CLEVELAND, Ohio -- During Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of reflection, spiritual guidance and prayer that commemorates when the Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Mohammad, it is forbidden to eat from sunrise to sunset. It’s considered a time of self-improvement, and an opportunity to seek a raised level of closeness to God. And then there is Eid Al-Fitr, literally the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast, also known as the “sweet” holiday, marking the end of Ramadan. It is so committed to exuberant celebration that is forbidden to fast during the one to three days, according to local customs, that it is observed.
This period of time, the 30 days plus of Ramadan and Eid Al-Fitr, according to Dr. Simee Malik, whose family attends the Chagrin Valley Islamic Center in Solon, is the spiritual and celebratory apotheosis of the year. “It’s our Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas rolled into one,” she said, “Ramadan is the big prep, it’s a month of taking away worldly desires, and a reset button for spirituality.” At night during Ramadan, there is almost always an iftar, a meal eaten with family and/or friends, full of gratitude for the opportunity of community.
Growing up in Northern Virginia in a large Muslim community, Malik’s family would get dressed up on the morning of Eid Al-Fatir and go to the mosque for prayers. After that was an enormous celebration. They would drive from house to house -- where all the “Aunties”, the mothers in the community, had made their own traditional Eid specialty -- eating their way through the day, with lots of presents and small gifts of money for the children. These days, though her three daughters are in their teens and beyond, Eid is still marked with community celebration, presents for the girls, and favorite foods. For Malik, it’s the traditional Indian/Pakistani dessert, Sheer Kurma, made with milk, sugar, pasta, and lots of nuts and dates. The latter is most important. The Prophet Muhammad prescribed dates to break fasts, they energize the body and are easily digested, and have a mystical presence in Islam.
Though a religion should not be defined by its cuisine, it’s a pretty good gateway to the culture and practices. As the French epicure and essayist, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, succinctly summed it up in 1825, “Tell me what you eat, I’ll tell you what you are”.
And in speaking to Malik and others, the foods they consumed did shape their relationships with the holiday. Her memories are rooted in an idyllic community in rural Virginia. Halfway around the world, Morade Azzouz grew up in the more rugged Aulney-sous-Bois, a Paris suburb known for its Asian and African immigrant population, vast public housing, and incidental unrest. But his Ramadan and Eid memories are full of family, friends, and, of course, the foods eaten during the course of the holidays.
His parents were from Algeria, as were his many relatives, including 10 uncles and 26 cousins, and he, too, remembers Ramadan and Eid as a magical time. “It was like Christmas, you had to be aware of your behavior, and there were gifts, and money from the uncles, and eating at one relative’s house or another. The family used to go to a farm and buy an entire lamb for the month, and there was always his favorite Algerian felfel, a pepper and tomato salad eaten hot or cold, and savory pastries stuffed with meat and cream cheese called brick when they’re triangular and cigarios if narrow and tubular. And though he now travels extensively, he always goes home sometime during the holiday to reconnect with family, and his mother’s cooking.
Nazak Hapasha also grew up in a large American Muslim community. Her family came from the Caucasus mountains and she remembers when she was a little girl, the night before Eid all the women would gather and make hundreds of haliva, fried half-moon pastries filled with potato or cottage cheese, that would be consumed the next day during the celebration, when her relatives would all go to her grandmothers for the day. She now lives in Columbus, away from her larger family, and has made her own traditions for her family as they grew up. Right now, for their family, Ramadan is more a period of reflections and spiitual connection, but when it is finally time for dinner, her two children know they can ask for whatever they want to eat, to make it an extra special event. And Eid is still made even more celebratory with friends, her daughter’s favorite rice pudding, Maamoul--date-filled shortbread cookies that Nazak herself is fond of--and, of course, lots of haliva.
Whether it’s going to the mosque on the morning of Eid, and then gathering together with relatives and friends at the local IHOP, which is a local family’s tradition, or a full-on three-day neighborhood extravaganza of feasting and gifts, it’s the shared experiences that define the significance of the holiday in the meals and the foods that create memories. As much as anything else in our lives, those foods, and their memories, truly do define who we are.
