Cairo Kitchen by Suzanne Zeidy (ISBN 9781742708027)

Suzanne Zeidy grew up in a household that loved to cook. Every Friday her Aunt Alba would round up the extended family for a huge Egyptian-style lunch, where they would gossip, laugh and feast on traditional home-style cooking.

In Cairo Kitchen, Suzanne shares the classics that ignited her love of food, as well as her modern Middle Eastern recipes, all set against the exotic, vibrant backdrop of Cairo. Try her Stuffed vine leaves, home-style Beef kofta stew or Quail on quinoa tabboula. For anyone with a sweet tooth, the rich Date and walnut cake and decadent Halawa truffles are irresistible.

Middle Eastern food is made for sharing, and Cairo Kitchen is filled with standout recipes, perfect for any gathering. Illustrated throughout with stunning pictures by award-winning photographer Jonathan Gregson, this stylish cookbook is a celebration of Cairo and its wonderful food.

R E C I P E S F R O M T H E M I D D L E E A S T, I N S P I R E D

BY T H E ST R E E T FO O D O F C A I R O

Suzanne Zeidy

BY

Suzanne Zeidy ÂŁ25.00

F OOD

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11/02/2014 10:49

6 Introduction

Introduction For me, the dishes that we serve in the Cairo Kitchen restaurants are all about Egypt — the food we grow and the food we grew up with, the food of my childhood. My dad is from Port Said and he has always loved to cook. I can remember him there in the open kitchen when I was young, cooking and grilling, especially fish, he loves fish, putting food out onto little plates and inventing bite-size mezza, while me and my brother, cousins and friends sat and watched the kitchen entertainment. In Egyptian families, one figure usually gathers everybody together and in my family that was my dad’s sister, Abla, another major food influence on my younger self. Every Friday, we would have these large, late family lunches at her house with traditional Egyptian food, the molokheya and the kabab halla, real homestyle cooking.

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It is extraordinary that the country has managed to keep some of its food traditions for such a long time ----------------------

The food of Egypt mirrors both the outside influences the country has experienced alongside a remarkable continuity of ingredients and cooking methods. Cairo Kitchen reflects this too, mixing up the inventiveness of my father’s cooking, the incredible raw ingredients the country has to offer, with the history stirred into my aunt’s food. It is extraordinary that the country has managed to keep some of its food traditions for such a long time and Egypt is perhaps unique in this respect. The pharaohs themselves would recognize the bread we eat today: the grains husked, the dough risen and the loaves baked in the same way they have been for centuries. At the same time, Egypt has also long been the cosmopolitan centre of the Middle East and its food bears the influence of its Arab neighbours, while French, English and Italian expatriates have made béchamel sauce and macaroni, crème caramel and milk puddings part of Egypt’s rich culinary history.

At the end of 1997, I came back to the Cairo of my childhood from America, fresh from finishing up my MBA and a culinary course, and then working in various New York restaurants. I had returned to work for my father and to help build up his canning factory, but I had been inspired by the small restaurants I had seen in New York and my food ideas and passion were endless. Along with my childhood friends Maher and Dagher, I immediately started working on a project to open a restaurant.

Cairo at this time was in thrall to the cooking of Europe and America. We were importing food and restaurant ideas and everything was based around the city’s five-star hotels. It was really old-fashioned and much of it was posh and fancy — if you were going out to dinner, you certainly put on a tie. We wanted to create somewhere not stuffy, but casual and fun, with good food, music and nice décor, because nothing like that existed. It was such an inspired project to work on and finally, in 2000, La Bodega, our

Introduction 7

Breakfast Fried Boiled Egg with Dukka Semit Alexandrian-Style Fuul Breakfast Couscous Shakshuka Spicy Damietta-Style Fuul Feteer Meshaltet Egga Mulberry and Yogurt Layers Pearl Barley with Fruits and Nuts

Breakfast Couscous Couscous, those tiny dough balls mostly associated with savoury stews from Morocco, lend themselves perfectly to being eaten as a breakfast cereal. Couscous can be steamed in a couscoussier or simply left to soak in boiling water for 10 minutes and then fluffed up with a fork.

Prepare the couscous by placing in a large bowl and slowly covering with 500ml boiling water. Let it stand for 10 minutes until the water is absorbed, then fluff up with a fork.

Meanwhile, soak the raisins in lukewarm water for 15 minutes until softened, then drain. Toast the almonds and pine nuts by placing in a dry frying pan over a medium heat and stirring for 2 to 3 minutes until they turn golden brown.

Add the raisins, almonds, pine nuts, pistachios, cinnamon, sugar and rosewater, if using, to the couscous and gently toss together.

Serve warm or at room temperature with a sprinkling of orange zest to garnish and a side of warm milk.

