There is no joy without partaking of meat,” proclaims the Talmud. And indeed, in Jewish homes, important meals center around meat or fish. Vegetarian dishes are considered mundane, fit for routine weekday meals. But times change, and as many of us prefer to eat less meat or abstain from it entirely, this wholesome meatless fare is rediscovered and cherished, especially in Israel, where vegetables are the mainstay of local cooking. I often find myself serving a vegetarian (or almost vegetarian) Friday-night dinner or Shabbat lunch, and no one complains.
SHAKSHUKA | Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce
TUNISIAN, LIBYAN
I spent an improbable amount of time trying to find the definitive recipe for shakshuka, only to realize that there is no such thing. This simple and piquant egg-and-tomato stew is an all-Israeli favorite and has even become famous abroad. There is no ultimate recipe for it because shakshuka is intuitive, forgiving, and versatile. So here is a really nice basic recipe, followed by some tips and variations. Once you start making shakshuka, you will surely develop your own formula. So grab a half dozen free-range eggs, juicy ripe tomatoes, and shukshake it. This one is based on filfel chuma, a Tunisian garlic-and-chile spread that is easy to make and can be stored for months.
Serves 4 to 6
8 to 10 juicy ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 to 2 fresh chile peppers, seeded and chopped (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 to 8 eggs (preferably organic or free range)
1. Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile and stir well. Stir in the filfel chuma and sauté for a minute or so until fragrant, taking care not to burn it.
2. Add the tomatoes, increase the heat, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until the tomatoes have released some of their juices. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, taste, and adjust the seasoning. The sauce must be flavorful, spicy, and fully cooked. Once the eggs are added, it is difficult to stir and adjust the seasoning. Up to this point, the sauce can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to a month.
3. When ready to serve, bring the sauce to a boil, then, with a spoon, create 6 to 8 craters in the sauce. Carefully crack the eggs, one by one, into a crater.
4. Cook for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked (I prefer them slightly runny). Serve at once from the skillet, accompanied by lots of soft white bread or challah.
TIPS AND VARIATIONS
• If tomatoes are not in season, it is better to use high-quality canned ones (for this recipe you will need two 14-ounce/400-g cans).
• Jazz up the sauce with one or more of the following: ½ teaspoon ground caraway, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon ground cardamom. Don’t add all of them at once; taste as you go.
• To make sure the eggs are cooked evenly, they should be at room temperature.
• For a prettier and more flavorful shakshuka, separate the yolks from the whites and use only the yolks. Reserve the remaining egg whites for another recipe or stir one or two into the sauce (before adding the yolks) to thicken it.
• Covering the skillet once the eggs are added will speed up the process, but it will create a white film over the yolks.
• SHAKSHUKA WITH ROASTED PEPPERS Roast 2 to 3 sweet red bell peppers over an open flame or under the broiler until the skin is charred. Let cool in a sealed container or in a closed plastic bag. Peel, remove the seeds, and chop coarsely. Add the bell peppers to the sauce when it is almost ready and cook for 5 minutes before adding the eggs.
• SHAKSHUKA WITH EGGPLANT Cut 1 large eggplant into small cubes. Arrange on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with coarse salt, and roast in a 400°F (200°C) oven for 20 minutes, until the eggplant is soft and deep golden. Add to the sauce when it is almost ready and cook for 2 to 3 minutes before adding the eggs.
• SHAKSHUKA WITH FETA Crumble ½ cup good-quality feta cheese over the eggs when they are almost done and heat through only until the cheese starts to melt.
Like its close relative
harissa, filfel chuma is prepared from dried sweet and hot peppers and garlic. This version, based on paprika, offers a considerable shortcut, but works only if the spices are of the highest quality.
10 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon high-quality hot paprika
4 tablespoons high-quality sweet paprika
1 scant teaspoon ground caraway
1 scant teaspoon ground cumin
½ cup vegetable oil, plus 2 tablespoons for storing
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
Mix the garlic, hot paprika, sweet paprika, caraway, cumin, ½ cup of the vegetable oil, the lemon juice, and salt into a smooth paste. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Transfer to a sterilized jar, cover with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to prevent spoilage, and store in the refrigerator. It keeps for a long time.