Maamoul with cookie mold and date paste filling (Photo: Beth Segal, special to Cleveland.com)
Maamoul (Date-filled Cookies)
The literal translation from the Arabic of these splendid -- in taste and appearance --
cookies is “doing to do”. They are well-named, there is a lot to do to make these not-too-sweet date-stuffed Middle Eastern cookies, but they’re worth every step.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup ghee or butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons rose water or orange flower water (see cook’s notes)
3 tablespoons milk (start with 2 and add as needed)
Date filling:
2/3 lb. ready-made date paste (see cook’s notes)
Dusting:
Powdered sugar
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Melt the butter or ghee. Add oil and then mix in the sugar. In a large mixing bowl, combine the ghee/sugar mixture with flour, working them together with your fingers. Add as much flour as the butter/oil mixture will absorb. That usually varies from 2 ¼ to 2 ½ cups. Then add the rose or orange flower water and mix it in.
Next, add the milk, one tablespoon at a time. Then knead it all into a pliable dough. When you add the milk, sometimes it might look like there is too much milk and the dough is sticky. Keep mixing it in, the milk will be absorbed.
Let the dough rest for a 30 minutes. Roll out equal portions of the dough into smooth balls. How big the balls are will depend on the size of your maamoul mold, or if you are not using one, make them about the size of a golf ball.
To shape the cookies, press about ¾ of the ball of dough firmly into the mold. Shape a disc out of the date filling, about 1/3- inch thick, with a diameter that will leave about 1/4 of an inch of dough border around the date disk. Lay the date disk, centered, on top of the dough in the mold. With the remaining dough, create another layer over the date filling big enough to cover the complete cookie. Press down to seal the edges.
Now here’s the best part. Turn the mold over and decisively strike the front edge of the maamoul mold against the edge of your kitchen counter. The cookie will pop out of the mold into your waiting hand. Place on parchment paper- or silpat-lined baking sheet. If the cookie is difficult to remove from the mold, very lightly flour the mold before layering in the dough.
If you are not using a mold, shape the dough into a circle, shape the date paste into a small ball and place in the center of the dough and bring up the sides to completely encase the date paste in dough. Place on parchment- or silpat-lined cookie sheet and flatten slightly. You can decorate the cookie with designs made with toothpicks, fork tines, or the kitchen implement of your choice. Bake about 10-20 minutes, depending on the size of your cookie. It should look very lightly sun-tanned when done. Do not overbake to avoid cracks in the cookies. Remove from cookie sheet and place on cooling rack. When cookies are cool, dust well with powdered sugar in a small sieve. (Adapted from The Delicious Crescent)
Sheer Khurma (Photo: Beth Segal, special to Cleveland.com)
Sheer Khurma (Vermicelli Pudding)
Similar to rice pudding in its decadent richness and creamy comfort, this classic Eid dessert of Indian and Pakistan descent is a more elegant dish, with silky strands of angel hair pasta instead of stodgy rice.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons ghee (30 ml)
10-15 cashews, broken
10-12 blanched almonds, roughly chopped (unblanched are OK)
10-12 pistachios, skins rubbed off and roughly chopped
10-15 golden raisins
6-7 large dates, chopped (or 10 small ones, chopped)
1 cup broken angel hair pasta, or other fine spaghetti
1 liter whole milk (4 1/4 cups)
4 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons rose water or orange blossom water
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Preparation:
Heat ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot, add the chopped nuts, raisins and dates to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes until the nuts are fragrant and turn golden brown. The raisins will plump up. Remove the nuts from the pan and set them aside. Add pasta to the pan, sauté for about 3-4 minutes, until it’s golden brown. Add the milk to the pan and increase heat to medium high and let the milk come to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and let simmer for around 8 minutes, stirring often. The milk should now be slightly thickened. Add in the sugar and mix well to dissolve. Add the nuts, dates, and raisins to milk mixture. Stir briefly, then add rose or orange blossom water and cardamom. Cook for 2-3 more minutes and remove from heat. Can be served warm or chilled. Garnish with additional nuts, dates, raisins, and organic dried rose petals, if desired. (Adapted from Cook With Manali)
Morade Azzouz’s Algerian Felfel
This deeply flavored salad of peppers and tomatoes is one of the highlights of the Ramadan meal. It can be eaten hot or cold, but the lushness of the roasted vegetables is better served if the dish is slightly warm. Serve with a good homemade bread or quality pita.
