Kibbutz Vegetable Salad Recipes

ISRAELI VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• For the hummus, place the chickpeas, tahini, 3/4 cup of the lemon juice, the garlic, cumin, Sriracha, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until the mixture is completely smooth. If the hummus is too thick, add a few tablespoons of warm water until it is creamy but still thick and spreadable.
• In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, tomatoes, bell pepper, and red onion. Add 1/3 cup olive oil, the remaining 1/4 cup lemon juice, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and combine.
• Spoon the hummus onto a large (12-by-16-inch) serving platter, spreading it out with a raised edge. With a slotted spoon, mound the vegetable salad on the hummus, leaving the edges of the hummus visible. Sprinkle the vegetables and hummus with the mint and extra salt. Drizzle with olive oil and serve at room temperature with pita bread.

KIBBUTZ VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• 1. Remove the pith and seeds from the peppers and dice them along with the tomatoes, onion, and cucumber. Toss together in a wooden or ceramic bowl.
• 2. In a separate small bowl, stir together the salt, pepper, lemon juice, and garlic. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Pour over the vegetables, mix, sprinkle with sumac or za'atar, and serve.
• •Sumac powder, the ground berry of a Turkish evergreen tree, is available at www.ethnicgrocer.com. This Arabic ingredient, which was adopted into Israeli cooking, has a sour, fruity flavor. •Za'atar, a spice mix made from wild oregano, sesame seeds, salt, and ground sumac, is ubiquitous in Middle Eastern cooking, often sprinkled on pita bread that's been drizzled with olive oil. Za'atar is available at www.penzeys.com.

NOBU'S VEGETABLE SALAD

Steps:

• Prepare an ice bath. Using a Japanese mandoline, very thinly slice vegetables directly into ice bath. Let stand until vegetables begin to curl, about 15 minutes. Drain well.