COOKING with SOUTH SHIELDS

C o o k b o ok

COOKING

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SOUTH SHIELDS

Starters, small plates and side dishes 5 Tabouleh Lebanon

10 Turkish Bรถrek Turkey

7 Aubergine Hummus Lebanon

14 Albanian Bรถrek Albania

Main Dishes 19 Molokheya Palestine

48 Pondu Congo

22 Borscht Belarus

54 Kabuly Pillau Afganistan

26 Stovies UK

58 Traditional Couscous Morocco

32 Fish Biryani Bangladesh

64 Aseed Yemen

38 Dolma Iraq

68 Lamb Curry Yemen

42 Spatzle and Schnitzel Germany

72 Fried Chicken and Rice Bangladesh

Dessert and Drinks 76 Rich Fruit Cake UK

84 Moroccan Mint Tea Morocco 80 Basbousah Yemen 1

COOKING WITH SOUTH SHIELDS is a new cookbook which is developed especially for South Shields. The project explores the food that local people cook at home and the backgrounds of these recipes. The dishes included are cheap to make and nutritious.

Some involve shopping in local greengrocers and butchers who we think supply great, fresh and affordable produce or buying ingredients in local shops which supply things you cannot get in most supermarkets. Did you know that in supermarkets 30g of parsley costs around 70p, but in Ahmed's a big 200g bunch costs the same price! Brilliant for salads, soup, pesto, pasta, fish, parsley sauce...

We have made a list of these shops in the back of this book. For a couple of dishes, which we thought were so special we should include them, despite ingredients not being available locally, we have stated possible substitutes that you can use until you are passing by a supplier in a nearby town or city.

If you are a resident of South Shields, you can submit your own recipes on the COOKING WITH SOUTH SHIELDS website which we will publish there, we hope the online cookbook will grow as people hear about the project - we would love to hear from you! www.cookingwithsouthshields.co.uk

This project has been organised by CIRCA Projects, who have asked South Shields-based photographer Peter Fryer to interview and document local people’s recipes, resulting in this book. COOKING with SOUTH SHIELDS relates to the migration of cultures and the potential for recipes to offer a glimpse into these complex stories.

South Shields is home to the first settled UK Muslim Community – a British Yemeni Community since the 1890s, who worked mainly as seamen on British merchant vessels.

The Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields (built 160AD) housed divisions including Tigris bargemen (from Persia and modern day Iraq), infantry from Iberia and Gaul, and Syrian archers and spearmen.

On the lead up to the cookbook's launch, 5 food events, were organised by Nadia Terry (born in Morocco, lives in South Shields) on Saturday lunchtimes: providing an opportunity for local residents to see a demonstration of the recipes in the cookbook and to try the food!

These events took places at: Living Waters Church, Al Azhar Mosque, WHIST, Ocean Road Community Centre and South Shields Library.

COOKING with SOUTH SHIELDS is inspired by Approximation in the digital age to a humanity condemned to disappear, an exhibition by artist Mario Pfeifer which CIRCA Projects held in the John Joyce factory on Saltmeadows Road, Gateshead Quayside, 16 October to 21 November 2015.

The exhibition by Mario Pfeifer looks at the migration of culture around the world.

Specifically taking the example of the remote Navarino Island, Chile and its native people – the Yaghan.

South Shields is a port-town, like Puerto Williams, Navarino Island, Chile. Following the River Tyne from Gateshead Quayside (where Mario Pfeifer’s exhibition was located, down to the river mouth: South Shields is located on the North East coast of England, where the River Tyne meets the North Sea. A port-town where goods are exported and important from places around the world, and people have followed these pathways.

Starters, small plates and side dishes

Tabouleh

Jamilla and Mohammed

Lebanon

Ingredients Fresh Parsley 2 Tomatoes 4 Spring Onions 1 Lemon 50g Bulgar Wheat Fresh Mint Pomegranate juice Olive Oil Method Prepare Bulgar Whear according to packet's instructions.

Very finely chop vegetables and herbs and place in a large bowl (use a food processor if you have one). Add juice of the lemon, pomegranate juice and oil, bulgar wheat and mix together.

Easy - 20 mins - Serves: 2

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Aubergine Hummus

Ingredients 2 large aubergines 3 tablespoons Tahini Juice of 1 Lemon 1 large Garlic clove Salt Method Prick the aubergines and bake in an oven at 400 degrees F / 200 degrees C / gas mark 6 for 40 minutes until very soft. Cut them open and leave to cool.

Take out the flesh and mash up. Add other ingredients and mix until smooth.

Pour a small amount of olive oil on the top.

Easy - 50 mins - Serves: 2-3

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We love this food that is known as Mezze.

In Lebanon we would have many small courses to begin a meal, almost a meal in themselves.

Many of them would be salads and vegetarian as the main part of a Lebanese meal consists of different forms of meat. I would really love to be eating this food with the sounds and smells of Lebanon around me at the moment.

When I was young and living in the south of Lebanon we would have lots of different food, of course made and cooked by my mother and I would stand around watching, especially when she made all the sweet things.

Mohammed’s mother would be doing exactly the

same her home on the outskirts of Beirut.

Lebanese culture has so many different recipes.

My father was a baker and specialized in all the different forms of Baklava, a sort of cake or sweet. I can still smell and taste all the different sorts oozing honey and filled with pistachio nuts.

Things like Tahini I can get in South Shields, unfortunately some of the ingredients I cannot get around here but my sister lives in London amongst a large Arabic community where you can get most things or if not they can be sent from Lebanon.

