Halva Kharrub (Carob Halvah)

Most of the halvah available in Middle Eastern markets is either hard, brittle, frozen and lacking any taste.Traditional middle eastern halvah should be light and soft.The following recipe uses carob, a pod that is used primarily in Middle Eastern cooking.This carob halvah can be put together in a few minutes and can be ready to eat immediately and is the perfect dessert for when company shows up unexpectedly.


Yield:6 small servings
Ingredients:
1 c raw sesame seeds
1 tbsp. raw carob powder
dash of ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/4 c raw honey
2 tbsp. raw tahini
1 tsp. vanilla extract


1. Put sesame seeds in a food processor and process for 60-90 seconds.Put sesame seeds in a large bowl.

2. Add the carob powder, cinnamon, and the salt to the sesame seeds and blend together.

3. Add the honey, tahini, and vanilla extract to the sesame seeds mix and blend together to form a stiff dough and shape.

4. Store halvah in the fridge prior to serving.Will keep in a sealed container for 3 weeks.Bring to room temperature before serving.

Tajin Samak (Baked Fish with Bay Leaves)

Pic courtesy of Habeeb.com

The following recipe is popular throughout the Middle East.It is preferable to use whole fish but fillets work as well.

Yield:2-4 Servings

Ingredients:

1(3-4lbs.) whole fish such as red snapper,cod, or trout,gutted, rinsed

1-2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 garlic cloves,mashed

1/2 tsp. cumin seeds

4-5 bay leaves, crushed

salt & pepper

lemon wedges, to serve

1.Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Make about four incisions on the top of the fish an rub the olive oil and mashed garlic allover and inside the fish.

3.Put half the bay leaves and cumin seeds inside the fish and the other half on top.Bake fish for 45-50 minutes.Serve with lemon wedges.

Ranginak (Persian Date Fudge Cake)

A popular Persian dessert that hails from Southern Iran,ranginak is an easy, no-bake stuffed dates set in a fudge-like mixture garnished with ground walnuts and pistachios.

*Pic coming soon

Yield:12-16 pieces
Ingredients:
3/4 c walnuts, halved
2 2/3 c dates, pitted
1 c butter
2 Tbsp. sugar
2 c all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. almonds, ground
1 Tbsp. pistachios, ground

1. Place half a walnut inside each date.Lightly grease a shallow baking dish and place the dates in it, making sure they are tightly packed.
2.Melt the butter and sugar in a saucepan and stir in the flour.Cook it until it turns a caramel-like color.
3.Pour caramel/fudge mixture over dates and let it set.In a small bowl, combine ground almonds and ground pistachios and mix.Sprinkle ground pistachios and almonds over dates.
4. Cut Ranginak into squares and serve with tea or coffee.

Rubyan al Maghreb (North African-Style Shrimp)

This is a quick and easy spicy shrimp recipe that is very common to the Maghreb countries of Northern Africa.Serve with couscous or basmati rice.

Yield:4 Servings

Ingredients:

4 garlic cloves, crushed

5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp. paprika

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cumin

2 pinches of cayenne or ground chili pepper

6 Tbsp. fresh cilantro, chopped

salt

1 1/2 lbs.large fresh shrimp,peeled

1. Heat olive oil in a medium pan.Add the garlic and stir for 3-4 minutes.

2.Add the shrimp,paprika,ground ginger,cumin, and cayenne and cook till the shrimp become pink, stirring constantly.

3.When most of the shrimp are almost pink, add the fresh cilantro and salt and keep stirring till all the shrimp are pink and fully cooked.Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Zereshk Polo (Persian Barberry Rice)

Here's another delightful recipe from the Persian kitchen using barberries(zereshk), the sweet and tart berries that give Persian rice dishes their distinctive taste.

