In the days following the pogrom perpetrated by the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, food blogger Ruhama Shitrit felt frozen, unsure of what to post or say on her Instagram account. very popular family kitchen.
Three days later, she posted an Israeli flag along with a prayer for her home country. The Boston-based food blogger lost a few followers on Instagram – before gaining others – but didn’t regret her statement.
She also needed to find a recipe to prepare and share in those painful days following the Hamas assault, in which more than 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken hostage by terrorists.
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“I opened my pantry and saw ptitim,” Shitrit said, referring to the typically Israeli small pasta also known as “Israeli couscous,” created in Israel in the 1950s and also familiar than falafel.
“I didn’t plan anything, it all came from here,” she said, pointing to her stomach.
His recipe for cubed chicken accompanied by little by little went viral, liked and commented on by some 30,000 followers, Shitrit said. She has written and spoken in this publication about cooking as therapy and the need to prepare delicious comfort foods that connect her to her home country.
Food blogger Ruhama Shitrit at her home in Newton, Massachusetts. (Credit: Heidi Aaronson)
It was a typical Ruhama post and meal, exuding the real warmth, authenticity and accessible recipes that her followers have relied on over the past few years.
Shitrit was already a popular food blogger before October 7, having left her teaching career in 2018 to pursue food blogging full-time.
In the weeks and months following the barbaric and sadistic assault by Hamas, Shitrit continued to publish recipes accompanied by his voice off in English with a (strongly) Israeli accent, about four times a week.
As she continued to gain followers, Shitrit realized that Ruhamasfood – the title of her Instagram account, where she describes herself as a Boston-based mother of four and recipe developer with a love of Middle Eastern cuisine and of the Mediterranean – in reality concerned much more than food, especially in the midst of a wave of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic hatred which is sweeping social networks.
“This is my page, I cook Israeli food and bring the goodness of Israel to those who follow me,” Shitrit explains.
“I use my page and my position as a food blogger to express my feelings and cook with a smile. »
Shitrit said she wasn’t a great cook when she moved to Boston with her family 18 years ago.
Before the move, Shitrit and her husband Yossi were young parents living in Haifa and often having meals with their parents of Iraqi origin: meals consisting of chicken and rice, as well as the many Friday evening dishes.
Food blogger Ruhama Shitrit (2nd from right) with her husband Yossi Shitrit (3rd from right) and their four children at her home in Newton, Massachusetts. (Credit: Authorization)
The Shitrits then moved to the United States, initially for two years, when Yossi’s technology company offered him a position in Boston.
At the time, they had two young children and Shitrit was teaching Hebrew at two Jewish schools in the “very Jewish” suburbs of Boston. She was able to meet local families and their children there.
She wanted her children to remain Israeli and experience Israeli cuisine, which Shitrit links to her upbringing in Tirat HaCarmel, a town north of Haifa where her father served as mayor.
“I wanted my children to feel what I felt when I approached the house and smelled the food simmering on the fire,” she said.
“I needed to bring Israel to America. »
She started making things she had never cooked before: heard on Friday, baked chicken cutlets accompanied by little by littlethe famous Israeli “orange” soup made with pumpkin, sweet potatoes and carrots.
As she made her way through Israeli cuisine, Shitrit also discovered American flavors and products. Today, she loves Brussels sprouts and knows how to adapt American tomato paste to her Israeli palate.
“I like what I have here and there,” Shitrit said of her traditional Jewish life in Boston, which draws inspiration from her Israeli background. She strives to bring together all these influences in her recipes.
Shitrit’s recipes are particularly Israeli, with Moroccan and Iraqi flavors, whether it is its quick version of matbouhaa cooked tomato-based salad, many pan-fried chicken and rice dishes, or a quicker version of tbit Iraqi, a chicken stuffed with rice. It is also inspired by American customs by offering unique dishes, such as shawarma tofu, and by cooking its cutlets in the oven rather than frying them.
She started posting on social media during the coronavirus pandemic, when her sons suggested she share photos and videos of her meals.
Shitrit now has some 500,000 followers, including Iranian cooks, American Muslims, busy students and parents, and Israeli food bloggers and influencers, who often comment with exclamation points and brand-new hearts message published on Ruhamasfood.
Shitrit enjoys the attention, but what motivates her is the desire to help people – usually by suggesting recipes for dinner every night. She also talks freely about herself, her family and her country of origin.
She’s still learning the ropes of being an influencer, and for now, she does everything herself, from photography and recording to publishing and developing the recipes.
Each recipe is accompanied by voice off of Shitrit, her still very strong Israeli accent and her characteristic exclamation each time she tastes a finished dish, with a small movement of the hips, a gesture of the fork, a broad smile and a “Wow! “.
“I treat the page like it’s my work,” says Shitrit.
“I start thinking about Rosh Hashanah recipes in July, and my kids eat Rosh Hashanah dishes in the summer. But sometimes I just cook from my heart, open the fridge: a nice treat, and get to work from there. »
Shitrit has many plans for the future: she plans to write a cookbook, appear on cooking shows, and continue giving cooking demonstrations at community centers and synagogues.
“I am very grateful for what is happening. It’s a lot of work,” emphasizes Shitrit, who punctuates his speech with Hebrew and occasional thanks to God. He even ends a cooking demonstration by singing “Am Yisrael Chaï [Le peuple d’Israël vit] » with his audience.
“You always have to stay true to yourself,” Shitrit said.
“This is my mission. »
Tahini-Amba cauliflower, from blogger Ruhama Shitrit. (Credit: Authorization)
Cauliflower with Amba and Tahini
Roasted cauliflower topped with amba sauce – a Jewish and Iraqi sweet and sour sauce made from mango – tahini and sumac onions
Ingredients :
- 1 whole fresh cauliflower with its leaves
- 1 teaspoon of fine salt
- Water to cover the cauliflower
Cauliflower Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon of coarse salt
- 5 tablespoons of olive oil
Amba Tahini Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup tahini paste
- ½ teaspoon of fine salt
- ½ squeezed lemon
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon of amba
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ⅓ cup cold water
Place all ingredients in a small food processor and blend until smooth.
If the sauce is too thick, add a little water. If it is too runny, add tahini paste.
Garnish with sautéed sliced onions, sprinkled with chopped sumac (or rhus) and cilantro.
Preparation
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C.
2. In a large saucepan, place the whole cauliflower and cover with water.
3. Add a teaspoon of salt and boil the cauliflower.
4. Cook in boiling water for about 10 minutes over medium heat, until tender.
5. Drain, dry the cauliflower and place in a baking dish.
6. Season with coarse salt and olive oil, then knead the cauliflower with your hands.
7. Roast in the oven at 230°C for 15 minutes.
8. Switch the oven to “grill” mode at 230°C for 7 to 8 minutes until the top of the cauliflower is golden brown.
9. Pour the amba-tahini sauce over the cauliflower, then add the sautéed sumac onions and chopped cilantro.
