Recipes by Yael Mizrahi
20 recipes
High-Heat Charred Ras el Hanout Lamb Chops with Blistered Nectarine Salad over Pomegranate Tahini
This is what summer in Tel Aviv tastes like—smoke, fat, and unapologetic acid. We're getting the grill screaming hot to blister these ras el hanout-marinated lamb chops in minutes, leaving the insides perfectly rosy. Slicing through the richness is a vibrant, charred nectarine and shaved fennel salad, all cascading over a swoosh of velvet tahini swirled with tart pomegranate molasses. It's an entire dinner party on one platter.
High-Heat Za'atar Whole Cauliflower with Sizzling Almond Crunch & Cascading Herb Salad
If you want a vegetable to command the center of the table, you have to treat it with the same respect as a prime cut of meat. We par-boil the entire cauliflower in lemon-scented water so it's tender to its core, then subject it to screaming high heat until deeply bronzed. The final sizzle of hot olive oil, garlic, and za'atar poured over the warm florets is pure magic, all anchored by a velvet pool of ice-whipped lemon tahini.
Cast-Iron Blistered Urfa Cherries over Tahini-Swirled Labneh
Sweet summer fruit absolutely belongs in the savory mezze spread. By tossing fresh sweet cherries into a screaming hot cast-iron skillet, we collapse their skins and concentrate their juices, creating an aggressively charred, jammy bite. Hit with smoky Urfa biber and tart pomegranate molasses, they are spooned blistering hot over a cool, thick bed of tahini-whipped labneh. The temperature and texture contrasts here are everything.
Fire-Scorched Watermelon & Torn Halloumi with Lime-Sumac Tahini
Listen to me: I know scorching watermelon sounds like a crime against a hot summer day. But when you hit thick, juicy wedges with screaming high heat, the sugars caramelize, the texture turns surprisingly meaty, and a subtle smokiness develops that is absolutely intoxicating. Paired with the salty squeak of aggressively charred halloumi, a sharp lime-sumac tahini, and a mountain of fresh mint, this is a mezze snack that will completely change how you look at summer fruit.
Gentle-Simmered Golden Heirloom Shakshuka with Saffron & Velvet Tahini
Listen, I am usually the first person to tell you to crank your heat as high as it goes and let the fire do the work. But on a vibrant summer morning, when yellow heirloom tomatoes are practically bursting with sun-warmed juice on your counter, we must be gentle. We slowly simmer these golden beauties with saffron and mild chilies into a sweet, fragrant bath, perfectly poaching the eggs in the bubbling liquid before drowning the whole skillet in velvet tahini and a mountain of fresh herbs.
Fire-Collapsed Eggplant with Sizzling Pistachio-Lentil Crunch & Amba Tahini
Whenever someone asks me how to make eggplant taste good, I tell them to show it no mercy. We are going to literally burn these eggplants over an open flame until they collapse, leaving us with a smoky, buttery center. Layered over ice-whipped amba tahini and drowned in a sizzling pistachio and lentil crunch, this is the ultimate Tel Aviv mezze snack. The contrast of the cold, creamy tahini, the warm, smoky eggplant, and the aggressive crunch of the fried lentils is exactly why I cook.
Fire-Grilled Lamb & Pistachio Arayes with Whipped Sumac Feta and Shaved Fennel Salad
Arayes are the ultimate Tel Aviv street food—pita bread stuffed with heavily spiced meat and grilled until the bread is shatteringly crisp and soaked in lamb fat. I usually drench everything in tahini, but today we're dragging these crispy wedges through a cloud of whipped sumac feta to cut the richness. Piled high with an emerald dill and pomegranate salad, this is a loud, vibrant feast of a dinner.
Fire-Scorched Shawarma Cauliflower over Velvet Ruby Tahini
In Tel Aviv, we treat vegetables with the same reverence a steakhouse treats a ribeye. This whole scorched cauliflower isn't a side dish—it's an absolute event. We boil it in turmeric water until tender, blast it at high heat until the edges blister and blacken, and serve it over a stunning, cloud-like magenta beetroot tahini with a crispy garlic-pistachio crunch.
Fire-Scorched Prawns with Urfa-Pomegranate Glaze over Velvet Green Tahini
Friday sundown in Tel Aviv means a table laden with mezze, drinks flowing, and the smell of smoke in the air. These prawns are an absolute flavor bomb—charred at blistering heat to lock in a sweet-sour pomegranate molasses glaze, then laid over a fluffy, herbaceous cloud of ice-whipped green tahini. The preserved lemon and pistachio crunch on top is non-negotiable; it brings every texture on the plate to life.
High-Heat Spatchcock Za'atar Chicken over Schmaltz-Smashed Potatoes
There is nothing more spectacular, more unapologetically celebratory, than a whole chicken roasted at screaming high heat until the skin shatters and the meat weeps with juices. By spatchcocking the bird, we ensure it cooks fast and evenly, while the bed of baby potatoes underneath drinks up every drop of spiced chicken fat. Finished with a heavy drizzle of velvet tahini, tart pomegranate molasses, and a wild forest of fresh herbs, this is a centerpiece that demands to be devoured.
