Labne

Labne (marinated yoghurt cheese balls) recipe.

Makes 15-20

Ingredients

1.5kg thick Greek yoghurt
2 bay leaves
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs oregano
2 garlic cloves
2 cups (500ml) extra virgin olive oil, preferably Greek

Method

Place yoghurt in a bowl with 2 teaspoons sea salt and stir to combine. Lay muslin on a workbench, place yoghurt in centre, then gather up muslin sides and tie with string. Suspend the ball over a bowl - we found the best way to do this was to tie the ball to a wooden spoon, then rest the spoon on the top of a bowl, allowing the ball to hang down. Leave to drain in the fridge for 3 days. Discard the whey that has drained out, remove yoghurt to a bowl and discard muslin. Roll yoghurt into golf-sized balls, lay on a baking tray and refrigerate for 3 hours to dry out. Place in a sterilised preserving jar with herbs and garlic, cover with oil and seal. Leave to marinate for 24 hours. Keep for up to 1 week.

Notes & tips
These delicious little yoghurt cheese balls are usually served as part of a Middle Eastern mezze platter with dips, marinated vegetables and warm pita bread. You will need a double thickness of butter muslin*.

*Butter muslin is available from kitchenware and haberdashery stores.

Source
delicious. - November 2003, Page 142
Recipe by Valli Little

Baked Kibbeh

Baked Kibbeh Recipe. Special Lebanese Mezzi dish served with cucumber salad, yoghurt, bread and lemon wedges.

Preparation Time 40 minutes
Cooking Time 35 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)
120g (2/3 cup) Naytura Cracked Wheat
400g lamb mince
1 brown onion, coarsely grated
2 tbs chopped fresh mint
1/2 tsp ground allspice
2 tsp toasted pine nuts
1/4 tsp sumac
Olive oil, to grease
Natural yoghurt, to serve
Lebanese bread, to serve
Lemon wedges, to serve

Cucumber salad
4 Lebanese cucumbers, peeled, quartered lengthways, coarsely chopped
4 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup fresh continental parsley leaves
1 tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, crushed

Method
Place cracked wheat in a heatproof bowl. Cover with boiling water. Set aside for 15 minutes. Drain through a fine sieve, pressing to remove excess moisture.

Place 350g mince and half the onion in a large bowl. Add the cracked wheat, mint and half the allspice, and season with salt and pepper. Use wet hands to mix until well combined.

Cook remaining mince in a non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to break up any lumps, for 2 minutes or until mince changes colour. Add the remaining onion and cook for 2 minutes or until the mince is cooked and the onion is soft. Stir in the pine nuts, sumac and the remaining allspice. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool completely.

Preheat oven to 200°C. Brush a baking tray with oil to grease. Divide the cracked wheat mixture into 16 even portions. Roll 1 portion into a ball. Holding the ball in the palm of your hand, press your index finger into the centre of the ball to make a cup shape. Place 1 teaspoon of the pine nut mixture in the cavity. Bring the edges together to seal, then roll into a slightly elongated egg shape. Repeat, in 15 more batches, with the remaining cracked wheat mixture and pine nut mixture.

Place the kibbeh on the prepared tray. Bake in oven, turning halfway through cooking and brushing occasionally with juices, for 30 minutes or until cooked.

Meanwhile, to make the cucumber salad, combine the cucumber, tomato, onion and parsley in a bowl. Whisk together the lemon juice, oil and garlic in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add the lemon dressing to the cucumber mixture and toss to combine.

Serve the kibbeh balls with cucumber salad, yoghurt, bread and lemon wedges.

Notes & tips
You can also serve these kibbeh balls as part of a mezze meal, which is a favourite in Lebanon. This "grazing" meal consists of a series of small dishes that are set out for guests to nibble on. Simply halve the size of the kibbeh and reduce the cooking time to 15 minutes. Serve with hummus, baba ghanoush, labne and Lebanese bread for a magnificent meal.

Freezing tip
Cool at the end of step 5. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in fridge. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place kibbeh on a baking tray in oven until heated through.

Source
Australian Good Taste - October 2007, Page 134
Recipe by Gemma Purcell

Dukkah

Dukkah, Dokka or Dükkah is an Egyptian dry mixture of chopped nuts, seeds and Middle Eastern spices and flavors. In some countries such as Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Palestine it is called Za'atar.

