Got a yen for the food of strong men?

It’s so easy to just bop down to the corner falafel stand and pick up a pita full of the Middle Easts’ favorite fast food. But get to know – and make, another meal, the kind you have to sit down for.

In this recipe, dark, meaty fava beans set down in a nest of yellow hummus and a beige ring of tehini, topped with a brown hamine (long-cooked) egg. Parsley, to offset the earthy flavors. Lemon juice, to balance the dish with a little acidity, and a generous drizzle of good olive oil. On the side, pickles for piquancy, and a little bowl of hot sauce. Onion, just because. Some preserved lemon quarters. And fresh pitas. Nutritious, cheap, comforting. Satisfying in every sense. It’s ful and hummous: the Middle Eastern workingman’s lunch.

The ingredients are always the same, but each cook makes them a little different and never with frozen or canned chick peas. Some people like dark fava beans, using a traditional pot whose long neck allows slow evaporation of the cooking liquid. Some just boil up the quicker-cooking, lighter, haricot bean. Either way, ful and hummus is easy to make, but requires a number of steps. If you want to do this totally from scratch, you will need to prepare three ingredients the night before: beans soaking in one bowl, chickpeas in another, and a pot of gently-boiled eggs simmering on the stove.

Like this one?

Don’t stop here:

See also:

Organic Trend Hits Tel Aviv Where It Counts. The Hummus.
Pickling 101 – Vinegared Cucumber Salad

The post The ultimate hummus recipe appeared first on Green Prophet.

Middle Eastern markets are bursting with  the color and aromas of summer’s soft fruits. This is the guide to getting the most out of June.

Fruit:

There are lots of honeydews and cantaloupes. Keep an eye out for heirloom melon varieties offered in Arab markets. Vendors will offer a fresh orange or green sliver, dripping with juice for you to taste, but don’t get carried away; test before you buy.

A ripe melon’s stalk end should yield slightly to the finger, and the fruit should be firm, with a perceptible sweet aroma. However, if you’re buying with intention to serve melon in a day or two, an under-ripe one will ripen quickly in the Middle Eastern heat. Watermelons are always a risk,  as far as I’m concerned. No matter how carefully I thump them, listening for the solid sound of a good ripe one, I won’t know if I’ve got a good one until I’ve cut it open.

Apricots are at their peak. Their season will end from one day the next, soon, so be sure to buy that extra kilo or two for preserving. Plums of many varieties have made their first appearance, and are already sweet. The little green sour plums mentioned last month are still in season, although ripening and turning purple now.

White and yellow peaches and nectarines are in full, glorious flush. How about the delicious geranium-scented cream to cover sliced peaches? It’s a deliciously different way to serve fruit.

Kiwis from New Zealand are still present, although expensive. Bananas are very good and cheap right now. Fig season has just started, and you can find both black and green figs. Choose one of these delicious fresh fig desserts.

The promise of a good cherry crop came true. Prices are going down as the season advances, but take care: cherries left out in the heat of open-air markets – or left refrigerated in supermarkets – lose flavor. Taste before you buy. If you love cherries and find good ones, buy now for pickling, freezing, baking, preserving, or eating out of hand.

There are still bags full of green almonds.  Avocados still linger, but are expensive and under-ripe. Avocados teach patience to those who must ripen them on kitchen counters. And craftiness in choosing a good one.

An avocado tip:

A tip I recently learned about choosing a good avocado: flick the tiny bump off the stem end. If the color underneath is yellowish-green, it’s a good avocado. If the little depression is dark, brown, or black, put it back in the bin; it’s most likely rotten.

Grapefruit, oranges, and lemons are still going strong. Grapes are sweet and worth buying, and you can still buy their lemony leaves to wrap fish in, or to line a pot of rice. You might find the season’s first mangoes. 

Salads:

Tomatoes have come down in price and all the colors and sizes are already good. Some heirloom tomatoes may be found in Arab markets. Those excellent tomatoes are ridged and squat in shape rather than round, and may have dark-green streaks.

July is the month for a tomato glut, but if you have time and inclination, it’s already a good time to cook up lots of tomato sauce. Keep some for immediate use, and then cook part of it down to a thick, concentrated mass for freezing by quarter-cups – so handy for impromptu flavoring or quick sauces.

