Tahini

2/3 c. sesame paste, add 5 Tbsp to dissolve paste, add 1/3 c. hot water, salt and ground cumin to taste.

Baba Ghanoush:

1-1 eggplant 300 g
1 single container of yogurt
2-3 Tbsp sour cream
1/4 c. Olive oil
Salt & pepper
1+1/2 c. Tahini
2 Tbsp white vinegar
Fresh garlic, optional

Remove top of eggplant.  On bbq grill or in frying pan or under broiler, grill to black on all sides, almost cooked, tender.  Peel, but keep some of the burned skin on.  Mash with a fork and add yogurt & sour cream.  Blend tahini with 2 Tbsp vinegar to dissolve.  Mix eggplant mixture, tahini and remaining ingredients.  Keeps up to 2 wks in fridge.

 

Falafel

500 g. Fava beans, peeled and dehydrated or soak overnight in water and peel
One small cooking onion chopped or green part of 1 whole leek
One bunch of fresh cilantro
4 garlic cloves
Salt
Pinch Baking Soda

Process all ingredients in a blender or food processor until chunky, not pureed.  Add a tiny pinch of baking soda or 1 egg, and let stand for 5 minutes,.  Wet hand and shape into 1″ balls and pat balls into 1 cm high patties.  Deep fry and top with toasted coriander seeds and sesame seeds.  Drain in paper towel.

Note:  Seeds can be toasted on stovetop in nonstick pan, no butter or oil, medium heat.  Stir or flip constantly, do not leave unattended, will only take a few minutes.

Shawurma

Meat mixture:

500 g. Beef or deboned chicken breasts
1/3 c. White vinegar
500 g. Yogurt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Salt & pepper to taste
Bacon fat or butter for cooking (I’m going to use duck fat from Farm & Field Butchers on Blanshard near Broughto

Use very sharp knife to shave meat.  If you can’t get it thin enough, freeze until half frozen and retry.  Blend meat with vinegar.  Add remaining ingredients but only half of each of the spices and marinate in fridge 6-12 hours.   Cook whole mixture in bacon fat or butter or duck fat until tender and cooked thru.

Veggies:

2 fresh tomatoes, seeded and cubed
1 bunch fresh cilantro

Add tomatoes and cilantro for last few minutes of cooking.  When done, stir in remaining spices.

Sandwich:

Hoagie buns or tortilla wraps
Mayo
Shawurma

Paint bread or wrap with mayo.  Add Shawurma to bun or wrap.  Grill sandwich lightly and serve.

Hawawshi (Egyptian hamburger)

250 g ground beef
1 onion finely chopped
Salt & pepper to taste
Some cinnamon to taste
1 tomato, thinly sliced
2 rings of red or sweet onion
Pita pockets

Mix beef with chopped onion and spices.  Place in pita.   Top meat mixture with tomato slices and onion rings, wrap pita in foil and roast until it starts to smell wonderful.  Unwrap, paint pita with butter and return to oven until done.  Makes 2 hamburgers.

Koshari

250 g Rice
250 g Macaroni
250 g Spaghetti broken
100 g Brown lentils
100 g Chick peas,  steamed
2 pieces onion, very thin rings and deep fry
4 pieces tomato
2 tsp ground cumin
Salt & Pepper
Fresh garlic (optional)

Cook first 5 ingredients separately.   Deep fry onion rings.  Cook tomatoes with cumin, pepper, salt, & garlic until a thick tomato sauce.  Layer first 5 cooked ingredients, then put tomato sauce on top and top with deep fried crispy onion rings.

Bean sandwich

1 tomato
1 onion
1 pkg dried fava beans
1/2 c. Brown lentils with skin
1 Tbsp raw rice
Salt to taste
1 cooking onion
1 tomato
1 lemon

Soak beans and lentils for a day.  Rinse.  Add 1 raw rice, flood with water to 2 cm above beans. Bring to boil, add remaining ingredients except lemon and cook slowly in pot over low heat. Keep adding water as it evaporates.  Divide into baggies and freeze.  Stir in olive oil or butter and 1 tsp ground cumin.  Can add 1 Tbsp of tahini if desired.   Serve with lemon.

 

Bon Appetit!