TÜRLÜ | Mixed Vegetables Casserole
SEPHARDIC, TURKISH
The ingredients couldn’t be simpler: vegetables, tomato paste, water, salt, a dash of sugar. But the result is so much more than the sum of its parts. The secret is precision and attention to details. No wonder that chefs
Ella Shine and
Orna Agmon—known for their simple and precise approach to cooking—fell in love with this Turkish classic and made it one of the signature dishes at their restaurant Orna and Ella (one of my favorite places in Tel Aviv). The menu lists it as Rice with Vegetables—so typical of Orna and Ella to give this gem such an unassuming name.
Serves 6 to 8
½ cup vegetable oil
2 large onions, cut into 1-inch (2½-cm) cubes
9 ounces (250 g) green beans, trimmed
2 large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) pieces
½ hot green chile pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ butternut squash (about 1 pound/500 g), peeled and cut into 1-inch (2½-cm) cubes
2 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and then halved
1 small eggplant, cut into 1½-inch (4-cm) pieces
2 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch (2½-cm) cubes
2 tomatoes, blanched for 30 seconds, peeled, and diced
1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup pumpkin seeds
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a very large sauté pan. Start adding the vegetables in the following order in 4- to 5-minute intervals: onions, beans, bell peppers, chile, garlic, squash, zucchini, and eggplant. Sauté until golden. Add the potatoes and tomatoes. Season with the salt, pepper, and sugar and sauté for another minute. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
2. Add water so it reaches to one-third of the height of the vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 380°F (190°C).
4. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning. If it is too tart, add more sugar. With a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables and arrange in a large baking sheet in one layer. Pour over the liquids from the sauté pan. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the vegetables turn golden brown.
5. Prepare the garnish Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan. Add the pumpkin seeds, season with salt and pepper, and toss over medium heat until the seeds change color to golden green.
6. Mound the vegetables on a serving plate and sprinkle with the toasted pumpkin seeds. In the restaurant, türlü are served over a combination of white and wild rice. They are also delicious over couscous or on their own, as a warm salad.
SEPHARDIC, TURKISH
Iris Gelbart, food editor at Al Hashulchan magazine, comes from a line of terrific cooks of Turkish origin. Here is what she told me about this beloved family recipe: “Grandpa Pepo would return from the market with bags of spinach. Grandma Ines would lay it all out on the table and begin to clean the stems. She would then soak the leaves in water to remove all the sand. A lot of work, but watching her many grandchildren fighting over who would get the biggest slice made it all worth it.”
Makes one 17 × 12-inch (43 × 30-cm) flan
1 pound (½ kg) spinach, stems removed, leaves rinsed and finely chopped
8 ounces (250 g) feta cheese, crumbled
4 eggs
3 slices day-old white bread, soaked in water, squeezed well, and crumbled
7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons bread crumbs or matzo meal
⅔ cup grated aged sheep’s cheese (kashkaval, Greek kasseri, or pecorino)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Combine the spinach, feta, eggs, crumbled bread, and 5 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon or knead with your hands.
3. Grease a 17 × 12-inch (43 × 30-cm) baking pan with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and dust with a thin layer of bread crumbs (about 2 tablespoons).
4. Pour the mixture into the pan. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle with the remaining bread crumbs and cover with the grated cheese.
5. Bake for 30 minutes, or until set and golden. Slice into squares and serve warm.
FETA-STUFFED PEPPER “CUTLETS”
BULGARIAN
Roasted peppers and feta cheese—this combo epitomizes Bulgarian cuisine. The following recipe, nicknamed “fake schnitzel” in Israel, yields a delightful snack: golden and crispy on the outside; red, oozing cheese and juicy on the inside. Serve as a starter or a vegetarian main dish. For a vegan version, you can leave out the cheese.
Serves 4 to 5
4 to 5 large red bell peppers
11 ounces (300 g) feta cheese, cut into eight to ten 1-inch (2½-cm)-thick slices
⅓ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten
½ cup good-quality unseasoned bread crumbs (preferably panko or homemade)
2 thyme sprigs, leaves only
Vegetable oil for frying
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C) and line a baking sheet with parchment.
2. Arrange the bell peppers on the baking sheet and roast, turning once or twice, until the skins are charred. Transfer to a plastic container and close. Allow to cool (the peppers’ skins will separate from the flesh). Peel and remove the seeds and membranes. Try to keep the peppers whole, but if they tear, don’t worry—the breading will glue everything back together.