Turkish Bรถrek

Haci and Hatice

Turkey

Ingredients For the Filling: 1tbsp Olive Oil 1 Medium Onion, Chopped 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced 1kg Ground Beef 1 Large Bunch of Parsley, Chopped 1 1/2tsp Salt 1/2tsp Ground Black Pepper 1/4tsp Paprika

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For the outer layers: Plain Yogurt 150g Olive Oil 115ml Filo Pastry 225g

Moderate - 1hr 30 mins - Serves: 8

Method In a pan, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add the chopped onions, stirring occasionally until softened for about 4 minutes.

Stir in the garlic and cook for 30-50 seconds.

Add the ground beef, breaking up into small pieces, and stir until browned and cooked through.

Stir in the parsley, salt, pepper, and paprika and cook, stirring often, for an additional 3 minutes.

Take off the heat.

In a bowl, whisk together yogurt, olive oil, and egg. Brush a thin layer over the bottom of a baking dish.

Preheat oven to 175 degrees C / 350 degrees F / gas mark 4 and place rack in middle of oven.

Lay filo pastry sheets on work surface and cover with a wet cloth.

Place one sheet of filo in the prepared baking dish. Gently brush with the yogurt mixture. Repeat with half of the filo sheets.

Spread the cooked ground beef over the prepared filo sheets in baking dish. Place a filo sheet over the layer of ground beef.

Brush with yogurt mixture. Repeat with remaining filo sheets.

Brush the top with more yogurt mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes.

Let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

It has always been the case that this meal was made when your whole family got together to celebrate one thing or another.

Wedding, new baby, holiday or something like that. It is a meal for a special occasion. If it was a wedding we would often get 3-400 people who would come and celebrate together. My Grandmother used to cook this meal outside on an open fire in a huge pot and then we would all sit outside to eat it. She would spend all day cooking and talking for hours about anything and everything.

In Turkey we had a huge garden that grew everything, potatoes, onions tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, strawberries, garlic, watermelon and flowers. We also kept goats and chickens. For 9 months of the year we didn’t have to go to the shops to buy food everything we needed was in the garden, fresh and very tasty. As a farmer I used to grow a great deal of sugar beet and I understand the soil and what makes things grow. I miss all of this now as you cannot always get the vegetables fresh even though we both grow the herbs we need in our back garden.

Albanian Byreek

Olsa

Albania

Ingredients 1 medium pumpkin 100g butter Suflower oil Yolk of 1 egg 2tsp sugar Dough: 1/2tsp salt water 1 large cup Plain Flour

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Moderate - 1hr 30 mins - Serves: 8

Method Chop the pumpkin into medium size pieces and boil for approximately 30 mins. When finished scoop out the flesh and mix in a saucepan.

Melt the butter and add slowly to the mashed pumpkin, stirring as you go.

Keeping the mixture on a low heat add the yolk of one egg and then the sugar. Mix until a smooth paste.

For making the dough place the salt into a bowl and add 1 cup of water and stir.

While pumpkin is cookinf in a different bowl, slowly add the flour to the water. Mix until you can knead

it into dough. Roll out into a long sausage shape about 5cm across and then cut into 5cm long pieces and mold into pastry balls.

Grease a 30 cm square or round baking dish. Add a little oil to the pumpkin mix. Leave the pastry balls for 15 minutes then roll out into very thin pieces.

Put a thin layer of pumpkin mix onto the pastry. And roll into tight tubes and place onto the baking to to build into a large spiral.

Place in the oven and cook for 30 min at gas mark 5/180 degrees C.

Pumpkin was always part of our diet in Albania when it was in season. It was always fresh and sweet but slightly smaller than the ones you see in the shops here for Halloween. You can of course add whatever you want to the filling such as meat with onion or spinach is good too.

This one is sweet with the pumpkin and has always been a favourite with the family. This is a favourite dish in Albania and throughout the region. Its not necessarily a special meal but it would often be eaten when guests are coming or at the weekend when we have time to cook it and enjoy it. However, I do remember that as a child we would always watch our mothers and grandmothers making it for a wedding. You needed a lot as there were often 200-300 people celebrating together.

All the women would be making and curling the Byreek with different flavours and fillings. It is also great for picnics as it can be eaten cold and it is easy to carry. With the pumpkin and using only a little oil it is a very healthy recipe. You should serve it with plain yoghurt and sometimes some smoked meats, but even on its own its good.

Main Dishes

Molokheya

Ahmad Palestine

Ingredients 400g Molokheya (2 bags of frozen is fine) 500g Lamb 400g Rice Fresh Coriander Salt and Pepper Garlic Turmeric Dried Coriander Lemon Salad Tomatoes Easy - 2 hrs - Serves: 6

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Method Chop the coriander.

Cut the lamb into 1-2 inch pieces and gently brown the meat with garlic in a little oil.

Add the turmeric, dried coriander, salt and pepper.

Leave to simmer in a small amount of water for 1-1.45 hours.

When lamb is cooked add the Molokheya and stir cook for a further 10 minutes and add the sliced fresh tomatoes.

In the meantime cook the rice.

In a little olive oil cook some garlic with the fresh coriander briefly and add to the pot of Molokheya and lamb.

Add the juice from a whole lemon at the end and serve.

Members of my family are refugees from Gaza and now from Yarmouk, a district of Damascus in Syria populated by Palestinians. Cooking Molokheya makes me remember them and gives me a warm feeling. Even with all of this recent migration the smells of cooking and taste of the food still remind me of my Palestinian culture and way of life.

