Hello everybody.
Did the second step in makdous today, stuffed it and put it aside so all water will drain till tomorrow.
Had some extra small ones left so they were today’s lunch, stuffed with minced meat and cooked in tomato sauce.
Side salad dish was both simple and juicy, beets with orange slices with a sprinkle of orange juice and drizzle of oil.
Adha Mubarak everyone.
I’m pretty sure most people are fasting today so it’s a late lunch or Iftar.
We’re all gathered so it’s a kind of big dinner.
Menu was a new chicken recipe I took from our dear family friend Osama, really easy and yummy,plus pesto pasta, potatoes with cream,red or rice with tomato paste.
Ingredients and method of chicken :
# whole chicken with skin on.
# eggplants.
# carrots.
#red peppers.
#1 clove garlic.
# juice of a lemon.
# salt, pepper, cumin, all spice, tandoori spices.
# olive oil.
#Cut all veggies to big shunks.
# Season chicken and veggies with all spices,lemon and olive oil.
# In a deep oven pan arrange chicken and veggies around it.
# heat the oven from upper section then roast chicken and veggies till golden or brownish.(الشوايه من فوق)
# cover all with foil paper then leave in oven for one hour or more till done and sauce is thick.
Serve with any kind of rice you prefer.
Hello everybody.
Another batch of veggies were brought from the farm yesterday, so had to do something with these eggplants before they rot.
A traditional Arabic dish Maqloubeh is always a good choice but today I added two things that I don’t use usually, onions and sun-dried tomatoes.
Well thought I’d combine a recipe I saw on Fatafeat cooking channel in Chef Daad Abu Jaber show and an advice from my lovely aunt .Result was extremely delicious ,they really did add to the taste .
onions,tomatoes,eggplants and meat all arranged under the rice.
Hello everybody.
Saw those lovely small eggplants yesterday just perfect for pickling for now and making makdous later on.
I combined two recipes together, so stuffing was a mix of tomatoes, garlic and chili peppers.
Ingredients and method :
# small eggplants.
# finely chopped tomatoes.
# minced garlic.
# hot green and red peppers.
# lemon slices and juice.
# salt, chili flakes.
Water and salt brine.
# boil eggplants till a bit tender.
# mince garlic with chili peppers then mix all with tomatoes, lemon juice and 1 tablespoon salt.
# stuff eggplants as much as you can.
# arrange them in a clean glass jar then add water salt brine.
# leave to be done for 1 week.
ready for storage.
Hello everybody.
Have you noticed that restaurants these days are becoming increasingly expensive?
Well after a simple overrated lunch last Friday in Jerash I decided to compensate this week, since it’s only me and hubby are home for lunch I did these two lovely restaurant style dishes.Delicious,clean, elegant and with minimum cost.
Veal escalopes,baked potatoes with sour cream, grilled peppers and broccoli with lemon garlic sauce and a dish of baba ghanouj for each.
Enjoy your weekend lovely people.
elegant lunch for two.
Hello everybody.
This dish is a very very old traditional one, I remember till now that my grandma used to cook it a lot and we all hated it and run away lunch time to buy a falafel sandwich instead. I isn’t kid’s friendly I guess.
But since a have lots of pumpkin, courgettes, eggplants and tomatoes I thought I’d do some though I did it with small cubed meat pieces not big boned ones which is how it’s originally done.
Ingredients and method :
# 4-5 pieces of lamb with bones cooked till done with it’s stock (2-3 cups)
# 3-4 big courgettes cut to chunks
#1 bug eggplant cut to chunks.
# 1 slice of pumpkin or 3 big green pumpkins also cut to chunks.
#1 big onion sliced.
# 4 ripe tomatoes peeled and cut to small pieces.
# 4 cloves of minced garlic.
# 1 tsp dry mints.
# olive oil.
# salt, pepper, all spice.
# in a deep nonstick pan saute courgettes, eggplants and pumpkins till golden.
# add onions and leave to simmer till all veggies are a bit tender.
# add meat pieces and stock.
# season with salt, pepper and all spice to your taste.
# add the tomatoes and cover to cook over low heat till all stewed well together.
# add minced garlic and dry mint and leave for another 15-20 minutes.
# Serve with plain rice.
I also made a bowl of Ceazar salad in case keep kids didn’t like it.
Oh I forgot to mention that the exact translation of this dish Arabic name is ” cooked by itself ” cause it does actually!
Hello everybody.
No meat or chicken today, dinner was green fava beans in olive oil with garlic and coriander and eggplant fatteh without the meat on top.
Soup was Carrot and salad was Ceazer.
https://banancooking.com/colorful-healthy-veggies/ link for fava beans recipe.
Eggplant Fatteh ( فته مقدوس)
* 3-4 cubed fried eggplants.
* finely chopped onion.
* roasted or fried squared pitta bread.
* tahini sauce ( tahini,lemon,salt,yoghurt,garlic)
* tomato paste.
* chopped parsley.
* cooked spiced minced meat.
* toasted almonds and pine nuts.
* salt,pepper,all spice and cinnamon for seasoning.
* saute onions till tender then add fried eggplants.
* add all seasoning,tomato paste and enough water to cover all then leave to simmer till sauce is thick and eggplants tender.
