Are there any tips you have for readers who might find it difficult to find some of the specialist ingredients? Many items can be substituted like spinach instead of swiss chard for instance or if purslane is difficult then watercress is a good choice.
I notice that both your father and yourself describe yourself as Arabian rather than from a specific country? My parents are both very proud of their Palestinian heritage which is a part of the larger Arabian picture. The divisions are only on the map. We grew up in a household where my family showed us how to be proud of our Arabic heritage and celebrate it.
We also grew up loving everyone regardless of their differences be it religion, color, or nationality. I will always be thankful for parents who instilled in their children such values. I am proud to say that my dining table is not only laden with food but is always graced by the presence of dear colorful friends from all corners of the world. Would you describe them as fairly traditional or more of a personal and modern interpretation of Arabic food? All of my recipes are certainly Arabic in one way or another.
I have all the traditional dishes that have become common to all like Hummus, Tabbouli, Baba Ghanouje which are not my personal creations. But I do add a little of this and a dab of that.
In my modern interpretations I do try to maintain the integrity of the dish. My aim is to respect it , be authentic and only change something if I feel it is complimentary.
My food represents mostly the flavors of the Eastern Mediterranean as it is the most varied and by shear history and geography has evolved into one of the most amazing cuisines of the world.
That also includes North Africa, the Gulf and the neighboring countries of the Middle East who naturally influenced this diverse and sophisticated food culture. Was it hard to narrow down the recipes in your repertoire to the number you needed for the book or did you know instinctively which ones must be included?
So I had to make the difficult choice of deciding which ones would make the cut for the time being. I am cooking up a second book now and a lot of those recipes will make make an appearance. Were there recipes you chose not to include because your audience might not appreciate them, or because they might struggle to find the ingredients? Not at all, all the recipes are accessible and have been tested on many good friends who love to eat them and with their encouragement I decided to include them.
I go to shop for my ingredients and get inspired to cook that way. Which is your favourite recipe in the book, either because you love the dish, or have a personal memory associated with it? I love all of the recipes which is why they all made it to be part of my book. That is one of my favorites… The peppery Arugula leaves are complimented by the sweet buttery aubergine, the bite of the onions and the delightful crunch of the pine nuts.
The pomegranate dressing pulls it all together. What is next for you? Another book, or another project? Can you tell us about it? Derived from the Arabic term aamala — meaning, to make — the maamoul pastry is a quintessential Levantine treat served for special occasions, such as Eid and Easter.
They keep well in the freezer. After a couple of attempts you will get the hang of it. Alternatively, you can use special molds that can be found in Middle Eastern supermarkets. To virtually cook with Husseini, follow her on SuzanneHusseini, where she is always cooking up something tasty in her kitchen. For the date filling, knead the dates with the butter until soft. Break off a piece and roll into a log about 10 cm long. Bring the ends together to form a ring shape of about a 4 cm diameter.
Proceed until all are done and set aside. In a large bowl put the semolina, sugar and mahlab and mix well. Pour in the melted butter and mix in with your fingertips coating completely. Sprinkle on the yeast and sugar to incorporate. Gradually pour in the slightly warmed milk and mix until it forms a dough.
It should be soft and pliable, and not sticky. You may not use all of the milk. For the nut-filled maamoul, take a piece of dough of about the size of a walnut and cup it in one hand. With the diversity of the Arab world these dishes can vary from country to country, and traditions are indicative of the geography, climate, and many other factors. The month of Ramadan falls at different times of the year as it follows the lunar calendar.
So each year it goes back two weeks. That makes for a variety of experiences depending on the climate alone. Soup usually starts the meal along with dates to break the fast initially.
Salads and light appetizers like sambusek [meat or cheese-filled fried pastries] usually follow. I like to serve prawns wrapped in what we call knafe pastry [a. It's the perfect nibble to set the stage for something new. The main dish can be anything. One of my favorites is my walnut and herb-stuffed salmon that I serve with a spicy tahini sauce.
But for dessert one delectable choice is the king of all desserts: atayef crepes filled with a sheep's milk cheese; see photo at top , which are fried to a crisp and doused in sticky sweet syrup. They are synonymous with Ramadan and somehow don't taste the same any other time of the year.