Broccoli is available, but often wilted and showing a yellow top. But cauliflowers are still good. Cabbages, sweet corn, string and wax beans are good too. Sweet corn is a summer favorite and its price is average now. Okra is available, although expensive. Kohlrabi, fennel, red radishes, beets, and bell peppers of every color are good, with average prices.

The root vegetables are still full and fat. Carrots, celeriac, parsley root, and especially red and white potatoes continue excellent.

Cucumbers and eggplants are good, but already feeling the heat. Buy in the cooler early hours of the day to get the best ones. Now is the time for different eggplant varieties, like the ridged baladi (wild variety) for baba ganoush and small ones for pickling or stuffing.

You may still find fresh, green chickpeas with their flavor like that of green peas. Some open-air markets sell them roasted, as a snack.

Pale-green squashes, dark zucchini and pumpkins continue firm and flavorful. You may catch this year’s second artichoke crop, which is scanty but offers good-sized ‘chokes. Onions have finally gotten over the winter doldrums and are big and firm, with healthy golden peels and no more sprouts.

Herbs:

The familiar herbs are in full evidence, with the exception of basil, which is available but looking sad. Last month’s list still serves: parsley, coriander leaf, chives, celery, and scallions. As in last month, sorrel, tarragon, wormwood, Swiss chard, and leeks are out on the stands. Many varieties of lettuce have appeared: romaine, iceberg, and ruffled green and purple lettuces are the most popular. Asparagus is back, as are endives.

Another seasonal treat is Jerusalem Sage, a broad leaf that’s excellent for stuffing with rice. And melochia’s season is now.  Make some soup! As noted last month, rinse and hang up any melochia leaves you’re not using, for future use.

Forager’s notes:

St. John’s Wort (Hypericum perforatum, known also as perforate) is blooming now, for those who know how to dry it or even better, tincture it, for medicine.

Purslane is strong, healthy, and sprouting up everywhere (see our purslane recipe here).

Knotweed (polygonum multiflora) is an almost invisible weed whose aerial parts make an excellent skin-soother and facial rinse as tea. Capers are blooming now. Pick the tightly-closed buds and cucumber-like fruit for pickling if you’re brave enough to withstand the thorns.

A lovely thing to do with caper buds with a white streak showing that the flower inside is almost ready to burst forth: put them in a little bowl of water. They will open in a few hours and look like white and purple butterflies floating. Gather enough of them to enjoy their faint, sweet scent.

Some white mulberry trees are still bearing fruit, especially in the hilly regions. Both red and white mulberries are still putting forth new leaves. Young, tender mulberry leaves are good to wrap lamb or chicken patties in, or to dry as a tea. Tea of dried mulberry leaves is said to control blood sugar. Be aware: fresh mulberry leaves are slightly toxic and must be cooked or dried before use.

Broad-leaved chicory, known as olesh in some places, may be found wild, although some Arab markets also sell it. Here is a recipe for cooking chicory.

Elecampagne, with its pungent odor and yellow flowers, is now sprouting and flowering. Elecampagne, or Inula, has strong anti-microbial properties and may be used as a field poultice or as a wash to keep wounds from becoming infected.

It’s said that the Bedouin have over 40 uses for elecampagne. If you want to know more about Bedouin folk medicine, follow the link here from our writer in Jordan.

Delicious things you can do with Junes’ produce:

• Apricot Chutney
• Syrian Tomato Salad
• Eggplant Stuffed with Bulgur and Fruit
• Make mango chutney called amba

The post What’s in season in June – plus recipes and forager’s notes appeared first on Green Prophet.

“Middle Eastern food” is a catch-phrase that embraces the cuisines of so many countries, and ethnic streams inside those countries, that a list of 60 essential ingredients can’t cover everything. But if you love the flavors of the Middle East…be it cumin-scented, crunchy falafel or the fragrance of rose-water in pastries like ma’amoul, it’s worth organizing space in your kitchen for the ingredients listed below.

You probably already have many of the suggested items in this post. We have also posted recipes for some exotic things, like pomegranate molasses, that you can make yourself. Some items, like sheep’s tail fat, are available only in Middle Eastern butcher shops and supermarkets. Olive oil or smen (clarified butter) are fine substitutes for sheep’s tail fat.

