Jasmine and Fire (39 page)
Authors: Salma Abdelnour
1. Place meat in a large pot with 5 quarts of water, and add as many bones as you can fit. Turn heat to medium-high, and when the water boils, skim greasy residue off the top, pour water out, and rinse meat and bones in cold water in a colander.
2. Set meat aside (preferably in the fridge), and put bones back in pot. Add 6 quarts water, and add additional bones if you have space. Bring to a boil, skim surface again, keep on medium heat for another 15 to 20 minutes, then add the barley and cinnamon sticks.
3. Raise the heat to high and boil for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to medium, and stir occasionally for another 15 minutes or so, until barley is puffy and soft.
4. Meanwhile, heat olive oil on medium heat and sauté garlic for 1 minute, being careful not to burn. Take pan off heat and set aside, leaving the olive oil in the pan with the garlic.
5. Add lamb meat back to the pot, along with the garlic and its oil, and raise heat until boiling; let boil for around 3 minutes. Then turn heat to low and simmer until the lamb meat falls apart into shreds and the barley has virtually disintegrated, creating a texture resembling a porridge; this will take approximately four hours. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir, leaving on low heat for another 10 minutes or so.
6. Take out bones, and ladle the remaining soup into bowls. Serve hot, and top each serving with a dollop of yogurt if you like.
Serves 6
F
ATTOUSH
T
ART
T
OMATO
, M
INT, AND
B
READ
S
ALAD
As much as I like tabbouleh, to me fattoush has more zing—plus it’s less time-consuming to make and more adaptable. Here’s one version of fattoush you’ll encounter all over Lebanon, but in any home or restaurant you’ll notice slight variations, depending on the season or the cook’s palate. You can either deep-fry or toast the pita croutons that give the salad its special character; the fried bread will taste better, but toasted is, obviously, healthier. When tomatoes are out of season, I like to substitute cherry or grape tomatoes since they’re likely to be juicier
and more flavorful. If you can find purslane, use it (a cup or two, chopped); it adds authenticity and a nice peppery bite
.
3 small pita breads
½ cup vegetable oil for frying (optional)
2 tomatoes, diced (or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved)
1 large or two small cucumbers, diced
1 cup scallions, chopped
1 cup green bell pepper, diced
3 radishes, thinly sliced in semicircles
1 romaine lettuce head, torn into small pieces
¾ cup parsley, chopped
1½ cups olive oil
1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
6 cloves garlic, crushed
½ cup sumac
1 cup fresh mint, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1. Tear the bread into pieces (roughly 1-inch-square). Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat, and fry the bread bits until nicely browned and crisp, then set aside to drain on a plate lined with paper towels; or you can toast the pita instead of frying.
2. Combine vegetables, lettuce, parsley, and bread pieces in a large bowl, and toss well.
3. Whisk olive oil and lemon juice, and mix in garlic, sumac, mint, and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour dressing over salad and toss thoroughly.
Serves 4 to 6
B
ABA
G
HANOUSH
S
MOKY
E
GGPLANT
D
IP
Once you get the hang of baba ghanoush—we call it batanjan mtabbal in Lebanon, meaning “dressed eggplant”—it’s one of the easiest dishes to make. Smoky, creamy, and fiercely addictive, it’s handy to have in the fridge for snacking anytime, and guaranteed to vanish at parties. The key is to roast or grill the eggplants enough so they turn extremely soft on the inside; then you can just mash them with a fork. If after you cook the eggplants, you find that the insides are still a bit too stringy to mash properly, use a blender to finish pureeing them. Also, depending on your oven, you may need a higher temperature (500°F), or may need to cook them longer. Cooking them on the grill or stovetop burner instead of in the oven lends a smoky flavor I find crucial to a great baba ghanoush, but some prefer the less-messy oven method
.
4 large eggplants
3 cloves garlic, peeled
½ teaspoon salt
4–5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
4 tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
olive oil and pita bread for serving
1 sprig Italian parsley for garnish
1. Pierce each eggplant a few times evenly all over using a fork. Do not peel the eggplants or cut off their stems. Then you can either roast the eggplants in an oven preheated to 450°F, for about 50 minutes, or grill them over high heat or on the flames of your stove burner for about 15 minutes. Turn the
eggplants over two or three times as they cook. They’re ready when they’re blackened and shrunken all over.
