Cookbook review by Tracey Zabar
This book is filled with recipes for Middle Eastern food, perfect for summer meals. The salad is a refreshing start to dinner—I served the chillies on the side. Next on my list: a carrot and caraway purée with yoghurt; a pide bread, sprinkled with nigella seeds; a lovely poached fish with saffron rice and caviar; and for dessert, an interesting rice pudding.
Enter the Giveaway of: The Levantine Table by Ghillie Basan and Zabar's Fruit & Nut Tote on Instagram (Beginning on Sunday, 8/14 - check back then!)
You can also enter by emailing info@zabars.com.
Recipe excerpted with permission from The Levantine Table: Vibrant and Delicious Recipes from the Eastern Mediterranean and Beyond by Ghillie Basan, Photography by Steve Painter © Ryland Peters & Small
Click on the book cover to buy:
Orange Salad with Dates, Chilies & Preserved Lemon
This attractive, refreshing salad can be served as an accompaniment to spicy meat or poultry dishes, and it also makes a delicious addition to any mezze spread. There are different versions of this salad throughout the Levant region. Some include slices of fresh lemon or lime, while others add onions and black olives instead of dates and preserved lemon, but all are sweet, juicy and slightly salty.
4 ripe, sweet oranges
175 g/1 cup moist dried dates, stoned/pitted
1 fresh red chilli/chile, seeded and finely sliced
the peel of 1 preserved lemon* finely sliced
2–3 tablespoons orange blossom
water
a small bunch of fresh coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped
SERVES 4–6
Peel the oranges, removing as much of the pith as possible. Place the oranges on a plate to catch the juice and finely slice them into circles, removing any pips. Tip the orange slices into a bowl with the juice, or arrange them in a shallow dish.
Finely slice the dates, lengthways, and scatter them over the oranges. Scatter the sliced chilli/chile and preserved lemon over the top and splash the orange blossom water over the salad. Leave the flavors to mingle for at least 10 minutes, garnish with the coriander/cilantro and toss very gently just before serving.
*Lemons Preserved in Salt
Salt is a natural preserver and has been since ancient times – the Egyptians used it to preserve mummies and the Hebrews dipped bread in salt to symbolize God’s covenant with Israel – Jews still do this on the Sabbath. Loyalty and friendship have traditionally been sealed with salt and, in Christianity, salt is associated with truth, wisdom and a long life. Both Muslims and Jews believe that salt protects against the evil eye and, in some communities, the excess salt from a too liberal sprinkling must be tossed over the left shoulder with a blessing for good luck. Some Jews rub salt over newborn babies for good luck, while others still believe in the medieval law that a man must only handle salt with the middle two fingers – his children will die if he uses his thumb, the family will become poor if he uses his little finger, and he will become a murderer if he uses his index finger. When it comes to food, though, salt is a savior – a miraculous preserver of meat, fish, vegetables and fruit – and perhaps the best example of all are the ubiquitous lemons preserved in salt, ‘l’hamd markad.’ Most commonly associated with North Africa, preserved lemons are used throughout the Levant. Sometimes they are preserved in brine, vinegar or oil, but the flavor of the salted variety is supreme and, generally, it is only the rind, finely chopped or sliced, that is used to enhance salads, vegetable dishes and some roasted and grilled dishes. Preserved lemons are readily available in Middle Eastern stores but they are also very easy and satisfying to make at home.
8 organic, unwaxed lemons
roughly 8 tablespoons/½ cup sea salt
freshly squeezed juice of 3–4 unwaxed lemons
large sterilized jar**
Wash and dry the lemons and slice the ends off each one. Stand each lemon on one end and make two vertical cuts three-quarters of the way through them, as if cutting them into quarters but keeping the base intact. Use a spoon to stuff a tablespoon of salt into each lemon and pack them into a large sterilized jar (see page 4). Store the lemons in a cool place for 3–4 days to soften the skins.
Press the lemons down into the jar, so they are even more tightly packed. Pour the freshly squeezed lemon juice over the salted lemons, until they are completely covered. Seal the jar and store it in a cool place for at least a month.
Rinse the salt off the preserved lemons before using as described in the recipes – just the rind, finely chopped or sliced, is used and the flesh is discarded.
** To sterilize a preserving jar, wash it in hot, soapy water and rinse in boiling water. Place in a large saucepan and cover with hot water. With the saucepan lid on, bring the water to a boil and continue boiling for 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the jar in the water until just before filling. Invert the jars onto a clean tea/dish towel to dry. Sterilize the lids for 5 minutes, by boiling or according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Jars should be filled and sealed while they are still hot.
Tracey Zabar's Chocolate Chip Sweets: Celebrated Chefs Share Favorite Recipes is available here.
A delectable collection of innovative chocolate chip recipes by world-renowned chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers
Tracey Zabar's One Sweet Cookie Cookbook is available here.
A delicious collection of cookie recipes from extraordinary chefs, pastry chefs, and bakers. A great gift sure to delight anyone who loves to bake.
Lori Zabar's Zabar's A Family Story, With Recipes is available here.
