In A Nutshell

This recipe was inspired by Claudia Roden's beautiful cookbook  Arabesque ; it is so flavorful and is lovely with za'atar flatbread or pita. We are having a Middle Eastern cooking theme this March in conjunction with our friends Mike & Jackie (fantastic cooks, btw!!!) so it's been fun to try some different things. The plan is to get together after we are fully vaccinated and cook our favorites together. Tomorrow... homemade harissa! 1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced (roughly 1/2" dice) Evoo 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped 1 t sugar 2 pints cherry tomatoes 1 1/2 T pomegranate molasses 14 oz. can chickpeas, drained chopped parsley Preheat oven to 425º; toss tomatoes and eggplant onto a rimmed baking half sheet pan and drizzle generously with olive oil. Salt and pepper as well- don't be stingy. Roast for 20-23 minutes or until everything looks nicely roasted and charred. Meanwhile in a large saucepan, heat the garlic and 1 T EVOO just until the garlic starts to...

This is very fresh, very good with garden tomatoes and garden cucumbers (thanks Mom!). Comes from Rachel Ray magazine. 1 cup quinoa, rinsed 1/4 cup lemon juice 3 T EVOO 1/2 t allspice salt and pepper 1 diced and seeded cucumber 1 cup chopped garden tomatoes 1 large bunch parsley, washed well and finely chopped 5 radishes, small diced 4 green onions, sliced Cook quinoa in salted boiling water for 12 minutes; drain and cool somewhat (I'm never patient enough to wait until it's completely cool) . In a salad bowl whisk the lemon juice with the EVOO, allspice and plenty of salt and pepper. Add the remaining ingredients. This salad is really best eaten the day it's made.

This recipe is adapted ever so slightly from Fine Cooking magazine; I use beef instead of lamb-- it's just a personal preference. I served the kebabs with  quinoa tabbouleh naan and grilled slices of eggplant (I used the leftover grilled eggplant for eggplant caprese salad ). Washed it all down with French rosé (as per the magazine's pairing recommendation). For the spice mix : 1 T ground cumin 1 t dried oregano 1 t sweet paprika 1 t hot paprika 1 t black pepper For the yogurt sauce : 1/2 cup plain or Greek yogurt 1 T pomegranate molasses 2 T chopped mint or parsley 1 t ground sumac (or 1/2 t lemon juice) For the kebabs : 1 lb ground lamb or beef 1 T spice mix 1 plum tomato, seed and finely diced 1/4 cup finely chopped red or white onion 1 t pomegranate molasses 3/4 t kosher salt Mix kebab ingredients together and divide into 8 portions. Press the meat portions around (Pam sprayed) flat skewers (I like to use metal skewers because it seems no matter h...

The idea for this came from the Rachel Ray magazine in a segment about chicken salads; I roasted 2 chickens the other day and we only ate one so I decided it would be a good time to try out this salad. It was terrific! So far, my favorite chicken salad ever!!! You can eat it on a pita or naan if you want to have it more like a sandwich. white meat from one roasted chicken, diced 6 radishes, halved and sliced thin 2 Persian cucumbers, halved and sliced 1/2 red onion, small diced 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed chopped cilantro 4 T extra-virgin olive oil 4 T lemon juice 1 t honey 1/4 t sumac 1/2 t salt 1/2 t cumin freshly ground pepper Mix the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, sumac, salt, cumin and pepper with a little whisk. Add the red onion and let this sit while you prepare the rest of the salad to mellow out the onion. Mix the remaining ingredients in a bowl and pour the dressing over the chicken mixture. If you want to have it as a sandwich, heat a large fry...

Saveur did a great theme in their June/July 2013 issue called "Keepers of the Flame"; it's all about various grilling customs in different countries. This recipe is Turkish. I served this with a cucumber salad and rice. It does also call for 2 T of dried mint which I left out but if you like mint feel free to add it to the marinade. 1/2 cup olive oil 1 T lemon juice 1 t crushed red chili flakes 1 T Aleppo pepper flakes 1 T tomato paste pinch of thyme 1 t freshly ground black pepper 1 t salt 1 t Turkish seasoning (from Penzey's Spices) 4 boneless chicken breasts (or you can use thighs if you prefer), cut into chunks Mix all the ingredients and add the chicken cubes. Allow to marinate overnight or at least several hours. Thread onto skewers (I like to use flat metal skewers) and grill over high heat for about 4-5 minutes per side.

