Baking a prayer

During the first weeks the United States engaged Iraq in a war, we were visiting family in Florida. One morning, while reading the local newspaper, a very small book announcement caught my eye. It stated that Nawal Nasrallah was publishing a cookbook titled, "Delights from the Garden of Eden - A cookbook and a History of the Iraqi Cuisine."

I was intrigued for two reasons. The first being my father-in-law had just used the same self publishing company to get his book out, and I was struggling with the idea of how we could, as a people, hate an entire country for the actions of a few.

I went on the web to find out more about this author. What I found out amazed me. First of all I had to travel 1500 miles to read about a remarkable author who lived not 30 miles from my house. Ms. Nasrallah is remarkable. She is a teacher, a wife, a mother, a person who has suffered, and seen war. She fled Iraq the day that Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.

I bought her book. I knew she would be able to help me understand the peaceful Iraqi people. I wanted to get to know the mothers and their children, and figured learning about their cuisine was a good place to start.

Being a baker, I turned to the cakes and breads. My first foray into Iraqi cooking was the Energizing Fruit Cake (Kekat al-Fawakih al-Mujaffafa). It is a wonderful cake made with dried fruit and nuts. Much lighter than the traditional English fruit cake that gets passed around at Christmas. And true to her word, one slice of this cake in the morning is enough to carry you until dinner. Of course, it is so good, I find it hard not to eat two slices and then I still dream about more.

The next recipe I tried was the Gold'n Spicy Pumpkin Bread (Kekat al-Shijar al-Ahmer). This was another hit with the family, and friends. And I found myself baking these breads and giving them to people or bringing them to church bake sales. For example, when a neighbor's son returned from the war I baked a bread and dropped it over. I didn't make a big deal out of it. But in my heart I knew that baking this bread was a prayer of thanksgiving for his return and also a prayer for the innocent people in Iraq.

It's been years now, and I cook Iraqi food mixed in among our other standards. Instead of whipping up a meatloaf I follow the recipe for scotch eggs, (spicy meat wrapped around hard boiled eggs). We've eaten the Zucchini Squares, Cheese Crescents, Sugar Cookies, to name a few. For a while there I was on a streak, not one failed recipe.

Not one until I made Fava beans with Eggs. Mind you, I LOVED IT! But fava beans has become the latest and longest "food punishment". In other words, "Don't piss off Mom or she'll make those fava beans!" Of course, I won't mind at all.

So, this entry started to bubble up and churn because we are having an anniversary celebration at our church this weekend and as an alternative to donuts after the 8 a.m. Mass I offered to bring along some Energizing Fruit Cake. And along with this cake, a prayer.