Cardamom and Tea

Memories of Auntie May

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It’s impossible for anyone in my family to bake or eat nazook (AKA nazooki) without thinking about our auntie May. She was truly the queen of nazooki. She even typed up her recipe to be able to pass it along easily to everyone who asked… and believe me, they asked! I’d guess that her recipe made the rounds to hundreds of people, and I wouldn’t be surprised if some folks out there have a sheet of paper that’s been photocopied again and again, without even knowing May personally. It’s made the rounds, and for good reason.

I learned how to make May’s nazook last summer by studying her prolific recipe. By the end of the summer, I had come up with my own version of nazook, adapted from and inspired by hers (not because it needed to change, but because we all have our own way of doing things). My version is deeply indebted to hers, and her recipe is one of the most perfect things I’ve ever tried. But I’m keeping it with our big extended family, and sharing mine with you here, which is also darn good, and only because of all I learned from May’s example.

May passed away last July, and my family will always cherish our memories of her and her generous spirit. We wish May’s family peace and togetherness in the years to come. I also wanted to share some thoughts from my family, who loved May dearly:

Memories of May

My sister, Meghan: “Mom’s an amazing cook, but she would never make nazooki, so it was always a treat when we’d go to the Assyrian picnics as kids. I always asked mom “how come you never make these?” and she would always say that auntie May is the only one who makes them. They had a bake sale [at the picnic], and there were a bunch of different kinds of nazooki to try. But auntie May’s were always the best. I told nana that the only ones I liked were auntie May’s, and then May baked a big tray for me when she heard.”

My mom, Evelyn: “When I think of the fruits of the Spirit, May had them all: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, goodness, faithfulness, self-control. About fifteen years ago or more, she showed my mom and I how to make nazooki and gave us the recipe. She had the dough ready, and we had such a great time.”

My grandmother, Romy: “She was smiling all the time, bubbly, and I was amazed that even though she was born in the US, she could speak Assyrian so perfectly. If you went to her house, she’d bring everything on the table: jajik, different cheeses, nazooki, kadeh, fruit, everything. There wasn’t even a spot in the middle of the table. She has lovely daughters and grandchildren, and a wonderful husband, and she loved all of them so much.”

2025 update: This used to be the header to my nazook recipe, but I wanted to give it its own blog post, so these memories of May live here in their own post now. ❤️

potato fennel gratin with caraway

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Ina Garten’s potato fennel gratin was one of the first things I learned to cook for myself when I was twenty and living on my own for the first time. I mean, I cooked a lot as a kid. But it’s different when you’re out there, shopping and cooking for yourself, and reveling in the independence.

In this case, my friend Chelsie found this gem when we were searching for something to go with grilled pork chops and salad. It became an immediate favorite, and I’ve returned to it time and time again over the last ten-plus years. Back in those days, I’d often make this just to go with any old dinner. But these days it’s become more of a special occasion thing for me. And it would be a perfect addition to any holiday table.

Over the years, I’ve tried a few different cheeses and added ingredients here and there. This potato fennel gratin adaptation is one of my favorites, with plenty of cheddar and caraway.

If you have a little space for one more spice shaker, I highly recommend adding caraway to your stash. It’s the ingredient that gives seeded rye its distinctive flavor, and my family uses it to flavor traditional clay-pot-preserved buried cheese. Its flavor is lovely in fall and winter dishes, and it brings warmth and earthiness wherever it goes. Oh, and if you hadn’t guessed by now, caraway absolutely loves carbs and cheese (as do I, so we’re definitely kindred spirits). And with that little bit of sweetness from the fennel and onion, this dish is always a hit.

Feel free to use a food processor to prep all the ingredients in this recipe. You can use a slicing blade attachment for the potatoes, onions, and fennel, and the grater attachment if you’re working with a big block of cheese. Or, if you’ve got time, you can always take this as an opportunity to practice your slicing skills.

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caraway potato fennel gratin

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adapted from Ina Garten’s potato fennel gratin

  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 2 hours
  • Yield: 8 side servings

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil (40g)
  • 1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs, sliced thinly (120g)
  • 1 small onion, sliced thinly (150g)
  • 3 cloves garlic, crushed through a press (15g)
  • Salt, to taste
  • 4 medium russet* potatoes (850g before peeling, 800g after)
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons caraway** + more for sprinkling
  • 2 cups heavy cream (460g)
  • 2 1/2 cups grated cheddar, or another hard cheese*** (225g), divided into 2 cups and 1/2 cup

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) convection.
  2. Heat a 10- or 12-inch cast iron skillet**** over medium heat. Once it’s hot, add the olive oil, followed by the fennel, onion, and garlic. Salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon), and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender.
  3. Peel and thinly slice the potatoes (about 1/8-inch thick), and place in a medium mixing bowl.
  4. Add the cooked fennel/onion (but don’t wash the pan!), black pepper, caraway seeds, heavy cream, 2 cups of the cheese (180g), and salt to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon, depending on your cheese’s saltiness). Mix together.
  5. Move back to the skillet, smooth out the top, and press everything down a bit so it’s mostly submerged in the cream.
  6. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the gratin, plus an extra pinch of caraway seeds.
  7. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through in the center of the dish, and the whole thing is golden-brown and bubbly. If you’re not using convection, it may take a little longer to bake through.

Notes

* Feel free to use yukon gold instead.

** You can find caraway in most supermarket spice aisles. It’s the thing that gives seeded rye bread its distinctive flavor.

*** Good choices here are gruyère, cheddar (pictured), or jarlsberg. You can use some parmesan blended with another cheese (don’t use more than 1/3 parmesan, and don’t oversalt it). You want something melty, a bit salty, and sharp, but not way too stretchy or high moisture.

**** You don’t absolutely need a cast iron skillet to make this recipe. If you have another oven-proof deep-sided sauté pan, that’ll work instead. Or if you don’t have an oven-proof pan that’ll fit everything, you can cook the onions and fennel on the stove, and then move everything to a greased casserole dish to finish in the oven.

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