FISH CASSEROLE WITH HULLED GRAIN

 

TAGIN SAMAK BI-L-FIRIK
FISH CASSEROLE WITH HULLED GRAIN

 

INGREDIENTS
* 1 kg fish

* 5-7 garlic cloves

* 2 cups hulled grain

* 1/2 teaspoon cumin

* 1-2 tablespoons flour

* oil

* salt

 

 

INSTRUCTIONS

 
Coat fish with flour, fry, then remove onto absorbent paper to cool. Skin, bone, and flake into large chunks. Boil skin, bones and trimmings of fish with cardamom and seasoning for 15 minutes. Strain in a very thin sieve.

 

Using the same oil used for frying the fish, lightly fry the hulled grain, then cover with the stock formed above, adding more water if necessary to produce 5 cups, and add cumin and garlic. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from flame and place in casserole dish, bury fish flakes in the grain. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.

 

MOROCCAN SHRIMP BARAWATS

Ingredient

 

2    ounces rice vermicelli
2    tablespoons olive oil
1    onion, finely chopped
12   ounces shrimp, peeled and deveined
1     teaspoon sweet paprika
3     tablespoons cilantro
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2    teaspoons lemon juice
3     tablespoons Italian parsley
2    teaspoons salt, to taste

phyllo pastry sheets to wrap the filling in.
Instructions:

 

1.     Cover the vermicelli with hot water and soak for about 15 minutes.

2.     Drain the noodles and then chop finely.

3.     Set aside.

4.     Heat the oil and add the onion and shrimp.

5.     Cook until the shrimp turns pink, stirring occasionally.

6.     Remove from heat, chop the shrimp and combine the shrimp/onion mixture with the herbs and spices.

7.     Put the mixtures in the wrapper and roll up like an eggroll.

8.     Or, if you prefer, fold the wrappers into triangle shapes.

9.     Brush the edges with some beaten egg yolk to seal.

10.     Fry in hot vegetable oil until golden.

11.     You can freeze uncooked briwats until ready to use.

12.     Just be sure to let them thaw slightly to avoid splattering in the hot oil.

13.     Serve with a squeeze of lemon or harissa, if desired.

SAYYADIAH - FISH WITH RICE

 

Serves 4; Cooking time 1 hour

* 4 whole fish, each about 12 oz.

* juice of one lemon

* salt

* freshly ground black pepper

* 3 cloves garlic, crushed

* 1 teaspoon ground cumin

* 2 medium sized onions, chopped

* 2 tablespoons oil

* 2 cups long grain rice

* 3 1/2 cups hot water

* flour

* oil for frying ( preferably olive oil)

* lemon wedges and parsley sprigs for garnish

1. Scale and gut the fish and leave the heads on. ( well, you don't have to if you don't want to.)  Rinse and wipe dry.  Rub surfaces and cavities with lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Cover and leave aside for 30-45 minutes.  Prepare the garlic and mix with the  cumin.

2. Gently fry the onions in oil in a deep pan for 15-20 minutes until very soft and golden.  Wash rice, drain and add to onions.  Stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then add the  hot water.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, cover pan and cook gently for 20 minutes.
3.  Make 3-4 deep slits on each side of the fish and fill slits with garlic-cumin mixture.  Coat fish with flour and shallow fry in hot oil until golden brown and cooked.
4. Remove fish and keep it hot.
5. Add about 2 tablespoons of the oil in which the fish was cooked  to the cooked rice.  Stir through with a fork, cover pan and leave rice for 5 minutes.
6. Pile rice on a platter, arrange fish on top and garnish with lemon wedges and parsley sprigs.