My mother was always the one to cook this meal in Yarmouk and always used fresh ingredients when we could get them. We would often eat it during Ramadan but it was not only a meal for religious festivals. We can easily get frozen Molokheya here in South Shields. We always sit round the table to eat together as with work and school for our children it is a good time to sit down and talk together.

Borscht

Iryna

Belarus

Ingredients 2 Large Chicken Fillets 1.5ltr Water 4-5 Medium Beetroots 1 Onion 2-3 Garlic Cloves 1 Cabbage 3 Potatoes Sour Cream

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Tomato Paste Lemon Juice 2 Large Carrots Dill Parsley Bay Leaves

Easy - 2hrs - Serves: 6

Method Boil 1.5 litres of water and add chicken to boiling water with a teaspoon of salt for 20mins.

Chop the onion, grate carrots, peel potatoes and cut into cubes then also chop up the cabbage.

Fry onions, carrots and beetroot and add tomato paste.

When cooked pull the chicken into strips and put to one side.

Boil potato cubes in chicken water and place chicken back in.

Add all the other ingredients to the water for 20 mins.

Add juice of 1 lemon to retain the deep red colour and serve with a spoonful of sour cream.

Strangely enough I couldn’t cook Borscht before I came to South Shields because, believe me, my mother was not that good at cooking. My dad was a good cook though, he was taught how to cook when working in Kazakhstan. I learned the recipe for Borscht from a Russian woman who was already living in South Shields.

Borscht is a traditional meal that every family knows in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus (where I come from). Each area has different spices and meat although it is all very similar. This is a very healthy dish with boiled chicken and lots of vegetables.

For this meal I can get everything I want in South Shields, although if I want to make a herring salad, which I love to accompany it - I cannot find a good herring in oil.

Borscht always reminds me of my grandmother who died in Belarus when I was seven years old.

Finally when we eat this meal we drink black tea; we drink lots of tea.

Stovies

Kathy

UK

Ingredients 2 large potatoes 1 Medium Onion 1 Small Tin of Corned Beef 1 Small Cube of Fresh Ginger 1-2 Cloves of Garlic Salt and Pepper

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Easy - 35 mins - Serves: 2

Method Peel and slice potatoes approx.

1/4 inch thick. Chop onions roughly.

Only take the lid off a couple of times as this meal is cooked by steaming.

Fry onions until soft.

Add a little water if getting too dry although some people like this as a dry meal.

Add the crushed garlic and ginger.

Mix the potatoes and onions together and season with salt and pepper. Put this mixture into a saucepan with a little cold water in the bottom.

Dice the corned beef and add to the mix and stir for a minute.

When all mixed in cook on a medium heat with the lid on for 20-30 minutes.

Optional Extras Add cooked minced beef, sausage or the left over meat from Sunday lunch instead of corned beef.

You can also add different vegetables.

Carrots, turnip, peas, cauliflower, etc.

Make some gravy and add to make a stew.

Freeze for later if needed.

This is a very simple recipe and takes no time at all to prepare and cook and all done in one saucepan.

It was passed on from my family in Leith, Scotland, where it is well known and eaten everywhere. You can add almost anything to the pot, I like it spicy and so I put in the garlic and ginger.

Different people and families have different ways of cooking this and I have adapted it to my tastes and South Shields.

I will only eat it with bread and butter and a big mug of tea. My grandchildren like to have it with gravy, which, when I have time, I will cook from scratch rather than the ‘lazy gravy’ granules way.

Most of my family live away from here and my daughter especially will always ring up and ask how to cook things, yesterday was lemon curd!

I love cooking and I love different foods, Indian, Chinese, Arabic.

I love frogs legs, better than chicken - I think it must have come from being at sea with my husband for 14 years when he worked on board the large container vessels around the world.

I have been to: Indonesia, Malaysia, Canada, South America, China, Cuba (I love Fidel Castro), Hong Kong, Philippines and so many more. I even travel abroad today but of course I have to take my motorised scooter as walking is not too easy over long distances.

I think I have brought all of my experiences from travelling and tried to add these to whatever I cook now although it is a lot less elaborate than it used to be.

Fish Biryani

Jasmine and Dudu

Bangladesh

Ingredients 2 x 1 inch slices of Mrigal 2x Medium Fillets of Pangash (Mrigal and Pangash are fish from Bangladesh, available in all good Asian food stores. Alternatively use a freshwater fish like Salmon or Trout)

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400g Basmati Rice 1 Medium Onion 1 Tomato 4-5 Green Chillies Fresh Coriander Fish Biryani flavouring Red Pepper Chilli Powder Coriander Powder Mild Curry Powder Tumeric (Haldi) Powder

Moderate - 1hr - Serves: 4

Method Soak a mug of rice in cold water.

Thoroughly wash the fish under cold running water and remove any scales.

Mix the Biryani flavouring with a little water to form a paste.

Add a teaspoon of turmeric (Haldi) to the mixture and mix with the fish.

Put the Mrigal in a shallow pan to fry gently in a little oil.

Put the rice on to boil.

When cooked after about 20 minutes, drain and place back on a low heat until water has evaporated.

In a separate pan fry half of the onion and add a little salt. Chop chillies and add to the onions.

Keep turning the Mrigal for about 20 minutes.

In a separate pan fry the Pangal with onions and serve.

Add the Mrigal to the onion and chilli sauce, add coriander powder, fresh coriander and pepper.