Ingredients:
8 green bell peppers
4 Roma tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons olive oil
cayenne pepper to taste
Preparation:
Cook the peppers on the flame of a gas stove or under an oven broiler, for about 20 minutes, or until the skins blacken, turning frequently. Place the peppers in a closed plastic bag for about 30 minutes, or until cool, so that the skin slips off easily. Remove skin and seeds and cut into large chunks. Put peppers in a colander over a sink to drain for 3-5 hours. In the meantime, boil water in a medium size saucepan and then immerse Roma tomatoes for 20-30 seconds to blanch. Drain and peel skin, coarsely chop and reserve. Peel and mince garlic, reserve.
When peppers are drained, pour 6 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan. When warm, add garlic and heat until fragrant. Add all other ingredients, including a few pinches of cayenne pepper to taste, and cook on medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the tomato and juices reduce and thicken. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm or cold with a drizzle of olive oil.
Lamb Shanks With Pomegranate and Saffron
Brightly garnished with ruby pomegranate seeds and spring-green scallions, this beautifully seasoned dish with meat that tenderly slips off the bones is perfect for Eid, or any festive dinner.
Ingredients:
6 lamb shanks, about 1 pound each
Sea salt
Grapeseed or canola oil
6 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions
Scant 1/2 cup sliced garlic cloves
3 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons ras el hanout (see Cook’s Note)
1 teaspoon saffron threads
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
6 cups chicken stock or water
4 cups pomegranate juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons pomegranate molasses (see Cook’s Note or substitute with grenadine, date syrup, or sherry vinegar)
Seeds of 1 medium pomegranate
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
Flaky salt, like Maldon or fleur de sel, for sprinkling
Cook’s Note: Ras el hanout is a complex spice mix that, along with pomegranate molasses, can be purchased at better grocery stores or Middle Eastern food supply stores. You can also substitute the teaspoon of saffron for an equal amount of turmeric if necessary.
Preparation:
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Season lamb shanks with salt. In a large ovenproof pot with a lid, heat a thin film of oil. Working in batches to avoid crowding, and adjusting the heat to prevent scorching, brown the lamb shanks thoroughly over medium-high heat, about 3 minutes per side. Set aside on a rimmed baking sheet. Add onion and garlic to the hot pan, sprinkle with salt and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to become translucent, about 5 minutes.
Add the ginger, ras el hanout, saffron, turmeric, and pepper; cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously, until the spices are fragrant. Add 1 cup stock and bring to a boil. Cook until syrupy, about 3 minutes, using a wooden spatula to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the lamb and any drippings from the baking sheet to the pot. Add the remaining stock and the pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil, then cover and bake for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until the lamb is very tender. Remove from the oven and place on top of the stove.
Transfer the lamb shanks to a baking sheet and cover with foil. Let the cooking liquid cool for 15 minutes, then skim off and discard the fat that has risen to the surface. Simmer the liquid until reduced to a sauce, stirring frequently, about 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt, then add the vinegar and pomegranate molasses a few teaspoons at a time, until the sauce is balanced to your liking between sweet and sour. Return the shanks to the sauce and bring to a simmer, spooning the sauce over the shanks until the meat is hot and richly glazed. Place the lamb shanks on a platter or individual plates, and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds, cilantro, pistachios and salt. Serve with basmati rice or your pilaf of choice. (Adapted from The New York Times)
The Link LonkMay 07, 2021 at 04:51PM
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Eid Al-Fitr: The sweet holiday of festive foods - cleveland.com
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