TOASTED PINE NUT COUSCOUS WITH GARLIC SHRIMP

 



A delicious and easy way to prepare shrimp.

Ingredients:

* 1 lb. fresh or frozen large shrimp( I used the 'Easy to peel' kind from my fishmonger)

* 1 Tbsp. olive oil

* 4 cloves garlic, minced

* 1 tsp. dried tarragon, crushed

* 1/2 tsp. dried thyme, crushed

* 1/4 tsp. Old Bay seasoning ( or celery salt )

* 1 5.6 oz. package toasted pine nut couscous mix

* 1 1/4 cups chicken broth

* 2/3 cup sliced green onion

* 1/3 cup lemon juice

* 1/4 cup melted butter

* 1 6-oz. package baby spinach

* Shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions:

 

* Peel, devein and rinse shrimp, and then pat dry. Place shrimp in a large self-sealing plastic bag. Add oil, garlic, tarragon, thyme and Old Bay seasoning and seal bag. Gently turn and 'massage' the bag to coat the shrimp with the marinade. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

* Prepare the couscous according to the package directions, substituting the chicken broth for the water. Stir the onions into the couscous. Set aside.

* Combine the lemon juice and butter in a bowl, and set aside.

* Saute' the shrimp in a large skillet with the marinade over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes or until shrimp turns opaque. ( Do not overcook or the shrimp will be tough.) Pour half of the butter over the shrimp.

* To serve, divide the spinach among individual bowls. Spoon the couscous onto the spinach. Arrange the shrimp on the couscous and pour the remaining lemon butter over everything. Sprinkle with shredded parmesan. Serves 4.

UPSIDE DOWN RECIPES FOR A TOPSY TURVY WORLD

UPSIDE DOWN RECIPES FOR A TOPSY TURVY WORLD

 

If you are looking for an unusual meal combo sometime, something to entertain the children or your guests, try this upside down main course, Ma'loobet and dessert, Upside Down Cherry Pudding.

Ma'loobet el Bedingan
(Eggplant with Rice Casserole)

 

* Vegetable oil

* 2 onions chopped

* 1 pound lamb or beef cubes

* salt and pepper

* 1 teaspoon cinnamon

* 1/2 teaspoon allspice

* 2 pounds eggplant, sliced into 1/3" thick slices

* 2 cups long grain rice

* 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts for garnish (optional)
IN a large pan or skillet, fry the onions in 3 tablespoons of the oil over low heat, with the lid on, until softened and golden in color. Add the meat and brown it all over. Cover with water, add the salt, pepper, cinnamon, allspice and cook until tender, for about one hour. Be sure to add water as necessary to keep the meat covered.

While the meat is cooking, arrange the eggplant slices on a baking sheet, brushing both sides generously with oil and lightly seasoning with salt. Broil under a pre-heated broiler, turning once, until the slices are lightly browned on both sides..
Remove the pan with the meat from the heat and add a layer of eggplant slices on top. Pour half of the rice evenly over those layers, and season with salt. Add a second layer of eggplant slices, then cover with the remaining rice. Sprinkle with a little salt ( if desired) and add just enough water to cover the rice. Do Not Stir. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil, then simmer on the lowest possible heat for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Add water if the casserole becomes too dry. Let rest, but keep warm for 20 minutes before serving.
To serve, place a large round platter on top of the pan and quickly turn it upside down, tapping the bottom of the pan, so that the mold comes out undisturbed. Garnish if desired with Pine Nuts.

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Upside Down Cherry Pudding
This pudding dessert is very clever - it turns itself upside down in the over!

 

* 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

* 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

* 1/4 teaspoon salt

* 1/2 cup butter or margarine

* 1 cup sugar

* 1 egg, unbeaten

* 1 teaspoon vanilla

* 1 cup milk
Sauce:

 

* 1 cup sugar

* 1 small can sour red pitted cherries

* 1/2 cup boiling water
Combine flour, baking powder and salt. In a separate bowl, cream the butter or margarine, adding the sugar gradually and continue creaming until light and fluffy. Beat in the whole egg. Stir in the vanilla. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Beat well after each addition. Pour batter into a greased 9" square pan.

