Between the beautiful pages of Cooking Together are 29 Israeli farm-to-table recipes gathered from farming families living in the western Negev, along the border with the Gaza Strip. Each recipe—from salads and soups to meat and dairy main courses as well as desserts—utilizes produce typically grown in this region, which is the main agricultural breadbasket of Israel.

The deadly Hamas attacks of October 7 severely damaged area farms and devastated border communities, including Kibbutz Be’eri, whose commercial printing press employs residents of the kibbutz and others from hard-hit towns such as Sderot, Ofakim and Netivot.

The Foody Network, an Israeli producer of television and online culinary content, produced the new cookbook in collaboration with Be’eri Print, which resumed operations on a limited basis just days after October 7 and is, like the farms, struggling to get back on its feet.

“What happened to us last year, the horrific loss of life and property, the kidnapping of our residents and the devastation we all endured, will be talked about for generations to come,” said Kibbutz Be’eri resident Haim Jellin, who is the former head of the Eshkol Regional Council, which represents the communities near the Gaza Strip. “However, considering the horrors we went through, we have been able to turn darkness into light, all because of our brave soldiers, men and women, and the wonderful Israeli society that stand with us since that day.”

Coordinated by Foody editors Yael Kazav and Orly Peli-Bronshtein, Cooking Together features gorgeous photos accompanying classic Israeli dishes such as matbucha, the heavily spiced Moroccan tomato salad. The recipe book was first published in Hebrew and sold nearly 100,000 copies in a short time. Now, Diaspora residents can be supportive as well. The new 72-page English-language version—available for purchase online, with shipping included—was recently translated by the husband-and-wife team of Ethan Kushner, a translator and marketing executive, and Debbie Rothfeld-Kushner, an editor. Part of the sales proceeds of Cooking Together will go toward rebuilding what was destroyed on what Israelis refer to as “Black Shabbat.”

“In difficult times, food has comforted people time and again,” said Michael Zimet, CEO of the Foody Network. “There is no better way to show support than through food.”

He added that the positive response to the book in Israel “led us to the decision that sharing it with Israel’s supporters around the world is the right thing to do, especially as support for Israel has waned recently.”

About half the recipes in Cooking Together are Passover-friendly—including this one for Eggplant Pizza. 

Eggplant Pizza
Serves 4

2 medium-sized eggplants
2 tablespoons olive oil
A pinch of coarse salt

TOMATO SAUCE
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 tomatoes, peeled and diced
Salt and pepper, to taste

TOPPING
4 ounces grated parmesan cheese
2 ounces feta cheese, grated
1 bunch chopped chives

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Cut eggplants lengthwise and score halves with a knife.
3. Brush the eggplant halves with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Place the eggplant on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake for 20 minutes, until golden.
4. Prepare the tomato sauce by warming the olive oil and garlic in a small saucepan. Add the peeled tomatoes and cook for 10 minutes, until the liquid is reduced and the sauce begins to thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Remove the eggplant from the oven (don’t turn the oven off yet), and with a spoon gently mash the inner part of the eggplant, forming a cavity.
6. Fill every eggplant with 2 to 3 spoonfuls of the tomato sauce, adding the cheese, and return to the oven for an additional 5 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is lightly golden.
7. Remove from the oven and sprinkle eggplant with fresh chives.
8. Transfer to a serving platter and serve hot.