Comments (0)Chef’s Best Recipes
Chef Yossi Bendayan: It’s a “beautiful time” for Israeli cuisine.
September 25, 2009Stacey Palevsky
j. the Jewish News Weekly of Northern California
Question: What’s your favorite restaurant in Israel and why?
Contrary to popular belief, Israelis can’t claim falafel and hummus. In spite of their appearance on nearly every street corner in the Jewish state, both foods originated in Egypt. This brief history lesson kicked off a culinary lesson by Israeli chef Yossi Bendayan at a cooking demonstration.
“Jews from all over the world came to Israel and brought with them their own cuisine,” he said. As a result, modern Israeli fare is a fusion of many cuisines, and continues to evolve as the country becomes even more diverse.
“It’s a beautiful time for the culinary arts in Israel,” said Mr. Bendayan, who is the head chef at the School of Culinary Arts at the Hadassah College Jerusalem.
As a fundraiser for the college, he prepared the following menu: Crimini mushroom confit and goat cheese flavored with herbs and pistachios, served with a roasted red bell pepper coulis, black olives vinaigrette and a za’atar and an olive oil crouton;
red tuna kebab on a filet of grilled eggplant and black lentil salad in techina sauce with spicy tomatoes, olive oil and garlic; and
stuffed katayef (pancake) with apples, pistachio, almonds and raisins accented with rose water and a date syrup sauce.
All the recipes were created by Mr. Bendayan.
The kitchen was an olfactory carnival of lemon, garlic, chives and olives. Mr. Bendayan was jovial as he sliced and diced, reminding the audience that his recipes can be changed and adapted.
Mr. Bendayan has worked as the head teaching chef at Hadassah College Jerusalem since 1998. He was born in Morocco and immigrated to Israel via France at the age of 18. He studied culinary arts at Hadassah College Jerusalem and worked for many years in the hotel and restaurant industry, including as the head chef at Jerusalem’s well-known Valentino and Reinzi restaurants.
“I think very soon we’ll see Israeli restaurants all over the world,” he said.
Red Tuna Kebab with Roasted Eggplant, Lentil Salad, Tomatoes and Techina
Stuffed Mushrooms with Roasted Red Pepper Coulis and Black Olive Vinaigrette
Spiced Apple-Stuffed Katayef (Pancake) with Rose Water Syrup