Traditionally Dukkah is eaten by dipping fresh Egyptian baladi bread first into olive oil and then into the nut mixture. Dukkah is a versatile seasoning and can also be sprinkled on salads or vegetables. It can also be used as a crust or breading for foods like lamb, shrimp, fish or chicken.

Dukkah Recipe

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup sesame seeds
• ½ cup pine nuts
• ½ cup coriander seeds
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp chilli powder
• ½ tsp baharat (white and black pepper, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg)

Preparation:

• In a large frying pan combine pine nuts and coriander seeds over medium-high heat. When the mix has started to colour, add the sesame seeds and continue to toast until golden brown.
• Pour the mixture into a food processor. Add cumin, baharat mix, chilli powder and salt. Blend together.
• Use as seasoning in cooking or serve as an accompaniment with bread and olive oil.

Chickpea Fattoush

Add a Middle Eastern touch with this refreshing salad jam-packed with bright vegies, fibre-full chickpeas and crunchy bread crisps.

Preparation Time 15 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes

Ingredients (serves 10)

• 2 pieces wholemeal Lebanese bread
• Olive oil spray
• 1 tbs sumac
• 2 tbs fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
• 1 x 400g can chickpeas, rinsed, drained
• 2 x 250g punnets grape tomatoes, halved
• 2 Lebanese cucumbers, quartered lengthways, thickly sliced
• 2 small red capsicums, deseeded, coarsely chopped
• 6 shallots, ends trimmed, thinly sliced
• 1 cup chopped fresh continental parsley
• 1 cup fresh mint leaves

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 200°C. Line a large baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Spray the bread with olive oil spray and place on the lined tray. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon sumac. Bake in oven, turning once, for 10-12 minutes or until crisp and light golden. Set aside on the tray to cool completely. Break into bite-sized pieces.

• Whisk together the lemon juice and oil in a jug.

• Combine the chickpeas, tomato, cucumber, capsicum, shallot, parsley, mint and remaining sumac in a large bowl.

• Add the dressing to the salad and toss to combine. Season with pepper. Add the bread and toss to combine. Serve.

Notes & tips
Time plan tip: Prepare this recipe to the end of step 1 up to 1 day ahead. Store the bread in an airtight container. Continue to the end of step 3 up to 4 hours ahead. Store the dressing and salad in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Continue from step 4 just before serving.

Source
Australian Good Taste - December 2007, Page 63

Dukkah & feta fried eggs

Crisp Lebanese bread is the base for these cheesy and zesty fried eggs.

Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 10 minutes

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 tsp almond dukkah
• 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
• 60ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
• 4 fresh eggs
• 2 Lebanese bread
• 60g feta, crumbled
• 1 tbs shredded fresh mint
• Lemon wedges, to serve

Preparation:

• Combine dukkah and rind in a bowl.
• Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Crack the eggs, 1 at a time, into pan. Cook, tilting pan and spooning a little of the hot oil over yolks occasionally, for 5 minutes for soft yolks or until cooked to your liking. Transfer to a plate and cover with foil to keep warm.
• Use paper towel to wipe the pan to remove excess oil. Add 1 bread to the pan and cook for 1 minute each side or until warmed through. Transfer to a serving plate. Repeat with the remaining bread.
• Top the bread with eggs. Sprinkle with the dukkah mixture. Crumble over feta. Top with mint. Serve with lemon wedges.
  

Source
Australian Good Taste - March 2008, Page 94

Middle Eastern spiced lamb pizza

Need a really easy idea for dinner? You can't go past this spiced lamb pizza, which uses Lebanese bread as its base.

Preparation Time 10 minutes
Cooking Time 20 minutes

Ingredients (serves 2):

• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 250g lamb mince
• salt and pepper
• 175g butternut pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 large rounds Lebanese bread
• 150g fetta, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons pinenuts
• 1 tablespoon chopped flatleaf parsley
  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 200°C. When hot, place 2 flat baking trays in the oven to heat.
• Meanwhile, lightly spray a non-stick frying pan with oil spray and place over high heat. Cook the onion for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add the cumin and coriander and cook for 1 minute. Add the mince, stirring to break it up with a fork, and cook for 5 minutes or until any moisture has evaporated. Season with salt and pepper and remove from heat.
• While the mince mixture is cooking, steam the pumpkin for 2-3 minutes or until just tender.
• Spoon the tomato paste over the Lebanese bread. Divide the pumpkin, lamb mixture, fetta and pine nuts between the 2 rounds of bread. Place on the preheated baking trays and bake for 8 minutes or until crisp. Scatter with parsley and serve immediately.
  

