387066 Sat Mar 31 20:32:32 -0700 2007 88 31 Home Cooking 0 2439477 April 2007 Cookbook of the Month: Arabesque: A Taste of Morocco, Turkey, and Lebanon, by Claudia Roden. Please post your full-length reviews of recipes from the sections on main courses here. Please mention the name of the recipe you are reviewing as well as any modifications you made to the recipe. A reminder that the verbatim copying of recipes to the boards is a violation of the copyright of the original author. Posts with copied recipes will be removed. Thanks for participating! Sat Mar 31 20:32:32 -0700 2007 12813 Katie Nell 1 2439927 Chicken Pie with Onions and Sumac (Musakahan) - I think this was in the Lebanese section. This is made with chicken thighs, and I made the filling ahead of time. I messed up a bit with the filo - I used a smaller size sheet, and think I let it thaw out a bit too long so it was tricky to work with. As you can tell from the photo, there wasn't much filo on top - if the sheets had been the right size, there would have been a lot more, since you line the bottom with sheets and then fold over the excess on top (and I had v. little excess) before adding two sheets to the top. I think you also need more melted butter than called for. But, absolutely delicious - loved the flavor - and great to have as leftovers. http://s88.photobucket.com/albums/k161/MMRuth/Arabesque/ Sun Apr 01 06:57:29 -0700 2007 2439477 10985 MMRuth 2 2440037 I made the tomato rice pilaf with chicken amdsifinshed with sumac.It was okay. I think I would like to tweak some of the flavors Sun Apr 01 08:04:35 -0700 2007 2439927 10285 Candy 3 2440991 I am making the Tagine of Chicken with Preserved Lemon and Olives tomorrow night.... I will post all the details! :) So excited! Sun Apr 01 15:53:08 -0700 2007 2440037 53141 gastronomy 3 2586203 I made just the tomato pilaf last night, to go with some other dishes, and I thought it was awfully bland ... maybe needed some more salt, and more tomato ... Sun May 20 11:58:20 -0700 2007 2440037 10985 MMRuth 4 2586220 Photo ... Sun May 20 12:06:12 -0700 2007 2586203 10985 MMRuth 2 2441026 I posted a main course description on the meze thread, because I made a whole meal and didn't want to break it up. Also made a different chicken and onion filo pie. I've actually made the musakahan before, sans filo. You sprinkle pine nuts on tip and crumble toasted lavash on top...it's the same thing, just more informal, I guess. Got it from, I think, Wolfert's Med. Greens and Grains. That sumac tast is delicious, isn't it. I also agree about the leftovers! Sun Apr 01 16:08:15 -0700 2007 2439927 10245 oakjoan 3 2441498 We made Moroccan Chicken with Caramelized Baby Onions and Honey. A very wonderful dish. I used cippolinis because the shallots available here are as large as regular onions. It was a great substitute. Because I'd made variations of this dish before I made a few adaptations to the Arabesque recipe. After browning the chicken I poured off some of the fat. I could have poured most of it away. You can see in the photo, there is still some left. I also used chicken stock instead of water, because I had some good stock that needed to be used. After the chicken was done and the sauce was reducing, I broiled the chicken pieces to crisp the skin. That's the way I've done it cooking in restaurant kitchens. We like crispy skin! The sauce reduced nicely and caramelized just like Claudia Roden described. It did indeed take a generous amount of black pepper to balance the sauce. We served it with roasted yellow finn potatoes tossed with fresh mint. It was a very enjoyable meal. Sun Apr 01 19:54:44 -0700 2007 2441026 12658 zataar 2 2441597 That chicken pie sounds good MMRuth - I think I'm going to make it this week. Sun Apr 01 20:36:48 -0700 2007 2439927 10271 Rubee 2 2621297 One of my FAVORITE morrocan dishes is the Bastilla... After reading Ruths report and seeing how simple the recipe I was... I just had to try it... Everything went great... even the one little mistake... turned out pretty good... First, I prepared the chicken. Added the cinnamon and gingern and other spices... the aroma was just INTOXICATING! I could not help but take a few bites from it... I could have just eaten the chicken this way over rice and been a happy woman... http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/Filler.jpg I tossed in the Almonds and then took my Philo Dough... As I removed it from the box I realized I had made a big mistake! I had bought the wrong kind!! Still I continued and hoped for the best... I popped in the oven and when it was all done the baking made my mistake even more glaring... here... take a look at yourself.. http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/ChxPie.jpg Yes, the Philo is GREEN... I picked up Pistachio Philo by mistake. I admit, I was mortified by it at first, but luckily P. is a good sport! :) Especially once he took a peek inside and how good it all looked despite the greeniness... :) http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/ThxRoden.jpg I served it along side TJ's Whole Wheat Couscous mixed with Zucchini and Golden Raisins. P. called it my Green Plate Special. http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/GrnPltSp.jpg And when he took the first bite of the Bastilla... he went WOW! Actually with the Cinnamon and Ginger, the Pistachio Philo dough worked!!! The flavor was slight, but he suggested I use Pistachios instead of almonds next time and it'll be even better! Hurrah!! And so we ended up this cookbook of the month learning a lot of things... like when it comes to Bastilla...It's always all good! :) --Dommy! --Dommy! Fri Jun 01 12:54:04 -0700 2007 2439927 10659 Dommy 3 2621992 I love that, Dommy! Priceless. Fri Jun 01 16:21:31 -0700 2007 2621297 10271 Rubee 3 2622098 Wow, I didn't even know you could get pistachio filo (or anything but plain). Was it a local brand, Dommy? Oh, and by the way, I wouldn't