Well everybody with Ramadan coming and slowly going...and threads on cookbooks, food traditions ....we have posted alot of recipes...it gets kinda confusing going back and looking at them again...so I thought we could just open a recipe thread that could also contain any food adventures or mishaps,pics,questions and culture.... inchallah keep it going with new recipes, comments, questions posted regarding food...(not only MENA foods, but any foods)....ok I will start:



Algerien Bouzgene Khabilye(Berber) Bread with Roasted Pepper Sauce

2 red bell peppers

4 tomatoes

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

1 pinch salt to taste

2 pounds semolina

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

3 cups water

4 tablespoons olive oil

6 tablespoons olive oil for frying

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Place red bell peppers and tomatoes on a baking sheet, and roast under the broiler for about 8 minutes, turning occasionally. This should blacken the skin and help it peel off more easily. Cool, then scrape the skins off of the tomatoes and peppers, and place them in a large bowl. Remove cores and seeds from the bell peppers.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the jalapenos and garlic, and cook until tender, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, and transfer the garlic and jalapeno to the bowl with the tomatoes and red peppers. Using two sharp steak knives (one in each hand), cut up the tomatoes and peppers to a coarse and soupy consistency. Stir, and set sauce aside.
3. Place the semolina in a large bowl, and stir in salt and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Gradually add water while mixing and squeezing with your hand until the dough holds together without being sticky or dry, and molds easily with the hand. Divide into 6 pieces and form into balls.
4. For each round, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Roll out dough one round at a time, to no thicker than 1/4 inch. Fry in the hot skillet until dark brown spots appear on the surface, and they are crispy. Remove from the skillet, and wrap in a clean towel while preparing the remaining flat breads.
5. To eat the bread and sauce, break off pieces of the bread, and scoop them into the sauce.

Pin this thread, please!!!!

Someone could start a recipe board here or using a wiki. Then it would be more organized by type of recipe and not jumbled with other messages.

Haha we've tried a million times. Either the thread derails, or it falls off the front page due to no one posting for a while. Then, rather than bring it back, someone just opens a new thread.

I appreciate everyone's efforts -- but I just try to copy them into my file as I see them, otherwise I may not find them again. I must say, many of your recipes are in there ! Keep 'em coming....



-MK

ok stupid question...isn't semolina the stuff that causes you to get sick if you eat uncooked chicken?

That's salmonella.

That would be salmonella.

Oooook, hooooooooooow?

that's salmonella. semolina is a ground grain, like cream of wheat

thanks.



told ya i don't bake. lol

You crack me up Doodle! Well see I started this thread just for this reason...

Semolina is coarsely ground grain, usually wheat, with particles mostly between 0.25 and 0.75 mm in diameter. The same milling grade is sometimes called farina, or grits if made from maize. It refers to two very different products: semolina for porridge is usually steel-cut soft common wheat whereas "durum semolina" used for pasta or gnocchi is coarsely ground from either durum wheat or other hard wheat, usually the latter because it costs less to grow.

Non-durum semolina porridge or farina has come to be known in the United States by the trade name Cream of Wheat.

Semolina pudding is made by boiling or baking the grain with milk and sweeteners. The pudding can be flavoured with vanilla, served with jam, and eaten hot or cold.

In Italy (Tuscany) spaghetti made with semolina are called pici. In most of India, it is known as sooji; in southern India, rava. The even finer (powder) version of this is called 'maida' (wheat powder) from which noodles etc. are made. 'sooji' is considered healthier then 'maida' as 'maida'sticks to the intestines. In much of North Africa and the Middle-East, it is made into the staple couscous.

In Turkey "irmik helvası" (halva of semolina), made with semolina scorched with sugar, butter, milk and pine nut, is a very popular traditional dessert which is made especially after funeral ceremonies.

It can be used as an alternative to corn meal to 'flour' the underside of fresh pizza dough to prevent it from sticking to the peel.

In breadmaking, a small proportion of semolina added to the usual mix of flour produces a tasty crust.



According to Wikipedia:

Semolina is coarsely ground grain, usually wheat, with particles mostly between 0.25 and 0.75 mm in diameter. The same milling grade is sometimes called farina, or grits if made from maize. It refers to two very different products: semolina for porridge is usually steel-cut soft common wheat whereas "durum semolina" used for pasta or gnocchi is coarsely ground from either durum wheat or other hard wheat, usually the latter because it costs less to grow.

Non-durum semolina porridge or farina has come to be known in the United States by the trade name Cream of Wheat.

