Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War

by Annia Ciezadlo

  3. Bring each pot of beans to a vigorous boil and keep it there for 10 minutes. Don’t stir the beans or skim off the scum. Add just enough water to keep the beans barely covered. After 10 minutes, drain the water from the fava beans and replace with 3 cups cold water. Turn the heat down to medium-low on both pots. Simmer gently until the beans are done—anywhere from 90 minutes to two and a half hours, depending on the bean—adding just enough water as needed. The beans will finish at different times, so keep tasting them and watching them closely.

  4. The chickpeas are done when the insides are soft, the skins are beginning to come off, and some of the beans have begun to split in half. When the chickpeas are finished, put the pot in the sink under cold running water. Tilt the pot and let the foam run off. Once the beans are cold enough to handle, reach in and grab two handfuls. Very gently rub them against each other, just enough so the skins rub off but the beans stay intact. Keep rinsing off the skins with cold water. Once you’ve removed most of the skins, rinse one more time, just to get out all the baking soda. (Make-ahead moment: Once the beans are cooked and peeled, you can store them in the refrigerator for a day or two until you’re ready to make foul. Or you can freeze them for up to 3 months.) Add ½ inch water to the chickpeas and simmer over low heat—just enough to keep them warm but not enough to make them disintegrate. Keep the level of water at about ½ inch.

  5. The fava beans are done when they are soft inside and most of the skins have begun to split open. When they are finished, drain them very gently, being careful not to disturb them too much. Add ½ inch water and simmer as for the chickpeas.

  MAKING THE FOUL

  1. Smash the salt and garlic into a paste in a large serving bowl with a pestle. Pour in half the lemon juice and let it sit for about five minutes. (The lemon juice will “cook” the garlic; the longer it sits, the mellower the flavor.)

  2. When you’re ready to serve the foul, ladle all of the fava beans and half of the chickpeas, along with some of their cooking liquid, into the bowl with the garlic. Gently mash some of the beans with the pestle as you mix them into the garlic. Drizzle in about half the olive oil. Add more chickpea liquid if it seems dry—I like mine soupy, garlicky, and well mashed, about the consistency of a good Tex-Mex chili. Taste and adjust for olive oil and salt.

  3. When you’re satisfied with the taste, make a depression in the middle of the foul and ladle in the rest of the chickpeas. Drizzle the rest of the olive oil over, then the rest of the lemon juice. Dust with cumin and paprika. Serve with optional sides and whatever else you desire.

  VARIATION

  Making beans from scratch is worth the time and effort (especially if you make a double batch and freeze the extra). But if you just don’t have the time, you can make this recipe with two 14- or 15-ounce cans. Look for fava beans and chickpeas together, but if you can’t find them, use one can of each.

  Rinse the beans thoroughly under running water. Warm them in a pot (or pots if you’re using separate chickpeas and favas), then go straight to Making the Foul. Reduce the salt to ¼ teaspoon (canned beans already have a lot) and start with 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, and ⅓ cup olive oil. Adjust the salt, spices, and other flavorings to suit your taste.

  Abu Hadi’s Fattet Hummus

  Chickpea Fatteh

  Serves 2 generously

  The key to this deceptively simple dish is getting all the elements ready as quickly as possible. Abu Hadi’s version of this popular Levantine dish is a little different from the typical Beirut one, reflecting his Damascus upbringing. I have taken some liberties with his recipe, such as heating the cumin and paprika in the butter, and adding olive oil. I’m sure Abu Hadi would forgive me; he likes to experiment with new flavors.

  Ingredients

  1¾ cups cooked chickpeas or one 15-ounce can*

  2 cloves garlic (about 2 teaspoons mashed)

  1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

  2 teaspoons lemon juice (about ¼ lemon)

  1½ tablespoons tahini

  2½ cups whole milk yogurt

  1 large or 2 medium (six-inch) day-old pitas, two halves separated

  1 tablespoon butter

  1 tablespoon olive oil

  2 tablespoons pine nuts

  ¼ teaspoon paprika

  ½ teaspoon cumin

  ½ teaspoon dried mint

  Equipment

  Small cooking pot

  Pestle

  2 small bowls

  1 or 2 serving bowls (I recommend glass)

  Small skillet

  1. Rinse the chickpeas and rub them very lightly between your hands to remove as many of the skins as possible. Warm them in a small cooking pot with ¼ inch water over very low heat. Add more water if necessary.

