50 | August 2012 | woman this month Food With the first sliver of a new moon sighted through the evening sky so, too, commences the Holy Month of Ramadan. V time for religious and personal reflection, a time for family and community and, of course, a time of fasting as well as feasting, Ramadan is filled with the greatest of pride and respect for Islam. I find that Ramadan brings together everyone — locals, expatriates and visitors alike — as we all feel the changes of the Holy Month. Mother Theresa was once quoted as saying, “God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. He is the friend of silence. Nature — trees, flowers, grass — grow in silence; the stars, the moon and the sun, they all move in silence. We need silence to be able to touch souls.” I love this quote for I see it as a partial understanding also of the basis of the Holy Month. Until I moved to the Middle East eight years ago, I had never heard of Ramadan. Today, I too look forward to this month on the Islamic calendar for it allows us all, no matter religion or race, to take a moment for reflection, silence and thankfulness of what we have and what we have been given. As a chef, Ramadan brings with it so many wonderful dishes, many of which are based in centuries of tradition. It offers us, as culinary adventurers, a time to try dishes we may not normally cook; ones of another land, another time and of tradition. I have tried this month to work with light and sweet dishes which might help you break your fast, and which go equally well with either suhoor or iftar. However you celebrate the Holy Month and wherever you may be for it, Ramadan Kareem. Spiritual Food Home-made Hummus l Wash the chickpeas. Place them into a saucepan with the bay leaf and sliced onion. l Add vegetable stock cube and water to cover the chickpeas by two-three centimeters. Cover the saucepan and bring to a simmer and cook till chick peas soften for 90 minutes. l Drain the chickpeas but save the liquid. Place the cooked chickpeas in a food processor with the garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, soy sauce, black pepper, and tahini and process the mixture until it is smooth. l If thick, add some of the cooking liquid to thin. Mix it in the chopped parsley; serve on a plate with fresh kuboos bread. 300g chickpeas (garbanzo beans) 1 bay leaf 1 white onion sliced 2 vegetable stock cube 1 litre water 2 cloves crushed garlic 1 lemon, juice and zest 50ml soy sauce pinch black pepper, freshly cracked 120g tahini 20g chopped fresh parsley. By James Claire
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