“A Place at the Table” is a commemorative project that documents the favorite dishes of those lost on October 7 with the help of their families.
When Shalev Madmoni was five, she drowned in a pool. She remained at the bottom for several minutes before being pulled out, unconscious and without a pulse. She experienced clinical death and came back to life thanks to two women who performed CPR on her for what felt like an eternity, her mother Ilanit Madmoni, recalls. Doctors described Shalev as a medical miracle, and people with spiritual acuity claimed to see a halo around her. As a mother, Ilanit hoped the incident meant her daughter would be protected, but she was always filled with anxiety. “Deep down, I knew my time with her was limited,” Ilanit says, while frying slices of potatoes and eggplant stuffed with meat in her kitchen in Rosh HaAyin.
This is the first time since her daughter’s murder that Ilanit has made mafrum with couscous. “That was her dish — and cooking has been the hardest part. Maybe now, I’ll be able to cook again,” Ilanit says, wiping away tears. Anyone who knows the family knows that their home was always filled with pots of freshly made food. It was an open house that welcomed guests.
While Shalev was on a trip to South America, her mother refused to prepare the Tripolitan dish until her daughter returned. So, when Shalev decided to surprise her mother by coming home early, she was disappointed to find that there was no mafrum waiting for her.
Shalev’s friends used to call her “Miss Madmoni,” nodding to her noble nature. She was a peacemaker who always knew how to calm others. Born 24 years ago to Ilanit and Peretz Madmoni, she was the older sister to Osher, Shaked, and Shai. The three eldest, Ilanit explains, grew up like triplets: Osher was just a year and a half older than Shalev, and Shaked two years younger. The three even went on a big post-army trip to South America together. During the trip, Shalev heard about the Nova Music Festival and bought tickets for herself and her partner of four years, Guy Levy, who was eagerly waiting for her in Israel.
At 2 a.m. on October 7th, Shalev let her family know they had arrived at the festival safely. That was the last time they heard from her. At 7:30 a.m., Ilanit received a worried call from Guy’s mother, who told her, “The kids aren’t answering. I heard there are terrorists.” From that moment, everything changed. For 10 days they had no idea what had happened to Shalev and Guy. At first, the family believed they had been kidnapped because their phones were traced to Khan Yunis in Gaza. “On the second day, we found their vehicle near Nir Yitzhak, shot up and burned, and we prayed for a miracle,” Ilanit recalls.
They later learned that Shalev and Guy had managed to escape the party in their car, along with another car of friends. While their friends continued toward central Israel and ultimately survived, Guy and Shalev decided to stop at a friend’s home in moshav Talmei Yosef to recover before heading home — a decision that ultimately cost them their lives. A week after the massacre, Guy’s body was identified. Two days later, Shalev’s body was also found and identified.
“Shalev and Guy had a relationship like something out of a fairy tale,” Ilanit says. They met during their military service, where Guy was her commander, though they were the same age. A deep, supportive love quickly grew between them, she adds. Just before their deaths, he had built an apartment for them near his parents’ home, and they were planning to move in together.
“On Thursday evenings, they would regularly stay over at our place for Friday morning sandwiches,” says Ilanit. She would prepare open-face sandwiches with egg salad and vegetable fritters. Now, in her effort to remember and honor her daughter and her partner, Ilanit opens her home to people for these Friday sandwiches. Each time, she adds new dishes to the menu that Shalev and Guy loved. It’s important to her that everyone knows her daughter and the things she cherished.
Every Hanukkah, in their family, everyone writes a letter to themself for the following year. In Shalev’s letter the year before she died, she wrote that she wanted to express gratitude for everything in life and not take anything for granted.
“Maybe now I can also make the mafrum that Shalev loved, served alongside fine couscous and a tart cabbage salad,” Ilanit says.
Did you prepare the dish? Share a photo of it and tag it #A_Place_at_the_Table to honor the memory of the late Shalev Madmoni.
For the vegetables:
4 large russet potatoes
1 medium-size eggplant
Kosher salt
For the filling:
250 grams (8.8oz) ground beef
250 grams (8.8oz) ground chicken
2 bread slices, soaked in water
1 large onion
1 bunch parsley
1 egg
1 flat tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
For frying:
1 egg, beaten
½ cup all-purpose flour
Oil, for shallow frying
For the sauce:
¼ cup vegetable oil
3 carrots, sliced thinly with a peeler
1 small can (100 grams/3½ oz) tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon dried garlic flakes
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon cinnamon
Water, as needed
To serve:
Couscous
- Prepare the vegetables: Slice the potatoes and eggplant into 2-3 cm (1-inch) thick rounds. Using a sharp knife, cut a slit through the middle of each slice lengthwise, stopping just past halfway, so that one side remains intact. This should create a pocket-like opening.
- Place the potato slices in a bowl of cold water with a pinch of salt for 30 minutes. Pat dry with a towel. Meanwhile, place the eggplant slices in a colander, sprinkle with salt, and let rest for 30 minutes. Gently pat dry with a paper towel.
- Prepare the filling: In a bowl, mix the ground beef and chicken. Squeeze the soaked bread to remove excess liquid, then chop it together with the onion and parsley. Add these to the bowl along with the egg and spices, and mix well with your hands until well combined.
- Stuff and fry: Fill each potato and eggplant “pocket” with a golf ball-sized portion of the filling.
- Prepare a shallow bowl of flour and a separate shallow bowl with the beaten egg. Heat about 2 cm (¾ in) oil in a wide pan for shallow frying. When a carrot hits the oil, it should bubble.
- Dip each stuffed vegetable in flour to coat, shaking off any excess, then dip it in the egg mixture to coat evenly. Transfer to the hot oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Transfer the mafrum to a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil.
- Prepare the sauce: Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the carrots and lightly fry.
- Stir in the tomato paste and spices, then add water until it reaches about halfway up the sides of the pan. Bring to a boil.
- Once the sauce is bubbling, arrange the fried stuffed vegetables in the pan in a fan-like shape. Spoon some sauce over them, and add a little more boiling water if the sauce isn’t runny at all.
- Reduce to low heat, cover, and cook until the sauce has reduced and the potatoes are soft, about 1 hour.
- Serve hot with couscous.
* This recipe remains true to the family recipe. No modifications were made.