hesitate to dive into your green bastilla - it looks delicious! Fri Jun 01 17:17:44 -0700 2007 2621297 10074 Caitlin McGrath 4 2622110 I don't think it was a Local Brand, but I got it at the Restaurant Supply Store called Surfas... It was Pegasus Brand http://www.pegasusfoodsinc.com/Product_Fillo4.html They have serveral different flavors such as Chocolate and Corn and several different textures, such as Country Style (Which I was hoping to get!) and Fine. --Dommy! Fri Jun 01 17:26:59 -0700 2007 2622098 10659 Dommy 5 2622188 I wish I knew where this brand was sold in my neck of the woods (the site doesn't list retail outets) - I'd love to get my hands on chocolate filo and country-style filo. What fun! Fri Jun 01 17:57:31 -0700 2007 2622110 10074 Caitlin McGrath 1 2441697 Roast Cod with Potatoes and Tomatoes (p.76): I really loved this, although the next time I'll use a little more of both the potatoes and tomatoes, and slice them a little thicker, because they cooked a little too much. I also couldn't find cod (or another similiar white fish) with the skin on, so I used skinless. It was still good, but I think it would have been better with the skin on. I'd also double the amount of the chermoula (the cilantro/garlic/spice marinade), because it was really good, and I wished that I had more. Sun Apr 01 21:30:18 -0700 2007 2439477 13525 JasmineG 2 2442551 I had big plans of making the Tagine of chicken with olives and preserved lemons tonight- I was also going to make the orange, onion and olive salad and yogurt salad to go with it all. My fiance just called and is feeling very fluish! :( Poor guy- I am now changing my menu to some kind of soup. I usually do old fashioned chicken soup but since i have my book at home i thought i would ask if anyone who has their book with them could post the name and key ingrediants for a yummy soup recipe that would help in feeling better. If there are not any then i will go back to good old chicken! :) Thanks!! Mon Apr 02 08:50:19 -0700 2007 2441697 53141 gastronomy 3 2442975 Here is the list of soups, hope it helps! Let me know if any appeal, and I'll be more specific with the ingredients: barley with yogurt (with chicken, saffron, parsley, and mint) chickpea and lentil (beef/lamb broth with tomatoes, saffron, parsley, cilantro, and orzo) cold yogurt with chickpea and bulgur cream of dried fava bean (garlic, chicken bouillon, cumin/paprika) green vegetable (w/celery, zucchini, dried mint in a chicken/veg stock) pumpkin (chicken stock/bouillon base with pureed pumpkin) red lentil and rice (chicken bouillon, cumin, and lemon) tomato and rice (chicken bouillon, finished with egg and lemon) Mon Apr 02 10:32:22 -0700 2007 2442551 10271 Rubee 4 2443111 chickpea and lentil please! That sounds wonderful! I think i will use chicken instead of beef/lamb- what do you think? If you wanted to help a cold would that sound nice?? Thank you so much for listing them! Mon Apr 02 11:08:21 -0700 2007 2442975 53141 gastronomy 5 2443363 Sounds good to me! It's a Moroccan soup called "Harira". Reading through, she does say you can use 1 lb of chicken - pref boneless/skinless thighs, and 3 bouillon cubes - instead of meat. The ingredients I'm going to list make a big batch - it serves 10. She says you can make it ahead of time and just add the pasta 10-15 minutes before. 2 large onions 1 cup chickpeas soaked overnight 3/4 cup large brown lentils 1 lb ripe tomatoes 4 celery stalks tomato paste black pepper, ground ginger, cinnamon sticks, saffron or tumeric. flour 5 oz orzo or vermicelli lemons cilantro and pasley Mon Apr 02 12:04:36 -0700 2007 2443111 10271 Rubee 6 2444346 The soup was wonderful!!!!! I halved the recipe and it still made a ton! Thats fine by us because it is so yummy and we will eat for lunch. I did stray on a few minor areas.... I used chicken thighs on the bone simply becasue thats what i had on hand- I took the skin off so it wasnt to much to skim. I put them in a pot with one onion roughly chopped and 8 cups of chicken stock instead of water and boulion as suggested in the variation. After that simmered for 45 min. I skimmed the tp and added diced tomatoes, tomato paste, lentils, chickpeas (canned that i rinsed and drained) and spices. While that simmered I made a batter of flour and water over a med. heat that i poured into the soup to make a wonderful texture and consistancy! I added orzo, lemon juice, cilantro and parsley. simmered for 10 more min, adjusted the salt and pepper and served with lemon wedges and dates. SO terrific! :) Mon Apr 02 17:05:15 -0700 2007 2443363 53141 gastronomy 2 2445778 I made this (Roast Cod with Potatoes and Tomatoes-Moroccan section) last night with some skin-on halibut. The flavors were terrific, and the dish very simple to make. If you don't mind the approximately hour of cooking time, it could easily be a weeknight meal because the prep is easy-peasy. Halibut was not one of the fishes recommended, but I think that any reasonably thick fillets would be great cooked this way (even salmon). I would also make more of the chermoula next time to pour over the top at the end of cooking. I cooked it an 10" braiser with the amount of potatoes and tomatoes the recipe called for but less fish (about 1 1/4 lbs). I was happy with how the potatoes cooked, but the tomatoes (romas) fell apart. Next time, I may try adding the tomatoes half way through the vegetable cooking time to see if they hold together any better. Tue Apr 03 08:32:51 -0700 2007 2441697 75002 Megiac 3 2476972 I made this (Roast Cod with Potatoes and Tomatoes) last night. I also used less fish relative to the potatoes and tomatoes. (I had about 1lb tomatoes, 1lb+ of potatoes, and 1.5lb of fish). I used regular tomatoes ("on the vine") and did not peel them first, and that was fine as they become very soft anyway. I'd use more tomatoes next time. If you're doing this, rearrange the instructions and get the potatoes and tomatoes in the oven first as