Take a little of the sauce from the onion and chilli mix and stir into the rice and add the Mirgal.

Garnish with coriander, tomato and pepper and serve.

This is a very traditional Bangladeshi meal eaten by everyone. It is a very quick meal and therefore convenient if people call round unexpected, which believe me is often. Although you can use freshwater fish from UK the Pangal and Mirgal from Bangladesh are our favourite, taste very good and they are readily available in South Shields. There are so many different types of fish from Bangladesh and it would take me a long time to list them.

The one thing here is that the fresh coriander is not as strong as that from Bangladesh. With Bangladeshi coriander you can use less and the taste is richer and I sometimes miss this. My mother of course taught me to cook learning through experience and practice.

Fish is very important in Bangladeshi food and accounts for 95% of our meals. Fish is caught in the many lakes that you find everywhere in Bangladesh and you often catch them yourself.

This means that we have a very good diet of fish vegetables and rice.

Dolma

Qumria

Iraq

Ingredients 225g Jar of Grape leaves 450g Lamb Mince 200g rice 130g tomato sauce 2 tubes tomato paste 1 medium onion 2 garlic cloves 2tspn salt 1tspn black pepper

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1tspn cumin 1tspn paprika 1 2tspn ground coriander 1 2tspn cinnamon 100ml freshley squeezed lemon juice 150ml of veg oil 1 carrot

Moderate - 2 hrs - Serves: 4

Method Soak grape leaves in water for 20 minutes and then drain them.

Soak rice in hot water for 10 minutes and drain. In a large bowl, mix rice, lamb, onion, garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and spices.

Put grape leaf shiny side down on a flat surface. Remove the stem. Place 1 tbsp of rice mixture on the leaf. Roll top over once, fold in the ends, and continue to roll completely.

Arrange rolled grape leaves in pot seam side down, tightly packed.

Combine lemon juice and oil and pour over grape leaves.

Add water Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for about 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, until rice is thoroughly cooked. Let it rest for 30 minutes.

Add chicken or lamb to extend the meal.

This recipe for Dolma reminds me of a lot of things that I miss from my home country of Iraq, especially the spices. When I cook I remember my neighbours as cooking gives me the time to think and time to remember.

We all, my neighbours and friends, used to exchange recipes and of course give each other food that we had cooked.

Most especially cooking reminds me of my dad, who sadly has passed away, he really enjoyed this meal of dolmas a lot. Although, I must admit he really liked fish as well, in fact he liked fish so much that when I was younger I thought he could well turn into one.

The smells and sounds of the food cooking give me memories of my country and my family, many of whom are still living there.

I learned to cook from my dear mother when I was growing up and we would spend a lot of time in the kitchen making bread.

I have passed on the things I have learned to my daughter and granddaughter. It is very important that the younger ones learn from the older ones, that’s how life is and how it should be.

Sp채tzle and Schnitzel

Ulrika and Katharina

Germany

Ingredients 2 Medium Fillets of Chicken Plain Flour 7-8 Eggs Salt and Pepper Paprika Fleisch Spices (Seasoning for meat) Wurze

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Moderate - 1hr - Serves: 2

Method Wash the chicken and cut the chicken in half to make thin flat sections.

For the Spätzle (noodle) dough add flour to the eggs and mix until a creamy batter. Mix slowly and gently to add a lot of air into the mixture.

Lay out 3 large dishes containing in order) eggs, flour, breadcrumbs. Season the chicken pieces with paprika and fleisch spices.

Dip the chicken sections in each one in turn to coat the chicken.

Begin frying the chicken pieces in a shallow frying pan for approx. 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

Prepare gravy from stock or beef pieces, bones, onion carrot, tomato puree, paprika and salt.

Mix the Spätzle until it is think and creamy and sticks to the spoon when lifted out of the mix.

Add a squeeze of lemon, chives and parsley.

Boil a large pot of water ready for the Spätzle.

Add Spätzle mix to the Spätzlepresse) and put a little water on top. Squeeze the mix into the boiling water slowly and leave for 5-7 minutes until cooked, when the noodles are firm.

Noodles will be approximately 4-5 inches long and will be thin and elegant.

Spoon out and serve with the schnitzel.

Add some single cream to the gravy and pour over to serve.

There are many different ways of producing Sp ä tzle throughout Germany and of course there are many arguments about which is the best. My mother was a butcher and taught me all she knew about meat.

Indeed my mum and dad met while she was working in a butchers shop. My family also had a restaurant that was connected to a pub and I can still smell the cooking and sausage making that always took place on daily basis. When I was young my grandma did the cooking my mum the baking and me the cleaning. In Germany we love our beef and pork and often I would use veal to make this meal but I have used chicken to make today’s Schnitzel as veal is difficult to find.

Sp ä tzle and Schnitzel are classic dishes in Germany and made everywhere but especially in Baden where I come from.

If you haven’t got a press you can cut long thin strips of the dough off a wooden chopping board (Sp ä tzlebrett). This method has been going on for a long time but it is not as easy as the presto use.

Pondu (Cassava leaves)

Patience Congo

Ingredients 3 Medium onions 3 Green Peppers 6 Celery Sticks 1 Clove of Garlic 2 Leeks 1 Bunch of Spring Onions 2 Packets of Cassava Leaves (substitute with kale,turnip greens or spinach if not available) 48

5 Medium whole Mackerel 1 Chilli 1 Large Aubergine peeled and cubed 1 Green Pepper 200ml Palm Oil 2 Fish Stock cubes

Moderate - 1hr 30 mins - Serves: 4

Method Chop up all of the vegetables and mix in a large pot and add half pint of water.

