Category: Middle Eastern
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Sheet pan chicken shawarma
This is really good and super easy – makes me wonder why I don’t marinate chicken thighs more often. Feel free to throw in some green and red peppers at the end – they would compliment the onion nicely. Serve beside rice, or throw into a pita stuffed with hummus and tzatziki and some sliced…
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High protein tabbouleh with red quinoa
Hail the versatility of quinoa – it replaces bulgur in this ultra healthy salad. Red quinoa is gluten free as well making this dish safe for those with gluten allergies. Hemp seeds compliment the fruity olive oil and help fight hunger with their high omega-6 and omega-3 fat content. Pine nuts round it all off…
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Fried cauliflower with tahini sauce
This recipe reminds me of my University years in Toronto when I was vegetarian and I would often find myself at the middle eastern shawarma shop at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst ordering a pita-stuffed with fried eggplant, cauliflower and tabbouleh sandwich drizzled with garlic sauce. Not sure if it was the hunger of…
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Herbed Lebanese zucchini fritters (Ijje)
Many summer evenings were spent observing my aunt cooking up a batch of these greasy, crunchy little fritters. I cannot vouch that this is my aunt’s recipe however. Traditionally, you would make ijje as a way to use up the remaining squash from a batch of Koosa. Koosa are basically stuffed zucchini, however they are…
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Labneh (strained yogurt)
I grew up watching my mum dig into huge vats of the thick, sour, incredibly thick Lebanese yogurt they call Labneh. I remember her dipping thick pita crisps into it – thick crunchy crisps which she had toasted in the oven and which were strong enough to withstand the heaviness of the yogurt. You must…
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Charred Cauliflower Quinoa salad with feta
Serve this hearty salad warm or cool – it can be a meal in itself or a great side dish. A side of spiced yogurt, tzatziki or bread would be a great accompaniment. To get the charred effect, the cauliflower needs to be cooked in a hot oven until it’s almost burned at the tips…
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Buttermilk Rosewater Panna Cotta
I’ve been wanting to make milky-jello for a long time but just lacked the motivation. I was all excited to find that Samin Nosrat has a buttermilk panna cotta recipe in her book Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. I always have buttermilk in my fridge about to go off so I jumped at the opportunity to…
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Thyme Pizza (Manouche)
No, I have not successfully fed these to the kids, but who cares? Life’s too short to only eat kid-friendly. I received an exciting present in the mail this week from my Mum in Canada – a Cookbook called “Rose Water & Orange Blossoms” by Maureen Abood. Of course, I got straight to work making…
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Lebanese pita bread salad (Fattoush)
The addition of sprouts really adds a superfood kick to this traditional salad. Pita bread fried in olive oil adds crunch, along with the mint, parsley and sumac which lends the characteristic taste. The kids always enjoy pulling crispy pieces of pita chips out of the salad, but if you can wait and allow the…
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Israeli Couscous Halloumi Salad
Also called moghrabieh, these grains are made of semolina and feature in many middle eastern stews. I constructed this salad as you would tabbouleh with the same flavour profile but Israeli couscous absorbs more flavours than normal, so I’ve accounted for that in the ingredients list. Serves 8 Ingredients: 2 cups Israeli couscous 1 1/2…
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Herbed kofte kebabs
Now that summer has arrived here on Australia‘a east coast, there is nothing better than eating a meal outdoor al fresco. I’ve been reading Samin Nosrat’s Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat and came across these super simple kebabs which do very well on the bbq. I’ve made a few adjustments but there is really no wrong…
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Stuffed grape leaves (Lebanese style)
No amount of practice will ever see me attain the mathematical precision achieved by one of the best known Lebanese restaurants in my hometown Daou, of these little meat cigars known as “Yebra”. It does not matter anyways, just do your best to wrap them up tightly and add a uniform amount of filling to…
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Middle Eastern Green Bean Stew
Overcooked green beans – yes! Simmered slowly with beef chunks and some warming spices. Served over couscous. You’ve got a deal. I understand that sometimes green beans are a bit time consuming to clean. However, I encourage you to put on some music, enjoy the zen of the moment, and make the bean cleaning work…
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Egyptian Lentil pasta w Quinoa
When I lived in Cairo, I became familiar with a very popular dish called Kosharie. It is considered the “National dish” of Egypt. It features multiple starches, rice & pasta, along with lentils, a spicy tomato sauce and fried onions. When leaving my apartment in El Maniel, I would encounter multiple street vendors selling hot…
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Butter bean and tomato bake
Since finding this recipe in Georgina Hayden’s Nistisima (highly recommended by the way), I have been absolutely dependent on these beans for my daily existence. Nistisima is such a beautiful book, and it’s only just been released in August 2022! The focus of her work is on the fasting foods of monks and priests in…
Allspice & Olive 