* layer pitta bread in Pyrex or serving dish,add eggplant with sauce on top.
* add tahini sauce then garnish with parsley,meat and nuts.
Note: this dish must be assembled right before you serve so as pittas stay crisp otherwise they’ll be so soggy.
As for the soup…you’ll need one small onion.4-5 carrots. 1 cube chicken stock.butter. one big spoon oatmeal.cream or milk and 4 cups water.
Sautee the onions and carrots till tender.add the chicken stock cube.oatmeal and water.salt.pepper and a bit of cinnamon.
Let it simmer for 45 minutes on low heat till carrots are soft.
Mix all with a mixer or blender..add the cream..then let it boil for another 10-15 minutes…..and serve hot with toasted croutons if you like
fava beans.
eggplant fatteh.
Ceazer salad.
carrot soup.
Hello everybody.
Every time I decide to stay home and relax in end up working too much or doing multiple things at the same time.
First thing when I entered the kitchen this morning I realized I have one very ripe avocado and one lonely eggplant so made a dip (mashed with some lemon juice,tahini,yogurt and salt) and baba ghanouj ( chopped grilled eggplants with diced tomatoes,peppers and some mints then topped with pomegranate sauce)
Then the daily question of what to cook started nagging in my mind, then decided to do a new sandwich style my cousin posted last night with shredded chicken but I made it with tuna, turned out really good, kids loved it.
Secret ingredient is the crunchy sandwich bread or crust done by cutting edges of toast then soaking each couple together in whisked eggs then coating all with breadcrumbs. I let them cool in the fridge so as to hold better then deep fried till crunchy, when cooled open and fill with any stuffing you like, today is added tuna with corn,capers, relish, mustard, mayonnaise and green onions,served with fries and big mixed salad.
Another task for today was making fresh pesto before basil turns black and a fresh fruit cocktail from new honey from Ghor, oranges, pineapple and bananas, really refreshing after all this.
guacamole dip with tomatoes,chili,dried mints and olive oil on top.
baba ghanouj بابا غنوج
mixed salad with everything in .
fresh pesto.
fresh oranges and new honey.
colorful table!
Hello everybody.
December is a festive month,many people celebrating Christmas like to try new recipes for dinner or lunch or as Christmas treats or cookies. I’ll try to make something new each day this month to give you some ideas, food websites have thousands of recipes but not all are feasible or easy to make so I’ll be picky and try them before publishing don’t worry.
Today I tried these cute cherry cookies since my husband bought a big jar of preserved cherries, very easy and quick to do,you can even use any kind of preserved fruit you like but cherries have this beautiful red happy color that’ll look great on your table .
Lunch today was eggplant tajeen or a more precise description Arabic style Moussaka, it’s very similar but without white sauce , it contains baked or fried eggplants with cooked minced meat with onions ,with layers of green peppers and potatoes ( optional ) some people make it with only eggplants and meat . After layering them you add a pack of tomato paste with 2 cups of water then leave to cook in the oven or on very low heat ( I added a cube of chicken stock to enhance the flavor)
Ingredients and method of cookies ( makes 2 dozens)
* 1 cup butter.
* 1 cup sugar.
* 2 1/2 cups flour.
* 2 tablespoons milk.
* 1/2 cup crushed walnuts.
* 1 cup cherries.
* Beat butter and sugar very well till creamy then add salt and flour.
* add milk till you get a firm dough.
* roll dough to a long rectangle on wax paper.
* arrange cherries in a line in the middle then close dough on them.
* roll the cylinder formed over crushed walnuts then wrap all in the wax paper and refrigerate for 1 hour till firm.
* cut the log to 1 cm pieces and arrange in an oven pan and bake in a medium heated oven for 15-20 minutes.
* cool then store in a well closed jar.
* NOTE: these cookies can be done a week ahead and will stay fresh if stored well.
Hello everybody.
Makdous are oil cured small eggplants,which are a major breakfast,appetizer dish in most of Middle Eastern Mediterranean countries specially in Syria,Lebanon,Palestine and Jordan.
It’s usually done at this time of year and kept in big jars to be eaten during Winter.I remember when we were kids both my grandmas used to make lots and lots of big glass jars filled with makdous,labaneh balls and olives for Winter time storage (مونه الشتاء)cause at those times vegetables and fruits were seasonal and usually you can’t find lots of options and varieties in stores like these days.
One can’t find exact ingredients for doing it,they usually did it randomly by experience but I found this old one in my book I’m sure it’s good.
Ingredients and method:
* 3 kg of small eggplants.
* 7-9 tablespoons salt ( better to use local salt not processed ملح بلدي
* 1 cup crushed walnuts.
* 1 tablespoon chili powder.
* crushed garlic (as much as you like)
* boil eggplants in hot water till color change and they become tender but not too soft.
* drain then add a bit of salt into each eggplant to as to let all excess water goes out.
* leave to drain till no more water comes out.
* mix walnuts,garlic,chili and salt together then stuff each eggplant with it.
* leave downwards in a sieve till no water comes out at all.
* arrange in a glassware and add olive oil to cover completely.
* store till done which is usually 10-14 days.
* Can be stored in a cool dry place for months.
Enjoy 🙂
