Sephardi Jewish cooking developed alongside the local cookery traditions of Spain and Portugal. Due to the influence of Muslim rule of Southern Spain a lot of exotic ingredients, not common to Europe became part of the regular diet.
Caraway, coriander, cumin and turmeric feature in the cooking. Olives and pickled vegetables would be served as a accompaniment to meat dishes.
Like Gulf Arabic coffee of today they used cardamom in their coffee. Chopped mint was added to salads and was used to make a refreshing drink mixed with lemon. You can still get mint and lemon - nana wa limoon - in most Arabic speaking countries today.
As a modern variant on Sephardi cooking, I offer you a recipe for Ginger and coriander fishcakes, served on a lemon and tomato salsa bed.
Sephardi Fish Cakes
Ingredients
2 Medium size brown onions - peeled and finely chopped
2 Slices of brown bread
750 g Haddock - free os kin and bones - minced
5 Garlic cloves - minced
100 g Coriander - chopped
1/2 Tsp Garam masala
1/2 Tsp Ground ginger
3/4 Tsp Paprika
3/4 Tsp Ground turmeric
1/2 Tsp Cayenne pepper
1 Egg
1 Large matzo biscuit - ground in a blender to a fine meal
50 ml Olive oil
5 Ripe medium tomatoes - diced with central part removed
1 Flesh of lemon - without pips- diced
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Directions
Soak the bread in water for 5-10 minutes, them squeeze out the water, making a ball of wet bread in the hand.
Put the bread in a food mixer. Add the fish and the ginger.
Add the cayenne pepper and seasoning. Then add half of each of the following, as the rest will be needed for the salsa. Coriander, garam masala, garlic and turmeric.
Mix together until it forms a wet dough-like consistency.
Place in the fridge to cool. The metal mixer bowl is ideal for this.
Then start on the salsa preparation. Heat the oil in a pan, then add the garlic and onion. Cook on a medium heat until the onion is softening and starting to turn golden. Add the remaining spices.
Take the fix mix out of the fridge and after wetting the hands, roll the mixture into golf-ball sized pieces.
Flatten a little and then dip into the matzo meal to form a fine coating.
Fry the fish cakes in shallow olive oil for 5-10 minutes until the outside is
going golden brown and the inside is cooked. Remove from the pan and put onto kitchen towel.
Serve the fish cakes on the hot salsa base. Garnish with fresh coriander and lemon wedges.
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