Tabouli

Vegetarians and Vegans rejoice- finally a Middle Eastern dish without meat! Tabouli is a refreshing and healthy salad made of parsley and bulgur (previously seen here) that can be eaten for lunch, dinner or a side. It is very popular nowadays and you can usually find it in the salad bar at Whole Foods and lots of different TV hosts feature some variation of the recipe- but that doesn’t even come close to the original. The dressing measurements are rough, so taste away and season appropriately.

 {
Also, just a bit advice: avoid eating this on dates or in front of someone you like because the ground parsley tends to stick in your teeth in all the right places}

Tabouli Salad

Serves 6

4 bunches of Italian parsley- cleaned and finely chopped (food processor does the trick)

1 cup very fine bulgur wheat

4 lemons

1 ½ cups water

3 tomatoes, finely chopped

2 bunches green onions, finely chopped

3 mint sprigs, leaves cleaned & finely chopped (optional)

½ cup extra-virgin olive oil + more to taste

2 tsp kosher salt + more to taste

About four hours ahead of time, put the bulgur in a bowl and squeeze all the lemon juice over it. Pour the water in the bowl and let sit until all liquid is absorbed.

Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl and coat with olive oil and salt. Let sit for one hour to absorb flavors.

Laaham Aidjeen – Middle Eastern Pizza

Middle Eastern pizza time! These homemade dough circles are topped with a meat and tomato mixture and make the best snack or lunch. And they are also freezable, so just pop one in the toaster oven when you have a craving. There will be a lot of extra topping, and that can be frozen as well to make another batch later on.

Laaham Aidjeen

Makes about 35

Dough:

3 tsp dry active yeast

¼ tsp sugar

Warm Water

4 cups white unbleached flour

2 cups whole wheat flour

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup olive oil

2 cups water

Mix the yeast and sugar together and add enough warm water to cover. Allow mixture to bubble. Meanwhile, put all the other ingredients in a large bowl, except the water. Pour in the risen yeast mixture and knead together, adding the 2 cups water. Let rise for 2 hours in a oiled bowl, punching down as needed.

Topping:

3 ground turkey packages

4 chopped green onions

5 TBS pomegranate concentrate juice

A splash of chicken broth

1 can + 4 TBS tomato paste

1 TBS + a pinch baharat

5 TBS lemon juice

1 can diced tomatoes

½ cup Tahini

½ tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all topping ingredients together in bowl with your hands, breaking apart the meat and blending well.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. And line three baking sheets with foil, spray with cooking spray.

Form the dough into golf ball sized balls and cover them with saran wrap in the bowl. Taking out one ball at a time, roll it out to form an oval. Take some topping and thinly spread it on the dough- covering the entire surface to the edges, leaving no blank spots. Place on baking sheet. 

Once the first baking sheet is full, put in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes, until browned on the bottom and topping is cooked. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cooking with Mom- "Maklubeh"

“Maklubeh” is a red rice dish layered with chicken and eggplant. Maklubeh literally translates to “upside down” because you layer and cook the chicken, eggplant and rice in a pot- and then flip it over onto a large plate so you end up with a standing cylinder of goodness (see picture below).

And just a word of caution, the red rice does not taste anything like the Mexican red rice that you might be thinking of, ours has a stronger tomato flavor and is a little more oily (in a good way).  

“Maklubeh” Red Rice with Chicken and Eggplant

Serves 8

1 large eggplant, cut in half vertically then sliced horizontally ½ in. thick

Kosher Salt

Cooking Vegetable Oil

1 whole chicken, skin removed

2 ½ TBS Tomato Paste

4 tsp Knorr Chicken Bullion

4 cups Basmati Rice

First cook the eggplant:

Put the sliced eggplant in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Let sit for 2 to 3 hours so the extra water drains. Arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet lined with foil and brush both sides with oil. Set the oven to broil and put the tray in to deeply brown the eggplant, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven to flip the slices over and return for an additional 5 minutes to brown the other side.

Then cook the chicken:

In a large pot, put the whole chicken, tomato paste, chicken bullion and 5 cups water. Bring to a high boil, then lower to simmer over medium heat for 1 hour, flipping the chicken half way through. Let the chicken sit in the pot to cool for 10 minutes, then remove and place on a plate to cool completely. Reserve the liquid in the same pot.

Once cooled down, shred the chicken from the bones, discarding bones and cartilage.

Next cook the rice:

Soak the rice in water for five minutes in a bowl, and drain completely. Using the same pot and liquid the chicken was cooked in, add 2 TBS oil and bring to a boil. Pour in the rice and stir the mixture to evenly coat the rice and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once the water is level with the rice, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot, stirring the rice before to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Over ten minutes, keep lowering the heat and by the end the rice should be fully done.