Place on a high heat until boiling, reduce heat and simmer, stirring at intervals.

If using fresh cassava leaves wash them very well. The cassava leaves have a distinctive, slightly unpleasant, smell and this changes when cooked.

Simmer until water is almost gone and Pondu is a pulp.

It will be ready when it smells and tastes right but cassava leaves must be cooked for a minimum of 15 mins and never eaten raw.

Prepare the fish, gutting and cleaning off the scales. Boil the fish and add a little

salt and some fish stock.

After 10-15 mins remove fish, cool by running under cold water, remove the fish bones and add the fish flesh to the Pondu.

Add some more water and allow to stew for at least 40 mins, if the mixture is drying out and add some fish stock cubes.

Be sure to constantly stir the Pondu to stop it burning.

Serve with rice, smoked fish and/or smoked meat.

‘Pondu’ (cassava leaves) is usually cooked at the weekend when you have time as it usually takes a couple of hours to prepare and cook. I cannot get Pondu fresh or in packets in South Shields so have to go to Newcastle.

It doesn’ t have tobe a special occasion and any way it brings all the family around the table to eat and that can be special in itself.

You have to make a large pot of Pondu as you never know if friends or neighbours are going to turn up. They don’t have to call they just have to arrive. Also make sure you take some to your nextdoor neighbor, they will have smelled the Pondu and fish cooking, so they will be sure what is cooking next door.

Kabuly Pillau

Pashtoon and Mansour Afghanistan

Ingredients 1.5kg Rice 1.5kg Mutton or lamb 4-5 Large Carrots 1 Small Bowl of Raisins 1 Large Onion Garlic Salt and Pepper 1tbsp Zira (Cumin)

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1/2tbsp Dalchini (Cinnamon) 2 tbsp Sugar 3 Large Aubergines 1 Tin of Chopped Tomatoes Sunflower Oil 2-3 Eggs

Moderate - 2hrs 45 mins - Serves: 8

Method Wash and prepare the meat into small chunks.

Place rice in a bowl and cover in cold water to soak for 2 hours.

Heat the oil in a large pan and add chopped onions until brown.

Add the meat and brown the outside of the meat for about 5-6 minutes.

Chop the carrots into fine 5cm lengths. In another pan pour some oil and add the carrots for 2 minutes.

Pour in a cup of water and cook for 12 minutes with the lid in place.

Wash raisins and add to the carrots. Add 2 tbsp of sugar and another cup of water and cook for 5-7 minutes or until water has evaporated.

Wash the rice in warm water and place in

boiling water with 2tbsp of salt until not quite cooked. Take off heat and drain.

Place a small amount of oil in pan and add the rice and add some of the juices from the meat.

Finish cooking the meat until a small amount of liquid is left.

Place meat onto the rice and cover with a small amount of the rice. Add the carrots and cover with a cloth for 30 minutes.

Sprinkle zira and dalcini over the meat, rice and carrots.

Add sliced boiled egg and tomato for decoration.

Cut aubergines into large slices fry until soft and then cover with tinned tomato, garlic and onion sauce.

Kabuly Pillau is always cooked on a special day such as Eid or New Year or if a special friend or members of the family are coming to visit. This has been the case for a very long time. When we had to leave Afghanistan, because of difficult times there, all my family came for the last night to say goodbye, of course we had Kabuly Pillau. The smells and tastes of the meal being cooked and eaten always remind me of that night and especially my mother. We were happy to see all my family together and sad because we were going to have to leave them.

Cooking this meal here in South Shields feels, for a moment, like I am in Afghanistan, a great combination of cultures and countries. All of my family are now separated and live in different countries but this meal for us is about coming together and not about separation.

As with many families Pashtoon learned to cook this meal from her mother, it originated in Kabul and in many ways is as famous as fish and chips here in England.

You can easily get the spices here in South Shields from Zam Zam’s shop or other such stores. In Afghanistan we would grow all the vegetables ourselves in a large garden that had onions, carrots, potatoes and most important gandana, which is a small leek grown almost everywhere in Afghanistan and now in our back garden.

Authentic Moroccan Couscous

Nadia T. Belmajdoub Morocco

Ingredients Stew: 1kg Lamb or Beef (cut into large pieces or on the bone, 1 Large Onion coarsely chopped, 3 Tomatoes peeled and chopped, 3 White Turnips peeled and quartered, 1/2 Small cabbage cut into 2 or 3 sections, 6 Carrots peeled and cut into four pieces, Small Section of Pumpkin cut into chunky pieces, 3 Small Courgettes cut to 4 pieces,

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1 Tin of Chickpeas, 100ml Vegetable Oil, 100ml Olive Oil, 1tbsp Salt, 1tbsp Pepper, 2tsp Ground Ginger, 1tsp Turmeric, 1 Handful Parsley and Coriander, 1 or 2 Chilli peppers optional), Few Strands of Saffron (optional) Couscous: 1kg Dry Couscous (not instant), 50ml Vegetable Oil, 1tbsp Salt, 1litre Water, 50g Butter

Moderate - 1hr 30 mins - Serves: 8

Method Stew:

Couscous:

In the bottom pan of a couscous pan (or stacked multi-pan with steamer section), fry meat and onions in a dash of oil on medium heat, add tomatoes, salt and spices, when meat is slightly golden and a sauce starting to form, add parsley and coriander, chickpeas, cover and bring to the boil over high heat.

