Homemade Msakhan Bread! (مسخن)

Hello everybody.

Due to weather conditions it’ll be risky to go out and stuck in snow and since the plan was to make msakhan today

so I decided to bake the bread at home,after searching many websites to find a way of baking it in a regular oven I found this good one,very easy and outcome was superb !!

Msakhan is an old traditional dish made from chicken,onions,plenty of summaq and olive oil all placed on special kind of bread with nuts on top.

ingredients and method of bread:

Note : this quantity makes 4-5 bread pieces.

* 2 cups flour.

* 1 tsp salt.

* 1/2 cup warm milk.

* 1 1/2 spoons instant yeast.

* 1 tsp sugar.

* 1 cup warm water.

* Mix water,yeast and sugar and cover till bubbles are formed.

* add to flour milk and salt.

* knead well by hands for 10 minutes.

* cover and leave to rest and rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

* divide to 4-5 balls.

* roll or spread them into bread shape.

* heat the oven very well with a big oven tray in it.

* when well heated turn on the upper flame .

* place the breads on the tray and bake till surface is golden,bottoms will be done cause tray is already very hot.

* do all breads the same way,make sure the pan is always very hot before each batch.

You can do these not only for msakhan,actually boys ate some as is before lunch. Fresh bread is the best food ever 🙂

final outcome .

Msakhan.

How to Pickle Olives (كبيس الزيتون)

Hello everybody.

Headed North to hometown Irbid yesterday for two reasons, buying olives ,since it’s the season to pickle them,from the same guy we buy each year on the road before reaching Jerash and then to go visit my lovely cousin and have lunch with our dear family members.

To tell you the truth I’ve been making olives only recently , used to be my mother in-law’s annual ritual specialty but since two years ago ,as she says, retired from the mission so I’ve been doing it her way and send her share.

Pickling olives is a very easy process but needs a day work and messes your kitchen a bit specially if you’re making large amounts. First you must pick the kind of olives you like,some people prefer big ones some son’t,I usually buy local kind (نبالي بلدي),then you must press it either manually or in a special machine usually found at the shop or seller.

You can find many ways and methods to pickle olives in books or by experience or in factories, personally I found this method the easiest and always works with me.

Wash olives well,try to remove leaves and stems as much as you can, then soak them in water overnight or two , the next day wash again then mix them with a good amount of sliced lemons,hot peppers and lemon juice. Make the pickling brine which is exactly one big spoon of coarse local salt to each cup of water ( each liter of water needs 4 big spoons of salt), put olives in big glass or plastic jars then fill with salted water to the rim,close tightly and leave till done.

*Note: olives might take a longer period of time to be ready this way (a month maybe) if you want to be ready earlier you must soak it in water and replace it each day for a week then pickle it.

*Note: a tip to make sure your brine is perfect,place a raw egg in it,if it floats to the top then it’s good if it sinks then you need to add more salt.

* Note: usually I remove some of the olives when done, make a new salt solution and add new lemon and peppers, that way it’ll always be fresh and green.

Well now back to yesterday’s lunch, it was AMAZING ,elegant table,delicious food,various dishes and most important of all good loving caring company, I’m so lucky to have such kind generous loving cousins in my family.

Dishes were: Mansaf,lasagna,rolled steaks,sauteed veggies,chicken pie and a salad, dessert was chocolate cake,yummy coconut balls (took the recipe and will make it soon) and I made my Almond Orange cake, even coffee and tea tasted great believe me.

Thank you a lot my dear Um Tareq,hope all your days be filled with joy and good health.

locally made pressing machine.

floating egg!

stored olives jars.

chicken pie,steak rolls,mansaf.

lasagna.

yummy pickles.

dessert.

don’t they look good?

lovely local olives.

Tomato Thyme Pastries.

Hello everybody.

End of a long holiday,rearranging Eid sweets and Arabic coffee stuff,back to cooking and kitchen work.

lunch was fava beans with rice,didn’t make much cause only me and my youngest son like it,so I made some pastries the old fashion way, dough is simple flour (whole grain and white),yeast,oil, salt then added some sesame seeds and black seeds (قزحه).

Filling was green thyme leaves,finely chopped onion rubbed with salt and pepper,finely chopped fresh tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes, salt,pepper and chili powder and a good amount of olive oil.

Make the dough into balls then spread them,fill and close as triangles,I filled the extra dough with cheese and turkey.

Kushari and Baked Pumpkin.

Hello everybody.