LEMON SEAFOOD PASTA CHEZ SHERRA'S PLACE

Very Easy, very elegant, from my very good friend.
Ingredients:

 

* One pound shrimp (31-40 count)

* One pound scrod filets

* One anaheim or other "mildly hot" fresh green pepper. (about 5 inches long-diced)

* one cup broccoli florets (pre-cooked until just a bit tender-I did this for 2 minutes in microwave)

* Pint of fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced-leave a few whole

* one large roma tomato-diced

* two lemons-juiced

* 1/4 cup Gazebo Room dressing (Greek salad dressing)

* 4 Tablespoons butter (not margarine)

* Salt

* Pepper

* about 1/2 C water

* 2 T flour

 
Instructions:

Bowtie Pasta (4 servings worth-cooked al dente in salted water (1 teaspoon salt per quart) with the juice of one lemon added to the pot. (Really!) This makes the pasta tasty!
Saute shrimp in large skillet with mushrooms and peppers in 2 tablespoons butter on medium high heat about 3 minutes until shrimp are opaque and pink. Remove shrimp. Turn heat down. Cool shrimp slightly, peel and set aside. Keep mushrooms, peppers, cooking to soften. Don't let it dry out. (this is a stopping point if you need more time to peel the shrimp, add the liquid ingredients first then add the fish when you are ready)

Add to mushrooms: juice of one lemon, diced tomato, dressing, rest of butter and scrod cut into large pieces (one pound filet will make about 8 pieces) Try to get pieces about the same size. Saute, and add water so the fish steams. Keep heat on medium. Turn fish pieces gently to cook through. This will take less than 5 minutes-when fish looks solid white and flakes with fork it is done. Toss broccoli and shrimp back in skillet. Remove about 1/4 cup hot liquid from skillet, stir flour into the hot liquid until smooth, then gently stir this mixture back into the skillet, trying not to break up the fish. Cook one to two minutes longer. This will slightly thicken the sauce, but will not be thick like gravy. Serve over hot pasta. Makes 4 servings.

SAYADEYA FISH TAGEN

 

Serves one

Ingredients

200 g sea bass filet

50 g finely chopped onion
100 g fresh tomato paste
20 g chopped coriander and dill 5g garlic 50 g finely chopped green pepper 20 g flour pinches of salt, pepper, cumin and dried coriander juice of ½ a lemon corn- oil

Directions

1 - Marinade the fish slices in salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, lemon juice, corn-oil, garlic and flour.
2 - Put the above ingredients in a covered bowl in a medium oven for 10 minutes.
3 - Place the onion, green pepper and chopped garlic in a casserole dish and fry in corn-oil for 7 minutes. Before it starts browning add the fresh tomato and tomato paste, cumin and coriander. Leave for 5 minutes at medium temperature.
4 - Add the green coriander and dill, and spilt the whole mixture into two.
5 - Take a crockery tagen and put in the first half of the tomato sauce. Add a layer of marinated fish, then cover with the remainder of the tomato sauce.
6 - Place some tomato slices on the top to prevent burning .
7 - Place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
8 - Serve with plain, buttered white rice.

SEAFOOD PASTA

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Olive oil         4 Tbsp
Canned Tomatoes        1-2 Cans
Onion      x 1
Mussels        200 g
Garlic        3 cloves
King Prawns        X 20
Parsley        2 tbsp
Vinegar          1 tsp
Bacon     2 rashes
Salt & pepper         10 taste
Clove powder Parmesan (optional)       ½ tsp
Squid      200 g

Method

1 . Sauté onion in oil till very soft but not brown for 5-10 minutes

2 . Add chopped bacon, garlic, 1 tbsp parsley and clove powder for 3-4 minutes.

3 . Add diced squid , cook for 2 minutes, reduce by half.

4 . Add chopped tomatoes cook for 5-10 minutes.

5 . Add mussels, prawns, salt and pepper, cook for 3-5 minutes.

6 . Off heat and add remaining parsley.

"Serve with pasta of your choice"

FISH KUFTA

Ingredients:

1 . Hamour fillet boneless.
2 . Potatoes.
3 . Two cloves of garlic.
4 . Green coriander.
5 . Spices.
6 . Green parley.
7 . Cinnamon powder.
8 . Minced onions.
9 . Beaten eggs.
10 . Bread crumbs.
Method

1 . Poach fish lightly in salted water for 15 minutes. Remove when cook.

2 . Boil peeled potatoes in the same water for 15 minutes.

3 . Mince fish with boiled potatoes, green coriander, parsley, garlic and onions.

