Yakhnat Laham fi al-Yaq'tin

Autumn and Winter seem to cry out for a warming soup or stew, and this is really great for that. If you have an instant pot or another pressure cooker, it is really quick, too. If not, just simmer on the stove for a couple hours, until the meat is tender, and the rice is cooked. You can halve this amount, if you like, but you will want around a 4 pound squash to hold it, still.

olive oil
6 pound winter squash, top cut off and insides scooped out
salt and pepper
4 pounds beef or lamb stew meat
4 onions, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup Saudi Seven Spice Blend
1 tablespoon Aleppo pepper flakes (or half that amount of red pepper flakes)
10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
7 cups beef or chicken stock
28 ounce canned, diced tomatoes with their juices
3/4 cup dry basmati rice (or other long grain rice)
1 pound frozen (or fresh, if you are making this in the summer) peas
1 bunch flat leafed parsley, trimmed and finely minced

Salt and pepper the inside of the squash and coat it with a couple tablespoons of olive oil before roasting the whole squash (including the lid, on the underside) at about 400° for about 20 to 25 minutes.

Using the sauté feature of the pressure cooker, heat olive oil to brown the meat, well salted and peppered, then remove from the pot. Add onions and sauté, scraping up the browned bits from the meat as they cook. Put the meat back in, along with the spices and stir to heat and release the fragrance, add garlic, and cook a minute more.

Pour in stock, seal pressure cooker, and cook on high pressure for 25 minutes, release the pressure. If the meat was on the bone, remove the meat to chop it off the bones. If not, simply continue. Pour in diced tomatoes with their juices, and basmati rice. Put the meat back in, if you took it out to bone it, pressure cook on high for four minutes. Manually release the pressure.

Taste for salt and pepper, and add a little bit of each, if needed. Add the frozen peas to the stew, then fill the squash with the stew, leaving any extra in the pot, cover it with the lid/stem and bake it at about 375° for 25 to 30 minutes.

When ready to serve, sprinkle the parsley into the stew. Serve the stew with a scoop of the squash from the inside of the skin.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:06 AM 0 comments

Vegetarian Waraq 'Ounab

My dear auntie cuts the grape leaves in half and makes them super small and tight. One day, I will reach her ability and talent, but for now, it's almost always a matter of trying to get them made as quickly as possible. This is a little work intensive, but now that I know that you can freeze the rolls in a single layer and bag them up to keep for when you want them in your freezer, and that you can cook them in an electric pressure cooker for much less time, I have been freed. We already do that to make our meat version for Pascha and other times, so now I will start making a couple batches of these, too. Maybe each quarter I will just designate a waraq 'ounab day and have us fill and roll two to three batches of each version for the freezers, and then have them at the ready for any time we want them that season. Rich wants to start preserving our grape leaves, too, so we no longer have to buy any from the store. I think we can blanch the fresh ones to use right away, like we do for cabbage rolls (malfoof), but I will try that next spring and let you know. As for the lemon salt, my aunt sent me home with a small package of the best quality she had, which looks like crystal meth by the way, and went along with the calcium carbonate my father's wife sent home with me looking like cocaine. I carried them in my carry on and wasn't hassled at all, but I was kind of waiting for customs to be weird about it.

1 quart jar prepared grape leaves, or equivalent amount fresh or home preserved, drained
2 - 3 potatoes (Yukon Gold or German Butterball if at all possible), peeled and thickly sliced

2 cups basmati rice (or other medium to long grain rice), rinsed and drained
3 large bunches parsley, trimmed and finely minced
3 large bunches mint, leaves finely minced
3 bunches scallions, trimmed and finely minced
1 medium white onion, peeled and finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoons + 1 teaspoon flake salt (and more to season the potatoes)

4 - 5 large tomatoes, quartered
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon (substitute cassia if you don't have true cinnamon)
juice of one lemon, strained to remove seeds
1 teaspoon lemon salt (crystallized citric acid - optional)

Mix rice, parsley, mint, scallions, onion, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. In the bottom of a medium to large pot, lay the potato slices on the bottom. Start with one potato, and use the second, if necessary to cover the bottom of the pot. Season lightly with salt. Set aside.

Make a fresh purée of tomato, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, cinnamon, and lemon salt.

Trim stems off of grape leaves, place with veins up, and to fit the grape leaf, and fold in the sides, then roll up to form a tightly wrapped package, tucking in sides and edges as you roll. Layer in the pot over the potatoes, circularly, until you finish filling all the grape leaves. If there is extra filling, you can freeze it, or add it to a pot of rice later. If there are a few extra grape leaves, freeze them or lay them flat over the rolls. Pour tomato purée over the top of the filled grape leaves, and rinse the container with water to get the last of the sauce out and add to the pot. Invert a small plate over the top of the food and cover with a lid. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 20 minutes, or until rice is cooked and soft.

To make this in a pressure cooker, layer the potato sliced, waraq 'ounab and any extra leaves as above. Pour in the sauce and water, then cover with the lid. Set to high pressure, and cook for 5 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally for another 5 minutes, then manually depressurize.

Serve with rice, spooning sauce over, and duqqus, if you like it, and a salad.

My auntie covers in public, so I cropped this to preserve her modesty. She made every dish she could think of to laud and honor me while I was there. I am so grateful to have received her generosity. I m not worthy even to touch her wooden spoon. Her cooking is the pinnacle of cookery.

I love this because it is so quick to put together and is really delicious. It is easy to use short cuts, or use what is in your fridge, without any real extra work. I like to serve it with fruit, which makes it more than filling enough for a family. Make the coconut rice earlier in the day, if you can, and you can make the dressing a day or two early and keep it, sealed, in the refrigerator. These vegetables are suggestions, use what you have in a commensurate amount. You can top this with grilled or poached shrimp, if you like, and still keep it Lenten, or add some leftover slices of steak or grilled chicken as a meat dish.

Coconut Rice:
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 cups jasmine rice, rinsed
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 can coconut milk
1 1/2 cans water

Ginger Peanut Dressing:
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon sesame oil

Salad:
3/4 pound red cabbage, cored and shredded finely
3 carrots, peeled and shredded
2 red bell peppers, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 bunch cilantro, trimmed and minced
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups roasted and lightly salted cashews, finely chopped

lime wedges, to serve

Heat oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add rice and garlic and stir until translucent and fragrant. Pour in coconut milk and water, stir in salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low and cook, without lifting the lid, for 15 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 - 10 minutes with the heat off and lid still on before serving.

Make dressing by whisking together all ingredients. Set aside.

Toss coconut rice with red cabbage, shredded carrots, bell peppers, and red onion, until evenly combined. Drizzle with 2/3 of the dressing, and toss to coat. If that seems sufficient, save the remaining dressing to pass at the table. If the salad seems too dry, add more of the dressing. When ready to serve, top with cilantro, scallions, and cashews. Toss and immediately serve with lime wedges and passing any remaining dressing at the table.

Blitzva (Potatoes with Swiss Chard)

This recipe comes from the Dalmatian coast of Croatia. There are myriad versions of this simple dish, but this is how we had it served to us in Split. This is one of the simplest of the truly delicious side dishes we ate all over Croatia. It is most often served with seafood, but we like it with vegetarian main dishes, chicken, or other meats, as well. It has the benefit of being made of ingredients we can easily grow here and that are available just about year round for us. Like so many recipes from Croatia, it is really based on good ingredients treated respectfully. Many recipes I found for this didn't include the drizzle of balsamic vinegar, but that is how it was served to us most of the time in Split.

3 pounds Yukon gold or similar potatoes, washed, peeled and cut in large cubes
1 large bunch Swiss chard, stems sliced thinly, and leaves chopped
3 - 4 shallots, peeled and finely minced
2/3 cup good olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon red chile flakes (we usually use Aleppo pepper flakes)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
balsamic vinegar, to serve

Place potatoes in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil, and cook about 10 - 20 minutes, until just tender. Drain and place pot back on stove. Immediately add chard stems and minced shallots to the pot and toss to heat.

Add chard leaves to pot, along with olive oil, red chile flakes, salt and pepper. Toss together. Cover to wilt chard. Taste to adjust seasoning.

Serve with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 2:20 PM 0 comments

Sambousak bi Joubneh

I had cheese sambousak served to me several times in Saudi Arabia. It was delicious, and I wanted to serve it to my family at home. I used the dough from my meat filled sambousak, and just split it in half, making half with meat and half with cheese for our Paschal feast. Here is the recipe, finally.

1/2 recipe sambousak dough

Filling:
1 pound Arabic cheese - a mixture of mshallaleh and nabulsi or all mshallaleh - shredded or finely chopped
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
2 tablespoons pastry or all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup nigella seeds

Flour slurry:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 water

Safflower or other neutral oil, to deep fry

Add the sunflower oil to a saucepan and warm it over medium high heat for a couple of seconds before adding the flour. Add the flour, mix it together with a whisk to form a paste, and let it cook for about 30 seconds to a minute.

