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This recipe is borrowed from the cookbook ALIYAH by Cindy Silvert. To read the full story behind this recipe and for more recipes, purchase a copy of the book at jnf.org/store.

Caterers Gili and Ohad are a microcosm of the melting pot that is Israel. Their ancestors come from Iran, Morocco, Poland, Romania and Russia and they make food that is influenced by their travels everywhere. At the same time, they are focused on connecting their clients with locally grown ingredients and the land that produced it. I wound my way through an organic farm outside of Rishon Lezion (where is GPS when you need it? Seriously…) for a demo/taste-test between a cluster of olive trees, where Ohad and Gili whipped up an incredible, colorful meal. I don’t usually eat brisket at 10:00 am, but when it’s glistening in fresh squeezed pomegranate juice (and a splash of booze) and falling off the bone… you make an exception. These guys take their meat seriously, and their all meat cookbook is a thing of beauty. The recipe for meat kebabs below is incredibly juicy thanks to the chopped eggplant, who knew? They’re even better when brushed with tangy BBQ sauce, also in the book. 

INGREDIENTS

1 orange

1 lemon

2 Asian oranges

1/2 red grapefruit

2 Tbsp oil

2 lb Denver cut beef

2 Tbsp pickled lemon (recipe below)

Cut the fresh fruit into 1-inch cubes. Head a cast iron pan on high and add the oil. When the oil begins to smoke, add the meat. Wear gloves and/or watch out for splashing oil. Add the cubed fruit around the meat. Flip the fuit so it gets seared on all sides. Let the meat sear/blacken for 2-3 minutes. Flip meat over and sear for 2-3 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan. Mix the pickled lemon into the pan of fruit and stir. Pour the fruit mixture over the meat and enjoy.

FOR THE PICKLED LEMONS

2 lbs lemon

1/2 cup sea salt

2 1/2 tsp sweet paprika

2 1/2 tsp hot paprika

1/2 cup olive oil

Wash and slice the lemons and remove the pits. Combine the lemon and salt and place in a large colander. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and place something heavy on top. Place the colander in a bowl. The colander should be suspended from the top of the bowl so that liquid can drain from the lemons into the bowl. Leave overnight in the refrigerator. Pour out the liquid from the bowl and put the lemon mixture in glass jars. Pour the oil over the lenom slices. Shut the jars and leave in a cold, dark place for two weeks. After two weeks, combine with the paprika and transfer the jars to the fridge. For lemon spread, puree in a food processor. 

This recipe is borrowed from the cookbook ALIYAH by Cindy Silvert. To read the full story behind this recipe and for more recipes, purchase a copy of the book at jnf.org/store.

Caterers Gili and Ohad are a microcosm of the melting pot that is Israel. Their ancestors come from Iran, Morocco, Poland, Romania and Russia and they make food that is influenced by their travels everywhere. At the same time, they are focused on connecting their clients with locally grown ingredients and the land that produced it. I wound my way through an organic farm outside of Rishon Lezion (where is GPS when you need it? Seriously…) for a demo/taste-test between a cluster of olive trees, where Ohad and Gili whipped up an incredible, colorful meal. I don’t usually eat brisket at 10:00 am, but when it’s glistening in fresh squeezed pomegranate juice (and a splash of booze) and falling off the bone… you make an exception. These guys take their meat seriously, and their all meat cookbook is a thing of beauty. The recipe for meat kebabs below is incredibly juicy thanks to the chopped eggplant, who knew? They’re even better when brushed with tangy BBQ sauce, also in the book. 

INGREDIENTS

1 orange

1 lemon

2 Asian oranges

1/2 red grapefruit

2 Tbsp oil

2 lb Denver cut beef

2 Tbsp pickled lemon (recipe below)

Cut the fresh fruit into 1-inch cubes. Head a cast iron pan on high and add the oil. When the oil begins to smoke, add the meat. Wear gloves and/or watch out for splashing oil. Add the cubed fruit around the meat. Flip the fuit so it gets seared on all sides. Let the meat sear/blacken for 2-3 minutes. Flip meat over and sear for 2-3 minutes. Remove the meat from the pan. Mix the pickled lemon into the pan of fruit and stir. Pour the fruit mixture over the meat and enjoy.

FOR THE PICKLED LEMONS

2 lbs lemon

1/2 cup sea salt

2 1/2 tsp sweet paprika

2 1/2 tsp hot paprika

1/2 cup olive oil

Wash and slice the lemons and remove the pits. Combine the lemon and salt and place in a large colander. Cover the mixture with plastic wrap and place something heavy on top. Place the colander in a bowl. The colander should be suspended from the top of the bowl so that liquid can drain from the lemons into the bowl. Leave overnight in the refrigerator. Pour out the liquid from the bowl and put the lemon mixture in glass jars. Pour the oil over the lenom slices. Shut the jars and leave in a cold, dark place for two weeks. After two weeks, combine with the paprika and transfer the jars to the fridge. For lemon spread, puree in a food processor.