4 . Add spices and salt to mixture and sprinkle with a little water when needing to set from pieces in disks.

5 . Dip the pieces in whipped egg and bread crumbs.

6 . Fry Kufta in hot oil until brown

"Serve hot with salad, lemon, and bread ( if required) or with white rice"

TABOULI CHICKEN CASSEROLE

Bulgur consists of wheat grains that have been hulled, steamed until partly cooked and then ground. Available in fine and coarse grades, it is a popular grain for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean salads.
I found this recipe in a small cookbook of recipes from the National Chicken Cooking Contest of 1993, which is sponsored here in the USA by the National Broiler Council. A basic tabouli salad is transformed into an elegant, main course luncheon or dinner salad. I used rice as an accompaniment to the casserole, in case my daughter, the resident picky eater didn’t care for the tabouli, but she loved it!

* 1 cut up broiler-fryer chicken
* 2 cans (6 oz.) marinated artichoke hearts, drained
* 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, drained
* 1 can (15 oz.) chopped, crushed or diced tomatoes.
* 3 medium carrots, coarsely grated
* ½ cup chicken broth
* ¼ cup white wine
* 1 Tb. fresh chopped mint
* 1 Ts. chopped garlic
* 1 cup bulgur
* 1 Tb. finely grated lemon peel
* 2 Tb. Corn starch
* 4 Tb. Cold water
* ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
* ¼ cup chopped fresh cucumbers

 
Grease large casserole dish. Place artichokes, chickpeas, tomatoes, carrots, chicken broth, wine, mint, garlic, bulgur and lemon peel in casserole dish. In small dish, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; add to vegetable mixture, stirring well. Place chicken on top. Bake, covered, in 350F oven for 45 minutes. Remove cover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until fork can be inserted into chicken with ease.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with parsley and cucumbers.

Makes 6 servings.

STUFFED DUCK AND POTATOES

 

Stuffed duck has been a traditional recipe since the ancient Egyptians. At least that is what most of Egyptian housewives believe.

Ingredients:

 

* one large duck

* crushed wheat or rice

* cumin

* Onion

* salt and pepper

* lemon

* Tomato paste

* one dozen small potatoes

 
Preparation:

Crushed rice wheat is washed in water and left to soak for a while. The duck is stuffed with the crushed rice wheat from behind. It is then plugged with a large onion and sewed tightly with a clean thread and needle. The sewing is very important, as it will not allow the rice/crushed wheat to escape from inside the duck.
The stuffed duck is boiled in water until it is tender. It is preferred to add a lot of herbs to the stew as this gives a special taste to the duck. You can be creative with herbs but avoid spicy ones. Add cumin, onions, some salt and pepper.
The stuffed duck is then placed on a pan and lemon juice is squeeze on it. Then tomato paste is spread on its back. The duck is placed in the oven on medium temperature. When the back is red the duck is taken out of the oven and left to cool for a minute. The stuffed crushed rice wheat can either be left inside of the duck or it can be taken out and placed around the duck in a serving plate.

As a side dish you can prepare stuffed potatoes. Pick a dozen or more small potatoes (about the size of a golf ball each). The potatoes are peeled and hollowed out. They are then fried. Minced meat is cooked on a frying pan. The potatoes are stuffed with the cooked minced meat and placed in a deep pan. Tomato paste is then brushed on the surface and the pan of potatoes is placed in the oven for ten minutes.

For salad you can prepare Egyptian green salad. Cut tomatoes, cucumbers, rocket, radish into medium pieces. Slice half an onion and add it to the salad. For seasoning, pour one tablespoon of vinegar and one tablespoon of olive oil in a cup and squeeze on it half of a small lemon. Add salt and pepper. Stir the seasoning and pour it on the salad. Toss the salad then spray it with cumin. Bon appetite or as Egyptians say, “Bel hana wesh shefa” (eat and be happy with good health).

