Appetizers, Sides & Salads
Zaalouk
Serves: 4
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 15 min
This spicy aubergine salad is often served as part of an array of small appetizers. I have adapted the recipe to make it lighter, grilled rather than fried aubergines, yet keeping it very tasty.
Ingredients
2 aubergines
Olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp chili pepper
1 tsp cumin
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt and pepper
Chopped parsley for garnish
Method
Preheat the grill in your oven and place a rack in the closest potion to the grill.
Wash the aubergines and dry them then peel alternate strips of skin.
Cut the aubergines into 2 cm thick slices crosswise and set them on a baking sheet.
Brush them with olive oil on both sides.
Grill the aubergines until browned, turning them once (they will brown quickly, keep watch).
Chop the grilled aubergines roughly and put them in a frying pan.
Press the garlic and add it to the pan as well as the paprika, chili pepper, cumin and salt and pepper to taste.
Turn on the heat to medium and cook the mixture, stirring constantly, until it has dried a little and is very fragrant.
Stir in the lemon juice.
Take off the heat and adjust the seasoning if needed then transfer to your serving dish.
Roasted Red Peppers
Serves: 4
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 40 min
These red peppers are wonderfully perfumed with cumin, a favourite in Moroccan cooking, from whence this recipe originates.
Ingredients:
3 red peppers
2 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
1 tsp coarse salt
1/2 tsp cumin
Pepper
Method:
Preheat the oven to 200° C and cook the peppers in a pan for 40 min or until they are softened (the skins will be puffed and partially charred).
Peel the peppers carefully, deseed them, tear them into strips and leave to drain a little in a colander.
When ready to dress, place them in a shallow serving dish.
Chop the garlic finely.
Heat the olive oil in a small pan on medium heat and fry the garlic until golden.
Add the lemon juice and the spices and take off the heat.
Drizzle the sauce over the peppers.
This dish is best when at room temperature.
Fried cauliflower & tahini sauce
Serves: 5
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 15 min
Fried cauliflower is a typical mezze dish served in Lebanon. If you wish to make a lighter version of this dish you can toss your flowerets in some oil, add salt and pepper and roast in a 200°C oven for 25 min and serve with the tahini sauce.
Ingredients:
1 medium head of cauliflower
Vegetable oil for frying
sauce:
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper
Method:
Trim the cauliflower by removing the leaves and cutting it into flowerets. The flowerets must be small enough to be eaten in a couple of bites, too small and they will distintegrate while frying<;
Heat some vegetable oil in a pan (about 5 cm deep) at high heat.
When the oil is hot, fry the cauliflower in batches until golden brown, turning a couple of times when necessary.
Line a plate with paper towels and set the fried flowerets on them to get rid of excess oil.
When cool, transfer to a serving plate.
Prepare the sauce:
In a bowl, mix the tahini with the lemon juice and the salt (it will thicken), then add 2 to 3 Tbsp water until you have a nice consistency for a sauce. Taste and adjust the salt if necessary.
Serve at room temperature with the tahini sauce.
If you prefer to roast the cauliflower:
Preheat the oven to 200° C.
Prepare the cauliflower as above, and set the flowerets in a bowl.
Drizzle some vegetable oil over the flowerets, grind a little pepper and sprinkle with some salt then mix well.
Place them in a shallow baking dish and roast for 25 min. Test with a fork to see if the stalks are softened.
Take them out and leave to cool, then set in a serving dish.
Serve with the tahini sauce.
Hommos
Makes: 2 cups
Prep time : 10 min
Hommos Bi Tahini is a chick pea paste with tahini and lemon juice that is usually served as a mezze. If you have left over hommos (we are always happy at home when that happens!) it makes a great snack with toasted arabic bread
Ingredients
Hommos bi Tahini
2 c cooked chick peas
1/4 c tahini
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
Paprika
Olive oil
Method
If you wish to use dried chick peas, you must soak them overnight in plenty of water and cook them in a fresh bath with a tsp of sodium bicarbonate until very soft (45 min to 1 hr): 1 c dried will yield 2 1/2 c cooked chick peas. If using cooked chick peas, rinse them before use.
Put the chick peas with the tahini, lemon juice and salt in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. You will need to add a couple of ice cubes (or ice water if doing by hand) to loosen the mixture to a smooth, creamy paste (hommos firms up a little after refrigeration).
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary then spread the hommos in a serving dish.
Serve drizzled with olive oil and a little paprika sprinkled in the centre.