Add milk and whisk constantly to remove any lumps. If you still have lumps, they will dissolve with the cheese. Keep on stirring until the mixture thickens.

Add the cheeses and nigella seeds and whisk constantly over medium heat to melt the cheese and integrate everything. You should end up with a smooth, pliable and stretchy mix with no lumps. Allow to cool down completely before filling the sambousek.

Using a rolling pin, roll one section of dough at a time out on a floured work surface to 1/4 inch thick. Add more flour, if necessary, to keep dough from sticking. Using a sharp knife, cut into 2 1/2 x 2 1/2 inch squares. The exact dimensions are not important, but the thickness is. Fill the squares with a heaping tablespoon of the filling, a little off center.

Make the flour slurry by combining flour and water in a small bowl to a moderately thick consistency; brush the edges of each square (this is an extra step to bind the edges together with no leaking during frying). Fold two corners over the filling to make a mini rectangle. Using a fork, crimp the edges of the sambousak together to seal. You want to make sure you have a tightly sealed turnover to help prevent filling from leaking out while frying. These are now ready either to be fried or frozen in a single layer and bagged up to fry later.

Heat oil to an adequate frying temperature in a deep sided pot or skillet, around 350°F. When you are ready, slip the sambousak into the pan. Ignore directions that tell you not to crowd the pan. Leave enough room to turn them, but fill that pan so they don't just burn without cooking the dough properly. Fry until golden on one side, 2 or 3 minutes, then flip. When both sides are golden brown, drain the sambousak on a rack over a rimmed baking pan. Repeat until all the sambousak are fried.

Crockpot Peanut Chicken

This is a quick prep, easy meal to make mid week, or when you know you will have a busy evening. It takes about five to ten minutes to prep it, can be done in the morning (or early afternoon, if you are home and cooking it on high), and just left to sit until dinner time.

3/4 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons sesame oil
juice of 2 limes
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (we used Korean chile flakes)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
3 pounds chicken parts (we like boneless, skinless thighs)
sesame seeds, chopped scallions, and lime wedges, to garnish

Put the peanut butter into your crockpot and turn it to high so it can begin to melt. Add all other ingredients, except chicken, sesame seeds, scallions, and lime wedges. Stir to mix well. Add chicken and toss to coat.

Cover and cook on low for 6 hours, or on high for 3 hours. This is done when the chicken is cooked through and has reached desired tenderness. Serve with rice and stir fried vegetables.

If your crockpot isn't at least 2/3 full, keep an eye on it so the peanut butter doesn't burn. You may need to stir a few times.

Tunisian Style Shakshouka with Fried Onions and Peppers

This is an interesting variation on shakshouka that we sometimes make. Although the recipe says to use potatoes or sweet potatoes, we almost always use sweet potatoes. Likewise, I hardly ever use the chopped tomatoes. If you bake the sweet potatoes the night before, this takes barely any time to make in the morning.

4 medium to large potatoes or sweet potatoes (sized to match the volume of your eggs), baked
8 large eggs
generous amount of good olive oil
2 pounds of a mixture of red, yellow, orange and green bell peppers, sliced in strips
1 large onion, sliced thinly
3 - 4 serranos, thinly sliced (optional, but not really)
3 tomatoes chopped and seeded (optional)
1 tablespoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of hot smoked paprika
6 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and pepper
juice of 2 limes
1/4 cup each of chopped parsley and cilantro

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Cut baked potatoes of choice in half, lengthwise, and scoop out the middles, reserving flesh for later, leaving about 1/4 inch of flesh as a border. Season with salt and pepper. Place, cut side up on a rimmed baking sheet. Fill each half with one egg. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 8 - 15 minutes, depending on how cooked you like your egg.

While the eggs are baking, heat a skillet over medium high heat until it is hot. Add the sweet peppers and sliced onions, and fry until softened and a little charred (not burnt). Add a generous amount of olive oil, and the tablespoon of paprika. Stir to combine and bloom the paprika, then add the serranos and garlic. Fry another minute or two. Add the tomatoes at this point, if you are using them. Season with salt, and stir in the juice of 1 lime. Remove from heat and stir in chopped parsley and cilantro.

Mash the reserved potato flesh with salt, the hot smoked paprika, a bit of olive oil, and the juice of 1 lime.

Serve the egg filled potato with the peppers and onions on top, and the mashed filling on the side. We like to eat it with a little bread, and it is pictured with fried halloum.

Quick Curtido

This is a quick to make replacement for the true, fermented, curtido that is made throughout Latin America. I will share a fermented recipe for longer keeping at some point, but this is great to make when you don't have the other, and can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least a month. I like it as a coleslaw alternative, as well.

1/2 small green cabbage, cored and very finely shredded (about 4 cups)
1/2 medium red or white onion, peeled and very thinly sliced (about 1/2 cup)
2 medium carrots, peeled and shredded (about 1/2 cup)
2 small jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, minced
1 bunch cilantro, finely minced
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon kosher salt

In a large bowl, toss together cabbage, onion, carrot, jalapeño, and cilantro. Sprinkle with vinegar and salt. Toss to combine. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour before serving. You can skip this, but it improves with the time in the refrigerator.

Limoncello Crème Brulée

People are really intimidated by crème brulée, but it is actually simple to make. This particular recipe was interesting to me, because we had limoncello in our freezer which was so strong you could run a car on it, and I like it better as a flavoring than as a drink. This recipe is based on one I found online, but modified for our preferences. Anyway, you can make the custard part ahead of time and just brulée the day you serve it. You do not need the kitchen blowtorch for this. People made it with a broiler long before that tool was available to us. I also found out that you can make this recipe, doubled, in a 9 X 13 inch pan, and serve it for a larger group, broiling it for a little longer than the 10 minutes. We served this at an ordination recently. I also learned that crème brulée for 80 uses 80 eggs, nine cups of sugar, and three gallons of cream.

1 large egg, whole
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons for each ramekin
3 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon Limoncello
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or paste

Preheat the oven to 300˚F.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the egg, egg yolks, and 1/2 cup of the sugar together on low speed until just combined.

Meanwhile, scald the cream in a small saucepan or in the microwave until it's very hot to the touch but not boiled.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the cream to the eggs. Add the limoncello and vanilla, mix to blend, and pour into 6 8-ounce ramekins until almost full.

Place the ramekins in a baking pan and carefully pour boiling water into the pan to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the custards are just set, with a tiny jiggle in the center. Remove the custards from the water bath, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until firm, at least two hours and up to overnight (if overnight, cover with plastic, touching the custard, so a skin doesn't form).

To serve, sprinkle 2 teaspoons of sugar evenly on the top of each ramekin and either heat with a kitchen blowtorch until the sugar carmelizes evenly or place on a jelly roll pan and broil on high for 5 - 10 minutes. Allow to sit at room temperature for a minute until the caramelized sugar hardens.

Kofta Kebabs

These are delicious broiled, grilled, or fried. If you are grilling them, remember to soak your skewers overnight to reduce burning. This is also really a quick meal to make. If you have a food processor, puréeing the aromatics is speedy, and they do not take long to broil or grill. In this quantity, frying takes a little while longer, but is still manageable on a weeknight.

4 pounds ground lamb or beef, or a mix
1 bunch parsley, trimmed lightly, with stems
1 bunch cilantro, trimmed lightly, with stems
2 large onions, peeled
8 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons Saudi Seven Spice Blend (your choice as to which)
1 1/2 tablespoons flake salt
2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes (if using regular red pepper flakes, use less)
ground sumac, to serve

Place meat in a large bowl. Set aside.

Purée parsley, cilantro, onions, and garlic. Pour over the meat, along with the seven spice, salt, and Aleppo pepper flakes. Mix well until thoroughly and evenly combined. Form into the shape you see above, and either press well around/onto the prepared skewers, place on an oiled pan for broiling, or set aside to be ready to fry in a skillet, in batches.

Cook until done to your liking, but not overdone. No gray meat please. Serve with a generous sprinkle of sumac and dip into toum or drizzle with harissa or sah'awiq. This is also wonderful with taratoor. If you are my husband, you use all these sauces at once. Serve in Arabic bread, or over rice. Sah'tein!

