My latest Heirloom Kitchen landed me in Lebanon with an Iraqi woman, from England. Yes, you read that correctly, Scheherazade ‘Cherie’ Jafar was born in London, England and then moved with her family to Bagdad, Iraq until she was ten years old. At that point, she returned to Bathe, to study. At nineteen, she married and headed to America as a young bride.
Because of her diverse background, Cherie is versed in a number of different cuisines. She cooks dishes from her native England and Iraq but also makes a number of Lebanese dishes taught to her by her mother-in-law. It was fascinating to go through her little recipe book with her. A link to her well traveled past, her hand written recipes come from her homeland, her in laws and also her place of birth. She can throw together an authentic tabboleh, Middle Eastern stew and finish the meal with an English bread pudding.
Through our conversation, we got to cooking the most delicious zucchini dish from the middle east, Kousa Mahshi. Savory ground beef with rice all stuffed into a zucchini. It was delicious, simple, and healthy. Try this Lebanese stuffed zucchini made by an amazing English woman from Iraq and you will not be sorry!
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