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 memorable Syrian-Jewish meals. As an adult, Abadi embarked on a labor of love with her grandmother to record all of her family s rich, mouthwatering Syrian dishes. In A Fistful of Lentils, Abadi shares with you more than 125 Syrian-Jewish recipes, as well as an intimate look at Syrian-Jewish culture through warm family anecdotes and little-known stories. Recipes include Meh'shi Sfeehah b'Dja'jeh (Stuffed Baby Eggplants with Roasted Chicken), Rishtah b'Tahineh (Egg Noodles with Lentils and Sesame Butter, Kibbeh m'Kamuneh b'Bandoorah (Meatballs in Tomato-Cumin Sauce, Lah meh Zetoon b'Limoneh (Lamb with Lemon and Olives), Ijeh b'Batatah (Potato Omelets), Leban m'Naa'na (Yogurt-Mint Dressing), Masapan (Almond Candies), and Knaffeh (Shredded Phyllo-Ricotta Pie). It all adds up to the best-kept secret in Middle Eastern cuisine, now yours to enjoy!
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Cooking Middle Eastern Memories:
author of Cooking Jewish: 532 Great Recipes from the Rabinowitz Family from the Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles
September 26, 2003 by Judy Bart Kancigor Reading "A Fistful of Lentils" is like wandering through a family album. Instead of food photos you find dozens of family portraits, touching stories and the fascinating history of a rich and unique culture. In this engaging new cookbook, first-time author Jennifer Felicia Abadi tells the fascinating story of her Syrian Jewish... more info
Wonderful book for yourself or to give as a gift:
This my favorite housewarming gift. No Jewish home (Ashkinazi or Sephardic) should be without it. Before I cooked one dish I sat down and read all of the lovely stories first and then went on to make many of these wonderful dishes. My personal favorite is the pistachio cookies for Passover.
Excellent and Easy to Follow:
I haven't made a bad meal yet and my fiance is happy.
Fun to read, but the recipes are flawed:
I enjoyed reading Ms. Abadi's book. Since I am Syrian-Jewish, I compared many of her stories to my own family. in addition, she quotes some people that I know. Unfortunately, however, the recipes are not reliable. Since the author's grandmother spent many years in Oklahoma, where Middle Eastern ingredients were not available, she relied on substitutes such as Worcestershire sauce which we do not use. Every family cooks their own way. However some of the recipes will fail completely. For example, the... more info