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:18 PM 0 comments

Yemeni Lahsa

This is such a simple, quick breakfast and delicious. We serve it with Arabic bread, to scoop the eggs and vegetables, or even Indian naan. I add Aleppo pepper, which isn't really authentic, but I like it. Because of that, I skip the black pepper. If you can find an Arabic or Persian or Afghan or North African market, you can find quality Aleppo pepper for a good price, and you can get the jars of creamy cheese that make this recipe so lovely.

good olive oil
2 large red onions, finely diced
8 hot, green chiles (I use serranos, as the closest variety I can get here)
4 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped with their juices
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper (optional, but I like it) 2 tablespoons tomato paste
salt and black pepper, to taste
6 eggs
water, a bit
8 ounces creamy cheese (this is a "liquid" cheese in jars found at Arab and North African markets, room temperature cream cheese can be substituted)
1 bunch cilantro, finely minced

Heat a skillet with sides over medium high heat. Add a good amount of olive oil. Sauté the onions in the oil, and when they begin to brown a little, add the chiles, cook a minute or two, then add the chopped tomatoes and juice. Cook to reduce the juice a little, allowing the tomatoes to "melt" into the mixture a bit. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika, and Aleppo pepper. Stir to bloom the spices. Add the tomato paste and cook to dissolve and blend with the vegetables. Season with salt and pepper

Turn off the heat under the pan. Break the eggs over the surface of the vegetable mixture, add in a good splash of water. Stir all of this in to a rough mixture, breaking the yolks of the eggs. Turn the heat back on to low, and spread the creamy cheese over the top, cover with a lid, and cook for another 3 - 5 minutes, until the eggs are cooked to your liking.

Remove from the heat and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Serve with warm bread, a cup of strong, hot, sweet tea with mint and rosewater, or good coffee.

Macarona bi Laban ou Lahm

This is just a way to add to the normal macarona bi laban and make it a little more substantial. You can make muffroom, like I direct here, cook up some chopped lamb or beef in sujuk seasoning or with any of the Saudi seven spice blends. If you have leftover meat from making sambousak, you can use the muffroom from that, or shred some leftover roasted lamb. This is really just an easy dish to make on a weeknight and make the family pretty happy.

1 pound ground lamb or beef
1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 small bunch parsley, finely minced
1 small bunch fresh dill, finely minced
1 recipe macarona bi laban

Cook the ground lamb or beef in a medium pan over medium heat, breaking it up well, until the fat starts to render out of the meat. Increase the heat to medium high and add the chopped onion, and cook with the meat until it is translucent and softened. Cook the meat and onion until it is to your preferred level of browning. Add the garlic, salt and pepper, and cook another minute or two, stirring to evenly distribute the seasonings.

At the same time as the meat is cooking, bring a pot of water to boil and make the recipe of the macarona bi laban. Place in a shallow serving dish with a rim.

Remove the pan of meat from the heat and taste for seasoning, adjusting as necessary. Stir in the parsley and dill. Spoon over the macarona bi laban and serve with the garnish of toasted pine nuts and finely minced parsley.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 10:21 AM 0 comments

Cart de Frisco Chicken Sandwich Imitation

This sandwich was a mainstay of my childhood. Anyone who grew up in my hometown knows this sandwich, and misses it. It was legendary and the true meaning of iconic. This chicken sandwich WAS our hometown in food. The chicken man stand has been missing for years, and this is the closest I have come to replicating the sandwich I remember. He was in business for 40 years and when I posted a picture of my version to a hometown facebook page, everyone knew exactly what I was trying to re-create. Long live the Chicken Man Sandwich!

P.S. Most of this is preparation and assembling. The original sandwich had the scallions in one inch strips, but I prefer them cut more finely. Do as you like. You can use 1/2 a cup of hoisin sauce and add a tablespoon of brown sugar, and skip the plum sauce, rather than the mix I use below. Try it both ways and see which you like better.

Marinade:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lime juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons garlic ginger paste
1 tablespoon sesame oil
4 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Peanut Sauce:
1/3 cup natural peanut butter (if you use commercial, sweetened peanut butter, omit the brown sugar)
3 tablepoons lime juice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon sambal oelek
1 - 2 tablespoons hot water
2 teaspoons brown sugar

Hoisin Sauce:
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons plum sauce

Slaw:
3 cups finely shredded cabbage (I like 2/3 green and 1/3 red, no more than half and half)
2 LARGE carrots, peeled and shredded
2 bunches scallions, cut in thin 1-inch strips or finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro, minced

8 onion or sesame buns

Mix the marinade incredients in a large bowl and coat the chicken with it, cover and turn chicken over in marinade a few times an hour for one to two hours (or overnight in the refrigerator).

Whisk together the peanut sauce until smooth, if it seems too thick, add another tablespoon of water. Set aside.

Mix together hoisin sauce in a small bowl and set aside.

Toss cabbage, carrots, scallions, and cilantro in a bowl, and set aside.

Grill chicken until just cooked through. Allow to rest for 5 minutes. While chicken is resting, grill the insides of your buns. Spread about a tablespoon of the hoisin sauce on the bottom bun, top with chopped chicken and a heaping scoop of the slaw, spread about a tablespoon of the peanut sauce on the top bun and cover the sandwich. Serve with extra sauce on the side, along with loads of napkins.

Sujuk

Sujuk is a sausage eaten all around the Arab world, and other parts of Southwest Asia and North Africa. It is made in bulk, as I am doing here, and in casings as fresh sausage, as well as in casings and smoked. It is delicious. If you are there, don't get the imitations of Western Sausages. Eat this instead (or other local sausages). It is generally made with lamb, but can be made with beef, as well. It is wonderful pan fried, grilled as kofta, or baked.

1 pound ground lamb or beef
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon smoked hot paprika
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon flake salt
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (Ceylon, or true, cinnamon, if you can)
1/4 teaspoon ground clove
4 cloves garlic, grated or crushed

Place meat in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, place cold water, and bloom spices in the water. Scrape into the meat. Add the garlic to the meat. Mix all ingredients together until thoroughly combined. Cover and let rest in the refrigerator overnight, then either package for the freezer or use.

Arabian Nights Chantilly Cream

This is the whipped cream Rich and the kids used on my Mother's Day cake. It is light and delicious and can be used on many desserts, or to top your coffee desserts.

2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons rosewater
1 tablespoon orange blossom water

Combine all the ingredients and either whip by hand or machine to soft, fluffy peaks. Eat with pleasure.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 6:57 PM 0 comments

Radish Pico de Gallo

This is so delicious and refreshing, and it is really good with fish and chicken, but it makes a tasty relish on beans, vegetables, on tortilla chips, or added to salads. It lasts forever in the fridge, so you can make a lot and just eat it as you wish.

2 cups (about 12) finely diced radishes
1 red onion, finely diced
4 spring onions (not scallions, but they will do in a pinch), finely diced
2 jalapeños, finely diced
1 bunch cilantro, finely minced
juice of three limes
1 teaspoon salt,or to taste

In a medium bowl, mix all ingredients well, taste and adjust for salt and lime juice (you may wish to add more). Serve with anything you like.

Mana'eesh

Again, because I don't have a saj oven at home, this is an approximation of the real thing. This is how I can make it at home. There is a way to make it on the stove top, but it is faster for me to do it in the oven. However, I think one of the things I will bring back from my next trip to Saudi Arabia is a stove top rounded pan to make these Arabic breads more easily. These are delightful breakfast breads, and if you make them smaller than I direct here, you can eat them open faced, fairly easily. With this size, I recommend folding them so the topping is on the inside. If you don't have a stone pan, you can put the mana'eesh on a baking sheet, which does not need to be in the oven while it is pre-heating. I'm sharing how to make za'atar mana'eesh, which are tied as my favorite with joubneh (using either Nabulsi or another fresh, white Arabic cheese), but as cheese isn't Lenten, this is the one I will be making more for the family right now. You can also make a labneh one, or mix the labneh and za'atar or the joubneh and za'atar, but I like to have two, one za'atar and one joubneh. This morning, I will have two za'atar, with olives, cucumbers, tomatoes, and maybe some toum and harissa. This is such a treat for us on Saturday mornings with all the delicious olive oil and crusty bread. We serve it as I described, and with a strong cup of tea with mint and rose petals or a cup of coffee.

Dough:
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon yeast
2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 cups warm water

Topping:
3/4 cup Za'atar Spice Blend
3/4 cup olive oil

For the dough, either place all ingredients into a bread machine and run on a dough cycle, or work in a stand mixer or by hand in a large bowl. Knead well, until you have a soft, and slightly sticky, dough. Cover and let rise for an hour to an hour and a half.

Mix together the za'atar and olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.

When the dough has doubled in size, divide into 12 equal pieces, form into balls and cover with a towel. Place a flat stone pan in the highest spot in your oven, and preheat the oven to 475˚F. Stone should be heated at least half an hour before placing the mana'eesh on it.

Roll each of the balls out to a round or oval shape, rolling them quite thin, about 1/4 inch thick. Spread the topping over each flatbread, leaving about a 1/2 inch border around the outside uncovered. Place as many as you can fit on your stone pan without them overlapping, and bake 6 - 7 minutes. Remove from the oven to a dish or pan, and repeat with the remaining breads. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature. They can be reheated in a toaster oven or in the oven at 350˚F, after sprinkling them with a little water first, for just a few minutes.

