Cooking Irish can also be found at Pinterest and PETITCHEF.
Eli and Erin on the streets of Old Jerusalem
Before I leave my reminiscences of our holiday in Israel and Egypt, I have some memories of Bethlehem. When we stayed in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, we did not take any tours. In the mid-eighties it was safe and easy enough--even for a foreign woman alone with children--to visit the sites via local transit, mainly buses. In one day we floated in the Dead Sea, toured Masada and Bethlehem, and had lunch in Jericho. Bethlehem is in a section under Palestinian authority so has a high Muslim population. Like many areas of Israel there are holy sites for the Christian, Jew, and Muslim. Bethlehem is a small city located about 6 miles south of the Old City of Jerusalem within the West Bank occupied by Israel, but in an "Area A" zone administered by the Palestinian Authority.
Israel of today is so different from when we visited in the 80s. There is much more security, more checkpoints, less accessible tourist sites, etc. But even when we visited, the Israeli security at the airport was very much in evidence. On both arrival and departure, it was over two hours to have our baggage checked.
It was done by plane so all of the passengers on our flight were grouped together and with our luggage we started winding our way slowly through roped lines until we got to a large room with many security guards and many tables. They opened up each person's luggage and inspected each item in them. No wonder there has not been a bomb on an Israeli flight!
The "little town" of Bethlehem, mentioned in many Christmas carols, attracts Christian pilgrims worldwide because of its description in the New Testament and particularly the Gospels as the birthplace of Jesus. The Church of the Nativity is the focus of Christian veneration within the city. Christians also visit the Shepherd's Fields which is the site of the angel's visitation to the shepherds mentioned in the Gospels. Another Christian site is the Milk Grotto Chapel, where Mary spilled a few drops of breast milk while feeding Jesus, turning the cavern milky white.
Although no longer a Jewish city, Bethlehem is revered by Jews as the birthplace and home town of David, King of Israel, as well as the traditional site of Rachel's Tomb on the outskirts of the town. It is the burial place of the matriarch Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and is the second most important historical site in Bethlehem. Holy to all three faiths, the Tomb has been the site of several Arab terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. As a result of the security situation, the Tomb's original structure has been surrounded by an Israeli fortress, barricading it off from Bethlehem. While the original tomb can still be seen in its entirety from within the fortress, access to the tomb is now restricted to those travelling by Egged bus from Jerusalem. Home to many Muslims, Bethlehem remains home to one of the largest Arab Christian communities in the Middle East and one of the chief cultural and tourism draw cards for the Palestinian community. The Mosque of Omar is a mosque in active use today.
And once more I must credit my favorite experts on hors d'oeuvres. All these recipes and photos are found in Hors D'Oeuvres published in 1999 by A D K Publishing, Inc.® and written by Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell.
Ingredients:
For Cakes:
½ lb. of crab meat
½ small onion, finely chopped
½ tsp. of honey
½ tsp. of dry mustard
½ tsp. of tabasco sauce
1 tsp. of horseradish sauce
1 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. of lemon juice
3 tbsp. of quality mayonnaise
½ cup of fresh bread crumbs, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
For Topping:
4 tbsp. of mayonnaise
3 tsp. of fresh chive, finely chopped, divided
1 tsp. of lemon juice
½ tsp. of dijon mustard
½ tsp. of garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, diced for garnish
Preparation:
For cakes: preheat oven to 400° and mix the crab, onion, honey, dry mustard, tabasco sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and mayonnaise together. Add enough fresh bread crumbs to combine, about 2-4 tbsp. Salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture into 20 parts, about 20 heaping teaspoons. Shape each piece into a ball and roll lightly in remaining bread crumbs. Place on a greased baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes. Bake crab cakes until crisp and golden, 10 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature.
