Vegan

The celeriac acquires a special delicate flavor and a pale-yellow tinge.

Megadarra is immensely popular in Egypt, as it is all over the Arab world (elsewhere it is pronounced mujadra and sometimes called mudardara). It is a modern version of a medieval dish called mujadarra, described by al-Baghdadi (see appendix) as a dish of the poor, and still referred to as Esau’s favorite. In fact, it is such a favorite that, although it is said to be for misers, it is a compliment to serve it. An aunt of mine used to present it regularly to guests with the comment “Excuse the food of the poor!”—to which the unanimous reply always was: “Keep your food of kings and give us megadarra every day!” The proportions of lentils and rice vary with every family. Large quantities of dark, caramelized onions are the best part. It is served either warm or cold, as a mezze or as part of a light meal, usually accompanied by yogurt.

I was given this recipe by a lovely Cypriot. I had never come across it before. It can be made with all kinds of mushrooms. I used shiitake with a Cabernet Sauvignon and found them delicious except that the stalks remained chewy, so cut those off if you use them.

Serve this in a bowl with plain boiled or steamed vegetables such as runner beans, zucchini, or cauliflower.

Leeks are especially popular in Egypt.

You can find tamarind paste in Oriental stores. It gives the onions a delicious, intense sweet-and-sour taste.

Make this fiery Tunisian salad with old carrots, which taste better, and add the flavorings gradually, to taste. The color is beautiful. Serve as a dip with bread or bits of raw vegetables.

For this Tunisian salad, use old carrots and mealy potatoes.

Mushrooms are not common in the Middle East but you do find them—in Cyprus, for instance.

This simple and delightful North African salad is easy to make with the frozen artichoke bottoms obtainable from Middle Eastern stores.

Use mealy potatoes for this Tunisian salad, which is served as an appetizer and also as an accompaniment to grilled fish.

Okra is one of the most popular vegetables in the Arab world.

A North African appetizer full of rich sensuous flavors.

If you want to use fresh baby artichokes, see instructions for preparing the hearts on page 282.

In this Tunisian salad the blandness of zucchini is lifted by the very rich flavoring.

The combination of raisins and pine nuts was brought by the Arabs all the way to Spain and Sicily.

I love this Moroccan salad. The eggplants are boiled, not fried, so it is not oily. It is best made several hours in advance so that the flavors have time to penetrate.

A North African salad.