Paneer Musallam

Rich actually made paneer for us last week, which was fantastic. This recipe uses paneer, which isn't Lenten, but you could use the same sauce with chickpeas or lentils, vegetables, or seared tofu. It was super quick to put together and really delicious. The recipe I found was a little nebulous, so this is how I made it for our family, and we absolutely will be making it again. During Lent, I will probably make it with chickpeas, but the paneer is really lovely in this sauce, and I will likely use it in the future. For the water, I just rinse down the sides of the food processor in which I have puréed the tomatoes, and use that water in the recipe.

2 eight ounce blocks of paneer
salt, to taste
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (or other red pepper flakes)
3 medium to large tomatoes, cored and puréed
1/3 cup olive oil (or fast friendly oil, like sunflower oil)
1 1/2 teaspoons whole cumin seeds 2 large onions, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon garlic ginger paste
1 tablespoon garam masala (or substitute another curry blend, if you like)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons roasted chile powder
water for the gravy
finely chopped cilantro, to serve

In a dish or small pan, sprinkle the paneer all over with a little salt and the teaspoon of Aleppo pepper. Set aside for at least 15 minutes.

Heat oil in a skillet with sides over medium heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until they start to pop. Add the onions, and cook, stirring, until they start to turn golden. Add the garlic ginger paste and cook a minute or two more, then add the remaining spices, cook for a minute, then stir in the tomato purée along with a enough water to make a gravy. Cook until the oil starts to separate from the sauce. Taste, and season with salt.

Slice the paneer, crosswise, then lay the slices in the gravy, to simmer for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro at the end and serve with rice or bread.

Roasted Chile Powder

1/2 cup dried red chiles like arbol or japones, stems removed

Heat a medium frying pan over medium to medium-low heat. Add the chiles, and toast until they are roasted, but not even a tiny bit burnt. This can take just a few minutes, or up to ten minutes. Do not leave them. Do not look away. As soon as they are roasted, turn off the heat and remove from the burner. Cool, then grind into a powder.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 7:14 AM 0 comments

This is a special baked rice that is kind of a custard. It can be made savory, as I did, but is sometimes made sweet as well (which I might try one day). While it is a simple dish to make, it is also loaded with yogurt, sammen, and cream, which makes it a special side dish, and boosts whatever meal you are making. I was served this dish in a few places while I was in Egypt, and recreated it for the family here at home. My sweet auntie bought me enough of the traditional Saudi ceramic dishes to outfit an entire kitchen (she actually bought me more, and some that were larger, and we couldn't fit them in my suitcases), so I baked mine in those. If you are using these dishes, you need to first soak them in water, then dry and proceed.

2 cups short grain rice (if you can get Egyptian rice, do)
2 cups whole milk
2/3 cup whole milk yogurt
2 tablespoons heavy cream (this would be qishta in the Arab world, but I can only find it in a can here)
2 tablespoons sammen (or ghee or unsalted butter) plus more to grease your pan(s)
2 teaspoons flake salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste (optional)

Grease two medium oven safe dishes (or one large oven safe dish). Pre-heat the oven to 350˚F.

In a medium saucepan, combine rice, milk, yogurt, cream, sammen, salt, and black pepper (if you are using it). Heat, stirring, over medium heat, to heat all ingredients and allow you to mix them well. This isn't to cook them, just to get the yogurt, sammen, and the other ingredients to melt, heat, and mix.

Turn off the heat, then divide the rice mixture equally between your two dishes (or pour into one larger dish) and smooth the tops. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked and the tops are browned. Serve as a side dish.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:33 AM 0 comments

Lent is around the corner and this refreshing salad is fantastic either in or out of Lent. I had a version of it served to me at Al-Basali in Jeddah, and it was delightful, so I recreated it for the family. Even the non-arugula fans loved this salad. It is super quick and simple and really delicious. As you might expect, it is often served with fish, but it is good with anything, really. I added some pomegranate pips as a garnish, which we thought was a lovely foil to the sour, salty, and bitter, but some of the family ate it without them, and it is wonderful either way.

1 1/2 pounds Arab/Persian cucumbers, finely diced
1/2 pound baby arugula or chopped arugula
juice of three small or two large lemons
1/3 cup olive oil
6 medium cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt (I use Diamond)
pips from a pomegranate (optional)

Toss the arugula and cucumbers in a large salad bowl.

In a measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt. Drizzle over the salad and toss to combine. Serve with or without pomegrate pips.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 2:19 PM 0 comments

I think I was supposed to share this last January. It is delicious and simple, and perfect for a quick dessert or a fruit plate at a party.

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Stir all ingredients together until fully combined. Serve with fruit.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:32 AM 0 comments

There is a reason I am calling this Korean style rather than Korean. It is not Korean, but it has flavors and ingredients that a Korean person might recognize. It is quick and delicious and makes a great weeknight meal, especially with some jasmne rice, stir fried vegetables with a touch of sesame oil and sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds, and citrus or other acidic fruit like pineapple. When I stir fry vegetables, I like to start with a dry, hot pan, and get a little color on the onions and/or peppers first, then add the other vegetables and oil at that point to finish the cooking.

1/3 cup tamari sauce
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons grated or minced ginger
1 teaspoon ground, dried chile peppers (if you can get gochugaru chiles - or other Korean chiles, use them)
2 pounds ground beef
10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large bunch scallions, finely chopped, to serve

Whisk together tamari sauce, brown sugar, ginger and chile peppers in a small bowl and set aside.

In a skillet, over medium high heat, brown ground beef, breaking it up, and stir in the minced garlic. Cook another minute or two, then add the sauce, giving it a stir before it goes in the pan, and cook over high heat for 2 - 3 minutes. Remove from heat and top with chopped scallions. Serve with rice and stir fried vegetables.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:25 PM 0 comments

So, I actually didn't get a chance to make this. The fresh green beans at the grocery store were limp and sad, and we were out of the good kind of frozen ones that we buy at Trader Joe's. However, here is the method my auntie used when she made them for me. It is most often served as a side dish, but can be a vegetarian main dish, if you like, especially with salads or other vegetable or legume dishes served with it.

good olive oil
2 pounds green beans, fresh or frozen, trimmed and stringed
1 large onion, peeled and finely diced
2 chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned (whole, drained, and crushed by hand - save the liquid for other dishes or soup)
juice of 1 lemon, strained
salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
10 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 bunch cilantro, leaves only, minced (save stems for soup or stock or another cooked dish)

Heat a large skilled over medium high heat until hot. Add a generous amount of olive oil, and cook onions until softened. Add green beans and cook until al dente, just a couple minutes.

Add chopped tomatoes. Stir in and heat; season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle lemon juice over the top. Serve the dish from the pan or in a shallow serving dish.

In another frying pan or small skillet, quickly fry garlic and cilantro in more olive oil and pour over the serving vessel while it is still sizzling. Eat as a side dish with a meat dish, or bulk up with other vegetarian dishes as a meatless meal, and rice, scooping up the fassoliya with hot bread (like Khoubz Araby, Turkish Flatbreads, Persian Barbari Bread, or 'Aish Baladi) if you can.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 2:29 PM 0 comments

3 slices dark, rye bread
thinly sliced corned beef
thinly sliced turkey
sauerkraut
thinly sliced Swiss cheese like Emmentaler or Gruyère
Russian dressing
butter, to fry the sandwiches
dill pickle, to serve

Spread one side of bread with Russian dressing, cover generously with corned beef, top with sauerkraut, spread the next slice of bread with Russian dressing and place, dressing side down on the sauerkraut. Cover the top of that slice of bread with cheese, then cover generously with turkey, then spread the next slice of bread with Russian dressing and place, dressing side down on the turkey.

Heat a medium frying pan or skillet over medium heat until hot, put butter in to melt and immediately place the sandwich in the butter. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until the first side is browned. Turn, add more butter, and fry the other side until it is brown and all the cheese is melted.

Cut the sandwich in thirds and serve with a dill pickle and chips.

Russian Dressing

This is not as sweet as most recipes I have seen, and makes exactly enough for six large sandwiches plus a smaller one. If you aren't making that many, you can store it in the fridge for salads.

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons dill pickle relish/minced dill pickles
2 tablespoons horseradish
1 tablespoon minced onion
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon grainy mustard
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl or jar and use.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 1:02 PM 0 comments

Zaalouk

This is a Moroccan eggplant salad. I know it doesn't seem like it is to the Western eye, perhaps, but as salad (like salsa, sausage, and so many other words we get from the Latin sal), simply means salted, that is what this is. In the Arab world, a salad can simply be something eaten with a meal. So, my laban bi chiyar is a salad, though it is quite wet from the yogurt. This dish is a warm salad or side dish, and it is delicious that way, but we often make a larger quantity of it, and serve with bread and rice and salad (they way you might think of a salad) and fruit for an amazing, and Lenten, meal.

