Contents
Foreword by Lorraine Elliott 6
My Passion for Middle Eastern Cooking 8
Cooking Tips and Techniques 10
Buying the Right Middle Eastern Ingredients 18
Sesame Sauce 25
Basic Savory Flat Pie Dough 26
Pickles 27
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
Salads 39
Chickpea Salad with Lemony Mint Salad Dressing 40
Colorful Cabbage Salad with Lemony Mint Salad Dressing 40
tabbouleh 44
herb Salad with tangy Dressing and Croutons 48
CHAPTER THREE
Vegetable and Rice Side Dishes 51
Fried Eggplant with Garlic and Parsley Dressing 53
Potatoes with herbs and Garlic 54
Okra with tomatoes in a Fragrant Sauce 55
Fried Cauliflower with Sesame Parsley Sauce 57
Sautéed Greens with Cilantro 58
Rice with toasted Vermicelli noodles 58
Spiced Green Beans with tomatoes 59
Saffron Rice with Golden Raisins and Pine nuts 61
CHAPTER FOUR
Eggplant Dip 64
Eggs Poached in Spicy tomato Sauce 67
Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves 71
CHAPTER FIVE
Mashed Fava Beans with Olive Oil, Lemon Juice and Garlic 76
hummus, with Several Variations 79
Creamy Chickpea and Yogurt Casserole 80
Falafel 81
Lentil and Bulgur Pilaf with Caramelized Onion 82
Lentil Stew with Swiss Chard and Lemon Juice 83
CHAPTER SIX
Fish Pilaf with Caramelized Onion 86
Aromatic whole Roasted Fish 87
Roasted Green wheat with Chicken 89
Jute Mallow Soup with Chicken 90
Spiced Shawarma Chicken wraps 92
Rice Pilaf with Spiced Smoked Chicken 94
Shrimp in Aromatic tomato Sauce 95
Baked Chicken with Red Rice Pilaf 96
Roasted Chicken with Flatbread 97
CHAPTER SEVEN
Kibbeh 100
Meat and Vegetable Casserole with Pomegranate 103
Stuffed Squash in Yogurt Sauce 104
Scrambled Eggs with Meat & Onion 105
Meatballs with Potato in tomato Sauce 113
upside-Down Rice Casserole 114
CHAPTER EIGHT
Desserts 117
Sesame Fudge 119
Layered Apricot and Milk Pudding 120
Lebanese nights 121
Butter Cookies 123
Middle Eastern Pancakes, Several ways 124
Apricot Jam 125
Apple Preserves 126
Rose and Orange Blossom-Scented Milk Pudding 127
Rice Pudding 129
toasted Semolina Pudding with Cinnamon 130
Rose and Pistachio ice Cream 131
CHAPTER NINE
Drinks 133
Grape Syrup Drink with Sultanas & Pine nuts 134
Fresh Limeade 136
Rose Syrup Punch 136
Apricot Drink 138
Sage tea 138
turkish Coffee 139
white Coffee 139
Middle Eastern Grocery Stores 140
Index 142
Acknowledgments 144