A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Cooking from Grandma Fritzie's Kitchen by Jennifer Felicia Abadi

  • Pureed chickpeas with sesame paste (Hummos b'tahína)

    from A Fistful of Lentils: Syrian-Jewish Cooking from Grandma Fritzie's Kitchen A Fistful of Lentils by Jennifer Felicia Abadi

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Notes about Recipes in this book

  • Cucumber-tomato salad with toasted pita croutons (Fatoosh)

    • lean1 on February 06, 2020

      This is a very easy recipe. I added 2 radishes sliced thin and omitted the red pepper. Dressing is wonderful and a snap to make. Baked the pita at 350 for 8 min.

  • Eggs with rhubarb (Bed b'rowand)

    • sgump on October 07, 2011

      Lovely! Delicious! Similar to "Syrian Eggs with Rhubarb" from Gil Marks's *Olive Trees and Honey.*

    • br22 on July 26, 2014

      This combination is fantastic. I scrambled the eggs a little 'lower and slower' than the recipe recommends. When combined with the rhubarb and mint, this was a mélange of unexpectedly wonderful and complimentary flavors. Don't skip the mint.

    • zorra on July 27, 2014

      Sounds intriguing. Recipe online here: http://www.laurieconstantino.com/recipe-index/scrambled-eggs-with-rhubarb-and-herbs/

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  • ISBN 10 1558322183
  • ISBN 13 9781558322189
  • Linked ISBNs
  • Published Mar 01 2002
  • Format Hardcover
  • Page Count 352
  • Language English
  • Countries United States
  • Publisher Harvard Common Press
  • Imprint Harvard Common Press,U.S.

Publishers Text

When Jennifer Felicia Abadi was a child, her mother often pulled down a well-worn homemade black recipe binder from her kitchen shelf and created sumptuous Syrian meals. As an adult, Abadi pulled down that same binder to make her own delicious meals. Mindful of the importance of tradition and the ease with which old-world knowledge vanishes, Abadi embarked on a labor of love with her grandmother to record all of her family's rich, mouthwatering Syrian dishes. The result is A Fistful of Lentils, an intimate culinary food album featuring more than 125 Syrian-Jewish recipes, warm family anecdotes, and little-known stories of Syrian-Jewish culture.

Syrian-Jewish cooking comes from the Sephardic (Spanish) and Mizrahic (Arabic) traditions rather than from the Ashkenazic (Eastern European) tradition. The lavish food features meats simmered with cumin, allspice, or cinnamon; savory vegetables, stuffed or roasted; sweet and sour sauces; lemony dressings; and rich sugar-dusted pastries drenched in rosewater syrup or sprinkled with almonds. It all adds up to the best-kept secret in Middle Eastern cuisine.

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