Food for Thought - Memories of a Lost Egypt

Memories of a Lost Egypt
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Memories of a Lost Egypt, written by Colette Rossant, is the story of her youth.  Born in France but brought to Egypt to be raised by her grandparents, she describes in almost poetic detail the kitchen and foods she remembered being cooked, the beautiful and fragrant apricot trees that lined the house, the propriety she was taught as a granddaughter of society.  Ms. Rossant talks about daily life in her grandmother's house, the markets the family frequented - enough to get a glimpse of her life and make one wish to see it all for yourself.

The book is laden with recipes, including one of Colette's favorite snacks of hummus with toasted pita.  I've made hummus with canned chickpeas, but I have to admit I've never soaked the beans overnight and made a real traditional hummus.  It was divine.  And not nearly the work I expected it to be.  It  went beautifully  with some of the pita I had made a day earlier, cut up, drizzled with olive oil, sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, and toasted.  Delicious!

Traditional Hummus

Cover 1 cup dried chickpeas with water and soak overnight.  Drain and place in a sauce pan with 1/2 teaspoon salt and water to cover.  Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer until tender, about 1 hour.  Drain and reserve the water.

Place the chickpeas in a food processor with the juice of 2 lemons, 3 minced garlic cloves, and 2 or 3 tablespoons of the cooking liquid.  Process until smooth.  Add 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 cup tahini, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, and salt & pepper.  Process.  Transfer to a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped parsley.  (I first drizzled some good olive oil over the top before sprinkling with the parsley.)  Serve with toasted pita.  You can substitute one 16-ounce can of chickpeas for the dried.  Yield: about 1-1/2 cups.


Source:  Memories of a Lost Egypt - A Memoir with Recipes, copyright 1999

For Printable Recipe, Click Here

 

Thanks to Jain for hosting Food for Thought!  Make sure you check out all the other edible book reviews for some tips on what to put next on your reading list and what to whip up in your own kitchen!