22 Breakfast

Serves 4-6 200g couscous 30g raisins 30g slivered almonds 30g pine nuts 30g pistachios, chopped 2–3 pinches of ground cinnamon 2–4 tablespoons icing sugar (more or less to taste) 1 teaspoon rosewater (optional) 1 teaspoon grated orange zest (optional) 200ml skimmed milk, warmed

Breakfast 23

30 Breakfast

Spicy Damietta-Style Fuul One of the most important sea ports in Egypt, Damietta is another culturally and commercially significant city. Its strategic location, with both Nile and Mediterranean shores, gives Damietta the advantage of having access to fishing and agriculture and a wealth of ingredients. Damietta residents have their own style of cooking and are famous for their white cheese, while even their fuul has a unique taste. If you want to use dried beans instead of canned, follow the cooking instructions on page 155.

In a medium-sized pot, heat the olive oil, add the garlic and onion and sauté over a medium heat in the oil until soft, but not browned.

Add the tomato and cook for about 3 minutes until it softens. Add the fava beans, cumin, chilli, chilli powder and tahina paste. Cook over a low heat for 10 minutes until heated through, adding some of the reserved fava bean liquid to prevent the mixture drying out and stirring a little to mash. Season to taste.

Pour into a serving dish and top with the lemon juice, fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve hot with baladi breads, rocket, spring onions, lemon wedges and red chillies.

Serves 4–6 2 tablespoons olive oil 3 garlic cloves, chopped 1 small onion, chopped 1 tomato, chopped 500g canned fava (broad) beans, drained and the liquid reserved ½ teaspoon ground cumin 1 fresh hot chilli, chopped ½ teaspoon chilli powder 2 tablespoons tahina paste Juice of 1 lemon 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley 4 tablespoons olive oil Salt To serve Baladi (or flat) breads Handful of rocket (gargeer) Spring onions Lemon wedges Red chillies

Breakfast 31

Greens, Beans and Grains Garden Taameya Salad Potato Salad Rocket and Rumi Salad Couscous Salad Fuul Summer Cucumber Salad Tomato Walnut Salad Chickpea Salad Lentil Salad Sprouted and Fresh Broad Bean Salad Herring Salad Beetroot, Feta and Purslane Salad Fattoush Marinated Aubergine Matboukha Stuffed Courgettes Spicy Potato Salad Oven-Roasted Vegetables Lima Bean Salad Black-Eyed Bean Salad Pearl Barley Salad Baladi Salad Aubergine Fattah Honey-Spiced Carrot Salad Green Bean Salad Cauliflower Salad

Garden Taameya Salad This salad platter, filled with different salad ingredients and herbs combined with freshly made taameya, makes a very satisfying vegetarian lunch or dinner. The difference between taameya, common in Egypt, and falafel, known throughout the region, is that taameya uses fava (broad) beans rather than chickpeas as its base. A drizzle of tahina sauce at the end adds the traditional taste to this fresh salad.

In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, dried mint and salt and pepper, to taste, to make the salad dressing.

In a serving bowl, toss the rocket, radish, spring onion, cucumber and tomato with the dressing . On top place the taameya, feta cubes and pomegranate seeds and top with the fresh herb leaves.

Drizzle over the tahina sauce, if desired.

Serves 4-6 50g rocket (gargeer) 1 radish, thinly sliced 1 spring onion, chopped 1 cucumber, thinly sliced 1 tomato, cut into wedges 8 ready-fried taameya (see page 148) 60g feta cheese, cut into cubes 30g pomegranate seeds Handful of fresh mint leaves Handful of fresh coriander leaves Handful of roughly chopped fresh dill Handful of fresh parsley leaves 50ml tahina sauce (optional) (see page 238) For the dressing 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon dried mint Salt and freshly ground black pepper

98 Greens, Beans and Grains

Greens, Beans and Grains 99

104 Greens, Beans and Grains

Greens, Beans and Grains 105

140 Greens, Beans and Grains

Cauliflower Salad Adding turmeric to the water when boiling the cauliflower florets makes the vegetable bright yellow, while the contrasting black of the Kalamata olives and the green of the fresh herbs creates a dramatic presentation.

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and prepare a large bowl of iced water. Add the turmeric and then the cauliflower florets to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes until cooked through but firm. Drain and place in the iced water to stop the cooking and retain the bright colour.

Mix the sugar with 500ml water in a small bowl and add the onion to soak and mellow for 15 minutes. Remove and discard the water.

In a large bowl, place the cauliflower, onion, sliced peppers, olives, chopped coriander and dill and combine carefully to keep the cauliflower unbroken.

For the dressing, in a cup mix together the lemon juice, mustard, cumin, olive oil, garlic, sugar and salt, to taste.

Toss the dressing into the salad just before serving.