Hommos Balila
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 min
Another favourite dish in Lebanon made with chick peas, very simply prepared with a nice glug of olive oil and cumin is called balila. It is often served for breakfast but can be part of any meal, or used as a small salad entrée. It is eaten warm so get everything ready then strain the chick peas and dress them and enjoy them with arabic bread.
Ingredients
1 1/2 c cooked chick peas*
Olive oil
Cumin
3/4 tsp salt
chopped parsley for garnish
*If you wish to use dried chick peas, you must soak them overnight in plenty of water and cook them in a fresh bath with a tsp of sodium bicarbonate until very soft (45 min to 1 hr usually): 1 c dried will yield 2 1/2 c cooked chick peas.
Method
Heat the chick peas in water to cover.
Drain them (keep a little of the water to add if mixture feels too dry when seasoning) and add the salt mixing well mashing some of the chick peas as you do so.
Put a generous amount of olive oil on the chick peas and then sprinkle the cumin over the lot.
Garnish with the parsley before serving.
Artichokes in Olive Oil
Serves 5
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 40 min
This is a delicious Turkish inspired side dish that will go nicely with roast chicken or a similar main course. Using frozen artichoke bottoms makes this dish accessible in any season and reduces greatly the preparation time. The sauce is tart and contrasts nicely with the subdued taste of the artichokes.
Ingredients
8 or 9 artichoke bottoms
1/4 c peas
2 small potatoes
2 medium carrots
1/3 c chopped spring onions
3 grains cloves
3 grains allspice
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper
1/4 c lemon juice
1/3 c olive oil
1 Tbsp flour
Method
Lay the artichokes in a single layer in a pan.
Add the peas to the pan.
Peel the potatoes and dice them into small dice then add them to the pan.
Peel the carrots, slice them thinly and add them to the pan.
Add the spring onions.
Add the cloves, the allspice, the sugar, salt and pepper to the pan.
Drizzle the lemon juice and the olive oil on top.
Pour 1 1/4 c boiling water over the vegetables.
Mix the flour with 2 Tbsp water into a thin paste and drizzle it on top of the vegetables.
Cover the pan tightly, bring the water to a boil, and simmer very gently for 40 min.
Enjoy it at room temperature with fresh crusty bread.
Shallot Tatin
Serves 6
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 35 min
This shallot tatin is a lovely, surprisingly rich, sweet and tart, first course. You must use a deep skillet that can go from the stove top to the oven, about 25 cm diameter.
Ingredients
2 packets vegan puff pastry (230 g each)
500 g large shallots
2 Tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp salt
Pepper
2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp red wine
1 Tbsp pomegrenate molasses (use balsamic vinegar if unavailable)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Method
Preheat the oven to 170° C.
Peel and trim the shallots, cutting them in half lengthwise.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat in the skillet you are using.
Place the shallots in a circle, cut side up, trying to leave no gaps. Cook just until they start colouring for a couple of minutes then flip them over carefully so that they are cut side down.
Add the salt and pepper and the brown sugar.
Pour in the red wine and let it bubble. Lastly, add the pomegranate molasses over the shallots and sprinkle with thyme.
Crowd the shallots towards the center if your pan has a little more room than necessary.
Leave on the stove top to start the shallots cooking, about 5 min then carefully place the puff pastry, tucking in the extra dough around the edges of your skillet.
Put in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 min. Flip the tart carefully in a serving dish.
Serve the tatin at lukewarm.
Mujaddara
Serves 5
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 40 min
A very popular lenten dish in the middle east mujaddara is a combination of lentils and rice with caramelized onions (included in the dish or as garnish). Use it as a side dish if you are having a number of people at table or as a simple main dish presented with a salad or plain yogurt, it can be eaten both lukewarm or cold.
Ingredients
2 large onions
1/4 c olive oil
1 1/2 c brown lentils
1/3 c of short grain rice
1 1/2 tsp salt
Pepper
2 1/2 tsp cumin
Method
If you are going to include the onions in the mujaddarah, chop them. If you are going to use them as garnish, slice them into thin slivers.
Heat the olive oil in a smallish frying pan over medium high heat and put the onions to cook, sprinkled with a little salt and covered, for 10 min.
In the meantime, put the lentils in a pot, add 4 c of boiling water and cook, uncovered over medium or medium/low heat (the lentils need to boil not merely simmer, but you don’t want the water to evaporate too quickly). The lentils need to pre-cook for 15-20 min approximately, just the right amount of time that it takes for the onions to be golden. They do not need to be fully cooked because they will cook further with the rice but still be at least half cooked.
