This pasta with garlic, olive oil and parsley is one that is near and dear to my heart. Despite using minimal ingredients and taking only 20 minutes to make, it’s simple and elegant flavor profile will have you reaching for bowl after bowl. I know […]
This dish has flakey, light halibut glazed with a rich and smoky pomegranate molasses and blood orange sauce. It is then garnished with briny green olives and bright herbs. Best part though – it all comes together in 30 minutes. 30 MINUTES. Lets take a […]
Einjarada, meaning “the eye of the grasshopper” in Arabic, gets its name from the main ingredient that gives this salad its distinctive flavor – dill seed, which resembles (you guessed it) a grasshopper’s eye. But the question remains – who made this salad best? Was it Jido/Papa or Tata/Mama? The answer to this question varies depending on which of the five Tarazi boys you ask. Recently, my Baba (#3 of 5) and Uncle Ned (#2 of 5) joined me in my kitchen along with my Uncle Eddie (#5 of 5) via video chat to settle this epic battle.
While both of my paternal grandparents have been gone from this life for some time now, attempting to recreate each of their versions of this flavorful salad with my Dad and uncles brought me back to the many times in my childhood when we would spend time in my grandparent’s home and kitchen. I can still vividly remember my Jido with a big smile on his face greeting us at the door each time we arrived and before we had a chance to even ring the doorbell. And then there was my Tata always cooking away in the kitchen pretending not to listen as my Dad and uncles told me, my sisters and cousins crazy stories of all the trouble they got into as children. It was a very energetic, loud and absolutely wonderful time that made me completely nostalgic and a little sad as we were recreating these dishes the other day. As time has gone on, The Tarazi clan has grown up and moved around the country making the moments we are all together few and far between. But I guess that’s the main reason we started this blog in the first place – to keep these memories alive for generations to come while creating some new ones of our own along the way.
So I want to especially thank my Dad, Uncle Ned and Uncle Eddie for helping me relive those treasured moments through cooking and food. It was a short time together, but one I will truly treasure and pass along.
And now back to the moment you all have been waiting for, the winner of the battle of best Einjarada goes to (drum roll please) …… BOTH Jido and Tata. We tasted each separately and then ended up combining elements of both for the very best! Recipe of this combo is below and variations between the two versions are in the notes.
It’s a salad with quite a punch and best enjoyed with some grilled pita. Happy eating and reliving of your own childhood memories.
This salad comes together quickly and is so refreshing and flavorful.The freshness comes from the mix of parsley, mint, lemon, cucumber and tomato. This is a common side salad that greets many Middle Eastern tables and can pair with about any dish, such as kabob, […]
This is NOT your grandma’s mayo filled potato salad! This is our Tata’s refreshing and tangy potato salad. This potato salad is very light and crisp with its fresh ingredients of parsley, green onion, and lemon juice. It’s the perfect summer potato salad and will […]
It’s hard to eat just one potato chop. Once you bite into these spiced meat potato patties you will understand why. In the first bite, you sink your teeth into the crispy exterior of the fried potato, then encounter the silky potato interior, and finally, the spiced meat mixture with a touch of parsley to provide a fresh kick. Delicious! It is the perfect appetizer or snack to accompany a cup of tea.
In learning how to make these, we knew we needed to contact the pros all the way from South Carolina – Auntie Layla, Ferial, Jena and Jalila. Luckily, they were in town recently, and we got to spend some time with them. What we learned is when you ask your Aunties how to make something, be prepared to write instructions down quickly. One said they add onion, the other said they don’t, one said they add pinch of breadcrumbs the other said “No, no add more!” But, this is the way cooking has always been when passing from generation to generation. Its always a pinch of that, a splash of this and somehow it always turns out perfectly. You learn to cook by color, by touch, and by taste. There is no sense of intimidation – these ladies (and men!) own it in the kitchen! Watching their hands move in creating these potato chops was like magic. The time it took us to create one, Auntie Layla had already formed three perfectly. This expertise comes from years of practice and time spent in the kitchen. All we can say is nothing beats cooking at home, sipping chai together and chatting while we created these. So, gather up your friends, siblings or Aunties and make these at home too!
