Some cookbooks inspiring me in recent weeks ...
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| A book of Syrian Jewish Recipes |
Aleppo, and its sister city of Damascus some 300 kilometres to the south, are said to be the oldest inhabited cities in the world. The Jewish community in Aleppo dates back as far as 560BC and subsequent waves of Jewish migrants settled in the city throughout the Middle Ages and beyond. In recent times many member of this community migrated to the United States, particularly in the early 20th century, and it was from here that this book had its origins.
Their cuisine focuses on the use of legumes, rice, whole grains, vegetables, dairy products and breads & pastries. Some of the more famous dishes include Kibbeh - stuffed Syrian meatballs with rice (similar to the many variations of kibbeh I remember from Middle Eastern shops and restaurants in Melbourne), Bazargan - a tangy tamarind bulgur wheat salad and Sambousak - buttery cheese-filled savoury pastries.
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| Claudis Roden's lastest magnum opus on Spain! |
Coincidentally, another of my favourite new cookbooks is Claudia Roden's recently published "The Food of Spain" which also deals with the Jewish diaspora. Madame Roden (as may of her fans refer to her!) also writes of the contribution Jewish culture has made to world culinary history ... in this case heavily influencing the cuisine(s) of Spain after the Arab invasions of the Spanish mainland beginning in the 7th Century.
In a curious link between these two books, the Jewish communities of Spain suffered persecution by Christains who invaded the country from the 10th Century and during the Spanish Inquisition many Spanish Jews fled to countries in the surrounding regions like Italy, Greece, Turkey, the Netherlands, and Northern Africa. In the 15th Century many Jewish emigres fled to countries of the then Ottoman Empire, where they were welcomed by it's ruler Sultan Beyazid. This was how the Jews of Aleppo first established their communities in Syria.
Thus began a period of great prosperity and trade in the region and the flourishing of a rich culture that included cuisines and methods of cooking and preparing food unique to the region.
Here are a few of the more successful recipes I have been cooking from these two books over recent months ... (photos to follow!):
Salata Arabia Basic Syrian salad with lemon-cumin dressing
from "Aromas of Aleppo"
Whilst this recipe is a very basic salad similar to what you would find on tables in India, whats interesting is the dressing which uses a mixture of ground cumin and lemon juice. As Poopa Dweck notes, "Cumin is featured in the traditional dressing for Salata ... many people do not know that cumin is in the parsley family. It is the dried fruit of the plant, whose seeds give many Syrian dishes an earthy flavour."
Ingredients:
6 cucumbers, finely chopped 4 tomatoes, finely chopped 1 bunch parsley, freshly chopped
1/2 cup lemon juice 1 t ground cumin 1 t rock ground salt 6 spring onions, finely chopped
Method:
Mix together cucumber, tomatoes, parsley lemon juice, cumin, salt and spring onions. Toss well and serve.
Djaz Riz w'Hummus Roast chicken with rice and chickpeas
from "Aromas of Aleppo"
This was a great recipe but like many "Westerners" I didnt quite get the rice cooked properly the first time; I mixed up the measurements for the liquid components when reaching the rice cooking stage in step 4. But the end result was still OK and the next time it was perfect.
Also, if you are in Hyderabad you can get 'allspice' at the SPAA supermarket in Begumpet.
Ingredients:
1 large chicken (I order it with the skin on as its more flavourful when cooking; you can remove it in stage 2 if preferred.) 2 onions, diced 6 garlic cloves, chopped 2 T vegetable oil I C vermicelli, broken into smaller sticks 3 C long grain rice 1 1/2 cups chickpeas, soaked overnight and then cooked 2 t allspice 1/2 t black pepper 2 t salt
Method:
1/. In a large pot, cover chicken with water, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for one hour.
2/. Remove chicken from pot and let stand to cool for 30 minutes. Keep 4 cups of the broth (and store rest for another time). Bone chicken when cool - either removing skin or keep on - and cut or tear into small chunks.
3/. In another large pot, heat oil and saute onions and garlic until soft (I add a pinch of salt to help prevent onions from burning). The add vermicellei and rice and cook for 1 minute.
4/. Add to the pot the chicken, chickpeas, 4 cups of chicken broth plus 2 extra cups of water, allspice, pepper and salt. Bring pot to boil over high heat and then reduce heat to low & simmer covered for 30 mins or until rice is fluffy.
Patatas Alinadas - Andalusia Mashed potatoes with olive oil and spring onions
from "The Food of Spain"
Ingredients:
1 kg plus of potatoes, peeled and quartered 6 T extra virgin olive oil salt & pepper 8 spring onions, chopped 2 T parsley, chopped
Method:
1/. Cook potatoes in boiling slated water until soft ... about 20 minutes.
2/. Drain - keeping 1/2 cup of cooking liquid - and coarsely mash.
3/. Stir in olive oil, salt & pepper to taste plus cooking liquid - enought to give it a smooth texture - and then stir in spring onions and parsley. Serve warm or room temperature.
Pollo en Pepitoria - Castile - La Mancha Chicken in almond and egg sauce
from "The Food of Spain"
I really loved this recipe which had a rich thick sauce to compliment the chicken. My partner on the other hand - who has a strange childhood-related aversion to eggs - didnt! I suggest you try it once and make up your own mind ... unless you also ....
Ingredients:
1/4 C olive oil 1 whole chicken cut into 8 pieces or 8 chicken thigh pieces salt & pepper I large onion, chopped 2 C chicken stock 1 C white wine (or plain water as wine is so expensive in Hyderabad!) 2 bay leaves 3/4 t ground cinammon 2 hard-boiled eggs 1/4 C blanched skinned almonds 6 garlic cloves pinch saffron threads
Method:
1/. Heat 3 T of oil in a alarge casserole, big enough for chicken pieces to lie flat. Add chicken and brown all over, adding salt & pepper. Remove and set aside; add onion and cook gently until golden.
2/. Return chicken to pot and add stock, wine, bay leaves and cinammon and simmer gently covered for 25 minutes. Turn chicken occasionally.
4/. Fry almonds and garlic in remaining oil until nuts are sightly brown. The blend almonds, garlic and egg yolks in food processor or pestle adding a few spoons of stock from chicken. Stir mixture into simmering stock, add saffron, and cook further 10 minutes.
5/. Serve sprinkled with the diced egg whites ... or throw them away if your partner also has an aversion to eggs! Either way this dish is a delicious riff on a simple chicken stew or curry.
Note: my camera wasn't working when these recipes were first cooked at my home so the pix will be added later when I cook them again
Hyderabad, India May 2012
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