Creating the Mezza Supreme

Fadi Babbie recreates his mom’s traditional New Year’s Eve dish.

By z.z. dawod

Ever since he can remember, Fadi Babbie has had warm memories of his family’s New Year’s Eve traditions, celebrated in his birthplace of Baghdad, Iraq. Not surprisingly, many of his memories are related to the food that was served.

His mother would set the table with sweet-flavored dishes — symbolic for wishing a “Sweet New Year.” The spread would typically include staples such as sweet kibbi hamuth, along with apricots, dates with nuts, Jordan Almonds or mesquool (sugar-coated almond candies), and other sweets.

A few savory dishes were always on hand as well, ensuring that no one would go to bed hungry. Among these, Fadi is particularly fond of a roast salad, invented by his mother as a creative way to make good use of all the available ingredients in the home. Over the years, this dish was enjoyed by all and became a family favorite, assuming a central role in their New Year’s Eve spread.

In Search of a Career

Like so many Chaldeans, Fadi’s family had to immigrate to the United States, uprooted by the instability that took root in Iraq during the past two decades. As is the case with many immigrant families, Fadi’s parents encouraged their children to look for careers that would provide stability and financial security.

While he was growing up, Fadi recalls a strong curiosity for figuring out how things worked. As a result, in the search for a steady career, he was encouraged to pursue engineering, which was practical and secure. Mechanical engineering seemed like a sensible choice since it suited his nature for exploring how things worked. After graduation, Fadi pursued work in this field and worked as a mechanical engineer for Wayne County.

After a few years of working as a mechanical engineer, Fadi did not find the field to be fulfilling. Deciding to make his first career switch, Fadi joined his brother, Ed, in the IT profession. The brothers worked closely together for many years but, still, Fadi found himself in a technical field — spending much of his time interacting with computer systems rather than people.

Following His Calling

During his tenure in the IT industry, an opportunity to work in a steak house presented itself. Although this may have seemed like an ‘out of left field’ choice for a tech professional, Fadi finally felt the spark that had previously eluded him, as he helped out Thursdays through Saturdays, cooking at the restaurant and preparing dishes for people to enjoy.

After spending years studying diagrams and wiring networks, Fadi finally found his calling — a chef’s calling — that allowed him to bring joy and satisfaction to people directly, on a level he could never experience in the world of IT.

As Fadi discovered his new-found passion, he gradually transitioned to cooking full-time, setting on a path to becoming a chef. Soon thereafter, Fadi launched CRSP Catering Co. and quickly began to establish a reputation as an in-demand private chef.

Catering for private dinners, parties, and pop-up events, Fadi enjoys his work immensely. As an added bonus, the engineering skills honed during his years in engineering and technology continue to play an integral part in Fadi’s success as a chef. To maintain consistency, he relies on his technical skills by tracking the many factors which can affect taste, such as monitoring precise cooking temperatures closely.

However, technical details are only part of the process. “You eat with your eyes,” Fadi says — so presentation is just as critical as the taste. “If it doesn’t look good, you won’t want to try it, even if it’s delicious. So, I try to give a good presentation and a good visual. I do things in a particular order to achieve that,” Fadi explains.

Not unlike a wedding photographer, a chef hired to create a private dinner in someone’s home — for a special celebration such as anniversary or birthday — has just one shot to get all the components ‘just so.’ In such situations, there is very little room for error.

A Blooming Flower for the New Year

On the day I visited Fadi’s kitchen, he made the Roast Salad which, upon tasting, we immediately dubbed the Mezza Supreme. Following his mom’s example from back home, planning for this dish must begin a couple of weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve.

Starting with the pickling of cucumbers to make tourshi, then cooking the meat a day or two in advance, the ingredients are prepared prior to mixing it all together on the big day. Although these are the key ingredients that Fadi has adopted for his version of the recipe, with all the components made from scratch, he made sure to point out that there is room for flexibility in this recipe.

Fadi recalls that his mom would make use of any and all ingredients, whether leftovers or fresh, to make this special New Year’s Eve spread. With nothing wasted and all available ingredients put to good use, Fadi’s mom modeled gratitude for all the blessings their family enjoyed, bringing in a sweet New Year (with bellies full), together with family and friends. If you’re looking for novel way to kick off 2024, you could do much worse.

Watch the full instruction video at chaldeannews.com and explore Fadi Babbie’s culinary creations at instagram.com/crsp_co/

Recipe

The Mezza Supreme: Roast with Romaine

Recipe shared by Fadi Babbie

Stuffed Cucumber Tourshi

Ingredients

2 lbs. of cucumber (Persian) tarooza

2 cups of water

1 cup and 4 tablespoons of white or apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons of salt

6 cloves of minced garlic

2 bunches of curly parsley, finely chopped

4 tablespoons of curry

Instructions

Wash cucumbers and pick parsley leaves. Slit the cucumbers lengthwise (a butterfly cut) without separating (like a hot dog bun). Mix garlic, curry, parsley and 4 tablespoons of white vinegar to create a paste. Stuff cucumbers with the paste without separating the cucumber halves. Place stuffed cucumbers into glass jar. Dissolve salt in vinegar and water and pour it into jar. Close the jar and let sit on your counter for at least one week. Mix by shaking the jar once per day. After opening, store in a refrigerator for up to 6 months.

The Roast

Ingredients

4 lbs. chuck roast

1/2 cup of avocado oil

8 to 10 cloves

4 bay leaves

4 oz. white or apple cider vinegar

5 to 6 cardamom

5 to 6 whole all spice

2 sticks of cinnamon

Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cut meat into large chunks. Use avocado oil to sear the meat on all sides. Deglaze the pot with about 6 to 8 cups of boiling water. Cook for about 30 minutes and place the meat in a separate container. Strain the water to remove any impurities. Add water back to the pot, along with your meat. Add spices, herbs, and seasonings.

Cook on medium low heat, covered. Cooking time will vary depending on tenderness of the meat but, on average, cooking time is about 2.5 hours. When finished cooking, turn off the heat and let the meat cool. Refrigerate overnight; this will allow the meat to soak up the juices. Prepare the meat about one to two days ahead of serving the dish. The meat can also be cooked in a crockpot.

Roast Salad

Ingredients

2 to 3 heads of Romaine lettuce

2 cups of diced pickled cucumbers (tourshi)

1 1/2 cups of mayonnaise

1 lemon, juiced

Instructions

Wash and dry the lettuce. Separate the larger leaves from the hearts and keep to the side. Cut the hearts of the lettuce but leave the larger leaves intact. Dice the pickled cucumbers (tourshi) into small pieces. Cut the roast into small bite-sized pieces. Mix all ingredients — diced lettuce hearts, meat, cucumbers, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Place the large leaves of lettuce in a circular pattern on a serving tray. Add the salad mixture onto the lettuce leaves. Serve cold and enjoy.