Chico Menashe is the CEO of Asif: Culinary Institute of Israel, a nonprofit organization and culinary center in Tel Aviv. Founded in 2021, Asif is dedicated to cultivating and nurturing Israel’s diverse and creative food culture.
“It’s an Israeli food culture, not specifically Jewish culture,” Menashe told the Journal. “We have influences from all over the world.”
When asked about the fascination with Israeli food, Menache said it’s the combination of traditions.
“So many societies came into Israel and created this big pot of cultures,” he said. “Everyone came into Israel with its own heritage and gave its part to this cultural asset.”
He believes that it’s not an accident that so many Israeli restaurants are succeeding.
“This Israeli combination of creativity, of innovative thinking, of daring – this Israeli chutzpah – doesn’t happen only in Israeli high tech or in the Israeli military,” Menashe said. “It happens also in the kitchen.”
Israeli food is part of the essence of Israeli culture as a whole.
Having more chutzpah in the kitchen starts with being open to new ideas, recipes and tastes. Find new recipes, whether it’s on Asif.org, another website or a cookbook, buy unfamiliar ingredients and try them out.
“This is part of the Israeli way,” he said. “You might like it, you might not, but dare to try.”
Recipes from Asif are below.
One of Asif’s latest initiatives is the Open Kitchen Project, where Israeli locals open their homes to people who have been displaced by the war and need a place to cook. The first few months of the war, Asif prepared 1500 meals a day for evacuees and others. Feeding people is so important; giving them a place to prepare beloved meals is priceless.
“We are the matchmakers between the cooks that were displaced from their homes on October 7th and the locals that wish to open their kitchens,” Menashe said.
There’s a lot of logistics that go into this; some need strict kosher kitchens, others do not. Sharing food, recipes and traditions have been invaluable to all.
“We found out that we created not only a connection between individuals, we connected families and after that we created a connection between communities,” Menashe said.
In one instance, one of the cooks wanted to bake a few cakes for their community in the Tel Aviv hotel; thousands of people still live in the local hotels.
“She started cooking five or seven cakes,” he said. “It turned out successful and she decided to make 20 cakes in one day, but the lady that hosts her has only two ovens.”
Embracing the chutzpah part of cooking in Israel, she starts knocking on the host neighbor’s doors, asking, ‘Can we use your kitchen for an hour or two?’ Most of the people said, “Yes.” They made more than 20 cakes that evening.
“We have so many of these types of stories,” Menashe said. “There is such a connection in the kitchen … between two ladies [who] met for the first time on that evening.”
He added, “It’s a spark that happens there; a real magic in the kitchen.”
At the Asif test kitchen, they try out some of these dishes, write the recipes professionally and take photos. They also gather the backstories.
“The ones that we recognize that bring special cultural, traditional value we put on our website,” he said. “It’s an online treasure box of families’ unique recipes with their stories, with their traditions, with their heritage.
“It’s something we’re really both inspired by and proud of.”
To learn more about Asif and the Open Kitchen project and get more recipes, go to Asif.org.
For the full conversation, listen to the podcast:
Sylvie Atias’s Stuffed Artichokes
18 artichoke bottoms, fresh or frozen
For the sauce:
½ cup olive oil
2 onions, finely chopped
Approx. 3 cups chicken stock or water
½ Tbsp ground turmeric
½ tsp black pepper
1½ tsp salt
For the filling:
500 grams (1.1lb) ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and grated
½ bunch parsley, chopped
1 egg
4 Tbsp olive oil
½ Tbsp paprika
½ tsp cumin
½ tsp ras el hanout
½ tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
To serve:
½ lemon, juiced
Prepare the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until golden brown, 20-30 minutes.
Add stock or water, turmeric, black pepper and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low heat and cook for 15 minutes.
Prepare the filling: Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Divide the mixture into 18 equal meatballs and press each meatball into an artichoke bottom.
Place the stuffed artichoke bottoms in the sauce so that they are submerged halfway, and bring to a boil. Reduce to a low heat, cover and cook until the artichokes are soft and the meat is cooked, about 30 minutes. Squeeze lemon juice on top and serve.
Lizi Ezra’s Veal Sweetbread Stew
1 tomato, diced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 shifka (or other pickled hot) pepper, chopped
6-7 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbsp paprika
½ tsp chili flakes
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground white pepper
1½ cups boiling water
¾ cup vegetable oil
1 tsp salt
500 grams (1.1 lb) veal sweetbreads, cleaned (you can also use frozen sweetbreads)
Line the bottom of a wide pot with the tomato slices.
Add the sliced peppers, garlic, ½ bunch chopped cilantro, paprika, chili flakes, turmeric and ground white pepper.
Pour the boiling water on top and cook for 5-7 minutes over high heat, until the vegetables lightly soften.
Add the oil and mix well. Lightly season with salt (exercise caution with the amount of salt added, as sweetbreads tend to have a natural saltiness) and cook, uncovered, over low-medium heat for 30 minutes.
Add the sweetbreads and cook over medium-low heat for 40 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, gently press the sweetbreads into the sauce, ensuring they are fully submerged.
Sprinkle the remaining chopped cilantro on top, cover and cook for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally. Check the stew every 30 minutes; the sweetbreads should change color and become tender in texture. Serve alongside steamed white rice and roasted vegetables.
Debra Eckerling is a writer for the Jewish Journal and the host of “Taste Buds with Deb.” Subscribe on YouTube or your favorite podcast platform. Email Debra: tastebuds@jewishjournal.com.
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