For topping: combine mayonnaise, 2 tsp. of chive, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon topping onto crab cakes. Garnish with tomato and remaining chive. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Mini cocktail salmon and dill cakes with crème fraîche tartare
COCKTAIL SALMON AND DILL CAKES WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE TARTARE [MAKES 20]
Ingredients:
For Cakes:
1/3 lb. of salmon filet
1 potato
2 tbsp. of dill, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. of ketchup
1 tsp. of horseradish sauce
1 tsp. of lemon juice
1 tsp. of salt
¼ tsp. of tabasco sauce
2 tbsp. of fresh bread crumbs
For Topping:
4 tbsp. of crème fraîche
1 tsp. of capers, drained and finely chopped
1 tsp. of cocktail gherkins, drained and finely chopped
1 tsp. of fresh tarragon, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
20 watercress sprigs for garnish
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°. Remove skin from salmon filet, if necessary. Place salmon into a pan of boiling water. Return the water to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat at once. Cool thoroughly. Drain on paper towels. Separate the cooked salmon into large flakes. Cook the potato in boiling water until tender; mash until smooth. Gently combine the potato with the salmon, dill, ketchup, horseradish sauce, and lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture into 20 parts, about 20 heaping teaspoons. Shape each piece into a ball and roll in bread crumbs. Flatten into cakes, and place on a greased baking sheet Bake salmon cakes until golden, 10 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature.
For topping: combine all the topping ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon topping onto salmon cakes. Garnish with watercress. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I do hope you will plan a get-together with friends to savor some of these wonderful hors d'oeuvres. It is such a simple and easy way to entertain and guests usually have fun with finger food. You get to really enjoy the time with your friends without the hassle of preparing a sit-down dinner and all the work and formality that entails.
Eli and Erin on the streets of Old Jerusalem
Before I leave my reminiscences of our holiday in Israel and Egypt, I have some memories of Bethlehem. When we stayed in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, we did not take any tours. In the mid-eighties it was safe and easy enough--even for a foreign woman alone with children--to visit the sites via local transit, mainly buses. In one day we floated in the Dead Sea, toured Masada and Bethlehem, and had lunch in Jericho. Bethlehem is in a section under Palestinian authority so has a high Muslim population. Like many areas of Israel there are holy sites for the Christian, Jew, and Muslim. Bethlehem is a small city located about 6 miles south of the Old City of Jerusalem within the West Bank occupied by Israel, but in an "Area A" zone administered by the Palestinian Authority.
Israel of today is so different from when we visited in the 80s. There is much more security, more checkpoints, less accessible tourist sites, etc. But even when we visited, the Israeli security at the airport was very much in evidence. On both arrival and departure, it was over two hours to have our baggage checked.
It was done by plane so all of the passengers on our flight were grouped together and with our luggage we started winding our way slowly through roped lines until we got to a large room with many security guards and many tables. They opened up each person's luggage and inspected each item in them. No wonder there has not been a bomb on an Israeli flight!
The "little town" of Bethlehem, mentioned in many Christmas carols, attracts Christian pilgrims worldwide because of its description in the New Testament and particularly the Gospels as the birthplace of Jesus. The Church of the Nativity is the focus of Christian veneration within the city. Christians also visit the Shepherd's Fields which is the site of the angel's visitation to the shepherds mentioned in the Gospels. Another Christian site is the Milk Grotto Chapel, where Mary spilled a few drops of breast milk while feeding Jesus, turning the cavern milky white.
Although no longer a Jewish city, Bethlehem is revered by Jews as the birthplace and home town of David, King of Israel, as well as the traditional site of Rachel's Tomb on the outskirts of the town. It is the burial place of the matriarch Rachel, wife of Jacob and mother of Joseph and Benjamin, and is the second most important historical site in Bethlehem. Holy to all three faiths, the Tomb has been the site of several Arab terrorist attacks against Israeli civilians. As a result of the security situation, the Tomb's original structure has been surrounded by an Israeli fortress, barricading it off from Bethlehem. While the original tomb can still be seen in its entirety from within the fortress, access to the tomb is now restricted to those travelling by Egged bus from Jerusalem. Home to many Muslims, Bethlehem remains home to one of the largest Arab Christian communities in the Middle East and one of the chief cultural and tourism draw cards for the Palestinian community. The Mosque of Omar is a mosque in active use today.