MOROCCAN SPICE BRAISED CHICKEN WITH DATES AND ALMONDS

Ingredients:

* 3 1/2 pounds chicken parts
* 3 tablespoons flour
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 large onion,halved, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
* 1 1/2 teaspoons McCormick® Ground Cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Cumin
* 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Ground Ginger
* 1/2 teaspoon McCormick® Turmeric
* 1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons lemon juice
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 cup pitted and quartered dates, (about 6 ounces)
* 1/3 cup whole blanched almonds
Directions:

1.Coat chicken with flour. Heat oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add half of the chicken; brown about 5 minutes per side. Remove from skillet. Repeat browning step with remaining chicken, adding onion. Return all chicken to skillet.

2. Combine cinnamon, cumin, ginger, and turmeric in a small bowl; add to chicken. Stir to evenly coat chicken and onions with spices; sauté 1-2 minutes.

3. Stir in broth, lemon juice and salt; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in dates and almonds and cook, covered, for 20 minutes. Uncover and simmer another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

HAMAM MAHSHI BI BURGHUL

HAMAM MAHSHI BI BURGHUL (CORNISH HENS WITH BULGUR, RAISINS, AND PINE NUTS)

Usually made with pigeons instead of Cornish hens, this dish (pronounced ha-MAM mah-SHE bee boor-GHOUL) is one of the delicacies of Egypt, where villagers along the Nile River raise pigeons. The stuffing is baked separately and served alongside the hens.

 

Photo of the recipe using Pigeons



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo of the recipe using Cornish hens



 



 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients:

Cornish Hens:

 

* 3 (1 1/2-pound) Cornish hens, skinned

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

* 2 cups coarsely chopped onion

* 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

* 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

* Cooking spray

 
Bulgur:

 

* 3/4 cup currants

* 3 1/3 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

* 2 cups uncooked bulgur

* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

* 1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

* 1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted

* 3 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

 
Instructions:

 

1. To prepare the hens, sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the onion and next 5 ingredients (onion through allspice) in a food processor; process until smooth. Combine hens and onion mixture in a large zip-top plastic bag. Seal bag; marinate in refrigerator 1 hour, turning bag occasionally. Remove the hens from the bag; discard marinade.

 
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

 
3. Place hens on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; bake at 400 degrees for 35 minutes or until thermometer registers 180 degrees.

 
4. To prepare the bulgur, soak currants in a bowl of water 15 minutes. Drain; set aside. Bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the bulgur, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Stir in currants, pine nuts, and butter. Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1/2 Cornish hen and 1 1/2 cups bulgur mixture).

 

FRIED EGGS WITH WHITE CHEESE

Beed ma'li gibna beeda

Ingredients:

 

* 4-6 slices hard white cheese

* 4-6 eggs

* cooking oil or spray

* salt & pepper
Instructions:

*  Slice the cheese 1/2 inch thick & fry in skillet, turning & frying on both sides.   Remove the cheese to one side of the serving dish, keeping warm.  Break eggs and fry in the same fat.   Serve the eggs alongside the cheese and season with taste. Garnish as desired.

*  Here in the US, I used Wisconsin Farms' Frying Cheese, which I found at Wal-Mart, since Gibna or local Egyptian cheese, is not available here.

FRIED EGGS WITH PASTRAMI

 

Beed ma'li bi-l-bastirma

 

Ingredients:

 

* 4 1/2 ounces pastrami

* 4-6 eggs

* cooking oil or spray

* salt & pepper
Instructions:

* Remove the coarse rind of the bastirma.* Bastirma becomes very crisp very quickly when heated.  Fry it in the skillet with the cooking oil or spray.  Turn to cook both sides, then add eggs, beaten or whole.  When eggs are set, remove to serving dish and season to taste.  Garnish with fruit or as desired.

* Take care to not overcook the bastirma, as it will turn bitter.
* Bastirma, or pastrami, in the US will be very very thin and the rind will not be a problem.

FIG AND LEMON CHICKEN

 

Chicken thighs roasted with figs and lemon slices in a lemon, vinegar and brown sugar glaze. A good recipe with to break the fast of Ramadan and celebrate the Iftar.