Then, layer the ingredients in the pot:

Remove the rice from the pot. Pour a very thin layer of oil at the bottom of the pot, enough to cover. Place all the chicken meat on the bottom, then layer the eggplant over. Put the rice over the eggplant in 3 additions, smoothing out each layer to form a flat top. Put the pot back onto the stove on the smallest burner over medium heat so the chicken crisps, about 20 minutes (you will hear sizzling). Turn off heat and let mixture sit.

To serve, place a large flat plate over the pot and flip over holding the plate against the bottom. Pat down on the bottom of the pot to loosen the chicken and carefully remove.

Cooking with Mom- "The Dip"

This is not a Middle Eastern Recipe, and to even call it a Mexican Dip would probably be insulting. This dip is simply one of my Mom’s classics. This appetizer is always requested for potlocks and is sure enough cleaned within the first hour without a finger lick left.

I will never forget when I was in second grade my mom packed me some dip for lunch. My teacher walked by and saw the dip and asked if she could have a chip, and I obliged. Then she returned and asked for more. Before I knew it, my lunch was eaten by my teacher! So, beware who you share this with….

“The Dip”

2 avocados

1 ½ TBS mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

½ package taco seasoning

Shredded Mexican Cheese

1 chopped Tomato

1 can chopped black olives

1 bunch chopped green onions

Mash the avocadoes with a fork and mix in the mayo. Spread on the bottom of a 13x9x2 glass dish. Mix the sour cream and taco seasoning together. Spread on top of the avocado mixture, using care to not mix the 2 layers. Sprinkle cheese to cover. Add chopped veggies. Serve with tortilla chips.

Trout with “Hashew”

My parents have memories of going to the rivers on hot summer nights in the Middle East to go sit on the outside patios or walk along the promenades (called casinos- but no gambling, just socializing), while waiting for freshly caught fish to be cooked in the tandoor ovens. Although the species of fish and tandoor ovens are not available here in the states, this dish we make with trout still reminds them of those nights.

Hashew is made of onions and tamarind paste (which I most recently used here) and has a great flavor with trout. Just be careful of all the bones in the fish while eating- don’t be afraid to use your hands!

Trout with Hashew

Serves 4

4 Whole Trouts, cut open to lie flat, heads removed

Salt

Cooking Spray

Hashew:

2 yellow onions, finely chopped

6 garlic cloves, pressed

1 ½ TBS Tamarind Paste, thinned with ½ cup water

1 ½ TBS  Madras curry paste

1 tsp salt

Special Tools: Fish grilling baskets

Preparation:

Sprinkle each fish with salt. Cover the inside of the fish grilling basket with foil and poke holes around the foil and spray with cooking spray.  Lay fish flat and cover with basket (see picture below).

In a bowl, mix together all the Hashew ingredients. Set aside.

Cooking:

Heat grill to medium. First starting with the skin side of the fish on the grill, cook for 5 minutes. Flip the basket over and grill for about 10 minutes, until the filet is light brown on the edges. Turn the basket back over so the skin side is back on the grill and spoon the Hashew over the fish to cover. Let cook for about 3 minutes and remove from grill and basket, using the foil as a plate. Repeat with each fish.

Right before serving, put all fish in the oven on a baking sheet set to Broil for 7 to 10 minutes, until all the Hashew liquid is absorbed and the fish edges are crispy.

Eat with rice, couscous or on it’s own.

{Fish post grill with hashew- pre broiler}

{Fish post-broiler- the best part is the crispy edges}

Cooking with Mom- "Bammia"

When you tell most people that you ate okra for dinner, usually their minds think of that delicious crispy fried treat from Southern cuisine. For me, however, okra stands for garlicy goodness.

Bammia is a tomato based stew with okra, lamb chunks and – you guessed it—lots of garlic cloves. To top it off, this dish is also great with some raw onion on the side to munch on, so you can only image how our breath smells after eating this meal.

{See the large garlic clove popping out? Yum!}

“Bammia” - Okra and Lamb Stew

{Serves 4}

2 Lamb Shanks- about 1lb. each, cleaned and trimmed of excess fat

2 cups water

1 TBS Canola Oil

14 oz baby Okra (frozen)

8 garlic cloves, not peeled

2 TBS tomato paste

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

1 tsp salt

Juice of 2 lemons

Pinch of sugar

Over medium high heat in a large pot, add the lamb shanks and water. Cover to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to medium heat and simmer until all the water is gone, flipping the meat once.

Once all the water is gone, add the oil and sauté to brown the meat. Add the okra and cover until thawed, about 15 minutes. Try to not stir the mixture too much to prevent the okra from getting mushy. Add the garlic cloves and let cook for 1 minute covered.

Add the tomato paste, canned tomatoes and salt. Fill the 14.5 oz can with water twice and put the water in the pot. Gently stir and cover. Increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat the medium and let simmer for 25 minutes (covered).

Add the lemon juice and sugar and return to a covered simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove the meat from the bone and place back in pot.

Serve over rice or couscous.