2 1/4 pounds of eggplant
Olive oil for frying the eggplant and for finishing the salad
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons minced ginger (or replace both garlic and ginger with 3 tablespoons garlic ginger paste)
2 teaspoons cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes
2 cups peeled and chopped tomatoes, fresh or canned
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon kosher flake salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 bay leaf
juice of half a lemon
1 bunch cilantro, finely minced

Peel the eggplant and cut into 3/4 inch cubes. Place in a strainer over a dish and toss with salt to drain excess liquid and remove bitterness. Heat a heavy based pot over medium high heat. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil into the pot when it is hot and stir in the eggplant cubes, browning, in batches, if necessary. Remove all eggplant from pot.

Add a little more olive oil, the garlic and ginger, and cook for around 30 seconds. Add the paprika, cumin, and pepper flakes and bloom the spices in the hot oil for 10 seconds before quickly adding the chopped tomatoes, water, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes.

Return eggplant to the pot, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. The eggplant should now be fully cooked and tender but should not have disintegrated. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice and chopped cilantro.

Taste for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Serve hot, warm, or room temperature with a drizzle of olive oil and an extra squeeze of lemon.

Spanish Style Fish Stew

This is so lovely and simple to make. It is truly delicious, and it is wonderful for a weeknight dinner, or a fish meal during Lent. We rarely have any left over, but it can be gently heated on the stove for lunch the next day. You can adjust the fish and shellfish to what you like or have on hand, we often shift around the ratios based on what we have, as long as you end up with the same volume as the recipe states. This soup tastes remarkably fresh, even when you use previously frozen fish or shellfish (which we do on a regular basis). This recipe serves eight, but is good the next day. It can easily be cut in half, however, if necessary.

4 tablespoons olive oil
6 onions, thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 carrots diced
4 celery stalks, diced
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon smoked hot paprika
28 ounces canned, diced tomatoes
4 russet potatoes peeled and cut into 2 inch cubes
2 pounds cod (or any other firm, white, sea fish) fillets, fresh (or frozen and defrosted)
2 pounds shrimp or scallops
2 bay leaves
juice and zest of 2 lemons plus another lemon or two cut into wedges, to serve
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
large bunch fresh parsley, finely chopped

In a large, heavy bottomed soup pot with a lid, heat oil over medium heat. Add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, thyme, paprika, and smoked paprika. Cook stirring until onions are softened, and spices are fragrant about 5 minutes.

Add diced tomatoes, with their liquid to the pan along with the potatoes, and bay leaves. Turn heat to medium-high, cover pan and allow to cook until potatoes are tender about 15 minutes.

Add cod, cover and cook for 3 minutes more. Scatter shrimp or scallops over top, cook another 3 minutes, or until shrimp are pink and cod flakes with a fork.

Taste and season with salt and pepper. Stir in lemon juice and zest, and parsley. Serve hot with lemon wedges and crusty bread for sopping up the delicious broth.

Pasta with Clam Sauce

This is another quick meal. It uses canned clams, though fresh would be delightful. I make it either with butter (not during Lent/Advent) or with olive oil on weekends during the Lenten fasts. It is another easy to throw together meal that tastes wonderful, and is good enough for company. Add a salad, some bread, and fruit or dessert, and you are set.

16 ounces spaghetti (can use up to 1 1/2 pounds of pasta if needed)
Salt for pasta water
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes (or red pepper flakes)
4 (6-ounce)cans minced clams, including the liquid
1 cup dry white wine
2 teaspoons lemon zest
4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus more, to serve
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Bring a large pot of salted water to a full, rolling boil. While the water is heating, prepare the garlic, lemon zest, and parsley.

Add the spaghetti to the boiling water, stir to avoid pasta sticking, and set your timer for 1 minute less than the recommended time. Cook the spaghetti uncovered in vigorously boiling water. While the spaghetti cooks, prepare the clam sauce.

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan on medium heat. Add the minced garlic and the Aleppo pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds to a minute, until the garlic just is on the edge of browning. Add the white wine to the pan. Open the cans of clams and squeeze out the clam juice from the cans into the pan as well. Raise the temperature to high and let boil sauce the sauce reduces as the spaghetti cooks. (Put pan on largest burner on high heat to help the sauce reduce more quickly).

As the spaghetti is finishing its cooking, the sauce should be reduced by about two-thirds. Add the chopped clams, and return to a simmer. Then stir in the minced parsley and the lemon zest.

When the pasta is al dente, drain and place it in a serving bowl. Pour the sauce over the spaghetti and toss to combine. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with a little more fresh parsley sprinkled over the top. Serve immediately.

Shawerma Spice Blend

This is a basic spice blend for shawerma. In general, I use a different one for lamb, but this is excellent for poultry. It works well on red meat, as well, and I use it to season ground meat as a sausage, or on vegetables for a little extra kick.

1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon smoked paprika (sweet or hot, depending on your tastes)
1 1/2 teaspoons onion granules
1 1/2 teaspoons garlic granules
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I prefer Ceylon)
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon ground clove

Mix all spices together and store in a tightly sealed jar.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:56 AM 0 comments

These are so simple to make, and delicious! They make a good side dish, salad, or topping for sandwiches.

1 large red onion, sliced paper thin
1 bunch parsley, finely minced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
juice of one lemon, strained
1 1/2 tablespoon ground sumac (plus more, if you like)
salt, to taste
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (optional, but wonderful)

Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to blend. Let sit for 2 - 3 minutes.

Taste, and season with more ground sumac, if necessary. Cover and set aside for about 30 minutes before serving.

Three Layer Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake

This triple layer cake is one of a few cakes I rotate through for my birthday cakes. It is a perfect mix of flavor and texture. This cake combines multiple types of dessert in one: Vanilla cheesecake, chocolate mousse, and a gorgeous ganache. Making it is really a matter of timing, but doesn't take too much time, even so. To make things easier, make the cheesecake and crust on one day and the mousse and ganache on the next day. Cheesecake lasts longer than mousse. Refrigerated, this cake will last up to 3 days but is best eaten the day it is made.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups very finely crushed chocolate cookie crumbs (one sleeve of Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers or equivalent amount of chocolate graham crackers) - you can pulse in a food processor to crush
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon espresso powder (optional, but it does intensify the chocolate flavor)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

Filling:
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract or paste
2 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cups sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature

Make Crust: Pre-heat oven to 400˚F. Set aside a 9-inch springform pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together the cookie crumbs, sugar and espresso powder until blended. I do this by pulsing the sugar and espresso powder into the food processor bowl. Drizzle with melted butter and mix (or pulse) until well blended and crumbs are evenly moist. Turn out the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan and press evenly onto the bottom and about 1 inch up the sides of the pan. Bake for 10 minutes and set on a wire rack to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 300˚F.

Make Filling and Bake: Mix the sour cream and vanilla in a small bowl. Set aside.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and salt until very smooth and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl and paddle frequently (and with each subsequent addition). Add the sugar and continue beating until well blended and smooth. Beat in the sour cream mixture until well blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until just blended. (Don't overbeat the filling once the eggs have been added or the cheesecake will puff too much). Pour the filling over the cooled crust, spread evenly, and smooth the top.

Bake at 300˚F until the center barely jiggles when nudged, about 45 minutes. Turn off the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. The cake will be slightly puffed, perhaps with a few little cracks around the edge. Let cool to room temperature on a rack, then refrigerate until well chilled, at least a few hours, or overnight for the best texture and flavor.

Chocolate Mousse:
6 ounces semisweet baking chocolate, chopped (use good chocolate)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 teaspoons espresso powder (optional)
3 eggs, separated
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup cold heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Place the chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl, and place over a saucepan containing barely simmering water, use a double boiler, or heat in the microwave for 2 minutes. Melt the chocolate and butter together and stir with a whisk until smooth. Add in the espresso powder. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Add the egg yolks to the chocolate, one at a time, beating with a whisk until incorporated. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg whites until foamy. Add the cream of tartar, and continue to beat. Gradually whisk in 1/4 cup sugar, and continue beating until stiff peaks form.

Beat heavy cream in a chilled bowl with chilled beaters until it begins to foam and thicken up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla. Continue to whip the cream until it holds soft peaks.

Gradually and gently fold the egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it. Then, fold in the whipped cream. Take care not over work the mousse but make sure you blend in the cream well. Place the mousse on top of the cooled cheesecake while still in the springform pan.

Cover the mousse covered cheesecake with foil, being careful to not let it touch the mousse.

If making the ganache immediately, place mousse covered cheesecake in the freezer as you make the ganache (the cheesecake should NOT be in the freezer for more than 30 minutes). If making the ganache later, place the cheesecake in the refrigerator for a few hours. Either way, the ganache must be cooled before it can be poured on top of the cheesecake.

