Zaatar Palmiers

Ingredients:

1 pack (375g) Puff Pastry  

1 cup Zaatar mix (Thyme, Sumac & Sesame seeds)
½ cup Olive Oil (enough to make a spreadable   consistency)

Preheat oven gaz mark 6. Roll the pastry, on lightly dusted flour surface, into a rectangle. I use the ready rolled pastry; unroll the pastry flat.

Mix the zaatar with the oil. Spread the mix in a thin even layer over the pastry.

Roll up ends from the short side of the pastry to meet in the middle.

Cover with cling film or foil & refrigerate for 30min.

Cut the roll into 1cm thick slice. Place into a greaseproof lined baking sheet leaving space between each palmier.

Bake for 12-15 min until they are crisps and golden.

Ardishawkeh ( Stuffed Artichokes )

Ingredients:

400g Artichoke Bottoms (about 9 pcs) (I use frozen)

1 cup Peas

1 Carrot peeled & diced into small cubes
1 Vegetable stock cube
1/2 cup Lemon juice
2-3 tbsp Flour
1 ltr Water
1/2 tsp White Pepper
1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Place artichoke at a room temperature for 2 hrs to thaw. In a saucepan put in the artichoke, peas, dice carrots, veg stock cube & water. Bring it to boil & then simmer for 20 min or till it is done.

 

Drain and keep the stock aside. In a shallow baking dish (Pyrex) , place artichokes side by side. Fill in with the peas and carrots.

 

To the stock add lemon juice & the flour & bring it to boil till it thickens.
Pour the thick sauce over the artichokes .

 

Bake, uncovered, in oven at gas mark 6 for 20 min.

Serve as started or next to boiled rice as main course. 

Tonia’s Sandwichet Lahmeh ( Tonia’s Meat Sandwiches)

Tonia’s version of meat sandwich or Lahmeh bil Ajin or meat pie........

Ingredients:

Dough:

5 cups Flour

1 cup Milk

1 cup Butter

1 tablespoon instant dry Yeast

1 tablespoon Sugar

Filling:

500g Minced Meat

1 Egg

1 Onion grated

1 Potato grated

1 Green Pepper grated

Seasoning: salt, pepper, cinnamon

Glazing:

 1 egg beaten

For the dough, mix the flour, yeast & sugar. Rub the butter with the flour mix. Add milk to form a soft dough. Let it rest for abit. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Mix all the filling ingredients together.

Roll half the dough on a floured surface. Cut circles with cutter ( 8cm) or tea cup. It would make about 18 sandwiches.

Add a heaped  teaspoon of filling in the middle of the circle & spread them in a line in the centre of the circle. Take opposite sides of the circle & close them together in the middle.

Put the Meat sandwich in greased tray.  Glaze each with the beaten egg. Repeat with the second half of the dough. It should make in total about 45 sandwiches.  Glaze each with the beaten egg. Keep spaces between the sandwiches.

 Cook in a medium hot oven till they are golden.

Adas Bil Hamod ( Lentil Lemon Soup)

Adas bil Hamod is a lentil soup with spinach and lemon juice. When we were kids we used to call it Adas bil sharatit Lentil with bits referring to the spinach floating on top. It tastes amazingly good especially if you like your lemons!

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

½ cup Lentils

1 Onion chopped

2 cloves Garlic crushed

1 small Potato grated

2 Tbsp Coriander chopped

½  cup  Lemon juice ( add lemon juice to taste)

1 ltr Water

1 vegetable stock cube

50 g fresh Spinach chopped or torn

Heat oil in a saucepan. Add chopped onions and crushed garlic. Stir till onions begin to turn dark brown (about 5-8 min). Add in lentils, water and vegetable stock. Stir well to loosen the onions from the bottom of the saucepan.

Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer, cover with lid, until lentils are tender (about 30 min).

Add coriander, spinach & lemon juice. Bring it to boil for couple of minutes and serve.

Rosto

Rosto is minced meat rolls filled with pistachio/olives/boiled eggs. It is a delicious starter and the filling can be one of your personal choice. Last Christmas we filled the rolls with cooked cranberries and added a bit of red wine to the meat!! Delicious!!

Ingredients:

500g Minced Meat

1 Egg

5 cloves crushed garlic ( I used garlic puree)

Seasoning: Salt, Pepper, Cinnamon

Filling: Pistachios (soaked in hot water than peeled) or pitted olives ( green   or black) or boiled eggs or cooked cranberries........

Mix the meat, egg, garlic and seasoning together. Divide the mixture in half.

pistachio

Green Olives

Take the first half spread it on cling film in a rectangular shape with ½ cm thickness. Spread the filling of your choice.

Roll it with the help of the cling film (make sure to keep the cling film on the outside!). Once rolled, twist the cling film on both ends & put in fridge for 20 min so the roll will stick together. Repeat with the other half.

Another option is to cover the boiled egg individually in your hand & then wrap them in cling film & put them in fridge for 20 min.

After 20 min, remove the roll from fridge, peel the cling film off. Seal the meat in a sauce pan on the hob . If your sauce pan doesn’t go in the oven, move the roll carefully to an oven tray. Before putting it in oven, add ½ cup of water ( or red wine if you like a bit of festivities!) in saucepan/ tray.

Then put it in hot oven gas mark 5 (350F) for 15- 20 min. Check on the rolls half way cooking and turn them to keep them golden all around.

Rosto stuffed olives  & egg

Rosto stuffed Pistachios

Leave it to cool for 1hr before cutting it into slices of 1/2cm thick.

Sahtein!