Ingredients:

 

* 12 chicken thighs

* 2 lemons, 1 sliced, 1 halved

* 1/4 cup brown sugar

* 1/4 cup white vinegar

* 1/4 cup water

* 1 1/2 pounds dried figs

* salt to taste

* 1 teaspoon dried parsley

* 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

 
Directions:

 

 

Preheat the chicken thighs in oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Squeeze juices from halved lemon into a small bowl, then stir in brown sugar, vinegar and water; set aside.

 
Place figs and sliced lemon segments in the bottom of an 11x16 inch baking/roasting dish. Arrange chicken thighs on top, then pour vinegar mixture over chicken. Finally, sprinkle with salt and dried parsley to taste.

 
Bake/roast at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 50 minutes, basting frequently (turn figs if they begin to brown).

 
With a slotted spoon, remove chicken, figs and lemon slices from baking dish and place on a warm platter. Skim fat from cooking juices, then pour over chicken as sauce. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve..

EGYPTIAN SPINACH OMELET

 

Ingredients:

 

12  ounces fresh baby spinach

2    tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

2    medium onions, chopped

2    medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

salt

fresh ground pepper

6   eggs

1/4  teaspoon nutmeg

2    tablespoons canola or vegetable oil

1 (15.00  ounces) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

 
Instructions:
1.     Rinse and drain spinach; squeeze out excess water.
2.     Place spinach in saucepan over medium heat; cover with lid and allow to wilt.
3.     Remove from heat and drain in colander.
4.     Remove all excess water.
5.     Heat oil in large cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet.
6.     Add chopped onions and cook until tender and lightly golden.
7.     Add tomatoes to skillet; season to taste with salt and pepper.
8.     Cook for 12-15 minutes or until tomato is tender and liquid is reduced.
9.     Preheat broiler.
10.     Beat eggs lightly in bowl; season to taste with salt and pepper.
11.     Add nutmeg to flavor the eggs, stirring well.
12.     Add tomato mixture and spinach to beaten eggs and mix well.
13.     Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in cast-iron or ovenproof skillet; pour mixture in.
14.     Top with canned chickpeas.
15.     Cook over low heat for approximately 10-12 minutes or until the bottom has set; then place under broiler to finish setting the top.
16.     It should be firm and lightly browned when it is done.
17.     Cut into slices and serve.

PANCAKES WITH CHICKEN

CREPES AVEC VOLAILLE ET POMME CHEZ MARIE

 

French food is a large part of the gastronomic landscape of Cairo and along the Mediterranean. Here is an easy recipe for dinner crepes, which are tasty yet impressive.

 

* Crepes (see below)

* 3 Tb. margarine or butter

* 3 Tb. flour

* 1/2 Ts. salt

* 2 C. turkey or chicken broth

* 1 1/2 C. finely cut up chicken or turkey

* 2/3 C. chopped apple

* 1 medium stalk celery, chopped ( about 1/2 c.)

* 2 Tb. chopped onion

* Seasoning such as Old Bay to taste.

 
Prepare Crepes; keep covere to prevent them from drying out.  Heat margarine over low heat until melted.  Blend in flour and salt.  Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat.  Stir in broth.  Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute.
Mix chicken, apple, celery, onion and 3/4 c. of the thickend broth.  Place scant 1/4 cup chicken mixture on center of each crepe; roll up.  Place crepes seam sides down in ungreased oblong baking dish, 13 x 9.  Pour remaining broth over crepes. Cook uncovered in 350F oven until crepes are hot, about 20 minutes.  6 servings.
Crepes

 

* 1 c. all purpose flour

* 1/4 ts. baking powder

* 1/4 ts. salt

* 1 1/4 c. milk

* 1 egg

* 1 tb. melted margarine or butter

 
Mix flour, baking powder, salt.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Beat with electric hand mixer until smooth.
Lightly butter a 7 or 8 inch skillet; heat over medium heat until bubbly, being careful not to burn the butter.  For each crepe, pour a scant quarter cup of  batter into the skillet. Immediately rotate the skillet until a thin film of batter covers the bottom.  Cook until light brown. Run a wide spatula around the edge to loosen, then turn the crepe and cook until the other side is light brown.  Stack crepes on wax paper to prevent sticking.