Ganache:
2/3 cup heavy cream
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or fruit liqueur (I like to use Chambord)

Either heat the cream with the chocolate chips in the top of a double boiler, or in a microwave for about a minute and a half. Allow to melt the chocolate without disturbing at first (if using the microwave, you will have to stir a little to see if the chocolate is softened, and if it needs more time, use 30 second increments, so as not to burn the chocolate). Whisk the mixture when the chocolate is entirely soft, and keep whisking long past when you think you have ruined it. It will appear like a wet mess at first, then granular, then it will become glossy and thick. Add vanilla extract, or flavored liqueur at this point and whisk it in as well. Allow to cool almost to room temperature (at least 15 minutes). Pour over chilled mousse covered cheesecake. Chill until ready to serve.

To Serve: Unclasp the pan's ring, remove it, and run a long thin metal spatula under the bottom crust. Carefully slide the cake onto a flat serving plate. Run a thin knife under hot water, wipe it dry, and cut the cake into slices, heating and wiping the knife as needed. I like to serve this with raspberries.

Labels: Homemaking, Keeping the Feast, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 2:29 AM 0 comments

This is the Arab mother's version of spaghetti night on a busy week, though it is perhaps more similar to the Italian spaghetti al olio or the true fettucini Alfreddo (which is a variant on pasta al burro or pasta burro e parmigiano) than American spagetti. This can be pulled together in the time it takes to boil the pasta, cook and drain it. In fact, it takes so little time to make, that in that cooking time you can make a salad to go with it. It is unctious and light, at the same time, and delicious, especially on a hot summer evening. It tastes good both hot and fresh, and at room temperature. It makes a lovely dinner or lunch and can be multiplied to feed the hordes. You can serve it with chicken or fish or shellfish, or on its own. I like to garnish it with toasted pine nuts, but that is not necessary. You could also garnish it with finely chopped parsley and give it a sprinkle of lemon juice, if you like. This is the basic, essential version of it from which you can embellish a little, remembering that, at heart, this is a simple, homey, dish.

1 pound pasta (any shape suitable for a creamy sauce)
3 cups full fat yogurt
6 - 8 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
toasted pine nuts to garnish, optional

Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente.

While the water is boiling, mix together all other ingredients except the pine nuts and set aside for the flavors to meld. You should be able to do this well before you even need to add the pasta to the boiling water.

Drain pasta and add the yogurt sauce to it, tossing together to coat well. Serve, sprinkling with the toasted pine nuts.

'Arayes

'Arayes is the Arabic word for the bridal couple. It is the plural of 'aroos and 'aroosa, bridegroom and bride. The dish is called this because of the marriage of the kofta and bread. This dish originated in the Sham, though there is some question whether or not it hails from Lebanon or Palestine, but all Arab countries seem to make their own variation of it. This version is a hybrid of the Palestinian and Egyptian styles. Traditionally, the meat would be hand chopped, as well as the aromatics. Some like to make a thinner filling, but I prefer a thicker one and have written this for that. As the recipe is written, you can generously serve eight people, especially if bolstered with a salad and fruit. If you use less filling, you can make double the number, and will need eight loaves of the baladi bread. We like to serve it with some hot sauce, like duqqus, sah'awiq, or harissa, as well.

2 1/2 pounds fatty ground beef (no leaner than 80% lean) and/or ground lamb (I use either all lamb or half lamb and beef)
1 large onion, peeled and quartered
1 large bunch parsley
8 cloves garlic, peeled
1 medium to large serrano pepper, stem removed
2 teaspoons ground paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground sumac
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper flakes
1/2 teapsoon ground allspice
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more to brush on bread
4 loaves 'Aish Baladi
taratoor, to serve

Place the meat in a bowl large enough to add the aromatics and seasonings, and mix easily. Purée the onion, parsley, garlic, and serrano in a food processor (or very finely chop by hand) and add to the meat. Add the paprika, salt, coriander, cumin, sumac, Aleppo pepper flakes, allspice, and olive oil. Mix the meat mixture until it is evenly and well blended.

Cut the 'aish baladi in half, and split. Fill each half with the kofta mixture and press, without splitting the bread, so both sides are affixed to the meat. Preheat your oven to about 375˚. Have a baking sheet at the ready.

Heat a frying pan or skillet over medium heat, brush both sides of the bread with olive oil, and place the loaves, meat side down in the pan. Cook about 3 minutes, turn and cook on one side, for 2 minutes, then turn to the other side and cook another 2 minutes, until the bread is browned and crisp. Place on the pan and repeat with the remaining loaves until they are all cooked. Place the pan in the oven for 10 minutes to finish cooking the meat.

Serve with taratoor, and duqqus, sah'awiq, or harissa, if you like.

'Aish Baladi

This is really simple, country style, bread. It is easy to put together and puffs beautifully. It is also rather forgiving and an easy dough to work with.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup warm water
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil (or safflower oil)
1/4 cup cracked wheat bran
bread flour, for rolling out loaves

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, place 1 cup water, along with the sugar and yeast, and mix well. Cover the bowl with a clean kitchen towel and let it sit for about 10 minutes, until it is frothy and bubbly.

Once the yeast mixture has foamed up add about 1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour, and mix well. Cover again and let proof in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

The dough should be bubbly and frothy at this point. Add the remaining flour, salt and oil and knead dough for at least 10 minutes, or until very soft, but not too sticky. Cover the boal and let rise until dough is doubled, about an hour.

Prepare a large baking sheet, or two smaller ones, by sprinkling with about 2 tablespoons of cracked wheat bran. Cut 8 10-inch pieces of parchment.

When the dough has doubled in volume, divide it into 8 equal balls. Sprinkle your work surface with a little bread flour and place a ball of dough on it. Place a piece of parchment over the top of the dough and roll the dough to an even circle, about 1/4 inch thick. Peel back the parchment paper, and place the loaf, sticky side down, on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining balls of dough.

Cover the pan(s) and allow to rest and rise for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 500˚.

When oven is hot and bread is risen, place the pan(s) in the oven and bake for 6 - 7 minutes. Remove the bread and place pan on a cooling rack for about 5 minutes to cool before handling or serving.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 12:27 PM 0 comments

Also, I meant to take pictures at the potluck to add to the post, but it was kind of gobbled up before I got a chance to do that. So, I have a picture of the Kerkadi in the jars, but not in the glass, and no other photos. I will add them as I make these in the future.

Kerkadi

This is the drink that Jamaica is based on. Much like how sahlab became horchata, the Moors brought this drink to the Spanish, who brought it with them to the New World, which added its own twist to it. It is often found in Egypt and North African Arab countries, but also in other parts of the Arab world.

12 cups water
1 1/2 cups dried hibiscus flowers
1/2 - 1 1/2 cups sugar or light honey (depending on how sweet you like it - if using honey, stick with the lower measurement)
2 limes, 1 juiced and 1 washed and sliced
2 oranges, 1 juiced and strained if there are seeds, and 1 washed and sliced
1 lemon, 1/2 juiced and strained, 1/2 washed and sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
fresh mint, to serve

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. Stir in the hibiscus flowers and sweetener and continue to boil for three minutes. Remove from heat, cover pot, and let steep for 30 minutes.

Set out 2 clean 1/2 gallon jars and place half the sliced lime, half the sliced orange, a half the lemon slices, and one stick of cinnamon in each jar. Strain half the tea through a fine meshed strainer into each jar. Discard the hibiscus flowers. Stir in half the lime juice, half the orange juice, and half the lemon juice into each jar.

Allow to cool completely and chill in the refrigerator.

Fill a glass with ice, pour in the tea concentrate, and dilute with cold water, if you like (I like it diluted only with the ice). Serve with sprigs of mint.

Rouz Medini

This is a traditional Hejazi Saudi dish from the area of Medina. It is a wonderful dish and not difficult to make, though it does take a little time. If you don't want to have to pick through the whole spices as you eat, you can put them in a mesh ball that is easily removed. The bay leaves are easy to remove, and the mastic melts into the dish, so I don't put those in the mesh ball.

4 1/2 pounds bone in lamb, preferably meaty shanks or shoulder, but leg will work
1/2 cup of ghee, divided
5 1/2 teaspons salt, divided
10 cardamom pods
5 bay leaves
12 mastic crystals, divided
1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns
2 tablespoons tomato paste
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons saffron water (soak about 3/4 teaspoon saffron in 2 tablespoons of warm water)
1 tablespoon rose water
1 tablespoon kadi water (if you cannot find this, use 2 tablespoons of rose water)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground Ceylon cinnamon
2 cups of Basmati rice, washed and drained
1/2 cup sultanas soaked in water for about 10 - 15 minutes and drained
1/2 cup of skinless sliced or slivered almonds

Season the lamb with salt (I use about 1 tablespoon for this amount) and brown in a large pot with about 2 tablespoons ghee. Add 6 cups of water, the cardamom pods, bay leaves, 4 mastic crystals, and the peppercorns and bring to a boil, skimming off any impurities. Reduce heat and simmer for about an hour and a half, or until the meat is super tender.