Yield:4 Servings
Ingredients:
2 oz barberries
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1/3 c black currants or raisins
2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 3/4 c basmati rice, soaked for 2 hours
2-3 saffron threads,soaked in 1 Tbsp. boiling water
salt

1. Rinse the barberries in cold water, then drain.
2.Heat the butter in a pan and add the currants or raisins,if using.Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes.
3.Add the barberries and continue stir-frying for another minute. Add the sugar , cinnamon and cumin.Cook for about 2-3minutes, remove from heat and set aside.
4.Drain the rice and then bring to a boil it in a pan of salted water for 5 minutes.Reduce the heat and simmer until almost cooked.
5. Remove rice from heat and transfer to a large serving dish. Add the barberry-raisin mixture and saffron water to it and mix till well combined. Serve immediately.

Melokhia (Traditional Egyptian Melokhia Soup)

I was talking with my boyfriend the other night who happens to work in Saudi Arabia and asked him what he was having for lunch.Chicken sandwich with corchorus.Corchorus??He seemed surprised that I did not know what this was.At first I thought he meant cornichons(a kind of pickle)and had misspelled the word but no, he said it looks like spinach.So after much searching, I realized he was talking about a green, leafy vegetable known as melokhia.

Melokhia (corchorus olitoris) is a green,leafy vegetable that is popular in Egypt and countries of the Levant.It is known by several names and spellings such as Jews mallow, mlookheeyeh,mlukhiyya,mulukhiyya,melokheya and of course corchorus.Melokhia is also the name of the national dish of Egypt, a soup that is extremely popular today as was during pharoanic times.Melokhia is also used as a sauce spooned over rice and chicken.

Melokhia is an acquired taste.It tastes like bitter spinach or sorrel when cooked and develops a mucilaginous and viscous texture, like okra. Melokhia requires short cooking time.Because of its mucilaginous texture, the leaves will remain "suspended" in the stock, once they sink to the bottom of the pot, it is overcooked.Melokhia is normally sold fresh in the Middle East but elsewhere is available dried,frozen, or canned from Middle Eastern grocers.


Yield:4-6 Servings
Ingredients:
1 lb.fresh or frozen melokhia
5 c vegetable or chicken stock
1-2 garlic cloves,crushed
1 Tbsp ghee or olive oil
1-2 tsp. ground coriander
1/8 tsp. red pepper,ground
salt and ground black pepper

1. If using fresh melokhia,cut into small pieces and rinse with cold water and set aside. If using frozen, thaw melokhia in cool water,remove and set aside.
2.In a large saucepan, heat the stock and bring to a boil.Stir in the melokhia and simmer for 25 minutes.
3.Meanwhile, in a small pan heat the ghee and add the crushed garlic and fry till slightly brown.Stir in the coriander and red peeper and mix to form a paste.
4.Add the coriander-red pepper paste to the soup and simmer for a while longer (5 minutes).Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

Bouza al Karaz (Cherry & Goat's Milk Ice Cream)

Goat's milk is so under appreciated.Try searching for recipes online and in cookbooks and they are hard to come by, which is a shame since it has a slightly sweet, full creamy taste not "goaty" like commonly believed.Plus, goat's milk is the perfect alternative for those individuals that are lactose intolerant.Here's a recipe for ice cream I developed using goat's milk.You can usually find it in Middle Eastern or Armenian grocers if not you can try My Amazon Store

Yield:2 qts.
Ingredients:
1/2 c honey
3 eggs
6 c goats' milk
1/2 tsp. rose water essence
2 c cherries, pit removed, pureed in blender or food processor

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the honey, eggs and 2 cups of the goat milk and beat with an electric mixer until well-blended and smooth.
2. Pour honey-egg mixture in a medium saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens (5-8 minutes).Remove from heat and let it cool completely.
3.When completely cool, pour mixture into a ceramic bowl,add remaining ingredients, stir, and chill thoroughly in a freezer.*Every hour mix to break apart ice crystals.Ice cream will be ready in 4 1/2-5 hours.

*Freeze in an ice cream maker according to manufacturers instructions.