Potato and Green Bean Salad, Egyptian Style

Ingredients


2 lbs boiling potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled,halved if large
1-2 clove garlic, very finely minced
salt & freshly ground black pepper
3-4 tablespoons strained fresh lemon juice
4-6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
cayenne pepper (optional)
1 carrot, diced (optional)
1/2 lb green beans, ends trimmed,cut into thirds
1/3-1/2 cup chopped green onion
3 tablespoons chopped mint (optional)
2 tablespoons chopped parsley (optional)
2 hard-boiled eggs, quartered (optional)


Directions

Put the potatoes in a large saucepan, completely cover water and add salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat until a knife can pierce the center of the largest potato easily and the potato falls from the knife when lifted, about 25 minutes.
In a small bowl combine minced garlic with a pinch of salt and mash with the back of a spoon.
Whisk in 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Add 4 tablespoons olive oil, pepper and cayenne, then whisk again.
Drain the potatoes in a colander, rinse them briefly and leave just until cool enough to handle.
Peel them if you like, cut them in half and then into about 1/2 inch thick slices.
Put them in a large bowl and add 3 tablespoons dressing and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.
With a rubber spatula, fold together gently but thoroughly.
Let potatoes cool to room temperature.
Put the carrots in a saucepan of water, add salt and bring to a boil.
Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.
Add green beans and cook uncovered over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until vegetables are just tender.
Drain, rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly in a strainer.
Add to the bowl of potatoes.
Whisk the remaining dressing, pour it over the salad and fold it in.
Add the green onions, mint and parsley and fold together lightly.
Taste, adjust seasoning, and add more lemon juice and olive oil if needed.
Garnish with quartered hard boiled eggs.
Serve at room temperature.

Ful Medames

Ingredients

1 lb small egyptian dried fava beans, soaked overnight
3 lemons, juice of
1 head garlic, halved
salt
1 bunch scallion, trimmed
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
fresh ground black pepper


Directions
Drain the beans and place in a large saucepan.
Add 7 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
Reduce the heat to low and add the juice of 1 lemon, the garlic and the salt.
Cover and simmer over low heat (the beans will retain their shape only if cooked slowly) until the beans are soft-- moist but not soupy-- about 12 hours.
You should do this ideally in the crock pot.
Check occasionally and add water if the beans become dry.
Twenty minutes before serving, chop the scallions and combine with the remaining lemon juice.
Stir in the oil, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
Discard the garlic and gently stir the lemon mixture into the beans.
Adjust seasoning.
Spoon into bowls, mash slightly. Serve warm with pita bread.

Egyptian Sambusak

Ingredients


Dough
1/4 cup Margarine
1/2 cup Corn Oil
1/2 cup Water
1 tsp Salt
2 1/2 cup Flour
Filling
2 1/4 lb Lean Ground Beef
1 x Onion, Big, Finely Chopped
1 x Clove Garlic, Minced
1/3 cup Pine Nuts
1 dsh Nutmeg
1 dsh Allspice
Salt, To Taste
Freshly Ground Black Pepper, To Taste
Oil, For Frying
1 x Egg Yolk


Directions
In a small pot, over a small flame, mix all the Dough ingredients – except the flour. cook until the Margarine melts. pour into a bowl.
Add the flour, one tablespoon at a time. mix well until you get a smooth dough. shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic sheet and set aside.
In a pan fry the onion and garlic to golden brown, add Pine Nuts and fry for 2 min. more. add the meat and spices, and cook on medium flame, while stirring, until the meat changes color (about 10 min.). it is vital to stir the meat to avoid the formation of big lamps of meat.
Heat oven to 180C (350F)
Roll out the dough to 3mm (1/8″;) and cut 10cm (4″;) circles.
Put a tablespoon of filling in the middle of each circle and fold into half a circle. pinch the edges tightly.
Put sambusaks in oiled and floured pan (or just use a cooking parchment)
Brush a little egg yolk on each sambusak. Bake for 30 min. or until golden brown.

Egyptian Feta Salad

Ingredients

SALAD
2 lrg Cucumbers, peeled
Salt
2 tbl Chopped fresh mint

DRESSING
6 oz Feta
1/4 cup Finely chopped scallions
2 tbl Lemon juice or white wine vinegar
1 tbl Olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste



Directions
If you want to reduce the salt content of the feta, cut it into chunks and soak in cold water for an hour.
Score the cucumbers with the tines of a fork, and cut them in half lengthwise. Remove the seeds – a grapefruit spoon or melon baller works well. Sprinkle the cucumbers with salt, and let them stand for about 1/2 hour. Then rinse, pat dry, and slice the cucumbers into 1/2 inch chunks.
In a medium serving bowl, crush the feta with a fork and mix it with the scallions, lemon juice, oil, and pepper.
Combine the cucumber chunks with the cheese mixture. Sprinkle the salad with the mint. It can sit in the refrigerator before serving, but try not to hold it more than an hour or so or it will get watery.

