BY KAREN BOSSICK

Stav Ohayon was shocked when she was introduced to American salad. Lettuce leaves topped with a few croutons and maybe a radish or two were nothing like the Israeli salads she was accustomed to—colorful and chock full of peppers, onions, cherry tomatoes and more.

Ohayon, who has been spending a year in Sun Valley sharing her Israeli culture with the Wood River Jewish Community, showed Eye on Sun Valley’s Marie Gallo how to make Classic Israeli Salad and a Spinach Bulgarian Borek, or Burek.

As for her name? It means “autumn” in Israeli.

CLASSIC ISRAELI SALAD

2 peppers, diced

1 onion, diced

lettuce, diced

cherry tomatoes, halved

3 small cucumbers, cut lengthwise into strips and diced

parsley, chopped

lemon juice, a few spoonfuls

olive oil, a drizzle

salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the vegetables together and drizzle with the lemon juice and olive oil. You can add any number of other options from dried cranberries to kohlrabi.

BUREK WITH SPINACH BULGARIAN FILLING

4 cups spinach leaves

9 oz. feta cheese

9 oz. yellow cheese

35 oz. puff pastry (can also use phyllo dough)

1 cup canola oil

1 egg

1 tablespoon vinegar, optional

¼ cup sesame seeds

Defrost the dough, according to manufacturer’s instructions. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl mix the egg with the vinegar.  Prepare the filling by washing the spinach and drying it on a paper towel. Chop coarsely with a knife. In a blender or food processor, coarsely grate the cheeses and mix with the spinach.

Open the roll of dough completely on the work surface. Divide into 6-by-8-inch rectangles. Generously grease the work surface and place a rectangle of dough on it so the wide side is parallel to you.

Oil the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin into the thinnest rectangle possible—about 3 times larger than the original size (it’s okay if the dough tears a little). From time to time, grease the surface and the dough again.

Place about 5 tablespoons of the filling in a generous strip at the bottom of the dough rectangle. Roll into a roll. Do this with the other rectangles of dough and the rest of the filling.

Arrange the bureks on parchment paper on a cooking sheet and brush with the egg mixture. Garnish with sesame seeds and bake for 35 to 4 minutes until browned.

TZATZIKI DIP

16 oz. plain yogurt

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon olive oil

1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

½ tablespoon salt

½ tablespoon black pepper

1 clove garlic, pressed

Combine ingredients and mix until smooth. Refrigerate for a few hours if possible. Serve as a dip with the Burek or even put a dab on the Israeli salad.