Mediterranean Cookbook a Tribute to Author’s Grandmother
By Monica Villar
TCPalm.com
Vero Beach will get a taste of easy Mediterranean recipes when a South Florida native introduces the Treasure Coast to her new cookbook, “Nahima’s Hands: Unique Mediterranean Cuisine.”
Andrea Cassell, 55, will sign copies of the book and let guests taste her favorite dishes at the Vero Beach Book Center on July 16.
Cassell, who lives with her husband in Wichita, Kan., said the book was inspired by her grandmother Nahima Albert, a Syrian immigrant who raised her and taught her how to make most of the recipes in the book. After Cassell’s mother went back to work as a first-grade teacher, her grandmother took care of her.
“She would prepare food for my mom when she got home from work, and from watching my grandmother cook, I captured all that love and giving from an early age,” said Cassell, a mother of four. “She was extraordinary. She was 101 years old and was never on medication, never colored her hair and always had a smile on her face.”
Nahima was born Sept. 21, 1908. In a time of arranged marriages, she was matched at age 15 with her husband Antonio, and they were married in 1926. They moved to a number of countries and ended up in Miami, where they owned Tony’s Curb Market.
“I remember going to my grandparents’s grocery store as a kid and knowing and chatting with all the employees. I think that’s where I formed my outgoing personality and love for people and for food,” said Cassell, who was a Miami Dolphins Cheerleader in the early 1970s.
Mrs. Tony, as neighborhood residents often called Nahima, died in 2009. Cassell wrote the book to capture the memory of her grandmother, using what she learned from Nahima to create recipes to fill out the book.
“It’s an easy cookbook with easy ingredients,” Cassell said. “All the recipes in the book are Mediterranean and healthy. Nothing is fried.”
Creating the recipes was easy; writing them down was difficult for Cassell.
“I’m not used to cooking with measurements so I had to make everything five or six times to make it work,” she said.
The book features appetizers, salads, dressings and marinades, soups and stews, grains and legumes, vegetable dishes, meat dishes, dessert and breads. There’s also a slow cooker section and wine pairings to go along with many of the dishes.
But the book is about more than just good food to Cassell.
“When you have someone who passed away, the memory can last forever,” Cassell said. “But how many people can hold that memory in their hands every day? I hold my grandmother in my hands every day with my book, so I can never forget her.”
NAHIMA’S TRADITIONAL ROLLED GRAPE LEAVES (WHADDA ADEESH)
Serves 10 or moreIngredients
1 16-ounce jar grape leaves
1½ pounds ground sirloin or chuck
1 6-ounce can tomato paste
10 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup rice, washed and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup lemon juice
4 large tomatoes, finely diced
Directions
1 In a large bowl, combine meat, rice, garlic, salt, pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste. Mix well.
2 Lay grape leaves on a plate smooth side down; cut stems. Place leaves one at a time on a flat surface. Spread with 1 tablespoon of mixture. Fold sides in and roll leaf very tightly. Repeat method until all leaves are rolled.
3 Left-over leaves can be used to line the bottom of your pan. Line rolled grape leaves in pan side by side. Cover the bottom.
4 Place second row in the opposite direction. Cover with a heavy plate to keep them in place while cooking. Add water to cover the plate. Contemporary method: Use chicken broth instead of water for extra flavor. Bring to a boil.
5 Cover and simmer for 40-45 minutes until rice is done. Remove plate. Pour lemon juice over leaves.
6 Cool 5-10 minutes, then remove leaves gently to avoid breakage. Place on platter and garnish with sliced lemons.
NAHIMA’S TRADITIONAL WHEAT AND PARSLEY SALAD (TABBOULEH)
Serves 6
Ingredients
¾ cup fine bulgur wheat
¾ cup finely chopped green onions
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped (optional)
1 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 cup diced cucumber
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Black olives to garnish
Directions1 Place bulgur wheat in a bowl and cover with cold water. Let soak for 20 minutes. Drain excess water if necessary.
2 Mix wheat with onion. Add mint, parsley, tomato, cucumber, seasonings, oil and lemon juice. Tabbouleh should have a distinctive lemony flavor.
3 Serve chilled and decorated with black olives. Tabbouleh is eaten scooped up in bread or, more traditionally, in fresh lettuce leaves.