they take 50 minutes and the fish only needs to marinate 30 minutes. This was very good and everyone in the family liked it. Like Megiac said, this is very simple and once you've done about 10 minutes of prepwork there is nothing more to do for an hour. I used the recommended amount of marinade for the full recipe of about 2.5-3lb of fish, but only had 1.5 lb. Fri Apr 13 04:55:57 -0700 2007 2445778 18353 DGresh 1 2443487 I made the Chicken with Chickpeas and Yogurt (something like that) from the Lebanese section. It's the first of the Fettat recipes. It was delicious and very unexpected. The Lebanese food I've eaten in the past has been primarily street food while travelling in Europe, so I did not know what to expect. You start out cooking a whole chicken covered with water with vegetables and spices added. I cooked the chicken for 1 1/2 hours and then pulled it out of the water (which was by then a very light stock). After it had cooled, we pulled the meat off in chunks (discarding the skin and bones). I broke up some toasted pita in the bottom of a baking dish, poured some of the stock (with vinegar added) over the pita until it was soggy, then added canned garbanzo beans over the pita. I couldn't find the best beans-- they were in a geltinous liquid -- so I rinsed them before adding. Then, over the beans, went the chicken. This was covered with foil and put in the oven. The book just says to put it in a "warm" oven -- nothing more specific -- so I put it in at 350 degrees. After it was hot all the way through, I poured over a yogurt mixture (greek and whole milk yogurt with raw minced garlic and mint--the recipe called for dried mint, but I used fresh, which I think was the way to go). In retrospect, I would use about 25% less of the yogurt mixture. We served it with the Lebanese zucchini slices, which were incredibly potent (more raw garlic). All said, the dish was very tasty and refreshing. Ideally, I'd like to make it again on a hot day because I loved the way the yogurt cooled the whole thing off and it just struck me as summer food. Mon Apr 02 12:37:01 -0700 2007 2439477 75002 Megiac 1 2448284 Chicken and Onion Pie (Bstilla Bil Djaj), p. 66. This came out great. A simplified version of the classic Moroccan dish, this made a nice dinner accompanied by the Jerusalem Salad from last month's Leite's Culinaria. I made the filling yesterday (onions, chicken, ginger, cinnamon, and cilantro), and put it together tonight. I didn't have large sheets of phyllo to overlap, so I put put more small sheets on top as is suggested. I ended up using one sheet, topped it with the fried chopped almonds, and then three more layered with butter. I didn't cut the overhang, just tore it and tucked the ragged edges in. The top is brushed with egg yolk, baked, and the finished product dusted with cinnamon and confectioner's sugar. Jerusalem Salad: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/376079#2408577 Pics of Bstilla Tue Apr 03 20:06:29 -0700 2007 2439477 10271 Rubee 2 2450622 Your pictures look amazing!! I am definitely making this. Wed Apr 04 12:59:44 -0700 2007 2448284 11227 nissenpa 3 2450662 Yes - beautiful - I'll also have to retry making the Lebanese version with sumac - with either the right filo dough size or making up for it with extra sheets on top. Wed Apr 04 13:06:58 -0700 2007 2450622 10985 MMRuth 4 2450822 Thanks! MMRuth - I want to try that Lebanese version too. If you find out what brands make the large size, will you post ? I bought Athens at the grocery store, which turns out is 9 x 14. Wed Apr 04 13:35:49 -0700 2007 2450662 10271 Rubee 5 2586208 Just saw your post - yes - that's the same one I found - I'll keep my eyes open at the market for the larger sheets and let you know. Sun May 20 12:00:07 -0700 2007 2450822 10985 MMRuth 2 2451044 Thanks Rubee! That's on my list to make too! Hope it tasted as good as it looks... YUM! I love Bastillas... :) --Dommy! Wed Apr 04 14:19:44 -0700 2007 2448284 10659 Dommy 2 2504276 Mine was too ugly to take pix...any anyway, I forgot. What a delicious dish, though. Not too hard to make and no matter what you do with the filo, it looks great when it's all golden coming out of the oven. So don't worry too much about it ripping or drying out, etc. Just be sure to paint it with butter. Sun Apr 22 13:26:01 -0700 2007 2448284 10245 oakjoan 1 2468213 Chicken with Tomato Pilaf - Turkey (pg. 194) This was terrific. The whole thing was nice and buttery. The rice is cooked with a tomato sauce (I used fresh but I think canned would also work) and butter is added at the end. The chicken dish looked a bit bland so I improvised. The recipe calls for a sauteed chicken pieces with butter, oil and S&P. I also threw in garlic pieces and cayenne pepper for a little bite. Serve the chicken over the rice and sprinkle the whole thing with lemon juice and parsley. It's a simple dish but very creamy. It was extremely good comfort food. I was starving and forgot to take pictures. FYI, the leftovers also heated up well. Tue Apr 10 15:00:42 -0700 2007 2439477 10214 beetlebug 1 2468229 Roast Cod with Potatoes and Tomatoes - Morocco (pg. 76) This was another hit. Simple in preparation but it did take longer than expected. My fault though for not looking at the cooking times. I also didn't make the full recipe because it served 6 and there are only two of us. I made a little less than half for the fish and potatoes. I used almost the full amount of tomatoes because I like saucy things. Slice the potatoes and tomatoes and roast for about 50 minutes. I saved some tomatoes to throw in about 30 minutes into it. Then, I placed cod fillets on the top and roasted a bit more. The spices of cumin, paprika and chili pepper slowly infused both the fish and the veggies. The mild fish had so much flavor in it and the potatoes were nice and soft. It was great. Tue Apr 10 15:05:35 -0700 2007 2439477 10214 beetlebug 1 2468243 Roast Lamb with Rice, Ground Meat and