Serves 4-6 ½ teaspoon turmeric 500g cauliflower, broken into florets 50g sugar 1 onion, thinly sliced 3 mixed peppers, thinly sliced 100g pitted Kalamata olives 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill Juice of 2 lemons 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard ½ teaspoon ground cumin 4 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 teaspoon sugar Salt

Greens, Beans and Grains 141

Street Food Sweet Potato Chips Home-Style Koshary Taameya Sandwiches Alexandrian Chilli and Garlic Calf’s Liver Fuul Sandwiches Alexandrian Spicy Sausages Alexandrian Koshary Well Being Koshary Fried Cauliflower Sandwiches Aubergine Sandwiches

144 Steet Food

Sweet Potato Chips Sweet potatoes are considered a ‘superfood’. Generally foods with deep colours such as sweet potatoes, beetroots and dark leafy vegetables are high in cancer-fighting phytochemicals.

These sweet potato chips, sprinkled with dukka, make for a lively accompaniment to some of the sandwiches in this book.

Slice the sweet potatoes thinly with a mandolin, then soak for an hour in iced water prior to frying. After an hour, drain the potato slices and dry them thoroughly on paper towels.

Serves 4-6 5 sweet potatoes Sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying Sea salt, to sprinkle Dukka (see page 16), to sprinkle

Heat the oil in a deep fat fryer or a large deep pan.

Fry the sweet potatoes in small batches in the hot oil until crisp, then drain on paper towels.

Sprinkle with the sea salt and dukka before serving.

Street Food 145

Aubergine Sandwiches Fried aubergines stuffed into baladi bread can be found throughout Cairo being sold on street carts for breakfast and lunch. With green salad leaves and tahina sauce, this simple sandwich makes a satisfying vegetarian meal. For a lighter version, try brushing the aubergine slices with olive oil and grilling them rather than frying.

In a frying pan, sautĂŠ the aubergine slices in the oil, in batches if necessary, for about 5 minutes on each side until golden in colour. Take out of the pan and drain on paper towels to remove the excess oil.

Sprinkle salt, pepper, the cumin, lemon juice, garlic, chilli paste and coriander over the fried aubergine.

Open the baladi breads and layer up the rocket, tomato and aubergine. Top with a drizzle of tahina sauce to serve.

164 Steet Food

Serves 2-4 1 large aubergine, sliced into rounds 100ml vegetable oil ½ teaspoon ground cumin Juice of 1 lemon 2 garlic cloves, crushed 1 teaspoon roasted red chilli paste (see page 241) 1 teaspoon chopped fresh coriander Salt and freshly ground black pepper To serve 2–4 baladi or shamsi (or flat) breads Handful of rocket (gargeer) 1 tomato, sliced Tahina sauce (see page 238)

Street Food 165

Desserts Zalabia Rice Pudding with Dates Vermicelli with Cream Halawa Truffles Home-Style Kunafa with Ricotta Mehalabeya Ashura Almond Semolina Cake Date Walnut Cake Beseesa Ginger Mishmisheya Hibiscus-Poached Pears Mango Sorbet

Zalabia Zalabia is a deep-fried yeast pastry similar to beignet or fritters.

They are often sold on the streets of Cairo in paper cones and smothered with sugar syrup. Here we cover these airy dough balls with icing sugar for lighter and less sticky bites.

Mix the yeast and the sugar with 180ml lukewarm water and set aside.

In a large bowl, add the salt to the flour and cornflour and stir. Stir in the water and yeast and mix well. Set aside, covered with a napkin, for 2 hours or until the dough has expanded.

In a large frying pan, heat enough oil to deep-fry and drop the dough in with a teaspoon to form small balls. Fry until golden, turning carefully to cook all sides evenly. Remove the cooked zalabia and place on paper napkins to drain any excess oil.

To serve, sprinkle with the icing sugar.

244 Desserts

Makes 30 zalabia 1½ teaspoons dried active yeast 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon salt 200g plain flour 1 tablespoon cornflour Vegetable oil, for deep-frying Icing sugar, to sprinkle

Desserts 245

Mango Sorbet Mangoes came to Egypt from India in the nineteenth century. The climate of the Nile Delta proved to be very suitable for growing mango trees and Egypt became a major producer. The varieties grown include Hindi and Alphonse, both native to India, the very sweet Sukkary (‘sukkar’ means ‘sugar’ in Arabic) and Zebda, named ‘Butter’ in Arabic due to its texture. You will need an ice cream machine to prepare this sorbet.

In a medium saucepan, combine 500ml water with the sugar. Place over a high heat and whisk to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat and leave the syrup to cool completely for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.

In a food processor or blender, combine the mango and simple syrup and blend until smooth. Pour the ingredients into an ice cream machine and churn according to the manufacturer’s directions.

Store in an airtight container in the freezer.

268 Desserts

Serves 6 330g sugar 500g fresh mango flesh

Desserts 269