Notes & tips
If your oven is not big enough you may need to cook each pizza separately.

Source
Simply Food - June 2008, Page 7

Potato and Beet Salad

Enjoy Potato and Beet salad dish with mayonnaise, cream, garlic, onion, red vinegar, parsley, nut, and red cabbage.

Ingredients:

• 0.5 Kg red beet
• 5 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh cream
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons red vinegar
• 2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
• 1 cup nut, chopped
• 1 red cabbage
• 0.5 Kg potato
• salt to taste

Preparation:

• Boil beet, peel it, then cut it into small cubes.
• Boil Potato, peel it, then cut it into small cubes.
• Separate cabbage leafs and select the good leafs (the small ones). Soak in water for 1 hour, then wash and dry.
• Mix beet, mayonnaise, cream, garlic, onion, red vinegar, nut, potato, and salt to taste.
  
• Fill cabbage leafs with mixed ingredients then arrange it in a dish over green lettuce layer.
• Garnish with parsley and nuts. Serve.
  

Three Colors Salad

Enjoy super healthy salad dish in three great colors. After you prepare it, become the chef and tell your friends about it!

Ingredients:

• 3 - 4 red beet heads
• 3 - 4 potatoes
• 5 - 6 carrots
• 4 tablespoons cucumber pickles
• 4 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 cooked boneless chicken breast, crumbled
• 8 - 9 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 1/2 cup nut, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cream
• 3 boiled eggs, to garnish
• black olive, to garnish

Preparation:

• Wash beet, potatoes, and carrots. Boil, peel then grate them separately.
  
• Put grated beet, potatoes, and carrots in 3 separate bowls.
• Add about 3 tablespoons mayonnaise and 1 fresh cream to each bowl.
• Spread carrot in a cheesecake mold. Spread over carrots half the amount of chicken, pickles, nut, parsley and green onion.
• Spread red beet then chicken and the rest of pickles, nut, parsley and green onion.
• Spread a layer of potatoes.
• Garnish with grated carrot, parsley, black olives, and boiled egg. Serve
  

Chicken Liver with Pomegranate Molasses

Easy and tasty appetizer dish of Chicken Liver with Pomegranate Molasses.

Ingredients:

• 1 Kg (2.2 lb) chicken liver
• 1 large onion, finley chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 cup cooking oil or olive oil
• 1 or 2 tablespoons Pomegranate Molasses

Preparation:

• Heat oil in frying pan on high heat.
• add onion and stir until onions are golden brown. Add chicken liver until it's color change and bubbles appear in the oil or until done according to desire.
• add cumin, salt, red pepper, black pepper and mix well.
• Add Pomegranate Molasses and mix well, leave over fire for 2 minutes.
  
• Serve hot with pita bread as an appetizer.
  

Tuna Balls

If your children like fish fingers, they will love these Tuna Balls. A super healthy twist on a family favorite served with lemon slices and tarator sauce. It tastes great at parties and other get together occasions.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cooked rice
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, finely grated
• 1 large can tuna flakes, strained
• 1/3 cup carrot, finely grated
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 egg, white part only
• salt and pepper
• 1 cup corn flakes, crumbled
• oil for frying

Preparation:

• Mix rice, cheese, tuna, carrot, onion, egg, salt, and pepper.
• make tuna balls, and dip each ball in white part of the egg, then dip in the corn flakes.
• Deep-fry the coated balls in oil until browned. Drean on absorbent paper.
• Serve hot with lemon slices and tarator sauce.

Potato Chips with Pine

An easy recipe for children - Potato Chips with Pine. Enjoy it along with your kids in the kitchen.

Preparation time 20 minutes
cooking time 20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 800g of fresh potato
• 1 onion head
• 1-2 Celery
• 50g pine
• 1 bunch parsley
• 4 mint leaves
• 1/2 cup milk
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
  

Preparation:

• Wash potatoes, dry it, then cut into slices. Chop onions and celery.
• In a frying pan add little oil, onions, celery then add potatoes. Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Cook on moderate heat for 10 minutes.
• Add Pine and milk then continue cooking for 4 minutes.
  
