Musaqa’a.
Musaqa’a is a Palestinian eggplant, chickpea and tomato bake with inspired spicing–somewhat reminiscent of Greek moussaka. The recipe I’m using here is adapted from Chef Sami Tamimi’s and Irish food writer Tara Wigley’s new cookbook, Falastin. The recipes are Tamimi’s and the writing is Wigley’s. In the Introduction to the book, Wigley writes that the cookbook is a love letter to Tamimi’s heritage and to his mother.
Let’s get the “P” and the “F” out of the way first. Tamimi is a Palestinian chef who co-authored the best-selling cookbooks Jerusalem and Ottolenghi with Yotam Ottolenghi, the prominent Israeli/English chef. In the Introduction to the book, Tamimi explains that there is no “P” in Arabic and so it is common to use the term Falastin interchangeably with Palestine. Hence, the name of the book.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, Falastin is a cookbook of wonderful flavors and over one hundred recipes. The cookbook’s aim is to showcase Palestinian foods but to do so with innovative flourishes. The recipes in the book are geared for the home cook–perhaps a natural inclination for Tamimi who came from a family of seventeen children.
Here is a link to a YouTube video of Tamimi and Wigley preparing some of the recipes from the book: Sami Tamimi and Tara Wigley Cook From Falastin. The Baby Gem Lettuce with Charred Eggplant, Smacked Cucumber, and Shatta recipe looks pretty great.(Shatta is a spicy condiment made from fresh or semidried green or red chiles.) That salad is definitely going on my “To Make” list— if only because the idea of smacking cucumbers makes me giggle. (I’m easily amused these days.)
Apparently, the Musaqa’a is a recipe with all sorts of iterations. Eat it as a casserole dish with a dollop of yogurt and a side of steamed rice. Eat it for breakfast on toast. Tamimi recommends serving it on top of a baked potato. The options are endless.
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Tamimi’s and Wigley’s cookbook Falastin is available here.