Prepare the sauce by heating the cherries, juice, sugar and boiling water, then pouring it over the batter. Bake in a 350F oven for about 35 -45 minutes or until the pudding begins to shrink and the top is golden brown. When baked, the cherry sauce will be on the bottom. Good served with whipped topping or ice cream. Serves 8.

MOMBAR MAHSHY

MOMBAR MAHSHY (STUFFED BEEF SAUSAGE)

1 kg beef. 5 mastic grains. 5 cardarnom seeds. Oil for frying. salt and pepper. parsley. Stuffing: 1 kgs minced beef 2 cups rice. salt and pepper. Method   1. Mix stuffing ingredients and set aside in refrigerator. 2. Prepare chitterlings (below). 3. Tie one end of the chitterling with ordinary cotton thread, fill loosely with stuffing. Shape like a sausage, by tying thread every 10 cm, again keeping the filling very loose. 4. Place in pot with mastic grains, cardamom seeds, and salt and pepper. 5. Cover completely with water, and boil for 30-40 minutes; strain. 6. Immediately, before serving, deep fry until golden brown. 7. Removes threads, cut at intersections, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and serve warm on a bed of parsley. *Preparation of Chittlerings   1. Take the amount needed of *beef chitterlings* and clean thoroughly by opening the *mouth* of the chitterlings over the water tap and turn the water on *full blast* for a few miniyes. 2. Turn chitterlings inside out. Place on smooth surface and, with blunt knife, scrape well, turning over on both sides to completely clean. 3. Stir flour in water and rub each chitterling in mixture. 4. Rinse several times. Turn inside out again and rinse. 5. The chitterling is now prepared for stuffing.

NORTH AFRICAN SWEET POTATO MEAT PIE

Ingredients:   1       lb lean ground beef 1/2      cup breadcrumbs 1/4     teaspoon allspice 1/4     teaspoon nutmeg 1/8     teaspoon black pepper 1/8      teaspoon cayenne 1 1/2   teaspoons salt, divided 2 (16.00 ounces) cans sweet potatoes, drained well 1/4     cup brown sugar 1/4    cup milk (not skim) 2      large eggs 1      tablespoon butter, softened 1      tablespoon lemon juice 1/4   teaspoon cinnamon 1/8   teaspoon garlic powder 1     tablespoon finely minced fresh onion 1     dash Tabasco sauce, to taste   Instructions: 1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 2.     In a bowl, stir together the ground beef, breadcrumbs, allspice, nutmeg, pepper, cayenne, and 1 tsp of salt. 3.     Press mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate up to the rim; refrigerate for about 15 minutes. 4.     Meanwhile, in another large bowl mash together the sweet potatoes and remaining ingredients and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt with a potato masher until mixture is smooth. 5.     Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the uncooked meat shell. 6.     Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. 7.     Makes 4 to 6 servings (depending on how hungry you are!).

CRISP PASTRY WITH MEAT FILLING

RU'A'BIL-L-LAHMA CRISP PASTRY WITH MEAT FILLING

For Savory Minced Meet:   INGREDIENTS   * 1 kg beef * 2 onions, chopped very fine * cooking oil * salt and pepper   INSTRUCTIONS   Mince the beef coarsely. Fry the onions until pale gold, then add beef and seasoning and cook until the juice is reabsorbed.   For the Main Dish INGREDIENTS   * ru'a' (Very thin cracker-type bread) * Savory minced beef * Meat Broth * Butter   INSTRUCTIONS Grease a baking tray and boil the meat broth. Take one layer of ru'a' at a time, dip in boiling meat broth, and line bottom of tray. Sprinkle with butter and repeat to cover bottom with 3 to 4 layers. Spread savory minced beef with the remaining melted butter and bake in preheated moderate oven. When the top browns, turn over to allow the bottom to brown as well. Cut into sections while still hot.

