“As an eight-year-old, I wanted McDonald’s!” declared cookbook author and television personality
Shahir Massoud on a recent Zoom call. “But, when my
parents wanted a real treat, they wanted Egyptian falafel.” His adolescent dreams dashed, Massoud would accompany his parents whenever their craving-fueled outings drove them to the “one or two places” in Toronto that sold the real deal: deep-fried, light-as-air discs encased in a perfectly crisp shell. Break one open and you’ll reveal a vibrant green center.
That green center is important, says Massoud. In his new cookbook
Eat, Habibi, Eat!, he writes that you’ll often see Egyptians break open a falafel before eating to make sure they’re legit. The green color in Egyptian falafel comes from the use of fava beans in combination with a blend of herbs most falafel is made with chickpeas, which results in a beige center instead.
Great braÈovence, Georgescu explains, are beautifully crunchy on the outside and a little juicy on the inside, offering the perfect contrast of textures in every mouthful. I love how the delicate, buttery envelopes of crepe crisp up, encasing the almost meaty mushroom and onion filling. A dollop of tangy sour cream or yogurt served alongside helps to refresh your palate between each bite.
âWe have a great love for pancakes in Romania, and they are often developed into sophisticated, comforting dishes,â Georgescu says. This version, she notes, is named for the town of BraÈov, which she says is one of the most beautiful cities of Transylvania.
You could have an unforgiving day at work, an unexpected late night, a bad hangover, or a sudden broken heart no matter what it is that ails you, it can be soothed by a bowl of pozole. That’s one reason the hearty, filling, one-stop stews are so beloved in Mexico. The other reasons are that they’re fun to eat (a key thrill of pozoles is that you garnish and customize them as you please) and they hold beautifully, tasting even better when reheated after a good sit in the refrigerator. Pozoles are so big in Mexico that there are restaurants, fondas, and stands that serve the dish exclusively they go by the name of pozolerías.