that has become my home is called.
I became a kibbutznik in Snir, a small kibbutz sitting on a hill overlooking the Hula Valley on one side and the Golan Heights on the other, with its eastern border kissing the beautiful and picturesque Banias Reserve.
During the day the kibbutz is full of the laughter of children of freedom, barefoot spawners, and at night a concert of natural sounds fills the air, enveloping the magical silence.
Just as it sounds, I really enjoy living here and the peace and quiet is felt in every corner.
In the north there are quite a few charming little culinary gems.
It is not right to compare the culinary here to the center of the country, simply because it is different: simpler in some ways, but full of northern beauty and at a different pace.
In this section, I chose to host recipes from two northern culinary staples: Sagi from the "deli" at Kibbutz Dafna and Hagai and Shifi Shalom, the owner of the "Mitchus" restaurant in Katzrin.
Sagi Madafna, who loves to smoke meats, is one of the people who creates the northern cuisine.
He volunteers with at-risk teens and teaches them the language of cooking, but perhaps most of all he loves music.
Sagi taught me that the poet Leah Goldberg used to describe good poetry as an ability to sum up the whole world in two words, so inspired by Leah Goldberg I chose for her reasons two simple and light recipes, fun to entertain or pamper yourself in autumn afternoons and always plan the next time you come to visit More in the fall.
Hagai and Shifi established "Mitchus" in Katzrin in 2006 and since then they have managed to set up another branch in Sde Eliezer, a factory that produces the meats, a butcher shop and even a small family winery called "Salokia", where they produce 10,000 bottles of wine a year.
Naturally, the two dishes I chose to make available to you from "Mitchus" are based on the purity of the meat and are mainly based on quality meat and simple and correct treatment.
For those of you who have a smoker at home, of course it's time to use it, but a home stove will do the job too.
The restaurants are currently closed all over the country, and I'm sure you, like me, will miss the other days.
This section is an opportunity to wish that the days when you can sit and enjoy the delicacies of the north in the restaurants themselves will return soon, but until then, I brought you a small taste of this beautiful and delicious area to the house.
Roasted Camembert with nuts and reduced balsamic
Ingredients (for 4 diners):
√ 240 grams of ripe Camembert cheese
√ 30 grams of walnuts
√ A little arugula
√ Reduced balsamic vinegar
Preparing this dish is very simple.
Place the ripe Camembert cheese in a terracotta, enamel or any other dish that goes well with heat, sprinkle the walnuts over the cheese, roast in the oven at 250 degrees for about 5 minutes and remove.
Garnish with reduced balsamic vinegar and a little arugula, and to taste.
Roasted tomatoes with St. Mohr cheese
Ingredients (for 4 diners):
√ 6 ripe date tomatoes,
sliced to half a centimeter
√ 1 teaspoon coarse salt
√ 8 St. Mohr cheese rings,
thinly sliced
√ Olive oil in squeezing squeezers
√ 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
√ 2 tablespoons fresh oregano or hyssop leaves
Arrange the tomato slices on a baking sheet, sprinkle over the coarse salt and bake at 140 degrees for about 3 hours, until the liquids disappear completely.
Now refrigerate, place on a serving plate and arrange the cheese slices on top.
Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the ground black pepper, garnish with fresh oregano or hyssop leaves and serve.
Fillet tartare
Ingredients (for 2 diners):
√ 300 grams of fresh cart fillet
√ 2 finely chopped shallots
√ 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
√ 1 teaspoon pickled capers
√ 2 tablespoons quality olive oil
√ 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
√ 1/4 teaspoon Atlantic salt
√ 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
To serve:
√ Optional: 1 yolk from a fresh quail egg or a yolk from a regular egg
√ 2 toasts greased with olive oil
Just before preparation, for this dish it is important to choose a portion of fresh (not thawed) fillet cart, as the quality of the meat is very important.
Finely chop the fillet (do not grind), add all the ingredients and mix gently to maintain the appearance of the meat.
Arrange the mixture in a pile on a plate, and those who like are invited to make a hole in the center of the mass and with the help of a spoon place the yolk in it.
Whether you added the yolk or not, serve with the toast on the side.
Asado in a spicy barbecue sauce and chimichurri
Ingredients (for 6 diners):
√ 2 kg piece of brisket / veal breast (it is very important that the meat is fresh. The hard fat must be removed and the soft fat left)
√ Coarse salt
√ Black pepper
Brain (a mixture for soaking the meat):
√ 4 liters of water
√ 2 tablespoons crushed garlic
√ 1/2 packet of thyme, with the branches
For the spicy barbecue sauce:
√ 1/2 liter of barbecue sauce
√ 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
√ A handful of chopped parsley leaves
√ 2 tablespoons vinegar
√ 1/2 teaspoon salt
√ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the chimichurri (mix everything and serve with the slice):
√ Chopped parsley bouquet
√ 1 small onion chopped
√ 1 clove of crushed garlic
√ 1/2 chopped gamba pepper
√ 1 teaspoon dry oregano
√ 1 cup vinegar
√ 1/4 cup canola oil
√ 1/2 teaspoon salt
√ 1 teaspoon sugar
Mix the brine solution, place the piece of meat in it and soak in the refrigerator overnight or up to 24 hours.
After soaking, mix the coarse salt and black pepper, wrap the slice in them and place in a smokehouse or oven with wood chips for about 4 hours at a temperature of 120 degrees.
You should use refined trees such as vine, hickory or carob.
To create the smoke effect, at the end of the process you can move the slice, wrapped in foil, under a perforated gastronome with burning twigs at the bottom.
At the end of the smoking, mix the ingredients of the spicy barbecue sauce and rub the piece with the sauce.
Wrap in butcher paper (breathable paper that does not burn in the oven - available from butchers) and put back in the chimney or oven for 10 hours at a temperature of 120 degrees.
The slice is ready when measured in a temperature thermometer and seen to have reached 92 degrees.
Remove the asado slice from the oven or smoker, slice and serve with the chimichurri sauce.
meircatit@gmail.com