  2. In a small bowl, mash the garlic and salt together with a pestle until they make a smooth paste. Add the lemon juice and stir until you have a loose slurry. Set aside.

  3. Take half of the lemon-garlic mixture and put it in a second bowl. Add the tahini and mix until smooth. Add the yogurt and whisk until fully combined. Set aside.

  4. Toast or fry the pita halves until just golden brown (for a step-by-step explanation, see the recipe for fattoush,). When they are cool enough to handle, break them into bite-sized pieces—roughly ½-inch squares or triangles. Set aside half of them. Layer the other half on the bottom of a serving bowl.

  5. Pour the chickpeas with their cooking liquid into the bowl with the remaining lemon-garlic slurry. Mix them until coated thoroughly, mashing about half the beans with the pestle. Dump them in your serving bowl on top of the toasted bread. Top with the yogurt mixture.

  6. Melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat with the olive oil. Add the pine nuts and toast, shaking the pan so they cook evenly, until golden brown. Add the paprika and cumin and stir gently to coat. Dump the nuts on top of the yogurt and top with the remaining toasted bread. Garnish with dried mint, and if desired, dust with more cumin and paprika.

  Umm Hassane’s Yakhnet Kusa

  Zucchini Stew

  Serves 6 to 8

  This is my favorite yakhne, or vegetable stew—perhaps because it was my first—but they’re all exquisite. Once you have the basic formula, you can vary it by substituting two pounds of whatever vegetables are in season. I love the ones with roasted cauliflower or thick green beans cut in bite-sized chunks. Mohamad likes one with peas and carrots. Invent your own.

  Ingredients

  4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more if needed

  1 pound beef chuck or lamb shoulder, cut into rough 1-inch cubes

  18 cups water, divided

  3 small or 2 medium-large onions, peeled and cut into quarters

  6 cloves garlic, peeled

  1 bay leaf

  2 cloves

  8 peppercorns

  1 allspice berry

  1 tablespoon sea salt, plus more to taste

  2 pounds small zucchini

  6 tablespoons Taqlieh (recipe follows, 341)

  Freshly ground black pepper

  3 to 4 lemons

  Equipment

  2 medium-large Dutch ovens or stockpots

  Medium-sized mortar and pestle, or food processer

  Colander or wire-mesh strainer

  Rubber scraper

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a Dutch oven or stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the meat and sear on all sides until well browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. (It will stick to the bottom of the pot at first; do not try to pry it up. After a few minutes, it should release on its own. If it doesn’t, increase the heat.)

  2. Add 6 cups of the water, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down a little to medium-high and let it boil until the scum stops rising, about 5 minutes. Pour off the water from this initial boil and discard. (For an explanation of this unusual technique, see the freekeh recipe) Rinse the scum off the meat in a strainer or colander.

  3. Wipe out the pot and add 12 cups cold
water. Add the meat, onions, garlic, bay leaf, cloves, peppercorns, allspice, and 1 tablespoon salt. Bring to a boil again, then turn the heat down to very low. Cover and simmer until the meat is soft, about 2½ hours.

  4. While the meat simmers, cut the zucchini into ½-inch rounds and make the taqlieh. When the meat is done, strain the stock through a colander into a second pot. Save the meat and onions. Pick out the spices and bay leaf and discard.

  5. Wipe out the first pot. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the taqlieh and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly and scraping the sides and bottom constantly so it doesn’t stick or burn.

  6. When the taqlieh releases its fragrance but before it becomes dry enough to stick to the pan, dump in the zucchini. Don’t stop stirring. Sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally to coat each piece of zucchini with taqlieh. Add more olive oil if necessary. Do not let it brown.