Nuts - Lebanon (pg. 316) This dish was out of the ballpark great. It's opening day here in Boston and even, the non-baseball person, get caught up in the excitement. Anyway, I made this for easter dinner. The lamb roasts in the oven for about 3 1/2 hours and let me just say, waiting for that thing to come out was sheer torture. The smells in the house was just out of this world. Slow roasted lamb that had been seasoned with cinnamon, allspice, cumin and salt and pepper. And, the recipe calls for water to be added with an onion and a head of garlic. No matter where I walked in my small apartment, I could smell the lamb. With the lamb, I made the rice pilaf with ground meat and roasted nuts. This was an excellent complement to the lamb as the rice also contained many of the same spices. What made it really interesting was the added meat into the rice as well as the nuts. It just made the rice heartier and nuttier without overpowering the lamb at all. On top of it all, there was alot of broth which I poured over the lamb and will later turn into gravy. The first picture is the cooked leg of lamb, the second is the lamb slices on rice. The dish was a little brown and I should have sprinkled parsley on top. But, I couldn't wait any longer before I dove headfirst into the food. Tue Apr 10 15:11:17 -0700 2007 2439477 10214 beetlebug 2 2468593 Oh wow does that look fantastic! I'm reading all your posts, and it's a good thing I just took the kibbe out of the oven because you have me drooling and my stomach growling. Tue Apr 10 17:05:22 -0700 2007 2468243 10271 Rubee 2 2468812 That lamb looks incredible! I was flipping through it over the weekend thinking it would be great for easter, but alas my MIL was cooking Easter dinner. I'll have to try it soon... Tue Apr 10 18:09:21 -0700 2007 2468243 10371 Carb Lover 1 2469214 I made the couscous with Spring vegetables (p. 114, Morocco) This was wonderful. I chose it primarily because I wanted a reason to try the author's method of dealing with American-market instant couscous, and didn't have time for a more elaborate tagine (one of the lamb tagines is on deck for company this weekend though). The assortment of vegetables I used differs from the book, and though for most recipes I'd not change them so much before posting a "review" I think it's keeping with the spirit of this recipe to use available fresh young vegetables. Since this recipe lacks both spices and fat, it's important. Cooked some small young carrots, green beans, scallions and peas in chicken broth. Cilantro, mint, and parsely stirred in at the end. Drained the vegetables and served with a bowl of the broth to pass, along with the couscous. This was simple, fresh and aromatic. As to the couscous... the method involves adding warm salted water to the couscous and letting it swell for 10 minutes... then breaking it apart and loosening it with the hands, followed by 20-30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. The couscous turned out just fine, but I have to say it didn't turn out that dramatically better then the (much shorter) box instructions. A little fluffier... slightly dryer and it needed a touch of additional oil. The broth helped. I'm going to try it a few more times... Tue Apr 10 20:35:13 -0700 2007 2439477 22016 Pincho 2 2469315 Really interesting - thanks for that report, l've been wondering how the couscous done Roden's method would differ from the usual way. Tue Apr 10 21:34:52 -0700 2007 2469214 10271 Rubee 2 2473324 I made the Couscous with Lamb, Onions, and Raisins (p. 117); it was quite good (particularly the topping of carmelized onions, honey and raisons). I did the couscous the recommended way, and I have to agree with Pincho that I don't think it's dramatically better than the very easy five minute version which I like just fine (The author specifically recommends this method as a way to reproduce "traditional" couscous texture using the widely available instant couscous in the US). It is a bit less glumpy, but quite a bit more steps. Thu Apr 12 04:40:22 -0700 2007 2469214 18353 DGresh 1 2469328 Baked Kibbeh with Onion and Pine Nut Topping (Kibbeh Saniyeh - Lebanon), p. 311 I love kibbeh in all its variations (layered with pine nuts, everything mixed, kibbe nayeh - raw, etc.). This didn't disappoint. Delicious. I LOVED the crispy/sweet/sour topping of the onions, pine nuts, and pomegranate molasses. Earlier in the day, I made the fried onion, pine nut, cinnamon and allspice topping, adding the pomegranate molasses when I reheated it to serve on the kibbeh. I only had medium bulgur, not fine (Arrowhead Mills from Whole Foods). Reading MMRuth's tips (since it wasn't fine grind bulgur), instead of soaking it in cold water, I poured boiling water over it, let it soak for a few minutes, and then drained/squeezed dry. With a food processor, the rest was surprisingly easy - process one onion into a puree, add lamb (I used 1 lb of ground lamb), s&p, and cinnamon. Blend. Add bulgur and blend to a paste. Pat into a greased pan, cut into wedges, and bake for about 25 minutes. That's it. I served it with, once again, the Jerusalem Salad from the Leite's Culinaria thread. My husband usually won't eat any type of salad except for spinach or Caesar, so I'm happy to find another one he likes! It went very well this meal. I also made a nice yogurt sauce with some whole-milk yogurt, zaatar, olive oil, and a little salt. Definite keeper for us. Looking forward to the leftover kibbeh stuffed in a pita with the chopped salad, and yogurt. The only change I would make is to double the onion topping, it was so good. Tue Apr 10 21:45:45 -0700 2007 2439477 10271 Rubee 2 2469336 Kibbeh Saniyeh Picture: Tue Apr 10 21:49:12 -0700 2007 2469328 10271 Rubee 3 2469691 That has got to be one of the most tantalizing food photos I have seen. I am DEFINITELY making this now. Wed Apr 11 05:15:55 -0700 2007 2469336 11227 nissenpa 2 2473310 Rubee: I'm going to make this