I was at Trader Joe’s a few weeks ago, and found frozen shelled fava beans. I like fresh fava beans in the shell, but it is not often that you can find that in the Baltimore region. So, shelled frozen favas will definitely do. I’ve stocked up each time I found them, because they do seem to sell out. If you want to look for them, this is what … [Read more…]
Pulled Chicken Sandwiches – Djaj Musahab
This is called ‘pulled chicken’, but I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs for ease. You can serve this chicken in a crusty bread, or wrapped in flatbread. You can also eat it with rice and a salad. I prefer it as a sandwich, to feel like I have just stopped at a food cart in the center of a Levantine city. Tahini sauce 1 Tablespoon … [Read more…]
Deconstructed Levantine Cabbage Rolls (Lazy Malfouf)
I felt like eating stuffed cabbage, but didn’t have time to separate and boil the leaves, then stuff them one by one, so I decided to make it lazy-style. It’s not as pretty, but tastes very good on those days you just don’t have the time for rolling them. To be clear – It isn’t a replacement for the original – and certainly not something you’d … [Read more…]
Zucchini/Summer Squash Fritters – ijja
I made some fritters for dinner Friday evening to go along with some leftover soup. I had 1 zucchini, and 2 yellow crookneck squashes. I considered several different ideas before I stopped at Ijja (the Arabic name for these fritters – and also the word for omelet). I didn’t need to consider anything else after that, because, YUM, fritters! This … [Read more…]
Throwback Thursday : Fall Lentil Vegetable Stew
It appears that this time last year was the same kind of chilly, rainy Fall weather that we are having today. I made a lentil stew then that had carrots and spinach, and nicely spiced with curry, cumin, and allspice. This is a wonderfully homey, satisfying stew that can be made with things that most people have on hand. Thus, I have tagged it … [Read more…]
Slow Cooker Kofta (or converting a kofta recipe to a crockpot recipe)
This past weekend, my brother was visiting. We wanted to go out, yet have a home cooked meal and not resort to just getting takeout on the way home. I had already planned on making Kofta with Tomato Sauce (Mediterranean Meatballs with Tomato Sauce), so I thought that I would put my dusty, neglected slow cooker to good use. I made the kofta … [Read more…]
The Levantess’s Famous Falafel
Our Sunday brunch centered around falafel. I’ve seen many falafel recipes on the interwebs. Some use canned chickpeas, some add flour, and some add fava beans. My preferred falafel contains ONLY chickpeas, no fava beans. I also like mine to have lots of parsley, onion, and garlic. You can see the greenish cast when you break it in half. Also, … [Read more…]
Italian Flat Beans with Fresh Tomatoes
We went to the local farmer’s market, a favorite activity for the kids, because they love the fresh peaches and the grape tomatoes. I spied some broad bean pods and thought they were fava beans for a second, but on closer inspection, found them to be Italian flat beans. If you haven’t tried them yet, you should. They have a delicate sweetness … [Read more…]
Kofta Wrapped in Grape Leaves – Lahma ‘a Waraqa (la7ma 3ala waraqa)
This is my third kofta post. As you can see, these marvelous morsels of meat are very versatile and come in many variations. This particular variation is the standard kofta mix, formed into small patties, and wrapped in grape leaves. If I mention grape leaves, my husband automatically says, ” we should make kofta with them!”, he prefers them to … [Read more…]
Liver with Onions, Garlic, and Parsley – Kibdeh
This recipe, Liver with Onions, Garlic, Parsley, and lots of spices (Kibdeh), is for those who appreciate the rich goodness that is liver when it is prepared right. Now, I know there are some who say that liver must be cooked rare to retain its health benefits, but those nutrients do not benefit me if I will not swallow it unless it is fully … [Read more…]