I had never before made hummus from dried chickpeas, and I can tell you that it was absolutely the silkiest, smoothest hummus I have ever had. This recipe is from Jerusalem (one of my favorite cookbooks); it calls for lamb (or you can substitute ground lamb) but I am not crazy about lamb so I used beef. And since I am extremely lazy, I purchased beef "for tacos" at my local ethnic store so it was already cut up into nice small pieces. The amount of tahini you use is up to you; I made two batches- one following the recipe and one using 1/2 the amount of tahini and personally, I liked it with 1/2 cup of tahini better. Serve with pita bread. Hummus Spiced Beef Pine Nuts, toasted in a small skillet with a little butter Lemon-Parsley Sauce For the hummus : 1 1/4 cups (250 g) dried chickpes 1 t baking soda 1/2 cup - 1 cup tahini (depending upon your preference) 6 T lemon juice 4 cloves of garlic, chopped 4 T ice water 2 t salt Cover the hummus with water in a lar...

This is also from Arabesque by Claudia Roden ; it's a nice fresh tasting side dish or lunch salad. The recipe calls for mint but I substituted cilantro because I'm not crazy about mint. 1 cup fine bulgur 2 garlic cloves, pressed or finely chopped juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste) 5 T extra-virgin olive oil 2 14-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed 2 bunches flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped fine 1 bunch mint or cilantro, whichever you prefer, chopped fine salt and pepper Soak the bulgur with hot water (well-covered) for 20 minutes (or according to package directions). Drain well. While that is draining, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Put all the ingredients in a large bowl and toss with the dressing. You can adjust, adding more or less dressing as needed.

This recipe is adapted from Arabesque by Claudia Roden ; it's a gorgeous cookbook with Lebanese, Turkish and Moroccan recipes.  We drank a chianti with this; a pinot noir or beaujolais would go nicely as well. For the tomato sauce : 1 small onion, chopped 2 T EVOO 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 Fresno pepper, chopped 1 14-oz. can crushed tomatoes (I like Muir Glen Fire Roasted) salt and pepper 1 t sugar Heat the oil and fry the onion until soft; add the garlic and chili pepper and stir for a bit until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and sugar and simmer for 10 minutes. For the kebabs : 1 1/2 lb ground beef salt and pepper 1 small onion, very finely chopped or grated 1/4 cup chopped parsley 1 t sumac 1 t Turkish seasoning (I got this from Penzey's Spice; it consists of garlic powder, cumin, oregano, paprika, sumac, cayenne and dried cilantro- you could improvise with some or all of these ingredients separately) Mix the beef and all the remaining ingred...

These kebabs are supposed to be grilled but since our grill is buried under about 4 feet of snow, I had to broil them. I served the kebabs with Caroline's Winter Salad which was heavenly! A nice glass of syrah and a piece of naan rounded out a fabulous meal. For the Charmoula : 1 handful of flat-leaf parsley (they say 2 oz. but who's going to weigh herbs???) 1 handful of cilantro (see above comment) 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 T cumin 1/2 T ground coriander 1 T sweet paprika 1/2 t smoked paprika 1/2 t cayenne 2 T lemon juice 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1 t kosher salt Grind the herbs and spices in a small food processor; add the lemon juice, EVOO and salt. Set aside half the charmoula and use half for the marinade. For the marinade portion, add another 1/2 t of salt. 2 to 3 lbs rib eye steaks Cut the steak into 2" cubes and coat with the marinade. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate for 4 hours.Thread meat onto skewers (metal i...

This recipe comes from my sister-in-law Caroline (still waiting for some guest posts, by the way...); it is divine. I personally feel that one need not ever purchase bland pre-made hummus as long as "one" keeps a few cans of chickpeas, a working food processor and some tahini around the house. I sometimes like to top the hummus with drained giardinera, paprika and olive oil (which I learned from a Lebanese woman during a cultural fair at my son's school). 2 cans garbanzo beans, drained 1/2 cup tahini, well-stirred juice of 2 lemons 4 garlic cloves, chopped 1 1/2 t salt 1-2 t cumin (to taste) 1/3 cup warm water 1/3 cup best quality extra-virgin olive oil Combine everything in the food processor except the oil and water; process until pasty and then add the water followed by the oil through the tube while machine is running. Top with EVOO (be generous here!), chopped parsley and paprika (or giardinera if you like that) and serve with pita bread or pita chips. ...

Finely chopped parsley is a challenge for me-- my knife skills are non-existent; I'm afraid of sharp knives so I basically use the equivalent of kitchen putty knives. I tried using the food processor but it turned the parsley into green mush so I used the IKEA version of the  herb chopper thingy . In any event, this salad, adapted from  Jerusalem , is delicious, fresh and lemony; it is worth the annoying chopping process.  The original recipe also calls for chopped fresh mint which I'm not crazy about but if you like it, by all means add it to the salad. 1/2 cup fine bulgur wheat 2 large tomatoes or one basket of cherry tomatoes, chopped 1/2 cucumber, peeled, seeded and small diced 2 green onions, sliced 1 shallot, chopped fine 2 large bunches parsley, chopped fine (the recipe calls for 4 but I ran out of steam after chopping 2) 4 T freshly squeezed lemon juice 4 T EVOO 1 t  Baharat spice mix 1/4 t ground allspice salt and pepper to taste 3 oz. feta...