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.

Musa'a`a - Eggplant, moussaka

Ingredients

2 cups tomato juice
1 pound savory minced beef
2-1/2 pounds fried eggplant
salt, pepper, and mixed spices
Directions
Mix 1/2 cup of tomato juice with savory minced beef and cook over low flame for 7-10 minutes. Line bottom of oven pan with one layer of eggplant slices, spread the minced beef on top, and cover with the remaining eggplant. With the tip of a knife make several deep dents in the eggplant. Season the remaining tomato juice and pour over the eggplant. Bake in center of 350 F oven for about 30 to 40 minutes

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 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.

Shorbet Al Khodar - Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb beef stew of lamb
1 zucchini diced (about 1/4 inch)
1 small chopped onion
1 carrot sliced (about 1/4 inch)
1 cup of celery cut into pieces (about 1 inch)
1/2 medium chopped green pepper
1 small peeled potato cut into small pieces
1 chopped tomato
1/4 tsp nutmeg, black pepper, and salt


Steps:
Cut the meat into big cubes and put it in a medium caldron.
Pour cold water over it and put on the stove at high heat.
When skim appears, take it off and throw it away.
Put all the cooked pieces of meat in a clean saucepan and mix in all the above ingredients.
Clarify the broth of the meat and add it to the saucepan.
Put it on low heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

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

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.

Fassolia Khadra - Green Bean Stew

Ingredients

1 kg (2 pounds) cubed beef or lamb
bouquet garni
1 large onion, diced
50 ml (1/4 cup) vegetable oil
500 g (1 pound) green or wax beans, cut up (fresh or frozen)
7ml (1 1/2 tsp) salt
2ml (1/2 tsp) black pepper
2ml (1/2 tsp) allspice
dash cinnamon
1 156 ml (5 1/2-ounce) can tomato paste

Directions

Cover meat with water. Add the bouquet garni (a small onion, bay leaf, piece of celery, sprig of parsley) and bring to a boil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender (at least one hour). Spoon the meat onto a plate discarding the flavoring vegetables. If your cut of meat is a very tender one it won't need this cooking stage, so omit it and begin here.

In a cooking pot, fry onion in oil until wilted. Add the meat and fry, turning over a few times. Add beans and sauté for five minutes. Cover with boiling water, add salt, spices and tomato paste. (If the meat has been cooked beforehand, use meat stock instead of boiling water.) Lower heat, cover, and cook for about 30 minutes.

Adjust spices to taste. (You may use less black pepper or omit it altogether but allspice is essential.) Serve with rice.

Makes 4-5 servings

Beef and Okra Casserole

1 1/2 lbs. okra

6 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 onion, finely chopped
6 tomatoes, peeled, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup stock or broth
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plain yogurt
3 tablespoons dairy sour cream
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1 lemon, thinly sliced

Cut the stalks from okra and preferably on a cone shape.

Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large saucepan, add the okra and sauté the dry oil of on paper towels. Discard oil in pan and wipe pan with paper towels. Heat 2 more tablespoons oil in saucepan. Add chopped onions and tomatoes; sauté until heated through. Add ground beef; cook stirring occasionally, until browned. Add stock or broth; bring to a boil. Add garlic and salt. Simmer until most of liquid had evaporated. Preheat oven to 350o Brush a large baking pan with oil. Stir yogurt, sour cream and white pepper into beef mixture. Spoon half of the beef mixture over bottom of oiled pan. Cover with okra. Then cover okra with remaining beef mixture. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon oil. Bake 50 to 60 minutes. Garnish with tomato and lemon slices.
Makes 4 to 6 servings.