I’m leaving for Israel on Wednesday morning so this will likely be my last post until I return in mid January. I’ve added a little countdown script to the sidebar so that my husband, family (and you, if you’re interested) can see how much longer I’ll be off gallivanting around the middle east. I’m both excited about this trip and more than a little hesitant. Perhaps this will sound sentimental to you, but my husband and I haven’t been apart for more than a few days in over five years… and while I know three weeks isn’t so long, I’m going to miss him profoundly. (I know, I’m a sap!)

I’m taking a camera with me so if you have photo requests please feel free to leave them in the comments. I’m not making any promises, but if I get a chance to check my email and happen to be near a photo spot you’ve requested, I’ll do my best to capture an image for you. I will be spending most of my time in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Haifa.

That said, on to the topics of this post: olive oil, pasta and cigars!

Red Wine Pasta with Almond Slivers and Raisins

As I mentioned in the previous post, last week Jeff was kind enough to hook me up with a free case of artisan olive oil from Alejandro & Martin. Since then we’ve had the opportunity to use their oil in two of my favorite recipes: Red Wine Pasta with Almond Slivers and Raisins and Moroccan phyllo cigars with Sephardic spinach filling. (I also used the oil to make a less glamorous meal of scrambled eggs. :D) In each case I was quite pleased with the results, so if you are in the market for a fine sampling of gourmet oil I recommend Alejandro & Martin. I’d even go so far as to say that a case would make a great holiday gift for your favorite foodie.

Incidentally, I was looking through their company profile and think it’s pretty cool how two regular people got together and started an olive oil company. If my foodie dreams were to come true I’d be the owner of a combination book shop, coffee shop and bakery. (The real world manifestation of this blog I guess!) I’d tinker with coffee recipes and bake fabulous things, then attach it to a laid-back, neighborhood friendly book shop with old-world charm. Atmosphere is everything and I’d spend time choosing the colors of the walls, hand picking the wood used in the book shelves, and carefully selecting which comfy chairs would be placed next to which antique styled tables. And yes, I realize that bakers have to get up at the crack of dawn, but I do that already, without the bakery incentive. What about you: if you could make a vocational dream come true, what would it be?

Back to olive oil. I don’t think anyone will be surprised to hear that we’ve been eating olives for hundreds of years, but what about some 10,000 years? It’s true. Archaeological evidence suggests that olives have been a part of the human diet since the 8th millennium BCE. Eventually olives, and especially olive oil, became such an important trade commodity in the ancient world that Homer called olive oil “liquid gold.” The Minoans used it in their religious ceremonies, and then there is the curious fact that the Spartans were the first to begin anointing themselves with olive oil before exercise. This practice was later adopted by much of Greek and Roman culture, and was intended to highlight the beauty of the male body. Olive oil has been medicinal, magical, and an endless source of great wealth and power. The branches of the olive tree were used to make crowns that were ritually offered to the gods. Indeed, such crowns were even discovered in Tutankhamen’s tomb.

In this post I’ve featured two dishes, Red Wine Pasta with Almond Slivers and Raisins and Moroccan phyllo cigars. I’ve also included two filling recipes for the cigars: a Sephardic cheese filling and a Sephardic spinach filling, both of which feature cheeses such as Gouda, Gruyere, Feta and Muenster. Each of these dishes are easy to make and incredibly delicious, but unfortunately the culinary delights of the phyllo cigars prevented me from getting a photo of them. You see, while I was taking a picture of the pasta, everyone ate the cigars. Doh!

And now it’s back to packing for me. Until I we meet again, may you have warm words on a cool evening, a full moon on a dark night, and a smooth road all the way to your door.

Red Wine Pasta with Almond Slivers and Raisins
Adapted from “Pasta con Acciughe e Pomodoro” in Jamie’s Italy.
Ingredients:

• olive oil
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and very finely diced
• 2 big handfuls of pine nuts or thinly sliced almonds
• A big handful of golden raisins (you can use regular raisins too)
• 3 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 generous cup of red wine
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1 3/4 cups breadcrumbs
• 1 lb dried linguine pasta (or spaghetti)

Put a large pot of salted water to boil.

Heat a pan, add 6 tablespoons of olive oil, then add your garlic and fry slowly. As it begins to color, add the pine nuts or almonds, raisins, and continue frying for 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and wine and stir well. Leave to simmer on medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, or until, upon tasting, the alcoholic flavor of the red wine has disappeared. The sauce should be quite thick, like tomato sauce, but if you think it needs thinning down, add a little water. Add salt to taste.

Heat a bit of olive oil in a separate pan, add the breadcrumbs, and fry until toasted, crunchy and golden. Leave to cool on paper towels.

Meanwhile cook your pasta in boiling salted water according to the package instructions. Drain and mix with the sauce. Divide onto your plates and serve sprinkled with the breadcrumbs.

Moroccan Phyllo Cigars
Ingredients: Makes 48 small rolls (We only made 1/4 of this amount)

• 1 lb (about 24 sheets) thawed frozen phyllo dough, yufka, or warka.
• About 1 1/2 cups light olive oil (you can also use 3 sticks of unsalted butter, melted.)
• About 3 cups Sephardic pastry filling (instructions below)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet.

Lay the stack of phyllo sheets on a flat surface and cut in half lengthwise. Work with 1 strip at a time, covering the remaining phyllo with a damp towel.

To assemble, place 1 phyllo strip on a flat surface and lightly brush with butter. Spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into a thin strip about 1 inch from one narrow end., leaving a 1-inch border on both sides. Fold the bottom 1 inch of phyllo over the filling, then fold in the 1-inch border on the long sides. From the filling end, roll up, jelly-roll style. The rolls can be refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months. Do not thaw before baking if you freeze them.

Place the rolls, seam-side down, on the prepared baking sheet and brush with butter. Bake until crisp and golden brown, about 20 minutes for fresh cigars, 30 minutes for frozen ones. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Sephardic Cheese Filling
Ingredients:

• 1 cup (4 oz) shredded Gouda, Gruyere or Muenster cheese.
• 1 cup (5 oz) crumbled feta cheese; or 1 cup grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
• 2 cups mashed potatoes or 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
• 4 large eggs, lightly beaten
• About 1 teaspoon kosher salt (or 1/2 teaspoon table salt)
• Ground white or black pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or 2 chopped scallions

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir to blend.

Sephardic Spinach Filling
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs (about 8 cups) stemmed fresh spinach; or 30 oz frozen spinach, thawed and chopped.
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion or 8 scallions, chopped
• 2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, cilantro or dill
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup (4 oz) Gouda, Gruyere, Monterrey Jack, or Muenster cheese. Or ricotta cheese (5 oz).
• 1 cup (5 oz) crumbled feta
• About 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• About 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• About 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg, cumin or paprika.

If using fresh spinach, put it, with the water clinging to the leaves, in a heavy pot over medium heat, cover, and cook until wilted. Drain and chop.

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the spinach and parsley and stir until the liquid evaporates. Remove from the heat and let cool.

Stir in the remaining ingredients.

Credits: The delicious pasta recipe is from: Jamie’s Italy by Jamie Oliver. The Moroccan phyllo cigars recipe is from: Olive Trees and Honey: A Treasury of Vegetarian Recipes from Jewish Communities Around the World by Gil Marks.

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