Traditional couscous is steamed 2-3 times to get the right texture. While the meat is cooking, empty the dry couscous in a large bowl, add 200ml vegetable oil and rub it into the couscous between your palms to prevent the couscous grains from clumping together.

Reduce to medium heat, simmer for 25 to 30 minutes.

Add the carrots and turnips cook for 15 mins, but before they are cooked add the remaining vegetables for the last 5-10 mins.

If using chilli peppers, put half a ladle of broth in a separate pan while the stew is cooking, and add chilli's, cover and simmer, or 40 minutes, or until the chillies are tender.

Add steamer section on top of the stew pan and place couscous in steamer. Wait for the steam to come through the couscous grains before removing the steamer and put to the side.

Note, If you see steam escaping from between the pan and the steamer, you will need to make a seal by wrapping a long piece of kitchen plastic film around the top seam of the pan and place steamer on top.

Serving: Empty the couscous back into the bowl stir gently to separate grains, add the water and the salt, use your hands to evenly distribute the liquid into the couscous, then leave for 10mins to soak up the liquid.

Transfer the couscous to steamer again, make sure to break up any clumps and don’t compress the couscous.

Once you see steam rising from the couscous, steam the couscous for 15-20 minutes, then empty into the large bowl and break it apart - you would know is ready, when you press the grains between your fingers they stick together but they are not doughy.

Allow couscous to cool enough to handle, gradually work in the butter or 1/2 cup of olive oil, breaking it apart.

Serve couscous on a large dish, shaped into a mound with a well in the middle.

Try the stew and add seasoning to taste.

Put the meat stew into the well, arranging the vegetables on top and all around. Distribute the broth evenly over the couscous and vegetables.

Reserve some in a jug or bowl for those who prefer more. The chilli peppers are typically placed on top of the couscous, and small pieces may be broken off as a condiment.

I learnt this recipe from my mother at an early age but I never had the chance to cook it from scratch until I left home to go to work in another town.

The couscous grains are internationally popular. Largely because they are healthy and flexible. It can be used in many different recipes and it’s always related to Morocco because it’s a signature dish that we have every Friday after the prayer.

It’s also a symbol of family and friends gathering and in some part of Morocco it’s used to celebrate too.

We don’t just use the grains but we make a stew with meat and vegetables to go with it. I always compare it to Sunday lunch except the meat and the vegetables are cooked in the same pan and served in a big dish so that all members of the family are sitting round the table to enjoy it with a lot of laughter and jokes.

It is always complemented by a drink called ‘Laben’ it’s a milky drink and digested by a cup of Moroccan tea afterward. This dish also reminds me of the simplicity of using fingers to eat and making small balls of couscous for the children sitting in their mothers or dads’ laps while they are eating. I suppose because it’s a very nutritious meal the only considerations I can remember is not to have the chilli close to the children.

I was so happy when I came to England to be able to buy all the ingredients from the supermarket or the specialised shops and be able to introduce this authentic recipe to my friends and my husband's family.

Aseed

Iftikar Yemen

Ingredients Aseed Dough 1/3 cup water, 1/2salt, 2 cups white flour (sift the flour before to prevent lumps), 3/4 cup wholewheat flour (you can substitute other types of flour, additional 1+ 1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp. Turmeric, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp. ground coriander, 1 lb. meat (lamb or chicken), 1 tbsp canned tomato sauce, 5 cups water

Meat Stew 1 tbsp oil, 1/2 onion, chopped, 1-2 green chili, more or less to taste, 3 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp. Cumin, 1/4 tsp. ground pepper, 3-4 cardamom pods, 64

Takes Practice! - 1hr 30 mins - Serves: 8

Method Aseed Dough Bring to boil 3 +1/3 cups water, salt + butter in a large saucepan.

When the water is boiling add flour while stirring.

Turn off heat, stir well.

Remove from stove and knead the dough until smooth using a large wooden spoon.

Alternatively you can use a dough hook and a mixer. There should be no lumps.

In the same pot bring

to boil add 1.5 cups flour, breaking the dough into smallish pieces, on medium-low heat for 20-25 mins. Water should be evaporated and the dough still thick.

Knead the dough as previously. It should become even smoother, very sticky and hot.

Oil a plate and your hands)and form a ball with the dough, place on a plate. Fold over the dough with your hands from outside to inside. Turn and fold around all sides, flip the dough over and it should be smooth.

Make an indent in the center by using a large ladle or by pressing your thumb in the center of the dough and your other fingers holding steady on the side of the dough, turn the plate. This will make an even circle in the middle. The Assed can be eaten sweet with cup melted butter or ghee and cup honey.

Also the Assed can be eaten savory with meat, chicken, or lamb broth - below) Stew To make the meat broth, cook in oil the onion, garlic, and chili until slightly browned.

Add the spices, salt, and tomato sauce and meat.

Brown the meat on both sides for about 5-10 minutes.

Add the water and cook for about 1 hour or until the meat is tender and soft The meat is done when it is almost breaking apart. There should be about 8 – 10 ounces of liquid broth remaining. If there is less than this, add some water. If there is more, continue boiling until the broth reduces.

Separate the broth from the meat and onions, and whole spices by running through a strainer. Set the meat aside with a little broth for use in fahsa or to be eaten by itself.

Add the broth to the center well of the Aseed and maybe on the outside at the edge of the plate as well. This is a communal type dish where the dough is eaten with the hands and dipped in the center sauce.

