Pumpkin Hummus

Do I like pumpkin? You could say that. After some intense psychoanalysis, it's still unclear whether I love pumpkins because they're orange (my favorite color) and associated with Halloween (my favorite holiday) or vice versa. A very Freudian chicken-or-the-egg conundrum. 

I want them all.

Each year, I usually spend all of September and October musing about pumpkin, cooking with pumpkin,  consuming pumpkin, and curating--oh, who the fuck am I kidding--buying every pumpkin-flavored product I can get my hands on.  But I like to think (seriously) that God sends me signs, sometimes literally, and two days ago I ran into this placard. 

And, so it begins, August 16th, 2017, albeit slowly because I have other food projects to finish and obviously not everyone has their pumpkin shit together as early as Valero Corner Store. 

Plain hummus is fun; pumpkin hummus is funner. And just as easy to make.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• 2 tablespoons water

• 1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

• 2/3 cup pumpkin puree (canned is fine)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1/2 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary 

• Salt to taste

Directions

1. Blend all ingredients except rosemary in food processor until smooth.

2. Fold in minced rosemary.

3. Eat with pita, or in a pinch, potato chips.

History Repeats Itself With Ful Nabit

This week I have been craving snacky foods, and while I always get my nightly popcorn fix, I thought I should broaden my  horizons by making some Syrian-style munchies.  Charmed by Syrian Foodie in London's story about feasting on ful nabit in china bowls from street vendors after school, I decided to make a batch for evening noshing.

Well, this fool (har) totally forgot when she went to Kroger that fava beans either in canned or dry form are not sold under that name in the regular aisles but instead are hidden in the international foods section.  And even there these sneaky beans go by their lesser-known moniker, 'pigeon peas,' which technically are a smaller varietal, but hey, I'll take, what I can get. 

So, I had to make a repeat visit, but it was worth it. Ful nabit is extremely simple and the nutty, warm bite of the cumin plays delightfully well with the milder flavored legumes.

Ingredients

• Preferably dry fava beans (canned in a pinch)

• Salt

• Cumin

Directions

When using dry beans, soak overnight in water. Then, boil in water for about 90 minutes until flesh is supple and skin can be easily peeled off. 

When using canned, drain and rinse beans in colander. Then just barely cover in water, bringing to boil just briefly.

Pinch skin off one end of a bean, dip in salt, then cumin, and squeeze flesh into mouth. Discard skin. Repeat about 100 times while watching Conan O'Brien videos.

Sit Geleila: "Respected Lady" Salad

About a year ago, my father- and mother-in-law presented us with a wonderful assortment of vegetables pickled and canned by a local vendor from their home in Maine. Between the two of us, we buy more food than necessary,  so embarrassingly some of these treats remained buried in my pantry, whose disordered culinary copia would surely  would make me eligible for a televised intervention on Hoarders. 

Serves 6-8 or 1 Joanna 2 nights in a row

I was initially charmed by the charming translation of Sit Geleila, then further excited by the possibility of swapping the pickled turnips for beets given their similar flavor profile. Incidentally, beet juice is used for coloring in the traditional form of the recipe, so I wasn't straying too much from authenticity. 

Messy mise-en-place.

Sit Geleila is by far the best mezze I have made this year. There is something about how the nuttiness of the cumin complements the acidic twang of the onions and sweetness of the beets that makes it incredibly refreshing yet filling. This dish is one of the few that doesn't not benefit from extra olive oil because you really don't want the rich fats to overwhelm the simpler botanical flavors.  

A lovely lunch or main accompaniment.

Ingredients

• 14 ounces pickled turnips (or beets) chopped into small chunks

• 1 small onion chopped

• 2 teaspoons cumin, ground from fresh seeds

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

1. Slice turnips or beets into bite-size chunks.

2. Add chopped onion, cumin, and olive oil. 

3. Mix vigorously to combine. Serve immediately if eating indoors or chill in the fridge a bit for al fresco celebrations.

Toum For The Touchdown!

Houston, we have a quarterback. To celebrate, a culinary touchdown in the form of toum (also spelled 'toom' in some Syrian cookbooks).  Toum is the ketchup of Middle Eastern food (or is ketchup the toum of American food?); an omnipresent condiment, it is used to dress grilled meats, sandwiches, even rice. The ingredients are simple, but the preparation more sophisticated, for its success depends on delicate emulsion.  Don't throw all the ingredients in a blender and expect to have anything resembling the correct end product. Patience is key.