Remove the meat to a baking pan with sides. Mix a cup of the remaining stock with a tablespoon of ghee, 2 tablespoons of tomato purée, garlic, lemon juice, saffron water, rose water, kadi water, cumin, cinnamon, and 1 teaspoon salt. Pour this sauce on the meat and set the pan aside briefly.

Bring the remaining stock (it should be about 4 cups) to a boil, with 1/2 tablespoon of salt, and pour in the washed rice. Make sure that the stock level is about half an inch above the rice. If it isn't, add hot water to bring it to that level. Bring to a rolling boil. When it has absorbed most of the water, heat up two heaping tablespoons of ghee, melt about 8 mastic crystals in it then pour it on the rice. Reduce the heat to the lowest possible, cover, and let it finish cooking for about 20 minutes.

While the rice cooks, place the pan of meat in the oven on the broiler setting and let it get browned and slightly charred. Remove from the oven and reserve any sauce in the pan to serve with the rice. Gently toast the almonds in remaining ghee, remove from heat and add the sultanas to it to heat them.

Turn out the rice onto a serving plate. Top it with the meat and garnish with the toasted almonds and sultanas. Pass the reserved sauce. This is best served hot, with the nuts and raisins sizzling over the top.

German Cucumber Salad

This is similar to someone's Oma's recipe. Rich, though mostly German in heritage (then English and, therefore a bit of French, with a mishmash of quite a lot after that), does not have as direct or close a tie to his German ethnicity. So, we looked up several recipes and chose one, but used some of the proportions from the other. We did double this recipe for our Melting Pot-Luck.

2 English (or 6 Persian) cucumbers
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped, fresh dill
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Thinly slice cucumbers and place in a salad bowl.

Mix together all the rest of the ingredients and pour over the cucumbers. Gently toss together to coat all of the cucumbers with dressing. Chill for 30 minutes or more.

Smoked Tomato Onion Seasoning and Dip

This dip is my take on the California classic onion dip seasoning. It was part of our Christmas present package this year. We smoked tomatoes for preserving, and then peeled the skins off and dried them, then ground them up into powder that we add to all sorts of dishes. You can buy tomato powder or make your own. This is a simple thing to make, is a great seasoning for fish and chicken and other foods, and makes a superb dip for chips.

1/4 cup dried onion
1/4 cup smoked tomato powder
2 tablespoons smoked sweet paprika
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt

Mix it all up and put it in a labeled jar. That's it. To make this into a dip, take about two tablespoons (or more, to taste) of this seasoning mix and stir it well with a pint of sour cream. Allow it to meld in the refrigerator at least four hours.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 5:04 PM 0 comments

Strawberry Shortcake

We like our strawberry shortcake fairly simple. Though, last year for Yasmina's birthday, we made a chocolate cake strawberry shortcake with ganache that was lovely. This is a super quick cake to make. This whole thing can be made in about 30 minutes. It's a great summer dessert. We sometimes use other berries in the mix or instead of strawberries, and that is wonderful, also. On a really hot day, you can substitute vanilla ice cream for the Chantilly cream. If you want to be fancy, you can add a little lemon or orange zest to the batter and the strawberries.

4 pints strawberries (or mixed berries), picked over, hulled, and sliced
1 1/3 cup sugar
1 cup softened, unsalted butter (two sticks)
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste
2 cups pastry flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup milk
2 cups chilled heavy cream, for Chantilly cream
2 tablespoons confectioner's sugar, for Chantilly cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or paste, for Chantilly cream

Grease two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans and set aside. Toss berries with 2/3 cup sugar and let stand for about 1/2 an hour.

Preheat oven to 350˚. In a large bowl or stand mixer, cream the butter with the remaining 2/3 cup sugar until very light. Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well to combine. Mix in the vanilla extract or paste.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture, alternatively with the milk, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Gently spread the batter into the pans. The batter will be thick.

Bake 20 - 25 minutes, until lightly golden. Cool on a rack for 5 minutes, then invert the cakes onto serving platters. Top with the berries and their juices. Whip cream with confectioner's sugar and vanilla extract or paste for Chantilly cream. Cut into wedges and serve warm, topping with Chantilly cream.

Persian Barbari (two ways)

Barbari bread is like a Persian cross between a pretzel or bagel and foccacia. It is delicious. There is a quickie way to make this, and the right way. Both are good, but if you have time, I advise you to make the long version. It is a little chewier, though still fluffy, and the quick version doesn't have the chewiness.

Traditional (long version)

My loaf here isn't quite as well shaped as it could have been, but it is tasty, nonetheless.

Starter:
1 cup water
1 cup bread flour
1/4 teaspoon yeast

2 cups water
3 cups pastry flour
2 cups bread flour
4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons yeast
1 cup wheat bran or additional flour for work surface
oil for dough surface

Glaze:
1/3 cup cool water
2 teaspoons pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teasopon oil (any kind)

Topping:
4 teaspoons sesame seeds
4 teaspoons nigella seeds

Mix starter ingredients together and cover. Allow to rest and rise for 16 to 24 hours.

Stir the starter into the bowl of a stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) and add 2 cups lukewarm water, 2 cups pastry flour, 2 cups bread flour, 4 teaspoons salt, and 2 teaspoons yeast. Mix using dough hook (or a sturdy wooden spoon). A smooth batter will form, then add remaining cup pastry flour and knead for 10 minutes in stand mixer (skip this and go to the next step if mixing by hand). This is a sticky dough and will stick to the bottom of the bowl.

Use a scraper to transfer dough to a lightly floured surface, and use floured hands to knead dough, adding more bread flour, as needed, to prevent sticking until dough is smooth and elastic, about 4 minutes. If you did not knead in the machine first, this will take another 10 - 12 minutes more.

Transfer the dough to a large, lightly greased bowl, and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

On a work surface sprinkled with flour, turn the dough out - remember this is a wet, sticky dough. Fold the dough over a couple of times, using enough flour to keep hands dry and form dough into a round. Cut the dough in half, then each half into quarters.

Grease two large baking sheets and set aside. Shape each piece of dough into a ball, by rolling on surface under your palm, or using both hands. Transfer dough balls to one of the greased baking sheets, rub with a little oil and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Allow to rest 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 500˚. Prepare the glaze by combining the 1/3 cup cool water, pastry flour, baking soda, sugar, and oil in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes. Let cool.

Sprinkle wheat bran over your work surface, or use more pastry flour. Working with one piece at a time, gently press and stretch each dough ball into an oblong oval-ish shape, about 8 X 4 inces. Press and pull, using your fingers. Repeat for all pieces. Place on prepared pans, stretching a little all around, with at least 2 inches space all around each loaf. Let flatbreads rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Brush glaze on top of the dough. Dip your fingers into a small bowl of water. Using fingers, press continuous, lengthwise grooves into the dough. Press firmly without breaking through the bottom of the dough. Repeat making several parallel indentations on the top. Repeat for all loaves. Sprinkle evenly with the sesame and nigella seeds.

Bake in preheated oven for 10 - 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove to rack to cool slightly. Serve warm or room temperature. We like to eat this with all sorts of foods, but it can be eaten as a simple meal with olive, tomatoes, cucumbers, with or without salty, white Arabic cheese, or with a light drizzle of honey as a foil to the salty bread. However you like it, serve with a hot cup of mint or strong black tea, a good cup of coffee, or some other restorative drink.

Quick Version

Dough:
3 1/2 cups bread flour
1 1/2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons olive oil (or other oil)
1 tablespoon yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Glaze:
2 tablespoons cool water
1 1/2 teaspoons pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Topping:
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
2 teaspoons nigella seeds

Mix dough ingredients until thoroughly combined. It will be a shaggy, wet dough. Cover and allow to rest for at least an hour, until doubled in volume.

Knead lightly on a floured surface. Divide in two equal portions, cover and let rest for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 400˚ and grease a baking sheet.

Roll out one portion of dough into a long, oblong flat loaf. Place on the prepared pan. Using the side of your hand, make ridges, lengthwise, over the loaf as in the photographs. Repeat with second portion of dough. Mix glaze mixture, and brush generously over each loaf. Sprinkle each loaf evenly with the seeds. Place in the preheated oven and bake 25 minutes, or until golden and puffed.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:49 AM 0 comments

Za'atar Spice Blend

Za'atar is a wild marjoram relative that grows throughout the Sham and parts of the Southwest Asia and North Africa. It is hard to find in the US, as it is often mistakenly called thyme or wild thyme. It is not. However, marjoram (or thyme, as a distant third) makes an acceptable substitute if you can't get it from the Sham or grow a domesticated version of it (many seed companies have domestic varieties, though the wild type is still considered the superior). There is also an herb blend called za'atar, however, which has as its main ingredient, the dried, wild za'atar herb. It can be bought through spice companies, or at Arab markets, but it is also super simple to make and keep on hand. Some of the commercially available blends include wheat, so we make our own (with our Jordanian dried za'atar, which was a wonderful gift to us). Each country, region, city, and even family, makes theirs a little differently. Here is how we make it.

