The Gateway To Egyptian Cooking.

 There was a time when Middle Eastern cooking was strictly regulated to Middle Eastern families and their kitchens. Yet thanks to Claudia Roden, home chefs now make hummus and spiced lamb. She shared her recipes , broadening palates and minds.

Regular contributor Melissa Clark wrote about this phenomenal cookbook writer in today's New York Times Food section. Ms Roden opened English eyes to  blending cucumbers with yogurt and garlic into a creamy salad along with simmering lentils with cumin for comforting , warm soup. She also taught British home chefs how to fold phyllo stuffed with cheese and various herbs into bite sized pastries.Ms. Roden is both Egyptian and Jewish. She came from a large, prominent Syrian Jewish family who had emigrated to Cairo in the 19th Century. Ms Roden also has Ladino or Jewish-Spanish roots that go back to pre-Inquisition Spain, thanks to her maternal grandmother. That heritage was reflected in her 2011 cookbook The Food Of Spain. The food she grew up with, the food of the Syrian Jews was  as she put it , sophisticated, varied and abundant. dishes had to be elaborate with many steps. These complicated dishes symbolized love for family and children. Making a one pit meal for dinner was considered an insult. Her family left this life in 1956 when President Nassar expelled all Jews. she and her family made their way to London where she studied at st. Martin;'s school of Art where she went on to become an accomplished painter.

Yet it is her recipes that stand out.They were gleaned from other exiles who piled into her mother's kitchen and exchanged recipes. These symbolized love and such dishes as rich almond-orange cake and mint sprinkled tahinio salad. Ms. Roden gave Ms Clark her recipes for bullinada ,a savory Catalan fish stew and a yogurt cake. The first is a savory blend of skinless hake or monkfish ,new potatoes a yellow onion and garlic. Mayonnaise is added for creaminess along with fish stock and dry white wine. Saffron, fennel seeds and Aleppo peppers.  Surprisingly the fish is added last, with the onions being the first. It cannot boil or the mayonnaise will curdle. The yogurt cake is made with one and two third cups of tangy Greek yogurt to give it a dense , cheesecake like quality crumb.It only has three tablespoons of flour and a cup and a half of sugar.The juice and zest of one lemon is also added , giving it a bright tart flavor. what gives the cake its' lightness is that the yolks and whites are beaten separately and then the whipped whites are added slowly to the batter.It's baked for forty to fifty-five minutes or until the top is puffy and speckled brown.

Claudia Roden has broadened palates to the rich and flavorful dishes of Jewish Cairo as well as Spain. Her recipes are colorful and  tasty.They re a great introduction to MIddle Eastern and Spanish cooking.

The Ultimate Fish Cookbook

It's summer and that means one thing - seafood!. what would it be without sweet lobster or fried cod? Now there's a new cookbook that celebrates both freshwater and saltwater bounties. It is one of the best comprehensive seafood ones out there and definitely worth adding to the home library.

America's Test Kitchen Foolproof Fish, Modern Recipes For Everyone, Everywhere (American Test Kitchen 2020) is a compilation of the best fish and seafood recipes. There is no one author. The brilliant editorial staff has create a gorgeous  coffee table type book with plenty of interesting recipes and beautiful pictures. The recipes are well tested and thought out which are the hallmarks of the long running PBS show. What is great about it is the guide to fish and seafood. There is a full dictionary on everything from Arctic char to tuna.It explains all sorts of aspects from and taste - important for those trying such fish as monkfish or tilapia for the first time. The book also explains how you will find them in the store or fish market  along with cooking methods and even substitutions.Another plus is that they educate the reader about buying. There are helpful hints about purchasing whole and frozen fish along with buying fish for sushi and sustainable as well as buying seafood in season. There is a page devoted to the different cooking methods as well. The book isn't just about seafood. Relish and such classic sauce recipes as tartar sauce are also included. You could make a meal out of these alone.

I love how the recipes are divided. One section is Everyday Essentials that has such recipes as pan seared swordfish steaks and crunchy oven fried fish sticks, sure to be a family favorite. Soups, stews and chowders have such crowd pleasers as the classic Provencale bouillabaisse along with everyone's favorite two clam chowders, New England and Manhattan. There is also the Portuguese cioppino along with seafood and chorizo stew. Gumbo is also here as well as lobster and corn chowder.Beach goers who miss those classic seafood shack favorites as New England lobster rolls ,crab cakes and shrimp tacos can find them here. Twists are present as well as seen in the Salad Nicoise with smoked salmon and Mediterranean Couscous salad with smoked trout. Grillers will love the different recipes that feature blackened red snapper and the popular tuna steaks flavored with vinaigrette For the fun loving barbecuers there are grilled Caribbean shrimp ones and grilled red chile  and ginger shrimp.For those home chefs who revel in small plates there are such tasty recipes as baked crabbed dish  and Provencal style anchovy dish, perfect for a small gathering. Other small bite ones are gravlax, and bacon rolled scallop bites along with popcorn shrimp and salt cod fritters.