Cooking with Mom “Timen Asfar”

If I had one wish to make a “bad” food healthy- it would be rice. Almost all of my favorite Middle Eastern dishes are made with Basmati rice—and in most cases (the exception being the saucy dishes that are served over rice) you cannot substitute white rice for brown rice. I know what you are thinking- be creative Rena and experiment to make this better for us—but no, I won’t. I can’t! The flavors and the textures are impossible to mimic using brown rice, and I am going to have to let tradition rule for these dishes.

Timen Asfar, or yellow rice, gets its stunning color from saffron. Saffron is the world’s most expensive spice because of its tedious harvesting process and exotic locations. It turns white rice into a gorgeous yellow hue and the flavor is bursting. Fortunately, you really only need to use a few strands of the spice when cooking, so one jar should last you awhile. We serve raisins and slivered almonds atop this rice dish, which add a sweet crunchiness. Timen Asfar is a perfect side dish for meat and fish.

{General Rule of Thumb for Rice: For every 2 people, measure 1 cup of dry rice}

Timen Asfar

Serves 6

Rice:

4 TBS Canola Oil

3 cups water

3 tsp. chicken bullion (or 2 tsp salt)- if using chicken bullion, Knorr brand is preferred because it is not as salty

Pinch of Saffron Threads

3 cups Basmati Rice

Topping:

1 cup Raisins

1 cup Slivered Toasted Almonds

1 tsp. Canola Oil

To get a vibrant yellow color, it is best to soak the saffron overnight. In a large pot, put the canola oil, pinch of saffron threads,water, and chicken bullion (or salt). Let soak overnight.

Put the dry rice in a bowl and put enough water to cover the rice. Let soak for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the mixture in the pot to a high boil. Drain the rice completely and add to the pot. Stir the mixture to evenly coat the rice and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once the water is level with the rice, lower the heat to medium-low and cover the pot, stirring the rice before to make sure it doesn’t stick to the bottom. Over ten minutes, keep lowering the heat and by the end the rice should be fully done. Put the pot on warm until serving.

For the topping, heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium high heat. Add the raisins and cook for one minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the almonds. Set aside in bowl and cover until serving.

{Simmering Rice}

{Finished Rice with Topping}

To make a complete meal, I made Salmon with Hoisin, Orange and Bok Choy as our main dish with the rice, how pretty is this little package?

{Salmon on top of bok choy topped with Hoisin and Orange Marinade and Cilantro, before wrapping and putting in oven}

{Salmon and Bok Choy After Oven}

Wrapping fish in foil or parchment paper when putting in the oven ensures a more flaky and moist outcome. Plus, you can add veggies to the packet and they will get cooked as well which can save you time in the kitchen.

Cooking with Mom- "Shujer"

As part of my New Years Resolution, on my non-dinner Sundays, I spend the day with my Mom making an Iraqi dish together. My Bibi (grandma in Arabic) was known for her cooking skills both in taste and quantity. I remember sitting at her kitchen table spending hours wrapping up dolmas (stuffed grape leaves) or shaping kibeas (meat dumplings made with cracked wheat), and I hope I inherited her patience!

So every other Sunday, I tell my Mom what I would like to learn to prepare and as we are working in the kitchen, I am typing away notes on my computer. Our first preparation was “Shujer “- Zucchini in Meat Tomato Sauce. If a particular dish screams out to you, please leave a comment requesting it for a Sunday dinner and I will definitely eventually integrate it into my menus.  

P.S. My Uncle Safa published a book with all of my Bibi’s recipes that can be purchased for your Kindle. Please visit here. {My recipes posted here are my Mom’s take on some of those dishes}

Shujer

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

6 Zucchinis

2 tsp. salt, divided

1 TBS Canola oil

1.25 lbs. ground turkey (or beef)

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp. Baharat seasoning

4 oz. tomato paste

14.5 oz reduced sodium chicken broth (1 can)

Two hours before cooking:

Cut the tops off of zucchinis. Slice the zucchinis in half and put in a sieve. Sprinkle them with 1 tsp. salt and let sit. This removes the water from the vegetable.

Remaining Steps:

Set the oven to Broil. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange the zucchini skin side down on the sheet. Spray the exposed side of the zucchini with cooking spray. Broil until browned. Take out from oven and flip each slice over. Put back in broiler to brown other side. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a pot, heat the oil and brown the meat and 1 tsp. salt. Add the garlic. When most of the juices are evaporated, add the Baharat and stir to mix and break up meat, about 4 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and let cook for 2 more minutes.

Add the chicken broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat and let simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Set aside.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In Corningware dish (see picture below), put ¼th of the meat sauce, enough to cover the bottom. Arrange half of the zucchini slices on the sauce, and cover with another ¼th of remaining sauce. Arrange the remaining zucchini on top and then cover with remaining sauce. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes, or until there is no liquid left and the top is brown.

Serve on top of Basmati or Brown Rice or Couscous.

***I plan on purchasing a better camera soon, so bear with the pictures for now!***

 {Browned Zucchini}

 {Meat with tomato paste and Baharat}

 {First layer}

 {After oven}

{Served over brown rice}