Semolina pudding is made by boiling or baking the grain with milk and sweeteners. The pudding can be flavoured with vanilla, served with jam, and eaten hot or cold.

In Italy (Tuscany) spaghetti made with semolina are called pici. In most of India, it is known as sooji; in southern India, rava. The even finer (powder) version of this is called 'maida' (wheat powder) from which noodles etc. are made. 'sooji' is considered healthier then 'maida' as 'maida'sticks to the intestines. In much of North Africa and the Middle-East, it is made into the staple couscous.

In Turkey "irmik helvası" (halva of semolina), made with semolina scorched with sugar, butter, milk and pine nut, is a very popular traditional dessert which is made especially after funeral ceremonies.

It can be used as an alternative to corn meal to 'flour' the underside of fresh pizza dough to prevent it from sticking to the peel.

In breadmaking, a small proportion of semolina added to the usual mix of flour produces a tasty crust.

SEMOLINA is a type of flour...your thinking about salmonella


Edited:
**Looks like everybody was on-line at the same time!**

How do we get a thread pinned?



Are you volunteering?

Dessert recipe

I know Eid is right around the corner, so here is a dessert recipe that will knock everyones socks off.

3ish il Saraya

1 Loaf of White Bread (I usually use Sara Lee Honey White)
1/2 gallon heavy cream or manufacturers cream
6 TBS of Cornstarch
4 TBS of Orange Blossom Water ( you can use Rose water if you wish)
2.5 cups Sugar (2 cups for one part, 1/2 cup for the other part)
1.5 Cups water
1 TBS Vanilla
1/2 cup Raw Pistachios
Orange Jam/marmalade

Round Tray about 16 inches in diameter or bigger with a 1 inch lip (you can buy the disposable kind from a party store) it should look like this:



1. Cut all the crusts off the bread and toast it to a golden brown, set aside.

2. In a medium sauce pan over high heat, take 2 TBS from the 2 cups of sugar and add them to the sauce pan. Let the sugar melt to a golden brown color. Add the water, the remaining sugar from the 2 cups, 2TBS of Orange water, stil and let it dissolve. After it has come to a boil turn it off and set aside.

3. Get a large pot and add the cream, cornstarch, 1/2 cup of sugar, 2 TBS of Orange water, 1 TBS of vanilla and cook over medium heat while stirring the entire time until it comes to a boil. It will be really thick and grow in volume so make sure the pot is big enough.

Assembly

Arrange the toasted bread in the pan and make sure there are no empty spots, you may have to break up some pieces in cram them in. Pour the sugar syrup over the bread and make sure you have each piece coated well, after you have poured it all on flip the pieces of bread over to make sure both sides have soaked up the syrup.

Pour the cream mixture over the bread now and spread it evenly making sure the bread doesnt show through.

Ground the pistachios and spread them all over the top. Put dollops of jam around the edges and one in the center as garnish.

Cover with Saran Wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. The cream will set and become custard like.

You can also garnish it with fruit, but you should wait until teh cream is halfway set.

Enjoy!

Could you use strawberry or another kind of jam/marmalade - I was just thinking that rose water with strawberry jam would be good!

I dont see why not! Sounds yummy. I just don't like rose water but I think you can substitute that.

Thanks whoever pinned this thread...I did not know how to do it after Jenn suggested it

Wow sounds good, I am going to try this inchallah tomorrow! If you any more JP keep em coming!

Yayyyyyyy you finallyyyyyy got it pinned !! WTG !!!



-MK

Ye some magic fairy did it

I posted this one before but here it is again, this time with a pic (LOL I love recipes with pics !)



FATAAYER BIS-SABAANIGH -- SPINACH PIES

DOUGH

2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons sugar
Dash of ginger (dried or fresh, minced)
1 package active dry yeast
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 egg
5 cups of unbleached flour

Combine water, sugar, and ginger in a large bowl. Add the yeast slowly, stirring gently. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes until the yeast becomes foamy. Stir in the egg, salt and oil.

Begin folding in the flour gradually. If the dough is still too wet after 5 cups of flour, add a bit more flour. Knead until the sides of the bowl are clean of flour and the dough is smooth.

Coat the top of the dough ball with a bit of oil and flip over in the bowl twice. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and a small towel and set in a warm (not hot) place for 40 minutes.


