One woman's foray into cooking for herself, for her family, and for her friends. It's not always picture-perfect, sometimes a little messy,
but it's always delicious. Join me in exploring new recipes, savoring the "résultats" and learning from the "erreurs".



Sunday, January 31, 2010

Food for Thought - Memories of a Lost Egypt

Memories of a Lost Egypt
* * * *


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


 

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!

11 comments:

La Table De Nana said...

Lori..This looks so good..I will make yours..~I have seen 3 this week I loved..that would all fit w/ your Showcase..Nooschi and Kate@Serendipity and now yours w/ a book to match~

Love this~

the country cook said...

Yum! I look forward to making this soon. And I'm so excited about participating in the next blog party - I wish I had been prepared for it this time around.

Linda said...

Just beautiful Lori...
Great job...I would love to read this book...
It sounds wonderful!
L~xo

Zurin said...

this sounds like a book i would lovet ot read..beautiful photos!

Thibeault's Table said...

Lori, that sounds like a book I would enjoy. I know I would love your hummus. It looks so smooth and creamy. What could be better with your homemade pita.

Sarah said...

Thanks, Lori. This sounds like a book I'd enjoy. I'm not found of hummus, but the photo of yours makes me think I just might like this one. Thanks for sharing.

a quiet life said...

oh lori, egypt is one of my very favorite topics, i will love this book! its so exciting to see what others are reading, and then to see it come alive in photos, well, be still my heart! your food looks fantastic! did you have fun doing this, isn't it wild to be cooking the books?!

thank you sooooooooo much for playing at food with thought, i can't wait to see what else you will be reading because right now i am dashing off to amazon for this one!

Lynne Daley said...

Sounds like a tantalizing and tasty book. I've never made hummus from scratch, but will since I've seen how delicious yours looks.

Pam said...

Lori, this looks so good.
The book sounds like my kind of read. I am adding it to my list.
Pam

Nancy Jane said...

The book sounds wonderful, I've added it to my list, and the hummus looks just too delicious. I have a favorite prepared brand, but I think the vegan branch of the family would adore this!

Anonymous said...

This was delicious! Thank you. I added slightly more lemon juice, and served with whole grain wasa crackers.

Post a Comment

I appreciate your visit and welcome your comments!

Blog Widget by LinkWithin