Someone just asked me for this recipe, so I figured I’d put it online as well: Kunaafa كنافة Main dessert:• Cheese- I recommend something fairly flavorless- either get special cheese at the Arab market, or mozzarella (without salt is probably best)- As much as you want.• Shredded Filo dough(probably one package is good)• 2 sticks […]
Middle Eastern
Mana’iish Za`tar
So this should take the cake as one of the easiest recipes posted so far. It’s actually related to all of the fataayir recipes Lillian has been posting – this is one particularly popular variation that is good for a quick breakfast item, or for something to impress guests with: 1 can Pillsbury biscuit doughZa`tar […]
Meat or Spinach Fataayir – Savory Arabic Pastries
Alex linked me to a website with Middle Eastern recipes and videos (accompanied with very entertaining musical choices) called Mimi Cooks. The recipes all look good, and I stumbled across this one for Sfeeha: Meat Pies. It was uploaded with “When Doves Cry” by Prince, which is one of my favorite songs so I knew […]
Muhammara (Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Dip)
Another Arabic recipe – Muhammara. This is a dip, much like hummus, and can be served in the same contexts – with bread, carrot sticks, etc. I’ve adapted it from this recipe with fairly insignificant alterations. Requires a food processor,but otherwise almost entirely brainless. 3 large roasted red peppers (it may be cheaper to buy […]
Syrian Style Fetteh (revised)
I’m revising this recipe that I wrote back in 2008 to be clearer, a bit easier to follow, and to include some changes I’ve made in how I make the recipe. This is a heavy dish from Syria, often eaten for breakfast, but still popular for all meals. It’s sold in steamy shops that that […]
Circassian Chicken
I’ve never been the Caucasus, but if I go, I intend to eat non-stop. So far all the recipes I’ve had from that region are a fantastic melding of East and West that highlight some of my favorite ingredients. Alex once made this dish, and I remember it taking him all day because he didn’t […]
Lamb Kibbeh Hotdish
Kibbeh is a combination of ground lamb and bulghur*, and is eaten throughout the Levant. It can be prepared in countless ways, from raw to deep fried. Here’s my version of a baked style, made into a hotdish with potatoes and tomatoes. I have changed and refined this recipe, and it’s very similar to Alex’s […]
The easiest lentil soup ever
Put 1 part lentils, 1/2 part rice in a pot. Clean well if you live in a country where bulk goods are kept in burlap sacks on the floor in dirty market places. Add enough water that things will be soupy. Add a tsp or so of turmeric, mostly for color, and salt to taste. […]
Dukkah (ground seasoned nuts) and Nut-Encrusted Tuna Steaks
Behold my blurry food porn! Tonight’s dinner, as Dan said, was “so good it would make Gordon Ramsay’s bollocks tingle”. After an exhausting trip to Chicago, eating overpriced and unwholesome food, I needed something to cleanse my body and soul. Something a bit fancy for Friday night, and a way to exercise my cooking muscles. […]
Zingy Lentil and Bulghur Soup with Mint
Delicious, easy, soothing, simple. What more could you ask for in a recipe? This is based on the one featured in the Almost Turkish Blog I linked to in the sidebar. I wasn’t feeling well and wanted something nourishing but simple. The mint in the recipe is soothing on the tummy and the bulghur and […]