Hello again

Hi there. it’s been a long time, hasn’t it? How are you all? Hope you’ve survived the pandemic and are returning to yourselves.

Looking back, I was a bit more shellshocked than I realised - they call it ‘languishing’, I believe. It was intensified by Australia’s onerous Covid quarantine restrictions, which have basically kept me out of the country since September 2019.

Wow, I almost can’t believe that even as I write it, and despite having lived it. It was partly because I didn’t think I could handle 2 weeks in solitary confinement – and expensive solitary at that! I know my own limitations and being alone in a room where you can’t open a window is not for me. Shudder.

Plans

Now that the restrictions have been lifted, and a couple of other life shocks have been overcome, I’m planning on a trip to Australia in August.

sublet

I would like to sublet my house in Ein Karem, a beautiful sandstone village just beneath Jerusalem, and walking distance from Hadassah hospital. (Actually, it’s within the city limits these days, though in biblical times, when it was home to John the Baptist, it was 2 days walk back into the Jewish Temple, where his father Zecharia was a priest. So much for those Roman roads!)

If you think you’d like a Jerusalem holiday this northern summer, my fabulous historic house in Ein Kerem could be the spot for you.

It’s airy, clean, beautiful and comfortable. With 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms and buckets of charm, it’s a wonderful base for a holiday in Israel.

DATES

it’s 2 months, with a bit of flexiblity re the start - so from mid July or August – October 2022 - which includes the Jewish high holy days. (Yom Kippur falls on 5 October this year.)

I have to come back after that to cover the Israeli elections – what a journalist, hey, sandwiching my leave between Biden’s regional visit in July and elections in October? A wonderful time to be here for everyone else!

Please contact me for more details, including price, at irris100@gmail.com

recipe

I’m adding one recipe, out of habit. it was one of the most popular recipes on my FB page this year, so if you’re considering a visit, it’s an easy kitchen for cooking - and baking!

Just in time for the Jewish holiday of Shavuot, I discovered a Ukrainian cheesecake called Zapekanka. It’s baked with white farm cheese and its standout feature is how little sugar there is … 3 tablespoons in an entire cake really is not a lot!

It also has semolina, which prevents it from getting watery. Ukrainians call it a ‘breakfast’ cake and serve it with jam and sour cream. But even without, it’s wonderful. Light, tangy, delicious - and almost guilt-free.

Ukrainian Cheese Cake - Zapekanka - Творожная Запеканка

INGREDIENTS

• 500 gr tvorog or dense white cheese (eg farm cheese, farmers cheese)

• 2 eggs

• 3 heaped tablespoons sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 4 tablespoons smetana / sour cream

• 4 tablespoons milk

• 4 tablespoons semolina

• handful of raisins

• pan of water to place in the oven to help the baking along

METHOD

1. Pre-heat oven to 160 C / 340 F Grease and flour 8 inch / 20 cm baking tin with removable sides. Put tin in the fridge or the freezer while you prepare the cake.

2. In a small bowl, pour milk over the semolina and let soak for at least 20 minutes. In a separate small bowl, pour boiling water over raisins and also leave to soak.

3. Separate eggs. Beat egg whites till stiff (after 1 minute, add a pinch of salt or cream of tartar, if you like. They do help! )

4. Beat egg yolks. Add cheese, sugar, semolina, sour cream and vanilla.

5. Fold in beaten egg whites. Then fold in drained raisins. Pour mixture into the prepared tin. Place pan with water in the oven on the rack beneath the cake. The steam helps it cook.

6. Bake 50-60 minutes. It’s better to leave it a little wobbly in the middle than to let it burn. Turn off oven and leave to cool inside.

7. Traditionally served for breakfast with sourcream and jam, but also delicious as is, with some icing sugar on top.