After the onions have cooked covered for 10 min, uncover them, mix them and keep frying them, mixing regularly, until golden brown (about 10 more min). If you are going to use the onions as garnish, take them out of the frying pan, straining as much of the olive oil as possible to add to the lentils.
Add 1 1/4 c water to the lentils, the rice, the spices and the chopped onions with the oil (or just the oil), stir well, bring to the boil and cook, on low heat, covered, for 20 min.
Stir the mujaddarah well and pour it into a serving dish to cool. Garnish it at that time.
Roasted Stuffed Tomatoes
Serves 4
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 40 min
Roasted herb tomatoes with a crunch, these are a nice summer dish (when the tomatoes are at their most flavourful), eaten lukewarm.
Ingredients
4 medium tomatoes
1/4 c chopped parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried)
1/3 c Panko
2 garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 tsp salt
Pepper
1/2 tsp Aleppo pepper
1/2 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp olive oil
Method
Preheat the oven to 160°C.
Wash the tomatoes and cut off their tops. Empty them of their seeds thouroughly and leave aside upside-down to drain. Any chunky part of the tomato that you’ve taken out can be separated from the juice and seeds and chopped to be included in the stuffing.
In a bowl, mix the herbs, the Panko, the garlic and the spices very well.
Add the olive oil and mix well.
Scoop an equal amount of stuffing into the tomatoes.
Place in a dish that can go into the oven and roast for 35 to 45 min until the tomatoes are cooked and the stuffing is golden.
Samosas
Makes: 25
Prep time : 25 min
Cook time : 15 min
A very popular snack and street food in India, this potato and pea samosa makes for a crispy, spicy savoury parcel, to be enjoyed plain or with chutney.
Ingredients
for the dough:
2 c flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c vegetable oil
for the filling:
2 large potatoes (500 g)
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 medium onion
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 x 2 cm piece of ginger
2 Tbsp roughly chopped coriander
1 green chili
2 tsp garam masala*
2 tsp pomegranate molasses (use balsamic vinegar if you need to)
1/2 c frozen peas
vegetable oil for frying
Method
Make the dough by mixing the flour and the salt in a bowl. Add the oil and rub it in the flour, then add 1/2 c of water and mix to form a dough. Knead until smooth then leave to rest, covered.
Make the filling:
Put the potatoes in a small pan and cover with water then bring to the boil and cook for 30 min or until the potatoes are cooked through, testing with a fork.
Heat the cumin seeds in a frying pan on medium heat until fragrant then put in a bowl and crush them (I put them in a measuring cup and use a flat bottomed glass to do this).
Chop the onion.
Heat the Tbsp of oil in the same frying pan used before, over medium heat, and put the onion to soften.
Peel and grate the ginger and add it to the onions then add the coriander and mix.
Mince the chili pepper and add it, mixing.
Lastly, add the garam masala, the cumin seeds, the pomegranate molasses (substitute with lemon juice if it is too difficult to obtain) and the peas and mix.
Leave to cook for only a few min until the peas are cooked through.
Peel the potatoes when they are done and dice them, then add them to pea and onion mixture mixing well, crushing the potatoes a little as you do so. To shape the samosas:
Break the dough into small walnut sized pieces.
Flatten all the pieces with a rolling pin (use a sprinkling of flour only if necessary) to circles of about 8 cm in diametre. Divide the filling amongst all the circles of dough.
Bring 2 sides of dough together and pinch, then close the remaining flap and pinch to get a triangular structure. To ensure that the filling doesn’t spill out during the frying, pinch and twist the 3 edges of dough towards the centre as if pleating.
Prepare all the samosas in this manner.
Heat some vegetable oil (about 4 cm deep) in a pan and fry the samosas, turning once, until golden.
Put the cooked samosas on paper towels to drain any excess oil before serving.
*To make your own garam masala:
Toast in a dry frying pan until fragrant: 1 cinnamon stick, 1 Tbsp cumin seeds, 1 Tbsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp cloves, 1 Tbsp peppercorns, 2 Tbsp cardamom seeds. Cool a little then grind in a spice grinder adding: 1 dried chili pepper and 1/4 of a nutmeg. Store in a jar.
Roasted Broccoli
Serves 4
Prep time : 5 min
Cook time : 25 min
An often misunderstood vegetable, broccoli becomes mellow and lovely when roasted, the flavour is concentrated and contrasts nicely with lemon and garlic in this recipe.