Bethlehem, Israel taken in July of 1985 on a day trip from Jerusalem. We took a city bus to the Dead Sea, Masada, Jericho, and Bethlehem.
And once more I must credit my favorite experts on hors d'oeuvres. All these recipes and photos are found in Hors D'Oeuvres published in 1999 by A D K Publishing, Inc.® and written by Eric Treuille and Victoria Blashford-Snell.
Mini deviled crab cakes with tomato remoulade
MINI DEVILED CRAB CAKES WITH TOMATO REMOULADE [Makes 20]
Ingredients:
For Cakes:
½ lb. of crab meat
½ small onion, finely chopped
½ tsp. of honey
½ tsp. of dry mustard
½ tsp. of tabasco sauce
1 tsp. of horseradish sauce
1 tsp. of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. of lemon juice
3 tbsp. of quality mayonnaise
½ cup of fresh bread crumbs, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
For Topping:
4 tbsp. of mayonnaise
3 tsp. of fresh chive, finely chopped, divided
1 tsp. of lemon juice
½ tsp. of dijon mustard
½ tsp. of garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tomato, peeled, seeded, diced for garnish
Preparation:
For cakes: preheat oven to 400° and mix the crab, onion, honey, dry mustard, tabasco sauce, horseradish, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and mayonnaise together. Add enough fresh bread crumbs to combine, about 2-4 tbsp. Salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture into 20 parts, about 20 heaping teaspoons. Shape each piece into a ball and roll lightly in remaining bread crumbs. Place on a greased baking sheet. Refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes. Bake crab cakes until crisp and golden, 10 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature.
For topping: combine mayonnaise, 2 tsp. of chive, lemon juice, mustard, and garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. Spoon topping onto crab cakes. Garnish with tomato and remaining chive. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Mini cocktail salmon and dill cakes with crème fraîche tartare
COCKTAIL SALMON AND DILL CAKES WITH CRÈME FRAÎCHE TARTARE [MAKES 20]
Ingredients:
For Cakes:
1/3 lb. of salmon filet
1 potato
2 tbsp. of dill, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. of ketchup
1 tsp. of horseradish sauce
1 tsp. of lemon juice
1 tsp. of salt
¼ tsp. of tabasco sauce
2 tbsp. of fresh bread crumbs
For Topping:
4 tbsp. of crème fraîche
1 tsp. of capers, drained and finely chopped
1 tsp. of cocktail gherkins, drained and finely chopped
1 tsp. of fresh tarragon, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
20 watercress sprigs for garnish
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 400°. Remove skin from salmon filet, if necessary. Place salmon into a pan of boiling water. Return the water to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat at once. Cool thoroughly. Drain on paper towels. Separate the cooked salmon into large flakes. Cook the potato in boiling water until tender; mash until smooth. Gently combine the potato with the salmon, dill, ketchup, horseradish sauce, and lemon. Salt and pepper to taste. Divide the mixture into 20 parts, about 20 heaping teaspoons. Shape each piece into a ball and roll in bread crumbs. Flatten into cakes, and place on a greased baking sheet Bake salmon cakes until golden, 10 minutes. Cool to warm or room temperature.
For topping: combine all the topping ingredients, and salt and pepper to taste. Spoon topping onto salmon cakes. Garnish with watercress. Serve warm or at room temperature.
I do hope you will plan a get-together with friends to savor some of these wonderful hors d'oeuvres. It is such a simple and easy way to entertain and guests usually have fun with finger food. You get to really enjoy the time with your friends without the hassle of preparing a sit-down dinner and all the work and formality that entails.
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