on Sunday. Did you (can you) use a tart pan....you know, the kind in which the disk in the middle can be removed? Also, what is the white drippy topping in the picture? Yogurt? What did you do? Your picture is tantalizing. Thu Apr 12 04:22:11 -0700 2007 2469328 24075 onefineleo 3 2475604 Ha - yes, the drippy stuff is yogurt. I used whole-milk yogurt and thinned it with olive oil, and added some za'atar (Lebanese spice mix of sumac, thyme, and sesame seeds) and a bit of salt, though plain yogurt would be nice too. I'm sure you could use any pan, I had no problems with sticking at all. I used a 10 inch tart pan and greased it with butter. It's the same one I used for the bastilla above - http://www.chowhound.com/posts/31908/photo Thu Apr 12 15:07:55 -0700 2007 2473310 10271 Rubee 4 2505781 Rubee (and others), a question about your experience: was the top of the kibbeh crispy? I made this last night, and it was good, but not earth-shattering, and I realized that part of the problem was it was missing that crispy shell I LOVE about kibbeh. I rubbed 2 T. of olive oil on top, like she says, but it had to sit a bit while I finished preheating the oven, and I wonder if the oil soaked in and kept the top from crisping? Mon Apr 23 06:54:06 -0700 2007 2475604 10697 AppleSister 5 2507116 If it helps, mine wasn't crispy either (though instead of oil I used clarified butter). If you're thinking of those football shapes ones that are always crispy, I think the ones I've had have been deep-fried. Mon Apr 23 12:38:06 -0700 2007 2505781 10271 Rubee 5 2515295 I don't think of baked kibbeh as being "crispy." For that you need to fry it in little footballl shapes. Wed Apr 25 15:46:09 -0700 2007 2505781 11995 pikawicca 6 2516715 Yes, it's been an education to learn how many kinds of kibbeh there are! I looked up the 50-kibbeh list in Paula Wolfert's "Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean," and was properly amazed. Thu Apr 26 06:50:03 -0700 2007 2515295 10697 AppleSister 7 2518102 The best, IMO, is raw! Thu Apr 26 12:43:00 -0700 2007 2516715 11995 pikawicca 3 2475624 I was quite taken with the photo of the quinces stuffed with lamb. A local store managed to get in some quinces from Chile. They were not quite ripe but the recipe said to roast the whole quinces until soft 1-2 hours the split, core and then remove part of the flesh and mix in with the ground lamb, pinenuts etc. Both Pickawicca and i made the dish this week. I ended up with lamb and quince hash which was tasty abut after an hour they were too over cooked and after splitting i could not get the core out. She had a similar experience and ...i thought I'd have a nice photo to post. Next fall when local quinces are in season, I will make the dish again and I think I'll halve and core the quinces before the initial baking. Pikawicca has also found somoe errors in the book (Cindy you need to post them) luckily she was an experienced enough baker that the pistachio cake did not end up going down the disposer. Thu Apr 12 15:13:17 -0700 2007 2473310 10285 Candy 4 2475687 re: errors in the book, I had a quibble about a recipe I tried-- the couscous with lamb, onions, and raisins. It wasn't an error, but this was a case where the ingredients are on one page, and the instructions on the next, so I was flipping back and forth. The instructons say--"add the salt and pepper, the ginger, 1 tsp cinnamon, and the cloves". Ok, I should have seen the "1 tsp cinnamon" as a warning, but in my mind I said "get the ginger, cinnamon and cloves" switched back to the first page, and added the 2 1/2 tsp of cinnamon listed there. Not until later in the recipe I saw, "add the rest of the cinnamon..." did I realize I screwed up. Is it so hard to say 2 1/2 tsp cinnamon divided??? Just a pet peeve of mine. Thu Apr 12 15:29:56 -0700 2007 2475624 18353 DGresh 5 2477139 Totally agree! I can't tell you how many times I've made similar mistakes. The word 'divided' would be entirely helpful. Fri Apr 13 06:39:59 -0700 2007 2475687 20128 morebubbles 2 2586218 I just made this last night - loved it, as did my 1/4 Lebanese husband - who was wary of my cooking middle eastern food again as he's been travelling there a lot. I still couldn't find the finely ground bulgar and (though I'd not read her post!) did exactly what Rubee did to my regular bulgar wheat. Also, mine wasn't crusty on top either. I served it with yougurt and cucumber sauce, the tomato pilaf from a chicken dish, zucchini with vinegar, mint and garlic and eggplant slices with walnuts and garlic. My husband kept saying - why did you make so much food!! Sun May 20 12:04:50 -0700 2007 2469328 10985 MMRuth 3 2588538 I just had a slice of this for lunch, and I think that next time I'd make it with a little less cinnamon. Mon May 21 11:01:57 -0700 2007 2586218 10985 MMRuth 1 2475719 I made Lentils with Pasta and Caramelized Onions. We ate it hot. I really liked it, but I modified it by increasing the proportion of the onions immensely relative to the pasta. One large onion (as the recipe suggests), once caramelized, is *not* enough for 4-6 people in my opinion. I probably used 5-6 medium onions (lacrosse ball sized) and even more would have been ok in my opinion. Thu Apr 12 15:41:09 -0700 2007 2439477 18353 DGresh 1 2483398 Tangine of chicken w/ preserved lemons and olives (p. 93) Morocco Very good. I followed the recipe, using legs and thighs. It's simple and came out fine. At the end though I saw that the chicken wasn't done so cooked another ten minutes not realizing there's more cooking time ahead. But dark meat is forgiving. I did the variation w/ some fresh chili peppers since, well, I love fresh hot peppers. Very lemony, and turned out fine. It was better first time; cold leftovers were too lemony for moi. I would make again, but next time probably w/ artichoke bottoms (p. 95) Also, next time I think I'd make my own preserved lemons in salt rather than the brined ones I purchased. Not