Make H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Jawhara Pi\u00f1er’s recipes for Passover and Mimouna: salmon, artichokes and pa alis stew, murakkaba and sweet couscous<\/p>\n
Published Apr 11, 2025<\/p>\n
Last updated Apr 11, 2025<\/span><\/p>\n 8 minute read<\/p>\n <\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n Article content<\/p>\n Our cookbook of the week is Matzah and Flour<\/a> by H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Jawhara Pi\u00f1er, a historian and chef based in Bordeaux, France.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS<\/p>\n Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.<\/p>\n SUBSCRIBE FOR MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n <\/span>or<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Jump to the recipes:<\/strong> salmon, artichokes and pa alis stew<\/a>, murakkaba<\/a> (Moroccan mufleta for Mimouna) and sweet couscous<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Food allows us to travel without moving. At the same time, it tells a story about where we\u2019ve been. In H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Jawhara Pi\u00f1er<\/a>\u2018s third book and second cookbook, Matzah and Flour (Academic Studies Press, 2024), the Sephardic historian and chef delved into the role of a foundational ingredient in recipes inseparable from geography and time.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI was fascinated by the different kinds of flour, like chestnut flour, corn flour \u2014 from barley, rice, wheat, freekeh,\u201d says Pi\u00f1er from her home in Bordeaux, France. \u201c(But) what is more important is to consider that when people move, their food practices move as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Pi\u00f1er points out that when Sephardic Jews left Spain for the Americas after the 1492 expulsion, they started using ingredients such as corn and chocolate, which didn\u2019t yet exist in Europe. After later being expelled by the Inquisition in the Americas (1571-1820), the Sephardic Jews who moved back to Europe arrived with these ingredients in tow. \u201cYou can follow Jewish history according to the food practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n In Matzah and Flour, Pi\u00f1er examines the history of the Sephardic Jews through 125 recipes and the \u201ctransformative potential\u201d of a core ingredient.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Starting with a section on \u201cThe Old and Holy Breads\u201d and ending with her own \u201cCreations,\u201d Pi\u00f1er arranged most of Matzah and Flour by Jewish holidays and the places Sephardic Jews celebrated them. She covers culinary traditions from the diaspora, starting with Rosh Hashanah and ending with Shavuot, plus a separate section devoted to Shabbat.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Pi\u00f1er opens the book with a map of the Sephardic food world charting the places Sephardim have lived throughout history. Locations such as Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, Mexico, Peru, Portugal, Spain and Yemen give a sense of its vastness. The map also reflects the wide array of sources Pi\u00f1er discovered from South and North America.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n A visual representation of the 14 flours used in the book\u2019s recipes, including freekeh, wheat, barley, chickpea and chestnut, underscores the cuisine\u2019s depth. \u201cI didn\u2019t expect that I was going to find so many references concerning food practices of the Sephardim who were using a lot of different kinds of flour.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Flour is a highly versatile ingredient, as Pi\u00f1er illustrates in the book. The type can change the taste and texture of the finished dish, whether savoury or sweet. As Pi\u00f1er highlights, for the Sephardim, these choices weren\u2019t solely based on flavour but on flour\u2019s symbolic value and the significance of matzah (unleavened bread). \u201cThey wanted to follow their Judaic practices.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Pi\u00f1er draws on literary and historical sources in her culinary work. The recipes in Matzah and Flour were shaped by various texts, including the writings of Sephardic rabbi and philosopher Maimonides (\u201ca pioneer of Jewish dietary principles\u201d), The Portrait of Lozana (1524) by Francisco Delicado, a Spanish Renaissance writer and converso (or \u201ccrypto-Jew\u201d) \u2014 a convert to Christianity who practised Judaism in secret \u2014 and Inquisition tribunal records.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cIf you want to understand why we, as Sephardim, have a very diverse food heritage, you have to consider all those different kinds of sources to understand this diversity. And that\u2019s why I decided to use those different kinds of sources, and not only a cookbook, not only a medical treaty, not only Inquisition trials,\u201d says Pi\u00f1er. \u201cI want to highlight our richness.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n The following recipes are from Matzah and Flour\u2019s Passover<\/a> chapter. This year, the holiday begins before sundown on April 12 and ends after nightfall on April 20.