  7. When the zucchini starts to look tired and a little translucent, dump the stock and meat back in and turn the heat down to medium-low. Simmer, covered, until the zucchini is soft but not mushy, 25 to 45 minutes depending on size of the zucchini. Taste it periodically, sticking a fork in the zucchini to test for desired firmness. Add salt to taste.

  8. Serve with salt, pepper, and lots of fresh lemon juice to taste. Umm Hassane would only ever serve this dish over rice, but I like it with bread, bulgur wheat, or even simply as a soup.

  Taqlieh

  Cilantro-Garlic Paste

  Makes about 6 tablespoons

  Ingredients

  1 head garlic, peeled and smashed (about 3 tablespoons mashed)

  1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

  1 bunch cilantro, thick stems removed, roughly chopped (about 1½ cups)

  Pound the garlic and salt in a mortar with a pestle into a paste. Add the cilantro and mash them together until you get a chunky, fragrant pesto.

  Taqlieh freezes beautifully. I usually make a double recipe, scrape the extra into small containers, and pour over enough olive oil to cover (this seals in the flavor). In a good freezer, it can keep for up to 6 months.

  Freekeh Dajaj

  Roasted Cracked Green Wheat with Chicken

  Serves 6 to 8

  I find cooking freekeh to be a lot like cooking risotto. During the first stage, you don’t really have to stand over it stirring constantly and adding tiny amounts of stock (although you certainly can if you want to). But toward the end, if you want to strike a perfect osmotic balance between liquid and grain, you probably should. You want the grains to gradually swell as they absorb the liquid. At the same time, they should expel enough gluten to bind the remaining stock into a creamy sauce. Umm Hassane’s technique of giving it a rest midway helps the grains absorb liquid and flavor. Sometimes the most important ingredient is time.

  There are two main ways of making freekeh with chicken: the usual way, where you keep the chicken and the grain separate; and the country-style way Umm Hassane makes it, a rich meld of meat and grain. I’ve given you Umm Hassane’s version.

  One final note: freekeh’s nutty, roasted flavor beautifully complements gamy meats, making it ideal for soaking up post-Thanksgiving turkey meat, gravy, and stock.

  Ingredients

  2 cups freekeh*

  1 tablespoon butter and/or olive oil

  1 carrot, diced

  1 small onion, diced

  1 stalk celery, diced

  4 cups Chicken Stock, plus more as needed (recipe follows)

  1 tablespoon salt (preferably kosher or sea salt), plus more to taste

  1½ teaspoons cinnamon

  ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

  ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  Pinch ground cloves

  2 cups cooked chicken meat (about half the meat from the Chicken Stock; recipe follows)

  Equipment

  Mixing bowl or a rice-washing bowl (available at Asian grocery stores)

  Big wire-mesh strainer (optional, but makes life easier)

  Big stockpot or Dutch oven

  1. Soak the freekeh in cold water in a mixing bowl for 15 minutes. Rinse it in the sink under running water. Grab handfuls of grain and rub them between your palms, alternately rubbing and squeezing, for about 5 minutes. Some chaff should rise up to the surface as you rub the husks off the grains. (I’ve found every-thing from stones to lentils to bits of rope in my freekeh.) Tip the bowl to let the water and chaff run off the top. Pour off as much of the water as you can. If you have a big wire-mesh strainer, dump the freekeh in it and rinse under running water.

  2. Heat the butter and/or oil in a big stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the vegetables (I like to add the carrots first and let them caramelize a little, releasing a sugary sweet-potato smell, before adding the onions and celery). Sauté for a few minutes until they begin to release their fragrance and some of their water.

  3. When the onion begins to soften, add the freekeh and sauté until it begins to give off its nutty aroma, about 3 minutes. Before it gets a chance to burn, add 4 cups stock and the salt and turn the heat up to medium-high. Bring to a boil. As soon as it boils, turn the heat down to low and add the spices. Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes, checking and stirring frequently. It’s usually pretty soupy at this point, but add more liquid if you need to.

