As I previously posted, I bought an instant pot a few months ago, and it has been used quite regularly in my kitchen since then. I was trying to use up a bunch of kale before it went bad and kind of thought this up as I went along….the way much of my cooking happens. It actually started out as a maple flavored idea, then I thought, “oh! … [Read more…]
Lamb and Fava Bean Maqlouba (with Kefir Lamb Soup)
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…]
Kofta Kabob Under the Broiler
This is your basic kofta recipe, shaped into kabobs, and broiled. Once you do this, you can either serve with rice, or wrapped in flat bread or pita. Let me tell you, this recipe takes ground beef (or lamb) and elevates it way, way up. A little secret – My husband asked for this exact meal two days in a row. Shhhh. Broiled Kofta Kabob 1 1/2 … [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…]
Kofta and Cabbage
I have not been posting lately due to holiday and travel. I have a few blog posts in the wings, so hopefully will post those soon. Here is something I made to use some leftover kofta and extra cabbage, inspired by this post at Mark’s Daily Apple. ½ recipe kofta (baked, but without adding sauce) 2 cups cabbage, shredded 1 small carrot, grated or … [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…]
Thanksgiving menu : Roasted Turkey (with a Lemon Garlic Marinade)
I love Thanksgiving. I love being with friends and family. I love the sentiment of being thankful. And, I really, really love Thanksgiving dinner. I have heard lots of people say that they don’t really care for turkey. That it’s bland or blah, or whatever. I do really like turkey. When it is brined and then properly seasoned, it is really … [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…]
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…]