Humbled and Crumbled

From love to money, any number of agitators can disrupt life, and occasionally, life bubbles over in the kitchen. Some households claim a member who consistently burns the toast or shirks doing dishes. It wasn’t dirty dishes that rattled our harmony, but herbs and spices. Sugar and spice have long conjured images of everything nice, […]
Treat holiday house guests to shakshouka brunch
Expecting house guests for the holidays? Shake up brunch with a spicy egg dish. But be warned. Your guests may try to extend their stay. Check out my latest column and this easy recipe for Sharif’s Shakshouka.
Urgent coffee break – Serious in Syria

Coffee holds a place of honor in some cultures, and The Cookery appreciates a flavorful cup of Arabic coffee. Make this coffee on the stove top, tune out the day’s noise, and tune in to serious matters. There must be countless ways to brew the perfect cup of coffee, but this is not that cup. […]
My man Hazi and his eggplant stew
In the mood for stew? I make this stew often, and when eggplant looks especially tempting (I couldn’t pass them up last weekend at the farmers’ market), this dish makes an appearance. I discovered this stew with a wonderful Arabic teacher in California, and posted this recipe a couple of years ago. Try Hazi’s Stew […]
Layer of life street food
Layer of life street food What’s the value of . . . street food? It depends on where we go, what we’re willing to experience, and how we interpret sources of life. I closed The Cookery for a while last month and explored Syria. With my kids in tow, we found our daily bread along […]
UT students collaborate in The Cookery to create meatless meal
The Cookery serves as a subliminal classroom for our family, but last weekend, we opened it up to a mixed group of graduate and undergrad UT students who rinsed, chopped, blended and tasted a sampling of Middle Eastern dishes to create a meatless meal. The menu: saffron rice, hummus, bread, and cucumber yogurt sauce (jajik in my recipe binder). This fabulous meal […]
Couscous carbo load
Can you tolerate a few more carbs in your diet? If you’re on board, try the couscous carbo load. My family lines up for second helpings when we prepare pearled couscous. Prep your own or take a shortcut with Near East’s version of pearled couscous.
Latkes lighten up with apple sauce
There were no leftovers, certainly no latkes, at the home of our gracious host and hostess this weekend. The fabulous latkes at their Hanukkah table started as a mountain of golden brown potatoes, but served with apple sauce, the latkes all but disappeared and sustained grateful guests. Many thanks to Ms. P. for treating us to her family […]
Hummus dries up in Southwest Austin
We knew the owners were facing a make-or-break situation at Dimassi’s Southwest location in Austin, and unfortunately, we found a farewell notice on the doors of the restaurant when we arrived to take in a buffet meal this week. I’ll miss the convenient location as well as the hummus and Arabic music feeds. It’s back to making hummus if I want it […]
Two-day Baba
More or less, it took two days to prepare Baba Ghannouj this week, though active time clocked at just under 30 minutes. We grilled out last night, and I roasted a plump eggplant in preparation for another meal. Today, I reached for the roasted eggplant (from the refrigerator) and blended it with my remaining baba ingredients. Here’s my basic baba recipe: Two-Day […]