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This is my savory recipe for the second Walima cooking challenge for the month of June. The ingredients and directions below are as given by Summer. I kept the fish as a whole fillet, and I used Tilapia fish. The jalapenos that I used were ones that I had hand picked them fresh earlier this year and put them in a jar full of olive oil and preserved them, very powerful! I also left the sauce on the side and poured it over the fish before serving. The taste of this dish reminded me of a similar fish with sauce that I had in one of my favorite Indian restaurants, I guess the use of turmeric and spices is what made it so similar, as well as the flavor of the Basmati rice.

Ingredients:
1 tsp of turmeric
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
1 kg of fish fillet cubed
2 jalapeno peppers seeds removed and finely chopped
1 tbsp of freshly chopped fresh ginger
4 cloves of garlic chopped
Some fresh ginger chopped
2 med size chopped onions
2 med chopped tomatoes
1 1/2 tsp of mustard
2 ½ cups of water
2 cubes of chicken broth , unless you have homemade chicken stock
Replace the water with stock
2 tbsp of freshly chopped cilantro

Preparation:
Mix the turmeric with veggie oil, and marinate the fish in it for couple of minutes.
Then lay the fish on a baking tray and bake in a preheated 400F oven for 18 minutes to turn golden brown.
In a food processor, add the garlic, onion, jalapeno peppers tomatoes ginger and mustard, and whip until it turns to paste.
I did not puree my sauce, I felt that it would taste better chunky.
Heat a non stick pan and cook the paste on medium heat, without oil, till it start to turn golden,(takes around 5 min) add the water and dissolved chicken bouillon or the chicken stock, whatever you have on hand, and cook for 7-8 minutes more to become a thick sauce, pour over the fish in the oven and continue cooking for 10 more minutes.
Serve over Basmati rice and sprinkle fresh cilantro on top.

Thanks Summer!!!!! That was very delicious!
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Okra stew is one of my favorite stews. I love its taste when it combines with the tomato sauce, cilantro and pomegranate molasses. Very tangy and full of texture. I follow my mom's recipe, I love the way she makes it. It's a very popular recipe in Lebanon.
Here in the United States I don't always find fresh small okras, so I buy it from the frozen section at a Middle Eastern store or from the local grocery store but they come sliced since they let them grow too big. Small okra is always preferable though.
This stew is best served with rice and vermicelli (you can find how to prepare it if you go back to my recipe of beans stew or fasolia w rizz that I posted before).

Ingredients:
A frozen bag of small okra (about 500g or 15 ounce)
Canola oil (or any vegetable oil) just enough to fry the okra
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 big can of tomato sauce
2 cups of diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
4 cloves of garlic sliced
1 onion chopped
1 fresh bunch of cilantro chopped
1 tablespoon of pomegranate molasses (optional)
Juice of a lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
1 teaspoon of allspice
500grs or a bit more than half a pound of lean stew meat

Thaw the frozen okra, drain and fry in hot oil until golden then transfer to a plate covered with paper towel to drain the excess oil, set that aside.
In the cooking pot add chopped onions, butter, olive oil, salt & pepper. Then add the meat, garlic and allspice. Let everything cook until the meat browns then add the diced tomatoes, once they're cooked add the tomato sauce and some water, cover for few minutes until everything incorporates and cook, then add the okra (don't stir!), let it sink in the sauce and cook slowly. Add the pomegranate molasses, lemon juice and fresh cilantro. Let everything simmer until ready.
Serve with rice.
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This is a very easy salad to prepare. This kind of vegetarian food is called 'ate3 or aateh' in Lebanon, meaning without meat and in oil. It is very delicious when served with pita bread, green onions on the side and radishes. For a quick serve I used a can, but you can soak beans overnight and cook them then prepare the salad. I used fresh cilantro because I am huge fan of fresh cilantro, but a lot of people use parsley.

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) of cooked white beans (washed and drained)
1 small onions chopped (or green onions/scallions)
1 crushed clove of garlic
1/2 cup of fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
Juice of one lemon
Some olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

In a small bowl, add the garlic, lemon juice and drizzle some olive oil, then add the beans, onions and cilantro or parsley. Mix them all together and voila!
You can adjust the lemon juice and olive oil to taste too.
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The May 2009, Challenge is brought to us by Khadidja Zehani from www.dessert-world.blogspot.com. Khadidja worked on two recipes to give us two choices. One for a wonderful savoury dish and one for outstanding dessert….

This is an Algerian dish. Here's a site that describes the wonderful flavors and aromas and origins of the Algerian Cuisine: http://www.algeria.com/cuisine/

I am not very talented when it comes to desserts, I admit that, but I am working on it ;) Therefore I chose the savoury this time.