Bessara - Egyptian Puree of Broad Beans and Herbs

Ingredients

225 gm skinned dried broad beans cleaned and soaked over night in cold water
50 gm flat leaved parsley coarsely chopped
50 gm coriander coarsely chopped
2 x fresh green chillies deseeded and chopped
2 clv garlic chopped
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3 tbl olive oil
1 med onion peeled and thinly sliced
salt



Directions
Strain and rinse the beans.
Place in a pan preferably a pressure cooker with plenty of water and bring to the boil.
Boil for 34 minutes and drain.
Cover with fresh water by about 2.5cm and cook until done.
In a pressure cooker this would take 10-15 minutes otherwise it will take about 1 hour.
Mix in the herbs cover and simmer for s minutes.
Strain reserving some of the liquid.
Combine the beans with the chillies garlic cumin 2 tablespoons of oil and 34 tablespoons of the reserved liquid in a food processor and process to a smooth paste.
Season to taste with salt.
If too dry add a little more of the cooking liquid.
Empty into a medium sized pate dish cover and refrigerate.
Just before serving heat the remaining oil in a non stick pan and fry the onion briskly until golden and crisp.
Spread over the pate and serve with fresh bread.

Egyptian rice

Ingredients


1 1/2 cups rice
1/2 cup vermicelli, broken to small pieces
1/4 cup butter
2 1/4 cups water

Preparation:

Brown vermicelli in butter in large pan. Add rice and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low for 20 minutes, or until water is absorbed and rice is tender.
You can serve this rice with chicken, lamb, or any meat dish. it is great with soups and stews, too.

TAAMIYA - FALAFEL - Vegetable Patties

Ingredients:

1 lb. fava beans, skinned and split
4 tsp. cumin, ground
1/2 cup dried chick peas
2 tsp. coriander, ground
1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
2 Tbs. salt
1/2 cup coriander, fresh and finely chopped
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup green onions, finely chopped
2 tsp. baking soda
2 Tbs. dill, fresh and chopped or 1/2 tsp. dry dill
1/2 cup sesame seeds, roasted
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
vegetable oil for deep frying


Soak fava beans and chick peas in water overnight, or at least for 15 hours. First grind chick peas until very fine, add beans, fresh parsley, fresh coriander, green onions, dill and garlic. Grind altogether in food processor until a very fine paste is obtained, adding 7 or 8 tablespoons of water. Add ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, pepper and mix well by hand. Refrigerate for an hour to make it firm. At this stage the paste can be frozen in small packets. Thaw when needed and add baking soda 1/2hour before frying.
With wet fingers shape into walnut size balls 1 1/2" in diameter (or use cylindrical steel spring mold*), flatten to form small patties, dip one side in sesame seeds and deep fry in hot oil. Turn over until well browned and crisp. Drain on paper towels.
Serve hot with pocket bread. Side dishes of Tehina dip, green onions, tomatoes, radishes, pickles (145) and chopped parsley are usually served with Falafel.
Yields 55 patties

Kibbeh - Stuffed Cracked Wheat Shells

FOR THE SHELLS
250 g (8 oz) burghul (cracked wheat)
500 g (1 lb) minced beef
1 onion, coarsely chopped
salt and pepper
FOR THE STUFFING
1 onion, finely chopped
2 Tbs. sunflower oil
2 Tbs. pine-nuts
500 g (1 lb) minced beef
salt and pepper
sunflower oil for deep-frying

To make the shells, soak the cracked wheat for about 20 minutes in water, then drain. Blend the meat, onion, salt and pepper in a food processor. Then process again, in batches, with the cracked wheat and continue until the mixture is soft enough to work like a dough. Knead well by hand

For the stuffing, fry the onion in oil till soft, then add the pine-nuts and fry till golden. Add the meat, salt and pepper and stir until the meat changes colour.

Wet your hands. Take a small egg-sized portion of the shell mixture and roll into a ball. Make a hole in the centre with your finger and shape into a thin-walled pot with a pointed bottom by turning and pressing it in your palm. Place some stuffing into the hole and pinch the top of the pot together to seal it. Shape the top into a point. Repeat with the rest of the mixtures, wetting your hands frequently.
Heat the oil. Deep-fry 4 or 5 kibbeh at a time until golden brown and drain on kitchen paper. Serve hot. Makes 20

Cucumber and Yogurt Salad

Ingredients:

1 large cucumber or 3 small peeled cucumbers, cut into slices
2 cup plain yogurt
2 cloves of minced garlic
1 tsp dry mint
2 tbl water
1/2 tbl salt

Steps:
Put yogurt in a bowl and add garlic, salt, and water.
Stir it very well, then add the mint and the cucumber and mix it again.

Baba Ghanoug

In Egypt, eggplant is roasted over hot coals until the skin was charred. At home, I char the eggplant directly over the gas flame, turning frequently with tongs until the juices begin to ooze out. It can also be baked in a 425°F oven for 30 minutes.
2 large eggplants
Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1 cup tehina, if desired
Char eggplants over gas flames until soft, then allow to cool. Peel the eggplants and let them drain in a sieve. Purée the eggplant in a food processor with the lemon juice, ground cumin, garlic clove, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.