Didn’t know what to cook today till late noon,as usual nobody gave an answer,as you wish they all said, I already wanted a no meat or chicken dish so choice was mujadara then I thought why not try to do kushari.

Kushari is a traditional Egyptian dish that you can find in special restaurants or even carts in the road all over Egypt, it’s healthy full of protein,very fulfilling yet light at the same time. It’s made of lentils,rice,chickpeas ( though I forgot them today) ,small pasta with hot tomato sauce and fried onions on top. In some recipes small pasta (شعيريه)is cooked with the rice and lentils or you can do without. This is the first time I cook it,turned out a success,everybody loved it.

I also roasted a pumpkin I have since last week with some garlic,lemon juice,rosemary,salt,pepper,herbs and olive oil.

Ingredients and method:

* 1 cup cooked brown lentils ( a new tip from my sister’s husband to soak it in green tea and cumin before cooking it so as not to reduce stomach bloating) .

* 1 cup rice.

* cooked chickpeas.

* cooked small size pasta, seasoned with salt and pepper.

* hot tomato sauce ( sauteed garlic,onions,1 can chopped tomato,cumin,salt,pepper,dried chili powder) all cooked together till thick.

* fried onions.

* cook rice with lentils as you make mjadara.

* before serving assemble all ingredients together as layers, rice and lentils,chickpeas,pasta,sauce then the onions.

Really yummy.

String Beans in oil (لوبيا بالزيت )

Hello everybody.
Still in the mood of no real big meals after Ramadan and Eid festivities.
Today I made simple string beans with olive oil, garlic, some tomatoes, salt and pepper.
Light lunch but delicious specially with toasted Arabic bread and pickles, yummy yummy 🙂

Chicken with Lemon Olives Sauce

Hello everybody.

Hot and dusty Saturday,many errands and shopping today,I even started cooking very late!

last night I took out my cookbook to search for something new and easy to do,sometimes you feel you’re bored from all the things you cook and need a change or twist,I found this old recipe that I’ve never tried but as usual I always write down anything I feel will taste good,you can tell from the ingredients sometimes whether they fit together or not.

Honestly it was a success,I have my dear friend Reham as a witness,you can ask her 🙂

It’s a very simple chicken with lemon sauce and olives and I made some sauteed veggies on the side,really delicious.

Ingredients and method:

* boneless pounded chicken breasts.

* bread crumbs and flour seasoned with salt,pepper and oregano.

* lemon slices and lemon juice.

* half cup pitted green olives.

* some butter and olive oil.

* coat chicken with mixed flour and crumbs.

*saute them in olive oil and butter on both sides till almost done.

* remove from pan,then add some more flour and butter ( about 2 tablespoons) in the same pan you sauteed the chicken,add lemon slices and juice (about half of a lemon) and the pitted olives.

*add one cup of hot water and stir well till sauce is creamy and homogeneous.

* before serving add sauce to chicken breasts and simmer for 10-15 minutes

* as for veggies I sliced them,added some olive oil,salt,pepper and left them to simmer till done.

Hope you try it and taste how good it is 🙂

Okra (باميه بالفرن)

Hello again.

This recipe was the first on the blog,that was four months ago, can’t believe it’s been that long!!

The earlier post “ Okra in the oven ” has the ingredients and method but no photos so I’ll add them today.

Hope you’re all enjoying my blog so far 🙂

Yalanji ( vegetarian stuffed vine leaves)

Hello everybody.

Though I’m suffering from a bad back pain,but I bought fresh vine leaves and tiny courgettes Saturday to make yalanji and It’s a shame to leave them uncooked or freeze them,so I prepared stuffing and God bless my Mom came by to help,actually stuffed them all . Thank you precious Um Khaled <3<3.

This dish is famous in Eastern Mediterranean countries,Turkey, Greece and Cyprus,usually as appetizer or side dish with Lebanese mezzeh ,today I cooked it as main dish for lunch,kids asked for it so yalanji it is. I also made baba ghanouj with it ( roasted eggplant with veggies).

Ingredients and method:(

* Hollowed courgettes ( scoop out pulp with special knife,كوسا محفور ).you can stuff small eggplants also.

* fresh vine leaves.

* 2 ripe tomatoes,peeled and finely chopped.

* bunch of parsley and mint leaves.

* 1 small onion finely chopped.

* salt, pepper and 1 tsp coffee ( don’t know why coffee is added but many people use it ,they say it gives a nice taste,no harm to add it anyway).