bad, but if you make the roast potatoes to go w/ it, don't add lemon or you'll have lemon overkill! Sun Apr 15 15:00:33 -0700 2007 2439477 33755 NYchowcook 1 2487097 Prawns in Spicy Tomato Sauce (Kimroun Bil Tamatem - Morocco), p. 84 This was an easy, tasty recipe. I'm sure it would have been even better with the king prawns the recipe calls for. I used what I had in the freezer, which was a pound of medium shrimp. To make the sauce, saute one chopped onion, add garlic, and then add chopped peeled tomatoes (I used an undrained 14-oz can of diced tomatoes), ground ginger, and chili pepper (I used a hefty pinch of dried red pepper flakes) and simmer. I also added the optional saffron (Kashmir "Mogra Cream" saffron from Penzeys.com). I made the sauce earlier in the day, along with shelling the thawed shrimp. For dinner, I reheated the sauce, added the shrimp, and mixed in some chopped cilantro and parsley. Voila - main course done in 5 minutes. I served it with the Eggplant Slices with Pomegranate (p. 261). Link to recipe: http://www.2theadvocate.com/features/food/recipes/6173256.html Mon Apr 16 18:36:22 -0700 2007 2439477 10271 Rubee 1 2502319 Okay, my Arabesque dinner. Baba Ganoush, I cheated and bought some hummous whih was deicious, my DH made the pitas I made Shrimps with garlic and cliantro (p 274) and the grilled chickn winngs with lemon and garlic http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/cgrover/P4200003.jpg Sat Apr 21 11:41:47 -0700 2007 2439477 10285 Candy 2 2514940 I think I'm going to make the shrimp with garlic and cilantro tonight too, but was wondering what is the brown sauce in your pic? I love that pomegranate molasses and was wondering if you did some variation on that? Wed Apr 25 14:03:54 -0700 2007 2502319 10271 Rubee 3 2515117 It may just have beeen the lighting. I followed the recipe exactly. i want to try the Moroccan version (p.84) soon too. Wed Apr 25 14:47:54 -0700 2007 2514940 10285 Candy 4 2515177 Well, it looks delicious either way! Wed Apr 25 15:03:28 -0700 2007 2515117 10271 Rubee 2 2515590 That is the wrong photo, i didn't check. That picture is from the Vietnamese book we have been talking about. Here is the Arabesque dinner. Sorry I did not check. http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y75/cgrover/P4070001.jpg Wed Apr 25 17:15:46 -0700 2007 2502319 10285 Candy 3 2515741 Glad I asked - that looks like a great meal, everything looks so good! Wed Apr 25 18:08:28 -0700 2007 2515590 10271 Rubee 4 2516339 Ditto! Looks great. I always forget to take photos until the plates only have crumbs on them. Wed Apr 25 22:50:07 -0700 2007 2515741 10245 oakjoan 1 2503312 Geez, so many mouth-watering photos and reports on this thread!! Well, it looks like I'm the first to report on the Kofte Kebab w/ tomato sauce and yogurt (Turkey, p. 203). After several days of primarily vegetarian eating (see Mezze thread), husband and I were craving meat. We both enjoy lamb so the kofte kebab looked great. The book picture made it look so homey, like a clever way of using up odds and ends from yesterday's meal. I loved the different layers of flavor and texture...the crispy pita chips; the warm, sweet tomato sauce; the cool, creamy, tangy yogurt; the meaty, slightly smoky lamb "cigars"; all garnished w/ toasted pine nuts and a whisper of sumac. A Turkish "mess" of goodness. Next time I will grill the kebabs as opposed to broiling though. Photo: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/btdoan/IMG_6494.jpg?t=1177219569 Um, speaking of mess, a stiff warning to those who make this: Don't toast the pita rounds (halved lengthwise) on a bare rack in the toaster oven. The first couple were fine, but the third one went up in flames and made a mess of my toaster oven. Having to react quickly and reach for something at hand, I squelched the flames w/ flour. Worked just fine, but then husband was like, "Why did you have to use the GOOD flour?" Me: "Um, that's because all I have." ;-) Sat Apr 21 22:33:21 -0700 2007 2439477 10371 Carb Lover 2 2503563 I made these last night and really liked them. I made half beef and half lamb but only plated half of them. I realized, that I would have plenty of leftovers but didn't want a soggy cold mess in the fridge. These were great but I didn't put enough tomato sauce on top of the pita layers. I agree with CL about grilling these v. broiling them. My cigars were alittle fatter than called for and I broiled at the minimum time. I thought they were slightly overcooked and slightly scorched but still tasty. Sun Apr 22 06:36:04 -0700 2007 2503312 10214 beetlebug 3 2503616 Glad to see that you've tried them too. From the photo, looks like you used whole wheat pita. Did you toast in a pan? I'm going to crisp in a pan next time after my fire fiasco. I only plated about a third of the kebabs in the photo because it was just for the two of us, although my husband ate alot of the reserved ones later in the meal. Broilers really vary, as mine took longer than she stated and just weren't getting charred enough. The broiler is def. lower maintenance, but I really prefer the flavor and control of grilling. Sun Apr 22 07:02:45 -0700 2007 2503563 10371 Carb Lover 4 2503626 Good eye. That was whole wheat pita and I toasted them in the oven. I just laid them out onto two sheets of foil. The oven was on from roasting the beets so I just threw these in afterwards. There are also only two of us. But, we are pretty piggy so I plated half of the meat/pita/yogurt/tomato sauce. We ate the entire plate. Leftovers will either be tonight or tomorrow. I also liked the lamb ones better but C liked them both equally. I also added the onion and parsley to both (probably more than called for too). My broiler runs hot and when I opened it the second time, I thought I saw fire sparks in the fat dribbles. But, I did get the requisite char on both lamb and beef cigars. Sun Apr 22 07:08:56 -0700 2007 2503616 10214 beetlebug 5 2940527 I made this last night - and we were piggy too - I plated almost all of it and we ate almost all of that - I made the kofte with lamb. Fri Sep 14 04:37:46 -0700 2007 2503626 10985 MMRuth 6 2945982 Oooh, pretty. I forgot how much I liked these meat cigars. