In the kitchen with T.O. chef Shahir Massoud
The author of ‘Eat, Habibi, Eat!’ shares a few of his go-to tricks for reimagining Egyptian dishes
When Toronto chef Shahir Massoud started his culinary career, and again when he sat down to start working on his upcoming cookbook, he was focused on the lessons he’d mastered in school, such as French techniques — and not on the flavours he already knew by heart.
Along the way, Massoud, a former co-host on CBC’s “The Goods” and a frequent guest on “The Marilyn Denis Show,” realized he had been taking the staple foods from his childhood for granted. The revelation inspired the concept for his new book: a fun trip down memory lane where he reimagines the Egyptian dishes he was raised on.
The result is “Eat, Habibi, Eat!” (out May 4), a beautifully photographed tome that combines Massoud’s classical training with delicious Middle Eastern fare, featuring recipes like Tarragon Baba Ghanoush and Yogurt-Braised Shortrib Shawarma.
Here, Massoud shares three kitchen tricks that are mainstays in his repertoire — tips you can draw upon while cooking your way through his book or whipping up other everyday dishes as well.
Mind the temperature
Here’s a simple but gamechanging fact: You’re probably not roasting at a high enough temperature. When Massoud serves friends, say, roasted veggies, they’ll often ask: “Why does this taste so much better than what I make at home?” In his experience, home cooks will typically roast at around 350 degrees Fahrenheit, which is tantamount to baking. Instead, heat your oven up to 450 to 500 degrees — or even a touch more — for a true roasted effect. “Don’t fear going higher,” he says. “That’s when you’ll start to get texture, colour and depth of flavour.”
Save up for stock
Cutting back on kitchen waste can seem daunting, but Massoud has a super easy first step. Toss all your veggie scraps — anything from onion bits to carrot ends, even parsley stems — into a freezer bag. Once you have a good pile saved up, roast them (at a high temperature, of course) and turn them into a tasty stock.
“Stock in any kitchen is liquid gold,” he says. “You can use it for a soup, in purées or at any time in the cooking process where you’d use a splash of water because it’ll create a better flavour.” Bonus tip: Massoud likes to freeze extra stock in an ice cube tray, so he can pop out a small amount whenever he wants.
Whip up a versatile staple
“Yogurt is not just for berries and honey in the morning — there are so many more applications for it,” Massoud says, pointing to recipes in his book, like the Fino Bread with Tahini and Molasses or the Brown Butter and Coconut Basbousa, his take on a classic Egyptian semolina cake. He adds yogurt to marinades for meat (it helps break down protein to make the dish super tender), to dips like tangy labneh, and to baked sweets to make them “impossibly moist for days.”
Massoud even uses yogurt to whip up a healthier dupe for Caesar salad dressing (which can also double as a sandwich spread): Mix 1 half-cup (125 mL) Greek yogurt with 1 half-cup olive oil, 2 teaspoons (10 mL) Dijon mustard, 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, 5 teaspoons (25 mL) sherry vinegar, 1 finely minced garlic clove, 1 quarter-cup (65 mL) freshly grated Parmesan, 1.5 teaspoons (7.5 mL) salt and 1 half-teaspoon pepper. “It’s so easy, creamy and garlicky,” he says. “You cannot tell the difference.”