Shakshuka

While looking through the May issue of Food & Wine, I came across an article on a chef's tour of Israel to bring the best versions of the everyman's food back to the US for Zahav, his new restaurant in Philadelphia.

One of these recipes is shakshuka, a much heartier (and infinitely more traditional) version of the Eggs in Heaven in the last post. They call it "Tomato-Pepper Stew with Poached Eggs and Harissa" and it's the kind of recipe you can almost taste while reading. Especially if you love harissa.

Quoting from the article: "One of Solomonov’s goals was to show his colleagues how different cultures have shaped the food of Israel. “In 1948, the year of Israeli independence, many Bulgarians moved to Jaffa, so you really see that influence in the food,” he explains. “The Armenians and Eastern Europeans have been living in Jerusalem forever. And we’re seeing more North African flavors.” The result is a cuisine that’s been enhanced by a vast array of exotic spices and a wide variety of cooking techniques."

If Israeli cuisine is one of the oldest in the world, and in more recent history has been incorporating the best ingredients and techniques of surrounding regional cuisines, it's gotta be good.

Zahav has a blog backed by The Philadelphia Inquirer documenting the development of the restaurant.

I've been seeing these a lot recently; two favorites include the simple photostream from Blue Bottle Cafe on Flickr and the in-depth Typepad blog for L.2O. Blue Bottle Cafe has now opened in San Francisco's Mint Plaza with its $20,000 attraction, and L.2O is opening May 14 in Chicago.

They're both great in different ways, and certainly build tastebud anticipation... an-ti-ci-pay-ay-tion...