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