 

SANIYIT KUFTA

Baked Minced Beef Ingredient: 2 1/4 lbs. minced beef 2 onions 2 tb. tomato paste 1/2 ts. nutmeg or cinnamon 3-4 ripe tomatos salt & pepper   Instructions:   Finely chop the onions and add to the minced ( ground ) beef. Add tomato paste, spices and seasonings. Mix well, then spread on an oven pan or baking dish, to form a layer 1.5 to 2 inches thick. Cut into 4" square sections and release sides. Peel tomatoes, slice and place on meet. Bake in center of preheated 350F oven for 30 minutes or until done.

LAMB WITH RICE

SELEQ – LAMB WITH RICE
FROM THE ARABIAN PENINSULA


"’Tafaddaloo – do us the honor!’ exclaimed the Bedouin as he invited the weary travelers to his tent for a sumptuous meal." So begins many travelers’ tales of journeys across the desert lands of the Near East.
It is entirely possible that Seleq was served to our weary traveler, for this is a very common dish among the desert Bedouins.

* 2 lbs. of lamb cut into ½ inch cubes
* 3 medium onions, finely chopped
* 2 Tb. Fresh cilantro, finely chopped
* Salt and pepper to taste
* 2 cups milk
* 2 cups rice, rinsed
* 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Simmer the meat, onions, coriander, salt and pepper in water in a covered saucepan over low heat for one hour. Remove the meat and set aside, and keep warm.
Add 2 cups of water and the milk to the stock in which the meat was cooked. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice, cover and cook very gently over low heat until the rice is nearly cooked (about 15 minutes.) Turn off the heat and allow to steam 10 minutes longer.
Place the rice on a large tray. Arrange the pieces of meat on top. Pour the melted butter over the rice and meat. Serve with a vegetable salad.

Serves 4 to 6.

ORZO CASSEROLE

TAGIN LISAN 'ASFUR

ORZO CASSEROLE

 

Ingredient:

* 1/2 kg lisan 'asfur1
* 1/2 kg beef
* 2 onions, sliced very thinly
* 2 sweet greet peppers
* 1 teaspoon cinnamon
* 1 - 2 cups meat stock
* 1 tablespoon butter
* 1 tablespoon oil
* salt and pepper

Instructions:


Cut meat into bite-size cubes. Remove stems and seeds from peppers and slice thinly. Saute onion and pepper in a mixture of butter and oil, then add meat and fry until the juice is reabsorbed/evaporated. Add stock to cover, toss in peppers, cinnamon, and seasoning and cook for 15 minutes. With a perforated skimmer, remove all these ingredients and place in an earthenware casserole dish. Reboil stock and add lisan 'asfur and parboil for 5 to 7 minutes. Then pour over meat mixture. If the stock does not completely cover, add more hot water. Bake in preheated moderate oven for 30 minutes.
1. Dry, small, oval shaped pastry. Lisan 'asfur literally means "swallow's tongue," thus eloquently describing its shape and size.

DRY PASTERY FINGERS WITH MEAT FILLING

ASABI' GULLASH BI-L-LAHMA

 

 

DRY PASTERY FINGERS WITH MEAT FILLING

Ingredients:

* gullash
* savory minced beef
* butter

Ingredients for Savory Minced Meet (Lahma mu'assaga

* 1 kg beef
* 2 onions, chopped very fine
* cooking oil
* salt and pepper

Directions for Savory Minced Meet

Mince the beef coarsely. Fry the onions until pale gold, then add beef and seasoning and cook until the juice is reabsorbed.

Directions for Asbai' gullash bi-l-lahma

Gullash is paper thin dough sold in bakeries. It dries out quickly, and should be kept covered.

