Ingredients
1 lb of chicken breasts (or chicken on the bone)
1 can of chickpeas, drained
1 whole onion, diced
1/2 cup of green olives
1/4 c olive oil
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp ras el hanout
the juice and peel of one lemon
12 oz of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste

Sautee the onion and garlic in olive oil, adding a tbsp of ras el hanout for about 4 minutes until browned.

Peel the lemons, slice the peels into thin strips. Throw in pot with chickpeas, stir.

Add the tomato sauce and half a cup of green olives, sliced.

Let the chickpea stew cook on a low heat for about 20 minutes before adding the chicken breasts. Season the chicken breasts in 1 tbsp of ras el hanout, salt and pepper.

After about 30 more minutes on the stove (low heat), dinner is served!

Ingredients:
2 cup chicken stock
2 lbs ground beef
1 egg
1/2 breadcrumbs
1 onion, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped finely
6 oz can tomato paste
oil for sauteing
salt
pepper
cumin
garlic powder
cayenne pepper
instant chicken soup powder (secret ingredient)

In a pan, saute onion and garlic until caramelized.

In a bowl, mix beef, spices, egg, 1/2 the can of tomato paste, and breadcrumbs. Mix with your hands.

Add half of the sauteed onions and garlic into the meat mixture. Set aside the rest of them.

Mixing the onions into the mixture, shape the meat into a loaf shape. Place in a baking dish.

Pour chicken stock over the loaf and on the sides of the pan. Add the remainder of the onions and tomato paste to the stock, and on top of the loaf. This will become an awesome jus. Bake, covered with tin foil on 375 F for an hour in a half. This is how it should look when ready!

YUMAZING.

This recipe yields 24 pies. Recipe can be easily multiplied to any amount.

Dough:
2 cups flour
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/4 c warm water
1 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine flour, salt, yeast, warm water and oil in a bowl and mix. Knead until a soft dough is formed.

Cover the dough with a towel for one hour at room temperature so that it can rise (below).

Meat:
1 lb ground meat
1 large onion, finely chopped
half a 6-oz can of tomato paste
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp salt
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup of tamarind paste (”ou”)
pine nuts for garnish

In a bowl, combine meat, chopped onion, tomato paste, tamarind, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and cumin. Mix well.

When the dough has risen, roll on parchment paper until very thin. Cut out circles (Using the top of a glass), about 3 inches in diameter.

Place dough rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Spread meat mixture onto the rounds.

Bake the pies at 350 F degrees for about 20-25 minutes. Top with pine nuts.

Steak Marinade:
1/2 c soy sauce
2 tbsp olive oil
fresh black pepper
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tsp red pepper flakes

Salad:
1/2 lb mushrooms
2 scallions, chopped
2 c arugula
1 Israeli cucumber, chopped
1 Roma tomato, chopped
2 tbsp toasted pine nuts
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper

In a bowl, marinade the steak in the soy sauce, oil, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and pepper. Set aside for half hour to absorb flavors.

Chop the tomato, cuke, and toss into bowl of arugula.

In a pan, saute scallion and mushrooms for about 4 minutes (until mushrooms become golden). Add minute steak and sautee about 3 minutes each side. Set aside.

While the steak sits, add the sauteed mushrooms, scallions, and toasted pine nuts.

Chop the steak into thin slices.

Season with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Enjoy!

For example, when in the mood to splurge, there’s always the Fleurburger 5000, available at Fleur De Lys Restaurant in Las Vegas for a measly $5,000. 5k gets you a juicy Kobe beef patty topped with foie gras and black truffles which is served on a brioche truffle bun and garnished with a rich truffle sauce (and served with a fancy bottle of wine).

Even more ridiculous than the most expensive burger is the fact that in Israel, burgers are more popular than hummus and falafel. I swear. In Tel Aviv, there are 75 restaurants listed under the category of hamburgers, on Israeli Menupages. That is 75 burger joints to the 28 falafel spots, and 71 hummus restaurants. Crazy, eh? And I’m not talking Burger Kings….

If you find yourself in Tel Aviv, sick of falafel, check out my top 5 picks for burgers:

1. Agadir
2. Moses
3. Burgers Bar
4. Black Bar n Burger
5. White Hall

And if you can’t afford $5,000 burger or jump on a flight across the world, then PLEASE, make my favorite hamburger recipe, below!

Ingredients:

1 lb of ground beef
1 lb of ground lean turkey
1 onion, chopped,
1/4 soy sauce
1 tbsp black pepper
1 packet of dry onion soup mix

These taste great on the grill, or on broil in your oven for 15-20 minutes.

This pic of the sliders on a platter reminds me of Jughead from Archie comics eating hamburgers for some reason. Wasn’t he always daydreaming about a pile of burgers from Pop’s Soda Shop? Food for thought!