I was gifted this cookbook — Ma Baseema — by my middle daughter and her partner for Xmas 2024. The recipes were collected and tested by The Chaldean American Ladies of Charity, a Michigan agency that has helped Iraqi Chaldean refugees resettle in the U.S. (Chaldeans are Eastern Rite Catholics and have faced ongoing persecution in Iraq.)
My daughter’s partner is of Chaldean ancestry and her grandmother in Detroit knew some of the people who put together this cookbook (and gave them some advice on some of the recipes).
Even better, daughter’s partner has annotated many of the recipes with their more personal suggestions on ingredients and whatnot. So the recipes come pre-improved.
One thing you learn almost immediately paging through this book is that it is assumed you are cooking for a crowd. There are a couple of recipes for meat pies that look delicious … the first ingredient for each is “5 pounds flour.”
Yes … I can do basic math and reduce portions. But even simpler was to find a … simpler … recipe.
So I settled on this fried curried fish, served over red rice. As I usually do, I didn’t follow the recipe exactly (but mainly because I didn’t read the rice recipe close enough and forgot to buy mushrooms.
Anyway, I’m really happy with this cookbook with all its personal touches and family connection. And I will tackle the meat pies at some point.
Sounds like a great excuse for a meat pie party!