Cut gullash sheets into 10 cm squares and keep covered with moist cloth. Taking one square at a time and covering the rest immediately, place on a smooth surface and arrange minced meat in a narrow strip at the center of the square 1 cm from both ends. Fold ends over the meat mixture and roll tightly so that it resembles a cigarette. Arrange tidily in a greased baking tray, brush top with melted butter, and bake in preheated moderate oven until golden.

KOFTA WITH APRICOT SAUCE

In her book, Memories of a Lost Egypt, Colette Rossant’s recounting of various family events and activities always includes a sumptuous description of the food served at these special times, as well as recipes. This month we are featuring a recipe for Kofta (meatballs) with Apricot Sauce, which was served in her Grandmaman’s house as part of a wedding feast.   Kofta with Apricot Sauce Apricot Sauce       Soak 1 cup dried apricots in water to cover for 2 hours. Drain the apricots and place them in a food processor or blender and puree. Then, with the motor running, slowly add 3 cups of chicken stock. (Note: I found that 2 cups of chicken stock was sufficient.) Add salt and pepper to taste, transfer to a saucepan and simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes.   Kofta * 1 pound of ground lamb * 2 small leeks, cleaned and finely chopped * 1 tablespoon raw rice * 2 eggs * 1 tablespoon olive oil * 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro * salt & pepper * 1 ½ cups chicken stock * flour * 2 tablespoons butter or margarine   Mix the ground lamb with the leeks, rice, eggs, oil, cilantro and salt & pepper to taste. Form balls the size of walnuts. (If you have a cookie scoop, use this and you will get uniform sized meatballs.) Place the meatballs in a large saucepan with the chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes, adding water if necessary. Drain the meatballs and cool. Roll the meatballs in flour and melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet. When the butter is hot, add the meatballs and saute for 5 to 6 minutes, until nicely browned. Pour the Apricot Sauce on the Kofta and serve. Makes 4 main dish servings. This recipe may also be served as an appetizer (mezze) or used as a filling for a pita sandwich with salad greens.

SANYET BATATES Recipe

SANYET BATATES (OVEN POTATO STEW)

 



 

SANYET BATATES  Recipe is easy to prepare and well worth the effort.

 

Ingredients for  Egyptian SANYET BATATES  Recipe

10 Potatoes.
Beef (or lamb or turkey, quantity according to budget.
4 Onions
2 cups tomato paste.
Cardamom pod (Habahan)
Salt and pepper.

 

Directions for Egyptian SANYET BATATES  Recipe

 

1. Cut 1 onion into 4 pieces (this goes with the meat when it is boiled). Cut the remaining onions into ring slices and place them in a cooking pot, and keep the other onion for later use.
2. Wash and peal the potatoes and cut them into thick slices and put in the pot, add water to cover the ingredients and add the tomato paste and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Boil the mixture for about an hour until the potatoes are cooked.
4. In the mean time cut the beef into 2x2x2cm cubes and put in another pot with the remaing onion and the cardimom. Boil for about 1/2 an hour, then fish the cardimom out.
5. Preheat the oven.
6. Layer the potatoe and onion slices in the oven dish together with the beef cubes.
7. Pour the beef broth (Bahreez) resulting from boiling the beef in the oven dish, and put the dish in the preheated oven. Cook until the potatoe become red in colour (10-15 mins). You might need to add more broth if all the water is absorbed before that.

 

Variations and Comments

 

* You can miss out on the meat to end up with a vegeterian dish
* You can use a layer of uncooked tomatoes as well. You can also add a layer of uncooked onions.
* This is a low fat version since there is no fat used in cooking. For a lower fat version use turkey instead of beef. For a fuller fat version with nice distinctive taste use lamb.
* This is the quick way of cooking this dish and requires less time than cooking everything in the oven from their raw state (usijng thinly sliced potatoes).
* The proper, full taste, full fat method would involve frying some of the ingredients (meat, onions, tomatoes with possibly some garlic) in olive oil rather than boling them, but can result in too heavy a meal.

 

That’s the traditional Egyptian SANYET BATATES Recipe Hope you like it.