I shall live badly if I do not write, and I shall write badly if I do not live.’ Francoise Sagan

Saturday, 5 December 2020

Abuela's Signature Dish



To my daughter, the ultimate “foodie”

 

When my daughter was away at boarding school, she used to phone my mother every weekend and say: “What are you making for dinner tonight abuela, go on torture me!” 

 

Her grandmother was the ultimate domestic goddess and for as long as I can remember, the kitchen was her uncontested realm. So much so that when I was a child, she discouraged me from helping to prepare our daily meals as she was so particular about the way things should be done. 

 

She travelled regularly for work and consequently the influence of other cultures permeated the kind of dishes she prepared. Whilst my friends looked forwards to traditional fare English fare for dinner, such as toad in the hole or lamb cutlets, I would often be greeted by the exotic smell of Moroccan Chicken Tagine or one of Madha Jaffrey’s spicy curries when I came home from school. At first my inexperienced tastebuds protested at being assaulted by such sophisticated and unusual flavours, but I soon came to appreciate a wide variety of different food. So much so that by the time I was 10, I would just as happily eat Coq au Vin for dinner as fish fingers and chips!

 

One of her signature dishes, and a personal favourite of mine, was her Lebanese Chicken recipe.  The aroma of this mouth-watering dish as it slowly cooked in the oven would make my mouth water in excited anticipation. 

 

She would begin by peeling the potatoes and cutting them into cubes. Then she would season these with salt and pepper and put them in an oven-proof dish along with the organic chicken thighs, which had been finely coated in top quality olive oil. She would then add onions, lemon and garlic to the dish and liberally sprinkle this mixture with allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Once the chicken was cooked, she would garnish it with fresh coriander and serve it accompanied by, Fattoush, a traditional Lebanese salad. 

 

This colourful salad was almost as delicious as the main event itself. The basic ingredients consisted of cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, radish, and green onions. To this she would add two cups of roughly chopped fresh parsley leaves (with their stems removed) and one cup of roughly chopped fresh mint leaves. Finally, she would sprinkle the leaves with bite-sized fragments of toasted pitta bread, fried in olive oil until they turned golden-brown. Just before serving, she would dress the salad with a delicious mixture of fresh lime juice, olive oil and mixed spices. As a special treat, I was sometimes allowed to help her knead the mixture used to make her homemade flatbread, which was always served with houmous on the side. 

 

Throughout my childhood years, the knowledge that my mother was making this dish for supper would brighten my whole day. Later, when I became an adult, I discovered that a sure-fire way to impress a prospective boyfriend was to lure him back to my place with the promise of homemade Lebanese Chicken. I was sure to follow my mother’s time-honoured recipe to the letter, which by that time, I had finally learned to make!

3 comments:

  1. Brilliant, lovely, fantastic..
    And for me, the most important room in
    a home, is the kitchen..! :).

    Being raised by a Sicilian Mama, was rather
    special, mia Mama she teach me to cook, sew,
    knit, do hair etc..which came into good use,
    in 1980, when l became a single parent..!

    I also remember sat in my high chair..(which l
    still have)..with a little knife, chopping
    carrots, onions, especially onions..!
    So l was stuck to mia Mama's side when she
    was in the kitchen, she was a cook, she cooked
    for Mussolini during the war..(hope l'm allowed
    to say that)..
    Right by her side when she skinned, and gutted
    game, just this morning l've been given three
    brace of pheasants, there hanging on the back of
    the kitchen door, ready for their unveiling..! :)

    HeHe! Sorry..but when l come across a Blog post about
    food..l tend to go off on one..
    Great post..Lovely read..!
    And..if anyones interested, l'm having roast wild duck,
    tomorrow for Sunday lunch...! :o).

    ReplyDelete
  2. • ★ Merry ★* 。 • ˚ ˚ ˛ ˚
    •。★ Christmas 。* 。
    ° 。 ° ˛˚˛ * _Π_____*。*˚
    ˚ ˛ •˛•˚ */______/~\。˚ ˚ ˛
    ˚ ˛ •˛• ˚| 田田 |門| ˚And a Happy New Year
    * Joy to all! ♫•*¨* Peace on Earth ♪♫•*¨*

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello Willie I'm so sorry not to have responded. I've literally only just noticed your messages. I hope you had a good Christmas. I enjoyed reading about your mother cooking for Mussolini during the war. Lovely to have these memories associated with food and great that she helped teach you to cook. Best wishes, Claire-Louise

    ReplyDelete