• Add Chopped parsley and chopped mint. Serve hot.
  

Eish Saraya

A mouth watering Middle Eastern/Lebanese dessert recipe "Eish Saraya or Eish Al-Saraya". Its simply phenomenal.

Ingredients for Sugar Syrup

1 cup of sugar
1 tablespoons of orange blossom
1 tablespoon of rose water
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 cup of water

Ingredients for Custard

1 litre of milk
¼ (200 grams) tin of condensed milk
300 ml of cream
2 tablespoons of Rose water
2 tablespoons orange blossom
6 tablespoons cornflour
1 packed of toasted bread/rusks (about 20 small rusk’s - enough to line the dish you will be setting the dessert in)
¼ cup crushed pistachios

Preparation

Place toasted bread evenly in a square dish.

Then make the syrup- mix sugar, water, lemon together and place over medium heat. Once hot and sugar has melted, mix the orange blossom and rose water into the syrup. Now pour the hot syrup over the toast so that it soaks it in. Set Aside.

Mix together milk, cream, condensed milk and corn flour for the custard in a saucepan and place over medium heat.

Keep stirring until thick; once the custard has thickened add rose water and orange blossom.

Stir for a little more while and when the custard has reached a “THICK” pouring consistency, pour over the toast.

Once it reaches room temperature, cover with the dish and place in the refrigerator for cooling; a minimum of 4 hours.

Before serving, sprinkle with chopped pistachios – Absolutely Delicious!!

Warbat

Warbat (Middle Eastern Cheese Puffs). This specialty dessert requires a little bit of love and time, but it is unique and will be a great treat for your next dinner.

Ingredients:

• 1 15oz tub of ricotta cheese
• 1 package phyllo dough (make sure they are thin sheets)
• 1 stick of butter (melted)

• 1 cup of simple syrup:
• 2 cups of sugar
• 1 cup of water
• 2 teaspoon rose or orange blossom water
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice
  

Preparation:

• First, make the syrup. Dissolve the sugar in the water and add the lemon juice. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally until syrup slightly thickens (about 10 minutes). Add rose water towards the end of the cooking time. Let stand to cool and set aside.
  
• Next, prepare the ingredients to be assembled. Make sure the phyllo dough is thawed completely; set package of dough on flat surface (where you will assemble the warbat) and cover so dough does not dry out.
  
• Melt the stick of butter and set aside, you will use a brush to apply the butter to the dough.
• Make sure the ricotta is ready to use (you will use one tablespoon of ricotta per puff) Have a cookie sheet sprayed with oil and the oven preheated to 350 degrees F.
  
• Now, you are ready to assemble. Take one sheet and place it flaton your table. Apply butter with a brush on half of the sheet, making sure to do this carefully, as the sheet is sensitive. Fold the buttered sheet in half forming a square. Brush a little more butter on the folded half. Then fold sheet a second time to form a long rectangle and brush on more butter. Now take one end of the rectangle and add 1 tablespoon of ricotta cheese. Now fold to one side and then to other. Keep doing this until a triangle is formed. Brush butter on top and place on cookie sheet. Keep doing this until you run out of phyllo sheets or ricotta, usually this recipe will make about 10 to 12 Warbat.
  
• When they are all assembled, bake them for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
  
• Pour 1 to 2 tablespoons of simple syrup on top of the hot Warbat, let them cool and enjoy!

Turkish Coffee

Come on and have a cup of Turkish coffee with us!

Most people in the world have heard of "Turkish Coffee” but few have ever tasted it. Yet, it’s the oldest, the easiest and the most economical way to make a wonderful cup of coffee! Above all, according to many people around the world, it is simply the most delicious way to have your coffee.

What Makes drinking Turkish coffee so special?

It forces you to stop and rest. This is simply because you have to sit down first before you can even take a sip. Otherwise it will spill on you due to the tiny cups. Another words it is not the kind of a beverage you just grab and run or drive with!

Teaches patience. You have to cook it slowly for the best results. The process requires about 5-10minutes of preparation time (depending on the quantity). It can not be rushed, but “wow” is it worth the wait! (We support the “slow food” movement).

Makes you relax. When you are ready to sit down to have your brew, you will generally be pretty calm due to anticipating a period of rest and relaxation…in a perfect mind-set to enjoy a delicious cup of foamy coffee, sip by sip!