Ingredients

• 5 garlic cloves

• 1 egg white

• Juice of 1 lemon

• 1 cup vegetable oil

• ice water on hand

Directions

1. Place garlic and roughly 1/4 of the lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse on medium.

2. Add half the egg white and pulse again on medium.

3. Gradually add the half oil. And, I mean, gradually. Pulse intermittently on medium.

4. Add remainder of lemon juice and egg white. Pulse on low.

5. Add remainder of oil, again slowly. Pulse on low.

6. Add 1 or 2 tablespoons of ice water. Pulse on low until mixture just reaches creaminess.

Slather on your choice of protein.

Recipe: Tabbouleh (Couscous style)

You learn something new every day, and yesterday, I learned two new things. First, Randall's on Holcombe Blvd. does not sell bulgur wheat. Second, some forms of traditional tabbouleh are made with couscous. This latter fact was especially heartening, especially since the former revelation initially caused a certain woman craving a refreshing Syrian mezze much consternation. And with a box already at home, she didn't even have to rely on Randall's for the couscous. Suck it, Randall's. (Just kidding. Thanks for the sale on parsley!)

Bulgur wheat gives rise to a grittier, heartier tabbouleh, while couscous tends to soften what is otherwise a very fibrous mixture. I find it also absorbs olive oil more readily, so don't over-pour lest you want your salad very slick. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked couscous

• 1 bunch of parsley (about 2 cups chopped)

• 1 medium tomato (about 3/4 cup chopped)

• 1 small white onion (about 3/4 cup chopped)

• 3/4 cup chopped mint

• 1/4 cup olive oil

• 3 tablespoons lemon juice

Directions

1. Cook couscous according to instructions; usually, this involves a 1.5:1 ratio of hot water to rice.

2. Combine all vegetable ingredients in a deep bowl.

3. Incorporate cooled couscous vigorously into mixture.

4. Add liquid ingredients and toss such that salad is liberally coated.

5. Eat right away.

(Not So) Foul Salad

The first challenge with Foul is that its name is unfortunately an unappealing English cognate.

The second challenge with  Foul is finding its star ingredient, fava beans, also known as broad beans also known as faba beans also known as field beans also known as bell beans also known as pigeon peas also known as horse beans...you get the picture. Turns out, a fava bean by any other name is still a fava bean.

Kroger's canned vegetable aisle boasted at least 20 different types of beans but none of them were labeled with the aforementioned monikers. On a hunch, I skipped to the "International Foods" section and located a can of "Pigeon Peas" on the English shelf.  Hurrah.

After that, it's pretty simple. Fava beans are prominently featured in many Arab dishes, including some common in Syria, in part because they're easy to grow and yield abundant harvests even under harsh conditions. Usually, fava beans are incorporated into a mezze or side dish and sometimes even are presented warm and mashed. I wanted to preserve the integrity of the beans' shape and texture, so I kept them whole and took a cue (once again) from Syrian Foodie in London in assembling a salad.

Ingredients

• 2 cups canned fava beans (drained)--or if you're really ambitious (I'm not!) cook fresh ones

• 3 tablespoons cilantro

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Combine beans, cilantro, garlic, and lemon juice well. 

2. Slowly stir in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Garnish with lemon slice.

Eat right away with a fork, or more preferably, with pita and sparkling apple cider.

Artichoke Salad

I love artichokes but the preparation their raw form requires intimidates me. Oh hell, who am I kidding? I'm not afraid; I'm just lazy. Despite the luscious rewards of preparing buttery roasted artichokes, I am much happier, usually, to settle for less unctuous but still satisfying marinated artichoke hearts. Artichoke are prominently featured in Syrian cooking, with many recipes involving stuffing the hearts with spices, pine nuts, and ground meat. Some day, I will make those recipes. 

Beautiful but a bitch to prepare.

Last night I was just fine with making an artichoke salad inspired by a memory of a similar botanical assemblage I enjoyed during my first visit to Damascus.

Ingredients

• 5-7 Artichoke hearts marinated in oil (from a jar like this from your local supermarket)

• 1 large tomato (chopped)

• 1/2 red onion (chopped)

• 4 tablespoons parsley (chopped)

• More olive oil (if necessary)

• Salt and pepper

Directions

Toss artichoke hearts, tomato, onion, and parsley together in a medium bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste and more olive oil if you like. 

