This month, 31 hospital chef teams competed in the Ministry of Health's Competition for Delicious and Healthy Food at the Ministry's annual conference at Airport City, Israel.
Together with dietician Tanya Lichtman, Hadassah's new Executive Chef Amit Ziv, 40, beat all of Israel's other hospitals to win 75,000 shekel for Hadassah's kitchen equipment.
A graduate of the Tadmor Culinary School, Ziv was the chef at Hadassah's Mount Scopus hospital before her recent promotion. She learned to cook at her grandmother's side, standing on an upside-down carton. That's where she got her love of greens and spices. Among the dishes she and her team prepared as they advanced to the finals were turkey roll with butternut squash and buckwheat (kasha), a vegetarian meal of bulgur, lentils and onions seasoned with cumin, and a mixture of fresh herbs with cranberries and walnuts. The judges complimented her for using healthy elements to replace salt and fat. "One judge said that the cumin itself would strengthen the patients and make them well," she said.
In the final round, her winning dish was fish and vegetable rolls in rice paper wrappers, accompanied by a Hadassah house salad. It's easy to make, good for you and looks great.
Ziv encourages cooks not to follow recipes exactly but to experiment and to add spices generously to suit your own tastes.
- 3 pounds tilapia filet or similar fish
- 20 rice paper wrappers
- 5 Tbsp olive oil
- Spices garlic, salt, coarsely ground black , thyme, Cajun spice
- 1 pound julienned carrots, thinly sliced
- ½ pound scallions, chopped fine
- 1 pound sweet red pepper, cut into strips
- 3 ounces cilantro, parsley or fresh basil
- 3 ounces sprouts (any kind)
1.Season the fish with 2 Tbsp olive oil with spices (depending on how spicy you like it) and bake in a medium oven (360 ) for 15-20 minutes until browned but not dry. Remove from oven and let cool.
2.In a frying pan or wok, heat the oil and stir fry the carrots, scallions and peppers, adding spices to taste. Add the cilantro, parsley, or basil and then the sprouts.
3.Chop the cooled fish and add. Mix gently.
4.Prepare the rice paper wrappings. Follow instructions on package. (Fill a pie plate with water and soak them for 20 seconds. Don't leave them too long. Place on a kitchen towel to dry for a few seconds and then place on a work surface).
5.Fill and roll.
6.Serve with Hadassah House Salad.
- ¾ pound chard, chopped like cabbage in coleslaw
- ¾ pound fresh mushrooms, quartered
- ¾ pound julienned (thin strips) carrots (you can do this with your peeler)
- ¾ pound julienned peppers
- 2 ounces sprouts
- 2 ounces fresh basil, chopped
- 2 ounces cilantro or parsley, chopped
- 5 Tbsp olive oil
- Pinch of salt
- Coarsely ground black pepper
- Juice of half a lemon
- Pinch of dried ginger
- Mix all together.
For more healthy recipes, check out Every Bite Count: Hadassah's Nutrition Program.