Pasta on portobello
If you are ever in the mood for pasta and mushrooms, this should fit the bill. Lots of caramelized onions, lots of mushrooms, a bold amount of garlic and some feta or goat cheese to add creaminess and a bit of tartness. I could not resist using the portobello...
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Chocolate and cream roll, gluten-free
How many of you are secretly happy for a Halloween night with trick-or-treaters knocking at the door and the excuse to stash pounds and pounds of candy at the house? I was! Well, the kids are grown and neighborhood kids are not knocking these days. This cake is a...
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Falafel express
When in Beirut or any other Middle-Eastern city, making falafels at home seems superfluous; after all, every neighborhood offers at least one great falafel joint. In Dallas, however, one needs to plan a trip to a Middle-Eastern restaurant or make one’s own from scratch; the made-from-scratch version requires...
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Carrot cake, Abbasid-era
According to Nawal Nasrallah in her Delights from the Garden of Eden, the recipe for this carrot cake was found in a tenth-century Baghdadi cookbook. Well, the recipe may go back to medieval times but it is still popular today all over the Middle-East in one form or another....
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Lamb shanks in citrus sauce
This is a medieval Iraqi recipe dug up by Mrs. Nasrallah in her book Delights from the Garden of Eden. Very simple to put together: The lamb shanks are browned then braised over gentle heat in a sauce of citrus juice and a medley of vegetables and spices. This...
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Delights from the Garden of Eden by Nawal Nasrallah
I am aware that for a lot of people the word Iraq conjures violent images of blown-up vehicles, death and destruction. When I think of Iraq however, I am still starry-eyed and try my hardest to blot out these dark and tragic images. The Iraq I saw (years ago)...
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Amaranth pancake (gluten-free)
I would have never run into this flour, called rajgara flour, had I not been roaming inside an Indian market in my neighborhood in Dallas, Texas. The label said “buckwheat” and initially I thought: “Great, I can make buckwheat galettes”. Upon closer scrutiny, the translation was inaccurate and...
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Eggplants in a pomegranate and walnut sauce
This eggplant dish is meatless however it will leave you totally satiated. The walnuts and bulgur do the trick: Paired with fresh pomegranate juice, pomegranate molasses, garlic and a touch of cinnamon, they deliver depth of flavor and a sweet/tart taste. I came up with this last summer but...
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Orange and olive oil cookies
A traditional Algerian cookie posted on Radia‘s blog called twabaa; the ring shape of these Algerian cookies is similar to the Lebanese kaak flavored with anise or mahlab. The dough is richer (with eggs) but the cookies are plain and rather crunchy. Radia flavored hers with lemon rind...
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