Fire-Torn Halloumi & Scorched Apricots with Harissa-Honey & Velvet Tahini
When a summer heatwave hits, we don't cook heavy meals—we graze aggressively. This is the ultimate snacking centerpiece. We're tearing the halloumi instead of slicing it so the jagged edges catch the heat and turn into a crispy, golden armor. Paired with violently scorched summer apricots, a slick of ice-whipped tahini, and a fiery harissa-honey drizzle, this plate is a masterclass in texture and temperature contrast.
Slow-Braised Merguez & Swiss Chard Morning Skillet with Velvet Harissa-Tahini
I believe breakfast should hit you with the same intensity of flavor as a Friday night dinner. Here, we are taking vibrant Swiss chard and treating it with the deep respect of a slow braise. By stewing the earthy greens in rendered spiced lamb fat, aromatic broth, and a sharp hit of pomegranate molasses, they melt into a deeply savory, rich base that practically begs for runny yolks and a heavy pour of fiery harissa-tahini.
Char-Grilled Baharat Lamb-Stuffed Romano Peppers over Ice-Whipped Tahini
Growing up, stuffed peppers usually meant soft, braised bell peppers swimming in tomato sauce. Not in my kitchen. We take long, sweet Romano peppers, stuff them aggressively with heavily spiced ground lamb, pine nuts, and tart barberries, and throw them straight onto a roaring grill. The pepper skin blisters and sweetens while the lamb fat renders, basting the meat in its own smoky juices. We lay them over a massive, swooping pool of ice-whipped lemon tahini and finish with a heavy hand of pomegranate arils and tearing mint.
Cast-Iron Charred Cauliflower with Date-Sumac Glaze & Preserved Lemon Tahini
I am obsessed with what happens to cauliflower when you push it right to the edge of burnt. We're skipping the gentle oven roast today and going straight for a brutal, high-heat cast-iron char that transforms the humble florets into crispy, deeply caramelized bites. Tossed in a sticky, tart date-sumac glaze and piled over a sharp, velvety pool of preserved lemon tahini, this is the mezze plate that will vanish first at your table.
Fire-Scorched Eggplant Carpaccio with Blistered Tomato-Harissa & Walnut Tarator
A dramatic, smoky masterpiece that demands to be shared. We take whole eggplants to the absolute brink under extreme heat until they collapse, then smash them flat into a luscious canvas. Drenched in a fierce, sizzling blistered tomato and rose harissa dressing, cooled by velvet walnut-tahini tarator, and showered with fresh herbs and ruby pomegranate—this is how you start a Mediterranean feast.
High-Heat Spiced Chicken Thighs over Schmaltz-Blistered Fennel & Butter Beans
Friday nights in my kitchen are sacred, loud, and unapologetically bold. This one-pan feast uses high-heat roasting to achieve two miracles at once: shattering, spice-crusted chicken skin, and butter beans underneath that act as little sponges for the rendering schmaltz. Finished with a sharp pop of preserved lemon and mountains of fresh herbs, it hits every single texture note.
Blistered Sweet Peppers over Cloud-Whipped Pomegranate Labneh
This is how we do an appetizer in Tel Aviv: a bright, vibrant, messy masterpiece that you scoop up with warm flatbread. By straining the labneh and whipping it with just a touch of cream, we create an airy, velvet cloud that perfectly catches the hot, glossy juices of heavily charred sweet mini peppers. It is an absolute riot of textures and sweet-tart flavors.
Fire-Blistered Aleppo Grapes & Charred Halloumi over Velvet Walnut Tahini
There is pure magic in the sweet, salty, and spicy collision of this mezze dish. We are scorching sweet, Aleppo-dusted grapes in a dry skillet until they burst, contrasting their jammy heat against thick, molten slabs of aggressively charred halloumi. Layered over a rich, nutty walnut tahini and finished with a sharp bite of pomegranate molasses, it is an unapologetically vibrant sharing plate that demands to be scooped up with torn pita.
High-Heat Charred Zhoug Calamari over Velvet Tahini & Blistered Tomato Salad
This is my love letter to the Mediterranean coast. Screaming hot, blistered calamari tossed in fiery green zhoug, served over a massive swoop of velvet tahini. We crown the whole thing with a vibrant, jewel-toned salad of burst tomatoes, fresh herbs, pomegranate, and crispy za'atar pita shatter. A true feast that eats like a dinner salad.
Golden Leek & Swiss Chard Skillet with Lemon-Tahini & Sizzling Aleppo Butter
I’ve always believed that breakfast skillets shouldn't just be limited to tomatoes and peppers. Growing up in Tel Aviv, mornings were about bright, sharp flavors that woke up your palate. This golden, turmeric-laced beauty is my answer to the routine: we're poaching eggs directly in a fragrant, bubbling broth of deeply caramelized leeks, creamy butter beans, and mountains of Swiss chard. Finished with velvet lemon-tahini yogurt and a dramatic pour of sizzling Aleppo butter, it's a dish that absolutely demands to be scooped up with warm pita.