Aseed is a very particular Yemeni meal, rich and poor, basically a dumpling mix which is eaten with the fingers by people sitting around the dish. It can be eaten sweet or savoury and can be made with a variety of flours, white, brown or organic. Aseed sticks to your stomach and is traditionally eaten throughout the Arab world. The ease of its cooking and preparation as well as its filling quality would have been useful to the nomadic lives of the Bedouins who needed filling meals while travelling. It is often eaten in South Shields in Yemeni homes and was certainly eaten in the boarding houses were the Yemeni sailors, working on British ships, lived. These sailors have lived in the town for over 100 years and their families and resulting community have been an important part of the development of the town. Many of these Yemeni sailors were firemen, working by stoking the furnaces of British Ships.

They are well used to the heat and indeed this is useful when eating Aseed with your hand as it is served boiling hot. It is a dish that brings people together both in the making of the dish and also eating. With the men eating together in the boarding house it was an easy meal to prepare and cook and would have filled people up and lined their stomachs. Traditionally you use a large wooden paddle to keep the mix stirred to prevent lumps and not sticking and burning, especially when cooking for 10 men in the Arab Boarding Houses. For this number of people you will need to have strong arms. However, today a good food mixer is great for smaller amounts of 2-3 people.

Lamb Curry

Abdullah, Rasheed and Syeed

Yemen

Ingredients 2tbsp Vegetable Oil 1kg Chopped Lamb 1 Chopped Onion 1 Tin Chopped Tomatoes 2tbsp Ground Coriander 1tsp Ground Cumin 1tbsp Ground Cardamom

68

1tsp Ground Ginger 1tsp Ground Turmeric 1tsp Cayenne Pepper 1 Crushed Garlic Clove 2 Bay Leaves Pinch of Black Pepper Pinch of Salt

Moderate - 40 mins - Serves: 6

Method Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat.

Add the lamb until browned on all sides.

Put aside.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the pan over medium heat and stir in the chopped onions cook until tender and golden brown.

Add the coriander, cumin, cardamom, ginger, turmeric, garlic, bay leaves, black pepper and cayenne pepper cook and stir for about 1 minute.

Return the lamb to the casserole - pour in the chopped tomatoes and season with salt to taste.

Bring to the boil over high heat, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until the lamb is very tender, for about 1 hour.

When the lamb is tender, remove the lid, and cook until the sauce thickens slightly - this will probably take about 20 minutes.

Serve with boiled rice.

This meal was prepared for Iftar. Iftar is the meal served at sunset, during Ramadan, as Muslims break the daily fast, all at the same time around the world. Muslims traditionally first break the fast with dates and a yoghurt drink or water. Immediately after they have the important Maghrib prayer. They can then have a full meal, of course different countries have different types of meals at this time.

Iftar is very much a social event as well, involving family, friends and community members. It is common for people to invite family, friends and neighbours for dinner at your home. People, who, you have not seen for a whole year you can often meet up with again for Iftar and catch up with all the things in each other’s lives and indeed to make new relationships. It is a very happy time and one that gives you a sense of union and togetherness.

At the Al Azhar mosque in Laygate, South Shields we have a meal every day during Ramadan when people come to break the fast and to socialise and pray together.

Sometimes the mosque will pay for the Iftar meal and at other times different people will contribute for a meal and come down to cook and help with the meal as a whole.

This gives the 30-40 people who often come for Iftar a chance to experience cooking from different parts of the world.

Some people cook Lamb Kabsa or chicken curry but many bring food freshly cooked from home such as fresh bread (hubs), samosas, cakes as well as those drinks people enjoy, laban (a cold yoghurt drink), even lime with ice and sugar, refreshing and clean. A lot of people bring food from home, food that is special and that has memories for them. All of this adds to the rather informal and chaotic nature of Iftar at the Al Azhar mosque but it creates a wonderful atmosphere for people coming together in prayer and celebration.x

Fried Chicken and Rice

Lina

Bangladesh

Ingredients 1 Whole Chicken 10 Small Onions Darchini (Cinnamon) Bay Leaves Ginger Garlic Cardamom Salt

For Pilau: Onion paste (2 onions) 450g Pilau Rice 2tbsp Vegetable Oil 2tbsp of Ghee Spices (Cardamom, 2 bay leaves, Aniseed, Cinnamon, Star Anise, Garlic)

For Sauce: 3-4tbsp ginger paste 1-2tbsp garlic paste Cardamom Onion paste (5 onions - see instructions in recipe) 1tsp Salt 1tsp Garam Masala 72

Moderate - 1hr 30 mins - Serves: 6

Method Cut the chicken into pieces (leg, wing etc) then grate 5 onions and make a paste in a blender or by hand.

Take the fried onions and add a little milk and mix with some dried onions (2tbsp) Add this paste to the chicken and stir, keep covered on low heat.

Add crushed garlic to this onion mix and then add to the chicken pieces and mix together well.

For the rice:

Add salt and black pepper to taste.

Marinate the chicken for 10 mins then shallow fry the chicken pieces until cooked.

For the sauce: Chop 5 onions and fry until going brown and place to the side.

Add all the other ingredients together and keep stirring for approx. 30 minutes over a low heat.

Add the chicken to the paste with the lid off for about 5 minutes then add a little water and cover.

Mix all the spices, onion and ginger and fry gently in oil and ghee. Add a teaspoon of salt to this.

Wash the rice and add to the paste mix.

Add water to cover the rice bring to the boil then simmer until water has evaporated away. Serve rice and chicken.