* 1/2 cup lemon juice.

* olive oil.

* some sliced potatoes sliced ,placed at bottom of pan.

* prepare stuffing by mixing washed rise,chopped tomatoes,onion,parsley and mint.

* add salt,pepper,coffee,lemon juice and oil.

* soak vine leaves in boiling water and cover till color changes then drain all water.

* stuff courgettes and vine leaves.

* line potatoes and sliced tomatoes in the bottom of pan or pressure cooker.

* arrange courgettes and vine leaves then cover with a plate covered in foil paper so as to stay compressed.

* add lemon juice,salt,olive oil and enough water to cover all by one inch.

* cook on high heat till water is bubbling for 10 minutes then lower heat to minimum and leave to cook for an hour and half or till done ( time depends on quantity you did)

* leave to cool completely then arrange in a large dish and serve.

Baba Ghanouj :

* roast eggplant on stove or in the oven, when done cut half way, remove pulp and chop.

* chop tomato,onion,pepper,parsley . p.s. you can add 1 clove garlic if you like

* add lemon juice,salt then mix all together.

* drizzle olive oil on top.

Note: I apologize for not posting exact quantities cause it all depends on how many leaves and courgettes you’re stuffing.

Unfortunately seems I either added too much water or overcooked it, first time this happens with me ,leaves turned out sloppy (بالعربي فرط اليلنجي 🙁 ) I tried to save few good looking pieces to show you !!! we ate the courgettes and baba ghanouj .

Marinated Chicken and Asparagus.

Hello everybody.
Remember the big bunch of asparagus from Friday?
Still have a some of it, today I’ll make them like my dear lovely cousin suggested (guess now this dish will be called Dua’a’s Asparagus).

It’s a marinate for asparagus but I also marinated chicken with the same mix .Super juicy and tasty. Thanks my dear ♡♥.

Ingredients and method:
* 1 whole chicken.
* asparagus .
* for the marinate:
* soy

sauce.
* balsamic vinegar.
* lemon juice.
* olive oil.
* garlic.
* salt, pepper ,paprika.

* marinate chicken and asparagus as long as you can, the more the better, each in a separate bag or bowl.
* grill chicken till done.
* add asparagus and saute till juices are lessened a bit.
* serve with rice or roasted potatoes.

Marinate tastes fantastic!
Enjoy ♡♥♡♥.

Chicken Rolls (مسخن روﻻت ).

Hello everybody.

Going out for breakfast with my lovely friends today. Wanted something easy to make when I come back. So I prepared the stuffing and made rolls quickly before lunch time.

This dish is an easier version of a big main dish called Msakhan (مسخن ) which is usually done in lunch gatherings, people make it when fresh virgin olive oil is in season. It Consists of a special kind of bread dipped in onions and summaq cooked in olive oil with roasted chicken and nuts on top. All in one big serving tray.
Today I made an easier smaller scale musakhan by rolling chicken and onions mix into thin bread then roasting them.

Ingredients and method:
* 1 cooked chicken.remove skin and bones.
* 2-3 chopped onions.
* 2 big spoons summaq.
* 10 large thin bread (شراك ) cut to quarters.
* toasted pine nuts (optional)
* olive oil.
* 1 cup chicken broth.

* shred chicken to small pieces.
* cover onions with oil and cook slowly till tender a bit.
* add the chicken, summaq, broth, salt and pepper and leave to simmer till liquid is lessened.
* put mixture in a sieve when done to remove excess liquid.
* roll mixture in bread pieces then line them in a greased pan.
* bake in a medium heated oven till golden all over.
* serve with yoghurt.

I had excess bread pieces so I made some cheese rolls and took out some spring rolls from freezer and baked all together.
I did some sweet and sour sauce as a dip by mixing soysauce, ketchup, sugar, vinegar with cup of water and starch then boil till thick. Great dip !

Turned out a nice quick lunch.
Enjoy♡♥♡♥.

What to cook today?

day by day cooking ideas

olive oil

Homemade Msakhan Bread! (مسخن)

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How to Pickle Olives (كبيس الزيتون)

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Tomato Thyme Pastries.

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Kushari and Baked Pumpkin.

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String Beans in oil (لوبيا بالزيت )

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Chicken with Lemon Olives Sauce

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Okra (باميه بالفرن)

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Yalanji ( vegetarian stuffed vine leaves)

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Marinated Chicken and Asparagus.

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Chicken Rolls (مسخن روﻻت ).

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