3. Stuff each pepper with 2 slices of the cheese.
4. Prepare three plates: one with the flour seasoned with salt and pepper, one with the beaten egg diluted with a little water, and one with the bread crumbs seasoned with thyme. Dip the stuffed peppers in the flour and gently shake off the excess. Dip the peppers in the beaten egg and, finally, dip in the bread crumbs and press together firmly to ensure good adhesion and to form a nice coating. To prevent the stuffing from seeping out, dip the whole pepper once again in the egg and bread crumbs.
5. Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy frying pan until it simmers. The oil level should be one-half the thickness of the cutlets. Add the cutlets and fry over medium heat for 2 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove from the oil to a paper towel–lined plate to absorb the excess oil. Serve promptly.
SABZI POLO | Rice Pilaf with Lots and Lots of Fresh Herbs
PERSIAN
The first time I prepared this dish I was sure that the ratio of 3 cups of herbs to 3 cups of rice was outrageous, so I reduced it to a sensible 1 cup of herbs. The result was pleasant but predictable. The next time I stuck to the original recipe and the difference was apparent—a brilliantly green rice pilaf that smelled like a springtime meadow. As for the combination of herbs, feel free to skip one or another that you don’t have or don’t like. Do not, however, omit the dill, which is crucial to the flavor. In Persian cuisine this pilaf is traditionally served with fried fish. But it is also great on its own.
Serves 8
3 cups basmati rice
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cardamom pods, crushed, or dash of ground cardamom
3 cups (about 5 bunches) combination of fresh parsley, dill, and cilantro, finely chopped by hand or pulsed in a food processor
4½ cups boiling water
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
1. Wash the rice several times under running water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in cold water. Rinse, drain, and set aside.
2. Heat the vegetable oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until golden, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the salt, cumin, turmeric, pepper, cardamom, herbs, and boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The broth should be flavorful and quite salty.
3. Add the rice and cook uncovered over medium heat, until the liquid is just absorbed, about 5 minutes. Stir gently to distribute the herbs throughout the rice.
4. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook over very low heat for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff the rice, cover again, and let rest for 15 minutes. Stir in the butter (if using) and serve.
TIP
Many recipes in this book call for
chopping large amounts of herbs. To streamline the process, I wash my herbs after chopping and have found the following method to be the most convenient: Leave the bunch tied and chop off the stalks (as most recipes call for leaves only; stalks can be reserved for flavoring soups and stews). Keeping the bunch together, chop the leaves, transfer them to a fine sieve, and wash thoroughly under running water. Let dry in a sieve for 15 minutes or more. If the herbs are used for cooking, it doesn’t matter if they are a bit damp.
COUSCOUS WITH VEGETABLES (OR TUESDAY COUSCOUS)
NORTH AFRICAN
Tuesday is the couscous day in Jewish North African families. I have heard many explanations for this custom, most having to do with the fact that Tuesday was the weekly laundry day. I am a bit vague as to how these two tasks are connected, and in any case in the washing-machine age it is no longer relevant. Curiously, this tradition has not only survived in modern-day Israel but has even spread beyond the North African community. Everywhere—in army canteens, workplace dining halls, and even restaurants—couscous is served on Tuesdays, and it is usually vegetarian. Of course, it is also served for Friday-night dinners and on holidays, with more elaborate trimmings. Serve it with two traditional sides—
Chershi and
Messayir—and you will have an authentic Tuesday couscous meal.
Serves 6 to 8
¾ cup dried chickpeas, soaked overnight in water
3 carrots, cut into large chunks
3 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 onions, quartered
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 large zucchini, cut into large chunks
1 pound (½ kg) butternut squash or pumpkin, cut into large chunks
1 small green cabbage, core removed, quartered
3 celery stalks with the leaves, halved crosswise
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 pound (½ kg) instant couscous
2½ cups boiling water
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 saffron threads, diluted in ¼ cup boiling water until the water turns orange (optional)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1. Prepare the vegetables Drain the soaked chickpeas and put them in a large pot. Add 6 cups water, cover, and cook over medium-low heat for 45 minutes, or until the chickpeas are almost tender. Add the carrots, potatoes, onions, and olive oil and cook for 20 minutes.
