Unsurprisingly, I’ve been wanting to make more eggplant dishes, not to mention more lentil dishes. Elise Bauer’s Eggplant Lentil Stew with Pomegranate Molasses became a great inspiration for this rich (and vegetarian) stew. However, my rendition uses already cooked eggplants and onion, as well as additional Middle Eastern spices. Another bit of rationalizing: if I […]
Tag Archives: Middle Eastern
Chicken marinated in lemon, saffron & yogurt
Saturday, 19 January 2008
Sometimes it’s tricky to find a good chicken kebab. Sometimes too tough or dry. Sometimes bland. A recipe on Chowhound for jujeh kebab looked quite approachable and intriguing. Indeed, the long marination with lemon and yogurt results in a very tender dish. Here is a version with my usual mods and shifts, fit for chicken […]
Student memories: Hummus topped with ground chicken & pine nuts
Thursday, 2 August 2007
Back in school, my friends Ananda, Carolyn and I used to frequent a small Middle Eastern eatery in a half-empty strip mall in Pomona. Their hummus was divine: it came with either a swirl of paprika-infused olive oil or grilled meat, and a basket of warm pita bread. Sadly, according to Ananda, this dive no […]
Tea with mint & cardamom
Saturday, 5 May 2007
I love tea, but am just not a fan of flavored tea, with its clashing fruity or cloying, perfumy permutations. There are, however, big exceptions: chai, and tea with mint and cardamom. The latter is quite refreshing, whether it’s served hot or cold. Excellent as an accompaniment for lunch or dinner, especially with Mediterranean or […]
Chicken Bstilla
Sunday, 15 October 2006
Here is my slightly lazier version of bstilla (a.k.a., b’stilla), a savory pie with chicken, eggs and almonds. Well, lazier in the sense that its form is more like baklava in a pan, rather than the beautifully decorated disk you’d get at a Morrocan restaurant. This recipe does take a while to prepare: Over an […]
Baklava
Sunday, 19 March 2006
There are three parts to this recipe: making the syrup, making the nut mixture and assembling the whole thing. The first two can be done ahead of time. Interestingly, the pastry doesn’t get soggy over time, so the flavor and texture actually improve a day or two later! This dish is dedicated to Samuel and […]