Recipe: Sujuk (Syrian sausage...sort of) With Hummus

Sujuk is apparently a very common Syrian dish as well as a specialty of Damascus but I managed not to eat it during my two trips. I even dined twice at Naranj, where SyrianFoodieinLondon enjoyed sujuk with hummus and it escaped my notice. Fail. One more reason why it's important to do research before you visit a country in order to compile a comprehensive eating itinerary. But also another reason (as if I needed more) to return to Syria.

Ingredients

• Hummus (duh)

• 1 pound minced lamb

• 1 tablespoon ghee (clarified butter)

• 2 teaspoons paprika

• 2 teaspoons dried chili flakes

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (or garlic powder if you're strapped)

• 2 teaspoons allspice

Directions

1. Pan-fry the lamb in ghee until it just begins to turn brown.

2. Add garlic and spices.

3. Lower heat and cook until all water has evaporated and lamb begins to get crispy (but not dry!). Might take 20-30 minutes. 

Spoon onto hummus and eat straight with a spoon. Or, with pita bread if others are watching.

Recipe: Fatayer

I'm trying to step it up a notch with regards to the complexity of the recipes I'm attempting, and to that end, I made fatayer this past weekend. Fatayer (spinach pies) are popular all over the Middle East and a staple of mezze menus in Damascus. The biggest challenge is shaping the dough into compact triangles around a heaping tablespoon or so of filling. After a few false starts, I got the hang of it. If you don't have time to make dough, you can use store-bought pie crust.

DOUGH

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon active dry yeast

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• 1 cup warm water

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Activate yeast by dissolving it in 1/4 cup of warm water with sugar. Let rest 10 minutes.

2. Whisk together flour and salt in a medium bowl. With a spoon, create a well or small gap in the center of the dry mixture and add the oil and yeast mixture. 

3. Using an electric mixer, slowly combine the wet and dry ingredients. Add the remaining 3/4 cup of water slowly. 

4. Remove dough from bowl (will be sticky) and knead by hand about 5 minutes or until dough is firm.

5. Spritz a large bowl with cooking spray. Transfer dough into bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let dough rest until doubled in size (about 1.5 hours).

Lovely pockets of goodness.

FILLING & PIES

Ingredients

• 2 lbs frozen chopped spinach (thawed and patted until completely dry)

• 1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 cup lemon juice

• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1/2 cup pine nuts

• sesame seeds for dusting

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine spinach, onion, salt, lemon juice, cinnamon, and pine nuts.

 

2.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. Dust a large cutting board or surface with flour. Roll out the dough to 1/8 thickness and cut into circles (you can use a water glass) roughly 4 inches in diameter. Reknead dough and repeat until all dough is used up.

4. Place a tablespoon or so of filling in center of each dough circle. Fold sides around fillings to form a triangle. This recipe has some helpful photos.

5. Place fatayer on baking sheets and brush with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with sesame seeds. Bake for 18-20 minutes until brown.

Serve hot to guests; eat cold leftovers the next day for breakfast.

Love For Liver, Part II: Chicken Livers With Pomegranate Molasses

This weekend chicken livers were on sale at Kroger, which means they cost a cheek-slappingly low 90 cents(!) instead of $1.42. Seriously, when was the last time you could buy a pound of meat that provides 487% of your RDA of iron for less than a dollar?

Syrian Foodie in London claims this recipe is for one of his very favorites, and after preparing it, I'm happy to say now it's one of mine, too. Its success is due to the rich balance of butter, booze, and fruity sweetness. Btw, if you can't find ghee at your local supermarket (check the foreign foods section), you can clarify butter yourself.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound chicken livers

• 1 tablespoon ghee

• 2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses

• 3.5 ounces of red wine

• Salt and pepper

• 1 tablespoon cold butter

Directions

1.  Pan fry the chicken livers in ghee until they are brown on the outside.

2. Add molasses, red wine, salt, and pepper.

3. Cook livers one or two minutes more, just until tender.

4. Remove livers and reduce sauce by a quarter.  

5. Add  cold butter to sauce and mix thoroughly. Pour on top of livers and serve with bread or rice.

Recipe: Salata Addis

Two things you should know about me and lentils.  First, after reading the original version of Cinderella in middle school in which the eponymous heroine's evil stepmother falsely asserts if Cinderella is able sift lentils out of the ashes she can go to the ball, I for years associated lentils with dirt and broken promises. Second, this association shifted dramatically, and most importantly, positively when I volunteered one summer in Himachal Pradesh in northern India. The cook at our lodgings packed us tiffins of dal, okra, rice, and chapati every day for lunch, and in the cooler mountain temperatures, the warm spiced lentils were the perfect comfort food. (And welcome distraction from the fact that I was exposed daily to TB patients not wearing masks but that's another story.)

