Driving to Haifa from Tel Aviv on an empty stomach was good advice from Roni, granddaughter of Ester. She knew her grandmother, in true Georgian style, would put on a lavish feast. Ester lives in a block of apartments, her flat neighbouring her family’s own home. Just two front doors separate her from her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren, so while we cooked, the entire family would pop in and out to grab various bits from the kitchen or just to get a glimpse of their granny in action.
We usually ask for one dish from each grandmother, but Ester was one of the ladies that went overboard on her food prep. We whizzed around after her, trying to measure flour as she ‘felt’ the amount she’d need to make khachapuri, a traditional Georgian cheese bread (so indulgent and delicious). We handled animal intestines as she expertly stuffed them with aromatically spiced meat for perhaps the biggest sausage we have ever had the pleasure of holding. We watched as she blitzed the most obscene amount of garlic into a paste for a chicken dish that is definitely best reserved for any night but date night.