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I'll have to request this book from the library again. There is something irresistable about this dish. Sun Sep 16 08:35:08 -0700 2007 2940527 10214 beetlebug 2 2504285 Rotfl. Please ask your husband where he buys "Fire-Squelching Flour" so that I won't use up my more refined flour for this purpose. Sun Apr 22 13:29:28 -0700 2007 2503312 10245 oakjoan 2 2527223 I made the Kofte Kebab with tomato sauce and yogurt this weekend. I also used 1/2 beef and 1/2 lamb which I liked quite a bit. I made the mistake of making the full recipe for two people, but it is way too much, and now I have a soggy mass of it in the fridge while I decide what to do with it. I loved this. I really love the contrast of the cool yogurt with the warm tomato sauce and meat (I also loved the use of yogurt in the fettats from the Lebanon section). We had a hot day on Saturday, so it was perfect. Sadly, however, my husband has determined that he does not like the use of cold yogurt in meat dishes, so I need to invite some yogurt loving friends over next time. Mon Apr 30 08:20:53 -0700 2007 2503312 75002 Megiac 1 2503652 Chicken Tajine w/ preserved lemon & olives I made this about a week ago and thought it was ok. To be fair to Roden and the recipe, I didn't have preserved lemon on hand but had everything else so really, really wanted to make it. I subbed in lemon zest for the preserved, but I know it's not the same. My main issue w/ the recipe is that she doesn't call for browning the meat at all before braising which leads to that soft, flabby skin and a too greasy saucy for my palate. I know that I generally prefer browning meat before braising in liquid but thought that I'd be true to the recipe and maybe be pleasantly surprised. Nope. I would use the general ideas from this recipe, but def. brown the chicken first and drain some of the oil before proceeding. I also thought she called for too much onion, and I would prefer them sliced as opposed to diced. I did like the fragrant seasoning from the saffron and ground ginger. Photo of some in serving dish: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/btdoan/IMG_6534.jpg?t=1177251865 Photo of a thigh plated w/ couscous: http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y45/btdoan/IMG_6540.jpg?t=1177251910 Sun Apr 22 07:25:50 -0700 2007 2439477 10371 Carb Lover 2 2516344 Does anybody have the recipe for kofte with yoghurt and tomato sauce pictured and described above? Since we were out of town for much of April, I took mine back to the library. Wah, wah, wah all the way home. I'm going to look for website recipes, but in case I can't find them...will somebody post the general idea if the recipe is too long to reproduce? Thnx! Wed Apr 25 22:56:19 -0700 2007 2503652 10245 oakjoan 3 2516594 Dommy has linked to the kofte here: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/387064#2442690 If you look above Dommy's post, I posted a ton of online recipes in addition to the ones she found. Thu Apr 26 05:56:05 -0700 2007 2516344 12813 Katie Nell 4 2519139 Thanks Katie. Btw, I have the Wolfert recipe for muhammara - the walnut, red pepper, pom. molass. dip if anybody wants me to post it. Thu Apr 26 17:50:15 -0700 2007 2516594 10245 oakjoan 5 2519193 Is the one you use the same as the one on Leite's? You are right, it was deeeelicious. http://www.chowhound.com/topics/376079#2507622 Thu Apr 26 18:08:44 -0700 2007 2519139 10271 Rubee 1 2519001 Grilled Poussins with Sumac (Farrouj Meshwi Bil Sumac - Lebanon), p. 294 Another easy recipe, though no grilling for me since we live in downtown Boston. Butterfly two poussins (I ordered these from Dartagnan.com) - my first time cooking these little birds. Rub them with lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and marinate for half an hour. I used the broiler, flipping them once, for about 20 minutes in total and they came out tender and juicy. Sprinkled with sumac and served with pita bread. Nice healthy dinner served with peas, asparagus, and carrot with EVOO, garlic, and dill - a variation of the Artichokes Stewed in Olive Oil with Peas and Carrots (p. 174) on the Meze thread. Thu Apr 26 16:56:57 -0700 2007 2439477 10271 Rubee 1 2536460 Meatballs with Pine Nuts in Tomato Sauce (Lebanon pg. 310) These were wonderful and easy to throw together. Mix finely chopped onions with ground lamb, s/p, cinnamon, allspice and pinenuts. I threw the pinenuts in with the meat v. stuffing each meatball individually - I don't have that much time on my hands. Form into meatballs and roll in vegetable oil. My batch was about 26 meatballs. Bake for about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, puree tomatoes, sugar, garlic and s/p. I also threw in cayenne pepper for a bit of zip. Pour this over the meatballs after the first bake. Bake together for about 35 minutes. Note: the recipe calls for the meatball to be baked until the color changes and then to pour the tomato sauce and bake some more. The meatballs, after the first bake, emitted a lot of fat. I meant to drain this some but didn't because I had two dishes of meatballs and they were heavy. The fat did incorporate nicely into the tomato sauce but there was still too much fat. I served this with rice pilaf (Turkey, page 193) This was another quick recipe. I halved it because I didn't want 6-8 portions of rice. I wish I didn't because the above sauce was tasty and we ate alot of the rice. There was a nice buttery component to it. Note: the ingredients are rice, chicken stock or water, butter and salt. As I was prepping the rice, I just followed the directions without any real thought. When I tasted the rice, I realize I forgot