Various fruit compotes, milk puddings hot and or cold, are also popular choices. SH : The minutes leading up to the time of iftar the breaking fast meal were the most difficult and exciting.
There was the anticipation of savoring the food my mother lovingly made for us. The smells are so much more vivid when you have had to be without food all day. Another thing that was a treat for us was that we could have a sweet dessert everyday for the whole month.
Epi : With people's lives increasingly busy, getting the iftar meal on the table quickly after a day of fasting must be more stressful than ever. Has the market responded with products to make meal preparations easier and faster? SH : Yes indeed, different manufacturers have come to the rescue of the hurried population. Some are good and others are just not right in my opinion. Of course, whenever a company makes and packages something missing real fresh ingredients and chooses to substitute them with things to increase the shelf life, I get worried and look the other way.
You can find frozen sheets of sambusek dough ready to fill, and pastry shops make the crepes for you, so all you have to do is fill them with cheese or nuts to make your atayef. There are also supermarkets that carry vegetables that have been cored, ready for your favorite fillings. Frozen pre-filled vegetables are also available to cut down on prep time. Ramadan is a month that can be quite daunting for the cook but some shortcuts are a godsend.
Epi : What are some other shortcuts home cooks have adopted for the iftar meal? SH : Really, the iftar meal is no different from any other meal. A lot of thought is taken into preparing food that is nourishing, especially after a full day of fasting. I do prepare certain time-consuming foods like sambusek and kibbeh meat pies and freeze until needed. I toast my nuts and keep them in jars in the fridge. I clarify butter and make copious amounts of simple syrup ready for when I have the urge to make a dessert like baklawa , atayef, or semolina cake.
Epi: What ready-made dish or dishes that consumers tend to purchase do you encourage they make at home? SH: Maamoul pastries filled with dates or nuts symbolize the end of Ramadan. This is something else that we can purchase. But nothing beats the fresh homemade taste of making it by hand. It's also a tradition that I don't want to see die even though it takes a bit of time. It's one of the memories that I cherish the most--making maamoul with my mother as a child and savoring the results of our hard work.
It's worth the trouble. Epi : Are the old traditional ways of preparing foods at risk of being lost or forgotten? If so, which ones are you most concerned about? SH : Ramadan is certainly a time where traditions are held dear and reawakened. So many people I find are relying on the buffets on offer at every restaurant, each vying for your business.
People choose to entertain this way. While that can be a nice change sometimes, it doesn't replace the rituals of making food from scratch and sharing the experience with friends and family--I do believe that the LOVE factor is the key here. The food ultimately tastes better and the journey of making it is far more pleasurable than making reservations at a restaurant. I'm concerned that people don't want to be inconvenienced any more and are looking for someone else to take over the most important job in my eyes--and that is to cook and nourish your body with healthy food.
We have to make time for that just as we make time for all the other things that matter in our lives. I don't think anything can be more important than our health. SH: I know I've mentioned atayef before, but that is what I look forward to.
Atayef is the sweet ending to a long trying day during Ramadan. Epi : I'm so interested in your Arabic cooking shows on TV. How did you get started doing them?
SH : At my core, I am a teacher and I have always found ways to integrate my love and passion for teaching in whatever I am doing. During my first few years in Dubai I was conducting small, intimate cooking classes out of my home for my closest friends. Word of mouth spread throughout Dubai and I was soon inundated with requests from expats who were eager to learn how to cook Arabic food, and I happily obliged with weekly cooking classes.
About a year later my cooking classes caught the attention of a local television producer for a food program channel who approached me with the opportunity to do my own show. I ended up recording 30 episodes for the network in in Arabic and the show was broadcast to an audience of almost 50 million across the Middle East.
As of today, the show continues to be one of the most popular programs on air and online. The format of the show was modeled after my cooking classes where I hosted four friends at my kitchen counter who were there for each episode.
During each episode I featured the diverse food of the Arab world and would routinely prepare a full menu. The show was called " Sohbe Taibe " which was a play on words as sohbe means friendship and taib e means good or delicious. While I cooked, the ladies and I talked about different topics like our children, the economy, infidelity, and cosmetic surgery, but we never lost focus on the food and the stories that are connected to it.
It was quite groundbreaking, as no one had ever done anything like it. Comments 2.
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