Michal Ansky Pioneers Israel’s Culinary & Food Culture Every recipe is a memory. This IS MICHAL
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to export—fruit, vegetables, herbs, honey, goat cheese, olive oil, and wine, to name a few—Michal felt it was time for Israel and Israelis to enjoy the local produce. “I see myself as a curator, as one of the people who leads this revolution in Israel’s food industry. There are tomatoes that grow in the Arava, and people didn’t even know about them. Now you can find them in the average supermarket thanks to the exposure Israeli produce has received from the farmer’s markets. To me, it’s about celebrating the abundance of what this earth grows and eating seasonal local fresh food.” Michal’s passion for food is unmistakable, and the Jewish kitchen plays a very big part in Michal’s food philosophy, which is clear in her first cookbook “Food From Home,” which was published earlier in Hebrew this year. “It’s about having a gorgeous feast inside the boundaries of the Jewish kitchen,” she said in describing her cookbook. “This is who we are. This is our identity. Food is a very emotional thing. It defines who we are. We don’t want to lose the memories of our grandmothers.” Her next dream is to open an all-kosher market, where visitors could get matzoh ball soup, herring, potato salad, egg salad, chopped liver, challah—the hallmarks of traditional Jewish home cooking. Her market would offer a deli where people can pick up food to take home and a kosher restaurant. “I feel like Israel shouldn’t emulate the United States or France or Italy. We have our own character. We cannot combine meat and milk; we cannot eat seafood or pork. We have boundaries and in these boundaries we have the place to excel. Otherwise
FOOD & WINE
Ansky’s culinary philosophy. “Israel is a melting pot, quite literally, of places; a young country of immigrants,” she said. “Everyone brings their memories and defines themselves by the foods they eat.” Michal’s love of food began at an early age, spending time in the kitchen with her mother Sherry, who wrote a food column for Ma’ariv for 25 years, authored 11 cookbooks, and tested recipes. Her father Alex is a wellknown radio personality in Israel, and Michal notes that she knew from an early stage in her life that she’d be involved in the media in one way or another. Michal has become a well-known media personality herself, known for her Israeli television shows As Fresh As It Gets and The Queen of The Market, as well as serving as a judge on MasterChef Israel, and a guest judge on MasterChef USA with Gordon Ramsay. At the 2012 TedxJerusalem talks, she delivered a talk entitled “The Danger of Eating Your Memories,” in which she spoke of how her love story with food began and the way in which food is invariably intertwined with memory, love, and family. In a country of pioneers, Michal can be considered a pioneer in Israel’s culinary and food culture. She is the cofounder of Israel’s first indoor market “Shuk Hanamal,” as well as the co-founder of Israel’s seven farmer’s markets throughout the country. The idea to open Israel’s first farmer’s market came while Michal was pursuing a Masters course at the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy and saw the farmer’s markets of France and Italy. With so many amazing products going
Photo credit: Dan Peretz/Food From Home
Michal Ansky
we are doing what everyone else is doing. Within these boundaries is the place where we can shine.” n Follow Michal on Twitter @AnskyMichal. Visit shukhanamal.co.il to learn more about Tel Aviv’s first indoor market.
Recipe: My Grandmother Hannah’s Pickled Cucumbers
Photo credit: Dan Peretz/Food From Home
For a large jar:
P r e pa r at i on :
2 lbs. small cucumbers
1. Rinse the cucumbers and remove any remaining barbs.
10 peeled garlic cloves
2. Spread the garlic and the hot chili pepper in the bottom of a tall jar and pack
(sliced lengthwise)
the jar with the cucumbers and the dill. Add the bay leaves and the peppercorns.
1 green chili pepper
3. Boil water with salt—about one heaping teaspoon per cup of water. After
(sliced in half)
the water comes to a boil, lower the flame. Wait 2–3 minutes; then pour the
2-5 sprigs of dill
hot, salty water over the cucumbers. Add the vinegar. Lay the gauze over the
2-3 bay leaves
cucumbers, and place the heel of bread on top of the gauze. Place top on jar,
1/2 tsp. whole black peppercorns
but do not seal shut.
Water
4. Set the jar in a sunny place, on a windowsill. Two or three days later, when the
Salt
cucumbers and the pickling water change to a khaki color, they are ready to eat.
2-3 tbs. natural vinegar
Remove the pickles with a fork or tongs.
1 heel of day-old bread (end of loaf)