Encourages conversation. In the Turkish coffee drinking tradition, freshly brewed coffee is typically shared with someone you care about like family, friends, business acquaintances etc. The idea is to sit down together, savoring the flavors and the friendship while you converse!

Turkish coffee is really all about socializing and relaxing. It also makes a fantastic after meal drink (because it is known to help in the digestion process) and is an anti carcinogen!

HOW TO MAKE TURKISH COFFEE

You will need to have a Turkish coffee pot, a spoon, sugar and coffee that has been ground to a fine powder. Although most people use the Arabic beans, it really doesn't matter what kind of coffee you use. However, it should be a medium roast, because you will actually roast it again while making it. You can get the Turkish coffee in several different ways:

• Purchase a special Turkish Grinder (regular electric grinders with blades spinning at a high speed will NOT do the job) and grind the coffee yourself. We do have these available at our store if you are interested.
• Grind it at your local grocery store! Yes, that's right. You may not have noticed, but most grinders (99.9%) at your local grocery store in the U.S. have a Turkish coffee setting! Just select the "Turkish Coffee" setting and grind your beans.
• Buy it ready made from Turkish Coffee stores.You can find it at most Mediterranean stores if you live in a big city.
  

Preparation:

• Measure the amount of cold water you will need.
• Place your pot of water on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high (just until the water heats up).
• Add about 1-2 heaping tea spoons (or 1 tablespoon) of coffee per demitasse cup (3 oz). Do not stir it yet. Just let the coffee "float" on the surface because if you stir it now you might cause it to clump up.
• Add sugar to taste. Do not stir it yet, Let the water warm up little bit as above.
• When the coffee starts to sink into the water and the water is warm enough to dissolve your sugar, stir it several times and then turn down the heat to low. You should stir it several times, up until it your brew starts to foam (you can also vigorously move your spoon side to side to encourage to start the foaming).
• When you see the bubble "ring" forming on the surface, turn down the heat a little bit more or move your pot away from the heat source. Pay attention to the bubbles that are forming at this stage. Bubbles should be very small in size.
• From this point on watch your coffee carefully. Do not let the temperature get hot enough to start boiling. (NEVER LET IT BOIL - many instructions on how to make Turkish coffee use the term "boiling" but this is totally inaccurate) The key idea here is to let the coffee build a thick froth and that occurs approximately around 158 F or 70 C (i.e., much cooler than the boiling point of water which is 212 F or 100 C at standard pressure. If your brew comes to a boil, you will not have any foam because it will simply evaporate!).
• Keep it at the "foaming" stage as long as you can without letting it come to a boil. You might even gently stir your brew a little bit at this stage. The more froth, the better it will taste. Also your coffee must be fresh or it will not foam as well. If your brew gets too hot and begins to "rise", then move it away from the heat or just turn it down. You are almost done. Repeat this process until your foam has "raised" and "cooled" at the most couple of times (NOT 3-4 times like some instructions. Even once is enough). Then pour in to your cups (quickly at first to get out the foam, then slowly) while making sure that each cup has equal amount of foam! If you are serving several cups then you might be better off spooning the foam into each cup.
  

Drinking:

• Turkish coffee is always served with a glass of water. You need to drink the water first to clean your pallet!
• Wait about half a minute or so to let the grinds settle to the bottom of your cup.
• Find a comfortable spot in which to savor your delicious coffee and remember, drink this Turkish treat...sip by sip.

Make the perfect cup of Turkish Coffee...

Turkish Ice-cream

Back to the wonderful Turkish recipes and ice-cream lovers, this creative, colorful Turkish Ice-cream is an easy way to impress guests.

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 litres softened vanilla ice-cream
4 x 55g roughly chopped chocolate-coated Turkish delight bars
200g roughly chopped dark chocolate
150g chopped red glace cherries
toasted shredded coconut, for serving

Preparation

Spoon ice-cream into a large bowl. Fold in Turkish delight bars, dark chocolate and cherries and combine well.

Spoon ice-cream mixture into a large (8-cup) capacity square pan. Freeze for 3 1/2 - 4 hours or overnight.

To serve, scoop ice-cream mixture into serving bowls and top with toasted shredded coconut.

Easy Turkish Delight

Delicious and Easy Turkish Delight, let's try it together.