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Pi\u00f1er\u2019s Passover recipe for salmon, artichoke and pa alis (unleavened bread) stew<\/a> was inspired by court testimony about Joan \u00c7arriera, a Jewish convert living in Girona, Spain, in the late 15th century, who was declared \u201cHeretic, Judaizer and Apostate\u201d and sentenced to \u201cmoderate\u201d punishment \u201cwithout death, shedding of blood or mutilation of limbs.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n (Moroccan Sephardic Jews often make the other two recipes \u2014 murakkaba<\/a> and sweet couscous<\/a> \u2014 for Mimouna, a post-Passover celebration stretching from the evening of April 20 to sundown on April 21.)<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Informers often used food to denounce Jews. Pi\u00f1er estimates that 50 per cent of Inquisition trials were related to culinary practices and considers the manuscripts one of the most compelling sources.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cI was, and I remain, totally surprised by the richness of the information one can find in judicial sources. You can learn about the political context, the religious context, the social context, and, as this is my focus, you can really know what kind of food people used to make their dishes. But also what kind of food they avoided eating, mainly because they were Jewish.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Since Sephardic Jews were denounced mainly for following and celebrating Jewish holidays, Pi\u00f1er considered it logical that these celebrations would constitute the core of Matzah and Flour.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cAccording to these Jewish holidays, crypto-Jews were more or less denounced \u2014 but they were denounced. For Passover, there were more denunciations because it lasts eight days,\u201d says Pi\u00f1er. She created a dedicated Shabbat chapter for the same reason. \u201cBecause Shabbat is every week, it constitutes the holiday that the informers more often used to denounce crypto-Jewish families.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Sephardic Jewish cuisine\u2019s unique range is at the heart of the book. \u201cWhat I wanted to do with Matzah and Flour is to scientifically prove that we have had, for a long time, a very special food identity. It\u2019s just that our food identity is diverse, and this is what makes our food very, very special. It\u2019s our diversity,\u201d says Pi\u00f1er.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to our history of moving from one country to another, we\u2019ve been building our food identity. Which remains Sephardic and which remains Jewish<\/a> \u2014 but we have different kinds of Jewish Sephardic cuisine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Serves:<\/strong> 4<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n 4 skinless salmon fillets Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In a bowl, make the marinade by mixing 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and black pepper. Coat the salmon fillets with the marinade. Mix the crushed matzot and sumac flakes on a plate. Coat each salmon fillet with the mixture and place on a plate. Chill in the refrigerator for about 1 hour.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In a skillet, heat 4 tbsp olive oil. Cook the salmon fillets for 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the skillet and put on a plate. Cover with aluminum foil to keep them warm.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In the same skillet, add sliced spring onions and crushed garlic. Cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat until the garlic is golden. Add the honey and stir. Add the spinach leaves and artichoke quarters. Cook for 5 minutes, adding olive oil if the mixture becomes too dry. Add the fresh lemon juice and stir.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Place the cooked salmon fillets back into the pan in the middle of the sauce. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes until the eggs are cooked.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Sprinkle the dish with 1 tsp salt and grated cheese over the eggs. Serve with broken pieces of matzah.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Moroccan Mufleta for Mimouna<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Serves:<\/strong> 4<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n For the dough:<\/strong> Article content<\/p>\n Neutral oil for frying Article content<\/p>\n For the toppings:<\/strong> Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Mix the dough ingredients in a bowl. Knead for 10 minutes, then form 8 small balls, brush them with oil, and set aside for 15 minutes.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Take one ball and flatten it out to form a very thin disk. Put it in a hot, greased pan for about 10 seconds, then turn it over. Flatten a second ball and put this new disk on top of the first one. After 10 seconds, turn the two layers upside down. Flatten a third ball, place it on top, and keep going until you have no more disks left, turning the stack upside down each time you add a new layer.