Grandma Geula's Couscous and Mafrum
Tomer Nagar Z"L
Tomer Nagar, a fighter in Golani's 51st Battalion, served as a Nahal soldier and fulfilled his role with seriousness and great responsibility. He focused on doing good through endless giving, love for people, and dedication to the country. Among all his friends, he will be remembered as someone who did valuable and meaningful things. On the Black Shabbat, 7th October 2023, Tomer went alone to guard a bunker in Kissufim when massive shooting began and terrorists entered Israel. Tomer preferred to stay in his position and defend his friends, thus delaying the terrorists' arrival to them. He fought against the odds, utilized the many weapons at his disposal, and fell in battle defending the country, according to the values he believed all his life. He was 21
years old at the time of his death.
Every time Tomer left the army, he would visit his grandmother, drink tea with her, enjoy her cooking, and have many conversations with her. His grandmother tells that two days before the beginning of the war, Tomer called and said that he managed to convince his commander that she would cook for them and visit when she had prepared the couscous that he loved to his whole unit. To her sorrow, the war started and her Tomer was killed.
The story of
Tomer Nagar Z"L
Ingredients
For the couscous:
1 kg of buckwheat
5 glasses of water
100 grams (about 3.53 oz) of soft margarine
1/2 tablespoon of salt
For Mafrum:
10 potatoes
1 medium aubergine
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 1 liter of water
300 grams of minced meat
1/2 bunch of small and thinly chopped parsley
3 large onions chopped small and thin
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
2 slices of bread
1/4 cups of oil
1 liter of water
2 heaping tablespoons of tomato paste
1 flat spoon of salt
1 chopped hot green pepper
Cauliflower flowers
For quick pickles:
2 peeled carrots
1 peeled kohlrabi
1 fennel
2 radishes
1 red pepper
1/4 of cabbage
1/2 hot green pepper
1 teaspoon of salt
Juice from 2 lemons
Instructions
●Boil water in a couscous pot, halfway up the pot.
●Place semolina in a bowl, pour a cup of water over it, mix with your hand and create small couscous granules in circular motions. Sift the couscous granules.
●After sifting, place the granules in the top pot of the couscous pot and cook for 40 minutes.
●Pour the couscous into a bowl, add a cup of water, soft margarine, and salt, and mix.
●Then add about two cups of water until the semolina is moist and return to the top pot of the couscous pot for an hour of cooking.
●Pour the couscous back into the bowl, pour a cup of water and mix while opening the semolina. After the couscous has cooled, sift the couscous to obtain uniform granules.
Method for Mafrum:
●Peel the potatoes and aubergine and cut them in half lengthwise. Create a groove in each half, so that a kind of "wrap" is obtained.
●Soak the potato and aubergine slices in water with half a teaspoon of salt for an hour.
●Soak the bread slices in water, squeeze them, and crumble them into a bowl. Add minced meat, one finely chopped onion, chopped parsley, half a teaspoon of salt, ground black pepper, and ground cinnamon. Knead everything together.
●Take out the potatoes and eggplants, squeeze them slightly, and fill them with the meat mixture.
●Mix eggs well with a quarter cup of water, dip the potatoes and aubergines in the egg wash, and fry in half a cup of oil until golden. Place in a sieve.
●In a large, wide pot, sauté two chopped onions with a third of a cup of oil. Once the onion is translucent, add a cup of water, tomato paste, a flat tablespoon of salt, and chopped hot green pepper, and cook everything together for about 5 minutes until boiling.
●Arrange the fried potatoes and aubergine in the pot with the sauce, add cauliflower florets, and pour water until fully covered. After boiling, cook on low heat for an hour and a half. During cooking, check the pot and add water if necessary.
Quick pickles: Cut all the vegetables into slices, add a teaspoon of salt and lemon juice, and mix well. Keep in a bowl for a few hours to absorb the flavors.