2. Set the eggplants aside for a minute or two, then peel off the charred skin with your fingers while they’re still hot. Place the eggplants in a colander to drain. Meanwhile, using a mortar and pestle, crush the garlic cloves and mash the salt in to make a creamy paste. Sprinkle in a drizzle or two of the lemon juice, and keep mashing for a few minutes until you get a creamy texture. Then add 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, and stir, followed by 2 tablespoons of tahini, and stir again, then repeat with the remaining lemon juice and tahini.
3. Chop off the eggplant stems, discard, and mash the eggplants in a bowl until they form a creamy puree. (Finish with a blender if needed.)
4. Stir the tahini mixture in with the mashed eggplant, and keep mixing until the baba ghanoush is smooth throughout.
5. Place on a serving platter, drizzle with olive oil, garnish with chopped parsley, and serve at room temperature or chilled. Eat with pita bread.
Serves 4
H
UMMUS
L
EMONY
C
HICKPEA
P
UREE
The proportions of garlic, lemon juice, and tahini vary in each hummus recipe. Some people will argue that certain versions are more authentic
than others—a pointless battle if you ask me. Ultimately it’s a matter of personal taste. In Lebanon I’ve had versions that are more lemony, more tahini-heavy, or more garlicky, and over the years I’ve figured out which I like best. I developed this recipe based on a hummus style I’ve loved most in certain homes and restaurants. It’s extra lemony, and sometimes I use even more garlic; feel free to adjust it to your tastes
.
1 cup boiled chickpeas (canned is fine; rinsed and drained)
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed, or more to taste
juice of 1½ lemons
3 tablespoons tahini
salt to taste
pinch of paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
pita bread, for serving
1. Set aside a few whole chickpeas for garnish, then blend remaining chickpeas and garlic into a puree in a food processor.
2. Place puree in a bowl and gradually mix in lemon juice and tahini, adding 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to thin out the mixture if needed. Season with salt to taste.
3. To serve, put the hummus in a serving bowl, sprinkle paprika around the perimeter, place the whole chickpeas in the center, and drizzle olive oil between the chickpeas and paprika. Serve with pita bread.
Serves 4
E
GGPLANT
F
ATTEH
B
AKED
E
GGPLANT WITH
G
ARLICKY
Y
OGURT
Eggplants, chickpeas, yogurt, garlic, bread, and pine nuts. Six of my favorite ingredients, all starring in one easy-to-make, memorable dish. Lebanese and Syrian cuisines include lots of variations on this fatteh recipe—for instance, substituting chicken, spinach, or chickpeas (see the tiss’ye recipe below) as the main ingredient instead of eggplant. This eggplant version is especially robust tasting and filling, and a crowd-pleaser
.
2 medium eggplants
3 teaspoons salt, divided
olive oil for drizzling
3 cups boiled chickpeas (canned is fine; rinsed and drained)
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 cups plain yogurt
1 tablespoon tahini
2 small pita breads
½ cup vegetable oil for frying (optional)
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup pine nuts
pinch of paprika (optional)
1. Slice eggplant into ½-inch-thick rounds. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons salt and set aside for 30 minutes. Rinse eggplant rounds and pat dry. Drizzle olive oil on a baking sheet and arrange eggplant rounds flat.
2. Bake eggplant rounds at 425°F for 15 minutes, or until the tops are nicely browned. Turn over and bake until opposite sides brown.
3. Heat chickpeas in water (to cover) over medium heat, then lower heat to a simmer.
4. In a mortar and pestle, mash garlic with 1 teaspoon salt, and gradually drizzle in lemon juice until you have a creamy paste. Stir mixture into the yogurt, mix in the tahini, and stir well. Set aside.
5. Tear the pita bread into pieces (roughly 1-inch-square). Heat the vegetable oil over medium heat, and fry the bread pieces until nicely browned and crisp, then set aside to drain on a plate lined with paper towels; alternatively you can toast the pita halves instead of frying them, then break them into pieces.
6. A few minutes before you’re ready to serve the dish, melt butter over medium heat, and sauté pine nuts until browned, being careful not to blacken.
7. In a deep-sided serving dish, set down one layer of eggplant rounds, alternating with the chickpeas and the pita bits. Continue layering until ingredients run out, then top with the yogurt mixture, followed with the pine nuts in their butter. Sprinkle with paprika (optional). This dish looks particularly appealing when assembled in individual portions for guests, layering the ingredients as above, but in small terracotta bowls instead of one large bowl.