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Place the tower on a serving plate, pour melted butter and drizzle the honey over it. Sprinkle the chopped dates over the dish.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Serves:<\/strong> 4<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n 1 cup (240 mL) water Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In a saucepan, bring 240 mL water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and the couscous to the water, stir, and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 8 minutes until the water is fully absorbed.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n In a separate saucepan, heat the whole milk over medium heat, along with the honey and butter. Stir. Add the cinnamon and cardamom, stir some more, and then add the raisins.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Add the cooked couscous to the saucepan with the honey mixture and stir until fully combined. Cook the couscous mixture over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Place the sweet couscous in a dish and sprinkle with the chopped almonds and raisins to taste.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Serve warm.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Recipes and images excerpted with permission from Matzah and Flour: Recipes from the History of the Sephardic Jews<\/a> by H\u00e9l\u00e8ne Jawhara Pi\u00f1er, published by \u200eCherry Orchard Books, an imprint of Academic Studies Press.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark nationalpost.com<\/a> and sign up for our cookbook and recipe newsletter, Cook This, here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n Article content<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"recipes](\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/matzahAndFlourFeat.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&h=216&sig=zG-fT8BZXUcFTD0LmDGAmQ\")
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Recipes Sign In or Create an Account<\/h2>\n
![\"recipes](\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/matzahAndFlourCoverInline.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&sig=yMK8A5GB5jmLXUwD6KjBww\")
<\/picture>JOAN \u00c7ARRIERA SALMON, ARTICHOKES AND PA ALIS STEW<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
![\"recipes](\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/salmonArtichokeStewInline.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&sig=AoexiYRBvCzoFoCI_62RAw\")
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1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil (for marinade)
1 7\/8 oz (50 g) matzah, crushed into breadcrumbs
2 tsp sumac flakes
4 tbsp olive oil
2 small red spring onions (with the green leaves), sliced
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tsp honey
4 cups fresh spinach
8 artichoke quarters, cooked (fresh or canned)
1 lemon, for juice
4 eggs
1 tsp salt
1\/2 cup grated hard cheese (such as Manchego)<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\nStep 1<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 2<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 3<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 4<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 5<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
MURAKKABA<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
![\"recipes](\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/murakkabaInline.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&sig=4HgHXP9t_KsjOYP9yd9JjQ\")
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2 3\/4 cup (430 g) flour
1 cup (150 g) extra fine semolina
1\/2 tbsp fresh yeast, crushed (or 1\/2 tbsp active dry yeast or 1 tbsp sourdough starter)
1 tsp salt
1 egg
1\/8 cup (13 g) sugar
1 1\/3 cup (266 mL) water<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Sugar to sprinkle<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
1 cup (340 g) honey
1\/2 cup (100 g) melted butter
10 dates chopped into small pieces<\/p>\n<\/section>\nStep 1<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 2<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 3<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
SWEET COUSCOUS<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
![\"recipes](\"https:\/\/smartcdn.gprod.postmedia.digital\/nationalpost\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/sweetCouscousInline.jpg?quality=90&strip=all&w=288&sig=qTxCM_U6rci7LysEkSRx0Q\")
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Pinch of salt
1 cup (130 g) couscous
3\/4 cup (200 mL) whole milk
1\/4 cup (80 g) honey
2 tbsp salted butter
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cardamom
1\/4 cup (40 g) raisins
1\/4 cup (35 g) chopped almonds
Raisins, to sprinkle (optional)<\/p>\n<\/section>\nStep 1<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 2<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 3<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 4<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n
Step 5<\/h3>\n<\/p>\n<\/section>\n