Virtually every year preceding our aliyah, I made an annual pilgrimage to Israel, and spent much of this time with my dearly loved cousin in Hod Hasharon.

Everything about her lifestyle appealed, and I fervently wished her world was mine.

I pictured my children walking with hers to the local school, riding bikes along the paved streets, and spending afternoons exploring the lush parklands that ring the neighborhood. I imagined meeting friends for coffee in the nearby mall, and stopping on the way home for fresh strawberries from Hod Hasharon's organic strawberry farm stalls. I also “played house” in my head as I imagined that my cousin's home was mine, and I daydreamed about how I'd arrange my furniture. There was an empty plot of land just a few doors down from her house and Orit regularly said jokingly that I'd live there one day.

It was nothing more than wishful thinking on both our parts, however, as moving to Israel most certainly wasn't on the cards.

My regular visits gave Orit the perfect excuse to entertain, and I loved nothing more than sharing newfound recipes with her family and friends.

There was a large rosemary bush at the end of her road and on every visit I could regularly be seen ambling down the street to pick a few sprigs to use in a variety of culinary creations.

Even if you'd given me a crystal ball, I would never have believed that this very rosemary bush would one day be at the end of my road, and that I would continue to use this bush as a source of fresh herbs to use in my kitchen.

I may not have made my home on the still empty plot of land, as Orit had predicted, but I do live just a few doors down from it. Our children go to the same school and play in the same parks. My house is a carbon copy design of my cousin's, which made arranging my furniture remarkably easy as I'd been planning the layout in my head for years.

And yes, I do regularly meet friends for coffee in the nearby mall, and, as I walk past, I often pause to pick a few rosemary sprigs from the bush I know so well.

I offer you this refreshing summer salad in tribute to this typically Mediterranean herb...and as proof that sometimes dreams really can come true.

NUTTY GREEN BEAN SALAD WITH ROSEMARY, FETA & PECANS

Ingredients

500 grams green beans, trimmed and cut in half
2 large sprigs of rosemary
2 - 3 cucumbers, cut into matchsticks
Salt & pepper
Feta or Bulgarian cheese (optional)
Toasted pecan nuts

Dressing

5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon mustard
Pinch of salt
1 clove of garlic
1 spring onion, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
⅓ cup canola oil

Method

1: Boil beans together with rosemary in a minimum amount of water till just cooked and then refresh in cold water to retain the bright green color.

2: Place the beans and cucumber in a salad bowl, finely chop a little of the rosemary and add this to the salad with seasoning.

3: Blend the dressing ingredients till smooth, pour over the vegetables to coat, and then leave covered for a few hours to absorb the flavors.

4: Top generously with crumbled cheese before serving and scatter over chopped, toasted pecan nuts.

Cook's Notes: Frozen beans can replace fresh but in this case boil them for the absolute minimum amount of time as they can easily be overcooked. This dressing is superb on other salads too, so feel free to experiment. I personally believe that cheese greatly enhances any dish but it can, reluctantly, be omitted if you prefer a parve salad.

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