FILLING

2 large bunches of spinach (or two bags) cut into small pieces
1 large onion, chopped finely
1 cup chopped parsely
1/2 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons oregano (or thyme)
1 teaspoon sumac
1/3 cup olive oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 tablespoon pepper
1 cup pine nuts, lightly browned in a skillet

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Toss the chopped spinach, parsely, onions, oregano (or thyme,) sumac, lemon juice, oil, toasted pine nuts, salt and pepper together in a large bowl and set aside.

Divide dough into two sections. Roll each section about 1/8 inch (these will puff up a lot, so thin is good.) Using a small bowl as a cutter, cut out small rounds about 6 inches in diameter.

Place a spoonful of the spinach mixture onto each round. Fold 3 sides of the round to form a triangle. Press the dough together, pinching it to form a ridge. (Leave a small opening in the middle for steam to escape during baking.)

Place the rounds onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from oven and brush with a little olive oil.

My husband calls these "kraas" -- this is the "street language" of Palestine, but "fataayer" is the "good Arabic."

Came on VJ this morning and saw that we had a new pinned thread! Yay! I'm so glad we finally have a pinned recipies thread!

These are cute!

Here is a board if anyone is interested. I personally hate going through a long message trying to find something. If not, I will keep it for my own organization

oooooooooooooo great recipe WofM...l love recipes with pics too...do you have the recipe for meat filling with the zatar and sumac one too? My husband I think will like the meat filled ones better...These spinach and meats buns as I call them I am so used to as I grew up with these ...and living near Dearborn, MI the largest arabe/muslim population I believe in whole USA...but strange here in Algerie so many of the common ME I love to eat they have not even heard of...

Hmmm do you have any good kebob marinades? I am craving some kebobs right now!

Henia - I know you lived in Hungry --- do you have a good goulash recipe? When I lived in East Germany I ate Goulash and Knodlen (like a bread dumpling?) and it was my favorite but I have never seen goulash again!! I'd love it if you had one!

I have found the basic recipe to be very adaptable -- I have made some "customized" versions adding chopped egg & black olives, or grated cheese with some chopped spicy peppers, or even chopped mushrooms (my husband really loved all of these.)

I think it would work well with meat -- maybe cut down on the amount of spinach and stir in some shredded cooked chicken or cooked ground lamb or beef (I would drain it well first.) With ground meat like beef or lamb, you might use another vegetable such as shredded cabbage or carrot or onion, possibly potato. Some garlic would be good with that.

I will search around for an "official" meat pie recipe. And I have some kabob recipes in my notebook at home -- I will post it later.

Sa77a !



-MK

Chukran bezaf MK...

When the kiddos asked Usama if he liked chicken soup (in Arabic lol) he said no, he likes meat soup and I asked if he means with meatballs and he said yes. Anyone know how to make meat soup?

does the soup have meatballs and potatoes in it?

Hmmm, doodle, ask him if he likes lesan el asfour. That can be made with either chicken broth or beef. This site has it with beef, but when I had it in Cairo, it was chicken.

Ummm ok what kind of meat soup? Only Egyptian meat soup I know of is fatta...Copitc Christians eat this soup to break the Lenten fast...could this be it?

• 1 lb. lean beef or lamb, cut into small pieces
• 6 c. water
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 medium onion
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon vinegar
• 1 loaf Arabic pita bread, dried in the oven until crisp
• 2 cups cooked rice

Make a broth by simmering the meat in the water with the salt, pepper and the whole onion, until the meat is tender. Then skim off the froth, and discard the onion. Remove the meat with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan. Fry the meat over high heat until well browned, then remove to a serving bowl and keep warm. Fry the garlic in the remaining butter until golden brown. Stir the contents of the frying pan and the vinegar into the broth; then bring to a boil.

Maybe kufta soup. Maybe shawbart bayd bil kufta (sp?)

I'll try both Rhama's and Henias. I have a hard time describing food to him. I even showed him my stuffed grape leaves once and he didn't know what they were until I told him the Egyptian word for them which I forget. Thanks! I'll ask him for the official name of the soup too.

Stuffed grapes leaves (really stuffed anything) is called Dolma

No its not Dolma or warak dawali is stuffed grapeleaves. Stuffed anything is Mahshi.

I am having a stuffed dolma for Thanksgiving

Cool we actually had courgette dolmas for iftar

Bamia-Okra Stew with Meat

1 lb stew meat (lamb or beef) can use Hamburger we do
1 pound frozen okra
16 oz canned crushed tomatoes
4 oz. canned tomato puree
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander
1/8 teaspoon allspice
8 cups water
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large saucepan, brown meat with olive oil. Add onions and garlic.