Desert and drinks

Rich Fruit Cake

George

Britain

Ingredients 350g Butter 300g Soft Brown Sugar 165g Plain Flour 165g Self-raising Flour 100g Ground Almonds 1tsp Mixed Spice 5 large Eggs 1kg 400g mixed Dried Fruit (mix of raisins, sultanas and fancier fruits like prunes and cherries) 150g chopped nuts Zest and juice of a large orange and a lemon

76

5 tablespoons of liquid (for example a mixture of orange and cranberry juice, cool black earl grey tea or brandy or another spirit)

Moderate - 2hr 30 mins - Serves: 6 plus

Method Cream the butter, sugar, flour, ground almonds and mixed spice until the mixture is light and fluffy.

Then beat in the eggs one at a time.

Mix in all the flour, then add in the mixed fruit.

Pour the mixture into a 8-inch/20cm round, paper-lined deep tin.

Bake in slow oven 160째C/325째F/ gas mark 3, for 2 hours Stand for 24 hours.

Remove paper and turn upside down.

Mix together 2 tablespoons of equal amounts the chosen liquid and pour over the bottom of the

cake. Place cake in a plastic bag and seal.

Two days later take the cake out of the bag turn over and repeat the process on the top. Replace the cake in the bag and it will be ready in two weeks. The cake will keep for a full year.

I trained as a baker in Newcastle, back then it was known as bakery science and you trained alongside gas fitters; that sounds a bit strange today. I always remember my first exam there in 1955, while outside the window of the exam room Newcastle brought back the FA cup to St James’s Park.

I really enjoy cooking, especially cakes and pastries, although I would not call myself a chef. I worked with a lot of bakers at the beginning from around the region which got me a lot of experience from people who were hands on. Likewise I like to pass on my experience to other people so I have no secrets where baking is concerned.

Baking has always been in the family in one way or another, my uncle was a baker and confectioner and my mum and dad opened a small bakery business in Stanhope Road before he was lost at sea in 1943.

As I am the sacristan at St Jude’s, Laygate, and because I am a baker by trade I would make 100 cakes like this every Christmas for St Jude’s Church. We would then sell the cakes to raise money for whatever cause was needed that year. Now that would be a little bit too much of a trial, although I still find it difficult to make less than four cakes at a time as I am just used to making large batches.

Basbousah

Iftikar and Ashwaq

Yemen

Ingredients 450g Coarse Semolina 220g Caster Sugar 75g Self-raising Flour 200g Thick Plain Yoghurt 200g Unsalted butter (melted) 90g Desiccated Coconut 30g Blanched Almonds 1tsp Vanilla Extract

80

For Syrup: 330g Caster Sugar 250ml Water 1tsp Lemon Juice 1tsp Rosewater

Easy - 50 mins - Serves: 4-6

Method Preheat the oven to 190°C. Mix the semolina, coconut, sugar, flour, yoghurt, melted butter and vanilla in a bowl.

If the mixture is too thick, add a little milk, but it should still be stiff.

Spread the mixture with your hands into a buttered 30 cm x5 cm baking tray. Cut it into diamond shapes, pressing hard.

Place an almond in the centre of each diamond. Bake for 35–40 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the syrup.

Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.

Simmer for 5 minutes without stirring. Stir in the lemon juice and rosewater and remove from the heat. Leave to cool.

Pour the syrup over the cake while the cake is still hot. Cool to serve.

Moroccan Mint Tea

Nadia

Morocco

Ingredients 1 Bunch Fresh Mint 3tsp Green China Tea 3tbsp Sugar

84

Easy - 15 mins - Serves: 4

Method Place the green tea into a teapot and fill with boiling water, then drain this water out in order to clean the green tea-leaves and pot (use a tea strainer to keep the tea leaves and put back into the teapot).

Refill the pot and add all of the mint and sugar (although if you prefer tea not as sweet, you can add less sugar to the pot).

Leave to brew for 5 minutes swirling the pot, holding onto the handle and the lid, several times to help the brewing process.

When pouring gradually extend

the height of the pot (safely!) as high as possible so that when the tea lands in the tea cup, or glass, a layer froth forms on top. This oxygenates the tea.

Moroccan tea is normally served in smaller amounts, in special small glasses.

Suppliers

STORES Zam Zam Superstore 34-36 Frederick Street, South Shields, NE33 5EA Tel: 0191 4355346 Hutchinson’s Fruit & Veg 27 Frederick Street, South Shields, NE33 5DY Contact: Aytug Onur Tel: 07786 213 081 Ahmed Food Stores, 13-15 Frederick Street, South Shields NE33 5DY Tel: 0191 427 6027 Greens Butchers, 111 Boldon Lane, South Shields, NE34 0NG Tel: 0191 456 2772 Brighton Food Stores, 14-18 Brighton Grove, Newcastle upon Tyne NE4 5NR Tel: 0191 273 1070

About COOKING WITH SOUTH SHIELDS is a project by CIRCA Projects that was launched at South Shields Central Library on December 12 2015

Photography and Interviews

by Peter Fryer Edited

by Adam Phillips, Dawn Bothwell and Sam Watson with support from Peter Fryer, Nadia Terry and Lucy Chenery Design

by Sam Watson Printed

by Studio 3, Washington in edition of 750

Supported

by The Big Lottery Fund: Awards for All, Community Foundation: Port of Tyne Community Action Fund, The Woodward Charitable Trust Arts Council England through Grants for the Arts

ISBN 9 7 8 - 0 - 9 9 3 1 6 8 7 - 3 - 4