Ingredients
One 250 g head of broccoli
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 Tbsp lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
1/2 Tbsp plain or toasted sesame seeds
Method
Preheat the oven to its highest setting.
Don’t bother to wash the broccoli as you don’t want it to get soggy. Cut the flowerets off then cut off the thick layer and tough end of the stalk, and slice into 1 1/2 cm thick pieces.
Put the broccoli in a baking dish and toss with 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Mince the garlic and add it then put the dish in the oven. Cook for 25 min.
When you take the broccoli out of the oven, add the lemon juice and the remaining Tbsp of olive oil, and sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste then mix.
Transfer into a serving dish if desired and sprinkle the sesame seeds on top before serving.
Aubergine Mussa’a
Serves 6
Prep time : 15 min
Cook time : 45 min
Another very tasty aubergine dish from home, mussa’a literally means cold in Arabic, as this dish of aubergines, onions, tomatoes and chick peas is meant to be eaten… and don’t forget the bread to drink up the sauce.
Ingredients
3 large aubergines
salt
1/2 c olive oil
2 medium onions
4 large garlic cloves
6 medium tomatoes
1 c cooked chick peas
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
Pepper
1 tsp cinnamon
Method
Peel the aubergines leaving alternate pieces of skin, cut into 2.5cm slices crosswise and then cut each of these slices into 4 pieces. Place the pieces of aubergines in a colander salting them layer by layer over a plate or in the kitchen sink. Leave them to drain of their juices (so that the aubergines absorb less oil when fried) for 30 min. Rinse them handful by handful and squeeze them dry them as much as possible.
Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat and fry the aubergines in two batches, mixing them to colour all over (this should take 5 minutes or so). Add extra oil for the second batch if you need to. Reserve in a bowl.
Chop the onions and mince the garlic.
Put the last Tbsp or two of oil in the pan and cook the onions and garlic for 3 minutes to soften them, mixing.
Cut the tomatoes into chunks then add them in with the chick peas and the tomato paste, the spices, and well as 1/2 cup of water, bringing to the boil. Add in the reserved aubergines and cook, covered, over low heat, for 30 minutes, checking from time to time to make sure it doesn’t stick, and mixing as you do.
When done serve in a dish and enjoy at room temperature (I had layered them in the pan, another way to present them, thus the tomatoes ending up on top when I flipped the pan over into the serving dish).
Chard Ribs in Tahini
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 10 min
My favourite way to enjoy chard ribs, their plain taste is sublimated by a tangy tahini sauce.
Ingredients
Chard ribs from a bunch of chard if thin or 5 large pieces.
For the Tahini Sauce:
3 Tbsp Tahini
3 Tbsp lemon juice
3/4 tsp salt
Method
Wash the chard ribs and chop them into 2 cm pieces (if using very large chard ribs , slit them lengthwise first). You should have 2 or 2 1/2 c.
Put in a small saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil.
Cook the ribs for 10 min testing with a fork to check that they are cooked through.
Drain the ribs and leave to come to room temperature in a bowl.
Make the tahini sauce by mixing the tahini with the lemon juice and salt and thinning with a little water.
Toss the ribs when cooled with the tahini sauce and enjoy with bread.
Dandelion & Crispy Onions
Serves 4
Prep time : 10 min
Cook time : 25 min
This is a seasonal dish, when fresh dandelion leaves are available in the markets. The bitterness of the dandelion is softened by the sweetness the onions acquire when caramelized, while the lemon juice gives it a nice sharp tang.
Ingredients
200 g dandelion leaves
2 medium onions
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
3 Tbsp lemon juice
Pepper
Extra lemon on the side
Method
Pick and wash the dandelion leaves then blanch them for 2 min in boiling water before draining them in a colander.
Leave the dandelion to cool and cut the onions into thin wings.
Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions over medium heat, covered for 5 min, then uncovered, mixing them regularly, until they are brown, about 12 min and turn off the heat.
Lift the onions out of the oil onto a paper towel lined plate and reserve.
When the dandelion leaves have cooled, squeeze them to rid them of the remaining water and chop them.
Crush the garlic and fry it with the salt in the olive oil in the pan used previously on medium heat until fragrant, about thirty seconds, then add the dandelions and sauté for about 3 min.
Add the 3 Tbsp lemon juice and mix then take off the heat.
Transfer to a serving dish, grind some pepper on the top, add the onions and serve with extra quarters of lemon .
Eat with fresh crusty bread.