Here are the ingredients as given:

Tajine Zitoun (Olives Tajine)

This dish could be made with chicken or lamb or both. I personally mix the two meats in the same dish
This recipe has some added meat balls and this is optional. If not using both meats, keep the exact same recipe.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken cut into pieces
2 lbs of lamb
1 large onion
1 Tbsp butter or oil
2 cups pitted green olives
2 medium carrots, cut into circles
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 chicken cube
water
parsley

Meat balls (optional)

1/2 lb ground beef
1 small onion
1 small egg
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cinnamon
Flour to dredge the meat balls

To thicken the sauce:
1 Tbsp soft butter
2 tbsp flour

Preparation:

1- In a pot / pressure cooker put the butter /oil, chicken pieces, lamb pieces (if using), the onion, salt, pepper cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until the onions
are translucent. Add the chicken cube and enough water to cover the meat. Bring the mixture to a boil then cover and cook until the meat is tender. If using both meats, half way through cooking, remove the chicken pieces and continue to cook until the lamb is tender.

2 - In a sauce pan, put the olives and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let the olives boil for 3 to 5 mn. Drain and repeat the same process 2 to 3 times until the olives are no longer bitter.They should not be too salty neither. Set the olives aside.

3- Prepare the meat balls: mix all the ingredients and make balls. Put about 1/2 in of oil in a frying pan and heat over medium heat. Dredge each meat ball in flour and fry until golden brown. Drain on a paper towel and set aside.

4- Once the meat pieces are cooked, add the olives, the sliced carrots and the meat balls. Bring the sauce to a boil, cover the pot and cook until the carrots and the olives are tender, and the meat balls are cooked through.

5-To finish the dish, mix the butter and flour to form a smooth paste. Bring the sauce to a boil and gradually add the butter/ flour mixture, stirring continuously. Let the sauce boil for 3 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be slightly thick. Add 2 tbsp chopped parsley. Serve the dish accompanied with lemon wedges.

Ok, now here's what I changed a bit only because it's the first time I cook this kind of tajine and I was afraid to ruin it.
While the chicken was cooking I added few fresh thyme stems from my garden ;), a couple of bay leaves and some cardamom. I did not use lamb, but I still added the meatballs. Since I added some butter and oil at the beginning, I did not make the paste with flour and butter, just added flour. What I can say about this dish is that the flavor is really good and tangy specially with the lemon wedges. I ate twice from it after I cooked it. I had it with some pita bread. Oh it was so good! Thank you Khadija! Congratulations for all the Walima Club members for making this happen and thanks to Arlette who came up with the idea and made it happen too by gathering us all. Cheers everybody!
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Serves 4-5
5 potatoes peeled and medium cubed
1 onion, chopped
1 small chopped bell pepper
1 clove of garlic chopped
3 cups of chopped tomatoes (or can cubed tomatoes)
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of flour
1 tablespoon of sweet paprika
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 tablespoon of allspice or 7 spices
2 cups of fresh chopped cilantro
1 cup of lean minced meat (or 1/2 pound cubed stew meat)
An optional dash of red pepper flakes (or more depending on how spicy you want it)
Few cups of water
Salt & pepper to taste

For the plain white Rice:
The recipe is in most of my previous recipes of rice or stews

In the cooking pot, add the butter, chopped onions and garlic, minced meat and olive oil, let it cook on medium heat. Add salt & pepper to taste and red pepper flakes. Once the meat browns and cooks, add the tomatoes, let the ingredients cook for a couple of minutes then add the potatoes and let them all cook for few minutes. Add the flour to coat the ingredients. Now, add water enough to cover the stew, then add the tomato paste and stir a bit to dissolve it. Add the paprika, allspice and cilantro. Cook until the potatoes are done. Serve with the rice.

I chose minced meat this time, just for a change. Normally I use beef stew meat, or sometimes I make this without meat if I want it a vegetarian dish.
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I love Man'oucheh (or Mankoucheh). It's a Lebanese Thyme or Zaatar pie, knowing that in Lebanon we have some many kinds of man'ouchehs, like cheese, kishik, zaatar and cheese etc... and some places keep getting more and more creative everyday in serving this traditional breakfast. Since most of the time I keep dough ready in my refrigerator, I was craving man'oucheh this morning. It's very simple and easy. Roll the dough, I like it thin and crispy, then spread the zaatar mix(below) on top, pop it in an 450F oven for about 10 minutes or until gold and crispy (unless you don't like it crispy then take it out before). Cut and serve. Sometimes I like it with vegetables, like fresh mint, sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, green onions and some olives and labneh too! Very tasty and filling, this is what we call in Lebanon 'Man'oucheh Extra'. So here are the ingredients:

I prepare this amount of dough to make a big pizza and a Man'oucheh, so it yields two pies. Or you can simply use a ready dough if you don't wanna prepare it yourself ;)

For the simple dough:
2 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of warm water
1 small pack of yeast
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of olive oil
Mix the dough, cover and let it rise then roll.