In most cases, you can omit or substitute ingredients. Some are unique, though,  like the unmistakable taste of saffron (the world’s most expensive aphrodisiac). Much as we appreciate turmeric and indeed often cook with it, it will never smell or taste the same as saffron. For the cook experienced with Middle Eastern fare, this post may look like a shopping list, useful for reminding which items to replace.  For those eager to learn more about cooking Middle Easter delicacies at home, it’s a good start.

Dry Spices

To bring out spices’ best flavors, buy them whole, in small quantities, and grind them yourself. A traditional mortar and pestle takes little space in the kitchen and does the job quickly.

• Allspice berries
• Anise seeds
• Bay leaves
• Black pepper
• Cardamom, both ground and whole seeds
• Chilies, dried
• Cinnamon, both ground and in sticks
• Cloves, both ground and whole
• Coriander seed, both ground and whole (for grinding fresh)
• Cumin
• Fennel seeds
• Fenugreek seeds
• Ginger, ground, or fresh root in season (can be frozen)
• Mint, dried
• Nigella seeds (black cumin)
• Nutmeg

• Rose petals, dried
• Saffron
• Sesame seeds
• Sumac, whole berries or powdered (Rhus syriaca)
• Turmeric, ground or fresh root in season (can be frozen)
• Za’atar leaves, dried

Fresh Herbs In Season

Place your leafy green herbs in a jar of water where they can get some indirect light, and they will keep for at least a week. Some, like mint and basil, might actually grow roots. Those, you can transplant to dirt and put outside to snip bits off whenever you need some.

• Basil
• Chives
• Coriander leaves (cilantro)
• Fenugreek
• Garlic
• Ginger root (may be frozen, whole)
• Hot peppers of all sizes and varieties and degrees of heat
• Mint
• Onions
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Scallions
• Thyme and lemon thyme
• Turmeric root (may be frozen, whole)
• Za’atar

Varied Seasonings

If you’re not familiar with an ingredient – say, dried limes – buy only a little at first, then find a recipe using it. Once you’re comfortable with the ingredient, decide if you want to invest in a little more.

• Anba, pickled mango relish (to dribble on falafel, shwarma and grilled anything)
• Date honey (silan) – try our sweet potatoes roasted in date honey, here.
• Honey, local
• Lemon juice
• Lemons and limes, dried
• Orange-blossom water
• Pomegranate molasses
• Rosewater
• Tahini paste to dilute and season
• Tamarind paste or syrup

Fats

• Olive oil
• Smen (clarified butter, recipe here)
• Sheep’s tail fat

Sheer Necessities

Some items listed below, like walnuts and raisins, are not exclusively Middle Eastern, but are there because every Middle Eastern cook has some on hand, all the time.

• Almonds, whole or blanched
• Arak
• Beans, navy and fava (broad beans), dried or canned
• Burgul (cracked wheat), medium ground
• Chickpeas, dried or canned
• Couscous, instant
• Dates
• Lentils (see our delicious majadra,  lentil and rice recipe here)
• Pine nuts
• Raisins, black and golden
• Rice, long-grained Persian or Basmati varieties
• Semolina
• Walnuts

Middle Eastern Pantry Checklist

Dry Spices

Allspice berries

Anise seeds

Bay leaves

Black pepper

Cardamom (ground and whole seeds)

Chilies, dried

Cinnamon (ground and sticks)

Cloves (ground and whole)

Coriander seed (ground and whole)

Cumin

Fennel seeds

Fenugreek seeds

Ginger (ground or fresh root)

Mint, dried

Nigella seeds

Nutmeg

Rose petals, dried

Saffron

Sesame seeds

Sumac

Turmeric (ground or fresh root)

Za’atar leaves, dried

Fresh Herbs In Season

Basil

Chives

Coriander leaves (cilantro)

Fenugreek

Garlic

Ginger root

Hot peppers (varieties)

Mint

Onions

Parsley

Rosemary

Scallions

Thyme / Lemon thyme

Turmeric root

Za’atar

Varied Seasonings

Anba (pickled mango relish)

Date honey (silan)

Honey (local)

Lemon juice

Lemons and limes, dried

Orange-blossom water

Pomegranate molasses

Rosewater

Tahini paste

Tamarind paste or syrup

Fats

Olive oil

Smen (clarified butter)

Sheep’s tail fat

Sheer Necessities

Almonds (whole or blanched)

Arak

Beans (navy and fava)

Burgul (cracked wheat)

Chickpeas (dried or canned)

Couscous (instant)

Dates

Lentils

Pine nuts

Raisins (black and golden)

Rice (Persian or Basmati)

Semolina

Walnuts

The post 60 Must-Have Pantry Items For A Middle-Eastern Kitchen appeared first on Green Prophet.

