Husseini - Modern Flavours of Arabia

An SBS Book

First published in 2010 as When Suzanne Cooks by Motivate Publishing, PO Box 2331, Dubai, UAE

This edition published in 2012 by Hardie Grant Books

Hardie Grant Books (Australia)
Ground Floor, Building 1
658 Church Street
Richmond, Victoria 3121
www.hardiegrant.com.au

Hardie Grant Books (UK)
Second Floor, North Suite
Dudley House
Southampton Street
London WC2E 7HF
www.hardiegrant.co.uk

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Copyright text Suzanne Husseini
Copyright photography Petrina Tinslay

Cataloguing-in-Publication data is available from the National Library of Australia.

eISBN 9781742737973

Design manager: Heather Menzies
Typesetter: Megan Ellis
Editors: Simona Cassano, Moushumi Nandy
Photographer: Petrina Tinslay
Food styling: Alison Attenborough

To my father,
who taught me to be a proud Arabian.

To my mother,
thank you for the love you put in every meal.
Your love lives on in my kitchen.

Where does one begin to thank the many people who had a hand in making this dream of mine a reality? I like to call them my dream team.

Thank you Jonathan Griffiths for setting this dream in motion. For my dear friend Perla Lichi for your continued love and support and for showing me there is more to a number than you think. Many thanks to Wakami Saab for your neverending generosity. For Najat Al Sayyed, you are truly a special friend. Thank you Maria Norman for never giving up and being so supportive. For Stephanie Mahmoud whose joy and enthusiasm makes it an absolute pleasure to work with her.

The saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. Truly the stunning photography speaks volumes. Petrina, thank you for capturing my food in the most beautiful way. And to my food stylist extraordinaire, Alison Attenborough. Thank you Leanna Maione for your hard work and also for keeping tea time alive.

My appreciation to all the Motivate team whose excitement for this book made it a wonderful experience. Many thanks to Simona Cassano, Therese Theron, Urvashi Kadam, Cithadel Francisco and Charlie Banalo. I am grateful for the generosity of so many people from various stores who offered us gorgeous props for the photo shoot. Thank you Bloomingdales, Tavola, O de Rose, Harvest Home, Zara, Asala, Genevive Lethieu, Perla Lichi Design.

Thank you Jane Hodges, Maram Borno, Sundos Shaikhly, Victoria Crick, Tarek Tawil, Erika Oliveira, Kathy Santiago, Lucy Taylor, Caroline, Denise Roig and Josephine.

Then there are my Girls, Tala Duwaji, Gaby Tulipano and Lana Makhzoumi who were always ready to taste and critique my food. Thank you my dear friend Jehanne Aswad for always being there. Thank you Nadine Qonso for the privilege of wearing your beautiful one-of-a-kind jewellery at my photo shoot. Thanks Anne, Jenny, Stephanie and Melanie for your encouragement.

I have been so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people in my life. Thank you to all of my friends Ive made along the way who have graced my table. Cooking for you has been a true joy. My heartfelt thanks to all of the fans of my show Sohbe Taibe. Your kind words and continued support have meant so much to me.

A big hug for my dear son Mahmoud who tirelessly worked with me and put up with my endless tweaking. Thank you to all of my family for your love and encouragement. My neverending love and admiration to you Ahmed, for managing to keep up with all of my dreams. And to my children Eman, Mahmoud and Mimi who are the reason why I cook with love.

contents

contents

My family emigrated to Canada when I was very young. I remember arriving in the middle of the winter and seeing snow for the first time.

A new beginning, where I had to learn a new language, make friends and get used to wearing mittens and boots. While all of this was challenging at times, my constant comfort was coming home to a kitchen filled with the most enticing smells, lovingly created by my mother. Our kitchen was the heart of our home. She would pack my school lunch with sandwiches made from homemade pitta bread, filling them with hummus (which was not yet a household word in North America!), labneh, falafel and za'atar. My classmates, being curious, wanted to know where I was from. You tell them you are Arrrrabian, my father advised, accentuating the r. But this answer only made them want to know more. The questions followed: Is your father a sheikh?, Does he have camels?, Is he rich?. They were relentless. I was only too happy to invite these inquisitive friends home for lunch. They tasted my mothers cooking and, of course, loved it. The teasing eventually stopped, my exotic lunches became a hit and soon I was filling daily requests for falafel. I learned at age seven that we all share one thing and that is a love for food.

Much has been written about the legendary hospitality of the Arabs and our love of good food. Eating is an integral part of our life. We take it very seriously. For us, the age-old tradition of breaking bread is an honourable experience. This cookbook is my passionate attempt to showcase the diverse cuisine I grew up with, a cuisine that encompasses the Eastern Mediterranean, North Africa and the Middle East, a sophisticated food culture that has evolved over hundreds of years and was deeply influenced by the great Persian and Turkish civilisations. Situated at the crossroads of the spice route, Arabic cuisine naturally flourished and spread: the Arabs of long ago took their newly found ingredients pine nuts, eggplants, pistachios, sugar, sesame, saffron, cinnamon, rice and their farming and irrigation skills to places like Spain and Sicily. Sicilian cooking still uses so many Arabic ingredients and methods. Recently, Ive been struck by how many well-known TV chefs are now looking to the Middle East for inspiration, incorporating ingredients such as sumac, harissa, tahini, saffron, rosewater and pomegranate syrup.