For the Zaatar spread: (I eyeball this)
- Some fine chopped onions (optional)
- Some Zaatar Mix (this mix can be found in Middle eastern stores or in healthy food stores, it's the one with sesame and sumac and spices)
- Olive oil
In a small bowl, add the onions, Zaatar Mix and drizzle olive oil and mix until you get a medium-thick paste, you don't wanna add too much olive oil but enough to spread the mixture on the dough without lumps.

Sahtein!
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I love homemade burgers! They're easy and tasty and you can adjust the flavors however you like them!

Makes about 4 patties:
1 cup of cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup small chopped carrots
1/2 cup small chopped bell pepper
1 mashed clove of garlic
1/2 chopped parsley
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 egg (optional)
1/2 tbsp of cumin
1 teaspoon of mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

In a food processor, add all the above ingredients except the egg and breadcrumbs, pulse few times until all the ingredients are incorporated together, the transfer into a bowl and add the breadcrumbs and the egg and fold all ingredients together. I like to refrigerate them for a bit, then form patties. In a non-stick skillet add about a teaspoon of canola oil (or any vegetable oil) or just enough to coat the skillet and cook the patties, few minutes on each side until done.

For the potatoes: (as much potatoes as you want)
Cut potatoes into wedges without peeling them (after cleaning them well). Marinate in olive oil, fresh thyme or rosemary or both, some garlic powder and some pepper. Let them sit for half an hour in a bowl or in a Ziploc bag. Then empty them on a baking rack and bake them in a 375F oven until golden brown.

To serve:
Cut a Hamburger bun in half and slightly toast it, then add on the bottom side, ketchup, then a lettuce leaf, add the veggie patty, then top with sliced onion and tomato and cover with upper part of the bun. Serve the potatoes on the side. I like it with mango salsa. It is a ready salsa that I buy, made of grilled bell peppers, mangoes, tomatoes and a lot of spices.
Hamburgers can be served in so many creative ways, this was a simple version. Caramelized onions are really good too instead of raw onions etc, etc...
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Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (or any parts of the chicken you want), cleaned, washed and cut
2 lemons
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and medium sliced
1 cup of olive oil
2 tablespoons of Herbes De Provence (or Italian herbs)
5 big cloves of garlic, mashed
Salt & pepper to taste

In a container, place the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, herbs and spices. Add the chicken to marinade. You can marinade for an hour, or you can do it overnight. Now, in a separate bowl and same marinade ingredients I marinated the potatoes. You can half-way fry the potatoes and let them drain on a paper towel or just marinate, for less calories.
In a baking dish enough to fit the chicken and the potatoes, add the chicken then add and distribute the potatoes too. Bake in a 375F oven, until the chicken is fully cooked and the potatoes too. It's better to cover the baking dish with aluminum foil for the first 20 minutes or so. Then remove the foil and let it bake and gold-brown. This way the chicken won't dry and will cook faster.
- However, some people prefer to sautee in a skillet with some vegetable oil, the chicken for few minutes on both sides, then transfer it to the baking dish and add the marinade and bake along with the potatoes. Both ways work.

I served it along with saffron-rice and a green salad, simple bed of lettuce, with a herb vinaigrette dressing.

My vinaigrette dressing consisted of some Herbes De Provence, olive oil, a little bit of mustard and balsamic vinegar. For the saffron-rice, very simple too, added a pinch of saffron while the rice was cooking.
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This is a very simple salad. It can be served with pita bread and a plate of fresh vegetables on the side: like green onions, fresh mint and radishes.

Serves 3-4
Ingredients:
1 cup of lentils
1/3 cup of chopped onions
1 small clove of garlic, mashed
1/4 cup of fresh chopped parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
About a 1/3 cup of Olive oil
Salt & pepper to taste

Wash and drain the lentils, make sure that they're clean then add to a saucepan with 4 cups of water and some salt and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to medium and let the lentils cook. After they're cooked, drain the water then transfer to the serving bowl, add the garlic, onions, parsley, salt & pepper, lemon juice and olive oil. Mix the ingredients well and serve.
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Shish Taouk is marinated chicken cut into cubes or big chunks and marinated at least overnight then baked, grilled or even cooked on the stove surface. The main ingredient of the marinade is garlic!!! Shish Taouk is normally put on skewers and grilled but this time I wanted to bake it in the oven since we were not having a barbecue. I served it with home made french fries.

Serves about 4
Ingredients:
1 pound of chicken cut in cubes (I normally like chicken breasts)
1 cup of plain yogurt
5 or more cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of tomato sauce
2 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 cup of Olive oil (or canola oil)
Salt & pepper to taste.

In a bowl add the chicken and all the ingredients above, mix all ingredients very well and place in the refrigerator overnight or all day. You can also stack this in the freezer and use it whenever you want.
Bake in the oven until the chicken is fully cooked but don't let it dry. Or put on skewers and grill (I will post the grilled version soon too). Shish Taouk can be served on pita bread or tortilla and rolled as wraps with coleslaw and fries. You can get creative!!!!!!
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