A traditional Arabic dish of ancient origins, mouth-watering Maklubah (maqlub, maqlube) is a gala menu all by itself.

“Maklubah” means “upside-down” in Arabic, and this dish must be stood on its head to deserve the name. A Turkish translation of the 13th-century Baghdad Cookery Book has a recipe for Maklubah, but I’m sure that people knew and were happily eating it centuries before then.

If you are looking for vegan maqluba, click here for the recipe.

Considered an Arabic rather than a Jewish dish, Maklubah is still known in a simpler version in some Sephardic homes (Bukharians eat a one-pot rice dish called plov). This sumptuous recipe requires an hour and a half to prepare but it’s worth the effort. It’s so delicious, it will make everyone eating it love you.

From Egypt, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey to Israel and Jordan, each place has developed a regional recipe for layered rice and chicken or pre-cooked lamb or beef. Some call for saffron in addition to turmeric; some substitute nutmeg for allspice.

And if you’d prefer a meatless Maklubah, read our post about chef Moshe Basson’s vegetarian version for inspiration. It’s all Maklubah, and it’s always served upside-down.

Maklubah Recipe

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons ground allspice
1 teaspoon paprika

3 medium tomatoes, thickly sliced
2 large onions, thickly sliced
3 medium potatoes, sliced
1 small head cauliflower, separated into florets
1 medium eggplant, quartered and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
4 large cloves garlic, peeled and halved
6 skinless chicken breasts
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1-1/2 teaspoons sea salt
2 1/2 cups  raw rice, soaked in cold water for 1/2 hour, then 1/2 cup of it set aside
3-5 cups chicken or vegetable broth

METHOD
In large sauté pan, cook onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat until golden. Add turmeric, thyme, allspice and pepper to taste. Set aside onion mixture.

Sauté potatoes in 1 tablespoon of oil in non-stick pan until lightly golden, but not cooked through. Set aside.

Sauté cauliflower in remaining oil. Set aside. In the same pan, sauté eggplant until lightly browned.

Brush chicken breasts with olive oil and sprinkle with turmeric and paprika.

In large  pot, spread sliced tomatoes along the bottom. Cover the tomatoes with the 1/2-cup of reserved soaked rice and sautéed onion. Arrange chicken over onions. Place eggplant slices and slices of garlic between chicken pieces. Distribute cauliflower over the top, then repeat with potato slices.

Press everything down in the pot with the back of a large spoon or spatula.

Spread remaining rice over potatoes. Sprinkle salt over rice. Add broth to cover. Place pot, uncovered, over a medium flame and let liquid simmer 15 minutes. Then cover pot, reduce heat and cook on low for 30-45 minutes. Add more liquid by tablespoons if needed to keep mixture moist, but be careful not to add so much that rice becomes sticky.

Take a round metal tray and place on top of pot. Flip pot onto tray. Pat the pot on the top and sides to release the food. Wait a minute, then pat again. Remove pot to display a lovely “cake” of makluba, ready to be spooned out to hungry family and guests. Garnish with toasted pine nuts if desired.

Any slightly burned rice from the bottom of the pot is considered a delicacy.

Serve with a simple tomato salad (like this one), and some good beer.

* Notes: Substitute broccoli or zucchini for the cauliflower. Feel free to add thick chunks of bell peppers if liked. If you prefer dark meat, pre-cook 6 pieces of chicken thighs and drumsticks in olive oil till almost done. You may use 750 grams – 1.5 lb. cubed lamb or beef instead of the chicken, but it must be braised till tender ahead of time (use cooking liquid in the Maklubah).

More Arab food recipes:
Bulgur Salad
Kafta, Syrian Meatballs
Grilled Vegetables with a Middle-Eastern Accent

The post Maklubah the classic Palestinian upside-down chicken and rice dish appeared first on Green Prophet.