Makes about 50 pieces

Ingredients

1/4 cup powdered gelatin
2 cups caster sugar
3/4 cup cornflour
1 1/3 cups icing sugar mixture
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon rosewater
1 to 2 drops red food coloring
1/2 cup pistachio kernels, roughly chopped
75g milk chocolate, chopped

Preparation

Lightly grease a 4cm-deep, 17.5cm x 27.5cm (base) slice pan. Line base and sides with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.

Place 2 1/2 cups hot water in a large heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water. Using a fork, whisk until gelatin dissolves. Stir in caster sugar. Microwave, uncovered, on high (100%) for 5 minutes. Stir well. Microwave, uncovered, on high (100%) for a further 4 to 5 minutes or until mixture is thick and syrupy.

Whisk cornflour, icing sugar and cream of tartar into gelatin mixture. Microwave on high (100%) for 3 minutes. Stir in rosewater, food coloring and pistachios. Pour into prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm.

Remove Turkish delight from pan. Using a hot knife (To heat knife, hold under hot, running water for 1 minute or stand in a jug of hot water for 1 minute), cut into 3cm squares. Remove squares to a new sheet of baking paper.

Place chocolate in a heatproof, microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on high (100%) for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring with a metal spoon every 30 seconds, or until melted and smooth. Spoon chocolate into a snap-lock bag. Snip off 1 corner. Pipe chocolate over squares. Stand at room temperature until set. Serve.

Store Turkish delight in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Meatball & Tabouli Wrap

Delicious and easy to prepare Meatball & Tabouli Wrap recipe.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 15 minutes
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 20 Lamb & veal meatballs
• 8 flour tortillas
• 260g (1 cup) hummus
• 8 large butter lettuce leaves
• 190g (1 cup) bought tabouli
• 1 large avocado, halved, stone removed, peeled, thinly sliced
• 60ml (1/4 cup) barbecue sauce
  

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 180°C. Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. Arrange meatballs on prepared tray and cover with foil. Bake in oven for 15 minutes or until heated through. Wrap tortillas in foil. Place in oven for the last 5 minutes of cooking or until heated through.

• Spread the tortillas with hummus and top with lettuce. Spoon the tabouli down the centres of the tortillas and top with avocado. Place 2 1/2 meatballs on each tortilla.

• Drizzle the meatballs with barbecue sauce and roll up firmly to enclose filling. Divide the wraps among serving plates and serve immediately.

Chef kitchen knives

Secrets of the Chef kitchen knives. Use the correct knife for any occasion.

Bread and Cake Knife

Knives Sharpener

Fruit Peeler

Table knife blade To remove the bone from the meat

Parmesan Cheese Knife

Grapefruit Knife

Tomato Knife

Soft cheese Knife

Frozen Foods Knife

Watch this interesting video. Chef Jean Pierre explains what knives are best for your kitchen and what their functions are.

Weight Control During Winter

During winter and cold weather, the combination of fatty masses combine in the abdomen and buttocks, due to the strong turnout to eat a lot in this season.

People turn to eat calorie-rich fatty frequently, and this leads to weight gain in addition to the lack of movement in winter.

Here are some tips for controlling overweight in the winter:

• Dealing with fruits instead of cakes and sweets such as oranges and citrus rich in vitamin C and strengthens the immune system.
• Eating fish more than meat because it contains less fat. you can take backed Fish fillet or tuna 3 times a week.
• Reliance on grilled potatoes more than our reliance on rice and bread.
• Deal with fresh vegetables and salads which are rich in vitamins, fiber and provide us with vitality and activity.
• Stay away from cold drinks and rely on hot drinks, such as tea, and herbs, because they contribute to the expansion of blood vessels as well as more of a sense of warmth.
• Reliance on the various kinds of hot soups which will provide us with a sense of warmth and provide us with energy.
• The distribution of meals throughout the day, it's preferred to take 3 main meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner) in addition to 2 light meals.
• Reduce As much as possible the amount of oil added to the cooking and depend on boiled and grilled food.
• Dealing with foods that contain rapid absorption sugars, such as the dates and dried fruit instead of sweets and chocolate fatty.
• Drinking water in sufficient quantities from 6-8 cups a day.
  