Add crushed tomatoes, stirring well with meat, garlic and onion. Add cumin, coriander, salt and pepper, and allspice. Add water and tomato puree.

Stir and combine well.

Add okra and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer for 2 hours, or until meat is tender and done.

The sauce should thicken as it cooks. If it does not, add 1/2 cup all purpose flour.

Serve bamia with white rice

There are a lot of variations of bamia so whatever works for you, but this is just one

Just wanted to add, if you lightly fly the okra beforehand, it won't be as gooey.

oh i should have posted in the other recipe site too, but bamia can be vegatarian too just omit the meat.
I never ate okra before, but my husband made it and it was delicious and simple and didn't take very long to make. So for those of you who don't have much time to spend in the kitchen like me it's a good hearty quick recipe.

Henia, you will be proud of me. I cooked El Ham Lahlou today along with chorba, rice and salad.


Meriem

Ok this is the one!!! The link has a different name for it though so you're sure it's the same?

O MashAllah Meriem...what did Hachemi say? I really like chorba and the red sauced couscous....but el ham lahlou well not my fav...not a fan of fruit and sweet meat dishes...I made it here several times but last week my husband confessed he does not like it either

Meriem, does your husband or Setifien eat gallotines (chicken stuffed with mutton then marquez, boiled egg then wrapped in chicken skin then baked ususally on a bed of roasted potatoes and olives? uuuuu I just love that... but cannot seem to figure out what spice mixture they use in the stuffing...

Lesan el Asfour means bird tongue in Arabic There aren't actually any bird tongues in the soup, just the orzo pasta, which is shaped like bird tongues, I guess.

Ok so I have been craving Banannas lately! I've been eating a bananna a day and I was thinking about making bananna bread. Does anyone have any good recipies for bananna bread? I'm looking for one with nuts and one without nuts. Also if you happen you have any recipies with banannas, fell free to give me those too. Thanks!

Henia --- no goulash recipe for me??

O snaps Amera..you totally turned this otherwise horrible day into a smile Thanks I really needed that.



Here goes:

Magyar Gyulas (Goulash Soup) This is a main meal hearty soup.

1 1/4 lb,600g beef,mutton or lamb /neck or shoulder

1 large onion

3tsp oil

1/2tsp caraway seed

1garlic clove

ground paprika (add as much as you like...i usually add about 4 TBS)

salt, pepper

1 carrot

1 parsely root (called also parsnips)

2 bell peppers or cubanelle peppers

1 tomato

2 celery stalks

14oz,400g potatoes

small pasta like orzo or acine de peni about handful or make your own small dumplings with simply flour and water.

Cut the meat into 2cm cubes and chop onion and garlic finely.Brown the onions in hot oil until transluscent.Add the caraway seed, garlic and cook.

Remove pot from the heat and add the paprika and the meat and season with salt,pepper.Cover with the lidand leave to cook gently. add a bit of water if it looks dry.

Add then the root(except potatoes) vegetables, tomatoes and fresh paprika and celery when the meat is half-ay cooked.

Pour 6 cups of water over this and let simmer for 20 min.

Add then the potatoes.

Once the meat and potatoes are cooked, add the pasta.

Serve hot in a deep bowl or go traditional in small kettle. (but surely not many have small kettles laying around at home )

In Hungaria, this soup is served with fresh baked bread, dried paprika pods crushed.

Crepes filled with apricot or strawberry confiture are a great after meal dessert( really go extrav and fill them with nutella creme, fold them and drizzle on melted chocolate whipped creme and toasted almonds) .















Simple banana bread recipe...just add or omit the nuts as you like 3 or 4 ripe bananas, smashed
1/3 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup of flour

Preheat the oven to 350°F. With a wooden spoon, mix butter into the mashed bananas in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the sugar, egg, and vanilla. Sprinkle the baking soda and salt over the mixture and mix in. Add the flour last, mix. Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 inch loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool on a rack. Remove from pan and slice to serve. Hmm that makes me want to eat some Banana Foster French toast (made with almond and vanilla essence not liquor hihihi)

Hmm anyone got a great bread pudding recipe that is made without any cornstratch?

Did someone say banana?

Nope, I can't imagine why anyone would be thinking about bananas today

Thank you thank you thank you henia!!! As I said I had this in Prague and East Germany and LOVE it!!! I have a bread pudding recipe that's pretty easy and good - I'll post it tonight!