Shourbat El Ads - Lentil and Vermicelli Soup

Ingredients

340 g/12 fl oz red lentils
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 litres/3-1/2 pints chicken stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
100 g/3-1/2 oz vermicelli pasta, broken into short lengths
2 tablespoons finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
Directions
Place the lentils in sieve and pick them over to remove any stones. Rinse under cold running water and drain.
Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and cook until transparent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin and coriander and cook gently for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the lentils and stock and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for about 50 minutes until the lentils are soft.
Season to taste and add the lemon juice and pasta. Return to the boil, stirring, and boil gently, uncovered for about 3-4 minutes until the pasta is tender. Stir in the parsley and serve hot.

Mihallabiya - Milk Pudding

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ground rice
3 cups milk
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon rosewater
2 tablespoons mixed nuts

Directions
Add ground rice to 1 cup of milk. Dissolve sugar in the remaining milk and bring to a boil. Add the rice-milk mixture, lower heat, and cook-stirring occasionally-until the pudding thickens like thin custard. Remove from flame, stir in the rosewater, and pour into a shallow serving dish. Sprinkle top with nuts.

Tagin Samak - Ragout of Fish

Ingredients

2-1/4 pounds fish
2 tablespoons raisins
4-5 onions, thinly sliced
2-1/4 pounds ripe tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon mixed spices
2 tablespoons roasted hazelnuts
oil
salt and pepper

Directions
Cut fish into neat pieces.
Fry fish and remove onto absorbent paper. Lightly fry the raisins until they puff, then remove from pan. Fry the onions to a transparent brown, then add tomatoes, parsley, sugar, vinegar, mixed spices, and seasoning. Simmer for about 30 minutes over very low flame, stirring occasionally.
Peel and halve roasted hazelnuts and add together with raisins to the stewed tomato mixture.
Arrange fried fish in oven pan, cover with tomato mixture, place in preheated 350 F oven and bake for another 15 minutes.

Diaaiyit sabanikh - Baked Spinach

Ingredients

1/2 cup chickpeas
1 pound spinach, coarsely chopped
7-10 garlic cloves, halved diagonally
2-3 cups tomato juice
1 pound savory minced beef
cooking oil
salt and pepper

Directions
Soak chickpeas overnight, drain, add fresh water and boil for about 10 minutes. Drain.
Saute spinach in a small amount of oil until it wilts. Mix with chickpeas, garlic, and seasoning.
Add 1 cup of tomato juice to savory minced beef and place in bottom of cake mold. Cover with spinach and top with remaining tomato juice. Bake in preheated 350 degrees oven for 30 minutes. Turn over onto platter before serving.