to add the salt. Looking back at the recipe, the salt should have been added with the rice but there were no directions to do so. I added salt onto the individual serving plates and it tasted fine. This was an excellent complement to the meatballs. I do wish that I found an appropriate greens dish to serve with this because I felt the lack of veggies with my dinner. PS. Don't be fooled by the serving size. We went back for seconds and ate a total of 5 meatballs a piece. They weren't that big. Wed May 02 18:44:20 -0700 2007 2439477 10214 beetlebug 2 2592807 Does anyone think these would be good with a mixture of pork and beef? That's what I have on hand and I really want to make this! Tue May 22 13:46:57 -0700 2007 2536460 13834 oaklandfoodie 3 2592967 I say go for it. I think there are recipes in the book with beef kebab like items with the same kind of spices. Not sure about pork though, but it's worth a shot. Tue May 22 14:21:28 -0700 2007 2592807 10214 beetlebug 4 2593375 Well, you're not going to find many pork recipes in middle-eastern recipes, but for those of us non-halal/kosher cooks, pork works very well in most beef/lamb dishes. Tue May 22 16:41:15 -0700 2007 2592967 11995 pikawicca 1 2572273 And with the side dish done… http://www.chowhound.com/topics/387065#2559276 Now it was time to focus my attention on to the main course! To make the most of my new bottle of Pomegrante Molasses, I choose Little Meat Pizzas! http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/database/littlemeatpizzas_81574.shtml I could not wait to try them except for one thing….. I don’t do dough… Hon-NEEEE!!!! And so this part of the meal was taken over by the baker in the household, P. I gave him the recipe, I gave him the lamb… and he went to town… First thing he noticed… I gave him a wonky recipe… Step #1: 1. Put the pot of yoghurt into a bowl or pan of hot - not boiling - water for about 1 hour Huh? We figured she wanted to heat up the yoghurt for some reason… but keeping it hot but not boiling for an hour? Being a stickler for recipes and good eats fan, after thinking it over… he decided to make this contraption… A casserole Dish filled with water while the Yogurt is covered in a bowl… in a warm oven… Kinda like a double boiler slow cooker thing… that looked something like this… http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/Protected.jpg Everything else, kinda was easy after that. He made his dough, which was very spongy, he wished he could roll it out flatter, but was happy with these sized disks… http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/Discs.jpg He then made the Lamb Paste, which looked pretty scary looking… http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/Ew.jpg And spread it on the little disks… To be honest, it didn’t look any better there either… LOL!! http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/Spread.jpg But I must admit, they were cute when they came out! They really did look like little meat pizzas! :D http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/DinDin.jpg All in all, it made for a wonderful dinner! The texture of the dough was VERY pita like. The meat was spiced well and the spices and pomegranate molasses worked well with the gameiness of the meat (We used Lamb Shoulder) My only other addition was to swirl some yogurt on top to add a creamy taste to it. :) We really enjoyed this meal and just like all pizzas, these mini pizzas still tasted good cold the next day! :) --Dommy! Tue May 15 15:07:22 -0700 2007 2439477 10659 Dommy 2 2572815 Nice Dommy! This is one of the recipes I still plan to make, though I'm going to do the meat/yogurt topping variation. Like you, I hate making dough; however, unlike you, I don't have a dough-making man in this household ; ) So do you think making the dough with the warm yogurt is key? It does look delicious. I was planning on using puff pastry. Tue May 15 18:11:02 -0700 2007 2572273 10271 Rubee 3 2575727 You know, I'm not sure if it is the key and why she has us heat it for SO long. If anything it takes away moisture from the yogurt and makes for a somewhat dry and tangy dough... Also it looks like I forgot add the picture of the whole plate! Ta Da!! http://members.aol.com/pmgon/Chowhound/3HC/Plated.jpg --Dommy! Wed May 16 15:32:53 -0700 2007 2572815 10659 Dommy 1 2583883 Sorry ... half a month late in getting to this. I lurked all last month with my mouth watering. Finally made a meal from this book last night. I made chicken smothered in vermicelli (but the couscous variation). Delicious! Everyone in the house is sick and we still loved it. My only issue is that if you're using the couscous variation, there is a "wait a minute, where does the rest of the butter come in ..." moment while reading the directions. Served this with the orange, olive and onion salad. A really wonderful meal. Sat May 19 07:38:19 -0700 2007 2439477 56762 LulusMom 2 2584302 I'm glad people are still cooking from Arabesque. I have lots of recipes I still want to try, that being one of them. Sounds delicious! Sat May 19 11:08:41 -0700 2007 2583883 10271 Rubee 3 2584492 I have to admit that I didn't follow her directions for the couscous - as I may have said in my previous post, the whole family is sick, and I took the easier way out - just did the "add water" routine, but also added toasted almond slivers and dates to the couscous before mounding it on the chicken. It really was absolutely delicious. I can't wait to cook more from this book. Sat May 19 12:43:10 -0700 2007 2584302 56762 LulusMom 1 4482946 I'm making Fish and Rice with Onion Sauce for dinner tonight with some sole that I had flown in from Seattle. It sure smells good in here! Sat Mar 07 14:41:45 -0800 2009 2439477 11995 pikawicca 2 4484062 This was a disappointment: the sauce was extremely watery, despite the fact that I simmered it the entire time the rice was cooking. Sun Mar 08 06:50:56 -0700 2009 4482946 11995 pikawicca