In the name of Allah, the Gracious the Merciful
Machboos
Persian Kebabs
Hummus
Tabbouleh
Falafel
Sweet Custard
Machboos (Chicken with Saffron Rice)
6 small chicken breast halves (about 2 pounds total)
2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup long grain rice (or Basmati Rice)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground saffron
1 14 ½ ounce can stewed tomatoes
1 14 ½ ounce can chicken broth
¼ cup water
1 10 ounce package frozen peas
Rinse chicken; pat dry with paper towels. In a 12-inch oven proof skillet, cook chicken in hot oil over medium heat about 10 minutes or until chicken is lightly browned, turning to brown evenly. Remove Chicken.
Add onion and garlic to skillet. Cook about 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Stir in rice. Cook and stir until rice is light brown.
Stir Cumin, salt pepper, and saffron into skillet; add the undrained stewed tomatoes, chicken broth, and water. Bring to boiling. Top with chicken pieces. Cover tightly and bake in a 400° oven for 15 minutes.
Stir in peas. Cover and bake about 15 minutes more or until chicken is tender and no longer pink. Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Makes 6 Servings.
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Persian Kebabs
1 pound lean lamb or beef fillet
2-3 saffron strands
1 large onion, grated
4-6 tomatoes, halved
1 tablespoon butter, melted
salt and freshly grounded black pepper
3 tablespoons sumac, to garnish (optional)
rice, to serve
Place the meat on a chopping board. Using a sharp knife remove any excess fat from the meat and cut the meat into strips, about ½ inch thick and 1 ½ inches long.
Soak the saffron in 1 tablespoon boiling water, pour into a small s bowl and mix with the grated onion. Add to the meat and stir a few times so that the meat is coated thoroughly. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let marinate overnight in the fridge.
Season the meat with salt and pepper and then thread onto flat skewers, aligning the strips in meat rows. Thread the tomatoes onto two separate skewers.
Grill the kebobs and tomatoes over hot charcoal for 10-12 minute, basting with butter and turning occasionally. Serve with rice, sprinkled with sumac, if you like.
Makes 4 servings.
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Hummus (Middle Eastern Dip)
1 cup cooked chick peas
½ cup tahini sauce
3 garlic cloves
Juice of 2 lemons
3-4 tablespoons water
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh radishes and pita bread, to serve
For the garnish:
1 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
½ teaspoon paprika
4 black olives
Place the chick peas, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, seasoning and a little of the water in a blender or food processor. Process until smooth, adding a little more water, if necessary.
Alternatively, if you don't have a blender or food processor, mix the ingredients together in a small bowl until smooth.
Spoon the mixture into a shallow dish. Make a dent in the middle and pour the olive oil into it. Garnish with parsley, paprika, and olives and serve with radishes and warm pita bread.
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Tabbouleh (Lebanese Salad)
1 cup fine bulgur wheat
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons live oil
½ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
3 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
4-5 scallions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, seeded and sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large tomatoes, diced
black olives to garnish
Put the bulgur wheat in a bowl. Add enough cold water to cover it and let it stand for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
Drain and squeeze with your hands to remove excess water. The bulgur wheat will swell to double the size. Spread on paper towels to dry the bulgur wheat completely.
Place the bulgur wheat in a large bowl, add the lemon juice, the oil and a little salt and pepper. Allow to stand for 1-2 hours if possible, in order for the flavors to develop.
Add the chopped parsley, scallions, and bell pepper and mix well. Garnish with diced tomatoes and olives and serve.
Makes 4 servings.
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Falafel
2 ½ cups dried white beans (or fava beans or chick peas)
2 red onions, chopped
2 large garlic cloves, crushed
3 tablespoons finely chopped
fresh parsley
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
oil, for deep frying
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Soak the white beans overnight in water. Remove the skins and process in a blender or food processor. Add the chopped onions, garlic, parsley, coriander, cumin, baking powder and seasoning and blend again to make a very smooth paste. Allow the mixture to stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Take walnut-sized pieces of mixture and flatten into small patties. Set aside again for about 15 minutes.
Heat the oil until it's very hot and then fry the patties in batches until golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper. You can serve this with a tomato salad.
Makes 6 Servings
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Sweet Custard
¼ cup ground rice
3 tablespoons cornstarch
5 cups milk
6 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons rose water
¾ cup ground almonds
¼ cup ground pistachio nuts
ground cinnamon, to decorate
syrup or honey, melted, to serve
Blend the ground rice and cornstarch to a paste with a little cold milk in a small bowl.
Bringing the remaining milk to a boil, add the sugar and simmer gently. Gradually add the ground rice paste to the milk, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon to mix.
Simmer the mixture on a very gentle heat for 10-15 minutes, until the mixture has thickened, stirring frequently and being very careful not to burn the bottom of the pan, which would damage the very delicate flavor of the rice.
Stir in the rose water and half of the ground almonds and simmer for another 5 minutes.
Cool for a few minutes and then pour into a serving bowl or individual dishes. Sprinkle with the remaining ground almonds and the pistachio nuts and decorate with a dusting of ground cinnamon. Serve with melted syrup or honey.
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