A leftover bag of green lentils from holiday entertaining presented the perfect opportunity to make salata addis, a Syrian lentil salad speckled with onions, parsley, and tomatoes. The recipe below is adapted from Helen Corey's Healthy Syrian and Lebanese Cooking, my bible until I find a better one (irony noted) for this experiment.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cups lentils

• 3 1/2 cups water

• 1 bay leave

• 2 tablespoons minced garlic

• 1 small onion (chopped)

• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)

• 1 medium tomato (diced)

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Rinse and drain lentils. Place in saucepan and add in water and bay leaf. Bring to a boil and cook partly covered for approximately 30 minutes.

2. Drain lentils and discard bay leaf. 

3. Combine lentils with garlic, onion, parsley, and tomato in a large bowl.

4. Toss with lemon juice and olive oil. Salt and pepper to your pleasing.

5. Serve warm or chilled.

Recipe: Hashweh

I know, I know, it's been fo'evah since I last posted. Although Bridey has been very busy at work and with writing projects, that is no excuse.  I began 2016 on a mission to explore the world of Syrian cuisine and I have barely made a dent in my itinerary.  So, this summer I am recommitting myself to eating, cooking, and researching Syrian food, with a special focus on Damascene dining. To that end, last night I attempted to make Hashweh, also known as 'rice stuffing.' Multiple Middle Eastern countries offer different renditions of this dish, but  there are certain components (ground lamb, medium- to long-grain rice, nuts, dried fruit, cinnamon, onion) common to most versions. 

Nothing that involves pistachios or raisins could be bad.

A while back Aussie Beef & Lamb gifted me with some generous cuts, which I used for an auspicious family gathering.  The last part of their present was a package of ground lamb, which the lazy cook in me was tempted just to use to make burgers with feta and mint sauce.  However, ambitious Bridey took over and decided to make Hashweh.  The recipe below is modified from that developed by Suzy at The Mediterranean Dish.   I used white onions instead of red and pistachios instead of almonds because for whatever reason I couldn't find slivered almonds (time crunch, couldn't handle advanced knife skills) at Randalls.  I blame their absence on Trump, because, well, these days I blame everything on Trump. Moving on.

INGREDIENTS

• 1½ cups medium grain rice
• Olive oil
• 1 small white onion, finely chopped
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 1¾ tsp allspice, divided
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• ¾ tsp ground cloves, divided
• ¾ tsp ground cinnamon, divided
• salt and pepper
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• ⅓-1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
• ⅓-1/2 cup pistachios
• ½ cup dark raisins

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Soak the rice in cold water for 20 minutes. Drain well.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a heavy cooking pot. Add chopped onions in the oil on medium-high heat. Add the ground  lamb and cook 7 minutes.
3.  Add seasonings:  1¼ tsp allspice, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp ground cloves, ½ tsp ground cinnamon, salt and pepper. Toss together to combine, and cook until the meat is fully browned (8-10 minutes).
4. Drain from fat, leaving the meat in the same pot.
5. Top the meat with the rice. Add the remainder of the allspice, ground cloves and cinnamon. Add 2½ cups of water to cover the rice.
6. Bring the liquid to a rolling boil and allow liquid to reduce significantly.
7. Turn the heat to low and cover. Cook for 15 minutes or until moisture has completely been absorbed. Remove from heat.
8. Place a large serving platter on the opening of the rice pot and carefully flip the pot contents onto the platter so that the meat layer is on top of the rice.
9. Garnish with parsley, toasted pine nuts, pistachios, and raisins.

Don't skimp on the spices.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of using high quality spices in the preparation of this dish; also, for those like me who enjoy the type of winter-y sweetness that comes from cinnamon, add a whole stick.

Technically, Hashweh is a side dish, but technically so is macaroni and cheese, nothing prevents me from eating that as my main course.