Natalie and I met at the Dr. Sandwich restaurant on Olympic Boulevard, when she introduced herself after recognizing me as one of the Sephardic Spice Girls. I was lucky enough to meet her sweet children and lovely husband and we felt like instant family.
Soon after, Natalie, Rachel and I got together to bake baklava roses in her pristine kitchen. We had so much fun, bonding over our recipes, our family stories and our ambitions to eventually write a cookbook.
We found out that Natalie was once a director at Sephardic Adventure Camp in Seattle, where Rachel鈥檚 sons and my daughters spent some summers. (My youngest daughter Shevy is working as a counselor there right now.)
This week we invited her to be an honorary Spice Girl and to share a recipe. She decided that besides t鈥檅it 鈥渂eing absolutely delicious,鈥� it鈥檚 an example of how she likes to cook. She adds 鈥淚 take what鈥檚 familiar to me, what I grew up with and put my own spin on it.鈥�
We can鈥檛 argue with that!
鈥掷丑补谤辞苍
There鈥檚 something magical about waking up on Shabbat morning to the smell of t鈥檅it.
The scent of warm spices, slow-cooked chicken and rice seem to travel through the house before anyone is fully awake. It moves through hallways and under doorways, reaching you before your eyes are fully open. The smell is comforting and familiar and almost impossible to describe (unless you grew up with it).
Every 91传媒 community, all around the world, has their own version of a slow cooked, overnight dish that feels like a hug in a bowl. Whether it is hamin, dafina, cholent or t鈥檅it, they all do the same thing, they fill your belly with comfort and your heart with love.
My family history is remarkably similar on both sides. All four of my grandparents, along with their families, came from Iraq, where they had lived for generations, some in Basra and others in Baghdad. Once home to a vibrant and deeply rooted 91传媒 community, life in Iraq became increasingly difficult for Jews in the 1930s and 1940s. While many Iraqi Jews made Aliyah to Israel, my family left for Tehran.
My parents were both born in Iran during the Pahlavi era, at a time when the country was undergoing rapid modernization and maintained close ties with Israel. They speak fondly of life there: their international schools and Club Bahar, where the Iraqi community gathered regularly.
Eventually, both of my parents came to the United States to attend university. While they were abroad, the Iranian Revolution transformed Iran almost overnight. My grandmother once told me that she was visiting her sister in Israel when the revolution was reaching its height. Friends called to warn her not to return to Tehran, but of course she had to go back. On that return trip, she boarded what was the last flight from Tel Aviv to Tehran. Soon after, with many twists and turns, my family left Iran and settled in Los Angeles.
My father worked as an aeronautical engineer, and when I was seven my parents relocated to Seattle, leaving behind the Iraqi-Iranian 91传媒 community in Los Angeles.
Growing up in Seattle, Iraqi food was not familiar to most people in our 91传媒 community. However recognizable to me, the smell of t鈥檅it was unknown to most of my friends. First they would be drawn in by the aroma, then surprised by the richness of the rice, the tenderness of the chicken, and the way one humble pot of food could feel both mysterious and comforting.
Like my mother, and her mother before her, and generations of mothers before them, food is the language with which I learned to show love. Living in a new city and building herself a new community, my mother did what she did best: she made t鈥檅it. When someone had a baby, she made t鈥檅it. When someone needed comfort, she made t鈥檅it. When guests came over on Saturday, she made t鈥檅it. Her t鈥檅it was lovingly called 鈥渃hicken cholent鈥� and quickly gained fame throughout the community. Soon copycat versions of t鈥檅it were slow cooking in homes across Seattle. All mimicking my mother鈥檚 cardamom-infused dish, each chef adding their own touch.
Now I carry that tradition forward in my own home. My kids wake up Shabbat morning to the smell of t鈥檅it and run to the kitchen pleading to take a bite before guests arrive.
My version of t鈥檅it uses the baharat spice blend my mother taught me. But I reduce the amount of rice and add extra chicken thighs for more flavor and chickpeas for a creamy, earthy bite. This change also increases the protein to carbohydrate ratio. My husband, who is notorious for not eating any carbs, including rice, can often be found scooping up t鈥檅it straight from the pot, even when it鈥檚 cold.
This recipe is traditional and personal at the same time, which feels fitting. That is how tradition often works. We receive something, we live with it, and then we pass it on, imprinted with our touches. I鈥檓 excited to see where my children take it from here. If you try it out, what will you do differently? How will you make it your own?
鈥擭补迟补濒颈别
Natalie’s Tbit Recipe
Chicken Marinade:
3.5 lb whole chicken, skin on, cleaned well
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp avocado oil or any neutral oil
Rice and Assembly:
1 1/2 cups basmati rice
2 Tbsp avocado oil
2 large onions diced
2 Tbsp tomato paste
1 Tbsp freshly ground cardamom
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 Tsp black pepper freshly ground
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 Tbsp chicken consomm茅 powder
1 cup tomato sauce
15 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3 lbs boneless chicken thighs, boneless, cut into 1.5鈥� cubes
Dry the chicken with paper towels. Combine spices and avocado oil for marinade. Being careful not to tear the skin, rub marinade all over the chicken, under the skin and behind the legs. Place in the fridge for at least an hour to absorb the flavors and allow salt to penetrate the meat.
Wash basmati rice, then drain well. In a small bowl, place 1 tablespoon of rice and mix in large pinches of salt, cardamom, cinnamon, a few grinds of black pepper, a spoonful of diced tomatoes and about a tablespoon of chicken thighs, finely diced. Set aside. (This will be stuffed into the cavity of the chicken and become highly coveted once cooked.)
In a large 9.5-quart Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons avocado oil over medium heat. Add whole chicken and saut茅 for about 5 minutes on each side. Remove chicken from the pot and set aside.
Reduce heat to low and add onions to the pot. Allow to soften, about 15 minutes. Add in tomato paste and let cook for 3 minutes, until color has darkened. Add in all of the spices and consomm茅 and mix well. Pour in 1 cup tomato sauce and the remaining diced tomatoes. Mix in remaining chicken thighs and chickpeas. Pour in 1 cup of water and bring the mixture to a boil.
Stuff the reserved rice into chicken cavity. Nestle the chicken back into the pot with the rice and thigh mixture.
Cover the pot and place in the oven set on 200掳F Shabbat mode and cook for 20 hours.
Note: Alternatively, this recipe can be cooked in a crock pot set on low for 20 hours.
Natalie Mizrahi is a recipe developer based in Los Angeles, CA and the creative force behind Olive Oil & Salt Flakes.
For a video tutorial of this recipe and more, visit . or @oliveoilandsaltflakes on Instagram.
Sharon Gomperts and Rachel Emquies Sheff have been friends since high school. The Sephardic Spice Girls project has grown from their collaboration on events for the Sephardic Educational Center in Jerusalem. Follow them
on Instagram @sephardicspicegirls and on Facebook at Sephardic Spice SEC Food. Website .