1/2 cup dried za'atar (or marjoram, thyme, or a blend of both)
1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup sumac
2 tablespoons kosher salt

Mix together and put in a sealed jar to use as a seasoning, sprinkled over vegetables, cheese, yogurt, or anything you like.

Orange Apricot and Mustard Glaze for Ham

Rich hates glazed hams. I can only tolerate them out of politeness. They are overly sweet and cloying. When they are spiced, it is even worse. However, one year, a family from our church brought a glazed ham that I liked and Rich tolerated. It was glazed with marmalade and peach nectar. I've done that before and Rich ate it. This year, though, I found a friend who put mustard in her glaze, like I do with corned beef, and I thought that would be perfect. So, I added some mustard to my glaze, and it was quite good. Definitely something we will repeat. If you are not a fan of the super sweet glazed hams, you might like this one. Or you might like it as an alternative.

1/2 cup bitter orange marmalade
1/2 cup apricot or peach nectar (we prefer apricot)
1/2 cup dijon or country mustard

That's it! Mix it up and apply it after the ham has been heated/cooked through. Put it back in the oven and cook another 10 minutes, pull out and apply more to the ham, cook another 10 minutes.

Waraq 'Ounab

The filling I use for these is basically the same one I use for malfoof (stuffed cabbage). The difference is the leaf, and what goes in the bottom of the pot. You can also make these with blanched Swiss chard leaves (selk). Also, I have found that these can be rolled and frozen on a sheet and then bagged up for the freezer to be ready at any time, or to make a smaller pot of them. I have also learned that making them in an electric pressure cooker like the Instant Pot cooks them in a quarter of the time and perfectly. I will include instructions for both the stove top and the pressure cooker. In the Arab world, there is a specific tool for weighting stuffed vegetables and keeping them submerged in the pot. An inverted plate will work, but will temporarily stain it (for a few weeks).

2 32 ounce jars of preserved grape leaves, stems trimmed (or fresh spring, or home preserved grape leaves)
4 pounds ground lamb or beef
2 bunches parsley
2 large onions
12 cloves garlic
2 tablespoons cumin
4 teaspoons coriander
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 cups basmati rice (or other medium to long grain rice)
2 pounds lamb shoulder chops or steaks
salt and pepper to season lamb
olive oil to brown lamb
56 ounces tomato sauce or purée
water
juice of two lemons

Puree parsley, onion, garlic, cumin, coriander, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper. Mix this in with the meat and rice. Shape the meat into long, little ovals, to fit the grape leaf, and fold in the sides, then roll up tightly to form a package. If there is any remaining meat mixture form into small to medium football shaped meatballs.

Heat a large pot over medium high heat until hot. Season lamb generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle olive oil in the bottom of the pot, and brown the lamb, turning to brown the other side. Layer the waraq 'ounab over the meat, seam side down, stacking as you go. Place any kofta into the pot on top of the grape leaves. In the rare chance that there are any grape leaves without filling remaining, just put them flat on top of the other rolls in the pot. Pour tomato sauce/purée over the top, along with an equal amount of water (rinse down the sides of the cans/jars and fill with water), remaining salt, and the lemon juice. Invert a small plate over the top of the food and cover with a lid. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 45 minutes, or until meat is cooked and rice is soft.

To make this in a pressure cooker, set to sauté and brown the lamb as above. Layer the waraq 'ounab and any kofta or extra leaves as above. Pour in the sauce, water, salt, and lemon juice over the top, then cover with the lid. Set to high pressure, and cook for 10 minutes. Allow to release pressure naturally for another 10 minutes, then manually depressurize.

Serve with rice, spooning sauce over, harissa, if you like it, and make a salad.

Salatat Battatas ou Bayd

This is a wonderful summer salad, and it makes an excellent breakfast with good bread, fruit, and a cup of strong coffee or tea. It is super simple to prepare, and if you boil the potatoes and eggs ahead of time, you can put it together in even less time than it takes when cooking them immediately for the salad. I am including the recipe(s) for the seasoning mix, as well.

2 pounds new/baby potatoes, scrubbed
10 large eggs, boiled and peeled.
1 medium red onion or 2 large shallots, peeled and finely diced
2 red or green chiles (optional, but not really) - the closest to the kinds used in Southwest Asia/North Africa are serranos - minced
1/4 cup fresh oregano leaves, minced (this is a substitute for the fresh za'atar herb, which you should use if you can get it. You can also substitute the dried herb, if you can find it outside of a blend, by using 4 teaspoons rather than the 1/4 cup of fresh herbs)
1/4 cup fresh spearmint leaves, minced
1/2 cup olive oil plus more to drizzle over the top
juice and zest one large lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons Saudi Seven Spice Blend
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
salt, to taste

Boil the potatoes until just cooked, in highly salted water. Drain, cut in half and place in a large bowl. Cut eggs in half and place in bowl with the potatoes. Add onions, chiles, oregano, and spearmint. Pour 1/2 cup olive oil, zest and juice of the lemon, Saudi Seven Spice Blend, Aleppo pepper, and salt over the top of the salad. Gently toss together to mix well.

Serve with a slight drizzle of more olive oil, saj, khoubz Araby, tamis, or even Persian barbari bread (which I have in the photo), fruit, and a strong cup of coffee or tea.

Saudi Seven Spice Blend(s)

Every country in the Arab world has their own version of this. Every region, every city, every village, every family has their own. There are pre-made mixes you can buy, but it is simple to mix these together and have them at the ready with fresher spices. If you grind your own spices from whole, it is even better. In these, I use true (Ceylon) cinnamon, rather than cassia, but either will work. The flavor of the Ceylon is more citrussy, however. I am sharing the recipes from my father's side of the family, my mother's side of the family, and my father's wife (which is also similar to how one of my sisters in law makes it). I know better than to say which I like better - I'm not getting involved in that argument. However, I suggest that you make a sample of each one and try it to see which you prefer. If you mix and match or adjust these to suit your own tastes a little, it's fine. Just don't tell me, or anyone in my family.

Maternal

1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup ground ginger
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons finely crushed bay leaf
1 tablespoon ground cardamom
1 tablespoon ground turmeric

Mix and store in a clean, sealed jar.

Paternal

1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground turmeric
1 tablespoon ground anise
1 tablespoon ground clove

Mix and store in a clean, sealed jar.

Extended Family

1/4 cup black pepper
1/4 cup ground cumin
1/4 cup ground coriander
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons ground allspice
1 tablespoon ground anise
1 tablespoon ground clove

Mix and store in a clean, sealed jar.

Labels: Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 9:23 AM 0 comments

Bissilla literally means peas, technically, you would call this bissilla ou rouz, peas with rice. The Italians have risi e bisi, which is similar and also completely different, but I digress. This is such a simple recipe and produces something truly delightful. It really isn't much to look at, honestly, but it really is delicious and satisfying. It is one of the times that using frozen vegetables is really just as good as using fresh. Most of the time it is made with meat, either stewing beef or lamb, or ground beef or lamb (as more of a short cut), but this vegetarian version is truly good on its own, not just as a substitute. Besides all of that, it is super quick to prepare, making for a fantastic weekday meal. This is stewy, not soupy, and is always served with rice. I start cooking the rice at about the same time I start heating the skillet for this dish.

olive oil, or fasting friendly oil for sautéeing (use half butter - clarified butter, or sammen/samneh, is really best - and half olive oil when it isn't a fasting season)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper flakes (optional, but really not)
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
6 ounces tomato paste
2 pounds peas, fresh or frozen
1 cup tomato juice
1 cup water
2 bunches fresh dill, finely minced
juice of one large lemon, strained

Heat a skillet with sides over medium-high heat. Add a generous swirl of oil, or oil and butter, and add onions. Sauté for a few minutes, then add garlic, salt, cumin, coriander, Aleppo pepper, and black pepper. Cook for a minute or two.

Add tomato paste and cook well with aromatics for another minute or two. Stir in the peas, tomato juice, and water, and stir thoroughly. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low, simmering uncovered for about 10 minutes, until reduced and thickened.

Just before serving, sprinkle with dill and the juice of the lemon. Taste for seasoning and adjust, if necessary. Serve with hot rice.

Labels: Fasting as a Family, Homemaking, Recipes, Tales from the Kitchen

// posted by Ranee @ Arabian Knits @ 11:25 AM 0 comments