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Gingit's Chopped Liver and Some Herring

By: Deanna Linder Growing up in the states, to be defined as Jewish, you had to fulfill certain criteria. As in all places and religions, there were different levels of observing and in our community it goes as follows; there are the orthodox, who generally stick to their own, there are the conservatives who send their kids to Jewish school, go to synagogue on the high holidays and sometimes on Fridays and there are the reform who go to synagogue only the high holidays. Then there are those who call themselves Jewish, and practice their Judaism only through food- having dinner on the holidays and visiting the Jewish deli. I grew up somewhere in between the last three categories. I went to Jewish school, but only to synagogue on high holidays (if that), and ate a lot at the Jewish deli. For this high holy day, Yom Kippur, I decided to share with our readers some very “Jewish” food. Chopped liver is one of those foods which took me some time to like. I may have tasted it a few times... 
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Farmers Market Summer Meal

This week’s post is a guest post by Shir Halpern, food writer and founder of the Tel Aviv Farmers Market. One evening at an event in the Farmers Market, Danya and Deanna invited me to do a guest post on their blog, and I immediately said “Yes”! I met Danya some years ago while working at the Israeli culinary magazine, “Al Hashulchan”. I was cooking and she was photographing, and we found many common passions for food, styling, design, dishes, knives (cooking of course) and food magazines. Any chance I get to have the food I make photographed professionally I jump at; it brings out the visual, creative side in me and allows me to “play with the food”- to think not only about the flavors of the food but also the colors, texture and feeling. Doing this with Danya and Deanna is about as good as it gets- it was an honor for me to cook and for them to do their thing. Even better was that when I got to the studio, they had just finished shooting the cinnamon pull apart bread- and... 
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Fresh Tarts

By: Deanna Linder For an American, Israel to me appears to be a tribal society. Tribal not in any violent sense, but meaning "societies organized largely on the basis of kinship" as defined by many anthropologists. It was this kinship, mostly between friends, of no familial relation, that ignited my initial love for the country and its culture. For me, this has translated for a fabulous group of friends who have come as close as possible to the family I miss so dearly. In practical terms, this has translated in many group gatherings-our group rolls 18 deep-where undoubtedly food, and lots of it, is served. When it comes the time to divide the culinary duties, somehow, each time, I am asked to make a "peshtida", the Hebrew term for quiche. In the beginning I found it a bit offensive- the only girl in the group with professional culinary training- is being asked to throw a bunch of ingredients together and throw them in the oven.  Then I simply realized that at these group gatherings, peshtida's... 
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Som Tam- Green Papaya Salad

Once I finished photography school I travelled to the Far East for the first time. My first stop was Thailand. It's hard to even articulate my experiences in the culinary realm, but it was definitely a sense awakening experience, both positive and negative. In Thailand, street food is of abundance, and simply walking down the streets provides a sensory encounter filled with smells, some amazing, and others difficult for my Israeli nose to handle.  My first visit to Thailand left me with mixed feelings and a mouth on fire (previously unexposed to spicy foods). On my second trip to Thailand I arrived from India with a passion for Thai food. The Thai kitchen has a way of creating dishes with loads of flavor on one hand, but which also give respect to the ingredients themselves. To make a long story short, Thai food is now by far my favorite cuisine. Sweet, sour, spicy and savory is my motto!  Food stalls in the Neve Sha'anan market   For insperation i decided to visit Neve Sha'anan... 
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Israeli Food for an Israeli Holiday

As published in Maariv's "Style" section Israelis traditionally celebrate Israel's Independence Day with the traditional B.B.Q or spring picnic. For Israelis, there's no escaping the typical food that comes right after finding an open spot in nature, arranging the folding table or laying out a blanket. Don’t think that all dishes are suitable for nature- they have to be those that can withstand the road trips and the test of time (gentle green salad and chocolate soufflés should be kept at home). So in honor of the most Israeli holiday of the year we've chosen to post sustainable (for the outdoors), easy to make and tasty (eaten alone or in a pita), that go well with each other, but could also stand alone. Bon Appétit (or as we say in Hebrew, Betei Avon). Kebabs with Pistachios Instead of pine nuts, try using pistachios, which give the kebabs a nice splash of color and add a nice crunchy texture. Ingredients for 6 servings: 1 pound ground beef 1 small yellow onion, peeled and... 
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  • Food photography and food styling is what we do for a living. Day in and day out we work for a variety of clients, creating images made to order. This blog gives us the opportunity to work for ourselves, something that truly exhibits our work, through photos and stories.

    A love for aesthetics and passion for food… that’s what makes Matkonation.

    Enjoy, Danya (photography) and Deanna (styling)

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