  4. Remove from the heat. At this point, the freekeh probably won’t have absorbed all the liquid—the individual grains will still be al dente, and the whole thing will be a gluey, watery, unappetizing mess. Let it sit and cool and absorb the stock for about 15 minutes while you do something else, such as sauté nuts for the Brown Butter Nut Topping (optional, but highly recommended; recipe follows).

  5. After 15 minutes, add the chicken meat to the pot, turn the heat back on to medium-high, and bring the freekeh to a boil. If all the stock has been absorbed by this point (unlikely), add more, ¼ cup at a time. This is where we enter risotto territory.

  6. As soon as it boils, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring frequently and adding more stock, ¼ cup at a time, as needed. Keep tasting the grains to see how hard they are. When they are chewy and fluffy, no longer al dente, they’re done. Taste and adjust for salt and spices. Let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.

  Umm Hassane serves her freekeh just like this, and I love it this way. But if you want to impress people with a fancy presentation, see the instructions for the Brown Butter Nut Topping, below.

  Brown Butter Nut Topping

  Ingredients

  1 tablespoon butter

  1½ cups chopped nuts (I use equal parts pine nuts, pistachios, and blanched slivered almonds)

  ⅓ cup currants

  ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (plus more for serving)

  ¼ teaspoon ground allspice

  ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

  ⅛ teaspoon ground ginger

  Pinch of ground nutmeg

  Pinch of ground clove

  ½ teaspoon sea salt

  Olive oil for oiling the bowl

  Equipment

  Small skillet

  1. Heat the butter over a medium-high flame until it begins to foam. Toast the nuts in the butter, stirring constantly. When they are turning golden brown all over, and the butter is browning, add the currants, spices, and salt. Stir just long enough for the currants to plump and the spices to become fragrant, then remove from heat. When it cools, taste and adjust for salt and spices.

  2. For an elegant presentation, oil a round bowl for each serving and layer a few tablespoons of nut topping in the bottom. Layer some chicken meat over the nuts, then top with cooked freekeh and pack it in all the way to the top. Place a serving plate over the bowl, face downward. Holding plate and bowl firmly together, invert them so the bowl is sitting on top of the plate. Gently pivot the bowl to release the food inside. Remove the bowl (you may need to slide a knife just under the edge and lever i
t up). Dust with additional cinnamon. Serve to universal acclaim.

  Chicken Stock

  Makes about 8 cups

  I’m sold on the ancient Mesopotamian technique, still widely used in Iraq, of parboiling the meat and discarding the water from the initial boil when making stock. I’ve found it makes a clearer stock with a cleaner, more resonant flavor.

  Ingredients

  One 4-pound chicken, cut into quarters

  4 quarts cold water, divided

  4 large sprigs parsley (including stems)

  2 sprigs fresh thyme

  1 bay leaf

  3 medium onions or 3 medium leeks (white and light green parts only), chopped

  2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and then cut into 1-inch segments

  1 stalk celery or ¼ bulb fennel, diced

  6 medium cloves garlic, peeled

  1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

  8 peppercorns

  3 cloves

  Equipment

  Large stockpot, at least 6 quarts

  Big strainer or colander

  Butcher’s twine

  Second pot for collecting stock

  Large slotted spoon or tongs

  Fine strainer

  1. Put the chicken in a large stockpot, add 2 quarts cold water (or enough to cover), and bring to a rolling boil. Turn the heat down and simmer until the scum stops rising, about 5 minutes. Pour off the water from this initial boil and discard. Rinse the chicken in a strainer or colander.

  2. Wipe out the pot and add 2 quarts cold water. Tie the parsley and thyme together with a bit of twine. Add the chicken, herbs, vegetables, garlic, salt, peppercorns, and cloves and simmer very gently (you should only see one bubble at a time breaking the surface) for about half an hour.

  3. Once the chicken begins to fall off the bone, scoop out the pieces with tongs or a big slotted spoon and let it cool it in a clean strainer or colander set over a pot. When it is cool enough to handle, pull the meat off the bones and set it aside. Discard the bones and skin (or, if you prefer a richer stock, return them to the pot and continue to simmer for up to five hours).