America's Test Kitchen Foolproof Fish : Modern Recipes For Everyone Everywhere is the perfect seafood recipe book for those all fish lovers. It's a comprehensive look with delicious recipes that can please everyone. It's great for summer cooking and for cooking all year round.

Octopus Cupcakes

One of the latest trends this year is mixing seafood with sweets. It's a way of infusing those bad for you treats with brain food.Many home bakers will balk at it but once they'll change their minds once they  taste the brininess of the ocean married to chocolate or vanilla.It truly is a taste sensation.

For those who still question this, the answer is just ease into it. Start with fish sticks or fish fingers dipped in chocolate or caramel syrup. Yes, it's an eye opening departure  from tartar sauce and ketchup, but it is tasty. The sweetness reminds some of the fruity tasting duck sauce served in Chinese restaurants. (and let's face it - ketchup is just as sweet as well). Anther way of jumping into the sweet seafood craze is by adding a scant cup of flaked fish to any cake or cupcake batter. The mildest is cod, used in fishsticks.It is more delicate than the robust salmon and tuna. These would be great mixed in with chocolate.Of course one of the best combos is any flavor cake with octopus.It's so versatile that it can go with with every kind of cake flavor from Red Velvet to butter. Octopus cupcakes would be the perfect treat at any little boy birthday party. It contains cake with something icky - every kid's fantasy.

Seafood can even find its' way into fancy desserts such as croquembouche . These are tiny cream puffs piled on top of each other to create a tree. This is a time to really go crazy with the seafood -sweet trend. Try mackerel, It is a bit oily  but a squirt of lemon will make it more compatible to the rich vanilla pastry cream. For a sweet punch of color add the coral fleshed salmon.Yes, it's great in a chocolate or devils;' food cake.It is sublime and pretty when blended with a pale yellow cream For a surprise, try chopped shrimp  too. It has a nice meatiness that works well with the other textures.For larger cream puffs think the meatier monkfish and lobster.Pair with a creme caramel for a truly lush flavor and mouth feel. Monkfish and lobster are also good filling for eclairs too.It's a nice way of combining a posh dinner with an even posher dessert.Lobster can also go with that elegant French dessert pot du chocolat - a rich dark chocolate pudding enriched with egg yolks. A bit of lobster tail can even be used as a garnish on top.



If this seems a bit outrageous to you check today's date. Got you , foodies!😋😋😋

Eggs And Fish

As Lent progresses, it's hard to cope up wth meatless dishes to feed the family. By now they're probably sick of  pizza and pasta and cringe at the idea of another plate of steamed veggies, The solution is easy . Turn to eggs and fish .Both are filling alternatives for meatless dinners.

The idea comes from yesterday's New York Times Food section. Melissa Clark gives us an egg dish  more exotic version of hard boiled eggs while David Tanis takes on monkfish. Ms. Clark's  column, A Good Appetite focuses on ande ki kari, a recipe taken from Julie Sahni's 1980's cookbook, Classic Indian Cooking. It is hard boiled eggs with a spicy tomato sauce. It is simple enough to make. Hard boiled eggs are swimming in a sauce of contrasts,sweet and spicy , earthy and pungent. It's grated (yes, grated ) tomatoes mixed with onions sauteed in vegetable ghee, a solid vegetable shortening. Butter or olive oil can be used instead. Garlic, ginger, and cumin seeds are also added. The puree also has coriander, cumin and pepper flakes as well as black pepper for zing and pop..It should be cooked until it thickens and the fat starts to separate.In the meantime, cut eggs in half lenghtwise. At this point turn the heat on again add garam masala and the eggs. Serve with naan bread or over rice with yogurt.

Another meatless idea is monkfish. David Tanis gives an interesting spin on it in his A City Kitchen column. The fish is sometimes known as the "poor man's lobster" because of its' look and taste. The meat is a creamy white and very firmly fleshed. Any home chef can fool the family with it by passing it off as the expensive crustacean.The French call it "gigot de mer" leg of lamb from the sea. The tail is the most desirable part of it and it 's about the size of a pork roast , according to Mr. Tanis. He uses a restaurant chef;'s technique of wrapping the tail in butcher's twine, making it compact for cooking. He suggests rubbing it in extra virgin olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper. For a southern Mediterranean vibe  lay the tail on a bed of thyme and rosemary branches. Tuck lemon slices and olives around it. The meat can be smeared with an easy to make olive paste. Mr Tanis puts pitted black olives, garlic, and quarter of a cup of olive oil into a food processor in a food processor and grind to a rough paste.This last can be also good on its own , slathered on crusty Italian or French bread.

Try these recipes for a different spin on a meatless Friday - or any day. They're exciting and fun for even a dinner party on a Saturday night. Meat won't be missed.Honest.