Tip: The practice of sport and any kind of movement, even if it is at home contributes to a number of burning excess calories and over time we will be able to lose some kilograms through a commitment to exercise and follow a healthy diet.

Watch this healthy Eating Video...


Healthy Eating - Amazing videos are here

Bread Slices and Zucchini

Easy, unique and delicious dish of Bread Slices and Zucchini.

Preparation Time 35 minutes
Cooking Time 35 minutes
Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 300 grams of bread, thin slices
• 4 zucchini
• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup fresh cream
• 1 bunch of Mint
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 clove garlic
• Hot pepper
• Olive oil
• Salt and black pepper
  

Preparation:

• Clean up mint and parsley and chop them.
• Clean and cut the zucchini into thin circular shapes.
• Add little oil to a large frying pan then fry zucchini and garlic for 2 minutes then add some mint, some parsley, salt and pepper.
• beat eggs using an egg beater then add cream, little salt and pepper. Put bread slices in the mixture one by one in a fast way to keep the shape and arrange in a cooking tray painted with butter. Distribute zucchini over bread slices as in the picture.
• Follow the same way with all slices of the bread to finish all of them while taking care to to put each bread slice well in the egg mixture.
• Cook in hot oven at a temperature of 180 for 25 minutes or until becomes golden.
• To garnish sprinkle a mixture of chopped parsley, mint and hot pepper then serve.
  

Pasta with Fish and Tomatoes

An easy to prepare Pasta with Fish and Tomatoes dish .

Preparation time 30 minutes
Cooking Time 15 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 320 grams macaroni
• 350 g fish fillet
  
• 300 g tomatoes long form
• 2 green onions
• 2 Green Lemon
• basil
• 6 tablespoons oil
• Salt and black pepper
  

Preparation:

• Get rid of the fish skin, cut into a very small cubes, and put in a container.
• Add lemon juice, salt and pepper and allow 30 minutes to marinade.
• Put tomatoes in boiling water, remove tomatoes skin, get rid of seeds, then cut tomatoes.
• Place tomatoes in a large pot with the fish, oil, green onions and a little of the basil, salt and pepper.
• Put pasta in boiling salted water, drain it then add it to the other ingredients and mix.

Jordan Tour - Discover Jordan

Hi Friends...two days ago, I have published a post called "Jordan Tour" a bout my country Jordan, including video clips of some interesting places. After publishing it, I found out that the video clips were not working properly, may be because too many videos on the same post. Any how, I decided not to yield, do it right, and share you something different for some type of change.

So, today I am back presenting two videos, I hope you like them. The first one presents some wonderful places which is good to know about if you plan to visit Jordan someday.

Discover what's in the first video and have fun...


Arabianescape.com - The most popular videos are here

The other video clip is about a famous restaurant in Amman (Capital of Jordan) which sells only "Knafeh" the restaurant name is "Habibah" located in down-town Amman. The restaurant is a busy one, no places to sit, and you have to stand up. The good part is you should wait in a queue to get your order. If you like kanfeh you have to wait. Although the restaurant is not a fancy one, but it makes a delicious Knafeh. By the way, Knafeh is extremely popular in Jordan and ubiquitous throughout the year but a lot of it is served on special occasions such as graduations, engagement, wedding parties etc. Watch...


Knafah at Habibah-downtown Amman-jordan - Watch a funny movie here

Thank you...

Karniyarik

Karniyarik (stuffed eggplant with ground beef) is one of the most well known dishes in Turkish cuisine. It's Oven Cooked.

Ingredients - Karniyarik :

• 1 eggplant
• olive oil for frying
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 7 oz ground beef or lamb
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• salt and ground black pepper
• 1 tomato sliced into thin rings
  

Preparation - Karniyarik :

• Peel the skin of the eggplant in stripes. Cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the flesh without breaking the skin. The eggplant halves should look like two boats.
  

• Heat a little olive oil in a skillet and fry the eggplants on all sides until lightly browned. Drain and place in a roasting pan, hollow sides up. Preheat a 375 F oven. Melt the butter or margarine in a separate pan and cook the meat, onion, parsley, and tomato paste together. When cooked, fill the eggplant shells with the meat mixture and place a few tomato rings on each one. Pour 1-1/4 cups water into the roasting pan.
  

• Cook in the oven for 30 minutes, or until the eggplants are cooked. Serve with rice.

Karniyarik Recipe on Video...