2. Add the zucchini, squash, cabbage, and celery. Season with the salt, pepper, and turmeric and cook for 15 minutes, or until the zucchini and squash are fork tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning. The vegetables can be cooked in advance and heated before serving.
3. Prepare the couscous Mix the instant couscous with the boiling water in a large bowl (if you are using the saffron, reduce the water to 2¼ cups) and season with the salt, pepper, and diluted saffron (if using). Let stand for 10 minutes until the grains swell. Add the olive oil and rub the couscous between your palms or fluff it with a fork (to obtain finer crumbs and airier texture).
4. Steam in a double boiler or heat, covered, in a microwave for 5 minutes.
5. To serve, mound the couscous in a deep dish. Using a slotted serving spoon, arrange the vegetables around or on top of the couscous. Ladle the liquid (about ½ cup per serving) around the couscous: The idea is just to add moisture to the grains, not soak them with too much liquid. Serve at once.
TAHDIG | Rice Pilaf with Dried Apricots and Crispy Potato Crust
PERSIAN
Persian cuisine has a number of magnificent rice dishes in its repertoire. Here’s one of the standouts. The rice is rinsed thoroughly and cooked twice—first boiled rapidly in a large amount of water, like pasta, then steamed over low heat nestled over tahdig, a layer of potatoes at the bottom of a pot. The tahdig turns golden brown and crunchy while the rice is cooking and prevents it from drying up. Before serving, the casserole is turned upside down onto a large platter so that the tahdig ends up on the top. Usually tahdig is fried in oil, but in this recipe (suitable for vegetarian and dairy meals), it is fried in butter with egg and yogurt, which makes it even more delicious. To make sure the tahdig doesn’t stick to the bottom, it is best to use a nonstick pan.
Serves 6 to 8
2½ cups long-grain rice
3¼ teaspoons salt
1 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, dill, tarragon, chives, and cilantro
1 cup dried apricots
2 tablespoons plain yogurt (not low fat)
1 egg
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 Yukon Gold or yellow potatoes, peeled and sliced ⅓ inch (1 cm) thick
1. Rinse the rice several times under running water until the water runs clear. Drain, place in a bowl, and stir in 2 teaspoons of the salt. Add water so it comes 2 inches (5 cm) above the level of the rice and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain the rice.
2. Fill a medium pot with water so it is three-quarters full. Add 1 teaspoon of the salt and bring to a boil. Add the rice, stir gently, and bring to a boil again. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for about 3 minutes, until the rice is al dente (the inside of the grain is still firm).
3. Transfer the rice to a colander and rinse with cold water. Mix in the herbs and apricots.
4. Beat the yogurt with the egg in a small bowl.
5. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan (preferably nonstick) over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon water. Arrange the potato slices to cover the bottom of the pan in one layer and pour the yogurt-egg mixture over them.
6. Sprinkle a thin layer of rice over the top and flatten gently (this, together with the potatoes, will form the tahdig). Mix the rice with the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and arrange over the tahdig. Gently spoon in about ⅓ cup water. Using the handle of a wooden spoon, poke through the rice to create 4 to 5 “chimneys” all the way down until it hits a potato (this will ensure that the rice cooks evenly). Cover the pot with a towel (a paper towel is fine, too) and a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat, reduce the heat to the minimum, and cook for 40 minutes.
7. Remove the lid and flip the pot upside down onto a large platter, so that the tahdig is on top.
VARIATION
FOR A VEGAN (NONDAIRY) VERSION Fry the potato slices in 2 to 3 tablespoons vegetable oil until they become golden. Flip them and fry on the other side. Flatten some of the rice over this and continue as directed.
MUJADDARA | Rice with Lentils
SYRIAN, EGYPTIAN
This classic Middle Eastern specialty is popular with Jewish communities in Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. In Israel, it has become a ubiquitous rice side dish. It is also a nutritious main course for vegetarians (it contains both grains and legumes), especially if you make it with brown rice. I like serving it with a bowl of thick yogurt or
tahini spread as an accompaniment or garnished with thick yogurt.
Serves 6 to 8
2 cups basmati or long-grain rice
1½ cups brown or black lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon turmeric (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced into rings
1. Wash the rice several times under running water until the water runs clear. Soak the rice for 20 minutes in cold water. Rinse, drain, and set aside.
2. Cook the lentils in 4 cups water until they soften, about 20 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid, and set aside.
3. Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan (suitable for cooking the rice) over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and sauté until golden, 6 to 7 minutes. Add the lentils and season with the cumin, cinnamon, turmeric (if using), salt, and pepper. Add the rice and stir-fry for a minute or two until the rice grains turn opaque.
4. Add 2 cups boiling water and the reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, fluff with a fork, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes.
5. Before serving, prepare the garnish Heat the 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion rings and fry on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until brown and crisp. Arrange over the mujaddara and serve at once.
VARIATIONS
BROWN RICE MUJADDARA Soak 2 cups brown basmati rice in cold water for at least 2 hours (or up to 12 hours—the longer the rice is soaked, the faster it will cook). Proceed as directed, but cook the dish in 3 cups water plus the 1 cup reserved cooking liquid. Cook for about 30 minutes, until the rice is tender.
RICE, LENTIL, AND EGGPLANT SALAD I stumbled upon this recipe by accident, when I had some leftover mujaddara in the fridge, and it has become one of our family favorites: To 3 cups of cold prepared mujaddara, add 1 roasted eggplant (cube, sprinkle with coarse salt and olive oil, and roast for 20 to 30 minutes in a hot oven until deep golden). Toss with ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro and some fresh lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve at room temperature with a bowl of yogurt seasoned with cumin, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and chopped fresh mint.
“BEFORE SHABBAT” PASTA CASSEROLE
BULGARIAN
In many Jewish households, Friday lunch is light and often vegetarian, so as not to inconvenience the cook who is too busy with Shabbat preparations—and to leave room for the big Friday-night dinner. In Jewish Bulgarian homes, this crusty casserole is served. It’s also a great way to make use of pasta and cheese leftovers.
Serves 4 to 6
2½ cups cooked pasta (preferably spaghetti) or, if you’re cooking it from scratch, 12 ounces (350 g) dried
4 ounces (100 g) feta cheese, crumbled
9 ounces (250 g) cottage cheese
3 eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (optional)
½ stick (2 ounces/50 g) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
2. Combine the pasta, feta, cottage cheese, and eggs in a large bowl. Taste and season with the salt, pepper, and nutmeg (if using).
3. Transfer the mixture to a baking dish of your choice (a thinner casserole will be crispier, a thicker one, juicier). Sprinkle with the butter and bake for 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Serve at once.
VARIATION
For a richer, gratinlike casserole, add ½ cup heavy cream and/or ⅓ cup grated hard cheese, such as
kashkaval, pecorino, Parmesan, or Cheddar.
Nurit
Brown is a descendant of Bene Israel, the historic Jewish community of India. The Bene Israel (“Sons of Israel”) are believed to have been one of the Lost Tribes. Or, according to a different theory (of which, as a foodie, I am fond), they are descendants of olive oil producers from the Galilee who settled in western India. After India gained its independence in 1947 and Israel was established in 1948, many Bene Israel immigrated to Israel. Nurit’s family left India when she was a little girl, but she still cooks the family’s recipes. Her secret ingredient is a paste of green chiles, garlic, and cilantro that she calls green masala, and it is quite similar to Yemenite
zhug. Nurit makes a batch and keeps it in the refrigerator to be used over the week in different recipes. Here she matches it with fresh green beans.
Serves 6 to 8
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon green masala (see below)
1 pound (½ kg) green beans, stem ends trimmed, cut crosswise into ½-inch (¼-cm) pieces
½ cup water
1. Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot. Add the onion and sauté until golden. Add the salt, turmeric, green masala, and green beans. Mix well and add the water.
2. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes, until the beans are somewhat translucent. Stir occasionally to prevent burning. Add more water by the tablespoon, if needed. The dish is not supposed to make gravy, so add just enough water to prevent the beans from sticking to the pot.
3. Serve with basmati rice and a mango pickle (available at Indian groceries and the ethnic food aisles of the supermarket).
Green Masala
You can double and triple the amount and freeze the masala in small Ziploc bags. When frozen, add to simmering pots and allow for some extra time for the paste to thaw and release its aromas.
½ pound fresh cilantro
¼ pound hot chile peppers, such as jalapeño or any other chile, depending on how hot you like your food
5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
Grind the cilantro, chiles, and garlic together in a meat grinder or pulse in a food processor. Add the salt. Refrigerate for up to 1 week for use in many recipes. It can also be frozen.
