Song for the holiday eve # 4

Between laundry and doing the dishes, with a persistence that may be reminiscent of yoga practice, Alon Eder has released ten albums in 9 years. Maybe it has to do with the fact that he feels he has to balance every harmonious and complete album with one that is angry and filled with curses. In a meeting with Chef Hedai Offaim, while they cook Greek halva with apples and raisins, Eder talks about the advantages of having feet on the ground compared to the wings of a bird, about constant trepidation as spiritual work, and about the search for moments when the spirit controls the writing hand.

Host: Hedai Offaim
Guest: Alon Eder
Photography: Idan Glikzelig
Sound: Nitzan Peri
Artistic Director: Amichai Chasson
Production: Eyal Levit, Shir Sharoni, Avishai Huri

Ve’yesh tsippor bashamayim- And there’s a bird in the

sky
Words: Yehuda Amichai, melody: Alon Eder

In the market:

4 cups water

3 cups sugar

Peel of one lemon (without the pith)

2 cinnamon sticks

1 cup olive oil

2 cups semolina

1 apple

½ cup light and dark raisins

½ cup almonds and walnuts, peeled and coarsely chopped

In the kitchen:

Start by preparing the syrup: Put the water and sugar in a pan, add the lemon peel and cinnamon, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and let it simmer for about 10 minutes until the syrup becomes slightly thick.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in another pan, large enough later to contain the syrup as well. When the oil is hot, add the semolina and mix well with a wooden spoon. Lower the heat and continue stirring for a few minutes, until the semolina becomes a golden color with the texture of wet grains of sand. Peel the apple and cut into cubes. Add to the semolina and oil.

Remove the lemon peel and cinnamon from the syrup, and very carefully add it to the oil with the semolina. The mixture will bubble and steam, so keep your face turned slightly away when you do this. If you want to vary the halva, add the raisins and nuts now. Continue cooking for another 10 minutes and mix well, until all the syrup and oil are absorbed into the semolina and a very thick mixture with a sandy texture is obtained.

Sprinkle a little cinnamon in a patterned kugelhopf mold (a round pan with a chimney in the center) made of metal or silicone. Pour in the mixture and flatten well with a wet spoon. Allow to cool until the halva is not hot at all (can be put in the fridge), and turn over onto a wide serving plate. Garnish with a little lemon zest or powdered sugar, and serve with a cup of bitter coffee or lemon tea.